that our whereabouts would be known at the latter place the next
morning. For several days before starting across this arid
stretch, we had watered at ten o'clock in the morning, so when
Flood and Forrest came up, mine being the third herd to reach the
last water, I was all ready to pull out. But old man Don
counseled another day's lie-over, as it would be a sore trial for
the herds under a July sun, and for a full day twenty thousand
beeves grazed in sight of each other on the mesas surrounding the
head of Stinking Water. All the herds were aroused with the dawn,
and after a few hours' sun on the cattle, the Indian beeves were
turned onto the water and held until the middle of the forenoon,
when the start was made for the Platte and Ogalalla.

I led out with "The Apple" cattle, throwing onto the trail for
the first ten miles, which put me well in advance of Bob Quirk
and Forrest, who were in my immediate rear. A well-known divide
marked the halfway between the two waters, and I was determined
to camp on it that night. It was fully nine o'clock when we
reached it, Don Lovell in the mean time having overtaken us. This
watershed was also recognized as the line of Keith County, an
organized community, and the next morning expectation ran high as
to what the day would bring forth. Lovell insisted on staying
with the lead herd, and pressing him in as horse-wrangler, I sent
him in the lead with the remuda and wagon, while Levering fell
into the swing with the trailing cattle. A breakfast halt was
made fully seven miles from the bed-ground, a change of mounts,
and then up divide, across mesa, and down slope at the foot of
which ran the Platte. Meanwhile several wayfaring men were met,
but in order to avoid our dust, they took the right or unbranded
side of our herd on meeting, and passed on their way without