prevent them from becoming excited. As fast as they were released
from the chute, Dr. Beaver took a list of the ranch brands, in
order to bill of sale them to Lovell and settle with his
neighbors.

The work moved with alacrity. As one chuteful was being freed the
next one was entering. Gates closed in their faces and the
bull-bars at the rear locked them as in a vice. We were averaging
a hundred an hour, but the smoke from the burning hair was
offensive to the lungs. During the forenoon Burl Van Vedder and
Vick Wolf "spelled" Flood and myself for half an hour at a time,
or until we could recover from the nauseous fumes. When the cook
called us to dinner, we had turned out nearly five hundred
branded cattle. No sooner was the midday meal bolted than the
cook was ordered back to camp with his wagon, the branded
contingent of cattle following in charge of the first guard.
Less than half an hour was lost in refreshing the inner man, and
ordering "G--G" Cederdall, Tim Stanley, and Jack Splann of the
second guard into their saddles to take the place of the relieved
men, we resumed our task. The dust of the corrals settled on us
unheeded, the smoke of the fire mingled with that of the singeing
hair and its offensive odors, bringing tears to our eyes, but the
work never abated until the last steer had passed the chute and
bore the "Open A."

The work over, a pretense was made at washing the dust and grime
from our faces. It was still early in the day, and starting the
cattle for camp, I instructed the boys to water and graze them as
long as they would stand up. The men all knew their places on
guard, this having been previously arranged; and joining Dr.