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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Wells Brothers, by Andy Adams
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: Wells Brothers
+
+Author: Andy Adams
+
+Release Date: June 30, 2004 [eBook #12791]
+[Most recently updated: June 29, 2023]
+
+Language: English
+
+Produced by: Charlie Kirschner and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WELLS BROTHERS ***
+
+
+
+
+WELLS BROTHERS
+
+The Young Cattle Kings
+
+by
+
+ANDY ADAMS
+
+1911
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THEY CHANGED TO FRESH ONES AT NOON (p.26)]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+   I. WAIFS OF THE PLAIN
+  II. THE HOSPITAL ON THE BEAVER
+ III. THE BOTTOM RUNG
+  IV. THE BROTHERS CLAIM A RANGE
+   V. A FALL OF CRUMBS
+  VI. SUNSHINE AND SHADOW
+ VII. ALL IN THE DAY'S WORK
+VIII. THE LINES OF INTRENCHMENT
+  IX. A WINTRY CRUCIBLE
+   X. GOOD FIGHTING
+  XI. HOLDING THE FORT
+ XII. A WINTER DRIFT
+XIII. A WELCOME GUEST
+ XIV. AN ILL WIND
+  XV. WATER! WATER!
+ XVI. A PROTECTED CREDIT
+XVII. "THE WAGON"
+XVIII. AN OPEN WINTER
+  XIX. AN INDIAN SCARE
+   XX. HARVEST ON THE RANGE
+  XXI. LIVING IN THE SADDLE
+ XXII. INDEPENDENCE
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+WAIFS OF THE PLAIN
+
+
+The first herd of trail cattle to leave Dodge City, Kansas, for the
+Northwest, during the summer of 1885, was owned by the veteran drover,
+Don Lovell. Accidents will happen, and when about midway between the
+former point and Ogalalla, Nebraska, a rather serious mishap befell
+Quince Forrest, one of the men with the herd. He and the horse wrangler,
+who were bunkies, were constantly scuffling, reckless to the point of
+injury, the pulse of healthy manhood beating a constant alarm to
+rough contest.
+
+The afternoon previous to the accident, a wayfaring man had overtaken
+the herd, and spent the night with the trail outfit. During the evening,
+a flock of sand-hill cranes was sighted, when the stranger expressed a
+wish to secure a specimen of the bird for its splendid plumage. On
+Forrest's own suggestion, his being a long-range pistol and the covey
+wary, the two exchanged belts. The visitor followed the flock, stealing
+within range a number of times, and emptying the six-shooter at every
+chance. On securing a fine specimen near nightfall, he returned to the
+herd, elated over his chance shot and beautiful trophy. However, before
+returning the belt, he had refilled the cylinder with six instead of
+five cartridges, thus resting the hammer on a loaded shell. In the
+enthusiasm of the moment, and ignorant of its danger, belt and pistol
+were returned to their owner.
+
+Dawn found the camp astir. The sun had flooded the plain while the
+outfit was breakfasting, the herd was grazing forward in pastoral
+contentment, the horses stood under saddle for the morning's work, when
+the trail foreman, Paul Priest, languidly remarked: "If everybody's
+ready, we'll ride. Fill the canteens; it's high time we were in the
+saddle. Of course, that means the parting tussle between Quince and the
+wrangler. It would be a shame to deny those lads anything so enjoyable--
+they remind me so much of mule colts and half-grown dogs. Now, cut in
+and worry each other a spell, because you'll be separated until noon.
+Fly at it, or we mount."
+
+The two addressed never cast a glance at each other, but as the men
+swung into their saddles, the horse wrangler, with the agility of a
+tiger, caught his bunkie in the act of mounting, dragging him to the
+ground, when the expected scuffle ensued. The outfit had barely time to
+turn their horses, to witness the contest, when the two crashed against
+the wagon wheel and Forrest's pistol was discharged. The men dismounted
+instantly, the wrangler eased the victim to the ground, and when the
+outfit gathered around, the former was smothering the burning clothing
+of his friend and bunkmate. A withdrawn boot, dripping with blood, was
+the first indication of the havoc wrought, and on stripping it was found
+that the bullet had ploughed an open furrow down the thigh, penetrating
+the calf of the leg from knee to ankle, where it was fortunately
+deflected outward and into the ground.
+
+The deepest of regret was naturally expressed. The jocular remarks of
+the foreman, the actions of the wrangler, were instantly recalled to the
+surrounding group, while the negligence which caused the accident was
+politely suppressed. The stranger, innocently unaware of any mistake on
+his part, lent a valuable hand in stanching the blood and in washing and
+binding up the wounds. No bones were injured, and with youth and a
+buoyant constitution, there was every hope of recovery.
+
+However, some disposition must be made of the wounded man. No one could
+recall a house or settlement nearer than the Republican River, unless
+down the Beaver, which was uncertain, when the visitor came to the
+rescue. He was positive that some two years before, an old soldier had
+taken a homestead five or six miles above the trail crossing on the
+Beaver. He was insistent, and the foreman yielded so far as to order the
+herd grazed forward to the Beaver, which was some ten miles distant in
+their front. All the blankets in the outfit were accordingly brought
+into use, in making a comfortable bed in the wagon, and the caravan
+started, carrying the wounded man with it. Taking the stranger with him,
+the foreman bore away in the direction of the supposed homestead, having
+previously sent two men on an opposite angle, in search of any
+settlement down the creek.
+
+The visitor's knowledge of the surrounding country proved to be correct.
+About six miles above the trail crossing, the Beaver, fringed with
+willows, meandered through a narrow valley, in which the homestead was
+located. The presence of the willows was an indication of old beaver
+dams, which the settler had improved until the water stood in long,
+placid pools. In response to their hail, two boys, about fourteen and
+sixteen years of age, emerged from the dug-out and greeted the horsemen.
+On inquiry, it proved that their father had died during the previous
+winter, at a settlement on the Solomon River, and the boys were then
+confronted with the necessity of leaving the claim to avoid suffering
+want. It was also learned that their mother had died before their father
+had taken the homestead, and therefore they were left orphans to fight
+their own battle.
+
+The boys gave their names as Joel and Dell Wells. Both were bright-eyed
+and alert, freckled from the sun, ragged and healthy. Joel was the
+oldest, broad-shouldered for his years, distant by nature, with a shock
+of auburn hair, while Dell's was red; in height, the younger was the
+equal of his brother, talkative, and frank in countenance. When made
+acquainted with the errand of the trail boss, the older boy shook his
+head, but Dell stepped forward: "Awful sorry," said he, with a sweep of
+his hand, "but our garden failed, and there won't be a dozen
+roasting-ears in that field of corn. If hot winds don't kill it, it
+might make fodder. We expect to pull out next week."
+
+"Have you no cows?" inquired the trail foreman.
+
+"We had two, but the funeral expenses took them, and then pa's pension
+was stopped. You see--"
+
+"I see," said the trail foreman, dismounting. "Possibly we can help each
+other. Our wagon is well provisioned. If you'll shelter and nurse this
+wounded man of mine--"
+
+"We can't winter here," said Joel, stepping forward, "and the sooner we
+get out and find work the better."
+
+"Oh, I was figuring on paying you wages," countered the trail man, now
+aware of their necessity, "and I suppose you could use a quarter
+of beef."
+
+"Oh goodness," whispered Dell to his brother; "think, fresh meat."
+
+"And I'll give each of you twenty-five dollars a month--leave the money
+with my man or pay you in advance. If you say the word, I'll unload my
+wagon right here, and grub-stake you for two months. I can get more
+provision at the Republican River, and in the mean time, something
+may turn up."
+
+The stranger also dismounted and took part in urging the necessity of
+accepting the offer. Dell brightened at every suggestion, but his
+brother was tactful, questioning and combating the men, and looking
+well to the future. A cold and unfriendly world, coupled with
+misfortune, had aged the elder boy beyond his years, while the younger
+one was sympathetic, trustful, and dependent.
+
+"Suppose we are delayed in reaching the Solomon until fall," said Dell
+to his brother; "that will put us into the settlements in time for
+corn-shucking. If you get six-bits a day, I'm surely worth fifty cents."
+
+"Suppose there is no corn to shuck," replied Joel. "Suppose this wounded
+man dies on our hands? What then? Haven't you heard pa tell how soldiers
+died from slight wounds?--from blood-poisoning? If we have to go, we
+might as well go at once."
+
+According to his light, the boy reasoned well. But when the wayfaring
+man had most skillfully retold the story of the Good Samaritan, the
+older boy relented somewhat, while Dell beamed with enthusiasm at the
+opportunity of rendering every assistance.
+
+"It isn't because we don't want to help you," protested Joel, but it's
+because we're so poor and have nothing to offer."
+
+"You have health and willing hands," said the trail boss; "let me do the
+rest."
+
+"But suppose he doesn't recover as soon as expected," cautiously
+protested Joel, "where are we to get further provision?"
+
+"Good suggestion," assented the trail foreman. "But here: I'll leave two
+good horses in your care for the wounded man, and all you need to do is
+to ride down to the trail, hail any passing herd, and simply tell them
+you are harboring a crippled lad, one of Don Lovell's boys, and you can
+levy on them for all they have. It's high time you were getting
+acquainted with these trail outfits. Shelter this man of mine, and all
+will come out well in the end. Besides, I'll tell old man Don about you
+boys, and he might take you home to his ranch with him. He has no boys,
+and he might take a fancy to you two."
+
+Dell's eyes moistened at the suggestion of a home. The two brothers
+reëntered the dug-out, and the men led their horses down to the creek
+for a drink. A span of poor old mules stood inside a wooden corral, a
+rickety wagon and a few rusty farming implements were scattered about,
+while over all the homestead was the blight of a merciless
+summer drouth.
+
+"What a pretty little ranch this would make," said the trail boss to the
+stranger. "If these boys had a hundred cows, with this water and range,
+in a few years they would be independent men. No wonder that oldest boy
+is cautious. Just look around and see the reward of their father's and
+their own labor. Their very home denies them bread."
+
+"Did you notice the older boy brighten," inquired the visitor, "when you
+suggested leaving horses in their care? It was the only argument that
+touched him."
+
+"Then I'll use it," said the trail boss, brightening. "We have several
+cow horses in our remuda, unfit for saddle,--galled backs and the
+like,--and if these boys would care for them, I'll make their hungry
+hearts happy. Care and attention and a month's rest would make the
+ponies as sound as a dollar. You suggest my giving them each a saddle
+pony; argue the matter, and try and win me over."
+
+The men retraced their steps, leading their horses, and when scarcely
+halfway from the creek to the dug-out, Dell ran down to meet them. "If
+you can spare us a few blankets and a pillow," earnestly said the boy,
+"we'll take the wounded man. He's liable to be feverish at night, and
+ought to have a pillow. Joel and I can sleep outside or in the stable."
+
+"Hurrah for the Wells boys!" shouted the trail boss. "Hereafter I'll bet
+my money, horse and saddle, on a red-headed boy. Blankets? Why, you can
+have half a dozen, and as to pillows, watch me rob the outfit. I have a
+rubber one, there are several moss ones, and I have a lurking suspicion
+that there are a few genuine goose-hair pillows in the outfit, and you
+may pick and choose. They are all yours for the asking."
+
+The men parleyed around some little time, offering pretexts for entering
+the shack, the interior of which bespoke its own poverty. When all
+agreements had been reviewed, the men mounted their horses, promising to
+fulfill their part of the covenant that afternoon or evening.
+
+Once out of hearing, the stranger remarked: "That oldest boy is all
+right; it was their poverty that caused him to hesitate; he tried to
+shield their want. We men don't always understand boys. Hereafter, in
+dealing with Joel, you must use some diplomacy. The death of his parents
+has developed a responsibility in the older boy which the younger one
+doesn't feel. That's about all the difference in the two lads. You must
+deal gently with Joel, and never offend him or expose his needs."
+
+"Trust me," replied the foreman, "and I'll coach Quince--that's the name
+of the wounded man. Within an hour, he'll be right at home with those
+boys. If nothing serious happens to his wound, within a week he'll have
+those youngsters walking on clouds."
+
+The two men rode out of the valley, when they caught sight of a dust
+cloud, indicating the locality of the trailing herd, then hidden behind
+the last divide before reaching Beaver Creek. On every hand the
+undulating plain rolled away to low horizons, and the men rode forward
+at a leisurely pace.
+
+"I've been thinking of those boys," suddenly said the trail foreman,
+arousing himself from a reverie. "They're to be pitied. This government
+ought to be indicted for running a gambling game, robbing children,
+orphan children of a soldier, at that. There's a fair sample of the skin
+game the government's running--bets you one hundred and sixty acres
+against fourteen dollars you can't hold down a homestead for five years.
+And big as the odds look, in nine cases out of ten, in this country, the
+government wins. It ought to be convicted on general principles. Men are
+not to be pitied, but it's a crime against women and children."
+
+"Oh, you cowmen always rail at the settler," retorted the stranger; "you
+would kick if you were being hung. There's good in everything. A few
+years of youthful poverty, once they reach manhood, isn't going to hurt
+those boys. The school of experience has its advantages."
+
+"If it's convenient, let's keep an eye on those boys the next few
+years," said the trail boss, catching sight of his remuda. "Now, there's
+the wagon. Suppose you ride down to the Beaver and select a good camp,
+well above the trail crossing, and I'll meet the commissary and herd.
+We'll have to lay over this afternoon, which will admit of watering the
+herd twice to-day. Try and find some shade."
+
+The men separated, riding away on different angles. The foreman hailed
+his wagon, found the victim resting comfortably, and reported securing a
+haven for the wounded man. Instructing his cook to watch for a signal,
+at the hands of the stranger, indicating a camp on the creek, he turned
+and awaited the arrival of the lead cattle of the trailing column.
+Issuing orders to cover the situation, he called off half the men, first
+veering the herd to the nearest water, and rode to overtake his wagon
+and saddle horses.
+
+Beaver Creek was barely running water, with an occasional long pool. A
+hedge of willows was interwoven, Indian fashion, from which a tarpaulin
+was stretched to the wagon bows, forming a sheltered canopy. Amid a fire
+of questions, the wounded man was lifted from the wagon.
+
+"Are you sure there isn't a woman at this nester's shack," said he
+appealingly to the bearers of the blanket stretcher. "If there is, I
+ain't going. Paul, stand squarely in front of me, where I can see your
+eyes. After what I've been handed lately, it makes me peevish. I want to
+feel the walnut juice in your hand clasp. Now, tell it all over
+once more."
+
+The stranger was artfully excused, to select a beef, after which the
+foreman sat down beside his man, giving him all the details and making
+valuable suggestions. He urged courteous treatment of their guest while
+he remained; that there was nothing to be gained, after the accident, by
+insult to a visitor, and concluded by praising the boys and bespeaking
+their protection.
+
+The wounded man was Southern by birth and instinct, and knew that the
+hospitality of ranch and road and camp was one and the same. "Very
+well," said he, "but in this instance, remember it's my calf that's
+gored. Serves me right, though, kittening up to every stranger that
+comes along. I must be getting tired of you slatterly cow hands." He
+hesitated a moment. "The one thing I like," he continued, "about this
+nester layout is those red-headed boys. And these two are just about
+petting age. I can almost see them eating sugar out of my hand."
+
+After dinner, and now that a haven was secured, the question of medical
+aid was considered. The couriers down the Beaver had returned and
+reported no habitation in that direction. Fortunately the destination of
+the stranger was a settlement on the Republican River, and he
+volunteered to ride through that afternoon and night and secure a
+surgeon. Frontier physicians were used to hundred-mile calls. The owner
+of the herd, had he been present, would have insisted on medical
+attention, the wounded man reluctantly consented, and the stranger,
+carrying a hastily written letter to Mr. Lovell, took his departure.
+
+Early evening found the patient installed, not in the dug-out, but in a
+roomy tent. A quarter of beef hung on a willow, the one-room shack was
+bountifully provisioned, while the foreman remained to await the arrival
+of a physician. The day had brought forth wonders to Joel and Dell--from
+the dark hour of want to the dawn of plenty, while the future was a
+sealed book. In addition to the promised horses, Forrest's saddle hung
+in the sod stable, while two extra ponies aroused the wonder of the
+questioning boys.
+
+"I just brought these two along," explained the foreman, "as their backs
+were galled during a recent rainy spell. You can see they are unfit for
+saddle, but with a little attention can be cured--I'll show you how. You
+have an abundance of water, and after I leave, wash their backs, morning
+and evening, and they'll be well in a month. Since you are running a
+trail hospital, you want to cater to man and beast. Of course, if you
+boys nurse this man through to health and strength, I'll make an appeal
+to Mr. Lovell to give you these ponies. They'll come in handy, in case
+you return to the Solomon, or start a little cattle ranch here."
+
+The sun set in benediction on the little homestead. The transformation
+seemed magical. Even the blight of summer drouth was toned and tempered
+by the shadows of evening. The lesson of the day had filled empty hearts
+with happiness, and when darkness fell, the boys threw off all former
+reserve, and the bond of host and guest was firmly established. Forrest,
+even, cemented the tie, by dividing any needful attention between
+the boys.
+
+"Do you know," said he to the foreman indifferently, in the presence of
+the lads, "that I was thinking of calling the oldest one Doc and the
+youngest one Nurse, but now I'm going to call them just plain Joel and
+Dell, and they can call me Mr. Quince. Honor bright, I never met a boy
+who can pour water on a wound, that seems to go to the right spot, like
+Dell Wells. One day with another, give me a red-headed boy."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE HOSPITAL ON THE BEAVER
+
+
+The patient passed a feverish night. Priest remained on watch in the
+tent, but on several occasions aroused the boys, as recourse to pouring
+water was necessary to relieve the pain. The limb had reached a swollen
+condition by morning, and considerable anxiety was felt over the
+uncertainty of a physician arriving. If summoned the previous evening,
+it was possible that one might arrive by noon, otherwise there was no
+hope before evening or during the night.
+
+"Better post a guide on the trail," suggested Joel. "If a doctor comes
+from the Republican, we can pilot him across the prairie and save an
+hour's time. There's a dim wagon trail runs from here to the first
+divide, north of the trail crossing on Beaver. Pa used it when he went
+to Culbertson to draw his pension. It would save the doctor a six or
+seven mile drive."
+
+"Now, that suggestion is to the point," cheerfully assented the trail
+foreman. "The herd will noon on the first divide, and we can post the
+boys of the cut-off. They'll surely meet the doctor this afternoon or
+evening. Corral the horses, and I'll shorten up the stirrup straps on
+Forrest's saddle. Who will we send?"
+
+"I'll go," said Dell, jumping at the opportunity. He had admired the
+horses and heavy Texas saddles the evening previous, and now that a
+chance presented itself, his eyes danced at the prospect. "Why, I can
+follow a dim wagon track," he added. "Joel and I used to go halfway to
+the divide, to meet pa when he bought us new boots."
+
+"I'll see who can best be spared," replied Priest. "Your patient seems
+to think that no one can pour water like you. Besides, there will be
+plenty of riding to do, and you'll get your share."
+
+The foreman delayed shortening the stirrup straps until after the horse
+stood saddled, when he adjusted the lacings as an object lesson to the
+boys. Both rode the same length of stirrup, mounting the horse to be
+fitted, and when reduced to the proper length, Dell was allowed to ride
+past the tent for inspection.
+
+"There's the making of a born cowman," said Forrest, as Dell halted
+before the open tent. "It's an absolute mistake to think that that boy
+was ever intended for a farmer. Notice his saddle poise, will you,
+Paul? Has a pretty foot, too, even if it is slightly sun-burned. We must
+get him some boots. With that red hair, he never ought to ride any other
+horse than a black stallion."
+
+When the question arose as to which of the boys was to be sent to
+intercept the moving herd and await the doctor, Forrest decided the
+matter. "I'll have to send Joel," said he, "because I simply can't spare
+Dell. The swelling has benumbed this old leg of mine, and we'll have to
+give it an occasional rubbing to keep the circulation up. There's where
+Dell has the true touch; actually he reminds me of my mother. She could
+tie a rag around a sore toe, in a way that would make a boy forget all
+his trouble. Hold Joel a minute."
+
+The sound of a moving horse had caught the ear of the wounded man, and
+when the older boy dismounted at the tent opening, he continued: "Now,
+Joel, don't let that cow outfit get funny with you. Show them the brand
+on that horse you're riding, and give them distinctly to understand,
+even if you are barefooted, that you are one of Don Lovell's men. Of
+course you don't know him, but with that old man, it's love me, love my
+dog. Get your dinner with the outfit, and watch for a dust cloud in the
+south. There's liable to be another herd along any day, and we'll need
+a cow."
+
+Forrest was nearly forty, while Priest was fully fifty years of age;
+neither had ever had children of his own, and their hearts went out in
+manly fullness to these waifs of the plain. On the other hand, a day had
+brought forth promise and fulfillment, from strangers, to the boys,
+until the latter's confidence knew no bounds. At random, the men
+virtually spoke of the cattle on a thousand hills, until the boys fully
+believed that by merely waving a wand, the bells would tinkle and a cow
+walk forth. Where two horses were promised, four had appeared. Where
+their little store of provision was as good as exhausted, it had been
+multiplied many fold. Where their living quarters were threatened with
+intrusion, a tent, with fly, was added; all of which, as if by magic,
+had risen out of a dip in the plain.
+
+There was no danger, at the hands of the trail men, of any discourtesy
+to Joel, but to relieve any timidity, the foreman saddled his horse and
+accompanied the boy a mile or more, fully reviewing the details of his
+errand. Left behind, and while rubbing the wounded limb, Dell regaled
+his patient with a scrap of family history. "Pa never let us boys go
+near the trail," said he. "It seemed like he was afraid of you Texas
+men; afraid your cattle would trample down our fields and drink up all
+our water. The herds were so big."
+
+"Suppose the cattle would drink the water," replied Forrest, "the owner
+would pay for it, which would be better than letting it go to waste. One
+day's hot winds would absorb more water than the biggest herd of cattle
+could drink. This ain't no farming country."
+
+"That's so," admitted Dell; "we only had one mess of peas this season,
+and our potatoes aren't bigger than marbles. Now, let me rub your knee,
+there where the bullet skipped, between the bandages."
+
+The rubbing over, Forrest pressed home the idea of abandoning farming
+for cattle ranching. "What your father ought to have done," said he,
+"was to have made friends with the Texas drovers; given them the water,
+with or without price, and bought any cripples or sore-footed cattle.
+Nearly every herd abandons more or less cattle on these long drives, and
+he could have bought them for a song and sung it himself. The buffalo
+grass on the divides and among these sand hills is the finest winter
+grazing in the country. This water that you are wasting would have
+yearly earned you one hundred head of cripples. A month's rest on this
+creek and they would kick up their heels and play like calves. After
+one winter on this range, they would get as fat as plover. Your father
+missed his chance by not making friends with the Texas trail men."
+
+"Do you think so?" earnestly said Dell.
+
+"I know it," emphatically asserted the wounded man. "Hereafter, you and
+Joel want to be friendly with these drovers and their men. Cast your
+bread upon the waters."
+
+"Mother used to read that to us," frankly admitted Dell. There was a
+marked silence, only broken by a clatter of hoofs, and the trail boss
+cantered up to the tent.
+
+"That wagon track," said he, dismounting, "is little more than a dim
+trail. Sorry I didn't think about it sooner, but we ought to have built
+a smudge fire where this road intersects the cattle trail. In case the
+doctor doesn't reach there by noon, I sent orders to fly a flag at the
+junction, and Joel to return home. But if the doctor doesn't reach there
+until after darkness, he'll never see the flag, and couldn't follow the
+trail if he did. We'll have to send Joel back."
+
+"It's my turn," said Dell. "I know how to build a smudge fire; build it
+in a circle, out of cattle chips, in the middle of the road."
+
+"You're a willing boy," said Priest, handing the bridle reins to Dell,
+"but we'll wait until Joel returns. You may water my horse and turn him
+in the corral."
+
+The day wore on, and near the middle of the afternoon Joel came riding
+in. He had waited fully an hour after the departure of the herd, a flag
+had been left unfurled at the junction, and all other instructions
+delivered. Both Forrest and Priest knew the distance to the ford on the
+Republican, and could figure to an hour, by different saddle gaits, the
+necessary time to cover the distance, even to Culbertson. Still there
+was a measure of uncertainty: the messenger might have lost his way;
+there might not have been any physician within call; accidents might
+have happened to horse or rider,--and one hour wore away, followed
+by another.
+
+Against his will, Dell was held under restraint until six o'clock. "It's
+my intention to follow him within an hour," said the foreman, as the boy
+rounded a bluff and disappeared. "He can build the fire as well as any
+one, and we'll return before midnight. That'll give the doctor the last
+minute and the benefit of every doubt."
+
+The foreman's mount stood saddled, and twilight had settled over the
+valley, when the occupants of the tent were startled by the neigh of a
+horse. "That's Rowdy," said Forrest; "he always nickers when he sights a
+wagon or camp. Dell's come."
+
+Joel sprang to the open front. "It's Dell, and there's a buckboard
+following," he whispered. A moment later the vehicle rattled up, led by
+the irrepressible Dell, as if in charge of a battery of artillery. "This
+is the place, Doctor," said he, as if dismissing a troop from
+cavalry drill.
+
+The physician proved to be a typical frontier doctor. He had left
+Culbertson that morning, was delayed in securing a relay team at the
+ford on the Republican, and still had traveled ninety miles since
+sunrise. "If it wasn't for six-shooters in this country," said he, as he
+entered the tent, "we doctors would have little to do. Your men with the
+herd told me how the accident happened." Then to Forrest, "Son, think
+it'll ever happen again?"
+
+"Yes, unless you can cure a fool from lending his pistol," replied
+Forrest.
+
+"Certainly. I've noticed that similarity in all gunshot wounds: they
+usually offer good excuses. It's healing in its nature," commented the
+doctor, as he began removing the bandages. As the examination proceeded,
+there was a running comment maintained, bordering on the humorous.
+
+"If there's no extra charge," said Forrest, "I wish you would allow the
+boys to see the wounds. You might also deliver a short lecture on the
+danger of carrying the hammer of a pistol on a loaded cartridge. The
+boys are young and may take the lesson seriously, but you're wasting
+good breath on me. Call the boys--I'm an old dog."
+
+"Gunshot wounds are the only crop in this country," continued the
+doctor, ignoring the request, "not affected by the drouth. There's an
+occasional outbreak of Texas fever among cattle, but that's not in my
+department. Well, that bullet surely was hungry for muscle, but
+fortunately it had a distaste for bone. This is just a simple case of
+treatment and avoiding complications. Six weeks to two months and you
+can buckle on your six-shooter again. Hereafter, better wear it on the
+other side, and if another accident occurs, it'll give you a hitch in
+each leg and level you up."
+
+"But there may be no fool loafing around to borrow it," protested
+Forrest.
+
+"Never fear, son; the fool's eternal," replied the doctor, with a quiet
+wink at the others.
+
+The presence and unconcern of the old physician dispelled all
+uneasiness, and the night passed without anxiety, save between the boys.
+Forrest's lecture to Dell during the day, of the importance of making
+friends with the drovers, the value of the water, the purchase of
+disabled cattle, was all carefully reviewed after the boys were snugly
+in bed. "Were you afraid of the men with the herd to-day?--afraid of the
+cowboys?" inquired Dell, when the former subject was exhausted.
+
+"Why, no," replied Joel rather scornfully, from the security of his
+bunk; "who would be afraid? They are just like any other folks."
+
+Dell was skeptical. "Not like the pictures of cowboys?--not shooting and
+galloping their horses?"
+
+"Why, you silly boy," said Joel, with contempt; "there wasn't a shot
+fired, their horses were never out of a walk, never wet a hair, and they
+changed to fresh ones at noon. The only difference I could see, they
+wore their hats at dinner. And they were surely cowboys, because they
+had over three thousand big beeves, and had come all the way
+from Texas."
+
+"I wish I could have gone," was Dell's only comment.
+
+"Oh, it was a great sight," continued the privileged one. "The column of
+cattle was a mile long, the trail twice as wide as a city street, and
+the cattle seemed to walk in loose marching order, of their own accord.
+Not a man carried a whip; no one even shouted; no one as much as looked
+at the cattle; the men rode away off yonder. The herd seemed so easy
+to handle."
+
+"And how many men did it take?" insisted Dell.
+
+"Only eleven with the herd. And they had such queer names for their
+places. Those in the lead were _point_ men, those in the middle were
+_swing_ men, and the one who brought up the rear was the _drag_ man.
+Then there was the cook, who drove the wagon, and the wrangler, who took
+care of the horses--over one hundred and forty head. They call the band
+of saddle horses the remuda; one of the men told me it was Spanish for
+relay--a relay of horses."
+
+"I'm going the next time," said Dell. "Mr. Quince said he would buy us a
+cow from the next herd that passed."
+
+"These were all big beeves to-day, going to some fort on the Yellowstone
+River. And they had such wide, sweeping horns! And the smartest cattle!
+An hour before noon one of the point men gave a shrill whistle, and the
+whole column of beeves turned aside and began feeding. The men called it
+'throwing the herd off the trail to graze.' It was just like saying
+_halt_! to soldiers--like we saw at that reunion in Ohio."
+
+"And you weren't afraid?" timidly queried the younger brother.
+
+"No one else was afraid, and why should I be? I was on horseback. Stop
+asking foolish questions and go to sleep," concluded Joel, with pitying
+finality, and turned to the wall.
+
+"But suppose those big Texas beeves had stampeded, then what?" There was
+challenge in Dell's voice, but the brother vouchsafed no answer. A
+seniority of years had given one a twelve hours' insight over the other,
+in range cattle, and there was no common ground between sleepy
+bedfellows to justify further converse. "I piloted in the doctor,
+anyhow," said Dell defensively. No reply rewarded his assertion.
+
+Morning brought little or no change in the condition of the wounds. The
+doctor was anxious to return, but Priest urged otherwise. "Let's call it
+Sunday," said he, "and not work to-day. Besides, if I overtake the herd,
+I'll have to make a hand. Wait until to-morrow, and we'll bear each
+other company. If another herd shows up on the trail to-day, it may have
+a cow. We must make these boys comfortable."
+
+The doctor consented to stay over, and amused himself by quarreling with
+his patient. During the forenoon Priest and Joel rode out to the
+nearest high ground, from which a grove was seen on the upper Beaver.
+"That's what we call Hackberry Grove," said Joel, "and where we get our
+wood. The creek makes a big bend, and all the bottom land has grown up
+with timber, some as big as a man's body. It doesn't look very far away,
+but it takes all day to go and come, hauling wood. There's big springs
+just above, and the water never fails. That's what makes the trees
+so thrifty."
+
+"Too bad your father didn't start a little ranch here," said Priest,
+surveying the scene. "It's a natural cattle range. There are the sand
+hills to the south; good winter shelter and a carpet of grass."
+
+"We were too poor," frankly admitted the boy. "Every fall we had to go
+to the Solomon River to hunt work. With pa's pension, and what we could
+earn, we held down the homestead. Last fall we proved up; pa's service
+in the army counted on the residence required. It doesn't matter now if
+we do leave it. All Dell and I have to do is to keep the taxes paid."
+
+"You would be doing wrong to leave this range," said the trail boss in
+fatherly tones. "There's a fortune in this grass, if you boys only had
+the cattle to eat it. Try and get a hundred cows on shares, or buy
+young steers on a credit."
+
+"Why, we have no money, and no one would credit boys," ruefully replied
+Joel.
+
+"You have something better than either credit or money," frankly replied
+the cowman; "you control this range. Make that the basis of your
+beginning. All these cattle that are coming over the trail are hunting a
+market or a new owner. Convince any man that you have the range, and the
+cattle will be forthcoming to occupy it."
+
+"But we only hold a quarter-section of land," replied the boy in his
+bewilderment.
+
+"Good. Take possession of the range, occupy it with cattle, and every
+one will respect your prior right," argued the practical man. "Range is
+being rapidly taken up in this western country. Here's your chance.
+Water and grass, world without end."
+
+Joel was evidently embarrassed. Not that he questioned the older man's
+advice, but the means to the end seemed totally lacking. The grind of
+poverty had been his constant companion, until he scarcely looked
+forward to any reprieve, and the castles being built and the domain
+surveyed at the present moment were vague and misty. "I don't doubt your
+advice," admitted the boy. "A man could do it, you could, but Dell and
+I had better return to the settlements. Mr. Quince will surely be
+well by fall."
+
+"Will you make me a promise?" frankly asked the cowman.
+
+"I will," eagerly replied the boy.
+
+"After I leave to-morrow morning, then, tell Forrest that you are
+thinking of claiming Beaver Creek as a cattle range. Ask him if he knows
+any way to secure a few cows and yearlings with which to stock it. In
+the mean time, think it over yourself. Will you do that?"
+
+"Y-e-s, I--I will," admitted Joel, as if trapped into the promise.
+
+"Of course you will. And ask him as if life and death depended on
+securing the cattle. Forrest has been a trail foreman and knows all the
+drovers and their men. He's liable to remain with you until the season
+ends. Now, don't fail to ask him."
+
+"Oh, I'll ask him," said Joel more cheerfully. "Did you say that control
+of a range was a basis on which to start a ranch, and that it had
+a value?"
+
+"That's it. Now you're catching the idea. Lay hold and never lose sight
+of the fact that a range that will graze five to ten thousand cattle,
+the year round, is as good as money in the bank."
+
+Joel's faculties were grappling with the idea. The two turned their
+horses homeward, casting an occasional glance to the southward, but were
+unrewarded by the sight of a dust cloud, the signal of an approaching
+herd. The trail foreman was satisfied that he had instilled interest and
+inquiry into the boy's mind, which, if carefully nurtured, might result
+in independence. They had ridden several miles, discussing different
+matters, and when within sight of the homestead, Joel reined in his
+horse. "Would you mind repeating," said he, "what you said awhile ago,
+about control of a range by prior rights?"
+
+The trail foreman freely responded to the awakened interest. "On the
+range," said he, "custom becomes law. No doubt but it dates back to the
+first flocks and herds. Its foundations rest on a sense of equity and
+justice which has always existed among pastoral people. In America it
+dates from the first invasion of the Spanish. Among us Texans, a man's
+range is respected equally with his home. By merely laying claim to the
+grazing privileges of public domain, and occupying it with flocks or
+herds, the consent of custom gives a man possession. It is an asset that
+is bought and sold, and is only lost when abandoned. In all human
+migrations, this custom has followed flocks and herds. Title to land is
+the only condition to which the custom yields."
+
+"And we could claim this valley, by simply occupying it with cattle, and
+hold possession of its grazing privileges?" repeated the boy.
+
+"By virtue of a custom, older than any law, you surely can. It's primal
+range to-day. This is your epoch. The buffalo preceded you, the settler,
+seeking a home, will follow you. The opportunity is yours. Go in
+and win."
+
+"But how can we get a start of cattle?" pondered Joel.
+
+"Well, after I leave, you're going to ask Forrest that question. That
+old boy knows all the ins and outs, and he may surprise you. There's an
+old maxim about where there's a will there's a way. Now if you have the
+will, I've a strong suspicion that your Mr. Quince will find the way.
+Try him, anyhow."
+
+"Oh, I will," assured Joel; "the first thing in the morning."
+
+The leaven of interest had found lodgment. A pleasant evening was spent
+in the tent. Before excusing the lads for the night, Priest said to the
+doctor: "This is a fine cattle range, and I'd like your opinion about
+these boys starting a little ranch on the Beaver."
+
+"Well," said the old physician, looking from Joel to Dell, "there are
+too many lawyers and doctors already. The farmers raise nothing out
+here, and about the only prosperous people I meet are you cowmen. You
+ride good horses, have means to secure your needs, and your general
+health is actually discouraging to my profession. Yes, I think I'll have
+to approve of the suggestion. A life in the open, an evening by a
+camp-fire, a saddle for a pillow--well, I wish I had my life to live
+over. It wouldn't surprise me to hear of Wells Brothers making a big
+success as ranchmen. They have health and youth, and there's nothing
+like beginning at the bottom of the ladder. In fact, the proposition has
+my hearty approval. Fight it out, boys; start a ranch."
+
+"Come on, Dell," said Joel, leading the way; "these gentlemen want to
+make an early start. You'll have to bring in the horses while I get
+breakfast. Come on."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE BOTTOM RUNG
+
+
+An early start was delayed. Joel had figured without his guest, as the
+Texan stands in a class by himself. The peace and serenity of pastoral
+life affects its people, influencing their normal natures into calm and
+tranquil ways. Hence, instead of the expected start at sunrise, after
+breakfast the trail foreman languidly sauntered out to the corral,
+followed by the boys.
+
+The old physician, even, grew impatient. "What on earth do you think is
+detaining that man?" he inquired of Forrest. "Here the sun is nearly an
+hour high, and not a wheel turning. And I can see him from the tent
+opening, sitting on a log, flicking the ground with his quirt and
+chatting with those boys. What do you suppose they are talking about?"
+
+"Well, now, that's a hard question," answered Forrest. "I'll chance the
+subject is of no importance. Just a little social powwow with the boys,
+most likely. Sit down, Doctor, and take life easy--the cows will calve
+in the spring."
+
+Patience had almost ceased to be a virtue when the trail boss put in an
+appearance at the tent. "You are in no particular hurry, are you,
+Doctor?" he inquired, with a friendly smile.
+
+"Oh, no," said the physician, with delightful irony; "I was just
+thinking of having the team unhooked, and lay over another day. Still, I
+am some little distance from home, and have a family that likes to see
+me occasionally."
+
+The buckboard rattled away. "Come in the tent," called Forrest to the
+boys. "If old Paul sees you standing out there, he's liable to think of
+something and come back. Honestly, when it comes to killing time, that
+old boy is the bell steer."
+
+Only three were now left at the homestead. The first concern was to
+intercept the next passing herd. Forrest had a wide acquaintance among
+trail foremen, had met many of them at Dodge only ten days before, while
+passing that supply point, and it was a matter of waiting until a herd
+should appear.
+
+There was little delay. Joel was sent at ten o'clock to the nearest
+swell, and Dell an hour later. The magic was working overtime; the dust
+cloud was there! In his haste to deliver the message, the sentinel's
+horse tore past the tent and was only halted at the corral. "It's
+there!" he shouted, returning, peering through the tent-flaps. "They're
+coming; another herd's coming. It's in the dip behind the first divide.
+Shall I go? I saw it first."
+
+"Dismount and rest your saddle," said Forrest. "Come in and let's make a
+little medicine. If this herd has one, here's where we get a cow. Come
+in and we'll plot against the Texans."
+
+With great misgiving, Dell dismounted. As he entered the tent, Forrest
+continued: "Sit on the corner of my bunk, and we'll talk the situation
+over. Oh, I'm going to send you, never fear. Now, the trouble is, we
+don't know whose herd this may be, and you must play innocent and foxy.
+If the herd is behind the first divide, it'll water in the Beaver about
+four o'clock. Now, ride down the creek and keep your eagle eye open for
+a lone horseman, either at the crossing or on the trail. That's the
+foreman, and that's the man we want to see. He may be ten miles in the
+lead of his herd, and you want to ride straight to him. Give him all the
+information you can regarding the water, and inquire if this is one of
+Lovell's herds. That will put you on a chatting basis, and then lead up
+to your errand. Tell him that you are running a trail hospital, and that
+you have a wounded man named Quince Forrest at your camp, and ask the
+foreman to come up and see him. Once you get him here, your work is
+over, except going back after the cow."
+
+Dell was impatient to be off, and started for the opening. "Hold on,"
+commanded Forrest, "or I'll put a rope on you. Now, ride slowly, let
+your horse set his own pace, and don't come back without your man. Make
+out that I'm badly wounded, and that you feel uneasy that blood
+poisoning may set in."
+
+The messenger lost no time in getting away. Once out of sight of the
+tent, Dell could not resist the temptation to gallop his mount over
+level places. Carrying the weight of a boy was nothing to the horse, and
+before half an hour had passed, the ford and trail came in view of the
+anxious courier. Halting in order to survey the horizon, the haze and
+heat-waves of summer so obstructed his view that every object looked
+blurred and indistinct. Even the dust cloud was missing; and pushing on
+a mile farther, he reined in again. Now and then in the upper sky, an
+intervening cloud threw a shadow over the plain, revealing objects more
+distinctly. For a moment one rested over the trail crossing, and like
+prophecy fulfilled, there was the lone horseman at the ford!
+
+In the waste places it is a pleasure to unexpectedly meet a fellow
+being. Before being observed, Dell rode within hailing distance,
+greeting, and man and boy were soon in friendly converse. There was
+water sufficient for all needs, the herd required no pilot, the summons
+found a ready response, and the two were soon riding up the Beaver in
+a jog trot.
+
+The gait admitted of free conversation, and the new foreman soon had
+Dell on the defensive. "I always hate to follow a Lovell outfit," said
+the stranger regretfully; "they're always in trouble. Old man Don's a
+nice enough man, but he sure works sorry outfits on the trail. I've been
+expecting to hear something like this. If it isn't rebranding their
+saddle stock with nigger brands, it's sure to be something worse. And
+now that flat-headed Quince Forrest plows a fire-guard down his own leg
+with a six-shooter! Well, wouldn't that sour sweet milk!"
+
+"Oh, it wasn't his fault," protested Dell; "he only loaned his pistol,
+and it was returned with the hammer on a cartridge."
+
+"Of course," disgustedly assented the trail boss; "with me it's an old
+story. Hadn't no more sabe than to lend his gun to some prowling
+tenderfoot. More than likely he urged its loan on this short-horn. Yes,
+I know Colonel Forrest; I've known him to bet his saddle and ride
+bareback as the result. It shows his cow-sense. Rather shallow-brained
+to be allowed so far from home."
+
+"Well," contended poor Dell, "they surely were no friends. At least Mr.
+Quince don't speak very highly of that man."
+
+"That's his hindsight," said the trail foreman. "If the truth ever comes
+out, you'll notice his foresight was different. Colonel Quince is
+famous, after the horse is stolen, for locking the stable door. That
+other time he offered to take an oath, on a stack of Bibles, never to
+bet his saddle again. The trouble is the game never repeats; the play
+never comes up twice alike. If that old boy's gray matter ever comes to
+full bloom, long before his allotted time, he'll wither away."
+
+Dell was discouraged. He realized that his defense of his friend was
+weak. This second foreman seemed so different from either Priest or
+Forrest. He spoke with such deep regret of the seeming faults of others
+that the boy never doubted his sincerity. He even questioned Dell with
+such an innocent countenance that the lad withered before his glance,
+and became disheartened at the success of the errand. Forced to the
+defense continually, on several occasions Dell nearly betrayed the
+object of bringing the new man to the homestead, but in each instance
+was saved by some fortunate turn in the conversation. Never was sight
+more welcome than the tent, glistening in the sun, and never was relief
+from duty more welcome to a courier. The only crumb of comfort left to
+the boy who had ridden forth so boldly was that he had not betrayed the
+object of his mission and had brought the range men together. Otherwise
+his banner was trailing in the dust.
+
+The two rode direct to the tent. During the middle of the day, in order
+to provide free ventilation, the walls were tucked up, and the flaps,
+rear and front, thrown wide open. Stretched on his bunk, Forrest watched
+the opening, and when darkened by the new arrival, the wounded man's
+greeting was most cordial. "Well, if it isn't old Nat Straw," said he,
+extending his hand. "Here, I've been running over in my mind the
+different trail bosses who generally go north of the Platte River, but
+you escaped my memory. It must have gotten into my mind, somehow, that
+you had married and gone back to chopping cotton. Still driving for
+Uncle Jess Ellison, I reckon?"
+
+"Yes, still clerking for the same drover," admitted Straw, glancing at
+the wounded limb. "What's this I hear about you laying off, and trying
+to eat some poor nester out of house and home? You must be
+getting doty."
+
+"Enjoy yourself, Nat. The laugh's on me. I'm getting discouraged that
+I'll ever have common horse sense. Isn't it a shame to be a fool all
+your life!"
+
+Straw glanced from the bunk to Dell. "I was just telling the boy, as we
+rode up the creek, that you needed a whole heap of fixing in your upper
+loft. The poor boy tried his best to defend you, but it was easy to see
+that he hadn't known you long."
+
+"And of course you strung him for all he could carry," said Forrest.
+"Here, Dell. You were in such a hurry to get away that I overlooked
+warning you against these trail varmints. Right now, I can see old Nat
+leading you in under a wet blanket, and your colors dragging. Don't
+believe a word he told you, and don't even give him a pleasant look
+while he stays here."
+
+The discouraged boy brightened, and Joel and Dell were excused, to water
+and picket the horses. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself," resumed
+Forrest, "brow-beating that boy. Considering my hard luck, I've fallen
+into angels' hands. These boys are darling fellows. Now before you
+leave, square yourself with that youngest one."
+
+"A little jollying while he's young won't hurt him," replied Straw.
+"It's not a bad idea to learn early to believe nothing that you hear and
+only half of what you see. If you had been taken snipe hunting oftener
+when you were young, it wouldn't hurt you any now. There are just about
+so many knocks coming to each of us, and we've got to take them along
+with the croup, chicken-pox, measles, and mumps."
+
+During the absence of the boys, Forrest informed Straw of the sad
+condition which confronted the lads, when accident and necessity threw
+him into their hands. He also repeated Priest's opinion of the valuable
+range, unoccupied above on the Beaver, and urged his assistance in
+securing some cattle with which to stock and claim it for the boys.
+
+"There's plenty of flotsam on the trail," said he, "strays and
+sore-footed cattle, to occupy this valley and give these boys a start in
+life. I never even got thanked for a stray, and I've turned hundreds of
+them loose on these upper ranges, refused on the delivery of a herd.
