But I had warmed up to our guest, and gave Fox's criticism very little
weight, well knowing if any one of us had been left in charge, he
would have shown the old man similar courtesies. In this view I was
correct, for when Stallings had ridden on ahead to look up water that
afternoon, the very man that entirely monopolized our guest for an
hour was Mr. John Fox Quarternight. Nor did he jar loose until we
reached water, when Stallings cut him off by sending all the men on
the right of the herd to hold the cattle from grazing away until every
hoof had had ample time to drink. During this rest, the old man
circulated around, asking questions as usual, and when I informed him
that, with a half mile of water front, it would take a full hour to
water the herd properly, he expressed an innocent amazement which
seemed as simple as sincere. When the wagon and _remuda_ came up, I
noticed the boy had tied his team behind our wagon, and was riding one
of Honeyman's horses bareback, assisting the wrangler in driving the
saddle stock. After the wagon had crossed the creek, and the kegs had
been filled and the teams watered, Stallings took the old man with him
and the two rode away in the lead of the wagon and _remuda_ to select
a camp and a bed ground for the night. The rest of us grazed the
cattle, now thoroughly watered, forward until the wagon was sighted,
when, leaving two men as usual to nurse them up to bed, the remainder
of us struck out for camp. As I rode in, I sought out my bunkie to get
his opinion regarding our guest. But The Rebel was reticent, as usual,
of his opinions of people, so my inquiries remained unanswered, which
only served to increase my confidence in the old man.

On arriving at camp we found Stallings and Honeyman entertaining our
visitor in a little game of freeze-out for a dollar a corner, while
McCann looked wistfully on, as if regretting that his culinary duties
prevented his joining in. Our arrival should have been the signal to
our wrangler for rounding in the _remuda_ for night horses, but
Stallings was too absorbed in the game even to notice the lateness of
the hour and order in the saddle stock. Quarternight, however, had a
few dollars burning holes in his pocket, and he called our horse
rustler's attention to the approaching twilight; not that he was in
any hurry, but if Honeyman vacated, he saw an opportunity to get into
the game. The foreman gave the necessary order, and Quarternight at
once