st had made himself useful in various
ways, and I naturally felt friendly towards him. He had stood several
guards for the boys, and Burl Van Vedder, of the last watch, had secret
instructions to call him for that guard.

The next morning the camp was not astir as early as usual. On the cook's
arousing us, in the uncertain light of dawn, the herd was slowly rising,
and from the position of a group of four horsemen, it was plainly
evident that our guest had shaded all competition. Our camp was in plain
view of Los Lobos, and only some five or six miles distant. With the
rising of the sun, and from the top of a windmill derrick, by the aid of
a field-glass, the Lasalle inspector had read his answer; and after the
work in the morning was over, and the final papers had been exchanged,
Dr. Beaver insisted that, in commiseration of his departed guest, just
one more mint-julep should be drunk standing.

When Don Lovell glanced over my expense account on our arrival at
Abilene, he said: "Look here, Tom, is this straight?--twenty dollars for
inspection?--the hell you say! Corrupted them, did you? Well, that's
the cheapest inspection I ever paid, with one exception. Dave Sponsilier
once got a certificate for his herd for five dollars and a few drinks.
But he paid for it a month in advance of the starting of the herd.
It was dated ahead, properly sealed, and all ready for filling in the
brands and numbers. The herd was put up within a mile of where four
counties cornered, and that inspector was a believer in the maxim of
the early bird. The office is a red-tape one, anyhow, and little harm in
taking all the advantage you can.--This item marked 'sundries' was DRY
goods, I suppose? All right, Quirk; I reckon rattlesnakes were rather
rabid this spring."

CHAPTER IV. MINGLING WITH THE EXODUS

By noon the herd had grazed out five miles on its way. The boys were
so anxious to get off that on my return the camp was deserted with the
exception of the cook and the horse-wrangler, none even returning for
dinner. Before leaving I had lunched at Los Lobos with its owner, and on
reaching the wagon, Levering and I assisted the cook to harness in
and start the commissary. The general course of the Nueces River was
southeast by northwest, and as our route lay on the latter angle, the
herd would follow up the valley for the first day. Once outside the
boundaries of our camp of the past week, the grass matted the ground
with its rank young