+Somebody gets them, and I want these boys of mine to get a few hundred
+head during this summer. Here's the place to drop your cripples and
+stray cows. From what Paul says, there's range above here for thousands
+of cattle, and that's the foundation of a ranch. Without a hoof on it,
+it has a value in proportion to its carrying capacity, and Priest and I
+want these boys to secure it. They've treated me white, and I'm going to
+make a fight for them."
+
+The appeal was not in vain. "Why not," commented Straw. "Let me in and
+we'll make it three-handed. My herd is contracted again this year to the
+same cattle company on the Crazy Woman, in Wyoming, as last season, and
+I want to fool them this trip. They got gay on my hands last summer,
+held me down to the straight road brand at delivery, and I'll see to it
+that there are no strays in my herd this year. I went hungry for fresh
+beef, and gave those sharks over forty good strays. They knew I'd have
+to leave them behind me. Watch me do it again."
+
+"About how many have you now, and how do they run?"
+
+"They're a hit-and-miss lot, like strays always are. Run from a good cow
+down to yearlings. There ought to be about twenty-five head, and I'll
+cut you out five or six cripples. They could never make it
+through, nohow."
+
+"Any calves among the strays?"
+
+"Two or three."
+
+"Good enough. Give each of the boys a cow and calf, and the others to
+me. We'll let on that I've bought them."
+
+That no time might be lost in friendly chat, a late dinner was eaten in
+the tent. Straw would have to meet his herd at the trail crossing that
+afternoon, which would afford an opportunity to cut out all strays and
+cripples. One of the boys would return with him, for the expected cow,
+and when volunteers were called for, Dell hesitated in offering his
+services. "I'll excuse you," said Straw to Joel, who had jumped at the
+chance. "I'm a little weak on this red-headed boy, and when a cow hand
+picks on me for his side partner, the choice holds until further orders.
+Bring in the horses off picket, son, and we'll be riding."
+
+The latter order was addressed to Dell. No sooner had the boy departed
+than Straw turned to Joel. "I've fallen head over ears in love with the
+idea of this trail hospital. Just where it ought to be; just about
+midway between Dodge and Ogalalla. Of course I'm hog wild to get in on
+it. I might get a man hurt any day, might get sick myself, and I want to
+be a stockholder in this hospital of yours. What's your favorite
+color in cows?"
+
+Joel's caution caused him to hesitate. "If you have one, send me a
+milk-white cow _with a black face_" instantly said Forrest. "White cows
+are rich in cream, and I'm getting peevish, having to drink
+black coffee."
+
+"A white cow for you," said Straw, nodding to Forrest, "and what color
+for you?" But Joel, although half convinced, made no answer.
+
+"Send him a red one," authorized Forrest; "red steers bring a dollar a
+head more than mongrel colors."
+
+"A red cow and calf for Joel, a white one for milk, and Dell can pick
+his own," said Straw, murmuring a memorandum. "Now, that little passel
+of cripples, and odds and ends," again nodding to Forrest, "that I'm
+sawing off on you, I'll bring them up with the cows. Yes, I'm coming
+back and stay all night."
+
+Joel lost all doubts on the moment. The trail boss was coming back, was
+going to bring each one a cow. There was no question but that this
+stranger had the cattle in his possession; surely he would not trifle
+with his own people, with an unfortunate, wounded man. All this seemed
+so in keeping with the partial outline of Priest, the old gray-haired
+foreman, that the boy's caution gave place to firm belief. If generous
+princes ever walked the earth, it was just possible that liberal ones in
+the rough were still riding it in disguise.
+
+Joel hastened to his brother with the news. "It's all right," said he,
+throwing the saddle on Straw's horse. "You go right along with this
+strange foreman. He gave Mr. Quince a milk cow, a white one, and you're
+to pick one for yourself. If I were going in your place, I'd pick a red
+one; red cattle are worth a dollar a head more than any other color."
+
+There was something in Joel's voice that told Dell that his brother had
+not been forgotten. "And you?--don't you?" stammered the younger boy.
+
+"Mr. Quince picked out a cow and calf for me," replied Joel, with a
+loftiness that two years' seniority confers on healthy boys. "I left it
+to him to choose mine. You'd better pick out a red one. And say, this
+hospital of ours is the real thing. It's the only one between Dodge and
+Ogalalla. This strange foreman wants to take stock in it. I wonder if
+that was what he meant by sawing off a little passel of cattle on Mr.
+Quince. Now, don't argue or ask foolish questions, but keep your eyes
+and ears open."
+
+Fortified anew in courage, Dell accompanied the trail boss to meet his
+herd. It was a short hour's ride, and on sighting the cattle, then
+nearing the crossing, they gave rein to their horses and rode for the
+rear of the long column, where, in the rear-guard of the trailing
+cattle, naturally the sore and tender-footed animals were to be found.
+The drag men knew them to a hoof, were delighted to hear that all
+cripples were to be dropped, and half a dozen were cut off and started
+up the Beaver. "Nurse them to the nearest water," said Straw to the drag
+men, "and then push them up the creek until I overtake you. Here's where
+we drop our strays and cripples. What? No, I'm only endowing a trail
+hospital."
+
+The herd numbered thirty-one hundred two-year-old steers. They filled
+the channel of the Beaver for a mile around the crossing, crowding into
+the deeper pools, and thrashing up and down the creek in slaking their
+thirst. Dell had never seen so many cattle, almost as uniform in size as
+that many marbles, and the ease with which a few men handled the herd
+became a nine-day wonder to the astonished boy. And when the word passed
+around to cut all strays up the creek, the facility with which the men
+culled out the alien down to one class and road brand, proved them
+masters in the craft. It seemed as easily done as selecting a knife
+from among the other trinkets in a boy's pocket.
+
+After a change of mounts for the foreman, Dell and the trail boss
+drifted the strays up the creek. The latter had counted and classed them
+as cut out of the herd, and when thrown together with the cripples, the
+promised little passel numbered thirty-five cattle, not counting three
+calves. Straw excused his men, promising to overtake them the next
+morning, and man and boy drifted the nucleus of a future ranch toward
+the homestead.
+
+"Barring that white cow and the red one with the speckled calf," said
+Straw to Dell, pointing out each, "you're entitled to pick one for
+yourself. Now, I'm not going to hurry you in making your choice. Any
+time before we sight the tent and shack, you are to pick one for your
+own dear cow, and stand by your choice, good or bad. Remember, it
+carries my compliments to you, as one of the founders of the first
+hospital on the Texas and Montana cattle trail."
+
+Two miles below the homestead, the half-dozen cripples were dropped to
+the rear. "You can come back to-morrow morning and get these tender
+steers," said the foreman, "and drift them up above the improvements.
+You'll find them near here on the water. Now, we'll sight the tent
+around the next bend, and you may point out your choice."
+
+"I'll take that red steer," said Dell with marked decision, pointing out
+a yearling.
+
+A peal of laughter greeted his choice. "That's a boy," shouted Straw;
+"shoot at a buck and kill a fawn! Why didn't you take that black cow
+and calf?"
+
+"I like red cattle the best," replied Dell, undaunted. "I've heard they
+bring a better price. I'll own the only red steer in the bunch."
+
+"Yes, but when your choice is a beef, that black cow and her increase
+would buy two beeves. Dell, if you ever get to be a cowman, you'll have
+to do some of your own thinking."
+
+Dell's mistake was in listening to others. Joel was equally guilty, as
+his lofty comments regarding red cattle were derived from the random
+remarks of Forrest. The brothers were novices in range cattle, and
+Dell's error was based in not relying on his own judgment.
+
+On sighting the approaching cattle, Forrest's bunk was eased around to
+the tent opening, Joel holding the flaps apart, and the little herd was
+grazed past at a snail's pace in review. Leaving Dell to nurse the
+nucleus past the improvements, Straw dismounted at the tent. "Well,"
+said he, handing the bridle reins to Joel, "that red-headed Dell is
+surely the making of a great cowman. All successful men begin at the
+bottom of the ladder, and he surely put his foot on the lowest rung.
+What do you suppose his choice was?"
+
+"The bottom rung suggests a yearling," said Forrest.
+
+"Stand up. You spelled the word correct. I'm a sheep herder, if he
+didn't pick out the only, little, old, red, dobe steer in the
+entire bunch!"
+
+Forrest eased himself down on the bunk, unable to restrain his laughter.
+"Well," said he, "we all have to learn, and no one can say Dell wasn't
+true to his colors."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE BROTHERS CLAIM A RANGE
+
+
+The next morning Straw dallied about until Dell brought up the crippled
+cattle. They were uniform in size; rest was the one thing needful, and
+it now would be theirs amid bountiful surroundings. They were driven up
+among the others, now scattered about in plain sight in the valley
+above, presenting a morning scene of pastoral contentment.
+
+"Even the calves are playing this morning," said Straw to Forrest, as
+the former entered the tent. "A few cattle surely make this valley look
+good. What you want to do now is to keep on drawing more. Don't allow no
+outfit to pass without chipping in, at least give them the chance, and
+this trail hospital will be on velvet in no time. Of course, all Lovell
+outfits will tear their shirts boosting the endowment fund, but that
+needn't bar the other herds. Some outfits may have no cattle, but they
+can chip in a sore-back or crippled pony. My idea is to bar no one, and
+if they won't come in, give them a chance to say they don't want to.
+You ought to send word back to Dodge; any foreman going east or west
+from there would give you his strays."
+
+The conception of a trail refuge had taken root. The supply points were
+oases for amusement, but a halfway haven for the long stretches of
+unsettled country, during the exodus of Texas cattle to the Northwest,
+was an unknown port. The monotony of from three to five months on the
+trail, night and day work, was tiring to men, while a glass of milk or
+even an hour in the shade was a distinct relief. Straw was reluctant to
+go, returning to make suggestions, by way of excuse, and not until
+forced by the advancing day did he mount and leave to overtake his herd.
+
+Again the trio was left alone. Straw had given Forrest a list of brands
+and a classification of the cattle contributed, and a lesson in reading
+brands was given the boys. "Brands read from left to right," said
+Forrest to the pair of attentive listeners, "or downward. If more than
+one brand is on an animal, the upper one is the holding or one in which
+ownership is vested. Character brands are known by name, and are used
+because difficult to alter. There is scarcely a letter in the alphabet
+that a cattle thief can't change. When a cow brute leaves its home
+range, it's always a temptation to some rustler to alter the brand, and
+characters are not so easily changed."
+
+The importance of claiming the range was pressing, and now that cattle
+were occupying it, the opportunity presented itself. A notice was
+accordingly written, laying claim to all grazing rights, from the Texas
+and Montana trail crossing on Beaver to the headwaters of the same,
+including all its tributaries, by virtue of possession and occupancy
+vested in the claimants, Wells Brothers. "How does that sound?" inquired
+Forrest, its author, giving a literal reading of the notice. "Nothing
+small or stingy about that, eh? When you're getting, get a-plenty."
+
+"But where are we to get the cattle to stock such a big country?"
+pondered Joel. "It's twenty miles to the head of this creek."
+
+"We might as well lay big plans as little ones. Here's where we make a
+spoon or spoil a horn. Saddle a horse and post this notice down at the
+trail crossing. Sink a stake where every one can see it, and nail your
+colors to the sign-board. We are the people, and must be respected."
+
+Joel hastened away to post the important notice. Dell was detailed on
+sentinel duty, on lookout for another herd, but each trip he managed to
+find some excuse to ride among the cattle. "What's the brand on my white
+cow?" inquired Forrest, the object leading up to another peculiarity
+in color.
+
+"I couldn't _read_ it," said Dell, airing his range parlance.
+
+"No? Well, did you ever see a white cow with a black face?" inquired the
+wounded man, coming direct to the matter at issue.
+
+"Not that I remember; why?"
+
+"Because there never lived such a colored cow. Nature has one color that
+she never mars. You can find any colored cow with a white face, but
+you'll never find a milk-white cow with a colored face. That line is
+drawn, and you want to remember it. You'll never shoot a wild swan with
+a blue wing, or see yellow snowflakes fall, or meet a pure white cow
+with a black face. Hereafter, if any one attempts to send you on a
+wild-goose chase, to hunt such a cow, tell them that no such animal ever
+walked this earth."
+
+Joel returned before noon. No sign of an approaching herd was sighted by
+the middle of the afternoon, and the trio resigned themselves to random
+conversation.
+
+"Dell," said Forrest, "it's been on my mind all day to ask you why you
+picked a yearling yesterday when you had a chance to take a cow. Straw
+laughed at you."
+
+"Because Joel said red cattle were worth a dollar a head more than any
+other color."
+
+"Young man," inquired Forrest of Joel, "what's your authority for that
+statement?"
+
+"Didn't you pick me a red cow yesterday, and didn't you admit to Mr.
+Straw that red cattle were worth the most?" said Joel, in defense of
+his actions.
+
+"And you rushed away and palmed my random talking off on Dell as
+original advice? You'll do. Claiming a little more than you actually
+know will never hurt you any. Now here's a prize for the best brand
+reader: The boy who brings me a correct list of brands, as furnished by
+Straw, gets my white cow and calf as a reward. I want the road and ranch
+brand on the cripples, and the only or holding brand on the others. Now,
+fool one another if you can. Ride through them slowly, and the one who
+brings me a perfect list is my bully boy."
+
+The incentive of reward stimulated the brothers to action. They
+scampered away on ponies, not even waiting to saddle, and several hours
+were spent in copying brands. These included characters, figures, and
+letters, and to read them with skill was largely a matter of practice.
+Any novice ought to copy brands, but in this instance the amateur's list
+would be compared with that of an experienced trail foreman, a neutral
+judge from which there was no appeal.
+
+The task occupied the entire evening. Forrest not only had them read,
+but looked over each copy, lending impartial assistance in reading
+characters that might baffle a boy. There were some half dozen of the
+latter in Straw's list, a _turkey track_ being the most difficult to
+interpret, but when all characters were fully understood, Joel still had
+four errors to Dell's three. The cripples were found to be correct in
+each instance, and were exempt from further disturbance. Forrest now
+insisted that to classify, by enumerating each grade, would assist in
+locating the errors, which work would have to be postponed
+until morning.
+
+The boys were thoroughly in earnest in mastering the task. Forrest
+regaled them with examples of the wonderful expertness of the Texans in
+reading brands and classifying cattle. "Down home," said he, "we have
+boys who read brands as easily as a girl reads a novel. I know men who
+can count one hundred head of mixed cattle, as they leave a corral, or
+trail along, and not only classify them but also give you every brand
+correctly. Now, that's the kind of cowmen I aim to make out of you boys,
+and to-morrow morning you must get these brands accurate. What
+was that?"
+
+Both boys sprang to the tent opening and listened. It sounded like a
+shot, and within a few moments was seconded by a distant hail.
+
+"Some one must be lost," suggested Joel. "He's down the creek."
+
+"Lost your grandmother!" exclaimed Forrest. "We're all lost in this
+country. Here, fire this six-shooter in the air, and follow it up with a
+Comanche yell. Dell, build a little fire on the nearest knoll. It's more
+than likely some trail man hunting this camp."
+
+The signal-fire was soon burning. The only answer vouchsafed was some
+fifteen minutes later, when the clatter of an approaching horse was
+distinctly heard. A lantern shone through the tent walls, and the prompt
+hail of the horseman proved him no stranger. "Is Quince Forrest here?"
+he inquired, as his horse shied at the tent.
+
+"He is. Come in, Dorg," said Forrest, recognizing by his voice the
+horseman without to be Dorg Seay, one of Don Lovell's foremen. "Come in
+and let us feast our eyes on your handsome face."
+
+Seay peeped within and timidly entered. "Well," said he, pulling at a
+straggling mustache, "evidently it isn't as bad as reported. Priest
+wrote back to old man Don that you had attempted suicide--unfortunate in
+love was the reason given--and I have orders to inquire into your health
+or scatter flowers on your grave. Able to sit up and take notice?--no
+complications, I hope?"
+
+"When did you leave Dodge?" inquired Forrest, ignoring Seay's
+persiflage.
+
+"About a week ago. A telegram was waiting me on the railroad, and I rode
+through this afternoon. If this ranch boasts anything to eat, now would
+be an awful nice time to mention it."
+
+Seay's wants were looked after.
+
+"How many herds between here and the railroad?" inquired Forrest,
+resuming the conversation.
+
+"Only one ahead of mine. In fact, I'm foreman of both herds--live with
+the lead one and occasionally go back and see my own. It all depends on
+who feeds best."
+
+"And when will your herd reach the Beaver?" continued Forrest.
+
+"I left orders to water my lead herd in the Beaver at three o'clock
+to-morrow, and my own dear cattle will be at their heels. My outfit acts
+as rear-guard to Blocker's herd."
+
+These men, in the employ of the same drover, had not seen each other in
+months, and a fire of questions followed, and were answered. The
+chronicle of the long drive, of accident by flood and field, led up to
+the prospects for a northern demand for cattle.
+
+"The market has barely opened in Dodge," said Seay, in reply to a
+question. "Unless the herds are sold or contracted, very few will leave
+Dodge for the Platte River before the first of July. Old man Don isn't
+driving a hoof that isn't placed, so all his herds will pass Ogalalla
+before the first of the month. The bulk of the drive going north of the
+Platte will come next month. With the exception of scattering herds, the
+first of August will end the drive."
+
+The men talked far into the night. When they were left alone in the
+tent, Forrest unfolded his plans for starting the boys in life.
+
+"We found them actually on their uppers," said he; "they hadn't tasted
+meat in months, and were living on greens and garden truck. It's a good
+range, and we must get them some cattle. The first year may be a little
+tough, but by drawing on all of Lovell's wagons for the necessary
+staples, we can provision them until next spring. You must leave some
+flour and salt and beans and the like."
+
+"Beans!" echoed Seay. "That will surely tickle my cook. Did you ever
+notice that the farther north it goes, a Texas trail outfit gets
+tastier? Let it start out on bacon and beans and blackstrap, and after
+the herd crosses the Platte, the varmints want prairie chicken and fried
+trout. Tasty! Why, those old boys develop an elegant taste for dainties.
+Nothing but good old beef ever makes them even think of home again. Yes,
+my cook will give you his last bean, and make a presentation
+speech gratis."
+
+Forrest's wound had begun to mend, the soreness and swelling had left
+the knee joint, and the following morning Seay spent in making crutches.
+Crude and for temporary use, the wounded man tried them out, and by
+assistance reached the entrance, where he was eased into an old family
+rocking-chair in the shade of the tent.
+
+"This has been the dream of my life," said he, "to sit like some old
+patriarch in my tent door and count my cattle. See that white cow
+yonder?" pointing with a crutch. "Well, she belongs to your uncle John
+Quincy. And that reminds me that she and her calf are up as a reward to
+complete the roll of brands. Boys, are you ready?"
+
+The revised lists were submitted for inspection. Compared with the one
+rendered by Straw, there was still a difference in Dell's regarding a
+dun cow, while Joel's list varied on three head. Under the
+classification the errors were easily located, and summoning the
+visiting foreman, Forrest explained the situation.
+
+"I'll have to appoint you umpire in deciding this matter. Here's the
+roll furnished by Nat Straw, and you'll compare it with Dell and Joel's.
+Of course, old Nat didn't care a whoopee about getting the list perfect,
+and my boy may be right on that dun cow. Joel differs on a
+three-year-old, a heifer, and a yearling steer. Now, get them straight,
+because we're expecting to receive more cattle this evening. Pass on
+these brands before you leave to meet your herd this afternoon. And
+remember, there's a cow and calf at stake for whichever one of these
+boys first gets the roll correct."
+
+After dinner the three rode away for a final inspection. The cattle were
+lazy and logy from water, often admitting of riding within a rod, thus
+rendering the brands readable at a glance. Dell led the way to the dun
+cow, but before Seay could pass an opinion, the boy called for his list
+in possession of the man. "Let me take my roll a minute," said he, "and
+I'll make the correction. It isn't a four bar four, it's four equals
+four; there's two bars instead of one. The cow and calf is mine. That
+gives me three."
+
+The lust of possession was in Dell's voice. The reward had been fairly
+earned, and turning to the other cattle in dispute, Joel's errors were
+easily corrected. All three were in one brand, and the mere failure to
+note the lines of difference between the figure eight and the letter S
+had resulted in repeating the mistake. Seay amused himself by pointing
+out different animals and calling for their brands, and an envious
+rivalry resulted between the brothers, in their ability to read
+range script.
+
+"A good eye and a good memory," said Seay, as they rode homeward, "are
+gifts to a cowman. A brand once seen is hardly ever forgotten. Twenty
+years hence, you boys will remember all these brands. One man can read
+brands at twice the distance of another, and I have seen many who could
+distinguish cattle from horses, with the naked eye, at a distance of
+three miles. When a man learns to know all there is about cattle, he
+ought to be getting gray around the edges."
+
+Forrest accepted the umpire's report. "I thought some novice might trip
+his toe on that equality sign," said he. "There's nothing like having
+studied your arithmetic. Dell's been to school, and it won him a cow and
+calf when he saw the sign used as a brand. I wonder how he is on
+driving mules."
+
+"I can drive them," came the prompt reply.
+
+"Very well. Hook up the old team. I'm sending you down to the trail
+crossing to levy on two commissary wagons. Take everything they give you
+and throw out a few hints for more. This afternoon we begin laying in a
+year's provisions. It may be a cold winter, followed by a late spring,
+and there's nothing like having enough. Relieve them of all their dried
+fruits, and make a strong talk for the staples of life. I may want to
+winter here myself, and a cow camp should make provision for more or
+less company."
+
+Seay lent his approval. "Hitch up and rattle along ahead of me," said
+he. "The wagons may reach the crossing an hour or two ahead of the
+herds, and I'll be there to help you trim them down to light
+traveling form."
+
+It proved an active afternoon. The wagon was started for the trail
+crossing, followed by Seay within half an hour. Joel was in a quandary,
+between duty and desire, as he was anxious to see the passing herds, yet
+a bond of obligation to the wounded man required his obedience. Forrest
+had noticed the horse under saddle, the impatience of the boy, but
+tactfully removed all uneasiness.
+
+"I have been trying to figure out," said he, "how I could spare you this
+afternoon, as no doubt you would like to see the herds, but we have so
+much to do at home. Now that I can hobble out, you must get me four
+poles, and we will strip this fly off the tent and make a sunshade out
+of it--make an arbor in front of our quarters. Have the props ready, and
+in the morning Seay will show you how to stretch a tarpaulin for a
+sunshade. And then along towards evening, you must drift our little
+bunch of cattle at least a mile up the creek. I'm expecting more this
+evening, and until we learn the brands on this second contingent, they
+must be kept separate. And then, since we've claimed it, we want to make
+a showing of occupying the range, by scattering the cattle over it.
+Within a month, our cows must rest in the shade of Hackberry Grove and
+be watering out of those upper springs. When you take a country, the
+next thing is to hold it."
+
+Something to do was a relief to Joel. Willow stays, for the arbor, were
+cut, the bark peeled off, and the poles laid ready at hand. When the
+cattle arose, of their own accord, from the noonday rest, the impatient
+lad was allowed to graze them around the bend of the creek. There was
+hardly enough work to keep an active boy employed, and a social hour
+ensued. "Things are coming our way," said Forrest. "This man Seay will
+just about rob Blocker's outfit. When it comes to making a poor mouth,
+that boy Dorg is in a class by himself. Dell will just about have a
+wagon load. You boys will have to sleep in the tent hereafter."
+
+It proved so. The team returned an hour before sunset, loaded to the
+carrying capacity of the wagon. Not only were there remnants in the
+staples of life, but kegs of molasses and bags of flour and beans, while
+a good saddle, coils of rope, and a pair of new boots which, after a
+wetting, had proven too small for the owner, were among the assets. It
+was a motley assortment of odds and ends, a free discard of two trail
+outfits, all of which found an acceptable lodgment at the new ranch.
+
+"They're coming up to supper," announced Dell to Forrest. "Mr. Blocker's
+foreman knows you, and sent word to get up a spread. He says that when
+he goes visiting, he expects his friends to not only put on the little
+and big pot, but kill a chicken and churn. He's such a funny fellow. He
+made me try on those boots, and when he saw they would fit, he ordered
+their owner, one of Mr. Seay's men, to give them to me or he would fight
+him at sunrise."
+
+"Had them robbing each other for us, eh?" said Forrest, smiling. "Well,
+that's the kind of friend to have when settling up a new country. This
+ranch is like a fairy story. Here I sit and wave my crutch for a wand,
+and everything we need seems to just bob up out of the plain. Cattle
+coming along to stock a ranch, old chum coming to supper, in fact,
+everything coming our way. Dell, get up a banquet--who cares
+for expense!"
+
+It was barely dusk when the second contingent of cattle passed above the
+homestead and were turned loose for the night. As before, the cripples
+had been dropped midway, and would be nursed up the next morning. With
+the assistance of crutches, Forrest managed to reach the opening, and by
+clinging to the tent-pole, waved a welcome to the approaching trail men.
+
+Blocker's foreman, disdaining an invitation to dismount, saluted his
+host. "There's some question in my mind," said he, "as to what kind of a
+dead-fall you're running up here, but if it's on the square, there goes
+my contribution to your hospital. Of course, the gift carries the
+compliments of my employer, Captain John. That red-headed boy delivered
+my messages, I reckon? Well, now, make out that I'm somebody that's come
+a long way, and that you're tickled to death to see me, and order the
+fatted calf killed. Otherwise, I won't even dismount."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+A FALL OF CRUMBS
+
+
+An active day followed. The two trail foremen left early to overtake
+their herds, and the trio at the homestead was fully employed. The
+cripples were brought up, brands were copied, and the commissary stores
+assorted and arranged. Before leaving, the men had stretched the
+sunshade, and the wounded magician sat in state before his own
+tent door.
+
+The second contingent numbered forty cattle. Like the first, they were a
+mixed lot, with the exception of a gentle cow. Occasionally a trail
+foreman would provide his outfit with a milk cow before starting, or
+gentle one en route, and Seay had willingly given his cow to the
+hospital on the Beaver.
+
+A fine rain fell during the night. It began falling during the twilight
+of evening, gathering in force as the hours passed, and only ceased near
+the middle of the following forenoon. The creek filled to its banks, the
+field and garden freshened in a day, and the new ranch threw off the
+blight of summer drouth.
+
+"This will bring the herds," said Forrest, as the sun burst forth at
+noon. "It's a general rain, and every one in Dodge, now that water is
+sure, will pull out for the Platte River. It will cool the weather and
+freshen the grass, and every drover with herds on the trail will push
+forward for Ogalalla. We'll have to patrol the crossing on the Beaver,
+as the rain will lay the dust for a week and rob us of our signal."
+
+The crippled man's words proved prophetic. One of the boys was daily
+detailed to ride to the first divide south, from which a herd, if timing
+its march to reach the Beaver within a day, could be sighted. On a
+primal trace, like the Texas and Montana cattle trail, every benefit to
+the herd was sought, and the freshened range and running water were a
+welcome breeze to the drover's sail.
+
+The first week after the rain only three herds reached the Beaver. Each
+foreman paid his respects to Forrest at the homestead, but the herds
+were heavy beef cattle, purchased at Dodge for delivery on army
+contracts, and were outfitted anew on a change of owners. The usual
+flotsam of crippled and stray cattle, of galled and lame saddle stock,
+and of useless commissary supplies, was missing, and only the well
+wishes of the wayfaring were left to hearten man and boy at the
+new ranch.
+
+The second week brought better results. Four of Don Lovell's herds
+passed within two days, and the nucleus of cattle increased to one
+hundred and forty odd, seven crippled horses were left, while the
+commissary stores fairly showered, a second wagon load being necessary
+to bring up the cache from the trail crossing. In all, during the week,
+fifteen herds passed, only three of which refused the invitation to
+call, while one was merely drifting along in search of a range to take
+up and locate with a herd of cattle. Its owners, new men in the
+occupation, were scouting wide, and when one of them discovered
+Hackberry Grove above the homestead, his delight was unbounded, as the
+range met every requirement for establishing a ranch.
+
+The tyro's exultation was brief. On satisfying himself on the source of
+the water, the splendid shade and abundance of fuel, he rode down the
+creek to intercept the trail, and on rounding a bend of the Beaver, was
+surprised to sight a bunch of cattle. Knowing the value of the range,
+Forrest had urged the boys to nurse the first contingent of strays up
+the creek, farther and farther, until they were then ranging within a
+mile of the grove. The newcomer could hardly control his chagrin, and
+as he rode along, scarcely a mile was passed but more cattle were
+encountered, and finally the tent and homestead loomed in sight.
+
+"Well, I'm glad to have such near neighbors," affably said the stranger,
+as he dismounted before the tent. "Holding down a homestead, I suppose?"
+
+Only Joel and Forrest were at home. "Not exactly," replied the latter;
+"this is headquarters ranch of Wells Brothers; range from the trail
+crossing on Beaver to the headwaters of the same. On the trail with
+cattle, I reckon?"
+
+"Just grazing along until a range can be secured," replied the man.
+"I've found a splendid one only a few miles up the creek--fine grove of
+timber and living springs. If the range suits my partner, we'll move in
+within a few days and take possession."
+
+"Notice any cattle as you came down the creek?" politely inquired
+Forrest.
+
+"Just a few here and there. They look like strays; must have escaped
+from some trail herd. If we decide to locate above, I'll have them all
+rounded up and pushed down the creek."
+
+Joel scented danger as a cub wolf scents blood. He crossed the arbor and
+took up a position behind Forrest's chair. The latter was a picture of
+contentment, smiling at the assurance of his caller, and qualifying his
+remarks with rare irony.
+
+"Well, since you expect to be our neighbor, better unsaddle and stay for
+dinner," urged Forrest. "Let's get acquainted--at least, come to some
+friendly understanding."
+
+"No, thank you. My partner is waiting my return to the herd, and will be
+anxious for my report on the range above. If possible, we don't care to
+locate any farther north."
+
+"You ought to have secured your range before you bought your cattle. You
+seem to have the cart before the horse," observed the wounded man.
+
+"Oh," said the novice, with a sweeping gesture, "there's plenty of
+unclaimed range. There's ample grass and water on this creek to graze
+five thousand cattle."
+
+"Wells Brothers estimate that the range, tributary to the Beaver, will
+carry ten thousand head the year round," replied Forrest, languidly
+indifferent.
+
+"Who are Wells Brothers?" inquired the newcomer.
+
+Forrest turned to the stranger as if informing a child. "You have the
+name correct," said he. "The brothers took this range some time ago, and
+those cattle that you met up the creek are theirs. Before you round up
+any cattle and drive them out, you had better look into the situation
+thoroughly. You surely know and respect range customs."
+
+"Well," said the stranger explosively,--they mustn't expect to hold the
+whole country with a handful of cattle."
+
+"They only took the range recently, and are acquiring cattle as fast as
+possible," politely replied Forrest.
+
+"They can't hold any more country than they can occupy," authoritatively
+asserted the novice. "All we want is a range for a thousand cows, and
+I've decided on that hackberry grove as headquarters."
+
+"Your hearing seems defective," remarked Forrest in flute-like tones.
+"Let me repeat: This is headquarters for Wells Brothers. Their range
+runs from the trail crossing, six miles below, to the headwaters of
+Beaver, including all its tributaries. Since you can't stay for dinner,
+you'll have time to ride down to the crossing of the Texas and Montana
+trail on this creek. There you'll find the posted notice, so that he who
+runs may read, that Wells Brothers have already claimed this range. I'll
+furnish you a pencil and scrap of paper, and you can make a copy of the
+formal notice and show it to your partner. Then, if you feel strong
+enough to outrage all range customs, move in and throw down your glove.
+I've met an accident recently, leaving me a cripple, but I'll agree to
+get in the saddle and pick up the gauntlet."
+
+The novice led his horse aside as if to mount. "I fail to see the object
+in claiming more range than one can occupy. It raises a legal question,"
+said he, mounting.
+
+"Custom is the law of the range," replied Forrest. "The increase of a
+herd must be provided for, and a year or two's experience of beginners
+like you usually throws cattle on the market. Abundance of range is a
+good asset. Joel, get the gentleman a pencil and sheet of paper."
+
+"Not at all necessary," remarked the amateur cowman, reining away. "I
+suppose the range is for sale?" he called out, without halting.
+
+"Yes, but folks who prefer to intrude are usually poor buyers," shouted
+the crippled Texan.
+
+Joel was alarmed and plied Forrest with a score of questions. The boy
+had tasted the thrill of ownership of cattle and possession of a range,
+and now the envy of others had threatened his interests.
+
+"Don't be alarmed," soothingly said the wounded man. "This is like a
+page from life, only twice as natural. It proves two things: that you
+took your range in good time, and that it has a value. This very
+afternoon you must push at least one hundred cattle up to those springs
+above Hackberry Grove. Let them track and trample around the water and
+noon in the shade of the motte. That's possession, and possession is
+nine points, and the other fellow can have the tenth. If any one wants
+to dispute your rights or encroach on them, I'll mount a horse and go to
+the trail for help. The Texans are the boys to insist on range customs
+being respected. It's time I was riding a little, anyhow."
+
+Dell returned from scouting the trail, and reported two herds due to
+reach the Beaver that evening. "I spent an hour with one of the foremen
+around the ford," said he to Forrest; "and he says if you want to see
+him, you had better come down to the crossing. He knows you, and makes
+out you ain't much hurt. He says if you come down, he'll give you a
+quarter of beef and a speckled heifer. He's one of Jess
+Pressnell's bosses."
+
+"That's the word I'm waiting for," laughed Forrest. "Corral the horses
+and fix up some kind of a mounting block. It'll take a scaffold to get
+me on a horse, but I can fall off. Make haste, because hereafter we
+must almost live on horseback."
+
+The words proved true. Forrest and Dell, the latter bareback, returned
+to the trail, while Joel rode to drift their cattle up the Beaver, in
+order to be in possession of Hackberry Grove and its living springs. The
+plains of the West were a lawless country, and if its pioneers would not
+respect its age-old pastoral customs, then the consequences must be
+met or borne.
+
+Three weeks had passed since the accident to Forrest, the herds were
+coming with a vengeance, and the scene of activity changed from the
+homestead to the trail crossing. Forrest did not return for a week,
+foraging on the wagons, camping with the herds, and never failing to
+levy, to the extent of his ability to plead, on cattle, horses, and
+needful supplies. As many as five and six herds arrived in a single day,
+none of which were allowed to pass without an appeal: if strangers, in
+behalf of a hospital; if among friends, the simple facts were
+sufficient. Dell was kept on the move with bunches of cattle, or
+freighting the caches to the homestead, while Joel received the
+different contingents and scouted the threatened range.
+
+Among old acquaintances there was no denying Forrest, and Dell fell
+heir to the first extra saddle found among the effects of a trail
+outfit. The galled horses had recovered serviceable form, affording each
+of the boys a mount, and even the threatened cloud against the range
+lifted. The herd of a thousand cows crossed the Beaver, and Forrest took
+particular pains to inform its owners of the whereabouts of unclaimed
+range the year before. Evidently the embryo cowmen had taken heed and
+inquired into range customs, and were accordingly profuse with
+disclaimers of any wrong intent.
+
+The first three weeks of July saw the bulk of the herds north of the
+Beaver. Water and range had been taken advantage of in the trailing of
+cattle to the Northwest, fully three hundred thousand head having
+crossed from Dodge to Ogalalla. The exodus afforded the boys an insight
+into pastoral life, brought them in close contact with the men of the
+open, drove false ideas from their immature minds, and assisted in the
+laying of those early foundations on which their future manhood
+must rest.
+
+Dell spent every chance hour with the trail men. He and Forrest slept
+with the wagons, met the herds, and piloted them in to the best water.
+The fact that only experienced men were employed on the trail made the
+red-headed boy a welcome guest with every herd, while the wide
+acquaintance of his crippled sponsor assured the lad every courtesy of
+camp and road. Dell soon learned that the position of point man usually
+fell to a veteran of the range, and one whose acquaintance was worthy of
+cultivation, both in the saddle and around the camp-fire.
+
+"I'm going to be a point man," Dell confided to Forrest, on one of their
+trips up to the homestead. "He don't seem to have much to do, and nearly
+always rides with one leg across his horse's neck."
+
+"That's the idea," assented Forrest. "Aim high. Of course, you'll have
+to begin as a drag man, then a few trips to Montana in the swing, and
+after that you have a right to expect a place on the point. The trouble
+is, you are liable to slip back a notch or two at any time. Here I've
+been a foreman in other years, and this trip I was glad to make a hand.
+There's so many slips, and we can't be all point men and bosses. Cooks
+and horse wranglers are also useful men."
+
+The first serious cloud to hover over the new ranch appeared early
+during the last week in July. Forrest's wounds had nearly healed, and he
+was wondering if his employer would make a further claim on his
+services during that summer, which was probable at the hands of a drover
+with such extensive interests. He and Dell were still patrolling the
+ford on Beaver, when one evening a conveyance from the railroad to the
+south drove up to the crossing. It brought a telegram from Don Lovell,
+requesting the presence of Forrest in Dodge City, and the messenger, a
+liveryman from Buffalo, further assured him that transportation was
+awaiting him at that station. There were no grounds on which to refuse
+the summons, indefinite and devoid of detail as it was, and preparations
+were immediately made to return with the liveryman. What few cattle had
+been secured during that trip were drifted up the creek, when all
+returned to the homestead for the night.
+
+To Dell and Joel the situation looked serious. The crippled man,
+helpless as he was at first, had proven their rock of refuge, and now
+that he was leaving them, a tenderness of unnoticed growth was revealed.
+As an enforced guest, he had come to them at a moment when their poverty
+had protested at receiving him, his unselfishness in their behalf had
+proven his friendship and gratitude beyond question, and the lesson was
+not lost on the parentless waifs.
+
+On the other hand, Forrest lightened all depression of spirits. "Don't
+worry," said he to the boys. "Just as sure as water runs and grass
+grows, I'll come over this trail again. So far in life, I've never done
+any good for myself, and I'm going to play this hand out and see if you
+lads land on your feet. Now, don't get the idea that I've done any great
+feat in rustling you boys a few cows. It's one of the laws of life, that
+often we can do for others what we can't do for ourselves. That sounds
+like preaching, but it isn't. Actually, I'm ashamed of myself, that I
+didn't get you double the number of cattle. What we did skirmish
+together was merely the flotsam of the trail, the crumbs that fall from
+the supper table, and all obligations to me are overpaid. If I could
+have had just a few tears on tap, with that hospital talk, and you boys
+being poor and orphans--shucks! I must be getting doty--that plea was
+good for a thousand strays and cripples!"
+
+The brothers took courage. So far their chief asset was a fine range.
+Nearly three hundred and fifty cattle, imperfect as the titles to many
+of them were, had been secured and were occupying the valley. A round
+dozen cow ponies, worthless for the present, but which in time would
+round into form, were added to the new ranch. Every passing commissary
+had laughed at the chance to discard its plunder and useless staples,
+and only the departure of the man behind the venture, standing in the
+shadow as it were, threw a depression over the outlook.
+
+Funds, with which to pay his reckoning, had been left with Forrest. The
+boys had forgotten the original agreement, and it was only with tact and
+diplomacy that a snug sum, against his protest and embarrassment, was
+forced on Joel. "It don't come off me," said the departing man, "and it
+may come handy with you. There's a long winter ahead, and the fight
+ain't near won yet. The first year in starting a ranch is always the
+hardest. But if you boys can only hold these cattle until grass comes
+again, it's the making of you. You know the boy is father to the man,
+and if you are true-blue seed corn--well, I'll bet on two ears to
+the stock."
+
+Forrest's enthusiasm tempered the parting. The start for the railroad
+was made at daybreak, and in taking leave, each boy held a hand, shaking
+it heartily from time to time, as if to ratify the general advice. "I'll
+make Dodge in two days," said the departing guest, "and then I'll know
+the meaning of this wire. It means something--that's sure. In the mean
+time, sit square in your saddles, ride your range, and let the idea run
+riot that you are cowmen. Plan, scheme, and devise for the future.
+That's all until you hear from me or see my sign in the sky.
+Adios, señors."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+SUNSHINE AND SHADOW
+
+
+An entire week passed, during which the boys were alone. A few herds
+were still coming over the trail, but for lack of an advocate to plead,
+all hope of securing more cattle must be foregone. Forrest had only
+taken his saddle, abandoning for the present all fixtures contributed
+for his comfort on arriving at the homestead, including the horses of
+his employers. The lads were therefore left an abundance of mounts, all
+cattle were drifted above the ranch, and plans for the future
+considered.
+
+Winter must be met and confronted. "We must have forage for our saddle
+horses," said Joel to his brother, the evening after Forrest's
+departure. "The rain has helped our corn until it will make fodder, but
+that isn't enough. Pa cut hay in this valley, and I know where I can mow
+a ton any morning. Mr. Quince said we'd have to stable a saddle horse
+apiece this winter, and those mules will have to be fed. The grass has
+greened up since the rain, and it will be no trick at all to make ten
+to fifteen tons of hay. Help me grind the scythe, and we'll put in every
+spare hour haying. While you ride around the cattle every morning, I
+can mow."
+
+A farm training proved an advantage to the boys. Before coming West,
+their father had owned a mowing machine, but primitive methods prevailed
+on the frontier, and he had been compelled to use a scythe in his haying
+operations. Joel swung the blade like a veteran, scattering his swath to
+cure in the sun, and with whetstone on steel, beat a frequent tattoo.
+The raking into windrows and shocking at evening was an easy task for
+the brothers, no day passing but the cured store was added to, until
+sufficient was accumulated to build a stack. That was a task which tried
+their mettle, but once met and overcome, it fortified their courage to
+meet other ordeals.
+
+"I wish Mr. Quince could see that stack of hay," admiringly said Dell,
+on the completion of the first effort. "There must be five tons in it.
+And it's as round as an apple. I can't remember when I've worked so hard
+and been so hungry. No wonder the Texan despises any work he can't do on
+horseback. But just the same, they're dear, good fellows. I wish Mr.
+Quince could live with us always. He's surely a good forager."
+
+The demand for range was accented anew. One evening two strangers rode
+up the creek and asked for a night's lodging. They were made welcome,
+and proved to be Texas cowmen, father and son, in search of pasturage
+for a herd of through cattle. There was an open frankness about the
+wayfarers that disarmed every suspicion of wrong intent, and the
+brothers met their inquiries with equal candor.
+
+"And you lads are Wells Brothers?" commented the father, in kindly
+greeting. "We saw your notice, claiming this range, at the trail
+crossing, and followed your wagon track up the creek. Unless the market
+improves, we must secure range for three thousand two-year-old steers.
+Well, we'll get acquainted, anyhow."
+
+The boys naturally lacked commercial experience in their new occupation.
+The absence of Forrest was sorely felt, and only the innate kindness of
+the guests allayed all feeling of insecurity. As the evening wore on,
+the old sense of dependence brought the lads in closer touch with the
+strangers, the conversation running over the mutual field of range and
+cattle matters.
+
+"What is the reason," inquired Joel, "that so many cattle are leaving
+your State for the upper country?"
+
+"The reasons are numerous and valid," replied the older cowman. "It's
+the natural outgrowth or expansion of the pastoral interests of our
+State. Before the opening of the trail, for years and years, Texas
+clamored for an outlet for its cattle. Our water supply was limited, the
+State is subject to severe drouth, the cattle were congesting on our
+ranges, with neither market inquiry or demand. The subjection of the
+Indian was followed by a sudden development of the West, the Texas and
+Montana cattle trail opened, and the pastoral resources of our State
+surprised the world. Last year we sent eight hundred thousand cattle
+over the trail, and they were not missed at home. That's the reason I'm
+your guest to-night; range has suddenly become valuable in Texas."
+
+"There is also an economic reason for the present exodus of cattle,"
+added the young man. "Our State is a natural breeding ground, but we
+can't mature into marketable beef. Nearly twenty years' experience has
+proven that a northern climate is necessary to fatten and bring our
+Texas cattle to perfect maturity. Two winters in the North will insure a
+gain of from three to four hundred pounds' extra weight more per head
+than if allowed to reach maturity on their native heath. This gain
+fully doubles the value of every hoof, and is a further motive why we
+are your guests to-night; we are looking for a northern range on which
+to mature our steer cattle."
+
+The boys were grasping the fact that in their range they had an asset of
+value. Less than two months before, they were on the point of abandoning
+their home as worthless, not capable of sustaining life, the stone which
+the builders rejected, and now it promised a firm foundation to their
+future hopes. The threatened encroachment of a few weeks previous, and
+the causes of demand, as explained by their guests, threw a new light on
+range values and made the boys doubly cautious. Was there a possible
+tide in the primitive range, which taken at its flood would lead these
+waifs to fortune?
+
+The next morning the guests insisted on looking over the upper valley of
+the Beaver.
+
+"In the first place," said the elder Texan, "let it be understood that
+we respect your rights to this range. If we can reach some mutual
+agreement, by purchase or rental, good enough, but not by any form of
+intrusion. We might pool our interests for a period of years, and the
+rental would give you lads a good schooling. There are many advantages
+that might accrue by pooling our cattle. At least, there is no harm in
+looking over the range."
+
+"They can ride with me as far as Hackberry Grove," said Dell. "None of
+our cattle range over a mile above the springs, and from there I can
+nearly point out the limits of our ranch."
+
+"You are welcome to look over the range," assentingly said Joel, "but
+only on condition that any agreement reached must be made with Mr.
+Quince Forrest, now at Dodge."
+
+"That will be perfectly agreeable," said the older cowman. "No one must
+take any advantage of you boys."
+
+The trio rode away, with Dell pointing out around the homestead the
+different beaver dams in the meanderings of the creek. Joel resumed his
+mowing, and near noon sighted a cavalcade of horses coming down the dim
+road which his father used in going to Culbertson. A wagon followed, and
+from its general outlines the boy recognized it to be a cow outfit,
+heading for their improvements. Hastening homeward, he found Paul
+Priest, the gray-haired foreman, who had passed northward nearly two
+months before, sitting under the sunshade before the tent.
