ron burns into the hide makes them wild with fear and anxiety, and the
motherly instinct to charge is strained to the utmost, though they
seldom dare to do it. The calves themselves, if big and stout enough,
will often charge you on being released, and perhaps knock you over with
a painfully hard punch.

This was merely an adventure which lent some excitement and interest to
the regular work. Happily no more serious raid on our cattle occurred
in that direction, but one never knew when a little "pulling" might take
place and so had to be constantly on the alert.

About this time certain ill-disposed individuals tried "to get their
work in on us" by asserting land frauds on our part. They tried every
possible way to give us "dirt," that is, to put us to trouble and
expense, and even send us to the pen if they could. They succeeded in
having me indicted for perjury by the Grand Jury at Prescott, the then
capital of Arizona. It cost us some money, but no incriminating evidence
was forthcoming and the trial was a farce. The trial jury consisted of
miners, cattlemen, saloon-keepers and others, and by mixing freely with
them, standing drinks, etc., we managed to "correct" any bad feeling
there might have been against us. Certainly these jurymen might have
made trouble for me, but they did not. This notwithstanding that my
friend, a special land agent sent out from Washington and principal
witness against me, swore that I had assaulted him at a lonely place
(and I well remember the occasion), and that he felt his life in such
danger that he had to travel with a guard, etc. This came from politics.

Having described summer life and occupations, and before going to winter
camp, something must be said about our headquarters ranch, situated
some twenty miles off. Here were the grain-house, the hay stacks, wagon
sheds, corrals, the kitchen, general messroom, the bunk house and
private rooms for ourselves. There was a constant succession of
visitors. Nearly every day some stranger or neighbour "happened" in for
a meal. Everyone was welcome, or at least got free board and lodging and
horse feed. There being a paid cook made things different.

But it was hot down here in summer-time, hot and dry and hardly
attractive. The lower part of the range was much of it sandy country.
With the temperature at 110 deg. in the shade the sand would get so hot as
to be almost painful to walk on, certainly disagreeable to sit on. And
when one want