s signaled all hands to change mounts. Half the men repaired to
the rope corral and caught up cow horses while the balance of the crew
held the herd, each one relieving some other as soon as he had saddled
a fresh horse.

When the hands commenced working the herd the Three Bar girl watched
the trained cow horses with an interest that was always fresh, for from
long experience they thoroughly understood every move of the game.

A sagebrush fire was burning fifty yards above the wagon and each man
rode past it, leaned from his saddle and dropped his running iron in
the flame.

The men worked round the edge of the bunch and slipped a noose on every
calf that was thrown to the edge of the constantly shifting mass.
Morrow roped the first calf and dragged it to the fire. A cow darted
away with her calf and Bangs's horse whirled to head her back. As
Bangs shook out his rope the horse changed tactics and abandoned the
course that would have carried him past to turn them, following in
close behind them instead. After two preliminary swings Bangs made his
throw and missed. The horse did not miss a step but kept on close
behind the calf while his rider coiled the rope. The second throw fell
fair and the horse set his feet and braced himself as the calf hit the
end of the rope.

As much as she loved the round-up, many times as she had seen it,
Billie Warren had never become calloused to the brutalities perpetrated
on the calves. She withdrew and sat in the shade of the wagon. She
was downwind and the dust raised by the trampling hoofs floated down to
her, mingled with the odor of steaming cows, the acrid smoke of the
sage fire and the taint of scorched hair and flesh.

Some of the men handled their hot irons with makeshift tongs of split
sage, which were soon burnt through and replaced. Others used slender,
long-handled pliers for the work.

The horses held the calves helpless, moving just enough to keep the
ropes taut. Evans loosed a fresh-branded calf and rode over to the
wagon for a drink. Several cows raced wildly round at a distance from
the fire.

"One of those old sisters will go on the prod and make a break for some
one right soon," he predicted to the girl.

A calf bawled in pain and a cow, maddened by the appeal of her
offspring, charged the group around the fire. The horses that stood
there, holding calves, pricked their ears and watched her rush alertly
but before it was necessary for any one of th