+
+"Howdy, bud," said Priest languidly in greeting. "Now, let me
+think--Howdy, Joel!"
+
+No prince could have been more welcome. The men behind the boys had
+been sadly missed, and the unexpected appearance of Priest filled every
+want. "Sit down," said the latter. "First, don't bother about getting
+any dinner; my outfit will make camp on the creek, and we'll have a
+little spread. Yes, I know; Forrest's in Dodge; old man Don told me he
+needed him. Where's your brother?"
+
+"Dell's gone up the creek with some cowmen from Texas," admitted Joel.
+"They're looking for a range. I told them any agreement reached must be
+made with Mr. Quince. But now that you are here, you will do just as
+well. They'll be in soon."
+
+"I'm liable to tell them to ride on," said the gray-haired foreman. "I'm
+jealous, and I want it distinctly understood that I'm a silent partner
+in this ranch. How many cattle have you?"
+
+"Nearly three hundred and fifty, not counting the calves."
+
+"Forrest only rustled you three hundred and fifty cattle? The lazy
+wretch--he ought to be hung for ingratitude!"
+
+"Oh, no," protested Joel; "Mr. Quince has been a father to Dell and
+myself."
+
+"Wait until I come back from Dodge, and I'll show you what a rustler I
+am," said Priest, arising to give his horse to the wrangler and issue
+directions in regard to camping.
+
+The arrival of Dell and the cowmen prevented further converse between
+Priest and his protégé. For the time being a soldier's introduction
+sufficed between the Texans, but Dell came in for a rough caress. "What
+do you think of the range?" inquired the trail foreman, turning to the
+men, and going direct to the subject.
+
+"It meets every requirement for ranching," replied the elder cowman,
+"and I'm going to make these boys a generous offer."
+
+"This man will act for us," said Joel to the two cowmen, with a jerk of
+his thumb toward Priest.
+
+"Well, that's good," said the older man, advancing to Priest. "My name
+is Allen, and this is my son Hugh."
+
+"And my name is Priest, a trail foreman in the employ of Don Lovell,"
+said the gray-haired man, shaking hands with the Texans.
+
+"Mr. Lovell was expected in Dodge the day we left," remarked the younger
+man in greeting. "We had hopes of selling him our herd."
+
+"What is your county?" inquired the trail boss, searching his pockets
+for a telegram.
+
+"Comanche."
+
+"And when did you leave Dodge?"
+
+"Just ten days ago."
+
+"Then you need no range--your cattle are sold," said Priest, handing the
+older man a telegram.
+
+The two scanned the message carefully, and the trail foreman continued:
+"This year my herd was driven to fill a sub-contract, and we delivered
+it last week at old Camp Clark, on the North Platte. From there the main
+contractor will trail the beef herd up to the Yellowstone. Old man Don
+was present at the delivery, and when I got back to Ogalalla with the
+oufit, that message was awaiting me. I'm now on my way to Dodge to
+receive the cattle. They go to the old man's beef ranch on the Little
+Missouri. It says three thousand Comanche County two-year-olds,
+don't it?"
+
+"It's our cattle," said the son to his father. "We have the only
+straight herd of Comanche County two-year-olds at Dodge City. That
+commission man said he would sell them before we got back."
+
+The elder Texan turned to the boys with a smile. "I reckon we'll have to
+declare all negotiations off regarding this range. I had several good
+offers to make you, and I'm really sorry at this turn of events. I had
+figured out a leasing plan, whereby the rentals of this range would
+give you boys a fine schooling, and revert to you on the eldest
+attaining his majority. We could have pooled our cattle, and your
+interests would have been carried free."
+
+"You needn't worry about these boys," remarked Priest, with an air of
+interest; "they have silent partners. As to schooling, I've known some
+mighty good men who never punched the eyes out of the owl in their old
+McGuffy spelling-book."
+
+A distant cry of dinner was wafted up the creek. "That's a welcome
+call," said Priest, arising. "Come on, everybody. My cook has orders to
+tear his shirt in getting up a big dinner."
+
+A short walk led to the camp. "This outfit looks good to me," said the
+elder cowman to Priest, "and you can count on my company to the
+railroad."
+
+"You're just the man I'm looking for," replied the trail boss. "We're
+making forty miles a day, and you can have charge until we reach Dodge."
+
+"But I only volunteered as far as the railroad," protested the genial
+Texan.
+
+"Yes; but then I know you cowmen," contended Priest. "You have lived
+around a wagon so long and love cow horses so dearly, that you simply
+can't quit my outfit to ride on a train. Two o'clock is the hour for
+starting, and I'll overtake you before evening."
+
+The outfit had been reduced to six men, the remainder having been
+excused and sent home from Ogalalla. The remuda was in fine condition,
+four changes of mounts a day was the rule, and on the hour named, the
+cavalcade moved out, leaving its foreman behind. "Angle across the plain
+and enter the trail on the divide, between here and the Prairie Dog,"
+suggested Priest to his men. "We will want to touch here coming back,
+and the wagon track will point the way. Mr. Allen will act as segundo."
+
+Left to themselves, the trio resolved itself into a ways and means
+committee. "I soldiered four years," said Priest to the boys, once the
+sunshade was reached, "and there's nothing that puts spirit and courage
+into the firing line like knowing that the reserves are strong. It's
+going to be no easy task to hold these cattle this winter, and now is
+the time to bring up the ammunition and provision the camp. The army
+can't march unless the mules are in condition, and you must be well
+mounted to handle cattle. Ample provision for your saddle stock is the
+first requirement."
+
+"We're putting up a ton of hay a day," said Joel, "and we'll have two
+hundred shocks of fodder."
+
+"That's all right for rough forage, but you must have corn for your
+saddle stock," urged the man. "Without grain for the mounts, cavalry is
+useless. I think the railroad supplies, to settlers along its line,
+coal, lumber, wire, and other staples at cost. I'll make inquiry
+to-morrow and let you know when we return. One hundred bushels of corn
+would make the forage reserves ample for the winter."
+
+"We've got money enough to buy it," admitted Joel. "I didn't want to
+take it, but Mr. Quince said it would come in handy."
+
+"That covers the question of forage, then," said Priest. "Now comes the
+question of corrals and branding."
+
+"Going to brand the calves?" impulsively inquired Dell, jumping at
+conclusions.
+
+"The calves need not be branded before next spring," replied the
+practical man, "but the herd must be branded this fall. If a blizzard
+struck the cattle on the open, they would drift twenty miles during a
+night. These through Texas cattle have been known to drift five hundred
+miles during the first winter. You must guard against a winter drift,
+and the only way is to hold your cattle under herd. If you boys let
+these cattle out of your hand, away from your control, they'll drift
+south to the Indian reservations and be lost. You must hold them in
+spite of storms, and you will need a big, roomy inclosure in which to
+corral the herd at night."
+
+"There's the corn field," suggested Dell.
+
+"It has no shelter," objected Priest. "Your corral must protect against
+the north and west winds."
+
+"The big bend's the place," said Joel. "The creek makes a perfect
+horseshoe, with bluff banks almost twenty feet high on the north and
+northwest. One hundred yards of fencing would inclose five acres. Our
+cows used to shelter there. It's only a mile above the house."
+
+"What's the soil, and how about water?" inquired the gray-haired
+foreman, arising.
+
+"It's a sand-bar, with a ripple and two long pools in the circle of the
+creek," promptly replied Joel.
+
+"Bring in the horses," said Priest, looking at his watch; "I'll have
+time to look it over before leaving."
+
+While awaiting the horses, the practical cowman outlined to Joel certain
+alterations to the corral at the stable, which admitted of the addition
+of a branding chute. "You must cut and haul the necessary posts and
+timber before my return, and when we pass north, my outfit will build
+you a chute and brand your cattle the same day. Have the materials on
+the ground, and I'll bring any needful hardware from the railroad."
+
+A short canter brought the committee to the big bend. The sand-bar was
+overgrown with weeds high as a man's shoulder on horseback, but the
+leader, followed by the boys, forced his mount through the tangle until
+the bend was circled. "It's an ideal winter shelter," said Priest,
+dismounting to step the entrance, as a preliminary measurement. "A
+hundred and ten yards," he announced, a few minutes later, "coon-skin
+measurement. You'll need twenty heavy posts and one hundred stays. I'll
+bring you a roll of wire. That water's everything; a thirsty cow chills
+easily. Given a dry bed and contented stomach, in this corral your herd
+can laugh at any storm. It's almost ready made, and there's nothing
+niggardly about its proportions."
+
+"When will we put the cattle under herd?" inquired Dell as the trio rode
+homeward.
+
+"Oh, about the second snowstorm," replied Priest. "After squaw winter's
+over, there's usually a month to six weeks of Indian summer. It might be
+as late as the first of December, but it's a good idea to loose-herd
+awhile; ride around them evening and morning, corral them and leave the
+gates open, teach them to seek a dry, cosy bed, at least a month before
+putting the cattle under close-herd. Teach them to drink in the corral,
+and then they'll want to come home. You boys will just about have to
+live with your little herd this winter."
+
+"We wintered here once," modestly said Joel, "and I'm sure we can do it
+again. The storms are the only thing to dread, and we can weather them."
+
+"Of course you can," assured the trail boss. "It's a ground-hog case;
+it's hold these cattle or the Indians will eat them for you. Lost during
+one storm, and your herd is lost for good."
+
+"And about horses: will one apiece be enough?" queried Joel. "Mr. Quince
+thought two stabled ones would do the winter herding."
+
+"One corn-fed pony will do the work of four grass horses," replied the
+cowman. "Herding is no work for horses, provided you spare them. If you
+must, miss your own dinner, but see that your horse gets his. Dismount
+and strip the bridle off at every chance, and if you guard against
+getting caught out in storms, one horse apiece is all you need."
+
+On reaching the homestead, Priest shifted his saddle to a horse in
+waiting, and announced his regrets at being compelled to limit his
+visit. "It may be two weeks before I return," said he, leading his horse
+from the corral to the tent, "but we'll point in here and lend a hand in
+shaping you up for winter. Forrest is liable to have a herd of his own,
+and in that case, there will be two outfits of men. More than likely,
+we'll come through together."
+
+Hurried as he professed to be, the trail foreman pottered around as if
+time was worthless, but finally mounted. "Now the commissary is
+provisioned," said he, in summing up the situation, "to stand a winter's
+siege, the forage is ample, the corral and branding chute is half
+done--well, I reckon we're the boys to hold a few cattle. Honest Injun,
+I hope it will storm enough this winter to try you out; just to see what
+kind of thoroughbreds you really are. And if any one else offers to buy
+an interest in this range," he called back, as a happy afterthought,
+"just tell them that you have all the partners you need."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ALL IN THE DAY'S WORK
+
+
+The brief visit of Priest proved a tonic to the boys. If a firing line
+of veteran soldiers can be heartened, surely the spirit and courage of
+orphan waifs needed fortifying against the coming winter. The elements
+have laughed at the hopes and ambitions of a conqueror, and an
+invincible army has trailed its banners in the snow, unable to cope with
+the rigors of the frost king. The lads bent anew to their tasks with a
+cheerfulness which made work mere play, sweetening their frugal fare,
+and bringing restful sleep. The tie which began in a mercenary agreement
+had seemingly broken its bonds, and in lieu, through the leaven of human
+love, a new covenant had been adopted.
+
+"If it's a dry, open winter," said Dell at breakfast next morning,
+"holding these cattle will be nothing. The water holds them now
+without herding."
+
+[Illustration: JOEL WELLS AND HIS SPANISH COW-PONY]
+
+"Yes," replied Joel, "but we must plan to meet the worst possible
+winter. A blizzard gives little warning, and the only way to overcome
+one is to be fully prepared. That's what Mr. Paul means by bringing up
+the ammunition. We must provide so as to be able to withstand a
+winter siege."
+
+"Well, what's lacking?" insisted Dell.
+
+"Fuel. Take an axe with you this morning, and after riding around the
+cattle, cut and collect the dead and fallen timber in Hackberry Grove.
+Keep an eye open for posts and stays--I'll cut them while you're hauling
+wood. Remember we must have the materials on the ground when Mr. Paul
+returns, to build a corral and branding chute."
+
+Axe and scythe were swung that morning with renewed energy. Within a
+week the required amount of hay was in stack, while the further supply
+of forage, promised in the stunted corn, was daily noted in its
+advancing growth.
+
+Without delay the scene of activity shifted. The grove was levied on, a
+change of axe-men took place, while the team even felt a new impetus by
+making, instead of one, two round trips daily. The fuel supply grew, not
+to meet a winter's, but a year's requirements. Where strength was
+essential, only the best of timber was chosen, and well within the time
+limit the materials for corral and branding chute were at hand on the
+ground. One task met and mastered, all subsequent ones seemed easier.
+
+"We're ahead of time," said Joel with a quiet air of triumph, as the
+last load of stays reached the corral site. "If we only knew the plans,
+we might dig the post-holes. The corn's still growing, and it won't do
+to cut until it begins to ripen--until the sugar rises in the stock. We
+can't turn another wheel until Mr. Paul returns."
+
+Idleness was galling to Joel Wells. "We'll ride the range to-day," he
+announced the following morning. "From here to the ford doesn't matter,
+but all the upper tributaries ought to be known. We must learn the
+location of every natural shelter. If a storm ever cuts us off from the
+corrals, we must point the herd for some other port."
+
+"The main Beaver forks only a few miles above Hackberry Grove,"
+suggested Dell.
+
+"Then we'll ride out the south fork to-day and come back through the
+sand hills. There must be some sheltered nooks in that range of dunes."
+
+That the morning hour has gold in its mouth, an unknown maxim at the new
+ranch, mattered nothing. The young cowmen were up and away with the
+rising sun, riding among and counting the different bunches of cattle
+encountered, noting the cripples, and letting no details of the
+conditions of the herd, in their leisurely course up the creek, escape
+their vigilance.
+
+The cattle tallied out to an animal, and were left undisturbed on their
+chosen range. Two hours' ride brought the boys to the forks of the
+Beaver, and by the middle of the forenoon the south branch of the creek
+was traced to its source among the sand dunes. If not inviting, the
+section proved interesting, with its scraggy plum brush, its unnumbered
+hills, and its many depressions, scalloped out of the sandy soil by the
+action of winds. Coveys of wild quail were encountered, prairie chicken
+took wing on every hand, and near the noon hour a monster gray wolf
+arose from a sunny siesta on the summit of a near-by dune, and sniffed
+the air in search of the cause of disturbance. Unseen, the boys reined
+in their horses, a windward breeze favored the view for a moment, when
+ten nearly full-grown cubs also arose and joined their mother in
+scenting the horsemen. It was a rare glimpse of wary beasts, and like a
+flash of light, once the human scent was detected, mother and whelps
+skulked and were lost to sight in an instant.
+
+"They're an enemy of cattle," whispered Joel when the cubs appeared.
+"The young ones are not old enough yet to hunt alone, and are still
+following their mother. Their lair is in these hills, and if this proves
+a cold winter, hunger will make them attack our cattle before spring. We
+may have more than storms to fight. There they go."
+
+"How are we to fight them?" timidly asked Dell. "We have neither dog nor
+gun."
+
+"Mr. Paul will know," replied Joel with confidence. "They'll not bother
+us while they can get food elsewhere."
+
+The shelter of a wolf-pack's lair was not an encouraging winter refuge
+to drifting cattle. The boys even shook out their horses for a short
+gallop in leaving the sand dunes, and breathed easier once the open of
+the plain was reached. Following a low watershed, the brothers made a
+wide detour from the Beaver, but on coming opposite the homestead, near
+the middle of the afternoon, they turned and rode directly for the
+ranch, where a welcome surprise greeted them.
+
+Four men were at work on the branding chute. A single glance revealed
+both Priest and Forrest among the quartette. On riding up to the stable
+corral, in the rough reception which followed, the lads were fairly
+dragged from their saddles amid hearty greetings. "Well, here we are
+again, and as busy as cranberry merchants," said Priest, once order
+was restored.
+
+"Where's your herd?" inquired Joel.
+
+"He hasn't any," interrupted Forrest; "he's working for me. About this
+time to-morrow evening, I'll split this ranch wide open with two herds,
+each of thirty-five hundred two-year-old steers. I'm coming with some
+style this time. You simply can't keep a good man down."
+
+"There were two herds instead of one to go to the old man's beef ranch,"
+explained Priest. "We brought along a couple extra men and came through
+a day ahead. We can't halt our cattle, but we can have the chute and
+corrals nearly ready when the herds arrive. All we'll lack is the
+hardware, and the wagons will reach here early during the afternoon."
+
+The homestead presented a busy scene for the remainder of the day. Every
+old tool on the ranch was brought into service, and by twilight the
+outlines of the branding chute had taken form. The stable corral was
+built out of heavy poles and posts, with a capacity of holding near one
+hundred cattle, and by a very slight alteration it could be enlarged,
+with branding conveniences added.
+
+At this point it was deemed advisable to enlighten the boys regarding
+the title of stray cattle. Forrest and Priest had talked the matter over
+between themselves, and had decided that the simple truth concerning the
+facts was the only course to adopt. The older of the two men, by the
+consent of years, was delegated to instruct the lads, and when the
+question of brands to be adopted by the new ranch was under
+consideration, the chance presented itself.
+
+"In starting this ranch," said the gray-haired foreman to the boys, as
+they all sat before the tent in the twilight, "we'll have to use two
+brands. Cattle are conveyed from one owner to another by bill-of-sale.
+In a big pastoral exodus like the present, it is simply impossible to
+keep strays out of moving herds. They come in at night, steal in while a
+herd is passing through thickets, while it is watering, and they may not
+be noticed for a month. Under all range customs, strays are recognized
+as flotsam. Title is impossible, and the best claim is due to the range
+that gives them sustenance. It has always been customary to brand the
+increase of strays to the range on which they are found, and that will
+entitle you to all calves born of stray mothers."
+
+The brothers were intent listeners, and the man continued: "For fear of
+winter drifting, and that they may be identified, we will run all these
+strays into Two Bars on the left hip, which will be known as the
+'Hospital' brand. For the present, that will give us an asylum for that
+branch of flotsam gathered, and as trustees and owners of the range, all
+increase will fall to Wells Brothers. However, in accepting this
+deputyship, you do so with the understanding that the brand is merely a
+tally-mark, and that in no way does it deprive the owner of coming
+forward to prove and take possession of his property. This method
+affords a refuge to all strays in your possession, and absolves you from
+any evil intent. All other cattle coming under your control, with the
+knowledge and consent of the owner or his agent, are yours in fee
+simple, and we will run them into any brand you wish to adopt."
+
+"But suppose no one ever calls for these stray cows?" said Joel,
+meditating.
+
+"Then let them live out their days in peace," advised Forrest. "The
+weeds grow rankly wherever a cow dies, and that was the way their
+ancestors went. One generation exempts you."
+
+The discovery of wolves in that immediate vicinity was not mentioned
+until the following morning. The forces were divided between the tasks,
+and as Priest and Joel rode up the valley to the site of the new corral,
+the disclosure was made known.
+
+"Wolves? Why, certainly," said Priest, answering his own query. "Wolves
+act as a barometer in forecasting the coming of storms. Their activity
+or presence will warn you of the approach of blizzards, and you want to
+take the hint and keep your weather eye open. When other food becomes
+scarce, they run in packs and will kill cattle. You are perfectly safe,
+as yours will be either under herd or in a corral. Wolves always single
+out an animal to attack; they wouldn't dare enter an inclosure. Taken
+advantage of in their hunger, they can be easily poisoned. A wolf dearly
+loves kidney suet or fresh tallow, and by mixing strychnine with either,
+they can be lured to their own destruction."
+
+The post-holes were dug extra deep for the corral. The work was
+completed before noon, the gate being the only feature of interest. It
+was made double, fifty feet wide, and fastened in the centre to a strong
+post. The gate proper was made of wire, webbed together with stays,
+admitting of a pliability which served a double purpose. By sinking an
+extra post opposite each of the main ones, the flexibility of the gate
+also admitted of making a perfect wing, aiding in the entrance or exit
+of a herd. In fastening the gate in the centre short ropes were used,
+and the wire web drawn taut to the tension of a pliable fence. "You boys
+will find this short wing, when penning a herd, equal to an extra man,"
+assured the old foreman.
+
+The first round-up on the new ranch took place that afternoon. Forrest
+took the extra men and boys, and riding to the extreme upper limits of
+the range, threw out the drag-net of horsemen and turned homeward. The
+cattle ranged within a mile or two on either side of the creek, and by
+slowly closing in and drifting down the Beaver, the nucleus of the ranch
+was brought into a compact herd. There was no hurry, as ample time must
+be allowed for the arrival of the wagons and stretching of the wire, in
+finishing and making ready the upper corral for its first reception of
+cattle. There was a better reason for delay, which was held in reserve,
+as a surprise for the boys.
+
+As expected, the wagons and remudas arrived at the new ranch hours in
+advance of the herds. The horse wranglers were detailed by Priest, and
+fitting an axle to the spool of wire, by the aid of ropes attached to
+the pommels of two saddles, it was rolled up to the scene of its use at
+an easy canter. The stretching of the wire was less than an hour's work,
+the slack being taken up by the wranglers, ever upholding Texas
+methods, from the pommels of saddles, while Priest clinched the strands
+with staples at the proper tension. The gates were merely a pliable
+extension of the fence, the flexible character requiring no hinges.
+"Now, when the stays are interwoven through the wire, and fastened in
+place with staples, there's a corral that will hold a thousand cattle,"
+said one of the wranglers admiringly.
+
+It was after sunset when the herd was penned. Forrest, after counting
+the round-up to his satisfaction, detailed Dell and Joel to graze the
+herd in a bend of the Beaver, out of sight and fully a mile above, and
+taking the extra men returned to the homestead. The trail herds had
+purposely arrived late, expecting to camp on the Beaver that night, and
+were met by their respective foremen while watering for the day. In
+receiving, at Dodge, two large herds of one-aged cattle, both foremen,
+but more particularly Forrest, in the extra time at his command, had
+levied on the flotsam of the herds from which his employer was buying,
+until he had accumulated over one hundred cattle. Priest had secured,
+among a few friends and the few herds with which he came in contact,
+scarcely half that number, and still the two contingents made a very
+material increase to the new ranch.
+
+The addition of these extra cattle was the surprise in reserve. Joel and
+Dell had never dreamed of a further increase to the ranch stock, and
+Forrest had timed the corralling of the original and late contingents as
+the climax of the day's work. Detailing both of the boys on the point,
+as the upper herd was nearing the corral, it was suddenly confronted by
+another contingent, rounding a bend of the creek from the opposite
+quarter. Priest had purposely detailed strange men, coached to the point
+of blindness, in charge of the new addition, and when the two bunches
+threatened to mix, every horseman present except the boys seemed blind
+to the situation.
+
+Dell and Joel struggled in vain--the cattle mixed. "Well, well," said
+Forrest, galloping up, "here's a nice come-off! Trust my own boys to
+point a little herd into a corral, and they let two bunches of cattle
+mix! Wouldn't that make a saint swear!"
+
+"Those other fellows had no man in the lead or on the point," protested
+Dell dejectedly. "They were looking away off yonder, and their cattle
+walked into ours. Where were you?"
+
+"One of my men was telling me about an old sweetheart of his down on
+the Trinity River, and it made me absent-minded. I forgot what we were
+doing. Well, it's too late in the day to separate them now. We'll pen
+them until morning."
+
+The appearance of Priest and the readiness with which the strange men
+assisted in corralling the herd shortly revealed the situation to the
+crafty Joel. On the homeward canter, the gray-haired foreman managed to
+drop a word which lightened Dell's depression and cleared up the
+supposed error.
+
+That was a great night on the Beaver. The two wagons camped together,
+the herds bedded on either side of the creek, and the outfits mingled
+around the same camp-fire. Rare stories were told, old songs were sung,
+the lusty chorus of which easily reached the night-herders, and was
+answered back like a distant refrain.
+
+The next morning the herds moved out on their way without a wasted step.
+Two men were detailed from each outfit, and with the foremen and the
+boys, a branding crew stood ready for the task before them. The chute
+had been ironed and bolted the evening previous, and long before the
+early rays of the sun flooded the valley of the Beaver, the first
+contingent of cattle arrived from the upper corral.
+
+The boys adopted Bar Y as their brand. The chute chambered ten grown
+cattle, and when clutched in a vise-like embrace, with bars fore and
+aft, the actual branding, at the hands of two trail foremen, was quickly
+over. The main herd was cut into half a dozen bunches, and before the
+noon hour arrived, the last hoof had passed under the running irons and
+bore the new owner's brand or tally-mark.
+
+Only a short rest was allowed, as the herds were trailing the limit of
+travel, and must be overtaken by evening. When crossing the railroad a
+few days before, it was learned that Grinnell was the railroad depot for
+settlers' supplies, and the boys were advised to file their order for
+corn, and to advance a liberal payment to insure attention. All details
+of the ranch seemed well in hand, the cattle were in good condition to
+withstand a winter, and if spirit and confidence could be imparted, from
+age to youth, the sponsors of the venture would have felt little concern
+for the future. If a dry, open winter followed, success was assured; if
+the reverse, was it right to try out the very souls of these waifs in a
+wintry crucible?
+
+The foremen and their men left early in the afternoon. On reaching a
+divide, which gave the party of horsemen a last glimpse of the Beaver,
+the cavalcade halted for a parting look.
+
+"Isn't it a pretty range?" said Forrest, gazing far beyond the hazy
+valley. "I wish we knew if those boys can stick out the winter."
+
+"Stick? We'll make them stick!" said Priest, in a tone as decisive as if
+his own flesh and blood had been insulted.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+THE LINES OF INTRENCHMENT
+
+
+The boys watched the cavalcade until it faded away in the swells of the
+plain. At each recurring departure of their friends, in spite of all
+bravado to the contrary, a pall of loneliness crept into the hearts of
+the waifs. Theirs had been a cheerless boyhood; shifted about from
+pillar to post, with poverty their one sure companion, they had tasted
+of the wormwood in advance of their years. Toys such as other lads
+played with for an hour and cast aside were unknown in their lives, and
+only the poor substitute for hoop, horse, or gun had been theirs. In the
+struggle for existence, human affection was almost denied them. A happy
+home they had never known, and the one memory of their childhood worthy
+of remembrance was the love of a mother, which arose like a lily in the
+mire of their lives, shedding its fragrance more fully as its loss
+was realized.
+
+Joel was the more sensitive of the brothers. Forrest had fully discussed
+the coming winter with the older lad, and as an incentive to
+watchfulness had openly expressed doubt of the ability of the boys to
+battle with the elements. The conversation was depressing, and on the
+departure of the men, the boys resumed the discussion of the matter
+at issue.
+
+"Mr. Quince thinks we can't hold these cattle," said Joel, watching the
+receding horsemen. "He's afraid a storm will catch us several miles out
+and cut us off from reaching the corral. Well, it will be my fault if
+it does."
+
+Dell made a boastful remark, but the older boy only intensified his gaze
+at the fading cavalcade. A vision of his youthful sufferings flashed
+through his mind, and a mist, closely akin to tears, dimmed his eyes. He
+had learned the lesson that poverty teaches, unaware that the storm
+which rocks also roots the oak, but unable to make the comparison or
+draw the inference between surrounding nature and himself. For an
+instant the horsemen dipped from view, changing the scene, and a picture
+rose up, a vision of the future, of independence, of a day when he would
+take his place as a man among men. The past was beyond his control, its
+bridges burned, but the future was worth battling for; and as if
+encouraged by invisible helpers, the boy turned his face to the valley
+of the Beaver.
+
+"We'll hold these cattle or starve," said he, unconsciously answering
+his gray-haired sponsor, fading from sight over the last divide. "Hold
+them. I can hold them alone."
+
+"There's no danger of starving," commented Dell, following his brother
+into the tent. "We have provisions for a year."
+
+"Then we'll hold the herd or freeze," answered Joel, almost hissing the
+words--words which became a slogan afterward.
+
+The cattle drifted back to their chosen range. The late addition mixed
+and mingled with the others, now attached to the valley, with its
+abundance of grass and water. Nothing was said about the first four
+horses, from which the boys understood that they were, at least for the
+present, left in their charge. All told, sixteen horses, fully half of
+which were fit for saddle, were at the service of the ranch, ample in
+number in proportion to the cattle secured.
+
+It was only the middle of August. An accident, and a little over two
+months' time, had changed the character of the Beaver valley. With no
+work pressing, the brothers rode the range, circling farther to the west
+and south, until any country liable to catch a winter drift became
+familiar to sight. Northward ho! the slogan of every drover had ceased,
+and the active trail of a month before had been deserted. The new ranch
+had no neighbors, the nearest habitation was on the railroad to the
+south, and the utter loneliness of the plain was only overcome by active
+work. To those who love them, cattle and horses are good company, and in
+their daily rides the lads became so familiar with the herd that in the
+absence of brands they could have readily identified every animal by
+flesh marks alone. Under almost constant contact with the boys, the
+cattle became extremely gentle, while the calves even grew so
+indifferent that they reluctantly arose from their beds to avoid a
+passing horseman.
+
+The cutting, curing, and garnering home the field of corn was a welcome
+task. It augmented the forage supply, assuring sustenance to the saddle
+horses, an important feature in withstanding the coming winter siege. An
+ideal fall favored the ranch, the dry weather curing the buffalo grass
+on the divides, until it was the equal of hay, thus assuring the cattle
+of ample grazing until spring. The usual squaw winter passed in a swirl
+of snow, a single angry day, to be followed by a month of splendid
+Indian summer. Its coming warned the lads; the order for corn was
+placed; once a week the cattle were brought in and corralled, and the
+ranch was made snug against the wintry months.
+
+The middle of November was as early as the railroad would agree to
+deliver the corn. It would take three days to go and come, and an equal
+number of round trips would be required to freight the grain from the
+railroad to the ranch. The corn had been shelled and sacked at elevator
+points, eastward in the State, and in encouraging emigration the
+railroad was glad to supply the grain at cost and freightage.
+
+The hauling fell to Joel. He had placed the order, making a deposit, and
+identification was necessary with the agent. On the very first trip to
+Grinnell, a mere station on the plain, a surprise awaited the earnest
+boy. As if he were a citizen of the hamlet, and in his usual quiet way,
+Paul Priest greeted Joel on his arrival. The old foreman had secretly
+left a horse with the railroad agent at Buffalo, where the trail
+crossed, had kept in touch with the delivery of corn at stations
+westward, and had timed his affairs so as to meet and pay a final visit
+to his protégées.
+
+"A battle is sometimes lost by a very slight oversight or accident,"
+said the man to the boy. "The ammunition may get damaged, slippery
+ground might prevent the placing of a battery at an opportune moment,
+or the casting of a horse's shoe might delay a courier with an important
+order. I feel an interest in your little ranch, and when I know that
+everything is done that can be done to fortify against the coming
+winter, I'll go home feeling better. There is such a thing as killing
+the spirit of a soldier, and if I were to let you boys try and fail, it
+would affect your courage to face the future. That's the reason I've
+dropped off to take a last look at your lines of intrenchment. We've got
+to hold those cattle."
+
+"Mr. Quince thinks we won't, but let the winter come as it may, we're
+going to hold the herd," simply said the boy.
+
+There was a resolution, an earnestness, in the words of the lad that
+pleased the man. "Your Mr. Quince has seen some cold winters on the
+range," said the latter, "and that's the reason he fears the worst. But
+come as it will, if we do all in our power, put up the best fight in us,
+and fail, then we are blameless. But with my experience, if I let you
+fail, when you might have won, then I have done you an injury."
+
+That was the platform on which men and boys stood, the outline on which
+their mutual venture must stand or fall, and admitted of no shirking on
+the part of any one. The most minute detail, down to a change of clean
+saddle blankets, for winter work, must be fully understood. The death of
+a horse in which reliance rested, at an unfortunate moment, might mean
+the loss of the herd, and a clean, warm blanket on a cold day was the
+merciful forethought of a man for his beast. No damp, frosty, or frozen
+blanket must be used on the Wells ranch.
+
+On the return trip, an early start was made. A night camp was necessary,
+at the halfway point, the dread of which was robbed of its terrors by
+the presence of a veteran of the open. Before leaving the depot, Priest
+unearthed a number of bundles, "little things that might come in handy,"
+among which was a sack of salt and two empty oak barrels. The latter
+provoked an inquiry from Joel, and an explanation was forced at
+the moment.
+
+"Did you notice a big steer that came in with the last cattle, and which
+was overlooked in branding?" inquired Priest, meeting the boy's query
+with a question.
+
+"A mottled beef, branded 7L?"
+
+"That's the steer. Why do you reckon we overlooked branding him?"
+
+"Dell and I thought it was an oversight."
+
+"When you see what I'm going to do with that salt and these barrels,
+then you'll see that it was no neglect. That steer has undergone several
+Northern winters, has reached his prime, and the governor's cellar won't
+have any better corn beef this winter than the Wells ranch. Seven or
+eight hundred pounds of pickled beef is an important item in the winter
+intrenchments. In fact, it's an asset to any cow camp. There are so many
+little things that may come in handy."
+
+The second morning out from the station, Priest bore off on a course
+that would land him well above the grove on the Beaver. He had never
+been over the range, and not wishing to waste a day with a loaded wagon,
+he angled away for the sand hills which formed the divide, sloping away
+to the branches of the main creek. Noon found him on the south fork;
+cattle were encountered near the juncture, and as he approached the
+grove, a horseman rode out as if to dispute the passage of an intruder.
+The old foreman noticed the boyish figure and delayed the meeting,
+reining in to critically examine cattle which he had branded some three
+months before. With diligent intent, the greeting was kept pending, the
+wayfarer riding away on a tangent and veering back on his general
+course, until Dell's suspicion was aroused. The return of Priest was so
+unexpected that the boy's eyes filled with tears, and the two rode
+along until the grove was reached, when they dismounted.
+
+"If I had known that you were coming," said Dell, "I could have made
+coffee here. It was so lonesome at the ranch that I was spending the day
+among the cattle."
+
+"A cowman expects to miss his dinner occasionally," admitted Priest;
+"that's why they all look so long and hungry. Where does that 7L
+steer range?"
+
+"The big mottled fellow?--Why, down near the corral," replied the boy,
+repeating and answering the question.
+
+"I want to look him over," simply said the old foreman.
+
+The two remounted and continued down the valley. The noon hour had
+brought the herd in for its daily water, and no animal was overlooked on
+the homeward ride. The summer gloss had passed and the hairy, shaggy,
+winter coats of the cattle almost hid the brands, while three to six
+months' rest on a perfect range was reflected in the splendid condition
+of the general herd.
+
+"That's one feature of the winter intrenchments that needn't worry us,"
+said Priest; "the cattle have the tallow to withstand any
+ordinary winter."
+
+"And the horses are all rolling fat," added Dell. "They range below the
+ranch; and there isn't a cripple or sore back among them. There's the
+mottled steer."
+
+They were nearing the last contingent of cattle. Priest gave the
+finished animal a single glance, and smiled. "Outsiders say," said he,
+"that it's a maxim among us Texans never to eat your own beef. The adage
+is worth transplanting. We'll beef him. The lines of intrenchment are
+encouraging."
+
+The latter remarks were not fully understood by Dell, but on the arrival
+of the wagon that evening, and a short confidence between the brothers,
+the horizon cleared. Aside from the salt and barrels, there were
+sheepskin-lined coats and mittens, boots of heavy felting, flannels over
+and under, as if the boys were being outfitted for a polar expedition.
+"It may all come in handy," said a fatherly voice, "and a soldier out on
+sentinel duty ought to be made comfortable. In holding cattle this
+winter, it's part of the intrenchments."
+
+A cyclone cellar served as a storeroom for the sacked corn. Joel was
+away by early sun-up, on the second trip to the station, while those
+left behind busied themselves in strengthening the commissary. The
+barrels were made sweet and clean with scalding water, knives were
+ground, and a crude platform erected for cooling out meat. Dell, on the
+tip-toe of expectancy, danced attendance, wondering how this quiet man
+would accomplish his ends, and unable to wholly restrain his curiosity.
+
+"Watch me closely," was the usual reply. "You will probably marry young,
+and every head of a family, on a ranch, ought to know how to cure corn
+beef. Give me a week of frosty nights, and the lesson is yours. Watch
+me closely."
+
+The climax of the day was felling the beef. Near the middle of the
+afternoon, the two rode out, cut off a small contingent of cattle,
+including the animal wanted, and quietly drifted them down to the
+desired location. Dell's curiosity had given way to alertness, and when
+the old foreman shook out a rope, the boy instinctively knew that a
+moment of action was at hand. Without in the least alarming the other
+cattle, the cast was made, the loop opened in mid-air, settled around
+the horns, cut fast by a jerk of the rope, and the contest between man
+and animal began. It was over in a moment. The shade of a willow was the
+chosen spot, and as the cattle were freed, the steer turned, the
+horseman taking one side of the tree and the beef the other, wrapping
+several turns of the rope in circling on contrary courses. The instant
+the big fellow quieted, on its coming to a level, a pistol flashed, and
+the beef fell in his tracks. That was the programme--to make the kill in
+the shade of the willow. And it was so easily done.
+
+"That's about all we can do on horseback," said the gray-haired Texan,
+dismounting. "You may bring the knives."
+
+Every step in the lesson was of interest to Dell. Before dark the beef
+was cut into suitable pieces and spread on the platform to drain and
+cool. During the frosty night following, all trace of animal heat passed
+away, and before sunrise the meat was salted into barrels. Thereafter,
+or until it was drained of every animal impurity, the beef was spread on
+the platform nightly, the brine boiled and skimmed, until a perfect
+pickle was secured. It was a matter of a week's concern, adding to the
+commissary two barrels of prime corned beef, an item of no small value
+in the line of sustenance.
+
+The roping of the beef had not been overlooked. "I can't see what made
+the loop open for you yesterday," said Dell the next morning; "it won't
+open for me."
+
+Priest took the rope from the boy. "What the tail means to a kite, or
+the feather to an arrow," said he, running out an oval noose, "the same
+principle applies to open the loop of a rope. The oval must have a heavy
+side, which you get by letting the Hondo run almost halfway round the
+loop, or double on one side. Then when you make your cast, the light
+side will follow the heavy, and your loop will open. In other words,
+what the feather is to the arrow, the light side is to the heavy, and if
+you throw with force, the loop must open."
+
+It seemed so easy. Like a healthy boy, Dell had an ambition to be a
+fearless rider and crack roper. During the week which followed, in the
+saddle or at leisure, the boy never tired of practicing with a rope,
+while the patient man called attention to several wrist movements which
+lent assistance in forming a perfect loop. The slightest success was
+repeated to perfection; unceasing devotion to a task masters it, and
+before the visit ended, the perfect oval poised in the air and the rope
+seemingly obeyed the hand of Dell Wells.
+
+"It's all right to master these little details of the cattle business,"
+said Priest to Dell, "but don't play them as lead cards. Keep them up
+your sleeve, as a private accomplishment, for your own personal use.
+These fancy riders and ropers are usually Sunday men. When I make up an
+outfit for the trail, I never insist on any special attainments. Just so
+he's good natured, and no danger of a rainy night dampening the twinkle
+in his eye, that's the boy for me. Then if he can think a little, act
+quick, clear, and to the point, I wouldn't care if he couldn't rope a
+cow in a month."
+
+In considering the lines of resistance, the possibility of annoyance
+from wolves was not overlooked. There was an abundance of suet in the
+beef, several vials of strychnine had been provided, and a full gallon
+of poisoned tallow was prepared in event of its needs. While Joel was
+away after the last load of corn, several dozen wooden holders were
+prepared, two-inch auger holes being sunk to the depth of five or six
+inches, the length of a wolf's tongue, and the troughs charred and
+smoked of every trace of human scent.
+
+That the boys might fully understand the many details, the final
+instructions were delayed until Joel's return. "Always bear in mind that
+a wolf is a wary beast," admonished Priest, "and match your cunning
+against his. Make no mistake, take no chances, for you're dealing with a
+crafty enemy. About the troughs on the ground, surrounding the bait,
+every trace of human scent must be avoided. For that reason, you must
+handle the holder with a spear or hay fork, and if you have occasion to
+dismount, to refill a trough, carry a board to alight on, remembering to
+lower and take it up by rope, untouched even by a gloved hand. The scent
+of a horse arouses no suspicion; in fact, it is an advantage, as it
+allays distrust."
+
+In loading a bait, an object lesson was given, using unpoisoned suet.
+"After throwing off all suspicion," continued Priest, illustrating the
+process, "the next thing is to avoid an overdose. An overdose acts as an
+emetic, and makes a wise wolf. For that reason, you must pack the tallow
+in the auger hole, filling from a half to two thirds full. Force Mr.
+Wolf to lick it out, administer the poison slowly, and you are sure of
+his scalp. You will notice I have bored the hole in solid wood, to
+prevent gnawing, and you must pack the suet firmly, to prevent spilling,
+as a crafty wolf will roll a trough over and over to dislodge the bait.
+Keep your holders out in the open, exposed to the elements, scald the
+loading tools before using, and you have the upper hand of any wolves
+that may molest your cattle."
+
+The trail foreman spent a pleasant two weeks at the Wells ranch. After
+the corn was in store, the trio rode the range and reviewed every
+possible line of defense. Since the winter could not be foreseen, the
+only safe course was to anticipate the worst, and barring the burning of
+the range from unseen sources, the new ranch stood prepared to withstand
+a winter siege. Everything to forefend against a day of stress or trial
+had been done, even to instilling courage into youthful hearts.
+
+"There's only one thing further that comes to mind," said the practical
+man, as they rode homeward, "and that is to face an unexpected storm. If
+a change of weather threatens, point your herd to meet it, and then if
+you are caught out, you will have the storm in your back to drift the
+cattle home. Shepherds practice that rule, and the same applies to
+cattle under herd."
+
+All horses were to be left at the new ranch for the winter. Dell
+volunteered to accompany their guest to the railroad and bring back the
+extra mount, thus leaving five of Lovell's horses in possession of the
+boys. On the day of departure, at breakfast, after a final summary of
+the lines of resistance, the trio dallied about the table, the trail
+foreman seemingly reluctant to leave.
+
+"It's a common remark among us drovers," said Priest, toying with his
+coffee cup, "that a cowman is supposed to do his sleeping in the winter.
+But the next few months you boys must reverse that rule. Not that you
+need to deny yourselves abundant rest, but your vigilance should never
+sleep. Let your concern for the herd be the first and last thought of
+the day, and then I'll get my beauty sleep this winter. The unforeseen
+may happen; but I want you to remember that when storms howl the
+loudest, your Mr. Quince and I will be right around the bend of the
+creek, with our ear to the ground, the reserves, listening to the good
+fight you boys are making. Of course you could call the reserves, but
+you want the glory of the good fighting and the lust of victory, all to
+yourselves. That's the way I've got you sized up--die rather than show
+the white feather. Come on, Dell; we're sleeping in the summer."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+A WINTRY CRUCIBLE
+
+
+The dreaded winter was at hand. Scarcely a day passed but the harbingers
+of air and sky sounded the warning approach of the forthcoming siege.
+Great flights of song and game birds, in their migration southward, lent
+an accent as they twittered by or honked in mid-air, while scurrying
+clouds and squally weather bore witness of approaching winter.
+
+The tent was struck and stored away. The extra saddle stock was freed
+for the winter, and located around Hackberry Grove. The three best
+horses were given a ration of corn, and on Dell's return from the
+railroad, the cattle were put under herd. The most liberal freedom must
+be allowed; with the numbers on hand, the term _close_ herding would
+imply grazing the cattle on a section of land, while _loose_ herding
+would mean four or five times that acreage. New routes must be taken
+daily; the weather would govern the compactness and course of the herd,
+while a radius of five miles from the corral was a liberal range.
+
+The brothers were somewhat familiar with winter on the plains. Cold was
+to be expected, but if accompanied by sunshine and a dry atmosphere,
+there was nothing to fear. A warm, fine day was usually the forerunner
+of a storm, the approach of which gave little warning, requiring a
+sleepless vigilance to avoid being taken unaware or at a disadvantage.
+
+The day's work began at sunrise. Cattle are loath to leave a dry bed,
+and on throwing open the corral gates, it was often necessary to enter
+and arouse the herd. Thereafter, under normal conditions, it was a
+matter of pointing, keeping up the drag cattle, allowing the herd to
+spread and graze, and contracting and relaxing as occasion required. In
+handling, it was a decided advantage that the little nucleus had known
+herd restraint, in trailing overland from Texas, and were obedient, at a
+distance of fifty yards, to the slightest whistle or pressure of a
+herdsman. Under favorable conditions, the cattle could be depended on to
+graze until noon, when they were allowed an hour's rest, and the circle
+homeward was timed so as to reach the corral and water by sunset. The
+duties of each day were a repetition of the previous one, the moods of
+the old and younger cattle, sedate and frolicsome, affording the only
+variety to the monotony of the task.
+
+"Holding these cattle is going to be no trouble at all," said Dell, as
+they rode homeward, at the end of the first day's herding. "My horse
+never wet a hair to-day."
+
+"Don't shout before you're out of the woods," replied Joel. "The first
+of April will be soon enough to count our chickens. To-morrow is only
+the beginning of December."
+
+"Last year we shucked corn up until Christmas."
+
+"Husking corn is a burnt bridge with me. We're herding cattle this
+winter. Sit straight in your saddle."
