"Drooping T" cattle
were in advance of Sponsilier's, and as I soldiered along on my way
back, rode several miles out of my way to console my old bunkie, The
Rebel. He took my chaffing good-naturedly and assured me that his gray
hairs were a badge of innocence which would excuse him on any charge.
Turning, I rode back with him over a mile, this being my first
opportunity of seeing Forrest's beeves. The steers were large and rangy,
extremely uniform in ages and weight, and in general relieved me of
considerable conceit that I had the best herd among the Buford cattle.
With my vanity eased, I continued my journey and reached Sponsilier's
beeves while they were watering. Again a surprise was in store for me,
as the latter herd had, if any, the edge over the other two, while "The
Apple" was by all odds the prettiest road brand I had ever seen. I
asked the acting segundo, a lad named Tupps, who cut the cattle when
receiving; light was thrown on the situation by his reply.

"Old man Don joined the outfit the day we reached Uvalde," said he, "and
until we began receiving, he poured it into our foreman that this year
the cattle had to be something extra--muy escogido, as the Mexicans say.
Well, the result was that Sponsilier went to work with ideas pitched
rather high. But in the first bunch received, the old man cut a pretty
little four-year-old, fully a hundred pounds too light. Dave and Mr.
Lovell had a set-to over the beef, the old man refusing to cut him
back, but he rode out of the herd and never again offered to interfere.
Forrest was present, and at dinner that day old man Don admitted that
he was too easy when receiving. Sponsilier and Forrest did the trimming
afterward, and that is the secret of these two herds being so uniform."

A general halt was called at the head of Stinking Water. We were then
within forty miles of Ogalalla, and a day's drive would put us within
the jurisdiction of Keith County. Some time was lost at this last water,
waiting for the rear herds to arrive, as it was the intention to place
the "Open A" and "Drooping T" cattle at the rear in crossing this dry
belt. At the ford on the Republican, a number of strangers were noticed,
two of whom rode a mile or more with me, and innocently asked numerous
but leading questions. I frankly answered every inquiry, and truthfully,
with the exception of the names of the lead foreman and my own. Direct,
it was only sixty miles from the crossing on the Republica