was ever in my employ. I'm breaking in two new foremen this
year, and they shall have no excuse for not being mounted, and will
divide the remainder. Now, take four men apiece and round up the saddle
stock, and have everything in shape to go into camp to-night. I'll be
present at the division, and I warn you all that I want no clashing."

A ranch remuda was driven in, and we saddled. There were about thirty
thousand acres in the pasture, and by eleven o'clock everything was
thrown together. The private horses of all the boys had been turned
into a separate inclosure, and before the cutting out commenced, every
mother's son, including Don Lovell, arrived at the round-up. There were
no corrals on the ranch which would accommodate such a body of animals,
and thus the work had to be done in the open; but with the force at hand
we threw a cordon around them, equal to a corral, and the cutting out to
the four quarters commenced.

The horses were gentle and handled easily. Forrest and I turned to and
helped our old foreman cut out his remuda of the year before. There were
several horses in my old mount that I would have liked to have again,
but I knew it was useless to try and trade Jim out of them, as he knew
their qualities and would have robbed me in demanding their equivalent.
When the old remudas were again separated, they were counted and
carefully looked over by both foremen and men, and were open to the
inspection of all who cared to look. Everything was passing very
pleasantly, and the cutting of the extra twenty-five began. Then my
selfishness was weighed in the balance and found to be full weight. I
had ridden over a hundred of the best of them, but when any one appealed
to me, even my own dear brother, I was as dumb as an oyster about a
horse. Tolleston, especially, cursed, raved, and importuned me to help
him get a good private mount, but I was as innocent as I was immovable.
The trip home from Dodge was no pleasure jaunt, and now I was determined
to draw extra pay in getting the cream of that horse herd. There were
other features governing my actions: Flood was indifferent; Forrest, at
times, was cruel to horses, and had I helped my brother, I might have
been charged with favoritism. Dave Sponsilier was a good horseman, as
his selections proved, and I was not wasting any love and affection on
Archie Tolleston that day, anyhow.

That no undue advantage should be taken, Lovell kept tally of every
horse cut out, a