me to
assist Honeyman in recovering the missing horses, instructing some one
else to take the _remuda_, and the wagon and horses to follow up the
herd. By the time I arrived, most of the boys at camp had secured a
change of horses, and I caught up my _grulla_, that I was saving for
the last hard ride, for the horse hunt which confronted us. McCann,
having no fire built, gave Honeyman and myself an impromptu breakfast
and two canteens of water; but before we let the wagon get away, we
rustled a couple of cans of tomatoes and buried them in a cache near
the camp-ground, where we would have no trouble in finding them on our
return. As the wagon pulled out, we mounted our horses and rode back
down the trail.

Billy Honeyman understood horses, and at once volunteered the belief
that we would have a long ride overtaking the missing saddle stock.
The absent horses, he said, were principally the ones which had been
under saddle the day before, and as we both knew, a tired, thirsty
horse will go miles for water. He recalled, also, that while we were
asleep at noon the day before, twenty miles back on the trail, the
horses had found quite a patch of wild sorrel plant, and were foolish
over leaving it. Both of us being satisfied that this would hold them
for several hours at least, we struck a free gait for it. After we
passed the point where the mules had been overtaken, the trail of the
horses was distinct enough for us to follow in an easy canter. We saw
frequent signs that they left the trail, no doubt to graze, but only
for short distances, when they would enter it again, and keep it for
miles. Shortly before noon, as we gained the divide above our noon
camp of the day before, there about two miles distant we saw our
missing horses, feeding over an alkali flat on which grew wild sorrel
and other species of sour plants. We rounded them up, and finding none
missing, we first secured a change of mounts. The only two horses of
my mount in this portion of the _remuda_ had both been under saddle
the afternoon and night before, and were as gaunt as rails, and
Honeyman had one unused horse of his mount in the hand. So when,
taking down our ropes, we halted the horses and began riding slowly
around them, forcing them into a compact body, I had my eye on a brown
horse of Flood's that had not had a saddle on in a week, and told
Billy to fasten to him if he got a chance. This was in violation of
all custom, but if the foreman kicked, I