+
+A week of fine weather followed. The boys were kept busy, early and
+late, with the details of house and stable. A new route each day was
+taken with the herd, and after penning in the evening, it was a daily
+occurrence, before bedtime, to walk back to the corral and see that all
+was secure. Warning of approach and departure, on the part of the boys,
+either by whistling or singing, was always given the cattle, and the
+customary grunting of the herd answered for its own contentment. A
+parting look was given the horses, their forage replenished, and every
+comfort looked after to the satisfaction of their masters. By nature,
+horses are distant and slow of any expression of friendship; but an
+occasional lump of sugar, a biscuit at noon-time, with the present
+ration of grain, readily brought the winter mounts to a reliance, where
+they nickered at the approaching footsteps of their riders.
+
+The trust of the boys, in their winter mounts, entitles the latter to a
+prominent place in the line of defense. Rowdy, Joel's favorite, was a
+veteran cow horse, dark brown in color, and, under the saddle, restless,
+with a knowledge of his work that bordered on the human. Dell favored
+Dog-toe, a chestnut in color, whose best point was a perfect rein, and
+from experience in roping could halt from any gait on the space of a
+blanket. The relay horse was named Coyote, a cinnamon-colored mount,
+Spanish marked in a black stripe down his back, whose limbs were
+triple-ringed above the knees, or where the body color merged with the
+black of his legs. Their names had followed them from the trail, one of
+which was due to color marks, one to disposition, while that of Dell's
+chestnut was easily traceable, from black marks in his hoofs quartering
+into toes.
+
+The first storm struck near the middle of December. It was preceded by
+an ideal day; like the promise of spring, a balmy south wind swept the
+range, while at night a halo encircled the moon.
+
+"It will storm within three days," said Dell, as the boys strolled up to
+the corral for a last look at the sleeping cattle. "There are three
+stars inside the circle around the moon. That's one of Granny
+Metcalf's signs."
+
+"Well, we'll not depend on signs," replied Joel. "These old granny omens
+may be all right to hatch chickens by, but not to hold cattle. All
+advice on that point seems to rely on corn-fed saddle horses and
+little sleep."
+
+The brothers spent the customary hour at the corral. From the bluff bank
+which encircled the inclosure, the lads looked down on the contented
+herd, their possession and their promise; and the tie of man and his
+beast was accented anew in their youthful hearts.
+
+"Mr. Paul was telling me on one of our rides," said Joel, gazing down on
+the sleeping herd, "that we know nothing of the human race in an age so
+remote that it owned no cattle. He says that when the pyramids of Egypt
+were being built, ours was then an ancient occupation. I love to hear
+Mr. Paul talk about cattle. Hark!"
+
+The long howl of a wolf to the south was answered by a band to the
+westward, and echoed back from the north in a single voice, each
+apparently many miles distant. Animal instinct is usually unerring, and
+the boys readily recalled the statement of the old trail foreman, that
+the howling of wolves was an omen of a forthcoming storm.
+
+"Let it come," said Joel, arising and starting homeward. "We'll meet it.
+Our course to-morrow will be northwest."
+
+It came with little warning. Near the middle of the following afternoon,
+a noticeable lull in the wind occurred, followed by a leaden horizon on
+the west and north. The next breeze carried the icy breath of the
+northwest, and the cattle turned as a single animal. The alert horsemen
+acted on the instant, and began throwing the cattle into a compact herd.
+At the time they were fully three miles from the corral, and when less
+than halfway home, the storm broke in splendid fury. A swirl of snow
+accompanied the gale, blinding the boys for an instant, but each lad
+held a point of the herd and the raging elements could be depended on to
+bring up the rear.
+
+It was no easy victory. The quarter from which the storm came had been
+anticipated to a fraction. The cattle drifted before its wrath, dropped
+into the valley just above the corral, where the boys doubled on the
+outside point, and by the aid of a wing-gate turned the wandering herd
+into the enclosure. The rear, lashed by the storm, instinctively
+followed the leaders, and the gates were closed and roped securely.
+
+It was a close call. The lesson came vividly near to the boys.
+"Hereafter," said Joel, "all signs of a storm must be acted upon. We
+corraled these cattle by a scratch. Now I know what a winter drift
+means. A dozen men couldn't turn this herd from the course of to-day's
+storm. We must hold nearer the corral."
+
+The boys swung into their saddles, and, trusting to their horses, safely
+reached the stable. A howling night followed; the wind banked the snow
+against every obstacle, or filled the depressions, even sifting through
+every crack and crevice in the dug-out. The boys and their mounts were
+snug within sod walls, the cattle were sheltered in a cove of the creek,
+and the storm wailed its dirges unheeded.
+
+Dawn broke cold and clear. Sun-dogs flanked the day's harbinger and
+sunrise found the boys at the corral gate. The cattle lazily responded
+to their freedom, the course led to the nearest divide, wind-swept of
+snow, and which after an hour's sun afforded ample grazing for the day.
+The first storm of the winter had been met, and its one clear lesson
+lent a dread to any possible successors. The herd in the grip of a
+storm, cut off from the corral, had a new meaning to the embryo cowmen.
+The best advice is mere theory until applied, and experience in the
+practical things of life is not transferable.
+
+The first storm was followed by ideal winter weather until Christmas
+day. The brothers had planned an extra supper on that occasion,
+expecting to excuse Dell during the early afternoon for the culinary
+task, and only requiring his services on corraling the herd at evening.
+The plan was feasible, the cattle were herd-broke, knew their bed and
+water, and on the homeward circle all that was required was to direct
+and time the grazing herd. The occasion had been looked forward to,
+partly because it was their very own, their first Christmas spread, and
+partly on account of some delicacies that their sponsor had forced on
+Dell on parting at the railroad, in anticipation of the day. The bounds
+of the supper approached a banquet, and the question of appetites to
+grace the occasion was settled.
+
+The supper was delayed. Not from any fault in the planning, but the
+weather had not been consulted. The herd had been grazed out on a
+northwest course for the day, and an hour after noon, almost the time at
+which Dell was to have been excused, a haze obscured the sun and dropped
+like a curtain around the horizon. Scurrying clouds appeared, and before
+the herd could be thrown together and started, a hazy, leaden sky shot
+up, almost due west, heralding the quarter of the coming storm. The herd
+sensed the danger and responded to the efforts of the horsemen; but
+before a mile had been covered, it was enveloped in swirling snow and
+veering its march with the course of the storm. The eddying snow blinded
+the boys as to their direction; they supposed they were pointing the
+cattle into the valley, unaware that the herd had changed its course on
+the onslaught of the elements. Confidence gave way to uncertainty, and
+when sufficient time had elapsed to more than have reached the corral,
+conjecture as to their location became rife. From the moment the storm
+struck, both boys had bent every energy to point the herd into the
+valley, but when neither slope nor creek was encountered, the fact
+asserted itself that they were adrift and at the mercy of the elements.
+
+"We've missed the corral," shouted Dell. "We're lost!"
+
+"Not yet," answered Joel, amid the din of the howling storm. "The
+creek's to our right. Loosen your rope and we'll beat these leaders into
+the valley."
+
+The plying of ropes, the shouting of boys, and the pressure of horses
+merely turned the foremost cattle, when a new contingent forged to the
+front, impelled onward by the fury of the storm. Again and again the
+boys plied the fear of ropes and the force of horses, but each effort
+was futile, as new leaders stepped into the track of the displaced ones,
+and the course of the herd was sullenly maintained.
+
+The battle was on, and there were no reserves within call. In a crisis
+like the present, moments drag like hours, and the firing line needed
+heartening. A knowledge of the country was of no avail, a rod or two was
+the limit of vision, and the brothers dared not trust each other out of
+sight. Time moved forward unmeasured, yet amid all Joel Wells remained
+in possession of a stanch heart and an unbewildered mind. "The creek's
+to our right," was his battle cry. "Come on; let's turn these lead
+cattle once more."
+
+Whether it was the forty-ninth or hundredth effort is not on record, but
+at some point in the good fight, the boys became aware that the cattle
+were descending a slope--the welcome, southern slope of the Beaver
+valley! Overhead the storm howled mercilessly, but the shelter of the
+hillside admitted of veering the herd on its course, until the valley
+was reached. No knowledge of their location was possible, and all the
+brothers could do was to cross to the opposite point, and direct the
+herd against the leeward bank of the creek. Every landmark was lost,
+with the herd drifting at will.
+
+The first recognition was due to animal instinct. Joel's horse neighed,
+was answered by Dell's, and with slack rein, the two turned a few rods
+aside and halted at their stable door. Even then the boys could scarcely
+identify their home quarters, so enveloped was the dug-out in
+swirling snow.
+
+"Get some matches," said Joel, refusing to dismount. "There's no halting
+these cattle short of the second cut-bank, below on the left. Come on;
+we must try and hold the herd."
+
+The sullen cattle passed on. The halt was only for a moment, when the
+boys resumed their positions on the point and front. Allowing the cattle
+to move, assured a compact herd, as on every attempt to halt or turn it,
+the rear forged to the front and furnished new leaders, and in unity lay
+a hope of holding the drifting cattle.
+
+The lay of the Beaver valley below headquarters was well known. The
+banks of the creek shifted from a valley on one side, to low,
+perpendicular bluffs on the other. It was in one of these meanderings of
+the stream that Joel saw a possible haven, the sheltering cut-bank that
+he hoped to reach, where refuge might be secured against the raging
+elements. It lay several miles below the homestead, and if the drifting
+herd reached the bend before darkness, there was a fighting chance to
+halt the cattle in a protected nook. The cove in mind was larger than
+the one in which the corral was built, and if a successful entrance
+could only be effected--but that was the point.
+
+"This storm is quartering across the valley," said Joel, during a lull,
+"and if we make the entrance, we'll have to turn the herd on a direct
+angle from the course of the wind. If the storm veers to the north, it
+will sweep us out of the valley, with nothing to shelter the cattle this
+side of the Prairie Dog. It's make that entrance, or abandon the herd,
+and run the chance of overtaking it."
+
+"We'll rush them," said Dell. "Remember how those men, the day we
+branded, rushed the cattle into the branding chute."
+
+"They could do things that we wouldn't dare--those were trail men."
+
+"The cattle are just as much afraid of a boy as of a man; they don't
+know any difference. You point them and I'll rush them. Remember that
+story Mr. Quince told about a Mexican boy throwing himself across a
+gateway, and letting a thousand range horses jump over him? You could do
+that, too, if you had the nerve. Watch me rush them."
+
+It seemed an age before the cut-bank was reached. The meanderings of the
+creek were not even recognizable, and only an occasional willow could be
+identified, indicating the location of the present drift. Occasionally
+the storm thickened or lulled, rendering it impossible to measure the
+passing time, and the dread of nightfall was intensified. Under such
+stress, the human mind becomes intensely alert, and every word of
+warning, every line of advice, urged on the boys by their sponsors, came
+back in their hour of trial with an applied meaning. This was no dress
+parade, with the bands playing and horses dancing to the champing of
+their own bits; no huzzas of admiring throngs greeted this silent,
+marching column; no love-lit eyes watched their hero or soft hand waved
+lace or cambric from the border of this parade ground.
+
+A lone hackberry tree was fortunately remembered as growing near the
+entrance to the bend which formed the pocket. When receiving the cattle
+from the trail, it was the landmark for dropping the cripples. The tree
+grew near the right bank of the creek, the wagon trail passed under it,
+making it a favorite halting place when freighting in supplies. Dell
+remembered its shade, and taking the lead, groped forward in search of
+the silent sentinel which stood guard at the gateway of the cove. It was
+their one hope, and by zigzagging from the creek to any semblance of a
+road, the entrance to the nook might be identified.
+
+The march of the herd was slow and sullen. The smaller cattle sheltered
+in the lee of the larger, moving compactly, as if the density of the
+herd radiated a heat of its own. The saddle horses, southern bred and
+unacclimated, humped their backs and curled their heads to the knee,
+indicating, with the closing day, a falling temperature. Suddenly, and
+as clear as the crack of a rifle, the voice of Dell Wells was heard in
+the lead:--
+
+"Come on, Joel; here's our hackberry! Here's where the fight is won or
+lost! Here's where you point them while I rush them! Come quick!"
+
+The brothers shifted positions. It was the real fight of the day.
+Responding to spur and quirt, the horses sprang like hungry wolves at
+the cattle, and the gloomy column turned quartering into the eye of the
+storm. But as on every other attempt to turn or mill the drifting herd,
+new leaders forged to the front and threatened to carry the drift past
+the entrance to the pocket. The critical moment had arrived.
+Dismounting, with a coiled rope in hand, Dell rushed on the volunteer
+leaders, batting them over the heads, until they whirled into the
+angling column, awakened from their stupor and panic-stricken from the
+assault of a boy, who attacked with the ferocity of a fiend, hissing
+like an adder or crying in the eerie shrill of a hyena in the same
+breath. It worked like a charm! Its secret lay in the mastery of the
+human over all things created. Elated by his success, Dell stripped his
+coat, and with a harmless weapon in each hand, assaulted every
+contingent of new leaders, striking right and left, throwing his weight
+against their bodies, and by the magic of his mimic furies forcing them
+into obedience.
+
+Meanwhile Joel had succeeded in holding the original leaders in line,
+and within a hundred yards from the turn, the shelter of the bend was
+reached. The domestic bovine lows for the comfort of his stable, and no
+sooner had the lead cattle entered the sheltering nook, than their
+voices arose in joyous lowing, which ran back through the column for the
+first time since the storm struck. Turning to the support of Dell, the
+older boy lent his assistance, forcing the angle, until the drag end of
+the column had passed into the sheltering haven. The fight was won, and
+to Dell's courage, in the decisive moment, all credit was due. The human
+is so wondrously constructed and so infinite in variety, that where one
+of these brothers was timid the other laughed at the storm, and where
+physical courage was required to assault a sullen herd, the daring of
+one amazed the other. Cattle are the emblem of innocence and strength,
+and yet a boy--in spite of all that has been written to the
+contrary--could dismount in the face of the wildest stampede, and by
+merely waving a handkerchief split in twain the frenzied onrush of three
+thousand beeves.
+
+Dell recovered his horse, and the brothers rode back and forth across
+the mouth of the pocket. The cattle were milling in an endless
+merry-go-round, contented under the sheltering bluffs, lowing for mates
+and cronies, while above howled the elements with unrelenting fury.
+
+"We'll have to guard this entrance until the cattle bed down for the
+night," remarked Joel, on surveying the situation. "I wonder if we
+could start a fire."
+
+"I'll drop back to the hackberry and see if I can rustle some wood,"
+said Dell, wheeling his horse and following the back trail of the
+cattle. He returned with an armful of dry twigs, and a fire was soon
+crackling under the cliff. A lodgment of old driftwood was found below
+the bend, and as darkness fell in earnest, a cosy fire threw its shadows
+over the nook.
+
+A patrol was established and the night's vigil begun. The sentinel beat
+was paced in watches between the boys, the width of the gateway being
+about two hundred yards. There was no abatement of the storm, and it was
+hours before all the cattle bedded down. The welfare of the horses was
+the main concern, and the possibility of reaching home before morning
+was freely discussed. The instinct of the horses could be relied on to
+find the way to their stable, but return would be impossible before
+daybreak. The brothers were so elated over holding the cattle that any
+personal hardship was endurable, and after a seeming age, a lull in the
+elements was noticeable and a star shone forth. Joel mounted his horse
+and rode out of the cove, into the open valley, and on returning
+announced that the storm had broken and that an attempt to reach
+home was safe.
+
+Quietly as Arabs, the boys stole away, leaving the cattle to sleep out
+the night. Once the hackberry was reached, the horses were given free
+rein, when restraint became necessary to avoid galloping home. The snow
+crunched underfoot, the mounts snorted their protest at hindrance,
+vagrant breezes and biting cold cut the riders to the marrow, but on
+approaching the homestead the reins were shaken out and the horses
+dashed up to the stable door.
+
+"There's the morning star," observed Joel, as he dismounted.
+
+"If we're going to be cowmen," remarked Dell, glancing at the star as he
+swung out of the saddle, "hereafter we'll eat our Christmas supper
+in October."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+GOOD FIGHTING
+
+
+Dawn found the boys in the saddle. A two hours' respite had freshened
+horses and riders. The morning was crimpy cold, but the horses warmed to
+the work, and covered the two miles to the bend before the sun even
+streaked the east. Joel rode a wide circle around the entrance to the
+cove, in search of cattle tracks in the snow, and on finding that none
+had offered to leave their shelter, joined his brother at the rekindled
+fire under the cliff. The cattle were resting contentedly, the fluffy
+snow underneath having melted from the warmth of their bodies, while the
+diversity of colors in the herd were blended into one in harmony with
+the surrounding scene. The cattle had bedded down rather compactly, and
+their breathing during the night had frosted one another like window
+glass in a humid atmosphere. It was a freak of the frost, sheening the
+furry coats with a silver nap, but otherwise inflicting no harm.
+
+The cattle were allowed to rise of their own accord. In the interim of
+waiting for the sun to flood the cove, the boys were able to get an
+outline on the drift of the day previous. Both agreed that the herd was
+fully five miles from the corral when the storm struck, and as it
+dropped into the valley near the improvements (added to their present
+location), it had drifted fully eight miles in something like
+five hours.
+
+"Lucky thing for us that it was a local storm," said Joel, as he hovered
+over the fire. "Had it struck out of the north we would be on the
+Prairie Dog this morning with nothing but snowballs for breakfast.
+Relying on signs did us a heap of good. It was a perfect day, and within
+thirty minutes we were drifting blindly. It's all easy to figure out in
+advance, but storms don't come by programme. The only way to hold cattle
+on these plains in the winter is to put your trust in corn-fed saddle
+horses, and do your sleeping in the summer."
+
+"I wonder when the next storm will strike," meditated Dell.
+
+"It will come when least expected, or threaten for days and days and
+never come at all," replied Joel. "There's no use sitting up at night to
+figure it out. Rouse out the cattle, and I'll point them up the divide."
+
+The sunshine had crept into the bend, arousing the herd, but the cattle
+preferred its warmth to a frosty breakfast, and stood around in bunches
+until their joints limbered and urgent appetites sent them forth. In
+spite of the cold, the sun lent its aid, baring the divides and
+wind-swept places of snow; and before noon, the cattle fell to feeding
+so ravenously that the herdsmen relayed each other, and a dinner for boy
+and horse was enjoyed at headquarters. In the valley the snow lay in
+drifts, but by holding the cattle on divides and southern slopes, they
+were grazed to contentment and entered their own corral at the customary
+hour for penning. Old axes had been left at hand, and the first cutting
+of ice, to open the water for cattle, occupied the boys for fully an
+hour, after which they rode home to a well-earned rest.
+
+Three days of zero weather followed. Sun-dogs, brilliant as rainbows and
+stately as sentinels, flanked the rising sun each morning, after which
+the cold gradually abated, and a week after, a general thaw and warm
+winds swept the drifts out of the valley. It was a welcome relief; the
+cattle recovered rapidly, the horses proved their mettle, while the boys
+came out more than victors. They were inuring rapidly to their new
+occupation; every experience was an asset in meeting the next one,
+while their general fibre was absorbing strength from the wintry trial
+on the immutable plain.
+
+Only once during the late storm were wolves sighted. Near the evening of
+the second day, a band of three made its appearance, keeping in the
+distance, and following up the herd until it was corraled at the regular
+hour. While opening the ice, the boys had turned their horses loose
+among the cattle, and on leading them out of the corral, the trio of
+prowlers had crept up within a hundred yards. With a yell, the boys
+mounted and made a single dash at them, when the wolves turned, and in
+their hurried departure fairly threw up a cloud of snow.
+
+"That's what Mr. Quince means by that expression of his, 'running like a
+scared wolf,'" said Joel, as he reined in old Rowdy.
+
+"When will we put out the poison?" breathlessly inquired Dell, throwing
+his mount back on his haunches in halting.
+
+"Just as soon as they begin to hang around. Remind me, and we'll look
+for tracks around the corral in the morning. My, but they were beauties!
+How I would like to have one of their hides for a foot-rug!"
+
+"The first heavy snow that comes will bring them out of the sand hills,"
+said Dell, as they rode home. "Mr. Paul said that hunger would make
+them attack cattle. Oh, if we could only poison all three!"
+
+Dell rambled on until they reached the stable. He treated his mind to
+visions of wealth, and robes, and furry overcoats. The wolves had
+located the corral, the winter had barely begun, but the boys were aware
+of the presence of an enemy.
+
+A complete circle of the corral was made the following morning. No
+tracks were visible, nor were any wolves sighted before thawing weather
+temporarily released the range from the present wintry grip. A fortnight
+of ideal winter followed, clear, crisp days and frosty nights, ushering
+in a general blizzard, which swept the plains from the British
+possessions to the Rio Grande, and left death and desolation in its
+pathway. Fortunately its harbingers threw its menace far in advance,
+affording the brothers ample time to reach the corral, which they did at
+a late evening hour. The day had been balmy and warm, the cattle came
+in, gorged from a wide circle over buffalo grass, the younger ones, as
+if instinctive of the coming storm and in gratitude of the shelter, even
+kicking up their heels on entering the gates. The boys had ample time to
+reach headquarters, much in doubt even then whether a storm would
+strike or pass away in blustering threats.
+
+It began at darkness, with a heavy fall of soft snow. Fully a foot had
+fallen by bedtime, and at midnight the blizzard struck, howling as if
+all the demons of night and storm were holding high carnival. Towards
+morning a creeping cold penetrated the shack, something unknown before,
+and awoke the boys, shivering in their blankets. It was near their hour
+for rising, and once a roaring fire warmed up the interior of the room,
+Joel took a peep without, but closed the door with a shudder.
+
+"It's blowing a hurricane," said he, shivering over the stove. "This is
+a regular blizzard--those others were only squalls. I doubt if we can
+reach the stable before daybreak. Those poor cattle--"
+
+The horses were their first concern. As was their usual custom, well in
+advance of daybreak an attempt was made to reach and feed the saddle
+stock. It was Joel's task, and fortifying himself against the elements
+without, he announced himself as ready for the dash. It was less than a
+dozen rods between shack and stable, and setting a tallow dip in the
+window for a beacon, he threw open the door and sprang out. He possessed
+a courage which had heretofore laughed at storms, but within a few
+seconds after leaving the room, he burst open the door and fell on
+the bed.
+
+"I'm blinded," he murmured. "Put out the light and throw a blanket over
+my head. The sifting snow cut my eyes like sand. I'll come around in a
+little while."
+
+Daybreak revealed nothing worse from the driving snow than inflamed eyes
+and roughened cheeks, when another attempt was made to succor the
+horses. Both boys joined in the hazard, lashing themselves together with
+a long rope, and reached the stable in safety. On returning, Dell was
+thrown several times by the buffeting wind, but recovered his feet, and,
+following the rope, the dug-out was safely reached.
+
+"That's what happened to me in the darkness," said Joel, once the
+shelter of the house was reached. "I got whipped off my feet, lost my
+bearings, and every time I looked for the light, my eyes filled
+with snow."
+
+[Illustration: DELL WELLS]
+
+There was no abatement of the blizzard by noon. It was impossible to
+succor the cattle, but the boys were anxious to reach the corral, which
+was fully a mile from the shack. Every foot of the creek was known, and
+by hugging the leeward bank some little protection would be afforded and
+the stream would lead to the cattle. Near the middle of the afternoon,
+there was a noticeable abatement in the swirling snow, when the
+horses were blanketed to the limit and an effort made to reach the
+corral. By riding bareback it was believed any drifts could be forced,
+at least allowing a freedom to the mounts returning, in case the boys
+lost their course.
+
+The blizzard blew directly from the north, and crossing the creek on a
+direct angle, Joel led the way, forcing drifts or dismounting and
+trampling them out until a pathway was made. Several times they were
+able to make a short dash between known points, and by hugging the
+sheltering bank of the creek, safely reached the corral. The cattle were
+slowly milling about, not from any excitement, the exercise being merely
+voluntary and affording warmth. The boys fell to opening up the water,
+the cattle crowding around each opening and drinking to their
+contentment. An immense comb of snow hung in a semicircle around the
+bend, in places thirty feet high and perpendicular, while in others it
+concaved away into recesses and vaults as fantastic as frosting on a
+window. It was formed from the early, softer snow, frozen into place,
+while the present shifting frost poured over the comb into the sheltered
+cove, misty as bride's veiling, and softening the grotesque background
+to a tint equaled only in the fluffy whiteness of swan's-down.
+
+The corral met every requirement. Its protecting banks sheltered the
+herd from the raging blizzard; the season had inured the cattle, given
+them shaggy coats to withstand the cold, and only food was lacking in
+the present trial. After rendering every assistance possible, the boys
+remained at the corral, hoping the sun would burst forth at evening,
+only to meet disappointment, when their horses were given free rein and
+carried them home in a short, sure dash.
+
+A skirmish for grazing ensued. During the next few days there was little
+or no sunshine to strip the divides of snow, but the cattle were taken
+out and given every possible chance. The first noticeable abatement of
+the storm was at evening of the third day, followed by a diminishing
+fourth, when for the first time the herd was grazed to surfeiting. The
+weather gradually faired off, the cattle were recovering their old form,
+when a freak of winter occurred. A week from the night the blizzard
+swept down from the north, soft winds crept up the valley, promising
+thawing weather as a relief to the recent wintry siege. But dawn came
+with a heavy snow, covering the range, ending in rain, followed by a
+freezing night, when the snow crusted to carry the weight of a man, and
+hill and valley lay in the grip of sleet and ice.
+
+It was the unforeseen in the lines of intrenchment. The emergency
+admitted of no dallying. Cattle do not paw away obstacles as do horses
+and other animals to reach the grass, and relief must come in the form
+of human assistance. Even the horses were helpless, as the snow was too
+deep under the sleet, and any attempt to trample out pathways would have
+left the winter mounts bleeding and crippled. The emergency demanded
+men, but two boys came to the front in a resourceful manner. In their
+old home in Ohio, threshing flails were sometimes used, and within an
+hour after daybreak Joel Wells had fashioned two and was breaking a
+trail through the sleet to the corral.
+
+The nearest divide lay fully a mile to the north. To reach it with the
+cattle, a trail, a rod or more in width, would have to be broken out.
+Leaving their horses at the corral, the brothers fell at the task as if
+it had been a threshing floor, and their flails rang out from contact
+with the icy sleet. By the time they had reached the divide it was high
+noon, and the boys were wearied by the morning task. The crusted snow
+lay fully six inches deep on an average, and if sustenance was rendered
+the cattle, whose hungry lowing reached equally hungry boys, the icy
+crust must be broken over the feeding grounds.
+
+It looked like an impossible task. "Help me break out a few acres," said
+Joel, "and then you can go back and turn out the cattle. Point them up
+the broken-out trail, and bring my horse and come on ahead of the herd.
+If we can break out a hundred acres, even, the cattle can nose around
+and get down to the grass. It's our one hope."
+
+The hungry cattle eagerly followed up the icy lane. By breaking out the
+shallow snow, the ground was made passably available to the feeding
+herd, which followed the boys as sheep follow a shepherd. Fortunately
+the weather was clear and cold, and if temporary assistance could be
+rendered the cattle, a few days' sunshine would bare the ground on
+southern slopes and around broken places, affording ample grazing. The
+flails rung until sunset, the sleet was shattered by acres, and the
+cattle led home, if not sufficiently grazed, at least with
+hunger stayed.
+
+An inch of soft snow fell the following night, and it adhered where
+falling, thus protecting the sleet. On the boys reaching the corrals at
+an unusually early hour, a new menace threatened. The cattle were
+aroused, milling excitedly in a compact mass, while outside the
+inclosure the ground was fairly littered with wolf tracks. The herd,
+already weakened by the severity of the winter, had been held under a
+nervous strain for unknown hours, or until its assailants had departed
+with the dawn. The pendulum had swung to an evil extreme; the sleet
+afforded splendid footing to the wolves and denied the cattle their
+daily food.
+
+"Shall we put out poison to-night?" inquired Dell, on summing up the
+situation.
+
+"There's no open water," replied the older boy, "and to make a dose of
+poison effective, it requires a drink. The bait is to be placed near
+running water--those were the orders. We've got five hundred cattle here
+to succor first. Open the gates."
+
+The second day's work in the sleet proved more effective. The sun
+scattered both snow and ice; southern slopes bared, trails were beaten
+out to every foot of open ground, and by the middle of the afternoon
+fully a thousand acres lay bare, inviting the herd to feast to its
+heart's content. But a night on their feet had tired out the cattle, and
+it was with difficulty that they were prevented from lying down in
+preference to grazing. On such occasions, the boys threw aside their
+flails, and, mounting their horses, aroused the exhausted animals,
+shifting them to better grazing and holding them on their feet.
+
+"This is the first time I ever saw cattle too tired to eat," said Joel,
+as the corral gates were being roped shut. "Something must be done. Rest
+seems as needful as food. This is worse than any storm yet. Half of them
+are lying down already. We must build a bonfire to-night. Wolves are
+afraid of a fire."
+
+Fully half the cattle refused to drink, preferring rest or having eaten
+snow to satisfy their thirst. The condition of the herd was alarming,
+not from want of food, but from the hungry prowlers of the night. Before
+leaving, the brothers built a little fire outside the gate, as best they
+could from the fuel at hand, expecting to return later and replenish the
+wood supply from headquarters.
+
+The boys were apt in adopting Texas methods. Once the horses were fed
+and their own supper eaten, the lads fastened onto two dry logs, and
+from pommels dragged them up to the tiny blaze at the corral opening. It
+was early in the evening, the herd was at rest, and the light of the
+bonfire soon lit up the corral and threw fancy shadows on the combing
+snow which formed the upper rim. The night was crimping cold, and at a
+late hour the boys replenished the fire and returned home. But as they
+dismounted at the stable, the hunting cry of a wolf pack was wafted down
+the valley on the frosty air, and answered by a band far to the south in
+the sand hills.
+
+"They're coming again," said Joel, breathlessly listening for the
+distant howling to repeat. "The fire ought to hold them at a distance
+until nearly morning. Let's feed the horses and turn in for the night."
+
+Daybreak found the boys at the corral. No wolves were in sight, but on
+every hand abundant evidence of their presence during the night was to
+be seen. Nearly all the cattle were resting, while the remainder,
+principally mother cows, were arrayed in battle form, fronting one of
+the recesses under the combing rim of snow. On riding within the corral,
+the dread of the excited cows proved to be a monster wolf, crouching on
+a shelf of snow. He arose on his haunches and faced the horsemen,
+revealing his fangs, while his breast was covered with tiny icicles,
+caused by the driveling slaver during the night's run. His weight was
+responsible for his present plight, he having ventured out on the
+fragile comb of snow above, causing it to cave down; and in the
+bewilderment of the moment he had skurried to the safety of the ledge on
+which he then rested.
+
+It was a moment of excitement. A steady fire of questions and answers
+passed between the younger and older brother. The wolf was in hand, the
+horns of a hundred angry cows held the enemy prisoner, and yet the boys
+were powerless to make the kill. The situation was tantalizing.
+
+"Can't we poison him?" inquired Dell, in the extremity of the moment.
+
+"Certainly. Hand it to him on a plate--with sugar on it."
+
+"If Mr. Paul had only left us his pistol," meditated Dell, as a
+possibility.
+
+"Yes, you could about hit that bank with a six-shooter. It's the risk of
+a man's life to wound that wolf. He's cornered. I wouldn't dismount
+within twenty feet of him for this herd."
+
+"I could shoot him from Dog-toe. This is the horse from which Mr. Paul
+killed the beef. All trail horses are gun-proof."
+
+"My, but you are full of happy ideas. We've got to let that wolf go--we
+can't make the kill."
+
+"I have it!" shouted Dell, ignoring all rebuffs. "Dog-toe is a roping
+horse. Throw wide the gates. Give me a clear field, and I'll lasso that
+wolf and drag him to death, or wrap him to the centre gatepost and you
+can kill him with a fence-stay. Dog-toe, I'm going to rope a wolf from
+your back," added Dell, patting the horse's neck and turning back to the
+gate. "Show me the mettle of the State that bred you."
+
+"You're crazy," said Joel, "but there's no harm in trying it. Whatever
+happens, stick to your saddle. Cut the rope if it comes to a pinch. I'll
+get a fence-stay."
+
+Ever since the killing of the beef, Dell had diligently practiced with a
+rope. It responded to the cunning of his hand, and the danger of the
+present moment surely admitted of no false calculations. Dell dismounted
+with a splendid assurance, tightened the cinches, tied his rope good and
+firm to the fork of the saddle tree, mounted, and announced himself as
+ready. The cattle were drifted left and right, opening a lane across the
+corral, and Dell rode forward to study the situation. Joel took up a
+position at the gate, armed only with a heavy stay, and awaited the
+working out of the experiment.
+
+The hazard savored more of inexperience than of courage. Dell rode
+carelessly back and forth, edging in nearer the ledge each time,
+whirling his loop in passing, at which the cowering animal arose in an
+attitude of defense. Nodding to Joel that the moment had come, as the
+horse advanced and the enemy came within reach, the singing noose shot
+out, the wolf arose as if to spring, and the next instant Dog-toe
+whirled under spur and quirt, leaving only a blur behind as he shot
+across the corral. Only his rider had seen the noose fall true, the taut
+rope bespoke its own burden, and there was no time to shout. For an
+instant, Joel held his breath, only catching a swerve in the oncoming
+horse, whose rider bore down on the centre post of the double gate, the
+deviation of course being calculated to entangle the rope's victim. The
+horse flashed through the gate, something snapped, the rope stood in
+air, and a dull thud was heard in the bewilderment of the moment. The
+blur passed in an instant, and a monster dog wolf lay at the gatepost,
+relaxing in a spasm of death.
+
+Dell checked his horse and returned, lamenting the loss of a foot's
+length from his favorite rope. It had cut on the saddle tree, and thus
+saved horse and rider from an ugly fall.
+
+"He lays right where I figured to kill him--against that post," said
+Dell, as he reined in and looked down on the dead wolf. "Do you want
+his hide, or can I have it?"
+
+"Drag him aside," replied Joel, "while I rouse out the cattle. I'll have
+to sit up with you to-night."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+HOLDING THE FORT
+
+
+The valley lay in the grasp of winter. On the hills and sunny slopes,
+the range was slowly opening to the sun. The creek, under cover of ice
+and snow, forced its way, only yielding to axes for the time being and
+closing over when not in use.
+
+The cattle required no herding. The chief concern of the brothers was to
+open more grazing ground, and to that end every energy was bent. The
+range already opened lay to the north of the Beaver, and although double
+the distance, an effort was made to break out a trail to the divide on
+the south. The herd was turned up the lane for the day, and taking their
+flails, the boys began an attack on the sleet. It was no easy task, as
+it was fully two miles to the divide, a northern slope, and not affected
+by the sun before high noon.
+
+The flails rang out merrily. From time to time the horses were brought
+forward, their weight shattering the broken sleet and assisting in
+breaking out a pathway. The trail was beaten ten feet in width on an
+average, and by early noon the divide was reached. Several thousand
+acres lay bare, and by breaking out all drifts and depressions running
+north and south across the watershed, new grazing grounds could be
+added daily.
+
+A discovery was made on the return trip. The horses had been brought
+along to ride home on, but in testing the sleet on the divide, the sun
+had softened the crust until it would break under the weight of either
+of the boys. By walking well outside the trail, the sleet crushed to the
+extent of five or six feet, and by leading their horses, the pathway was
+easily doubled in width. Often the crust cracked to an unknown distance,
+easing from the frost, which the boys accepted as the forerunner of
+thawing weather.
+
+"We'll put out poison to-night," said Dell. "It will hardly freeze a
+shoal, and I've found one below the corral."
+
+"I'm just as anxious as you to put out the bait," replied Joel, "but we
+must take no chances of making our work sure. The moment the cattle quit
+drinking, the water holes freeze over. This is regular old
+Billy Winter."
+
+"I'll show you the ripple and leave it to you," argued the younger boy.
+"Under this crust of sleet and snow, running water won't freeze."
+
+"Along about sunset we can tell more about the weather for to-night,"
+said Joel, with a finality which disposed of the matter for the present.
+
+On reaching the corral, the older boy was delighted with the splendid
+trail broken out, but Dell rode in search of a known shallow in the
+creek. An old wood road crossed on the pebbly shoal, and forcing his
+horse to feel his way through the softened crust, a riplet was unearthed
+as it purled from under an earthen bank.
+
+"Here's your running water," shouted Dell, dropping the reins and
+allowing Dog-toe to drink. "Here you are--come and see for yourself."
+
+Joel was delighted with Dell's discovery. In fact, the water, after
+emerging from under a concave bank, within a few feet passed under
+another arch, its motion preventing freezing.
+
+"Don't dismount," said Joel, emphasizing caution, "but let the horses
+break a narrow trail across the water. This is perfect. We'll build
+another fire to-night, and lay a half dozen baits around this
+open water."
+
+The pelt of the dead wolf was taken, when the boys cantered in home.
+Time was barely allowed to bolt a meal, when the loading of the wooden
+troughs was begun. Every caution urged was observed; the basins were
+handled with a hay fork, sledded to the scene, and dropped from
+horseback, untouched by a human hand. To make sure that the poison would
+be found, a rope was noosed to the carcass and a scented trace was made
+from every quarter, converging at the open water and tempting baits.
+
+"There," said Dell, on completing the spoor, "if that doesn't get a
+wolf, then our work wasn't cunningly done."
+
+"Now, don't forget to throw that carcass back on the ledge, under the
+comb," added Joel. "Wolves have a reputation of licking each other's
+bones, and we must deny them everything eatable except poisoned suet."
+
+The herd would not return of its own accord, and must be brought in to
+the corral. As the boys neared the divide and came in sight of the
+cattle, they presented a state of alarm. The presence of wolves was at
+once suspected, and dashing up at a free gallop, the lads arrived in
+time to save the life of a young steer. The animal had grazed beyond the
+limits of the herd, unconscious of the presence of a lurking band of
+wolves, until attacked by the hungry pack. Nothing but the energetic use
+of his horns saved his life, as he dared not run for fear of being
+dragged down, and could only stand and fight.
+
+The first glimpse of the situation brought the boys to the steer's
+rescue. Shaking out their horses, with a shout and clatter of hoofs,
+they bore down on the struggle, when the wolves suddenly forsook their
+victim and slunk away. The band numbered eight by easy count, as they
+halted within two hundred yards and lay down, lolling their tongues as
+if they expected to return and renew the attack.
+
+"Did you ever hear of anything like this?" exclaimed Dell, as the
+brothers reined in their horses to a halt. "Attacking in broad
+daylight!"
+
+"They're starving," replied Joel. "This sleet makes it impossible to get
+food elsewhere. One of us must stay with the cattle hereafter."
+
+"Well, we saved a steer and got a wolf to-day," boastfully said Dell.
+"That's not a bad beginning."
+
+"Yes, but it's the end I dread. If this weather lasts a month longer,
+some of these cattle will feed the wolves."
+
+There was prophecy in Joel's remark. The rescued animal was turned into
+the herd and the cattle started homeward. At a distance, the wolves
+followed, peeping over the divide as the herd turned down the pathway
+leading to the corral. Fuel had been sledded up, and after attending to
+the details of water and fire, the boys hurried home.
+
+The weather was a constant topic. It became the first concern of the
+morning and the last observation of the night. The slightest change was
+noticeable and its portent dreaded. Following the blizzard, every
+moderation of the temperature brought more snow or sleet. Unless a
+general thaw came to the relief of the cattle, any change in the weather
+was undesirable.
+
+A sleepless night followed. It was later than usual when the boys
+replenished the fire and left the corral. Dell's imagination covered the
+limits of all possibilities. He counted the victims of the poison for
+the night, estimated the number of wolves tributary to the Beaver,
+counted his bales of peltry, and awoke with a start. Day was breaking,
+the horses were already fed, and he was impatient for saddles and away.
+
+"How many do you say?" insisted Dell, as they left the stable.
+
+"One," answered Joel.
+
+"Oh, we surely got seven out of those eight."
+
+"There were only six baits. You had better scale down your estimate.
+Leave a few for luck."
+
+Nothing but the cold facts could shake Dell's count of the chickens.
+Joel intentionally delayed the start, loitering between house and
+corral, and when no longer able to restrain his impulsive brother,
+together they reached the scene. Dell's heart failed him--not a dead
+wolf lay in sight. Every bait had been disturbed. Some of the troughs
+had been gnawed to splinters, every trace of the poisoned suet had been
+licked out of the auger holes, while the snow was littered with
+wolf tracks.
+
+"Our cunning must be at fault," remarked Joel, as he surveyed the scene
+and empty basins.
+
+Dell looked beaten. "My idea is that we had too few baits for the number
+of visitors. See the fur, where they fought over the tallow. That's it;
+there wasn't enough suet to leave a good taste in each one's mouth. From
+the looks of the ground, there might have been fifty wolves."
+
+The boy reasoned well. Experience is a great school. The brothers awoke
+to the fact that in the best laid plans of mice and men the unforeseen
+is ever present. Their sponsors could only lay down the general rule,
+and the exceptions threw no foreshadows. No one could foresee that the
+grip of winter would concentrate and bring down on the little herd the
+hungry, roving wolf packs.
+
+"Take out the herd to-day," said Dell, "and let me break out more
+running water. I'll take these basins in and refill them, make new ones,
+and to-night we'll put out fifty baits."
+
+The cattle were pointed up the new trail to the southern divide. Joel
+took the herd, and Dell searched the creek for other shallows tributary
+to the corral. Three more were found within easy distance, when the
+troughs were gathered with fork and sled, and taken home to be refilled.
+It was Dell Wells's busy day. Cunning and caution were his helpers;
+slighting nothing, ever crafty on the side of safety, he cut, bored, and
+charred new basins, to double the original number. After loading, for
+fear of any human taint, he dipped the troughs in water and laid them in
+the shade to freeze. A second trip with the sled was required to
+transport the basins up to the corral, the day's work being barely
+finished in time for him to assist in penning the herd.
+
+"How many baits have you?" was Joel's hail.
+
+"Sixty odd."
+
+"You'll need them. Three separate wolf packs lay in sight all the
+afternoon. Several times they crept up within one hundred yards of the
+cattle. One band numbered upwards of twenty."
+
+"Let them come," defiantly said Dell. "The banquet is spread.
+Everything's done, except to drag the carcass, and I didn't want to do
+that until after the cattle were corraled."
+
+The last detail of the day was to build a little fire, which would die
+out within an hour after darkness. It would allow the cattle time to bed
+down and the packs to gather. As usual, it was not the intention of the
+boys to return, and as they mounted their horses to leave, all the
+welled-up savage in Dell seemed to burst forth.
+
+"Welcome, Mr. Wolf, welcome," said he, with mimic sarcasm and a gesture
+which swept the plain. "I've worked like a dog all day and the feast is
+ready. Mrs. Wolf, will you have a hackberry plate, or do you prefer the
+scent of cottonwood? You'll find the tender, juicy kidney suet in the
+ash platters. Each table seats sixteen, with fresh water right at hand.
+Now, have pallets and enjoy yourselves. Make a night of it. Eat, drink,
+and be merry, for to-morrow your pelts are mine."
+
+"Don't count your chickens too soon," urged Joel.
+
+"To-morrow you're mine!" repeated Dell, ignoring all advice. "I'll
+carpet the dug-out with your hides, or sell them to a tin peddler."
+
+"You counted before they were hatched this morning," admonished his
+brother. "You're only entitled to one guess."
+
+"Unless they got enough to sicken them last night," answered Dell with
+emphasis, "nothing short of range count will satisfy me."
+
+A night of conjecture brought a morning with results. Breakfast was
+forgotten, saddles were dispensed with, while the horses, as they
+covered the mile at a gallop, seemed to catch the frenzy of expectation.
+Dell led the way, ignoring all counsel, until Dog-toe, on rounding a
+curve, shied at a dead wolf in the trail, almost unhorsing his rider.
+
+"There's one!" shouted Dell, as he regained his poise. "I'll point them
+out and you count. There's another! There's two more!"
+
+It was a ghastly revel. Like sheaves in a harvest field, dead wolves lay
+around every open water. Some barely turned from the creek and fell,
+others struggled for a moment, while a few blindly wandered away for
+short distances. The poison had worked to a nicety; when the victims
+were collected, by actual count they numbered twenty-eight. It was a
+victory to justify shouting, but the gruesome sight awed the brothers
+into silence. Hunger had driven the enemy to their own death, and the
+triumph of the moment at least touched one sensitive heart.
+
+"This is more than we bargained for," remarked Joel in a subdued voice,
+after surveying the ravages of poison.
+
+"Our task is to hold these cattle," replied Dell. "We're soldiering this
+winter, and our one duty is to hold the fort. What would Mr. Paul say if
+we let the wolves kill our cattle?"
+
+After breakfast Joel again led the herd south for the day, leaving Dell
+at the corral. An examination of the basins was made, revealing the fact
+that every trace of the poisoned suet had been licked out of the
+holders. Of a necessity, no truce with the wolf became the slogan of the
+present campaign. No mushy sentiment was admissible--the fighting was
+not over, and the powder must be kept dry. The troughs were accordingly
+sledded into the corral, where any taint from the cattle would further
+disarm suspicion, and left for future use.
+
+The taking of so many pelts looked like an impossible task for a boy.
+But Dell recalled, among the many experiences with which Forrest, when a
+cripple, regaled his nurses, was the skinning of winter-killed cattle
+with a team. The same principle applied in pelting a wolf, where by very
+little aid of a knife, about the head and legs, a horse could do the
+work of a dozen men. The corral fence afforded the ready snubbing-post,
+Dog-toe could pull his own weight on a rope from a saddle pommel, and
+theory, when reduced to the practical, is a welcome auxiliary. The head
+once bared, the carcass was snubbed to the centre gate post, when a
+gentle pull from a saddle horse, aided by a few strokes of a knife, a
+second pull, and the pelt was perfectly taken. It required steady
+mounting and dismounting, a gentle, easy pull, a few inches or a foot,
+and with the patience of a butcher's son, Dog-toe earned his corn and
+his master a bale of peltry.
