first place," he began again when he had readjusted himself
carefully in the saddle, "I wish you'd tell me just where you
are going with the wagons, and what you mean by trailing a
herd."

"Why, I thought I said we were going to Billings," Park
answered, surprised. "What we're going to do when we get there
is to receive a shipment of cattle young steer that's coming up
from the Panhandle which is a part uh Texas. And we trail 'em up
here and turn 'em loose this side the river. After that we'll
start the calf roundup. The Lazy Eight runs two wagons, yuh
know. I run one, and Deacon Smith runs the other; we work
together, though, most of the time. It makes quite a crew,
twenty-five or thirty men."

"I didn't know," said Thurston dubiously, "that you ever shipped
cattle into this country. I supposed you shipped them out. Is
Mr. Graves buying some?"

"Hank? I guess yes! six thousand head uh yearlings and two
year-olds, this spring; some seasons it's more. We get in young
stock every year and turn 'em loose on the range till they're
ready to ship. It's cheaper than raising calves, yuh know.
When yuh get to Billings, Bud, you'll see some cattle! Why, our
bunch alone will make seven trains, and that ain't a
commencement. Cattle's cheap down South, this year, and seems
like everybody's buying. Hank didn't buy as much as some,
because he runs quite a bunch uh cows; we'll brand six or seven
thousand calves this spring. Hank sure knows how to rake in the
coin."