my command, outside the jurisdiction of Ford County. The regular
trail leading north was some six or eight miles to the west, and
fearful that we had not reached unorganized territory, I was
determined to push farther on our course before veering to the
left. The night halt, however, afforded us an opportunity to
compare notes and arrive at some definite understanding as to the
programme of the forthcoming day. "Quirk, you missed the sight of
your life," said Jake Blair, as we dismounted around the wagon,
after bedding the cattle, "by not being there when the discovery
was made that these 'Open A's' were Don Lovell's cattle.
Tolleston, of course, made the discovery; but I think he must
have smelt the rat in advance. Archie and the buyers arrived for
a late dinner, and several times Tolleston ran his eye over one
of the boys and asked, 'Haven't I met you somewhere?' but none of
them could recall the meeting. Then he got to nosing around the
wagon and noticing every horse about camp. The road-brand on the
cattle threw him off the scent just for a second, but when he
began reading the ranch-brands, he took a new hold. As he looked
over the remuda, the scent seemed to get stronger, and when he
noticed the 'Circle Dot' on those work-mules, he opened up and
bayed as if he had treed something. And sure enough he had; for
you know, Tom, those calico lead mules belonged in his team last
year, and he swore he'd know them in hell, brand or no brand.
When Archie announced the outfit, lock, stock, and barrel, as
belonging to Don Lovell, the old buyers turned pale as ghosts,
and the fat one took off his hat and fanned himself. That act
alone was worth the price of admission. But when we boys were
appealed to, we were innocent and likewise ignorant, claiming
that we always understood that the herd belonged to the Marshall
estate, but then we were just common hands and not supposed to