learned something to our advantage. But disdaining all inquiry of
the cut-off, fearful lest our identity be discovered, we
deliberately walked into the first real danger of the trip.

At low water the Cimarron was a brackish stream. But numerous
tributaries put in from either side, and by keeping above the
river's ebb, an abundance of fresh water was daily secured from
the river's affluents. The fifth day out from Red Rock was an
excessively sultry one, and suffering would have resulted to the
herd had we not been following a divide where we caught an
occasional breeze. The river lay some ten miles to our right,
while before us a tributary could be distinctly outlined by the
cottonwoods which grew along it. Since early morning we had been
paralleling the creek, having nooned within sight of its
confluence with the mother stream, and consequently I had
considered it unnecessary to ride ahead and look up the water.
When possible, we always preferred watering the herd between
three and four o'clock in the afternoon. But by holding our
course, we were certain to intersect the creek at about the usual
hour for the cattle's daily drink, and besides, as the creek
neared the river, it ran through an alkali flat for some
distance. But before the time arrived to intersect the creek on
our course, the herd turned out of the trail, determined to go to
the creek and quench their thirst. The entire outfit, however,
massed on the right flank, and against their will we held them on
their course. As their thirst increased with travel, they made
repeated attempts to break through our cordon, requiring every
man to keep on the alert. But we held them true to the divide,
and as we came to the brow of a small hill within a quarter-mile
of the water, a stench struck us until we turned in our saddles,