+
+Evening brought report of further annoyance of wolves. New packs had
+evidently joined forces with the remnants of the day before, as there
+was neither reduction in numbers nor lessening in approach or attitude.
+
+"Ours are the only cattle between the Republican River in Nebraska and
+the Smoky River in this State," said Joel, in explanation. "Rabbits and
+other rodents are at home under this sleet, and what is there to live
+on but stock? You have to hold the cattle under the closest possible
+herd to avoid attack."
+
+"That will made the fighting all the better," gloatingly declared Dell.
+"Dog-toe and I are in the fur business. Let the wolves lick the bones of
+their brethren to-night, and to-morrow I'll spread another banquet."
+
+The few days' moderation in the weather brought a heavy snowfall that
+night. Fortunately the herd had enjoyed two days' grazing, but every
+additional storm had a tendency to weaken the cattle, until it appeared
+an open question whether they would fall a prey to the wolves or succumb
+to the elements. A week of cruel winter followed the local storm, during
+which three head of cattle, cripples which had not fully recuperated, in
+the daily march to the divides fell in the struggle for sustenance and
+fed the wintry scavengers. It was a repetition of the age-old struggle
+for existence--the clash between the forces of good and evil, with the
+wolf in the ascendant.
+
+The first night which would admit of open water, thirty-one wolves fell
+in the grip of poison. It was give and take thereafter, not an eye for
+an eye, but in a ratio of ten to one. The dug-out looked like a
+trapper's cave, carpeted with peltry, while every trace of sentiment
+for the enemy, in the wintry trial which followed, died out in the
+hearts of the boys.
+
+Week after week passed, with the elements allied with the wolves against
+the life of the herd. On the other hand, a sleepless vigilance and
+sullen resolve on the part of the besieged, aided by fire and poison,
+alone held the fighting line. To see their cattle fall to feed the
+wolves, helpless to relieve, was a bitter cup to the struggling boys.
+
+A single incident broke the monotony of the daily grind. One morning
+near the end of the fifth week, when the boys rode to the corral at an
+early hour, in order to learn the result of poison, a light kill of
+wolves lay in sight around the open water. While they were attempting to
+make a rough count of the dead from horseback, a wolf, supposed to be
+poisoned, sprang fully six feet into the air, snapping left and right
+before falling to the ground. Nothing but the agility of Rowdy saved
+himself or rider, who was nearly unhorsed, from being maimed or killed
+from the vicious, instant assault.
+
+The brothers withdrew to a point of safety. Joel was blanched to the
+color of the snow, his horse trembled in every muscle, but Dell shook
+out his rope.
+
+"Hold on," urged Joel, gasping for breath. "Hold on. That's a mad wolf,
+or else it's dying."
+
+"He's poisoned," replied Dell. "See how he lays his head back on his
+flank. It's the griping of the poison. Half of them die in just that
+position. I'm going to rope and drag him to death."
+
+But the crunching of the horse's feet in the snow aroused the victim,
+and he again sprang wildly upward, snapping as before, and revealing
+fangs that bespoke danger. Struggling to its feet, the wolf ran
+aimlessly in a circle, gradually enlarging until it struck a strand of
+wire in the corral fence, the rebound of which threw the animal flat,
+when it again curled its head backward and lay quiet.
+
+"Rope it," said Joel firmly, shaking out his own lasso. "If it gets into
+that corral it will kill a dozen cattle. That I've got a live horse
+under me this minute is because that wolf missed Rowdy's neck by a
+hand-breadth."
+
+The trampled condition of the snow around the corral favored approach.
+Dell made a long but perfect throw, the wolf springing as the rope
+settled, closing with one foot through the loop. The rope was cautiously
+wrapped to the pommel, could be freed in an instant, and whirling
+Dog-toe, his rider reined the horse out over the lane leading to the
+herd's feeding ground to the south. The first quarter of a mile was an
+indistinct blur, out of which a horse might be seen, then a boy, or a
+wolf arose on wings and soared for an instant. Suddenly the horse
+doubled back over the lane, and as his rider shot past Joel, a fire of
+requests was vaguely heard, regarding "a noose that had settled foul,"
+of "a rope that was being gnawed" and a general inability to strangle
+a wolf.
+
+Joel saw the situation in an instant. The rope had tightened around the
+wolf's chest, leaving its breathing unaffected, while a few effectual
+snaps of those terrible teeth would sever any lasso. Shaking out a loop
+in his own rope, as Dell circled back over the other trail, Rowdy
+carried his rider within easy casting distance, the lasso hissed through
+the air, settled true, when two cow-horses threw their weight against
+each other, and the wolf's neck was broken as easily as a rotten thread.
+
+"A little of this goes a long way with me," said Joel from the safety of
+his saddle.
+
+"Oh, it's fine practice," protested Dell, as he dismounted and kicked
+the dead wolf. "Did you notice my throw? If it was an inch, it was
+thirty feet!"
+
+In its severity, the winter of 1885-86 stands alone in range cattle
+history. It came rather early, but proved to be the pivotal trial in the
+lives of Dell and Joel Wells. Six weeks, plus three days, after the
+worst blizzard in the history of the range industry, the siege was
+lifted and the Beaver valley groaned in her gladness. Sleet cracks ran
+for miles, every pool in the creek threw off its icy gorge, and the
+plain again smiled within her own limits. Had the brothers been thorough
+plainsmen, they could have foretold the coming thaw, as three days
+before its harbingers reached them every lurking wolf, not from fear of
+poison, but instinctive of open country elsewhere, forsook the Beaver,
+not to return the remainder of the winter.
+
+"That's another time you counted the chickens too soon," said Joel to
+his brother, when the usual number of baits failed to bring down a wolf.
+
+"Very good," replied Dell. "The way accounts stand, we lost twelve
+cattle against one hundred and eighteen pelts taken. I'll play that game
+all winter."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+A WINTER DRIFT
+
+
+The month of March was the last intrenchment in the wintry siege. If it
+could be weathered, victory would crown the first good fight of the
+boys, rewarding their courage in the present struggle and fortifying
+against future ones. The brothers had cast their lot with the plains,
+the occupation had almost forced itself on them, and having tasted the
+spice of battle, they buckled on their armor and rode forth. Without
+struggle or contest, the worthy pleasures of life lose their nectar.
+
+The general thaw came as a welcome relief. The cattle had gradually
+weakened, a round dozen had fallen in sacrifice to the elements, and
+steps must be taken to recuperate the herd.
+
+"We must loose-herd hereafter," said Joel, rejoicing in the thawing
+weather. "A few warm days and the corral will get miry. Unless the
+wolves return, we'll not pen the cattle again."
+
+Dell was in high feather. "The winter's over," said he. "Listen to the
+creek talking to itself. No, we'll not have to corral the herd any
+longer. Wasn't we lucky not to have any more cattle winter-killed! Every
+day during the last month I felt that another week of winter would take
+half the herd. It was good fighting, and I feel like shouting."
+
+"It was the long distance between the corral and the divides that
+weakened the cattle," said Joel. "Hereafter we'll give them all the
+range they need and only put them under close-herd at night. There may
+be squally weather yet, but little danger of a general storm. After this
+thaw, farmers on the Solomon will begin their spring ploughing."
+
+A fortnight of fine weather followed. The herd was given almost absolute
+freedom, scattering for miles during the day, and only thrown together
+at nightfall. Even then, as the cattle grazed entirely by day, a mile
+square of dry slope was considered compact enough for the night. The
+extra horses, which had ranged for the winter around Hackberry Grove,
+were seen only occasionally and their condition noted. The winter had
+haired them like llamas, the sleet had worked no hardship, as a horse
+paws to the grass, and any concern for the outside saddle stock
+was needless.
+
+The promise of spring almost disarmed the boys. Dell was anxious to
+know the value of the bales of peltry, and constantly urged his brother
+for permission to ride to the railroad and inquire.
+
+"What's your hurry?" was Joel's rejoinder. "I haven't shouted yet. I'm
+not sure that we're out of the woods. Let's win for sure first."
+
+"But we ought to write to Mr. Paul and Mr. Quince," urged the younger
+boy, by way of a double excuse. "There may be a letter from them at
+Grinnell now. Let's write to our friends in Texas and tell them that
+we've won the fight. The spring's here."
+
+"You can go to the station later," replied Joel. "The fur will keep, and
+we may have quite a spell of winter yet. Don't you remember the old
+weather proverb, of March coming in like a lion and going out like a
+lamb? This one came in like a lamb, and we had better keep an eye on it
+for fear it goes out like a lion. You can go to the railroad in April."
+
+There was wisdom in Joel's random advice. As yet there was no response
+in the earth to the sun's warmth. The grass was timid and refused to
+come forth, and only a few foolish crows had reached the shrub and
+willow along the Beaver, while the absence of other signs of spring
+carried a warning that the wintry elements might yet arise and roar
+like a young lion.
+
+The one advantage of the passing days was the general improvement in the
+herd. The instinct of the cattle led them to the buffalo grass, which
+grew on the slopes and divides, and with three weeks of fair weather and
+full freedom the herd as a whole rounded into form, reflecting its
+tenacity of life and the able handling of its owners.
+
+Within ten days of the close of the month, the weakened lines of
+intrenchment were again assaulted. The herd was grazing westward, along
+the first divide south of the Beaver, when a squall struck near the
+middle of the afternoon. It came without warning, and found the cattle
+scattered to the limits of loose herding, but under the eyes of two
+alert horsemen. Their mounts responded to the task, circling the herd on
+different sides, but before it could be thrown into mobile form and
+pointed into the Beaver valley, a swirl of soft snow enveloped horses
+and riders, cattle and landscape. The herd turned its back to the storm,
+and took up the steady, sullen march of a winter drift. Cut off from the
+corral by fully five miles, the emergency of the hour must be met, and
+the brothers rode to dispute the progress of the drifting cattle.
+
+"Where can we turn them?" timidly inquired Dell.
+
+"Unless the range of sand dunes catch us," replied Joel, "nothing short
+of the brakes of the Prairie Dog will check the cattle. We're out until
+this storm spends its force."
+
+"Let's beat for the sand hills, then. They lay to our right, and the
+wolves are gone."
+
+"The storm is from the northwest. If it holds from that quarter, we'll
+miss the sand dunes by several miles. Then it becomes a question of
+horseflesh."
+
+"If we miss the sand hills, I'll go back and get a pack horse and
+overtake you to-morrow. It isn't cold, and Dog-toe can face the storm."
+
+"That's our one hope," admitted Joel. "We've brought these cattle
+through a hard winter and now we mustn't lose them in a spring squall."
+
+The wind blew a gale. Ten minutes after the storm struck and the cattle
+turned to drift with it, all knowledge of the quarter of the compass was
+lost. It was a reasonable allowance that the storm would hold a true
+course until its wrath was spent, and relying on that slender thread,
+the boys attempted to veer the herd for the sand hills. By nature cattle
+are none too gregarious, as only under fear will they flock compactly,
+and the danger of splitting the herd into wandering contingents must be
+avoided. On the march which lay before it, its compactness must be
+maintained, and to turn half the herd into the sand dunes and let the
+remainder wander adrift was out of the question.
+
+"We'll have to try out the temper of the herd," said Joel. "The cattle
+are thin, have lost their tallow, and this wind seems to be cutting them
+to the quick. There's no use in turning the lead unless the swing cattle
+will follow. It's better to drift until the storm breaks than to split
+the herd into little bunches."
+
+"Let's try for the sand hills, anyhow," urged Dell. "Turn the leaders
+ever so slightly, and I'll try and keep the swing cattle in line."
+
+An effort to reach the shelter of the sand dunes was repeatedly made.
+But on each attempt the wind, at freezing temperature, cut the cattle to
+the bone, and as drifting was so much more merciful, the brothers chose
+to abandon the idea of reaching a haven in the sand hills.
+
+"The cattle are too weak," admitted Joel, after repeated efforts. "Turn
+the leaders and they hump their backs and halt. An hour of this wind
+would drop them in their tracks. It's drift or die."
+
+"I'll drop back and see how the drag cattle are coming on," suggested
+Dell, "and if they're in line I might as well start after a pack horse.
+We're only wearing out our horses in trying to turn this herd."
+
+The efforts to veer the herd had enabled the drag end to easily keep in
+a compact line, and on Dell's return to the lead, he reported the
+drifting column less than a quarter mile in length.
+
+"The spirit of the herd is killed," said he; "the cattle can barely hold
+their heads off the ground. Why, during that Christmas drift, they
+fought and gored each other at every chance, but to-day they act like
+lost sheep. They are half dead on their feet."
+
+The herd had been adrift several hours, and as sustenance for man and
+horse was important, Dell was impatient to reach the Beaver before
+nightfall.
+
+"If the storm has held true since it struck," said he, "I'll cut it
+quartering from here to headquarters. That good old corn that Dog-toe
+has been eating all winter has put the iron into his blood, until he
+just bows his neck and snorts defiance against this wind and snow."
+
+"Now, don't be too sure," cautioned Joel. "You can't see one hundred
+yards in this storm, and if you get bewildered, all country looks alike.
+Trust your horse in any event, and if you strike above or below
+headquarters, if you keep your head on your shoulders you ought to
+recognize the creek. Give your horse free rein and he'll take you
+straight to the stable door. Bring half a sack of corn, some bread and
+meat, the tent-fly and blankets. Start an hour before daybreak, and
+you'll find me in the lead of the herd."
+
+The brothers parted for the night. So long as he could ride in their
+lead, the necessity of holding the cattle was the lodestar that
+sustained Joel Wells during those lonely hours. There was always the
+hope that the storm would abate, when the tired cattle would gladly halt
+and bed down, which promise lightened the passing time. The work was
+easy to boy and horse; to retard the march of the leaders, that the rear
+might easily follow, was the task of the night or until relieved.
+
+On the other hand, Dell's self-reliance lacked caution. Secure in his
+ability to ride a course, day or night, fair or foul weather, he had
+barely reached the southern slope of the Beaver when darkness fell. The
+horse was easily quartering the storm, but the pelting snow in the boy's
+face led him to rein his mount from a true course, with the result that
+several miles was ridden without reaching any recognizable landmark. A
+ravine or dry wash was finally encountered, when Dell dismounted. As a
+matter of precaution, he carried matches, and on striking one, confusion
+assumed the reign over all caution and advice. He was lost, but
+contentious to the last ditch. Several times he remounted and allowed
+his horse free rein, but each time Dog-toe turned into the eye of the
+storm, then the true course home, and was halted. Reason was abandoned
+and disorder reigned. An hour was lost, when the confident boy mounted
+his horse and took up his former course, almost crossing the line of
+storm on a right angle. A thousand visible forms, creatures of the night
+and storm, took shape in the bewildered mind of Dell Wells, and after
+dismounting and mounting unknown times, he floundered across Beaver
+Creek fully three miles below headquarters.
+
+The hour was unknown. Still confused, Dell finally appealed to his
+horse, and within a few minutes Dog-toe was in a road and champing the
+bits against restraint. The boy dismounted, and a burning match revealed
+the outlines of a road under the soft snow. The horse was given rein
+again and took the road like a hound, finally sweeping under a tree,
+when another halt was made. It was the hackberry at the mouth of the
+cove, its broken twigs bespoke a fire which Dell had built, and yet the
+mute witness tree and impatient horse were doubted. And not until
+Dog-toe halted at the stable door was the boy convinced of his error.
+
+"Dog-toe," said Dell, as he swung out of the saddle, "you forgot more
+than I ever knew. You told me that I was wrong, and you pled with me
+like a brother, and I wouldn't listen to you. I wonder if he'll forgive
+me?" meditated Dell, as he opened the stable door.
+
+The horse hurriedly entered and nickered for his feed. "Yes, you shall
+have an extra ration of corn," answered his rider. "And if you'll just
+forgive me this once, the lesson you taught me to-night will never be
+forgotten."
+
+It proved to be early in the evening--only eight o'clock. Even though
+the lesson was taught by a dumb animal, it was worth its cost. Before
+offering to sleep, Dell collected all the articles that were to make up
+the pack, foddered the horses, set the alarm forward an hour, and sought
+his blankets for a short rest. Several times the howling of the wind
+awoke him, and unable to sleep out the night, he arose and built a fire.
+The necessity of a pack saddle robbed him of his own, and, substituting
+a blanket, at the appointed hour before dawn he started, with three
+days' rations for man and horse. The snow had ceased falling, but a raw
+March wind blew from the northwest, and taking his course with it, he
+reached the divide at daybreak. A struggling sun gave him a bearing from
+time to time, the sand dunes were sighted, and angling across the course
+of the wind, the trail of the herd was picked up in the mushy snow. A
+bull was overtaken, resting comfortably in a buffalo wallow; three
+others were passed, feeding with the wind, and finally the sun burst
+forth, revealing the brakes of the Prairie Dog.
+
+Where the cattle had drifted barely two miles an hour, sustenance was
+following at a five-mile gait. The trail freshened in the snow, narrowed
+and broadened, and near the middle of the forenoon the scattered herd
+was sighted. The long yell of warning was answered only by a tiny
+smoke-cloud, hanging low over the creek bed, and before Joel was aware
+of his presence, Dell rode up to the very bank under which the fire
+was burning.
+
+"How do you like an all-night drift?" shouted Dell. "How do snowballs
+taste for breakfast?"
+
+"Come under the cliff and unpack," soberly replied Joel. "I hope this
+is the last lesson in winter herding; I fail to see any romance in it."
+
+The horses were unsaddled and fed. "Give an account of yourself," urged
+Dell, as the brothers returned to the fire. "How did you make out during
+the night?"
+
+"I just humped my back like the other cattle and took my medicine,"
+replied Joel. "An Indian dances to keep warm, and I sang. You have no
+idea how good company cattle are. One big steer laid his ear in Rowdy's
+flank to warm it. I took him by the horn any number of times and woke
+him up; he was just staggering along asleep. I talked to all the lead
+cattle, named them after boys we knew at school, and sometimes they
+would look up when I called to them. And the queerest thing happened!
+You remember old Redman, our teacher, back in Ohio. Well, I saw him last
+night. There was a black two-year-old steer among the lead cattle, and
+every time I looked at him, I saw old Redman, with his humped shoulder,
+his pug nose, and his half-shut eyes. It took the storm, the sullen
+drift, to put that expression in the black steer's face, but it was old
+Redman. During the two terms of school that he taught, he licked me a
+score of times, but I dared him to come out of that black steer's face
+and try it again. He must have heard me, for the little black steer
+dropped back and never came to the lead again."
+
+"And had you any idea where you were?" inquired Dell, prompted by his
+own experience.
+
+"I was right at home in the lead of the herd. The tepee might get lost,
+but I couldn't. I knew we must strike the Prairie Dog, and the cattle
+were within half a mile of it when day broke. Once I got my bearings,
+Rowdy and I turned on the herd and checked the drift."
+
+A late breakfast fortified the boys for the day. It was fully
+twenty-five miles back to the Beaver, but with the cattle weakened, the
+horses worn, it was decided to rest a day before starting on the return.
+During the afternoon, Dell went back and threw in the stragglers, and
+towards evening all the cattle were put under loose herd and pointed
+north. The sun had stripped the snow, and a comfortable camp was made
+under the cliff. Wood was scarce on the Prairie Dog, but the dry, rank
+stalks of the wild sunflower made a good substitute for fuel, and night
+settled over human and animal in the full enjoyment of every comfort.
+
+It was a two-days' trip returning. To Rowdy fell the duty of pack
+horse. He had led the outward march, and was entitled to an easy berth
+on retreat. The tarpaulin was folded the full length of the horse's body
+girth, both saddles being required elsewhere, and the corn and blankets
+laid within the pack and all lashed securely. The commissary supplies
+being light, saddle pockets and cantle strings were found sufficient for
+their transportation.
+
+The start was made at sunrise. The cattle had grazed out several miles
+the evening before, and in their weakened condition it would require
+nursing to reach the Beaver. A mile an hour was the pace, nothing like a
+compact herd or driving was permissible, and the cattle were allowed to
+feed or rest at their will. Rowdy grazed along the flank, the boys
+walked as a relief, and near evening or on sighting the dunes, Dell took
+the pack horse and rode for their shelter, to locate a night camp. The
+herd never swerved from its course, and after sunset Joel rounded the
+cattle into compact form and bedded them down for the night. A beacon
+fire of plum brush led him to the chosen camp, in the sand hills, where
+supper awaited the brothers.
+
+"Isn't it lucky," said Dell, as he snuggled under the blankets, "that
+the wolves are gone. Suppose they were here yet, and we had to build
+fires, or stand guard over the herd to-night, like trail men, could
+we do it?"
+
+"Certainly. We met the wolves before and held the cattle. You seem to
+forget that we're not entitled to sleep any in the winter. Be grateful.
+Thank the wolf and go to sleep."
+
+"See how the dunes loom up in the light of this camp-fire. I wish Mr.
+Paul could see it."
+
+"More than likely he has camped in the dunes and enjoyed many rousing
+fires."
+
+Dell's next remark was unanswered. The stars twinkled overhead, the
+sandman was abroad, curfew sounded through the dunes, and all was quiet.
+
+"Here's where we burn the wagon," said Joel, as he aroused Dell at
+daybreak. "It's one of Mr. Quince's remarks, but this is the first time
+we've had a chance to use it. I'll divide the corn into three good
+feeds, and we'll make it in home for supper. Let's have the whole
+hummingbird for breakfast, so that when we ride out of this camp, all
+worth saving will be the coffee pot and frying pan. So long as we hold
+the cattle, who cares for expense."
+
+The herd was in hand as it left the bed ground. An ideal spring day lent
+its aid to the snailing cattle. By the middle of the afternoon the
+watershed had been crossed, and the gradual slope clown to the Beaver
+was begun. Rowdy forged to the lead, the flanks turned in, the rear
+pushed forward, and the home-hunger of the herd found expression in loud
+and continued lowing.
+
+"I must have been mistaken about the spirit of this herd being killed,"
+observed Dell. "When I left you the other day, to go after a pack horse,
+these cattle looked dead on their feet. I felt sure that we would lose a
+hundred head, and we haven't lost a hoof."
+
+"We may have a lot to learn yet about cattle," admitted Joel. "I fully
+expected to see our back track strung with dead animals."
+
+The origin of the herd, with its deeps and moods, is unknown and
+unwritten. The domesticity of cattle is dateless. As to when the ox
+first knew his master's crib, history and tradition are dumb. Little
+wonder that Joel and Dell Wells, with less than a year's experience,
+failed to fully understand their herd. An incident, similar to the one
+which provoked the observation of the brothers, may explain those placid
+depths, the deep tenacity and latent power of the herd.
+
+After delivering its cargo at an army post, an extensive freighting
+outfit was returning to the supply point. Twelve hundred oxen were
+employed. On the outward trip, muddy roads were encountered, the wagons
+were loaded beyond the strength of the teams, and the oxen had arrived
+at the fort exhausted, spiritless, and faint to falling under their
+yokes. Many oxen had been abandoned as useless within one hundred miles
+of the post, thus doubling the work on the others. On the return trip,
+these scattered oxen, the lame and halt, were gathered to the number of
+several hundred, and were being driven along at the rear of the wagon
+train. Each day added to their numbers, until one fourth of all the oxen
+were being driven loose at the rear of the caravan. One day a boy
+blindfolded a cripple ox, which took fright and charged among his
+fellows, bellowing with fear. It was tinder to powder! The loose oxen
+broke from the herders, tore past the column of wagons, frenzied in
+voice and action. The drivers lost control of their teams, bedlam
+reigned, and the entire wagon train joined in the general stampede.
+Wagons were overturned and reduced to kindling in a moment of the
+wildest panic. The drivers were glad to escape with their lives and were
+left at the rear. A cloud of dust merely marked the direction which the
+oxen had taken. The teams, six to eight yoke each, wrenched their
+chains, broke the bows, and joined in the onrush. Many of the oxen,
+still under yoke, were found the next day fifteen miles distant from the
+scene of the incident, and unapproachable except on horseback. For a
+month previous to this demonstration of the latent power of cattle, the
+humane drivers of the wagon train were constantly lamenting that the
+spirit of their teams was killed.
+
+When within a mile of the Beaver, the herd was turned westward and given
+its freedom. While drifting down the slope, Rowdy gradually crept far to
+the lead, and as the brothers left the cattle and bore off homeward, the
+horse took up a gentle trot, maintaining his lead until the stable
+was reached.
+
+"Look at the dear old rascal," said Joel, beaming with pride. "That
+horse knows more than some folks."
+
+"Yes, and if Dog-toe could talk," admitted Dell, stroking his horse's
+neck, "he could tell a good joke on me. I may tell it myself some
+day--some time when I want to feel perfectly ashamed of myself."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A WELCOME GUEST
+
+
+The heralds of spring bespoke its early approach. April was ushered in
+to the songs of birds, the greening valley, and the pollen on the
+willow. The frost arose, the earth mellowed underfoot, and the creek
+purled and sang as it hastened along. The cattle played, calves were
+born, while the horses, in shedding their winter coats, matted the
+saddle blankets and threw off great tufts of hair where they rolled on
+the ground.
+
+The marketing of the peltry fell to Joel. Dell met the wagon returning
+far out on the trail. "The fur market's booming," shouted Joel, on
+coming within speaking distance. "We'll not know the price for a few
+weeks. The station agent was only willing to ship them. The storekeeper
+was anxious to do the same, and advanced me a hundred dollars on the
+shipment. Wolf skins, prime, are quoted from two to two dollars and a
+half. And I have a letter from Forrest. The long winter's over! You can
+shout! G'long, mules!"
+
+During the evening, Dell read Forrest's letter again and again. "Keep
+busy until the herds arrive," it read. "Enlarge your water supply and
+plan to acquire more cattle."
+
+"That's our programme," said Joel. "We'll put in two dams between here
+and the trail. Mr. Quince has never advised us wrong, and he'll explain
+things when he comes. Once a week will be often enough to ride around
+the cattle."
+
+An air of activity was at once noticeable around headquarters. The
+garden was ploughed and planting begun. The fence was repaired around
+the corn-field, the beaver dams were strengthened, and sites for two
+other reservoirs were selected. The flow of the creek was ample to fill
+large tanks, and if the water could be conserved for use during the dry
+summer months, the cattle-carrying capacity of the ranch could be
+greatly enlarged. The old beaver dams around headquarters had withstood
+every drouth, owing to the shade of the willows overhead, the roots of
+which matted and held the banks intact. Wagon loads of willow slips were
+accordingly cut for the new dams and the work begun in earnest.
+
+"We'll take the tent and camp at the lower site," announced Joel. "It
+would waste too much time to go and come. When we build the upper one,
+we can work from home."
+
+The two tanks were finished within a month. They were built several
+miles apart, where there was little or no fall in the creek, merely to
+hold still water in long, deep pools. The willow cuttings were planted
+along the borders and around the dams, the ends of which were riprapped
+with stone, and a spillway cut to accommodate any overflow
+during freshets.
+
+The dams were finished none too soon, as a dry spring followed, and the
+reservoirs had barely filled when the creek ceased flowing. The unusual
+winter snowfall had left a season's moisture in the ground, and the
+grass came in abundance, matting slope and valley, while the garden grew
+like a rank weed. The corn crop of the year before had repaid well in
+forage, and was again planted. In the face of another drouthy summer,
+the brothers sowed as if they fully expected to reap. "Keep busy" was
+the slogan of the springtime.
+
+The month of June arrived without a sign of life on the trail. Nearly
+one hundred calves were born to the herd on the Beaver, the peltry had
+commanded the highest quotation, and Wells Brothers swaggered in their
+saddles. But still the herds failed to come.
+
+"Let's put up the tent," suggested Dell, "just as if we were expecting
+company. Mr. Paul or Mr. Quince will surely ride in some of these
+evenings. Either one will reach here a full day in the lead of his herd.
+Let's make out that we're looking for them."
+
+Dell's suggestion was acted on. A week passed and not a trail man
+appeared. "There's something wrong," said Joel, at the end of the second
+week. "The Lovell herds go through, and there's sixteen of them on
+the trail."
+
+"They're water-bound," said Dell, jumping at a conclusion.
+
+"Waterbound, your foot! The men and horses and cattle can all swim.
+Don't you remember Mr. Quince telling about rafting his wagon across
+swimming rivers? Waterbound, your grandmother! High water is nothing to
+those trail men."
+
+Dell was silenced. The middle of June came and the herds had not
+appeared. The brothers were beginning to get uneasy for fear of bad
+news, when near dark one evening a buckboard drove up. Its rumbling
+approach hurried the boys outside the tent, when without a word of hail,
+Quince Forrest sprang from the vehicle, grasped Dell, and the two rolled
+over and over on the grass.
+
+"I just wanted to roll him in the dirt to make him grow," explained
+Forrest to an elderly man who accompanied him. "These are my boys. Look
+at that red-headed rascal--fat as a calf with two mothers. Boys, shake
+hands with Mr. Lovell."
+
+The drover alighted and greeted the boys with fatherly kindness. He was
+a frail man, of medium height, nearly sixty years of age, with an energy
+that pulsed in every word and action. There was a careworn expression in
+his face, while an intensity of purpose blazed from hungry, deep-set
+eyes which swept every detail of the scene at a glance. That he was
+worried to the point of exhaustion was evident the moment that
+compliments were exchanged.
+
+"Show me your water supply," said he to Joel; "old beaver ponds, if I am
+correctly informed. We must move fifty thousand cattle from Dodge to the
+Platte River within the next fortnight. One of the worst drouths in the
+history of the trail confronts us, and if you can water my cattle
+between the Prairie Dog and the Republican River, you can name your
+own price."
+
+"Let's drive around," said Forrest, stepping into the blackboard,
+"before it gets too dark. Come on, boys, and show Mr. Lovell the water."
+
+All four boarded the vehicle, the boys standing up behind the single
+seat, and drove away. In a mile's meanderings of the creek were five
+beaver ponds, over which in many places the willows interlapped. The
+pools stood bank full, and after sounding them, the quartette turned
+homeward, satisfied of the abundant water supply.
+
+"There's water and to spare for the entire drive," said Forrest to his
+employer. "It isn't the amount drank, it's the absorption of the sun
+that gets away with water. Those willows will protect the pools until
+the cows come home. I felt sure of the Beaver."
+
+"Now, if we can arrange to water my herds here--"
+
+"That's all arranged," replied Forrest. "I'm a silent partner in this
+ranch. Anything that Wells Brothers owns is yours for the asking. Am I
+right, boys?"
+
+"If Mr. Lovell needs the water, he is welcome to it," modestly replied
+Joel.
+
+"That's my partner talking," said Forrest; "that was old man Joel Wells
+that just spoke. He's the senior member of the firm. Oh, these boys of
+mine are cowmen from who laid the rail. They're not out to rob a
+neighbor. Once you hear from the head of the Stinking Water, you can
+order the herds to pull out for the Platte."
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Lovell, somewhat perplexed. "Yes, but let's get the
+water on the Beaver clear first. What does this mean? I offer a man his
+price to water my cattle, and he answers me that I'm welcome to it for
+nothing. I'm suspicious of the Greeks when they come bearing gifts. Are
+you three plotting against me?"
+
+"That's it," replied Forrest. "You caught the gleam of my axe all right.
+In the worry of this drouth, you've overlooked the fact that you have
+five horses on this ranch. They were left here last fall, expecting to
+pick them up this spring. Two of them were cripples and three were good
+cow horses. Now, these boys of mine are just branching out into cattle,
+and they don't need money, but a few good horses are better than gold.
+That's about the plot. What would you say was the right thing to do?"
+
+Mr. Lovell turned to the boys. "The five horses are yours. But I'm still
+in your debt. Is there anything else that you need?"
+
+The question was repeated to Forrest. "By the time the herds reach
+here," said he, mildly observant, "there will be quite a number of
+tender-footed and fagged cattle. They could never make it through
+without rest, but by dropping them here, they would have a fighting
+chance to recuperate before winter. There won't be a cent in an
+abandoned steer for you, but these boys--"
+
+"Trim the herds here on the Beaver," interrupted Mr. Lovell. "I'll give
+all my foremen orders to that effect. Cripples are worthless to me, but
+good as gold to these boys. What else?"
+
+"Oh, just wish the boys good luck, and if it ever so happens, speak a
+good word for the Wells Brothers. I found them white, and I think you'll
+find them on the square."
+
+"Well, this is a happy termination," said Mr. Lovell, as he alighted at
+the tent. "Our water expense between Dodge and Ogalalla will not exceed
+five thousand dollars. It cost me double that getting out of Texas."
+
+Secure on the Beaver, the brothers were unaware of the outside drouth,
+which explained the failure of the herds to appear on the trail as in
+other years. It meant the delay of a fortnight, and the concentration of
+a year's drive into a more limited space of time. Unconscious of its
+value, the boys awoke to the fact that they controlled the only water
+between the Prairie Dog and the Republican River--sixty miles of the
+plain. Many of the herds were under contract and bond to cattle
+companies, individuals, army posts, and Indian agencies, and no excuse
+would be accepted for any failure to deliver. The drouth might prove an
+ill-wind to some, but the Beaver valley was not only exempt but could
+extend relief.
+
+After supper, hosts and guests adjourned to the tent. Forrest had
+unearthed the winter struggle of his protégés, and gloating over the
+manner in which the boys had met and overcome the unforeseen, he assumed
+an observant attitude in addressing his employer.
+
+"You must be working a sorry outfit up on the Little Missouri," said he,
+"to lose ten per cent of straight steer cattle. My boys, here on the
+Beaver, report a measly loss of twelve head, out of over five hundred
+cattle. And you must recollect that these were rag-tag and bob-tail, the
+flotsam of a hundred herds, forty per cent cripples, walking on
+crutches. Think of it! Two per cent loss, under herd, a sleet over the
+range for six weeks, against your ten per cent kill on an open range.
+You must have a slatterly, sore-thumbed lot of men on your beef ranch."
+
+Mr. Lovell was discouraged over the outlook of his cattle interests.
+"That was a first report that you are quoting from," said he to Forrest.
+"It was more prophecy than statement. We must make allowances for young
+men. There is quite a difference between getting scared and being hurt.
+My beef outfit has orders to go three hundred miles south of our range
+and cover all round-ups northward. It was a severe winter, and the drift
+was heavy, but I'm not worrying any about that sore-fingered outfit.
+Promptly meeting government contracts is our work to-day. My cattle are
+two weeks behind time, and the beef herds must leave Dodge to-morrow.
+Help me figure it out: Can you put me on the railroad by noon?" he
+concluded, turning to Joel.
+
+"Easily, or I can carry a message to-night."
+
+"There's your programme," said Forrest, interceding. "One of these boys
+can take you to Grinnell in time for the eastbound train. Wire your beef
+herds to pull out for the Platte. You can trust the water to improve
+from here north."
+
+"And you?" inquired the drover, addressing his foreman.
+
+"I'll take the buckboard and go north until I meet Paul. That will cover
+the last link in the trail. We'll know our water then, and time our
+drives to help the cattle. It's as clear as mud."
+
+"Just about," dubiously answered Mr. Lovell. "Unless I can get an
+extension of time on my beef contracts, the penalty under my bonds will
+amount to a fortune."
+
+"The army is just as well aware of this drouth as you are," said
+Forrest, "and the War Department will make allowances. The government
+don't expect the impossible."
+
+"Yes," answered the old drover with feeling. "Yes, but it exacts a bond,
+and stipulates the daily forfeiture, and if any one walks the plank,
+it's not your dear old Uncle Samuel. And it matters not how much sleep I
+lose, red tape never worries."
+
+The boys made a movement as if to withdraw, and Forrest arose. "The
+programme for to-morrow, then, is understood," said the latter. "The
+horses will be ready at daybreak."
+
+It was midnight when the trio sought their blankets. On the part of the
+brothers, there was a constant reference to their guest, the drover, and
+a desire, if in their power, to aid him in every way.
+
+"I wanted you boys to meet and get acquainted with Mr. Lovell," said
+Forrest, as all were dozing off to sleep. "There is a cowman in a
+thousand, and his word carries weight in cattle matters. He's rather
+deep water, unless you cross or surprise him. I nagged him about the men
+on his beef ranch. He knew the cattle wouldn't winter kill when they
+could drift, and the round-up will catch every living hoof. He was too
+foxy to borrow any trouble there, and this long yell about the drouth
+interfering with delivery dates keeps the trail outfits against the
+bits. Admitting his figures, the water expense won't be a drop in the
+bucket. It affords good worrying and that keeps the old man in fighting
+form. I'm glad he came along; treat him fair and square, and his
+friendship means something to you, boys."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+AN ILL WIND
+
+
+The start to the station was made at four o'clock in the morning. Joel
+accompanied the drover, the two best horses being under saddle, easily
+capable of a road gait that would reach the railroad during the early
+forenoon. The direct course lay across country, and once the sun flooded
+the Beaver valley, the cowman swung around in the saddle and his
+practical eye swept the range. On sighting Hackberry Grove, the broken
+country beyond, including the sand hills, he turned to his guide.
+
+"My boy," said Mr. Lovell, "you brothers have a great future before you.
+This is an ideal cattle range. The very grass under our horses' feet
+carries untold wealth. But you lack cattle. You have the range here for
+thousands where you are running hundreds. Buy young steers; pay any
+price; but get more cattle. The growth of young steers justifies any
+outlay. Come down to Dodge about the first of August. This drouth is
+liable to throw some bargains on that market. Be sure and come. I'll
+keep an eye open in your interest on any cattle for sale."
+
+The old drover's words bewildered Joel. The ways and means were not
+entirely clear, but the confidence of the man in the future of the
+brothers was gratifying. Meanwhile, at the little ranch the team stood
+in waiting, and before the horseman had passed out of sight to the south
+the buckboard started on its northern errand. Dell accompanied it,
+protesting against his absence from home, but Forrest brushed aside
+every objection.
+
+"Come on, come on," said he to Dell; "you have no saddle, and we may be
+back to-night. We're liable to meet Paul on the Republican. Turn your
+ranch loose and let it run itself. Come on; we ain't halfway through our
+figuring."
+
+Joel returned after dark. Priest had left Ogalalla, to the north, the
+same day that Forrest and his employer started up the trail from the
+south, and at the expected point the two foremen met. The report showed
+water in abundance from the Republican River northward, confirming
+Forrest's assertion to his employer, and completing the chain of waters
+between Dodge and Ogalalla. Priest returned with the buckboard, which
+reached the Beaver after midnight, and aroused Joel out of heavy sleep.
+
+"I just wanted to say," said Priest, sitting on the edge of Joel's bunk,
+"that I had my ear to the ground and heard the good fighting. Yes, I
+heard the sleet cracking. You never saw me, but I was with you the night
+you drifted to the Prairie Dog. Take it all along the line, wasn't it
+good fighting?"
+
+"Has Dell told you everything?" inquired Joel, sitting up in his
+blankets.
+
+"Everything, including the fact that he got lost the night of the March
+drift, while going home after a pack horse. Wouldn't trust poor old
+Dog-toe, but run on the rope himself! Landed down the creek here a few
+miles. News to you? Well, he admits that the horse forgot more than he
+himself ever knew. That's a hopeful sign. As long as a man hearkens to
+his horse, there is no danger of bad counsel being thrust on him."
+
+The boys were catching, at first hand, an insight into the exacting
+nature of trail work. Their friends were up with the dawn, and while
+harnessing in the team, Forrest called Joel's attention to setting the
+ranch in order to water the passing herds.
+
+"I was telling Dell yesterday," said he, "the danger of Texas fever
+among wintered cattle, and you must isolate your little herd until
+after frost falls. Graze your cattle up around Hackberry Grove, and keep
+a dead-line fully three miles wide between the wintered and through
+trail herds. Any new cattle that you pick up, cripples or strays, hold
+them down the creek--between here and the old trail crossing. For fear
+of losing them you can't even keep milk cows around the ranch, so turn
+out your calves. Don't ask me to explain Texas fever. It's one of the
+mysteries of the trail. The very cattle that impart it after a winter in
+the north catch the fever and die like sheep. It seems to exist, in a
+mild form, in through, healthy cattle, but once imparted to native or
+northern wintered stock, it becomes violent and is usually fatal. The
+sure, safe course is to fear and avoid it."
+
+The two foremen were off at an early hour. Priest was again in charge of
+Lovell's lead herd, and leaving the horse that he had ridden to the
+Republican River in care of the boys, he loitered a moment at parting.
+
+"If my herd left Dodge at noon yesterday," said he, mentally
+calculating, "I'll overtake it some time to-morrow night. Allowing ten
+days to reach here--"
+
+He turned to the boys. "This is the sixteenth of June. Well, come out on
+the divide on the morning of the twenty-fifth and you will see a dust
+cloud in the south. The long distance between waters will put the herd
+through on schedule time. Come out and meet me."
+
+The brothers waved the buckboard away. The dragging days were over. The
+herds were coming, and their own little ranch promised relief to the
+drover and his cattle.
+
+"Mr. Quince says the usual price for watering trail herds is from one to
+three cents a head," said Dell, as their friends dipped from sight. "The
+government, so he says, allows three cents for watering cavalry horses
+and harness mules. He tells me that the new settlers, in control of the
+water on the trail, in northern Texas, fairly robbed the drovers this
+year. The pastoral Texan, he contends, shared his canteen with the
+wayfarer, and never refused to water cattle. He wants us to pattern
+after the Texans--to give our water and give it freely. When Mr. Lovell
+raised the question of arranging to water his herds from our beaver
+ponds, do you remember how Mr. Quince answered for us? I'm mighty glad
+money wasn't mentioned. No money could buy Dog-toe from me. And Mr.
+Lovell gave us three of our best horses."
+
+"He offered me ten dollars for taking him to the railroad," said Joel,
+"but I looked him square in the eye and refused the money. He says we
+must buy more cattle. He wants me to come to Dodge in August, and
+I'm going."
+
+Dell treated the idea of buying cattle with slight disdain.
+"You--going--to--buy--more--cattle?" said he, accenting each word. "Any
+one tell your fortune lately?"
+
+"Yes," answered the older boy. "I'm having it told every day. One of
+those two men, the gray-haired one on that buckboard,--stand here and
+you can see them,--told me over a year ago that this range had a value,
+and that we ought to skirmish some cattle, some way, and stock it. What
+he saw clearly then, I see now, and what Mr. Lovell sees now, you may
+see a year hence. These men have proved their friendship, and why stand
+in our own light? Our ability to hold cattle was tested last winter, and
+if this range is an asset, there may be some way to buy more cattle. I'm
+going to Dodge in August."
+
+Dell was silenced. There was ample time to set the ranch in order.
+Turning away from the old trail, on the divide, and angling in to
+headquarters, and thence northward, was but a slight elbow on the
+general course of the trail herds. The long distance across to the
+Republican would compel an early watering on the Beaver, that the cattle
+might reach the former river the following evening. The brothers knew to
+a fraction the grazing gait of a herd, the trailing pace, and could
+anticipate to an hour the time required to move a herd from the Prairie
+Dog to the Beaver.
+
+The milk cows and calves were turned back into the general herd. The
+dead-line was drawn safely below Hackberry Grove, between imaginary
+landmarks on either slope, while on the creek, like a sentinel, stood a
+lone willow which seemed to say, "Thus far shalt thou go and no
+farther." The extra horses, now in the pink of condition, were brought
+home and located below the ranch, and the house stood in order.
+
+The arrival of the first herd had been correctly calculated. The
+brothers rode out late on the morning designated, but did not reach the
+divide. The foremost herd was met within seven miles of the Beaver, the
+leaders coming on with the steady stride of thirsty cattle that had
+scented water. Priest was nowhere in sight, but the heavy beeves
+identified the herd, and when the boys hailed a point man, the
+situation cleared.
+
+"Mr. Paul--our boss?" repeated the point man. "He's setting up a
+guide-board, back on the divide, where we turned off from the old
+trail. Say, does this dim wagon track we're following lead to Wells
+Brothers' ranch?"
+
+"It does," answered Joel. "You can see the willows from the next swell
+of the prairie," added Dell, as the brothers passed on.
+
+It was a select herd of heavy beeves. In spite of the drouth
+encountered, the cattle were in fine condition, and as the herd snailed
+forward at its steady march, the sweep of horn, the variety of color,
+the neat outline of each animal blended into a pastoral picture of
+strength and beauty.
+
+The boys rode down the advancing column. A swing man on the opposite
+side of the herd waved his hand across to the brothers, and while the
+two were speculating as to who he might be, a swing lad on the left
+reined out and saluted the boys.
+
+With hand extended, he smilingly inquired, "Don't you remember the day
+we branded your cattle? How did the Two Bars and the ---- Y
+cows winter?"
+
+"It's Billy Honeyman," said Dell, beaming. "Who is that man across the
+herd, waving at us?" he inquired, amid hearty greeting.
+
+"That's Runt Pickett, the little fellow who helped us brand--the lad who
+rushed the cattle. The herd cuts him off from shaking hands. Turn your
+horses the other way and tell me how you like it out West."
+
+Dell turned back, but Joel continued on. The column of beeves was fully
+a mile in length. After passing the drag end of the herd, the wagon and
+remuda were sighted, later met, with the foreman still at the rear. The
+dust cloud of yet another herd arose in the distance, and while Joel
+pondered on its location over the divide, a horseman emerged from a dip
+in the plain and came toward him in a slow gallop.
+
+"There's no foreman with the next herd," explained Priest, slacking his
+horse into a walk, "and the segundo wasn't sure which swell was the real
+divide. We trailed two herds past your ranch last summer, but the frost
+has mellowed up the soil and the grass has overgrown the paths until
+every trace is gone. I planted a guide-post and marked it 'Lovell's
+Trail,' so the other foremen will know where to turn off. All the old
+man's herds are within three or four days' drive, and after that it's
+almost a solid column of cattle back to Dodge. Forrest is in charge of
+the rear herd, and will pick up any of our abandoned cattle."
