was by all odds the prettiest road brand I had ever seen. I asked
the acting segundo, a lad named Tupps, who cut the cattle when
receiving; light was thrown on the situation by his reply.

"Old man Don joined the outfit the day we reached Uvalde," said
he, "and until we began receiving, he poured it into our foreman
that this year the cattle had to be something extra--muy
escogido, as the Mexicans say. Well, the result was that
Sponsilier went to work with ideas pitched rather high. But in
the first bunch received, the old man cut a pretty little
four-year-old, fully a hundred pounds too light. Dave and Mr.
Lovell had a set-to over the beef, the old man refusing to cut
him back, but he rode out of the herd and never again offered to
interfere. Forrest was present, and at dinner that day old man
Don admitted that he was too easy when receiving. Sponsilier and
Forrest did the trimming afterward, and that is the secret of
these two herds being so uniform."

A general halt was called at the head of Stinking Water. We were
then within forty miles of Ogalalla, and a day's drive would put
us within the jurisdiction of Keith County. Some time was lost at
this last water, waiting for the rear herds to arrive, as it was
the intention to place the "Open A" and "Drooping T" cattle at
the rear in crossing this dry belt. At the ford on the
Republican, a number of strangers were noticed, two of whom rode
a mile or more with me, and innocently asked numerous but leading
questions. I frankly answered every inquiry, and truthfully, with
the exception of the names of the lead foreman and my own.
Direct, it was only sixty miles from the crossing on the
Republican to Ogalalla, an easy night's ride, and I was conscious