+
+The two shook out their mounts, passed the commissary and saddle stock,
+but halted a moment at the drag end of the herd. "We've been dropping
+our cripples," explained Priest, "but the other herds will bring them
+through. There's not over one or two here, but I'm going to saw off
+three horses on Wells Brothers. Good ones, too, that is, good for
+next year."
+
+A halt was made at the lead of the herd, and some directions given the
+point man. It was still early in the forenoon, and once man and boy had
+fairly cleared the leaders in front, a signal was given and the cattle
+turned as a single animal and fell to grazing. The wagon and remuda
+never halted; on being joined by the two horsemen, they continued on
+into the Beaver. Eleven o'clock was the hour named to water the herd,
+and punctual to the moment the beeves, with a mile-wide front, were
+grazed up to the creek.
+
+The cattle were held around the pools for an hour. Before dinner was
+over, the acting foreman of the second herd rode in, and in mimicking a
+trail boss, issued some drastic orders. The second herd was within
+sight, refused to graze, and his wagon was pulling in below the ranch
+for the noon camp.
+
+Priest looked at his watch. "Start the herd," said he to his own men.
+"Hold a true northward course, and camp twelve miles out to-night. I may
+not be with you, but water in the Republican at six o'clock to-morrow
+evening. Bring in your herd, young fellow," he concluded, addressing
+the segundo.
+
+The watering of a trail herd is important. Mere opportunity to quench
+thirst is not sufficient. The timid stand in awe of the strong, and the
+excited milling cattle intimidate the weak and thirsty. An hour is the
+minimum time, during which half the herd may drink and lie down,
+affording the others the chance to approach without fear and slake
+their thirst.
+
+The acting foreman signaled in his herd. The beeves around the water
+were aroused, and reluctantly grazed out on their course, while the
+others came on with a sullen stride that thirst enforces. The previous
+scene of contentment gave way to frenzy. The heavy beeves, equally
+select with the vanguard, floundered into the pools, lowed in their joy,
+drank to gorging, fought their fellows, staggered out of the creek, and
+dropped to rest in the first dust or dry grass.
+
+Priest trimmed his own beeves and remuda. A third herd appeared, when he
+and the acting foreman culled over both horses and cattle, and sent the
+second herd on its way. Each of the three advance herds must reach the
+Republican the following day, and it was scant two o'clock when the
+third one trailed out from the Beaver. With mature cattle there were
+few cripples, and the day ended with an addition to the little ranch of
+the promised horses and a few tender-footed beeves. There were two more
+herds of heavy beef cattle to follow, which would arrive during the next
+forenoon, and the old foreman remained over until the last cattle,
+intended for army delivery, had passed the ranch.
+
+The herd never fails. Faith in cattle is always rewarded. From that far
+distant dawn when man and his ox started across the ages the one has
+ever sustained the other. The two rear beef herds promptly reached the
+Beaver the next morning, slaked their thirst, and passed on before noon.
+
+"This lets me out as your guest," said Priest to the boys, when the last
+herd was trimmed. "Bob Quirk will now follow with six herds of contract
+cattle. He's the foreman of the second herd of beeves, but Mr. Lovell
+detailed him to oversee this next division across to the Platte. Forrest
+will follow Quirk with the last five herds of young steers, slated for
+the old man's beef ranch on the Little Missouri. That puts our cattle
+across the Beaver, but you'll have plenty of company for the next month.
+Mr. Lovell has made a good talk for you boys around Dodge, and if you'll
+give these trail drovers this water, it will all come back. As cowmen,
+there are two things that you want to remember--that it'll rain again,
+and that the cows will calve in the spring."
+
+Priest had barely left the little ranch when Bob Quirk arrived. Before
+dismounting, he rode around the pools, signaled in a wagon and remuda,
+and returned to the tent.
+
+"This is trailing cattle with a vengeance," said he, stripping his
+saddle from a tired horse. "There has been such a fight for water this
+year that every foreman seems to think that unless he reaches the river
+to-day it'll be dry to-morrow. Five miles apart was the limit agreed on
+before leaving Dodge, and here I am with six herds--twenty thousand
+cattle!--within twenty miles of the Beaver. For fear of a stampede last
+night, we threw the herds left and right, two miles off the trail. The
+Lord surely loves cattle or the earth would have shook from
+running herds!"
+
+That afternoon and the next morning the second division of the Lovell
+herds crossed the Beaver. Forrest rode in and saluted the boys with his
+usual rough caress.
+
+"Saddle up horses," said he, "and drop back and come through with the
+two rear herds, There's a heavy drag end on each one, and an extra man
+to nurse those tender cows over here, to home and friends, will be
+lending a hand to the needy. I'll run the ranch while you're gone. One
+of you to each, the fourth and fifth herds, remember. I'll meet you
+to-morrow morning, and we'll cut the cripples out and point them in to
+the new tanks below. Shake out your fat horses, sweat them up a
+little--you're needed at the rear of Lovell's main drive."
+
+The boys saddled and rode away in a gallop. Three of the rear herds
+reached the Beaver that afternoon, watered, and passed on to safe camps
+beyond. One of Quirk's wagons had left a quarter of beef at
+headquarters, and Forrest spent the night amid peace and plenty where
+the year before he lay wounded.
+
+The next morning saw the last of the Lovell herds arrive. The lead one
+yielded ninety cripples, and an hour later the rear guard disgorged a
+few over one hundred head. The two contingents were thrown together, the
+brothers nursed them in to the new tanks, where they were freed on a
+perfect range. A count of the cripples and fagged cattle, culled back at
+headquarters, brought the total discard of the sixteen herds up to two
+hundred and forty-odd, a riffraff of welcome flotsam, running from a
+young steer to a seven-year-old beef. The sweepings had paid the
+reckoning.
+
+Several other trail foremen, scouting in advance of their herds, had
+reached the Beaver, or had been given assurance that water was to be had
+in abundance. A measurement of the water was awaited with interest, and
+once the rear herd grazed out from the beaver ponds, Forrest and the
+brothers rode around the pools to take soundings.
+
+"I cut notches on willow roots, at each beaver dam, and the loss runs
+from four to six inches, the lower pools suffering the heaviest," said
+Joel, summing up the situation.
+
+"They're holding like cisterns," exultingly said Forrest. "Fifty
+thousand cattle watered, and only lowered the pools on an average of
+five inches. The upper one's still taking water--that's the reason it's
+standing the drain. Write it in the sand or among the stars, but the
+water's here for this year's drive. Go back and tell those waiting
+foremen to bring on their cattle. Headquarters ranch will water every
+trail herd, or break a tug trying."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+WATER! WATER!
+
+
+"Bring on your herds," said Joel, addressing a quartette of trail
+foremen resting under the sunshade. "Our water is holding out better
+than we expected. The Lovell cattle only lowered the ponds a trifle.
+From the present outlook, we can water the drive."
+
+"That's a big contract," reluctantly admitted a "Running W" trail boss.
+"I had word on the railroad yesterday that the Arkansaw River at Dodge
+was only running at night."
+
+"Water is reported plentiful around Ogalalla and beyond," doggedly said
+a pock-marked foreman.
+
+"That'll tempt the herds to cross over," urged the Running W man. "The
+faraway hills are always green."
+
+The conversation took a new tack. "Who knows the estimate on the total
+drive this year?" inquired a swarthy, sun-burned little man, addressing
+the pock-marked foreman.
+
+"A rough estimate places the drive at six hundred and fifty thousand
+head," came the languid reply.
+
+"There you are," smilingly said the Running W boss, turning to Joel.
+"Better revise your water estimate."
+
+"Not now," answered Joel, meeting smile with smile. "Later on I may have
+to hedge, but for the present, bring on your cattle."
+
+"That's to the point," languidly said a tall, blond Texan, arising. "My
+cattle must have water this evening."
+
+The other trail foremen arose. "We all understand," remarked the
+pock-marked man to the others, "that this is the place where we drop our
+strays, fagged and crippled stuff. These are the boys that Mr. Lovell
+mentioned as worthy of any cattle that must be abandoned."
+
+"At Wells Brothers' ranch, on the Beaver," assentingly said the little
+man.
+
+"Our lead herds will not have many cripples," said the Running W
+foreman, turning to the boys. "A few days' rest is everything to a
+tender-footed steer, and what cattle the lead ones drop, the rear ones
+have orders to bring through to you."
+
+"Thank you, sir," said Joel frankly. "We want to stock our range, and
+crippled cattle are as good as gold to us."
+
+Spurs clanked as the men turned to their mounts. The boys followed, and
+Dell overtook the blond Texan. "If you need a hand on the drag end of
+your herd," said the boy to the tall foreman, "I'll get up a fresh horse
+and overtake you."
+
+"Make it a horse apiece," said the young man, "and I'll sign your
+petition for the post office--when this country has one. I'm as good
+as afoot."
+
+The other foremen mounted their horses. "I'll overtake you," said Joel
+to the trio, "as soon as I change mounts. Whoever has the lead herd,
+come in on the water above the field. The upper pools are the deepest,
+and let your cattle cover the water evenly."
+
+"I'm in the lead," said the pock-marked man. "But we'll have to come up
+to the water in trailing formation. The cattle have suffered from
+thirst, and they break into a run at sight of water, if grazed up to it.
+You may take one point and I'll take the other."
+
+The existing drouth promised a good schooling for the brothers. Among
+the old philosophies, contact was said to be educational. Wells Brothers
+were being thrown in contact with the most practical men that the
+occupation, in all pastoral ages, had produced. The novelty of trailing
+cattle vast distances had its origin with the Texans. Bred to the
+calling, they were masters of the craft. In the hands of an adept outfit
+of a dozen men, a trail herd of three thousand beeves had all the
+mobility of a brigade of cavalry. The crack of a whip was unheard on the
+trail. A whispered order, followed by a signal to the men, and the herd
+turned, grazed to its contentment, fell into column formation, and took
+up its march--a peaceful march that few armies have equaled. Contact
+with these men, the rank and file of that splendid cavalry which once
+patrolled the range industry of the West, was priceless to the boys.
+
+The lead herd reached the Beaver valley at noon. When within a mile of
+the water, the point men gave way to the foremen and Joel Wells. But
+instead of dropping back, the dust-covered men rode on into the lead,
+the action being seemingly understood by every one except the new hand
+on the point. Joel was alert, felt the massive column of beeves yield to
+his slightest pressure, as a ship to the hand of the helmsman, as he
+veered the leaders out of the broken trails and guided the herd around
+the field to the upper pools. On nearing the water, the deposed point
+men deployed nearer the lead, when the object of their position
+explained itself. On sighting the ponds, the leaders broke into a run,
+but the four horsemen at hand checked the excited dash, and the herd was
+led up to the water in column formation. It was the mastery of man over
+the creature.
+
+The herds arrived in hit-and-miss class. The destination of the
+pock-marked foreman's beeves was an army post in Dakota. The swarthy
+little man followed with a herd of cows for delivery at an Indian agency
+in Wyoming. The different Running W herds were under contract to
+different cattle companies, in adjoining states and territories. The
+tall foreman's herd was also under contract, but the point of delivery
+was at Ogalalla, on the Platte, where a ranch outfit would receive
+the cattle.
+
+The latter herd arrived late at evening. The cattle were driven on
+speculation, there had been an oversight in mounting the outfit, and the
+men, including the foreman, were as good as afoot.
+
+"This trip lets me out," said the young Texan to the brothers, "of
+walking up the trail and leading fagged-out saddle stock. A mount of six
+horses to the man may be all right on a ranch, but it won't do on the
+trail. Especially in a dry year, with delivery on the Platte. Actually,
+this afternoon is the first time I have felt a horse under me since we
+crossed Red River. Give me a sheet of paper, please. I want to give you
+a bill of sale for these six drag ponies that I'm sawing off on you. I
+carry written authority to give a bill of sale, and it will always
+protect your possession of the horses. They wouldn't bring a dollar a
+head in Ogalalla, but when they round into form again next summer, some
+brand ferret passing might want to claim them on you. Any cattle that I
+cull out here are abandoned, you understand, simply abandoned."
+
+The boys were left alone for the first time in several nights. The rush
+of the past few days had kept them in the saddle during their waking
+hours. The dead-line had been neglected, the drifting of cripples to the
+new tanks below was pressing, and order must be established. The water
+in the pools was the main concern, a thing beyond human control, and a
+matter of constant watchfulness. A remark dropped during the day, of
+water flowing at night, was not lost on the attentive ear of Joel Wells.
+
+"What did you mean?" he politely inquired of the Running W foreman,
+while the latter's herd was watering, "of a river only running
+at night?"
+
+"All over this arid country moisture rises at night and sinks by day,"
+replied the trail boss. "Under drouth, these sandy rivers of the plain,
+including the Platte and for a thousand miles to the south, only flow at
+night. It's their protection against the sun's absorption. Mark these
+pools at sunset and see if they don't rise an inch to-night. Try it
+and see."
+
+Willow roots were notched on the water-line of each beaver dam. The
+extreme upper pool was still taking water from a sickly flow, a
+struggling rivulet, fed by the springs at its head. Doubt was indulged
+in and freely expressed.
+
+"If the water only holds a week longer," ventured Dell, sleepless in his
+blankets, "it'll double our holding of cattle."
+
+"It'll hold a month," said Joel, equally sleepless. "We've got to stand
+by these trail herds--there is no other water short of the Republican.
+I've figured it all out. When the Beaver ponds are gone, we'll round up
+the wintered cattle, drift them over to the south fork of the
+Republican, and get some one to hold them until frost falls. Then we'll
+ship the cripples up to Hackberry Grove, and that will free the new
+tanks--water enough for twenty trail herds. We have the horses, and
+these trail outfits will lend us any help we need. By shifting cattle
+around, I can see a month's supply. And there may be something in water
+rising at night. We'll know in the morning."
+
+Sleep blotted out the night. Dawn revealed the fact that the trail
+foreman knew the secrets of the plain. "That trail boss knew," shouted
+Joel, rushing into the tent and awakening Dell. "The water rose in every
+pool. The lower one gained an inch and the upper one gained two. The
+creek is running freely. The water must be rising out of the ground. Let
+those Texans bring on their herds. We have oceans of water!"
+
+The cattle came. The first week thirty herds passed the new ranch. It
+took riding. The dead-line was held, the flotsam cared for, and a hand
+was ever ready to point a herd or nurse the drag end. Open house was
+maintained. Every arriving foreman was tendered a horse, and left his
+benediction on the Beaver.
+
+The ranch proved a haven to man and beast. One of the first foremen to
+arrive during the second week was Nat Straw. He drove up at sunset, with
+a chuck-wagon, halted at the tent, and in his usual easy manner
+inquired, "Where is the matron of this hospital?"
+
+"Here she is," answered Dell, recognizing the man and surmising the
+situation. "One of your men hurt?"
+
+"Not seriously," answered Straw, looking back into the wagon. "Just a
+little touch of the dengue. He's been drinking stagnant water, out of
+cow tracks, for the last few months, and that gets into the bones of the
+best of us. I'm not feeling very well myself."
+
+Dell lifted the wagon-sheet and peered inside. "Let's get the poor
+fellow into the tent," urged the boy. "Can he walk, or can you and I
+carry him?"
+
+"He's the long size Texan, and we'd better try and trail him in,"
+answered Straw, alighting from the wagon. "Where's Dr. Joel Wells?"
+
+"Riding the dead-line. He'll be in shortly. I'll fix a cot, and we'll
+bring the sick man in at once."
+
+It was simple malaria, known in the Southwest as dengue fever. The
+unfortunate lad was made comfortable, and on Joel riding in, Straw had
+skirmished some corn, and was feeding his mules.
+
+"As one of the founders of this hospital," said Straw, after greeting
+Joel, "this corn has my approval. It is my orders, as one of the
+trustees, that it be kept in stock hereafter. This team has to go back
+to the Prairie Dog to-night, and this corn will fortify them for
+the trip."
+
+The situation was explained. "I only lost half a day," continued Straw,
+"by bringing the poor fellow over to you. He's one of the best men that
+ever worked for me, and a month's rest will put him on his feet again.
+Now, if one of you boys will take the team back to--"
+
+"Certainly," answered Joel. "Anything a director of this hospital wants
+done--We're running a relief station now--watering the entire drive this
+year. Where's your outfit camped?"
+
+"A mile above the trail crossing on the Prairie Dog. The wagon's empty.
+Leave here at two o'clock to-night, and you'll get there in time for
+breakfast."
+
+"I'm your man. Going to the Prairie Dog at night, in the summer, is a
+horse that's easy curried."
+
+The next evening Joel brought in Straw's herd. In the mean time the sick
+man had been cared for, and the passing wayfarer and his cattle made
+welcome and sped on their way. During the lay-over, Straw had lost his
+place in the overland march, two herds having passed him and crossed
+the Beaver.
+
+"I'm corporal here to-day," said Straw to the two foremen, who arrived
+together in advance. "On this water, I'm the squatter that'll rob you
+right. You'll count your cattle to me and pay the bill in advance. This
+cool, shaded water in the Beaver is worth three cents a head, and I'll
+count you down to a toddling calf and your wagon mules. Your drafts are
+refused honor at the Beaver banks--nothing but the long green passes
+currency here. You varmints must show some regrets for taking advantage
+of a widow woman. I'll make you sorry for passing me."
+
+"How I love to hear old Nat rattle his little song," said one of the
+foremen, shaking hands with Dell. "Remember the night you slept with me?
+How's the black cow I gave you last summer?"
+
+Dell fairly clung to the grasped hand. "Pressnell's foreman!" said he,
+recalling both man and incident. "The cow has a roan calf. Sit down.
+Will you need a fresh horse to-day? Do you like lettuce?"
+
+"I reckon, Nat," said the other foreman, an hour later, as the two
+mounted loaned horses, "I reckon your big talk goes up in smoke. You're
+not the only director in this cattle company. Dell, ransack both our
+wagons to-day, and see if you can't unearth some dainties for this sick
+lad. No use looking in Straw's commissary; he never has anything to eat;
+Injuns won't go near his wagon."
+
+Straw spent a second night with the sick man. On leaving in the
+morning, he took the feverish hand of the lad and said: "Now, Jack, make
+yourself right at home. These boys have been tried before, and they're
+our people. I'm leaving you a saddle and a horse, and when you get on
+your feet, take your own bearings. You can always count on a job with
+me, and I'll see that you draw wages until my outfit is relieved. This
+fever will burn itself out in a week or ten days. I'll keep an eye over
+you until you are well. S'long, Jack."
+
+The second week fell short only two herds of the previous one. There
+were fully as many cattle passed, and under the heat of advancing summer
+the pools suffered a thirsty levy. The resources of the ponds were a
+constant source of surprise, as an occasional heavy beef caved a foot
+into an old beaver warren, which poured its contents into the pools. At
+the end of the first fortnight, after watering fifty-eight herds, nearly
+half the original quantity of water was still in reserve.
+
+A third week passed. There was a decided falling off in the arrival of
+herds, only twenty-two crossing the Beaver. The water reserves suffered
+freely, more from the sun's absorption than from cattle, until the
+supply became a matter of the most serious concern. The pools would not
+have averaged a foot in depth, the flow from the springs was a mere
+trickle, the beaver burrows sounded empty to a horse's footbeat, and
+there must be some limit to the amount the parched soil would yield.
+
+The brothers found apt counsel in their guest. By the end of the second
+week, the fever had run its course, and the sick man, Jack Sargent, was
+up and observant of the situation. True to his calling, he felt for the
+cattle, and knew the importance of water on the Beaver to the
+passing drive.
+
+"You must rest these beaver ponds," said Jack, in meeting the emergency.
+"Every time these pools lower an inch, it gives the sun an advantage.
+It's absorption that's swallowing up the ponds. You must deepen these
+pools, which will keep the water cooler. Rest these ponds a few days, or
+only water late at night. You have water for weeks yet, but don't let
+the sun rob you. These ponds are living springs compared to some of the
+water we used south of Red River. Meet the herds on the divide, and
+pilot the early ones to the tanks below, and the late ones in here.
+Shifting in your saddle rests a horse, and a little shifting will save
+your water."
+
+The advice was acted on. While convalescent, Sargent was installed as
+host on the Beaver, and the brothers took to their saddles. The majority
+of the herds were met on the Prairie Dog, and after a consultation with
+the foremen their cattle were started so as to reach the tanks by day or
+the ranch at evening. The month rounded out with the arrival of eighteen
+herds, only six of which touched at headquarters, and the fourth week
+saw a distinct gain in the water supply at the beaver dams. The boys
+barely touched at home, to change horses, living with the trail wagons,
+piloting in herds, rich in the reward of relieving the wayfaring, and
+content with the crumbs that fell to their range.
+
+The drouth of 1886 left a gruesome record in the pastoral history of the
+West. The southern end of the Texas and Montana cattle trail was marked
+by the bones of forty thousand cattle that fell, due to the want of
+water, during the months of travail on that long march. Some of this
+loss was due to man's inhumanity to the cattle of the fields, in
+withholding water, but no such charge rested on the owners of the little
+ranch on the Beaver.
+
+A short month witnessed the beginning of the end of the year's drive.
+Only such herds as were compelled to, and those that had strength in
+reserve, dared the plain between the Arkansas and Platte Rivers. The
+fifth week only six herds arrived, all of which touched at the ranch;
+half of them had been purchased at Dodge, had neither a cripple nor a
+stray to bestow, but shared the welcome water and passed on.
+
+One of the purchased herds brought a welcome letter to Joel. It was from
+Don Lovell, urgently accenting anew his previous invitation to come to
+Dodge and look over the market.
+
+"After an absence of several weeks," wrote Mr. Lovell, "I have returned
+to Dodge. From a buyer's standpoint, the market is inviting. The boom
+prices which prevailed in '84 are cut in half. Any investment in cattle
+now is perfectly safe.
+
+"I have ordered three of my outfits to return here. They will pass your
+ranch. Fall in with the first one that comes along. Bring a mount of
+horses, and report to me on arriving. Fully half this year's drive is
+here, unsold. Be sure and come."
+
+"Are you going?" inquired Dell on reading the letter.
+
+"I am," answered Joel with emphasis.
+
+"That's the talk," said Sargent. "Whenever cattle get so cheap that no
+other man will look a cow in the face, that's the time to buy her.
+Folks are like sheep; the Bible says so; they all want to buy or all
+want to sell. I only know Mr. Lovell from what you boys have told me;
+but by ordering three outfits to return to Dodge, I can see that he's
+going to take advantage of that market and buy about ten thousand
+cattle. You've got the range. Buy this summer. I'll stay with Dell until
+you return. Buy a whole herd of steers, and I'll help you hold them
+this winter."
+
+The scene shifted. Instead of looking to the south for a dust cloud, the
+slopes of the north were scanned for an approaching cavalcade. The last
+week admitted of taking an account of the cattle dropped at the new
+ranch. From the conserves of its owners, one hundred and four herds had
+watered, over three hundred thousand cattle, the sweepings of which
+amounted to a few over eleven hundred head, fully fifty of which,
+exhausted beyond recovery, died after reaching their new range.
+
+By the end of July, only an occasional herd was arriving. August was
+ushered in with the appearance of Bob Quirk, one of the division
+foremen, on the upper march. He arrived early in the morning, in advance
+of his outfit barely an hour, and inquired for Joel. Dell answered for
+the brothers, the older one and Sargent being above at Hackberry Grove.
+
+"I have orders to bring him to Dodge," said Quirk, dismounting. "Make
+haste and bring in the remuda. We'll cut him out a mount of six horses
+and throw them in with mine. Joel can follow on the seventh. My outfit
+will barely touch here in passing. We're due to receive cattle in Dodge
+on the 5th, and time is precious. Joel can overtake us before night.
+Make haste."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+A PROTECTED CREDIT
+
+
+The trail outfit swept past the ranch, leaving Dell on nettles. The
+importance of the message was urgent, and saddling up a horse, he
+started up the Beaver in search of Joel and Sargent. They were met
+returning, near the dead-line, and after listening to the breathless
+report, the trio gave free rein to their horses on the homeward ride.
+
+"I'll use old Rowdy for my seventh horse," said Joel, swinging out of
+the saddle at the home corral. "Bring him in and give him a feed of
+corn. It may be late when I overtake the outfit. Mr. Quince says that
+that old horse has cow-sense to burn; that he can scent a camp at night,
+or trail a remuda like a hound."
+
+An hour later Joel cantered up to the tent. "This may be a wild-goose
+chase," said he, "but I'm off. If my hopes fall dead, I can make a hand
+coming back. Sargent, if I do buy any cattle, your name goes on the
+pay-roll from to-day. I'll leave you in charge of the ranch, anyhow.
+There isn't much to do except to ride the dead-line twice a day. The
+wintered cattle are located; and the cripples below--the water and
+their condition will hold them. Keep open house, and amuse yourselves
+the best you can. That's about all I can think of just now."
+
+Joel rode away in serious meditation. Although aged beyond his years, he
+was only seventeen. That he could ride into Dodge City, the far-famed
+trail-town of the West, and without visible resources buy cattle, was a
+fit subject for musing. There the drovers from Texas and the ranchmen
+from the north and west met and bartered for herds--where the drive of
+the year amounted to millions in value. Still the boy carried a pressing
+invitation from a leading drover to come, and neither slacking rein nor
+looking back, he was soon swallowed up in the heat-waves over the plain.
+
+Sargent and Dell sought the shelter of the awning. "Well," said the
+latter, "that trip's a wild-goose chase. How he expects to buy cattle
+without money gets me."
+
+"It may be easier than it seems," answered Sargent. "You secured a start
+in cattle last summer without money. Suppose you save a thousand head
+out of the cripples this year, what have they cost you?"
+
+"That's different," protested Dell. "Dodge City is a market where
+buyers and sellers meet."
+
+"True enough. And behind that are unseen conditions. The boom of two
+years ago in land and live stock bankrupted many people in Texas. Cattle
+companies were organized on the very summit of that craze. Then came the
+slump. Last year cattle had fallen in price nearly forty per cent. This
+year there is a further falling. I'm giving you Texas conditions. Half
+the herds at Dodge to-day are being handled by the receivers of cattle
+companies or by trustees for banks. That accounts for the big drive.
+Then this drouth came on, and the offerings at Dodge are unfit for any
+purpose, except to restock ranches. And those northern ranchmen know it.
+They'll buy the cattle at their own price and pay for them when they get
+good and ready."
+
+Dell was contending for his view. "Do you claim that a northern cowman
+can buy cattle from a Texas drover without money?"
+
+"Certainly. When one sheep jumps off the cliff and breaks his neck, all
+the rest jump off and break their necks. When money is pouring into
+cattle, as it was two years ago, range cattle were as good as gold. Now,
+when all that investment is trying to withdraw from cattle, they become
+a drag on the market. The Simple Simons ain't all dead yet. Joel will
+buy cattle."
+
+"He may, but I don't see how."
+
+"Buy them just as any other wide-awake cowman. You brothers are known in
+Dodge. This water that you have given the drovers, during the drouth,
+has made you friends. Mr. Lovell's word, in your behalf, is as good as
+money in the bank. Joel will come back with cattle. My only fear is, he
+won't strain his credit."
+
+"Credit! Who would credit us?"
+
+"Why not? There are not so many drovers at Dodge who had your showing at
+the same age. They have fought their way up and know who to credit. Your
+range and ability to hold cattle are your best assets. We must shape up
+the ranch, because Joel will come in with cattle."
+
+"You're the foreman," said Dell assentingly. "And what's more, if Joel
+comes home with cattle, I'll hit the ground with my hat and shout as
+loud as any of you."
+
+"That's the talk. I'm playing Joel to come back winner. Let's saddle up
+horses, and ride through the cripples this afternoon. I want to get the
+lay of the range, and the water, and a line on the cattle."
+
+Joel overtook Bob Quirk midway between the Prairie Dog and the
+railroad. The outfit was drifting south at the rate of forty miles a
+day, traveling early and late to avoid the heat. On sighting the lone
+horseman in the rear, signals were exchanged, and the foreman halted
+until Joel overtook the travelers.
+
+"This is the back track," said Quirk, "and we're expected to crowd three
+days into one. I don't know what the old man wants with you, but I had a
+wire to pick you up."
+
+"Mr. Lovell has been urging me to stock our range--to buy more cattle,"
+admitted Joel.
+
+"That's what I thought. He's buying right and left. We're on our way now
+to receive cattle. That's it; the old man has a bunch of cattle in
+sight for you."
+
+"Possibly. But what's worrying me is, how am I to buy them--if it takes
+any money!" dejectedly admitted the husky boy.
+
+"Is that fretting you?" lightly inquired Quirk. "Let the old man do the
+worrying--that's his long suit. You can rest easy that he has everything
+all figured out. It might keep you and I guessing, but it's as clear as
+mud to that old man. We'll make Dodge in four days."
+
+The ravages of the drouth were disheartening. A few hours after sunrise,
+a white haze settled over the dull, dead plain, the heat-waves rolled
+up to the cavalcade like a burning prairie, sweat and dust crusted over
+the horses under saddle, without variation of pace or course. Only three
+herds were met, feeling their way through the mirages, or loitering
+along the waters. Traveling by night was preferable, and timing the
+route into camps and marches, the cottonwood on the Arkansas River was
+sighted in advance of the schedule.
+
+The outfit halted on a creek north of town. Cattle under herd had been
+sighted by the thousands, and before the camp was made snug, a
+conveyance drove up and Forrest and Don Lovell alighted.
+
+"Well, Bob, you're a little ahead of time," said the latter, amid
+general greetings, "but I'm glad of it. I've closed trades on enough
+cattle to make up a herd, and the sellers are hurrying me to receive
+them. Pick up a full outfit of men to-night, and we'll receive to-morrow
+afternoon. Quince took the train at Cheyenne, but his outfit ought to
+reach here in a day or so. I've laid my tape on this market, and have
+all the cattle in sight that I want. Several deals are pending, awaiting
+the arrival of this boy. Come to town to-night. I'll take Joel under my
+wing right now."
+
+Three horses were caught, Joel riding one and leading two, and the
+vehicle started. It was still early in the afternoon, and following down
+the creek, within an hour the party reached a trail wagon encamped. A
+number of men were about, including a foreman; and at the request of Mr.
+Lovell to look over their cattle and horses again the camp took on an
+air of activity. A small remuda was corralled within ropes, running from
+choice to common horses, all of which were looked over carefully by the
+trio, including the wagon team. A number of horses were under saddle,
+and led by the foreman, a quartette of men started in advance to
+bunch the herd.
+
+Leaving Forrest at the camp, Mr. Lovell and Joel took the rig and
+leisurely followed the departing horsemen. "This is one of the best
+herds on the market," said the old drover to the boy, "and I've kept the
+deal pending, to see if you and I couldn't buy it together. It runs full
+thirty-five hundred cattle, twelve hundred threes and the remainder
+twos. I always buy straight two-year-olds for my beef ranch, because I
+double-winter all my steer cattle--it takes two winters in the north to
+finish these Texas steers right. Now, if you can handle the threes, the
+remnant of twos, and the saddle stock, we'll buy the herd, lock, stock,
+and barrel. The threes will all ship out as four-year-old beeves next
+fall, and you can double-winter the younger cattle. I can use two
+thousand of the two-year-olds, and if you care for the others, after we
+look them over, leave me to close the trade."
+
+"Mr. Lovell, it has never been clear to me how I am to buy cattle
+without money," earnestly said Joel.
+
+"Leave that to me--I have that all figured out. If we buy this herd
+together, you can ship out two thousand beef cattle next fall, and a
+ranch that has that many beeves to market a year hence, can buy, with or
+without money, any herd at Dodge to-day. If you like the cattle and want
+them, leave it all to me."
+
+"But so many horses--We have forty horses already," protested Joel.
+
+"A wide-awake cowman, in this upper country, always buys these southern
+horses a year in advance of when he needs them. Next year you'll be
+running a shipping outfit, mounting a dozen men, sending others on fall
+round-ups, and if you buy your horses now, you'll have them in the pink
+of condition then. It's a small remuda, a few under sixty horses, as
+fifty head were detailed out here to strengthen remudas that had to go
+to the Yellowstone. This foreman will tell you that he topped out
+twenty-five of the choice horses before the other trail bosses were
+allowed to pick. As the remuda stands, its make-up is tops and tailings.
+A year hence one will be as good as the other. You'll need the horses,
+and by buying down to the blanket, turning the owner foot-loose and
+free, it will help me to close the trade, in our mutual interest."
+
+The cattle were some two miles distant, under close herd, and by quietly
+edging them in onto a few hundred acres, they could be easily looked
+over from the conveyance. On the arrival of the prospective buyers, the
+foreman had the cattle sufficiently compact, and the old man and the boy
+drove back and forth through the herd for fully an hour. They were
+thrifty, western Texas steers, had missed the drouth by coming into the
+trail at Camp Supply, and were all that could be desired in range
+cattle. The two agreed on the quality of the herd, and on driving out
+from among the cattle, the foreman was signaled up.
+
+"One of my outfits arrived from the Platte this afternoon," said Mr.
+Lovell, "and we'll receive to-morrow. That leaves me free to pick up
+another herd. If Dud would try his best, he would come very near selling
+me these cattle. I've got a buyer in sight for the threes and remnant of
+twos, and if you price the horses right, we might leave you afoot. If
+you see Dudley before I do, tell him I looked over his cattle again."
+
+"I'll see him to-night," said the foreman, calling after the vehicle.
+
+Forrest was picked up, and they returned to town. The fame of wicked
+Dodge never interfered with the transaction of business, its iniquity
+catering largely to the rabble.
+
+"I'll take Joel with me," said the drover to Forrest, "and you look
+after the horses and hang around the hotel. Dud Stoddard is almost sure
+to look me up, and if you meet him, admit that we looked over his cattle
+again. I want him to hound me into buying that herd."
+
+Joel's taciturn manner stood him in good stead. He was alert to all that
+was passing and, except with Mr. Lovell, was reticent in the extreme.
+The two strolled about the streets during the evening hours, and on
+returning to the hotel rather late, Dudley Stoddard was awaiting the old
+drover. There was no prelude to the matter at issue, and after arranging
+with other sellers to receive the following day, Mr. Lovell led the way
+to his room.
+
+"This is one of the Wells Brothers," said the old cowman, presenting
+Joel; "one of the boys who watered the drive on the Beaver this summer.
+I was up on his ranch about a month ago, and gave him a good scolding
+for not stocking his range somewhere near its carrying capacity. He's
+the buyer I had in view for your three-year-olds. You offered me the
+herd, on time, and at satisfactory prices. I can use two thousand of the
+twos, and Wells Brothers will take the remainder, and we'll turn you
+afoot. Say so, and your herd is sold."
+
+"Well," said Mr. Stoddard, somewhat embarrassed, "I don't happen to know
+the Wells Brothers--and I usually know men when I extend them a credit.
+This boy--Well, I'm not in the habit of dealing with boys."
+
+"You and I were boys once and had to make our start," testily replied
+Mr. Lovell, pacing the room. "The Wells Brothers are making the fight
+that you and I were making twenty years ago. In our early struggles, had
+some one stood behind us, merely stood behind us, it might have been
+different with us to-day. And now when I don't need no help--Dud, it
+don't cost much to help others. These boys have proven themselves white,
+to yours and to my men and to yours and to my cattle. Is there nothing
+we can do?"
+
+Mr. Stoddard turned to the old drover. "I'll renew my last offer to you.
+Take the herd and sell these boys the older cattle and remnants. You
+know the brothers--you know their resources."
+
+"No!" came the answer like a rifle-shot.
+
+"Then, will you stand sponsor--will you go their security?"
+
+"No! These boys can't send home for money nor can't borrow any. Their
+only asset is their ability to hold and mature cattle. Last winter, the
+most severe one in the history of the West, they lost two per cent of
+their holdings. Neither you nor I can make as good a showing on any of
+our ranges. Dud, what I'm trying to do is to throw on this boy's
+shoulders the _responsibility_ of _paying_ for _any cattle he buys_. At
+his age it would be wrong to rob him of that important lesson. Let's you
+and I stand behind him, and let's see to it that he makes the right
+effort to protect his credit."
+
+"That's different," admitted Mr. Stoddard. "Don, if you'll suggest the
+means to that end, I'll try and meet you halfway."
+
+Mr. Lovell took a seat at the table and picked up a blank sheet of
+paper. "As mutual friends," said he, "let me draw up, from seller to
+buyer, an iron-clad bill of sale. Its first clause will be a vendor's
+lien for the cost of the cattle, horses, etc. Its second will be the
+appointment of a commission house, who will act as agent, hold this
+contract, and receive the beeves when ready for shipment to market. Its
+third clause will be your right, as creditor in a sale of chattel, to
+place a man of your own selection on Wells Brothers' ranch, under their
+pay and subject to their orders. As your representative, the privilege
+is granted of making a daily, weekly, or monthly report to you of the
+condition of the cattle and the general outlook of the buyers to meet
+this, their covenant with the seller, before November 1, 1887.
+
+"I wouldn't enter into such a contract with you," continued Mr. Lovell,
+throwing down the sheet of paper, "but I want this boy to learn the
+value of a well-protected credit. At his time of life, it's an asset.
+I'll pay for my half when it's convenient, but I want him to meet his
+first obligation on or before the day of maturity. I can speak for the
+boy's willingness to make such a contract. What do you say?"
+
+"Delivery here or elsewhere?" inquired Mr. Stoddard.
+
+"My half here, within three days, the remainder on the Beaver, a seven
+days' drive. It won't cost you a cent more to send your outfit home from
+Grinnell than from Dodge. Ten days will end all your trouble. What
+do you say?"
+
+"Don, let me talk the matter over with you privately," said Mr.
+Stoddard, arising. "The boy will excuse us. We'll give him a
+square deal."
+
+The two old men left the room. Forrest arose from a couch and threw his
+arms around Joel. "It's a sale!" he whispered. "The cattle's yours! That
+old man of mine will ride Dud Stoddard all around the big corral and
+spur him in the flank at every jump, unless he comes to those terms. An
+iron-clad bill of sale is its own surety. You'll need the man, anyhow. I
+want to give the long yell."
+
+Mr. Lovell returned after midnight, and alone. Forrest and Joel arose to
+meet him, inquiry and concern in every look and action.
+
+"Take Joel and get out of here," said the old drover, whose twinkling
+eyes could not conceal the gloating within. "I've got to draw up that
+bill of sale. Just as if those steers wouldn't pay for themselves next
+fall. Get to bed, you rascals!"
+
+"Would there be any harm if I went down to the bank of the river and
+gave the long yell?" inquired Forrest, as he halted in the doorway.
+
+"Get to bed," urged the old drover. "I'll want you in the morning. We'll
+close a trade, the first thing, on fifteen hundred of those Womack
+twos. That'll give you a herd, and you can keep an eye over Joel's
+cattle until the Beaver's reached."
+
+During the few days which followed, Joel Wells was thrown in contact
+with the many features of a range cattle market. In all the migrations
+of mankind, strictly cattle towns like Dodge City and Ogalalla are
+unknown. They were the product of all pastoral ages, reaching a climax
+on American soil, and not of record in any other country or time. Joel
+let little escape him. Here men bought and sold by the thousand head, in
+his day and generation, and he was a part of that epoch.
+
+The necessary number of cattle to complete a herd for Forrest were
+purchased without leaving town. The afternoon was spent in receiving a
+herd, in which the veteran drover took a hand, assisted by two competent
+foremen. Every feature in the cattle, the why and wherefore, was pointed
+out by the trio, to the eager, earnest boy, so that the lesson sunk into
+Joel's every fibre. The beauty of the first herd received was in the
+uniform average of each animal, when ages, class, and build governed
+selection.
+
+Forrest's outfit arrived that evening, and without even a day's rest
+arrangements were made to receive the two contingents the next morning.
+When it came to receive the Stoddard herd, the deftness with which the
+two outfits classified the cattle was only short of marvelous. The
+threes were cut out, and each age counted. The over-plus of the younger
+cattle were cut back, and the contingents were tendered on delivery. The
+papers were ready, executed on the ground, and the herds started, the
+smaller in the lead.
+
+The drive to the Beaver was without incident. Forrest spent most of his
+time with the little herd, which used only eight men, counting Joel, who
+stood guard at night and made a hand. The herd numbered a few over
+fifteen hundred cattle, the remuda fifty-six horses, a team and wagon,
+the total contract price of which was a trifle under twenty-five
+thousand dollars. It looked like a serious obligation for two boys to
+assume, but practical men had sanctioned it, and it remained for the
+ability of Wells Brothers to meet it.
+
+On nearing the Beaver, the lead herd under Bob Quirk took the new trail,
+which crossed at the ranch. On their leaving the valley, a remark was
+dropped, unnoticed by Dell, but significant to Jack Sargent. It resulted
+in the two riding out on the trail, only to meet the purchased cattle,
+Joel on one point and Forrest on the other, directing the herds to the
+tanks below. The action bespoke its intent, and on meeting Forrest, the
+latter jerked his thumb over his shoulder, remarking, "Drop back and
+pilot the wagon and remuda into the ranch. We're taking this passel of
+cattle into the new tanks, and will scatter them up and down the creek.
+Lovell's cattle? No. Old man Joel Wells bought these to stock his ranch.
+See how chesty it makes him--he won't even look this way. You boys may
+have to sit up with him a few nights at first, but he'll get over that.
+Pilot in the remuda. You two are slated to take this outfit to the
+railroad to-night. Trail along, my beauties; Wells Brothers are shaking
+out a right smart bit of sail these days."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+"THE WAGON"
+
+
+The little ranch had assumed a contract and must answer at the appointed
+time. If the brothers could meet their first commercial obligation, it
+would establish their standing, and to that end every energy must be
+directed. They were extremely fortunate in the advice and help of two
+young men bred to the occupation, and whose every interest lay in making
+a success of the ranch.
+
+The trail outfit returned to the railroad that night. Everything was
+abandoned but their saddles--_burning the wagon_--while Joe Manly, one
+of their number, remained behind. Manly was not even the foreman, and on
+taking his departure the trail boss, in the presence of all, said to his
+man, "Now, Joe, turn yourself over to this ranch and make a useful hand.
+Drop old man Dudley a line whenever you have a chance. It's quite a
+little ride to the station, and we'll understand that no news is good
+news. And once you see that these cattle are going to winter safely,
+better raise the long yell and come home. You can drift back in the
+fall--during the beef-shipping season. I may write you when next
+summer's plans begin to unfold."
+
+Accompanied by Dell and Sargent, and singing the home songs of the
+South, the outfit faded away into the night. Forrest's herd had watered
+during the evening, and moved out to a safe camp, leaving its foreman on
+the Beaver. He and Manly discussed the situation, paving the way in
+detail, up to the manner of holding the cattle during the coming winter.
+With numbers exceeding three thousand, close herd and corralling at
+night was impossible, and the riding of lines, with an extra camp,
+admitting of the widest freedom, was decided on as the most feasible
+method. The new camp must be located well above Hackberry Grove, and to
+provision it for man and horse was one of the many details outlined in
+meeting the coming winter. Joel was an attentive listener, and having
+held cattle by one system, he fully understood the necessity of adopting
+some other manner of restraint. In locating cattle, where there was
+danger of drifting from any cause, the method of riding lines was simple
+and easily understood--to patrol the line liable to assault from
+drifting cattle.
+
+Forrest was elated over the outlook. On leaving the next morning, he
+turned his horse and rode back to the tent. "This may be the last time
+I'll come this way," said he to Joel, "as there is talk of the trail
+moving west. On account of fever, this State threatens to quarantine
+against Texas cattle. If it does, the trail will have to move over into
+Colorado or hunt a new route through unorganized counties on the western
+line of Kansas. In event of quarantine being enforced, it means a bigger
+range for Wells Brothers. Of course, this is only your second year in
+cattle, just getting a firm grip on the business, but I can see a big
+future for you boys. As cowmen, you're just in swaddling clothes yet,
+toddling around on your first legs, but the outlook is rosy. Hold these
+cattle this winter, protect your credit next fall, and it doesn't matter
+if I never come back. A year hence you'll have a bank account, be living
+on the sunny side of the creek, and as long as you stick to cows,
+through thick and thin, nothing can unhorse you."
+
+The trail foreman rode away to overtake his herd, and Joel and Manly
+busied themselves in locating the new cattle. Dell and Sargent
+accompanied the last Lovell herd into the ranch that evening, and it
+proved to be the rear guard of trail cattle for that summer.
+
+The ranch was set in order for the present. The dead-line was narrowed
+to a mile, which admitted of fully half the through cattle watering at
+the beaver ponds around headquarters. The new remuda, including all
+horses acquired that summer, to the number of eighty head, was moved up
+to Hackberry Grove and freed for the year. The wintered horses furnished
+ample saddle mounts for the present, there being little to do, as the
+water held the new cattle and no herding was required. The heat of
+summer was over, the water held in tanks and beaver dams, and the ranch
+settled down in pastoral security.
+
+Under the new outline for the winter, an increased amount of forage must
+be provided, as in riding lines two grain-fed horses to the man was the
+lowest limit in mounting all line-riders. Machinery was available on the
+railroad, and taking a team, Joel returned with a new mowing machine,
+and the matter of providing abundant forage was easily met. Sufficient
+hay, from a few bends of the creek, in dead-line territory, supplied the
+home ranch, and a week's encampment above Hackberry Grove saw the site
+of the new line-camp equipped with winter forage.
+
+While engaged on the latter task, a new feature was introduced on Wells
+Brothers' ranch. A movable commissary is a distinct aid to any pastoral
+occupation, and hence _the wagon_ becomes a cowman's home and castle.
+From it he dispenses a rough hospitality, welcomes the wayfarer, and
+exchanges the chronicle of the range. The wagon, which had been acquired
+with the new herd and used on the above occasion, was well equipped with
+canvas cover, water barrels, and a convenient chuck-box at the rear. The
+latter was fitted with drawers and compartments as conveniently as a
+kitchen. When open, the lid of the box afforded a table; when closed, it
+protected the contents from the outer elements. The wagon thus becomes
+home to nomadic man and animal, the one equal with the other. Saddle
+horses, when frightened at night, will rush to the safety of a camp-fire
+and the protection of their masters, and therefore a closer bond exists
+between the men of the open and their mounts than under more refined
+surroundings.
+
+Early in September a heavy rain fell in the west, extending down the
+Beaver, flushing the creek and providing an abundance of running water.
+It was followed by early frosts, lifting the dead-line and ushering in
+Indian summer. With forage secure, attention was turned to the cattle.
+The purchase of a mowing machine had exhausted the funds derived from
+the sale of peltry, and a shipment of cattle was decided on to provide
+the munitions for the coming winter. The wagon was accordingly
+provisioned for a week, the blankets stored in the commissary, and the
+quartette moved out to round up the wintered cattle. They had not been
+handled since the spring drift of March before, and when thrown into a
+compact herd, they presented a different appearance from the spiritless
+cattle of six months previous. A hundred calves, timid as fawns, shied
+from the horsemen, their mothers lowed in comforting concern, the beeves
+waddled about from carrying their own flesh, while the patriarchs of the
+herd bellowed in sullen defiance. Fifty of the heaviest beeves were cut
+out from the ---- Y brand, flesh governing the selection, and the first
+shipment of cattle left the Beaver for eastern markets.
+
+Four days were required to graze the heavy cattle down to the railroad.
+Dell drove the wagon, Sargent was intrusted with the remuda, the two
+others grazing the beeves, while each took his turn in standing guard at
+night. Water was plentiful, cars were in waiting, and on reaching the
+railroad, the cattle were corralled in the shipping pens.
+
+Joel and Manly accompanied the shipment to Kansas City. The beeves were
+consigned to the firm mentioned in the bill of sale as factor in
+marketing and settlement of the herd which had recently passed from the
+possession of Mr. Stoddard to that of Wells Brothers. The two cars of
+cattle found a ready sale, the weights revealing a surprise, attracting
+the attention of packers and salesmen to the quality of beef from the
+Beaver valley.
+
+"Give me the cattle from the short-grass country," said a salesman to a
+packer, as Wells Brothers' beeves were crossing the weighing scale. "You
+and I needn't worry about the question of range--the buffalo knew. Catch
+the weights of these cattle and compare it with range beef from the
+sedge-grass and mountain country. Tallow tells its own story--the
+buffalo knew the best range."
+
+An acquaintance with the commission house was established on a mutual
+basis. The senior member of the firm, a practical old man, detained Joel
+and Manly in his private office for an hour.
+
+"This market is alert to every new section having cattle to ship," said
+the old man to Joel, studying a sales statement. "The Solomon River
+country sent in some cattle last fall, but yours is the first shipment
+from the Beaver. Our salesman reports your consignment the fattest
+range beeves on to-day's market. And these weights confirm the
+statement. I don't understand it. What kind of a country have you
+out there?"
+
+Joel gave Manly an appealing look. "It's the plains," answered the
+latter. "It's an old buffalo range. You can see their skulls by the
+thousand. It's a big country; it just swells, and dips, and rolls away."
+
+It was the basis of a range which interested the senior member. "The
+grasses, the grasses?" he repeated. "What are your native grasses?"
+
+"Oh, just plain, every-day buffalo grass," answered Manly. "Of course,
+here and there, in the bends of the Beaver, there's a little blue-stem,
+enough for winter forage for the saddle stock. The cattle won't
+touch it."
+
+The last of many subjects discussed was the existing contract, of which
+the commission firm was the intermediary factor. The details were gone
+over carefully, the outlook for next year's shipments reviewed, and on
+taking their leave, the old man said to his guests:--
+
+"Well, I'm pleased over the outlook. The firm have had letters from both
+Mr. Lovell and Mr. Stoddard, and now that I've gone over the situation,
+with the boys in the saddle, everything is clear and satisfactory. Next
+year's shipments will take care of the contract. Keep in touch with us,
+and we'll advise you from time to time. Ship your cattle in finished
+condition, and they'll make a market for themselves. We'll expect you
+early next summer."
+
+"Our first shipment will be two hundred double-wintered cattle,"
+modestly admitted Joel.
+
+"They ought to be ready a full month in advance of your single-wintered
+beeves," said the old man, from his practical knowledge in maturing
+beef. "Ship them early. The bookkeeper has your account all ready."
+
+Joel and Manly were detained at the business office only a moment. The
+beeves had netted thirty-five dollars a head, and except for current
+expenses, the funds were left on deposit with the commission house, as
+there were no banks near home; the account was subject to draft, and
+accepting a small advance in currency, the boys departed. A brief hour's
+shopping was indulged in, the principal purchases being two long-range
+rifles, cartridges and poison in abundance, when they hastened to the
+depot and caught a west-bound train. Horses had been left at Grinnell,
+and at evening the next day the two rode into headquarters on
+the Beaver.
+
+Beyond question there are tides in the affairs of men. With the first
+shipment of cattle from the little ranch, poverty fled and an air of
+independence indicated the turn in the swing of the pendulum. Practical
+men, in every avenue of the occupation, had lent their indorsement to
+the venture of the brothers, the mettle of the pasture had been tested
+in the markets, and the future, with reasonable vigilance, rested on
+sure foundations.
+
+The turn of the tide was noticeable at once. "I really think Uncle Dud
+would let me come home," said Manly to the others, at supper. "There's
+no occasion for my staying here this winter. Besides, I'm a tender
+plant; I'm as afraid of cold as a darky is of thunder. Wouldn't I like
+to get a letter from Uncle Dud saying, 'Come home, my little white
+chicken, come home!'"
+
+"You can go in the spring," said Joel. "We're going to use four
+line-riders this winter, and there's every reason why you'll make a
+trusty one!"
+
+"That's one of the owners talking," observed Sargent; "now listen to the
+foreman's orders: The next thing is to brand every hoof up to date.
+Then, at the upper line-camp, comes the building of a new dug-out and
+stabling for four horses. And lastly, freight in plenty of corn. After
+that, if we fail to hold the cattle, it's our own fault. No excuse will
+pass muster. Hold these cattle? It's a dead immortal cinch! Joseph dear,
+make yourself a useful guest for the winter."
+
+A hopeful spirit lightened every task. The calves and their mothers were
+brought down to the home corral and branded in a single day. The
+Stoddard cattle, the title being conditional, were exempt, the Lazy H
+ranch brand fully protecting mutual interests. Only cripple, fagged, and
+stray cattle were branded, the latter numbering less than a hundred
+head, and were run into the Hospital brand, while the remainder bore
+the--Y of the ranch. The work was completed within a week, Dell making a
+hand which proved his nerve, either in the saddle or branding pen.
+
+The first week in October was devoted to building the new dug-out and
+stable. The wagon was provisioned, every implement and tool on the
+ranch, from a hammer to a plough, was taken along, as well as the
+remuda, and the quartette sallied forth to the task as if it were a
+frolic. The site had been decided on during the haying, and on reaching
+the scene, the tent was set up, and the building of a shelter for man
+and horse was begun.
+
+The dug-out of the West is built for comfort,--half cellar and the
+remainder sod walls. A southern slope was selected; an abrupt break or
+low bank was taken advantage of, admitting of four-foot cellar walls on
+three sides, the open end inclosed with massive sod walls and containing
+the door. The sod was broken by a team and plough, cut into lengths like
+brick, and the outside walls raised to the desired height. For roofing,
+a heavy ridge-pole was cut the length of the room, resting on stout
+upright posts. Lighter poles were split and laid compactly, like
+rafters, sheeted with hay, and covered with loose dirt to the depth of a
+foot. The floor was earthen; a half window east and west, supplemented
+by a door in the south, admitted light, making a cosy, comfortable
+shelter. A roomy stable was built on the same principle and from the
+same material.
+
+The work was completed quickly, fuel for the winter gathered, when the
+quartette started homeward. "It looks like the halfway house at Land's
+End," said Manly, turning for a last look at the new improvements. "What
+are you going to call the new tepee?"
+
+"Going to call it The Wagon," answered Sargent, he and Dell having
+accepted the new line-camp as their winter quarters, "and let the
+latch-string hang on the outside. Whenever you can, you must bring your
+knitting and come over."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+AN OPEN WINTER
+
+
+An ideal Indian summer was enjoyed. Between the early and late fall
+frosts, the range matured into perfect winter pasturage. Light rains in
+September freshened the buffalo grass until it greened on the sunny
+slopes, cured into hay as the fall advanced, thus assuring abundant
+forage to the cattle.
+
+Manly was the only one of the quartette not inured to a northern
+climate. A winter in Montana had made Sargent proof against any cold,
+while the brothers were native to that latitude if not to the plains.
+After building the line-camp and long before occupying it, the quartette
+paired off, Sargent and Dell claiming the new dug-out, while the other
+two were perfectly content with the old shack at headquarters. A healthy
+spirit of rivalry sprang up, extending from a division of the horses
+down to a fair assignment of the blankets.
+
+Preparations for and a constant reference to the coming winter aroused a
+dread in Manly. "You remind me of our darky cook," said Sargent, "up on
+the Yellowstone a few years ago. Half the trail outfit were detailed
+until frost, to avoid fever and to locate the cattle, and of course the
+cook had to stay. A squall of snow caught us in camp, and that poor
+darky just pined away. 'Boss,' he used to say to the foreman, shivering
+over the fire, 'ah's got to go home. Ah's subjec' to de rheumatics. Mah
+fambly's a-gwine to be pow'ful uneasy 'bout me. Dis-a-yere country am no
+place fo' a po' ol' niggah.'"
+
+Two teams were employed in freighting in the corn, four round trips
+being required, Joel and Manly assuming the work. Supplies for the
+winter were brought in at the same time, among the first of which were
+four sacks of salt; and the curing of two barrels of corned beef fell a
+pleasant task to Dell and his partner. There was nothing new in pickling
+the meat, and with the exception of felling the beeves, the incident
+passed as part of the day's work. Dell claimed the privilege of making
+the shots, which Sargent granted, but exercised sufficient caution to
+corral the beeves. Both fell in their tracks, and the novice gained
+confidence in his skill in the use of a rifle.
+
+The first of December was agreed on to begin the riding of lines. That
+date found all the new cattle drifted above headquarters, and as it was
+some ten miles to the upper line-camp, an extremely liberal range was
+allowed the herd. Eight of the best wintered horses were stabled, and at
+first the line was maintained on the south bank of the Beaver. An outer
+line was agreed upon, five miles to the south; but until the season
+forced the cattle to the shelter of the valley, the inner one was kept
+under patrol. The outer was a purely imaginary line, extending in an
+immense half-circle, from headquarters to the new line-camp above. It
+followed the highest ground, and marked the utmost limit on the winter
+range on the south. Any sign or trace of cattle crossing it, drifting
+before a storm or grazing at leisure, must be turned back or
+trailed down.
+
+The first and second weeks passed, the weather continuing fine. Many of
+the cattle ranged two and three miles north of the creek, not even
+coming in to water oftener than every other day. Several times the
+horsemen circled to the north; but as ranging wide was an advantage, the
+cattle were never disturbed. A light fall of soft snow even failed to
+bring the cattle into the valley.
+
+Christmas week was ushered in with a display of animal instinct. The
+through and wintered cattle had mixed and mingled, the latter fat and
+furred, forging to the front in ranging northward, and instinctively
+leading their brethren to shelter in advance of the first storm. Between
+the morning and evening patrol of a perfect day, the herd, of its own
+accord, drifted into the valley, the leaders rioting in a wild frolic.
+Their appearance hastened the patrol of the inner line by an hour, every
+nook and shelter, including the old corral, being filled with frolicsome
+cattle. The calves were engaging each other in mimic fights, while the
+older cattle were scarring every exposed bank, or matting their
+foreheads in clay and soft dirt.
+
+"What does it mean?" inquired Joel, hailing Sargent, when the
+line-riders met.
+
+"It means that we'll ride the outside line in the morning," came the
+reply. "There's a storm coming within twelve hours. At least, the
+herd say so."
+
+"What can we do?"
+
+"Leave that to the cattle. They'll not quit the valley unless driven out
+by a storm. The instinct that teaches them of the coming storm also
+teaches them how to meet it. They'll bed in the blue-stem to-night, or
+hunt a cosy nook under some cut-bank."
+
+A meeting point on the outer line, for the next morning, was agreed
+upon, when the horsemen separated for the evening. "Get out early, and
+keep your eyes open for any trace of cattle crossing the line," Sargent
+called back, as he reined homeward. "Dell and I will leave The Wagon at
+daybreak."
+
+The storm struck between midnight and morning. Dawn revealed an angry
+horizon, accompanied by a raw, blue-cold, cutting wind from the north.
+On leaving their quarters, both patrols caught the storm on an angle,
+edging in to follow the circle, their mounts snorting defiance and
+warming to the work in resisting the bitter morning. The light advanced
+slowly, a sifting frost filled the air, obscuring the valley, and not
+until the slope to the south was reached was the situation known.
+
+No cattle were in sight or adrift. Within an hour after leaving the
+line-camp, the experienced eye of Sargent detected a scattering trace
+where an unknown number of cattle had crossed the line. Both he and Dell
+dismounted, and after studying the trail, its approach and departure,
+the range-bred man was able to give a perfect summary of the situation.
+
+"There's between fifty and a hundred head in this drift," remarked
+Sargent, as the two remounted. "They're through cattle; the storm must
+have caught them on the divide, north of the Beaver. They struck the
+creek in the flats and were driven out of the valley. The trail's not
+over two hours old. Ride the line until you meet the other boys, and
+I'll trail down these cattle. The sand dunes ought to catch them."
+
+Dell and Sargent separated. Five miles to the eastward Joel was met.
+Manly was reported at the rear, the two having intercepted a contingent
+of cattle approaching the line, and was then drifting the stragglers
+back to the valley. On Dell's report, the brothers turned to the
+assistance of Sargent, retracing the western line, and finally bearing
+off for the sand hills. Several times the sun threatened to break
+through, lighting the valley, but without revealing any stir among the
+cattle in the shelter of the creek. In the short time since leaving
+their stables, the horses under saddle had whitened from the action of
+the frost on their sweaty coats, unheeded by their riders. There was no
+checking of mounts until the range of dunes was reached, when from the
+summit of a sand hill the stragglers were located in care of Sargent,
+and on the homeward drift. The cattle were so benumbed and bewildered
+from the cold that they had marched through the shelter of the dunes,
+and were overtaken adrift on the wind-swept plain.
+
+The contingent numbered sixty-odd cattle, and with the help of the
+brothers were easily handled. Before recrossing the line, the sun burst
+forth, and on reaching the slope, the trio halted in parting. "A few
+hours of this sun," said Sargent, "and we've got the upper hand of this
+storm. The wind or sun must yield. If the wind lulls, we'll ride the
+inner line to-night and bed every hoof in the shelter of the creek. Pick
+up Manly, and we'll ride the valley line about the middle of the
+afternoon."
+
+Joel turned homeward, scouting that portion of the line under patrol
+from headquarters. The drifting contingent was intrusted to Dell,
+leaving Sargent to retrace their division of the line, and before noon
+all had reached their quarters. From twenty to thirty miles had been
+covered that morning, in riding the line and recovering the lost, and at
+the agreed time, the relay horses were under saddle for the afternoon
+task. The sun had held sway, the wind had fallen, and as they followed
+up the valley, they encountered the cattle in large bunches, grazing to
+every quarter of the compass. They were not molested on the outward
+ride, but on the return trip, near evening, they were all turned back to
+the sheltering nooks and coves which the bends of the Beaver afforded. A
+crimpy night followed, but an early patrol in the morning found the
+cattle snug in the dry, rank grasses which grew in the first bottoms of
+the creek.
+
+The first storm had been weathered. The third day, of their own accord,
+the cattle left the valley and grazed out on the northern divide. The
+line-riders relaxed their vigil, and in preparation for observing the
+Natal day, each camp put forth its best hunter to secure a venison. The
+absence of snow, during the storm, had held the antelope tributary to
+the Beaver, and locating game was an easy matter. To provide the roast,
+the spirit of rivalry was accented anew, and each camp fervently hoped
+for its own success.
+
+A venison hung at headquarters before noon, Manly making a running shot
+at the leader of a band, which was surprised out of a morning siesta
+near the old trail crossing. If a quarry could only be found in the sand
+hills, a natural shelter for antelope, Sargent had flattered Dell into
+believing that his aim was equal to the occasion. The broken nature of
+the dune country admitted of stealthy approach, and its nearness to the
+upper camp recommended it as an inviting hunting ground. The
+disappointment of the first effort, due to moderated weather, was in
+finding the quarry far afield. A dozen bands were sighted from the
+protection of the sand hills, a mile out on the flat plain, but without
+shelter to screen a hunter. Sargent was equal to the occasion, and
+selecting a quarry, the two horses were unsaddled, the bridle reins
+lengthened by adding ropes, and crouching low, their mounts afforded the
+necessary screen as they grazed or were driven forward. By tacking right
+and left in a zigzag course they gained the wind, and a stealthy
+approach on the band was begun. The stabled horses grazed ravenously,
+sometimes together, then apart, affording a perfect screen for stalking.
+
+After a seeming age to Dell, the required rifle range was reached, when
+the cronies flattened themselves in the short grass and allowed the
+horses to graze to their rope's end. Sargent indicated a sentinel buck,
+presenting the best shot; and using his elbow for a rest, the rifle was
+laid in the hollow of Dell's upraised hand and drawn firmly to his
+shoulder, and a prompt report followed. The shot went wild, throwing up
+a flash of dust before the band, which instantly whirled. The horses
+merely threw up their heads in surprise, attracting the startled quarry,
+which ran up within fifty yards of the repeating rifle. In the
+excitement of the moment instantly following the first shot, Dell had
+arisen to his knee, unmindful of the necessity of throwing another
+cartridge into the rifle barrel. "Shoot! Shoot!" whispered Sargent, as
+the band excitedly halted within pistol range. Dell fingered the trigger
+in vain. "Throw in a cartridge!" breathlessly suggested Sargent. The
+lever clicked, followed by a shot, which tore up the sod within a few
+feet of the muzzle of the rifle!
+
+The antelope were away in a flash. Sargent rolled on the grass, laughing
+until the tears trickled down his cheeks, while Dell's chagrin left him
+standing like a simpleton.
+
+"I don't believe this gun shoots true," he ventured at last, too
+mortified to realize the weakness of his excuse. "Besides, it's too easy
+on the trigger."
+
+"No rifle shoots true during buck ague season," answered Sargent, not
+daring to raise his eyes. "When the grass comes next spring, those scars
+in the sod will grow over. Lucky that neither horse was killed. Honest,
+I'll never breathe it! Not for worlds!"
+
+Sargent's irony was wasted. Dell, in a dazed way, recovered his horse,
+mounted, and aimlessly followed his bunkie. On reaching their saddles,
+the mental fog lifted, and as if awakening from a pleasant dream, the
+boy dismounted. "Did I have it?--the buck ague?" he earnestly inquired.
+
+"You had symptoms of it," answered Sargent, resaddling his horse.
+"Whenever a hunter tries to shoot an empty gun, or discharges one into
+the ground at his feet, he ought to take something for his nerves. It's
+not fatal, and I have hopes of your recovery."
+
+The two turned homeward. Several times Sargent gave vent to a peal of
+laughter that rang out like a rifle report, but Dell failed to
+appreciate the humor of the situation.
+
+"Well," said the older one, as they dismounted at the stable, "if we
+have to fall back on corn beef for our Christmas dinner, I can grace it
+with a timely story. And if we have a saddle of venison, it will fit the
+occasion just as well."
+
+The inner line was ridden at evening. The cattle were caring for
+themselves; but on meeting the lads from headquarters, an unusual amount
+of banter and repartee was exchanged.
+
+"Killed an antelope two days before you needed it," remarked Sargent
+scathingly. "Well, well! You fellows certainly haven't much confidence
+in your skill as hunters."
+
+"Venison improves with age," loftily observed Manly.
+
+"That's a poor excuse. At best, antelope venison is dry meat. We located
+a band or two to-day, and if Dell don't care for the shot, I'll go out
+in the morning and bring in a fat yearling."
+
+"Is that your prospect for a Christmas roast?" inquired Manly with
+refined sarcasm. "Dell, better air your Sunday shirt to-morrow and come
+down to headquarters for your Christmas dinner. We're going to have
+quite a spread."
+
+Dell threw a glance at Sargent. "Come on," said the latter with polished
+contempt, reining his horse homeward. "Just as if we lived on beans at
+The Wagon! Just as if our porcelain-lined graniteware wasn't as good as
+their tin plates! Catch us accepting! Come on!"
+
+Sargent was equal to his boast. He returned the next day before noon, a
+young doe lashed to his saddle cantle, and preparations were made for an
+extensive dinner. The practical range man is usually a competent cook,
+and from the stores of the winter camp a number of extra dishes were
+planned. In the way of a roast, on the plains, a saddle of venison was
+the possible extreme, and the occupants of the line-camp possessed a
+ruddy health which promised appetites to grace the occasion.
+
+Christmas day dawned under ideal conditions. Soft winds swayed the dead
+weeds and leafless shrubs, the water trickled down the creek from pool
+to pool, reminding one of a lazy, spring day, with droning bees and
+flights of birds afield. Sargent rode the morning patrol alone, meeting
+Joel at the halfway point, when the two dismounted, whiling away several
+hours in considering future plans of the ranch.
+
+It was high noon when the two returned to their respective quarters.
+Dell had volunteered to supervise the roasting of the venison, and on
+his crony's return, the two sat down to their Christmas dinner. What the
+repast lacked in linen and garnishment, it made up in stability, graced
+by a cheerfulness and contentment which made its partakers at peace with
+the world. Sargent was almost as resourceful in travel and story as
+Quince Forrest, and never at a loss for the fitting incident to grace
+any occasion.
+
+Dell was a good listener. Any story, even at his own expense, was
+enjoyed. "Whether we had corn beef or venison," said he to Sargent, "you
+promised to tell a story at dinner to-day."
+
+"The one that you reminded me of when you shot the rifle into the ground
+at your feet and scared the antelope away? No offense if I have to
+laugh; you looked like a simpleton."
+
+"Tell your story; I'm young, I'll learn," urged Dell.
+
+"You may learn to handle a gun, and make the same mistake again, but in
+a new way. It's live and learn. This man was old enough to be your
+father, but he looked just as witless as you did."
+
+"Let's have the story," impatiently urged the boy.
+
+"It happened on a camp hunt. Wild turkeys are very plentiful in certain
+sections of Texas, and one winter a number of us planned a week's
+shooting. In the party was a big, raw-boned ex-sheriff, known as one of
+the most fearless officers in the state. In size he simply towered above
+the rest of us.
+
+"It was a small party, but we took along a commissary wagon, an
+ambulance, saddle horses, and plenty of Mexicans to do the clerking and
+coarse handwriting. It was quite a distance to the hunting grounds, and
+the first night out, we made a dry camp. A water keg and every jug on
+the ranch had been filled for the occasion, and were carried in
+the wagon.
+
+"Before reaching the road camp, the big sheriff promised us a quail
+pot-pie for breakfast, and with that intent, during the afternoon, he
+killed two dozen partridges. The bird was very plentiful, and instead of
+picking them for a pot-pie, skinning such a number was much quicker. In
+the hurry and bustle of making the camp snug for the night, every one
+was busy, the sheriff in particular, in dressing his bag of quail. On
+finishing the task, he asked a Mexican to pour some water, and the horse
+wrangler reached into the wagon, at random, and emptied a small jug into
+the vessel containing the dressed birds.
+
+"The big fellow adjourned to the rear and proceeded to wash and drain
+his quail. After some little time, he called to the cook: 'Ignacio, I
+smell kerosene. Look in the wagon, please, and see if the lantern
+isn't leaking.'
+
+"'In a minute,' answered the cook, busy elsewhere.
+
+"The sheriff went on washing the quail, and when about halfway through
+the task, he halted. 'Ignacio, I smell that kerosene again. See if the
+lantern isn't upset, or the oil jug leaking.'
+
+"'Just in a minute,' came the answer as before. 'My hands are in the
+flour.'
+
+"The big man went on, sniffing the air from time to time, nearly
+finishing his task, when he stopped again and pleadingly said: 'Ignacio,
+I surely smell kerosene. We're out for a week, and a lantern without oil
+puts us in a class with the foolish virgins. Drop your work and see
+what the trouble is. There's a leak somewhere.'
+
+"The cook dusted the flour from his hands, clambered up on the wagon
+wheel, lifted the kerosene jug, pulled the stopper, smelt it, shook it,
+and lifted it above his head in search of a possible crack. The empty
+jug, the absence of any sign of leakage, gradually sifted through his
+mind, and he cast an inquiring glance at the big sheriff, just then
+finishing his task. Invoking heaven and all the saints to witness, he
+gasped, 'Mr. Charlie, you've washed the quail in the kerosene!'
+
+"The witless, silly expression that came into that big man's face is
+only seen once in a lifetime," said Sargent in conclusion. "I've been
+fortunate, I've seen it twice; once on the face of a Texas sheriff, and
+again, when you shot a hole in the ground with your eye on an antelope.
+Whenever I feel blue and want to laugh, I conjure up the scene of a
+Mexican, standing on a wagon wheel, holding a jug, and a six-footer in
+the background, smelling the fingers of one hand and then the other."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+AN INDIAN SCARE
+
+
+The year closed with dry, open weather. The cattle scattered wide,
+ranging farther afield, unmolested except by shifting winds. The latter
+was a matter of hourly observation, affording its lesson to the
+brothers, and readily explained by the older and more practical men. For
+instance, a north or the dreaded east wind brought the herd into the
+valley, where it remained until the weather moderated, and then drifted
+out of its own free will. When a balmy south wind blew, the cattle
+grazed against it, and when it came from a western quarter, they turned
+their backs and the gregarious instinct to flock was noticeable. Under
+settled weather, even before dawn, by noting the quarter of the wind, it
+was an easy matter to foretell the movement of the herd for the
+coming day.
+
+The daily tasks rested lightly. The line was ridden as usual, but more
+as a social event than as a matter of necessity. The occasional reports
+of Manly to his employer were flattering in the extreme. Any risk
+involved in the existing contract hinged on the present winter, and
+since it was all that could be desired, every fine day added to the
+advantage of Wells Brothers. So far their venture had been greeted with
+fair winds, and with not a cloud in the visible sky. Manly was even
+recalled by Mr. Stoddard early in February.
+
+Month after month passed without incident. Spring came fully a fortnight
+earlier than the year before. By the middle of March, the willows were
+bent with pollen, the birds returned, and the greening slopes rolled
+away and were lost behind low horizons. The line-camp was abandoned, the
+cattle were scattered over the entire valley, and the instincts to
+garden were given free rein. The building of two additional tanks, one
+below the old trail crossing and the other near the new camp above,
+occupied a month's time to good advantage. It enlarged the range beyond
+present needs; but the brothers were wrestling with a rare opportunity,
+and theirs was strictly a policy of expansion.
+
+An occasional trip to the railroad, for supplies or pressing errand, was
+usually rewarded with important news. During the winter just passed,
+Kansas had quarantined against Texas cattle, and the trail was barred
+from that state. Early in May information reached the ranch that the
+market interests of Dodge City had moved over the line into Colorado,
+and had established a town on the railroad, to be known as Trail City. A
+feasible route lay open to the south, across No-Man's-Land, into the
+Texas Panhandle, while scouting parties were out with the intent of
+locating a new trail to Ogalalla. It would cross the Republican River
+nearly due westward from headquarters, and in the neighborhood of one
+hundred miles distant.
+
+"There you are," said Sargent, studying a railroad folder. "You must
+have water for the herds, so the new market will have a river and a
+railroad. It simply means that the trail has shifted from the east to
+the west of your range. As long as the country is open, you can buy
+cattle at Trail City, hold them on the Colorado line until frost, and
+cross to your own range with a few days' travel. It may prove an
+advantage after all."
+
+The blessing of sunshine and shower rested on the new ranch. The beaver
+ponds filled, the spill-ways of every tank ran like a mill race, and the
+question of water for the summer was answered. The cattle early showed
+the benefits of the favorable winter, and by June the brands were
+readable at a glance. From time to time reports from the outside world
+reached the brothers, and among other friendly letters received was an
+occasional inquiry from the commission firm, the factors named under the
+existing contract. The house kept in touch with the range, was fully
+aware of the open winter, and could easily anticipate its effects in
+maturing cattle for early shipment.
+
+The solicitors of the firm, graduates of the range, were sent out a
+month in advance of other years. Wells Brothers were advised of a
+promised visit by one of the traveling agents of the commission house,
+and during the first week in July he arrived at headquarters. He was a
+practical man, with little concern for comfort, as long as there were
+cattle to look over. Joel took him in tow, mounted him on the pick of
+saddle horses, and the two leisurely rode the range.
+
+"What does he say?" inquired Dell, after a day's ride.
+
+"Not a word," answered Joel. "He can't talk any more than I can. Put in
+all day just looking and thinking. He must like cattle that range wide,
+for we rode around every outside bunch. He _can_ talk, because he
+admitted we have good horses."
+
+Again the lesson that contact teaches was accented anew. At parting the
+following morning, in summing up the outlook, the solicitor surprised
+the brothers. "The situation is clear," said he quietly. "You must ship
+early. Your double-wintered beeves will reach their prime this month.
+You may ship them any day after the 25th. Your single-wintered ones can
+follow in three weeks. The firm may be able to advise you when to ship.
+It's only a fourteen-hour run to the yards, and if you work a
+beef-shipping outfit that's up to date, you can pick your day to reach
+the market. Get your outfit together, keep in touch with the house by
+wire, and market your beef in advance of the glut from the
+Platte country."
+
+The solicitor lifted the lines over a livery team. "One moment," said
+Joel. "Advise Mr. Stoddard that we rely on him to furnish us two men
+during the beef-shipping season."
+
+"Anything else?" inquired the man, a memorandum-book in hand.
+
+"Where are the nearest ranches to ours?"
+
+"On the Republican, both above and below the old trail crossing. There
+may be extra men over on the river," said the solicitor, fully
+anticipating the query.
+
+"That's all," said Joel, extending his hand.
+
+The stranger drove away. The brothers exchanged a puzzled glance, but
+Sargent smiled. "That old boy sabes cows some little," said the latter.
+"The chances are that he's forgotten more about cattle than some of
+these government experts ever knew. Anyway, he reads the sign without
+much effort. His survey of this range and the outlook are worth
+listening to. Better look up an outfit of men."
+
+"We'll gather the remuda to-day," announced Joel. "While I'm gone to the
+Republican, you boys can trim up and gentle the horses."
+
+The extra mounts, freed the fall before, had only been located on the
+range, and must be gathered and brought in to headquarters at once. They
+had ranged in scattering bunches during the winter, and a single day
+would be required to gather and corral the ranch remuda. It numbered,
+complete, ninety-six horses, all geldings, and the wisdom of buying the
+majority a year in advance of their needs reflected the foresight of a
+veteran cowman. Many of them were wild, impossible of approach, the call
+of the plain and the free life of their mustang ancestors pulsing with
+every heart-beat, and several days would be required to bring them under
+docile subjection. There were scraggy hoofs to trim, witches' bridles to
+disentangle, while long, bushy, matted tails must be thinned to a
+graceful sweep.
+
+The beginning of work acted like a tonic. The boys sallied forth,
+mounted on their best horses, their spirits soaring among the clouds.
+During the spring rains, several small lakes had formed in the sand
+hills, at one of which a band of some thirty saddle horses was watering.
+The lagoon was on the extreme upper end of the range, fully fifteen
+miles from headquarters; and as all the saddle stock must be brought in,
+the day's work required riding a wide circle. Skirting the sand dunes,
+by early noon all the horses were in hand, save the band of thirty.
+There was no occasion for all hands to assist in bringing in the absent
+ones, and a consultation resulted in Joel and Dell volunteering for the
+task, while Sargent returned home with the horses already gathered.
+
+The range of the band was well known, and within a few hours after
+parting with Sargent, the missing horses were in hand. The brothers knew
+every horse, and, rejoicing in their splendid condition, they started
+homeward, driving the loose mounts before them. The most direct course
+to headquarters was taken, which would carry the cavalcade past the
+springs and the upper winter quarters. The latter was situated in the
+brakes of the Beaver, several abrupt turns of the creek, until its near
+approach, shutting out a western view of the deserted dug-out. The
+cavalcade was drifting home at a gentle trot, but on approaching The
+Wagon, a band of ponies was sighted forward and in a bend of the creek.
+The boys veered their horses, taking to the western divide, and on
+gaining it, saw below them and at the distance of only a quarter-mile,
+around the springs, an Indian encampment of a dozen tepees and lean-tos.
+
+Dell and Joel were struck dumb at the sight. To add to their surprise,
+all the dogs in the encampment set up a howling, the Indians came
+tumbling from their temporary shelters, many of them running for their
+ponies on picket, while an old, almost naked leader signaled to the
+brothers. It was a moment of bewilderment with the boys, who conversed
+in whispers, never halting on their course, and when the Indians reached
+their ponies, every brave dashed up to the encampment. A short parley
+followed, during which signaling was maintained by the old Indian,
+evidently a chief; but the boys kept edging away, and the old brave
+sprang on a pony and started in pursuit, followed by a number of
+his band.
+
+The act was tinder to powder. The boys gave rowel to their mounts, shook
+out their ropes, raised the long yell, and started the loose horses in a
+mad dash for home. It was ten long miles to headquarters, and their
+mounts, already fagged by carrying heavy saddles and the day's work,
+were none too fresh, while the Indians rode bareback and were not
+encumbered by an ounce of extra clothing.
+
+The boys led the race by fully five hundred yards. But instead of taking
+to the divide, the Indians bore down the valley, pursued and pursuers in
+plain sight of each other. For the first mile or so the loose horses
+were no handicap, showing clean heels and keeping clear of the whizzing
+ropes. But after the first wild dash, the remuda began to scatter, and
+the Indians gained on the cavalcade, coming fairly abreast and not over
+four hundred yards distant.
+
+"They're riding to cut us off!" gasped Dell. "They'll cut us off from
+headquarters!"
+
+"Our horses will outwind their ponies," shouted Joel, in reply. "Don't
+let these loose horses turn into the valley."
+
+The divide was more difficult to follow than the creek. The meanderings
+of the latter were crossed and recrossed without halting, while the
+watershed zigzagged, or was broken and cut by dry washes and coulees,
+thus retarding the speed of the cavalcade. The race wore on with varying
+advantage, and when near halfway to headquarters, the Indians turned up
+the slope as if to verify Dell's forecast. At this juncture, a
+half-dozen of the loose horses cut off from the band and turned down the
+slope in plain sight of the pursuers.
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRST ROUND-UP OF THE DAY]
+
+"If it's horses they want, they can have those," shouted Joel. "Climbing
+that slope will fag their ponies. Come on; here's where we have the
+best of it."
+
+The Indians were not to be pacified. Without a look they swept past the
+abandoned horses. The boys made a clear gain along a level stretch on
+the divide, maintaining their first lead, when the pursuers, baffled in
+cutting them off, turned again into the valley.
+
+"It isn't horses they want," ventured Dell, with a backward glance.
+
+"In the next dip, we'll throw the others down the western slope, and
+ride for our lives," answered Joel, convinced that a sacrifice of horses
+would not appease their pursuers.
+
+The opportunity came shortly, when for a few minutes the brothers dipped
+from sight of the Indians. The act confused the latter, who scaled the
+divide, only to find the objects of their chase a full half-mile in the
+lead, but calling on the last reserve in their fagged horses. The
+pursuers gradually closed the intervening gap; but with the advantage of
+knowing every foot of the ground, the brothers took a tack which carried
+them into the valley at the old winter corral. From that point it was a
+straight stretch homeward, and, their horses proving their mettle, the
+boys dashed up to the stable, where Sargent was found at work among the
+other horses.
+
+"Indians! Indians!" shouted Dell, who arrived in the lead. "Indians have
+been chasing us all afternoon. Run for your life, Jack!"
+
+Joel swept past a moment later, accenting the situation, and as Sargent
+left the corral, he caught sight of the pursuing Indians, and showed
+splendid action in reaching the dug-out.
+
+Breathless and gasping, Dell and Joel each grasped a repeating rifle,
+while Sargent, in the excitement of the moment, unable to unearth the
+story, buckled on a six-shooter. The first reconnoitre revealed the
+Indians halted some two hundred yards distant, and parleying among
+themselves. At a first glance, the latter seemed to be unarmed, and on
+Sargent stepping outside the shack, the leader, the old brave, simply
+held up his hand.
+
+"They must be peaceful Indians," said Sargent to the boys, and signaled
+in the leader.
+
+The old Indian jogged forward on his tired pony, leaving his followers
+behind, and on riding up, a smile was noticeable on his wrinkled visage.
+He dismounted, unearthing from his scanty breech-clout a greasy, grimy
+letter, and tendered it to Sargent.
+
+The latter scanned the missive, and turning to the boys, who had
+ventured forth, broke into a fit of laughter.
+
+"Why, this is Chief Lone Wolf," said Sargent, "from the Pine Ridge
+Agency, going down to see his kinsfolks in the Indian Territory. The
+agent at Pine Ridge says that Lone Wolf is a peaceful Indian, and has
+his permission to leave the reservation. He hopes that nothing but
+kindness will be shown the old chief in his travels, and bespeaks the
+confidence of any white settlers that he may meet on the way. You boys
+must have been scared out of your wits. Lone Wolf only wanted to show
+you this letter."
+
+Sargent conversed with the old chief in Spanish, the others were
+signaled in, when a regular powwow ensued. Dell and Joel shook hands
+with all the Indians, Sargent shared his tobacco with Lone Wolf, and on
+returning to their encampment at evening, each visitor was burdened with
+pickled beef and such other staples as the cow-camp afforded.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+HARVEST ON THE RANGE
+
+
+Joel set out for the Republican the next morning and was gone four days.
+The beef ranches along the river had no men to spare, but constant
+inquiry was rewarded by locating an outfit whose holdings consisted of
+stock cattle. Three men were secured, their services not being urgently
+required on the home ranch until the fall branding, leaving only a cook
+and horse wrangler to be secured. Inquiry at Culbertson located a
+homesteader and his boy, anxious for work, and the two were engaged.
+
+"They're to report here on the 15th," said Joel, on his return. "It
+gives us six men in the saddle, and we can get out the first shipment
+with that number. The cook and wrangler may be a little green at first,
+but they're willing, and that masters any task. We'll have to be patient
+with them--we were all beginners once. Any man who ever wrestled with a
+homestead ought to be able to cook."
+
+"Yes, indeed," admitted Sargent. "There's nothing develops a man like
+settling up a new country. It brings out every latent quality. In the
+West you can almost tell a man's native heath by his ability to use
+baling wire, hickory withes, or rawhide."
+
+The instinct of cattle is reliable in selecting their own range. Within
+a week, depending on the degree of maturity, the herd, with unerring
+nutrient results, turns from one species of grass to another. The
+double-wintered cattle naturally returned to their former range; but in
+order to quicken the work, any beeves of that class found below were
+drifted above headquarters. It was a distinct advantage to leave the
+herd undisturbed, and with the first shipment drifted to one end of the
+range, a small round-up or two would catch all marketable beeves.
+
+The engaged men arrived on the appointed date. The cook and wrangler
+were initiated into their respective duties at once. The wagon was
+equipped for the trail, vicious horses were gentled, and an ample mount
+allotted to the extra men. The latter were delighted over the saddle
+stock, and mounted to satisfy every desire, no task daunted their
+numbers. Sargent was recognized as foreman; but as the work was fully
+understood, the concerted efforts of all relieved him of any concern,
+except in arranging the details. The ranch had fallen heir to a
+complete camp kit, with the new wagon, and with a single day's
+preparations, the shipping outfit stood ready to move on an
+hour's notice.
+
+It was no random statement, on the part of the solicitor, that Wells
+Brothers could choose the day on which to market their beef. Sargent had
+figured out the time, either forced or leisurely, to execute a shipment,
+and was rather impatient to try out the outfit in actual field work.
+
+"Suppose we break in the outfit," he suggested, "by taking a little
+swing around the range. It will gentle the horses, instruct the cook and
+wrangler, and give us all a touch of the real thing."
+
+Joel consulted a calendar. "We have four days before beginning to gather
+beeves," he announced. "Let's go somewhere and camp."
+
+"We'll move to the old trail crossing at sun-up," announced Sargent.
+"Roll your blankets in the morning, boys."
+
+A lusty shout greeted the declaration. It was the opening of the
+beef-shipping season, the harvest time of the year, and the boys were
+impatient to begin the work. But the best-laid plans are often
+interrupted. That evening a courier reached headquarters, bearing a
+message from the commission firm which read, "Have your double-wintered
+beeves on Saturday's market."
+
+"That's better," said Sargent, glancing over the telegram. "The wagon
+and remuda will start for Hackberry Grove at sun-up. Have the messenger
+order ten cars for Friday morning. The shipment will be on
+Saturday's market."
+
+Dawn found the outfit at attention. Every movement was made with
+alacrity. Two men assisted a husky boy to corral the remuda, others
+harnessed in a span of mules, and before the sun peeped over the
+horizon, the cavalcade moved out up the valley, the courier returning to
+the station. The drag-net from below would be thrown out from the old
+winter corral; but as an hour's sun on the cattle rendered them lazy,
+half the horsemen halted until the other sighted the grove above. As
+early as advisable, the gradual circle was begun, turning the cattle
+into the valley, concentrating, and by slowly edging in, the first
+round-up of the day was thrown together, numbering, range run, fully six
+hundred head. Two men were detailed to hold the round-up compactly, Dell
+volunteered to watch the cut (the beeves selected), leaving the other
+three to cut out the marketable cattle which would make up the shipment.
+A short hour's work followed, resulting in eighty-odd beeves being
+selected. Flesh, age, and the brand governed each selection, and when
+cut into a class by themselves, the mettle of the pasture was reflected
+in every beef.
+
+The cut was grazed up to the second round-up, which contributed nearly
+double the former number. On finishing the work, a count of the beeves
+was made, which overran in numbers the necessary shipment. They were
+extremely heavy cattle, twenty head to the car was the limit, and it
+became necessary to trim or cull back to the desired number. Sargent and
+Joel passed on every rejected beef, uniform weight being desirable,
+until the shipment stood acceptable, in numbers, form, and finish.
+
+The beeves were watered and grazed out on their course without delay.
+Three days and a half were allowed to reach the railroad, and a grazing
+pace would land the herd in the shipping pens in good season. The day's
+work consisted in merely pointing and drifting the cattle forward,
+requiring only a few men, leaving abundant help to initiate the cook and
+wrangler in their field duties. Joel had been a close observer of the
+apparent ease with which a cook discharged his duty, frequently halting
+his wagon on a moment's notice, and easily preparing a meal for an
+outfit of trail men within an hour. The main secret lay in the
+foresight, in keeping his work in advance, and Joel lent every
+assistance in coaching his cook to meet the emergency of any demand.
+
+Sargent took the wrangler in hand. The different bunches of horses had
+seen service on the trail, were gentle to handle, and attention was
+called to observing each individual horse and the remuda as a whole. For
+instance, in summer, a horse grazes against the breeze, and if the
+remuda was freed intelligently, at darkness, the wind holding from the
+same quarter during the night, a practical wrangler would know where to
+find his horses at dawn. The quarter of the breeze was therefore always
+noted, any variation after darkness, as if subject to the whim of the
+wind, turning the course of the grazing remuda. As among men, there were
+leaders among horses, and by noting these and applying hobbles, any
+inclination to wander was restrained. Fortunately, the husky boy had no
+fear of a horse, his approach being as masterly as his leave-taking was
+gentle and kindly--a rare gift when unhobbling alone in the open.
+
+"I'll make a horse wrangler out of this boy," said Sargent to the
+father, in the presence of Dell and Joel. "Before the summer ends, he'll
+know every crook and turn in the remuda. There's nothing like knowing
+your horses. Learn to trail down the lost; know their spirit, know them
+in health, lame and wounded. If a horse neighs at night, know why; if
+one's missing in the morning, name him like you would an absent boy
+at school."
+
+The trip down to the railroad was largely a matter of patience. The
+beeves were given every advantage, and except the loss of sleep in
+night-herding, the work approached loafing against time. Three guards
+stood watch during the short summer nights, pushing the herd off its bed
+at dawn, grazing early and late, and resting through the noon hours.
+
+An agreeable surprise awaited the original trio. The evening before
+loading out, the beeves must be penned, and Joel rode into the station
+in advance, to see that cars were in waiting and get the shipping
+details. As if sent on the same errand, Manly met him, having been
+ordered on from Trail City.
+
+"I've been burning the wires all morning," said he to Joel, "for a
+special train for this shipment. The agent wanted us to take a local
+freight from here, but I showed him there were other train shipments to
+follow. A telegram to the commission firm and another one to my old man
+done the work. Those old boys know how to pull the strings. A special
+train has been ordered, and you can name your own hour for leaving in
+the morning. I have a man with me; send us in horses and we'll help you
+corral your beeves."
+
+Joel remained only long enough to confirm Manly's foresight. Two horses
+were sent in by Dell, and the welcome addition of two extra men joined
+the herd, which was easily corralled at dusk of evening. An early hour
+was agreed upon to load out, the empty train came in promptly, and the
+first shipment of the year was cut into car lots and loaded out during a
+morning hour.
+
+Before the departure of the train, an air of activity was noticeable
+around the bleak station. The train crew was insisting for a passenger
+schedule, there was billing to be done and contracts to execute,
+telegrams of notification to be sent the commission firm, and general
+instructions to the beef outfit. Joel and Sargent were to accompany the
+shipment, and on starting, while the engineer and conductor were
+comparing their running orders, Sargent called out from the rear of the
+caboose:--
+
+"The best of friends must part," said he, pretending to weep. "Here's
+two bits; buy yourself some cheese and crackers, and take some candy
+home to the children. Manly, if I never come back, you can have my
+little red wagon. Dell, my dear old bunkie--well, you can have all my
+other playthings."
+
+The cattle train faded from sight and the outfit turned homeward.
+Horses were left at the station for Joel and Sargent, and the remainder
+of the outfit reached headquarters the following day. Manly had been
+away from the ranch nearly six months, and he and Dell rode the range,
+pending the return of the absent. Under ideal range conditions, the
+cattle of marketable age proved a revelation, having rounded into form
+beyond belief.
+
+"That's why I love cattle," said Manly to Dell, while riding the range;
+"they never disappoint. Cattle endure time and season, with a hardiness
+that no other animal possesses. Given a chance, they repay every debt.
+Why, one shipment from these Stoddard cattle will almost wipe the slate.
+Uncle Dudley thought this was a fool deal, but Mr. Lovell seemed so bent
+on making it that my old man simply gave in. And now you're going to
+make a fortune out of these Lazy H's. No wonder us fool Texans love
+a cow."
+
+The absent ones returned promptly. "The Beaver valley not only topped
+the market for range cattle," loftily said Sargent, "but topped it in
+price and weight. The beeves barely netted fifty-two dollars a head!"
+
+Early shipments were urged from every quarter. "Hereafter," said Joel,
+"the commission firm will order the trains and send us a practical
+shipper. There may rise a situation that we may have to rush our
+shipments, and we can't spare men to go to market. It pays to be on
+time. Those commission men are wide awake. Look at these railroad
+passes, good for the year, that they secured for us boys. If any one has
+to go to market, we can take a passenger train, and leave the cattle
+to follow."
+
+The addition of two men to the shipping outfit was a welcome asset. The
+first consignment from the ranch gave the men a field-trial, and now
+that the actual shipping season was at hand, an allotment of horses was
+made. The numbers of the remuda admitted of mounting every man to the
+limit, and with their first shipment a success, the men rested
+impatiently awaiting orders.
+
+The commission firm, with its wide knowledge of range and market
+conditions, was constantly alert. The second order, of ten days' later
+date, was a duplicate of the first, with one less for fulfillment. The
+outfit dropped down to the old trail crossing the evening before, and by
+noon two round-ups had yielded twenty car-loads of straight Lazy H
+beeves. When trimmed to their required numbers, twenty-two to the car,
+they reflected credit to breeder and present owner.
+
+In grazing down to the railroad, every hour counted. There was no
+apparent rush, but an hour saved at noon, an equal economy at evening
+and morning, brought the herd within summons of the shipping yards on
+time. That the beeves might be favored, they were held outside for the
+night, three miles from the corral, but an early sun found them safely
+inside the shipping pens. Two hours later, the full train was en route
+to market, in care of a practical shipper.
+
+On yarding the beeves the customary telegram had been sent to the
+commission firm. No reply was expected, but within half an hour after
+the train left, a message, asking Joel to accompany the shipment, was
+received from Mr. Stoddard.
+
+"You must go," said Manly, scanning the telegram. "It isn't the last
+cattle that he sold you that's worrying my boss. He has two herds on the
+market this year, one at Trail City and the other at Ogalalla, and he
+may have his eye on you as a possible buyer. You have a pass; you can
+catch the eastern mail at noon, and overtake the cattle train in time to
+see the beeves unloaded."
+
+"Which herd did you come up with?" inquired Joel, fumbling through his
+pockets for the forgotten pass.
+
+"With the one at Ogalalla. It's full thirty-one hundred steers, single
+ranch brand, and will run about equally twos and threes. Same range,
+same stock, as your Lazy H's, and you are perfectly safe in buying them
+unseen. Just the same cattle that you bought last year, with the
+advantage of a better season on the trail. All you need to do is to
+agree on the prices and terms; the cattle are as honest as gold and
+twice as good."
+
+"Leave me a horse and take the outfit home," said Joel with decision.
+"If an order comes for more beeves, cut the next train from the Lazy
+H's. I'll be back in a day or two."
+
+Joel Wells was rapidly taking his degrees in the range school. At dusk
+he overtook the cattle train, which reached the market yards on schedule
+time. The shipper's duty ceased with the unloading of the cattle, which
+was easily completed before midnight, when he and his employer
+separated. The market would not open until a late morning hour,
+affording ample time to rest and refresh the beeves, and to look up
+acquaintances in the office.
+
+Joel had almost learned to dispense with sleep. With the first stir of
+the morning, he was up and about. Before the clerks even arrived, he
+was hanging around the office of the commission firm. The expected
+shipment brought the salesmen and members of the firm much earlier than
+usual, and Joel was saved all further impatience. Mr. Stoddard was
+summoned, and the last barrier was lifted in the hearty greeting between
+the manly boy and a veteran of their mutual occupation.
+
+The shipment sold early in the day. An hour before noon, an interested
+party left the commission office and sauntered forth to watch the beeves
+cross the scale. It was the parting look of breeder, owner, and factor,
+and when the average weight was announced, Mr. Stoddard turned to
+the others.
+
+"Look here, Mr. Joel," said he, "are these the cattle I sold you last
+summer?"
+
+"They carry your brand," modestly admitted Joel.
+
+"So I notice," assentingly said the old cowman. "And still I can
+scarcely believe my eyes. Of course I'm proud of having bred these
+beeves, even if the lion's share of their value to-day goes to the boys
+who matured them. I must be an old fogy."
+
+"You are," smilingly said the senior member of the commission house.
+"Every up-to-date Texas cowman has a northern beef ranch. To be sure,
+as long as you can raise a steer as cheap as another man can raise a
+frying chicken, you'll prosper in a way. Wells Brothers aren't afraid of
+a little cold, and you are. In that way only, the lion's share falls
+to them."
+
+"One man to his own farm, another to his merchandise," genially quoted
+the old cowman, "and us poor Texans don't take very friendly to your
+northern winters. It's the making of cattle, but excuse your Uncle
+Dudley. Give me my own vine and fig tree."
+
+"Then wish the boys who brave the storm success," urged the old factor.
+
+"I do," snorted the grizzled ranchman. "These beeves are a story that is
+told. I'm here to sell young Wells another herd of cattle. He's my
+customer as much as yours. That's the reason I urged his
+presence to-day."
+
+The atmosphere cleared. On the market and under the weight, each beef
+was paying the cost of three the year before; but it was the letter of
+the bond, and each party to the contract respected his obligation.
+
+After returning to the office, on a petty pretext, Mr. Stoddard and Joel
+wandered away. They returned early in the afternoon, to find all
+accounts made up, and ready for their personal approval. The second
+shipment easily enabled Joel to take up his contract, and when the
+canceled document was handed him, Mr. Stoddard turned to the senior
+member of the firm.
+
+"I've offered to duplicate that contract," said he, "on the same price
+and terms, and for double the number of cattle. This quarantine raises
+havoc with delivery."
+
+"A liberal interpretation of the new law is in effect," remarked the
+senior member. "There's too many interests involved to insist on a rigid
+enforcement. The ban is already raised on any Panhandle cattle, and any
+north of certain latitudes can get a clean bill of health. If that's all
+that stands in the way of a trade, our firm will use its good offices."
+
+"In that case," said Joel, nodding to Mr. Stoddard, "we'll take your
+herd at Ogalalla. Move it down to the old trail crossing on the
+Republican, just over the state line and north of our range. This firm
+is perfectly acceptable again as middlemen or factors," he concluded,
+turning to the member present.
+
+"Thank you," said the old factor. "We'll try and merit any confidence
+reposed. This other matter will be taken up with the quarantine
+authorities at once. Show me your exact range," he requested, turning to
+a map and indicating the shipping station.
+
+Wells Brothers' range lay in the northwest corner of the state. The
+Republican River, in Nebraska, ran well over the line to the north, with
+unknown neighbors on the west in Colorado.
+
+"It's a clear field," observed the old factor. "Your own are the only
+cattle endangered, and since you are the applicant for the bill of
+health, you absolve the authorities from all concern. Hurry in your
+other shipments, and the railroad can use its influence--it'll want
+cattle to ship next year. The ranges must be restocked."
+
+There was sound logic in the latter statement. A telegram was sent to
+Ogalalla, to start the through herd, and another to the beef outfit, to
+hurry forward the next shipment. Joel left for home that night, and the
+next evening met his outfit, ten miles out from the Beaver, with a
+perfect duplicate of the former consignment. It was early harvest on the
+cattle ranges, and those who were favored with marketable beef were
+eager to avoid the heavy rush of fall shipments.
+
+The beef herd camped for the night on the divide. Joel's report provoked
+argument, and a buzz of friendly contention, as the men lounged around
+the tiny camp-fire, ran through the outfit.
+
+"It may be the custom among you Texans," protested one of the lads from
+the Republican, "but I wouldn't buy a herd of cattle without seeing
+them. Buy three thousand head of cattle unseen? Not this one of old man
+Vivian's boys! Oh, no!"
+
+"Link, that kind of talk shows your raising," replied Sargent. "Your
+view is narrow and illiberal. You haven't traveled far. Your tickets
+cost somewhere between four and six bits."
+
+Manly lifted his head from a saddle, and turning on his side, gazed at
+the dying fire. "Vivian," said he, "it all depends on how your folks
+bring you up. Down home we buy and sell by ages. A cow is a cow, a steer
+is a steer, according to his age, and so on down to the end of the
+alphabet. The cattle never misrepresent and there's no occasion for
+seeing them. If you are laboring under the idea that my old man would
+use any deception to sell a herd, you have another guess coming. He'd
+rather lose his right hand than to misrepresent the color of a cow. He's
+as jealous of his cattle as a miller is of his flour. These boys are his
+customers, last fall, this summer, and possibly for years to come. If he
+wanted them, Joel did perfectly right to buy the cattle unseen."
+
+The second train of Lazy H beeves reached the railroad on schedule
+time. The shipper was in waiting, cattle cars filled the side track, and
+an engine and crew could be summoned on a few hours' notice. If
+corralled the night before, passing trains were liable to excite the
+beeves, and thereafter it became the usual custom to hold outside and
+safely distant.
+
+The importance of restocking the range hurried the shipping operations.
+Instead of allowing the wagon to reach the station, at sunrise on the
+morning of shipping, it and the remuda were started homeward.
+
+"We'll gather beeves on the lower end of our range to-morrow," said Joel
+to the cook and wrangler, "and there's no need to touch at headquarters.
+Follow the trail to the old crossing, and make camp at the lower
+tank--same camp-ground as the first shipment of Lazy H's. The rest of
+the outfit will follow, once these cattle are loaded out. You might have
+a late supper awaiting us--about ten o'clock to-night."
+
+The gates closed on the beeves without mishap. They were cut into car
+lots, from horseback, and on the arrival of the crew, the loading began.
+A short hour's work saw the cattle aboard, when the dusty horsemen
+mounted and clattered into the straggling hamlet.
+
+The homeward trip was like a picnic. The outfit halted on the first
+running water, and saddle pockets disgorged a bountiful lunch. The
+horses rolled, grazed the noon hours through, and again took up their
+former road gait. An evening halt was made on the Prairie Dog, where an
+hour's grazing was again allowed, the time being wholly devoted to
+looking into the future.
+
+"If we stock the range fully this fall," said Joel, in outlining his
+plans, "it is my intention to build an emergency camp on this creek, in
+case of winter drifts. Build a dug-out in some sheltered nook, cache a
+little provision and a few sacks of corn, and if the cattle break the
+line, we can ride out of snug quarters any morning and check them. It
+beats waiting for a wagon and giving the drift a twenty-mile start. We
+could lash our blankets on a pack horse and ride it night or day."
+
+"What a long head!" approvingly said Sargent. "Joel, you could almost
+eat out of a churn. An emergency camp on the Prairie Dog is surely a
+meaty idea. But that's for next winter, and beef shipping's on in full
+blast right now. Let's ride; supper's waiting on the Beaver."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+LIVING IN THE SADDLE
+
+
+The glow of a smouldering camp-fire piloted the returning horsemen
+safely to their wagon. A good night's rest fitted them for the task of
+the day, which began at sunrise. The next shipment would come from the
+flotsam of the year before, many of which were heavy beeves, intended
+for army delivery, but had fallen footsore on the long, drouthy march.
+The past winter had favored the lame and halt, and after five months of
+summer, the bulk of them had matured into finished beef.
+
+By shipping the different contingents separately, the brothers were
+enabled to know the situation at all times. No accounts were kept, but
+had occasion required, either Joel or Dell could have rendered a
+statement from memory of returns on the double and single wintered, as
+well as on the purchased cattle. Sale statements were furnished by the
+commission house, and by filing these, an account of the year's
+shipments, each brand separate, could be made up at the end of
+the season.
+
+The early struggle of Wells Brothers, in stocking their range, was now
+happily over. Instead of accepting the crumbs which fell as their
+portion, their credit and resources enabled them to choose the class of
+cattle which promised growth and quick returns. The range had proven
+itself in maturing beef, and the ranch thereafter would carry only
+sufficient cows to quiet and pacify its holdings of cattle.
+
+"If this was my ranch," said Sargent to the brothers at breakfast, "I'd
+stock it with two-year-old steers and double-winter every hoof. Look
+over those sale statements and you'll see what two winters mean. That
+first shipment of Lazy H's was as fat as mud, and yet they netted seven
+dollars a head less than those rag-tag, double-wintered ones. There's a
+waste that must be saved hereafter."
+
+"That's our intention," said Joel. "We'll ship out every hoof that has
+the flesh this year. Nearly any beef will buy three two-year-old steers
+to take his place. It may take another year or two to shape up our
+cattle, but after that, every hoof must be double-wintered."
+
+An hour after sunrise, the drag-net was drawing together the first
+round-up of the day. The importance of handling heavy beeves without any
+excitement was fully understood, and to gather a shipment without
+disturbing those remaining was a task that required patience and
+intelligence. Men on the outside circle merely turned the cattle on the
+extremes of the range; they were followed by inner horsemen, and the
+drag-net closed at a grazing pace, until the round-up halted on a
+few acres.
+
+The first three shipments had tried out the remuda. The last course in
+the education of a cow-horse is cutting cattle out of a mixed round-up.
+On the present work, those horses which had proven apt were held in
+reserve, and while the first contingent of cattle was quieting down, the
+remuda was brought up and saddles shifted to four cutting horses. The
+average cow can dodge and turn quicker than the ordinary horse, and only
+a few of the latter ever combine action and intelligence to outwit the
+former. Cunning and ingenuity, combined with the required alertness, a
+perfect rein, coupled with years of actual work, produce that rarest of
+range mounts--the cutting horse.
+
+Dell had been promised a trial in cutting out beeves. Sargent took him
+in hand, and mounted on two picked horses, they entered the herd. "Now,
+I'll pick the beeves," said the latter, "and you cut them out. All you
+need to do is to rein that horse down on your beef, and he'll take him
+out of the herd. Of course you'll help the horse some little; but if you
+let too many back, I'll call our wrangler and try him out. That horse
+knows the work just as well as you do. Now, go slow, and don't ride over
+your beef."
+
+The work commenced. The beeves were lazy from flesh, inactive, and only
+a few offered any resistance to the will of the horsemen. Dell made a
+record of cutting out fifty beeves in less than an hour, and only
+letting one reënter the herd. The latter was a pony-built beef, and
+after sullenly leaving the herd, with the agility of a cat, he whirled
+right and left on the space of a blanket, and beat the horse back into
+the round-up. Sargent lent a hand on the second trial, and when the beef
+saw that resistance was useless, he kicked up his heels and trotted away
+to join those selected for shipment.
+
+"He's laughing at you," said Sargent. "He only wanted to try you out.
+Just wanted to show you that no red-headed boy and flea-bit horse could
+turn him. And he showed you."
+
+"This beats roping," admitted Dell, as the two returned to the herd,
+quite willing to change the subject. "Actually when a beef reaches the
+edge of the herd, this horse swells up and his eyes pop out like
+door-knobs. You can feel every muscle in him become as rigid as ropes,
+and he touches the ground as if he was walking on eggs. Look at him now;
+goes poking along as if he was half asleep."
+
+"He's a cutting horse and doesn't wear himself out. Whenever you can
+strip the bridle off, while cutting out a beef, and handle your steer,
+that's the top rung a cow-horse can reach. He's a king pin--that's
+royalty."
+
+A second round-up was required to complete the train-load of beeves.
+They were not uniform in weight or age, and would require reclassing
+before loading aboard the cars. Their flesh and finish were fully up to
+standard, but the manner in which they were acquired left them uneven,
+their ages varying from four to seven years.
+
+"There's velvet in this shipment," said Sargent, when the beeves had
+been counted and trimmed. "These cattle can defy competition. Instead of
+five cents a head for watering last year's drive, this year's shipment
+from crumbs will net you double that amount. The first gathering of beef
+will square the account with every thirsty cow you watered last summer."
+
+An extra day was allowed in which to reach the railroad. The shipment
+must pen the evening before, and halting the herd within half a mile of
+the railway corrals, the reclassing fell to Joel and Sargent. The
+contingent numbered four hundred and forty beeves, and in order to have
+them marketable, all rough, heavy cattle must be cut into a class by
+themselves, leaving the remainder neat and uniform. A careful hour's
+work resulted in seven car-loads of extra heavy beeves, which were
+corralled separately and in advance of the others, completing a long day
+in the saddle.
+
+Important mail was awaiting Wells Brothers at the station. A permit from
+the state quarantine authorities had been secured, due to the influence
+of the commission house and others, admitting the through herd, then en
+route from Ogalalla. The grant required a messenger to meet the herd
+without delay, and Dell volunteered his services as courier. Darkness
+fell before supper was over and the messenger ready.
+
+"One more shipment will clean up our beeves," said Joel to his brother,
+"and those through cattle can come in the day we gather our last train.
+We'll give them a clear field. If the herd hasn't reached the
+Republican, push ahead until you meet it."
+
+A hundred-mile ride lay before Dell Wells. "You mean for the herd to
+follow the old trail," he inquired, "and turn off opposite our
+middle tank?"
+
+"That's it; and hold the cattle under herd until we can count and
+receive them."
+
+Dell led out his horse and mounted. "Dog-toe will take me safely home
+to-night," said he, "and we'll reach the Republican by noon to-morrow.
+If the herd's there, you haven't an hour to waste. We'll drop down on
+you in a day and a half."
+
+The night received courier and horse. A clatter of caution and advice
+followed the retreating figure out of hearing, when the others threw
+themselves down around the camp-fire. Early morning found the outfit
+astir, and as on the previous occasion, the wagon and remuda were
+started home at daybreak. The loading and shipping instructions were
+merely a repetition of previous consignments, and the train had barely
+left the station when the cavalcade rode to overtake the commissary.
+
+The wagon was found encamped on the Prairie Dog. An hour's rest was
+allowed, fresh horses were saddled, when Joel turned to the cook and
+wrangler: "Make camp to-night on the middle tank, below headquarters.
+We'll ride on ahead and drift all the cattle up the creek. Our only
+round-up to-morrow will be well above the old winter corral. It's our
+last gathering of beef, and we want to make a general round-up of the
+range. We'll drift cattle until dark, so that it'll be late when we
+reach camp."
+
+The outfit of horsemen followed the old trail, and only sighted the
+Beaver late in the afternoon. The last new tank, built that spring, was
+less than a mile below the old crossing; and veering off there, the
+drag-net was thrown across the valley below it, and a general drift
+begun. An immense half-circle, covering the limits of the range, pointed
+the cattle into the valley, and by moving forward and converging as the
+evening advanced, a general drift was maintained. The pace was barely
+that of grazing, and as darkness approached, all cattle on the lower end
+of the range were grazed safely above the night camp and left adrift.
+
+The wagon had arrived, and the men reached camp by twos and threes.
+There was little danger of the cattle returning to their favorite range
+during the night, but for fear of stragglers, at an early hour in the
+morning the drag-net was again thrown out from camp. Headquarters was
+passed before the horsemen began encountering any quantity of cattle,
+and after passing the old winter corral, the men on the points of the
+half-circle were sent to ride the extreme limits of the range. By the
+middle of the forenoon, everything was adrift, and as the cattle
+naturally turned into the valley for their daily drink, a few complete
+circles brought the total herd into a general round-up, numbering over
+fifteen hundred head of mixed cattle.
+
+Meanwhile the wagon and remuda had followed up the drift, dinner was
+waiting, and after the mid-day meal had been bolted, orders rang out.
+"Right here's where all hands and the cook draw fresh horses," said
+Sargent, "and get into action. It's a bulky herd, and cutting out will
+be slow. The cook and wrangler must hold the beeves, and that will turn
+the rest of us free to watch the round-up and cut out."
+
+By previous agreement, in order to shorten the work, Joel was to cut out
+the remnant of double-wintered beeves, Manly the Lazy H's, while Sargent
+and an assistant would confine their selections to the single-wintered
+ones in the ---- Y brand. Each man would tally his own work, even
+car-loads were required, and a total would constitute the shipment. The
+cutting out began quietly; but after a nucleus of beeves were selected,
+their numbers gained at the rate of three to five a minute, while the
+sweat began to reek from the horses.
+
+Joel cut two car-loads of prime beeves, and then tendered his services
+to Sargent. The cattle had quieted, and a fifth man was relieved from
+guarding the round-up, and sent to the assistance of Manly. A steady
+stream of beef poured out for an hour, when a comparison of figures was
+made. Manly was limited to one hundred and twenty head, completing an
+even thousand shipped from the brand, and lacking four, was allowed to
+complete his number. Sargent was without limit, the object being to trim
+the general herd of every heavy, rough beef, and a tally on numbers was
+all that was required. The work was renewed with tireless energy, and
+when the limit of twenty cars was reached, a general conference resulted
+in cutting two loads extra.
+
+"That leaves the home cattle clean of rough stuff," said Sargent, as he
+dismounted and loosened the saddle on a tired horse. "Any aged steers
+left are clean thrifty cattle, and will pay their way to hold another
+year. Turn the round-up adrift."
+
+After blowing their horses, a detail of men drifted the general herd up
+the creek. Others lent their assistance to the wrangler in corralling
+his remuda, and after relieving the cutting horses, the beeves were
+grazed down the valley. The outfit had not spent a night at headquarters
+in some time, the wagon serving as a substitute, and orders for evening
+freed all hands except two men on herd with the beeves.
+
+The hurry of the day was over. On securing fresh horses, Joel and
+Sargent turned to the assistance of the detail, then drifting the main
+herd westward. The men were excused, to change mounts, and relieved from
+further duty until the guards, holding the beeves, were arranged for the
+night. The remnant of the herd was pushed up the creek and freed near
+Hackberry Grove, and on returning to overtake the beeves, the two
+horsemen crossed a spur of the tableland, jutting into the valley,
+affording a perfect view of the surrounding country.
+
+With the first sweep of the horizon, their horses were reined to a halt.
+Fully fifteen miles to the northeast, and in a dip of the plain, hung an
+ominous dust cloud. Both horsemen read the sign at a glance.
+
+Sargent was the first to speak. "Dell met the herd on the Republican,"
+said he with decision. "It's the Stoddard cattle from Ogalalla. The
+pitch of their dust shows they're trailing south."
+
+The sign in the sky was read correctly. The smoke from a running train
+and the dust from a trailing herd, when viewed from a distance, pitches
+upward from a horizon line, and the moving direction of train or herd is
+easily read by an observant plainsman. Sargent's summary was confirmed
+on reaching headquarters, where Dell and the trail foreman were found,
+the latter regaling Manly and others with the chronicle of the
+new trail.
+
+The same foreman as the year before was in charge of the herd. He
+protested against any step tending to delivery for that day, even to
+looking the cattle over. "Uncle Dud wouldn't come," said he, "and it's
+up to me to make the delivery. I've been pioneering around all summer
+with this herd, and now that I'm my own boss, I'll take orders from no
+one. We made rather a forced drive from the Republican, and I want a
+good night's rest for both the herd and myself. Ten o'clock in the
+morning will be early enough to tender the cattle for delivery. In the
+mean time, our pilot, the red-headed clerk, will answer all questions.
+As for myself, I'm going to sleep in the new tent, and if any one calls
+or wakes me in the morning, I'll get up and wear him out. I've lost a
+right smart of sleep this summer, and I won't stand no trifling."
+
+Joel fully understood that the object in delay was to have the herd in
+presentable condition, and offered no objection. The beeves were grazed
+up opposite headquarters, and the guards were arranged for the night,
+which passed without incident. Thereafter, as a matter of precaution, a
+dead-line must be maintained between the wintered and the through
+cattle; and as Manly was to remain another year, he and an assistant
+were detailed to stay at headquarters. A reduced mount of horses was
+allowed them, and starting the beeves at daybreak, the wagon and remuda
+followed several hours later.
+
+The trail foreman was humored in his wishes. It was nearly noon when the
+through herd was reached, grazed and watered to surfeiting, and a single
+glance satisfied Joel Wells that the cattle fully met every requirement.
+The question of age was disposed of as easily as that of quality.
+
+"We gathered this year's drive on our home ranges," said the foreman,
+"and each age was held separate until the herds were made up. I started
+with fifteen hundred threes and sixteen hundred twos, with ten head
+extra of each age, in case of loss on the trail. Our count on leaving
+Ogalalla showed a loss of twelve head. I'm willing to class or count
+them as they run. Manly knows the make-up of the herd."
+
+Sargent and the brothers rode back and forth through the scattered
+cattle. It meant a big saving of time to accept them on a straight
+count, and on being rejoined by the foreman, Joel waived his intent to
+classify the cattle.
+
+"I bought this herd on Mr. Stoddard's word," said he, "and I'm going to
+class it on yours. String out your cattle, and you and Manly count
+against Sargent and myself."
+
+A correct count on a large herd is no easy task. In trailing formation,
+the cattle march between a line of horsemen, but in the open the
+difficulty is augmented. A noonday sun lent its assistance in quieting
+the herd, which was shaped into an immense oval, and the count
+attempted. The four men elected to make the count cut off a number of
+the leaders, and counting them, sent them adrift. Thereafter, the trail
+outfit fed the cattle between the quartette, who sat their horses in
+speechless intensity, as the column filed through at random. Each man
+used a string, containing ten knots, checking the hundreds by slipping
+the knots, and when the last hoof had passed in review, the quiet of a
+long hour was relieved by a general shout, when the trail outfit dashed
+up to know the result.
+
+"How many strays have you?" inquired Sargent of the foreman, as the
+quartette rode together.
+
+"That's so; there's a steer and a heifer; we'll throw them in for good
+measure. What's your count?"
+
+"Minus the strays, mine repeats yours at Ogalalla," answered Sargent,
+turning to Joel.
+
+"Thirty-one hundred and ten," said the boy.
+
+The trail foreman gave vent to a fit of laughter. "Young fellow," said
+he, "I never allow no man to outdo me in politeness. If you bought these
+cattle on my old man's word, I want you to be safe in receiving them.
+We'll class them sixteen hundred twos, and fifteen hundred threes, and
+any overplus falls to the red-headed pilot. That's about what Uncle Dud
+would call a Texas count and classification. Shake out your horses;
+dinner's waiting."
+
+There were a few details to arrange. Manly must have an assistant, and
+an extra man was needed with the shipment, both of whom volunteered from
+the through outfit. The foreman was invited to move up to headquarters
+and rest to his heart's content, but in his anxiety to report to his
+employer, the invitation was declined.
+
+"We'll follow up to-morrow," said he, "and lay over on the railroad
+until you come in with our beeves. The next hard work I do is to get in
+touch with my Uncle Dudley."
+
+"Look here--how about it--when may we expect you home?" sputtered Manly,
+as the others hurriedly made ready to overtake the beef herd.
+
+"When you see us again," answered Joel, mounting his horse. "If this
+shipment strikes a good market, we may drop down to Trail City and pick
+up another herd. It largely depends on our bank account. Until you see
+or hear from us, hold the dead-line and locate your cattle."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+INDEPENDENCE
+
+
+The trail outfit reached the railroad a day in advance of the beeves.
+Shipping orders were sent to the station agent in advance, and on the
+arrival of the herd the two outfits made short shift in classifying it
+for market and corralling the different grades of cattle.
+
+Mr. Stoddard had been located at Trail City. Once the shipment was
+safely within the corral, notice was wired the commission firm,
+affording time for reply before the shipment would leave in the morning.
+An early call at the station was rewarded by receipt of a wire from the
+west. "Read that," said the foreman, handing the telegram to Joel;
+"wants all three of us to come into the city."
+
+"Of course," commented Joel, returning the message. "It's clear enough.
+There's an understanding between us. At the earliest convenience, after
+the delivery of the herd, we were to meet and draw up the final papers.
+We'll all go in with this shipment."
+
+"And send the outfits across country to Trail City?"
+
+"Throw the remudas together and let them start the moment the cattle
+train leaves. We can go back with Mr. Stoddard and meet the outfits at
+the new trail market."
+
+"That's the ticket," said the trail boss. "I'm dead tired of riding
+horses and eating at a wagon. Give me the plush cushions and let me put
+my little feet under a table once more."
+
+The heavy cattle train was promised a special schedule. The outfits
+received their orders, and at the usual hour in the morning, the
+shipment started to market. Weathered brown as a saddle, Dell was
+walking on clouds, lending a hand to the shipper in charge, riding on
+the engine, or hungering for the rare stories with which the trail
+foreman regaled the train crew. The day passed like a brief hour, the
+train threading its way past corn fields, country homes, and scorning to
+halt at the many straggling villages that dotted the route.
+
+It was a red-letter day in the affairs of Wells Brothers. The present,
+their fifth shipment of the year, a total of over nineteen hundred
+beeves, was en route to market. Another day, and their operations in
+cattle, from a humble beginning to the present hour, could be condensed
+into a simple statement. The brothers could barely wait the intervening
+hours, and when the train reached the market and they had retired for
+the night, speculation ran rife in planning the future. And amid all
+their dreams and air castles, in the shadowy background stood two simple
+men whose names were never mentioned except in terms of loving
+endearment.
+
+Among their many friends, Quince Forrest was Dell's hero. "They're all
+good fellows," he admitted, "but Mr. Quince is a prince. He gave us our
+start in cattle. Our debt to him--well, we can never pay it. And he
+never owned a hoof himself."
+
+"We owe Mr. Paul just as much," protested Joel. "He showed us our
+chance. When pa died, the settlers on the Solomon talked of making bound
+boys of us. Mr. Paul was the one who saw us as we are to-day."
+
+"I wish mother could have lived to see us now--shipping beeves by the
+train-load--and buying cattle by the thousand."
+
+An eager market absorbed the beeves, and before noon they had crossed
+the scale. A conference, jubilant in its nature, took place during the
+afternoon, in the inner office of the commission firm. The execution of
+a new contract was a mere detail; but when the chief bookkeeper handed
+in a statement covering the shipments of this and the previous year, a
+lull in the gayety was followed by a moment of intense interest. The
+account showed a balance of sixty-odd thousand dollars in favor of
+Wells Brothers!
+
+"Give them a letter of credit for their balance," said Mr. Stoddard,
+amid the general rejoicing. "And get us some passes; we're all going out
+to Trail City to-night. There's a few bargains on that market, and the
+boys want to stock their range fully."
+
+"Yours obediently," said the old factor, beaming on his patrons. "And if
+the boys have any occasion to use any further funds, don't hesitate to
+draw on us. The manner in which they have protected their credit
+entitles them to our confidence. Our customers come first. Their
+prosperity is our best asset. A great future lies before you boys, and
+we want a chance to help you reach it. Keep in touch with us; we may
+hear of something to your advantage."
+
+"In case we need it, can you get us another permit to bring Texas cattle
+into Kansas?" eagerly inquired Joel.
+
+"Try us," answered the old man, with a knowing look. "We may not be able
+to, but in securing business, railroads look years ahead."
+
+A jolly party of cowmen left for Trail City that night. Morning found
+their train creeping up the valley of the Arkansas. The old trail market
+of Dodge, deserted and forlorn-looking among the wild sunflower, was
+passed like a way station. The new market was only a mile over the state
+line, in Colorado, and on nearing their destination the party
+drew together.
+
+"I've only got a remnant of a herd left," said Mr. Stoddard, "and I want
+you to understand that there's no obligation to even look at them. Mr.
+Lovell's at his beef ranch in Dakota, and his men have not been seen
+since the herds passed north in June. But I'll help you buy any cattle
+you want."
+
+In behalf of the brothers, Joel accepted the offer. "These Texas
+cattle," he continued, "reach their maturity the summer following their
+fourth year. Hereafter, as fast as possible, we want to shape up our
+holdings so as to double-winter all our beef cattle. For that reason, we
+prefer to buy two-year-olds. We'll look at your remnant; there would be
+no occasion to rebrand, which is an advantage."
+
+The train reached Trail City on time. The town was of mushroom
+growth--a straggling business street with fancy fronts, while the outer
+portions of the village were largely constructed of canvas. The Arkansas
+River passed to the south, numerous creeks put in to the main stream,
+affording abundant water to the herds on sale, while a bountiful range
+surrounded the market. Shipping pens, branding chutes, and every
+facility for handling cattle were complete.
+
+The outfits were not expected in for another day. In the mean time, it
+became rumored about that the two boys who had returned with Mr.
+Stoddard and his trail foreman were buyers for a herd of cattle. The
+presence of the old cowman threw a barrier of protection around the
+brothers, except to his fellow drovers, who were made acquainted with
+his protégés and their errand freely discussed.
+
+"These boys are customers of mine," announced Mr. Stoddard to a group of
+his friends. "I sold them a herd at Dodge last year, and another at
+Ogalalla this summer. Range on the Beaver, in northwest Kansas. Just
+shipped out their last train of beeves this week. Had them on
+yesterday's market. From what I gather, they can use about three
+thousand to thirty-five hundred head. At least their letter of credit is
+good for those numbers. Sorry I ain't got the cattle myself. They
+naturally look to me for advice, and I feel an interest in the boys.
+Their outfit ought to be in by to-morrow."
+
+Mr. Stoddard's voucher placed the brothers on a firm footing, and every
+attention was shown the young cowmen. An afternoon and a morning's
+drive, and the offerings on the trail market had been carefully looked
+over, including the remnant of Mr. Stoddard. Only a few herds possessed
+their original numbers, none of which were acceptable to the buyers,
+while the smaller ones frequently contained the desired grade and age.
+
+"Let me put you boys in possession of some facts," urged Mr. Stoddard,
+in confidence to the brothers. "Most of us drovers are tired out,
+disgusted with the slight demand for cattle, and if you'll buy out our
+little remnants and send us home--well, we'd almost let you name the
+price. Unless my herds are under contract, this is my last year on
+the trail."
+
+The remnant of Mr. Stoddard's herd numbered around seven hundred head.
+They were largely twos, only a small portion of threes, and as an
+inducement their owner offered to class them at the lesser age, and
+priced them at the same figures as those delivered on the Beaver. On
+range markets, there was a difference in the selling value of the two
+ages, amounting to three dollars a head; and as one third of the cattle
+would have classed as threes, Joel waived his objection to their ages.
+
+"We'll take your remnant on one condition," said he. "Start your outfits
+home, but you hang around until we make up our herd."
+
+"That's my intention, anyhow," replied Mr. Stoddard. "My advice would be
+to pick up these other remnants. Two years on a steer makes them all
+alike. You have seen cripple and fagged cattle come out of the kinks,
+and you know the advantage of a few cows; keeps your cattle quiet and on
+the home range. You might keep an eye open for any bargains in
+she stuff."
+
+"That's just what Jack Sargent says," said Dell; "that we ought to have
+a cow to every ten or fifteen steers."
+
+"Sargent's our foreman," explained Joel. "He's a Texan, and knows cattle
+right down to the split in their hoof. With his and your judgment, we
+ought to make up a herd of cattle in a few days."
+
+The two outfits came in on the evening of the fourth day. The next
+morning the accepted cattle were counted and received, the through
+outfits relieved, the remudas started overland under a detail, and the
+remainder of the men sent home by rail. In acquiring a nucleus, Wells
+Brothers fell heir to a temporary range and camp, which thereafter
+became their headquarters.
+
+A single day was wasted in showing the different remnants to Sargent,
+and relieved of further concern, Mr. Stoddard lent his best efforts to
+bring buyer and seller together. Barter began in earnest, on the
+different fragments acceptable in age and quality. Prices on range
+cattle were nearly standard, at least established for the present, and
+any yielding on the part of drovers was in classing and conceding ages.
+Bargaining began on the smaller remnants, and once the buyers began to
+receive and brand, there was a flood of offerings, and the herd was made
+up the second day. The ---- Y was run on the different remnants as fast
+as received, and when completed, the herd numbered a few over
+thirty-four hundred head. The suggestion to add cows to their holdings
+was not overlooked, and in making up the herd, two fragments, numbering
+nearly five hundred, were purchased.
+
+"The herd will be a trifle unwieldy," admitted Sargent, "but we're only
+going to graze home. And unless we get a permit, we had better hold
+over the line in Colorado until after the first frost."
+
+"Don't worry about the permit," admonished Mr. Stoddard; "it's sure."
+
+"We'll provision the wagon for a month," said Joel, "and that will take
+us home, with or without a bill of health."
+
+The commissary was stocked, three extra men were picked up, and the herd
+started northward over the new Ogalalla trail. A week later it crossed
+the Kansas Pacific Railroad, when Joel left the herd, returning to their
+local station. A haying outfit was engaged, placed under the direction
+of Manly, and after spending a few days at headquarters, the young
+cowman returned to the railroad.
+
+The expected permit was awaiting him. There was some slight danger in
+using it, without first removing their wintered cattle; and after a
+conference with Manly, it was decided to scout out the country between
+their range and the Colorado line. The first herd of cattle had located
+nicely, one man being sufficient to hold the dead-line; and taking a
+pack horse, Joel and Manly started to explore the country between the
+upper tributaries of the Beaver and the Colorado line.
+
+A rifle was taken along to insure venison. Near the evening of the first
+day, a band of wild horses was sighted, the trail of which was
+back-tracked to a large lake in the sand hills. On resuming their scout
+in the morning, sand dunes were scaled, admitting of an immense survey
+of country, but not until evening was water in any quantity encountered.
+The scouts were beginning to despair of finding water for the night,
+when an immense herd of antelope was sighted, crossing the plain at an
+easy gallop and disappearing among the dunes. Following up the game
+trail, a perfect chain of lakes, a mile in length, was found at sunset.
+A venison was shot and a fat camp for the night assured.
+
+The glare of the plain required early observation. The white haze, heat
+waves, and mirages were on every hand, blotting out distinct objects
+during the day. On leaving the friendly sand hills, the horsemen bore
+directly for the timber on the Republican, which was sighted the third
+morning, and reached the river by noon.
+
+No sign or trace of cattle was seen. The distance between the new and
+old trail was estimated at one hundred miles, and judging from their
+hours in the saddle, the scouts hoped to reach the new crossing on the
+river that evening. The mid-day glare prevented observations; and as
+they followed the high ground along the Republican, at early evening
+indistinct objects were made out on the border of a distant mirage.
+
+The scouts halted their horses. On every hand might be seen the optical
+illusions of the plain. Beautiful lakes, placid and blue, forests and
+white-capped mountains, invited the horsemen to turn aside and rest. But
+the allurement of the mirage was an old story, and holding the objects
+in view, they jogged on, halting from time to time as the
+illusions lifted.
+
+Mirages arise at evening. At last, in their normal proportions, the
+objects of concern moved to and fro. "They're cattle!" shouted Manly.
+"We're near a ranch, or it's the herd!"
+
+"Yonder's a smoke-cloud!" excitedly said Joel. "See it! in the valley!
+above that motte of cotton-woods!"
+
+"It's a camp! Come on!"
+
+The herd had every appearance of being under control. As the scouts
+advanced, the outline of an immense loose herd was noticeable, and on a
+far, low horizon, a horseman was seen on duty. On reaching the cattle, a
+single glance was given, when the brands told the remainder of
+the story.
+
+A detail of men was met leaving camp. Sargent was among them, and after
+hearty greetings were over, Joel outlined the programme: "After leaving
+the Republican," said he, "there's water between here and home in two
+places. None of them are over thirty miles apart--a day and a half's
+drive. I have a bill of health for these cattle, and turn the herd down
+the river in the morning."
+
+The new trail crossing was only a few miles above on the river. The herd
+had arrived three days before, and finding grass and water in abundance,
+the outfit had gone into camp, awaiting word from home. There was no
+object in waiting any great distance from headquarters, and after a
+day's travel down the Republican, a tack was made for the sand hills.
+
+A full day's rest was allowed the herd on the chain of lakes. By
+watering early, a long drive was made during the afternoon, followed by
+a dry camp, and the lagoon where the wild horses had been sighted was
+reached at evening the next day.
+
+It was yet early in September, and for fear of fever, it was decided to
+isolate the herd until after the first frost. The camp was within easy
+touch of headquarters; and leaving Sargent and five men, the commissary,
+and half the remuda, the remainder returned to the Beaver valley. The
+water would hold the cattle, and even if a month elapsed before frost
+lifted the ban, the herd would enjoy every freedom.
+
+The end of the summer's work was in sight. The men from the Republican
+were paid for their services, commended for their faithfulness, and went
+their way. Preparations for winter were the next concern; and while
+holding the dead-line, plans for two new line-camps were outlined, one
+below the old trail crossing and the other an emergency shelter on the
+Prairie Dog. Forage had been provided at both points, and in outlining
+the winter lines, Joel submitted his idea for Manly's approval.
+
+"Sargent thinks we can hold the cattle on twenty miles of the Beaver
+valley," said he, sketching the range on the ground at his feet. "We'll
+have to ride lines again, and in case the cattle break through during a
+storm, we can work from our emergency camp on the Prairie Dog. In case
+that line is broken, we can drop down to the railroad and make another
+attempt to check any drift. And as a last resort, whether we hold the
+line or not, we'll send an outfit as far south as the Arkansas River,
+and attend the spring round-ups from there north to the Republican. We
+have the horses and men, and no one can throw out a wider drag-net than
+our outfit. Let the winter come as it will; we can ride to the lead
+when spring comes."
+
+The future of Wells Brothers rested on sure foundations. Except in its
+new environment, their occupation was as old as the human race, our
+heroes being merely players in a dateless drama. They belonged to a
+period in the development of our common country, dating from a day when
+cattle were the corner-stone of one fourth of our national domain. They
+and their kind were our pioneers, our empire builders; for when a cowman
+pushed into some primal valley and possessed it with his herd, his ranch
+became an outpost on our frontier. The epoch was truly Western; their
+ranges were controlled without investment, their cattle roamed the
+virgin pastures of an unowned land.
+
+Over twenty-five years have passed since an accident changed the course
+of the heroes of this story. Since that day of poverty and uncertain
+outlook, the brothers have been shaken by adversity, but have arisen
+triumphant over every storm. From their humble beginning, chronicled
+here, within two decades the brothers acquired no less than seven
+ranches in the Northwest, while their holdings of cattle often ran in
+excess of one hundred thousand head. The trail passed away within two
+years of the close of this narrative; but from their wide acquaintance
+with former drovers, cattle with which to restock their ranches were
+brought north by rail. Their operations covered a wide field, requiring
+trusty men; and with the passing of the trail, their first sponsors
+found ready employment with their former protégés. And to-day, in the
+many irrigation projects of the brothers, in reclaiming the arid
+regions, among the directors of their companies the names of J.Q.
+Forrest and John P. Priest may be found.
+
+A new generation now occupies the Beaver valley. In the genesis of the
+West, the cowman, the successor of the buffalo and Indian, gave way to
+the home-loving instinct of man. The sturdy settler crept up the valley,
+was repulsed again and again by the plain, only to renew his assault
+until success crowned his efforts. It was then that the brothers saw
+their day and dominion passing into the hands of another. But instead of
+turning to new fields, they remained with the land that nurtured and
+rewarded them, an equally promising field opening in financing vast
+irrigation enterprises and in conserving the natural water supply.
+
+Joel and Dell Wells live in the full enjoyment of fortunes wrested from
+the plain. They are still young men, in the prime of life, while the
+opportunities of a thrifty country invite their assistance and
+leadership on every hand. They are deeply interested in every
+development of their state, preferring those avenues where heroic
+endeavor calls forth their best exertion, save in the political arena.
+
+Joel Wells was recently mentioned as an acceptable candidate for
+governor of his adopted state, but declined, owing to the pressure of
+personal interests. In urging his nomination, a prominent paper, famed
+for its support of state interests, in a leading editorial, paid one of
+our heroes the following tribute:--
+
+"... What the state needs is a business man in the executive chair. We
+are all stockholders in common, yet the ship of state seems adrift,
+without chart or compass, pilot or captain. In casting about for a
+governor who would fully meet all requirements, one name stands alone.
+Joel Wells can give M---- a business administration. Educated in the
+rough school of experience, he has fought his way up from a poor boy on
+the plains to an enviable leadership in the many industries of the
+state. He could bring to the executive office every requirement of the
+successful business man, and impart to his administration that mastery
+which marks every enterprise of Wells Brothers...."
+
+The golden age is always with us. If a moral were necessary to adorn
+this story, it would be that no poor boy need despair of his chance in
+life. The future holds as many prizes as the past. Material nature is
+prodigal in its bounty, and whether in the grass under our feet, or in
+harnessing the waterfall, we make or mar our success.
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WELLS BROTHERS ***
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