They had established a camp, and at the time of our
employment were gathering beef steers in Loving's brand and holding
the herd as it arrived, so that I was initiated into my duties at
once.
I was allowed to retain my horse, provided he did his share of the
work. A mule and three range horses were also allotted to me, and I
was cautioned about their care. There were a number of saddle mules in
the remuda, and Mr. Loving explained that the route was through a
dry country, and that experience had taught him that a mule could
withstand thirst longer than a horse. I was a new man in the country,
and absorbed every word and idea as a sponge does water. With the
exception of roping, I made a hand from the start. The outfit treated
me courteously, there was no concealment of my past occupation, and I
soon had the friendship of every man in the camp. It was some little
time before I met the junior partner, Charlie Goodnight, a strapping
young fellow of about thirty, who had served all through the war in
the frontier battalion of Texas Rangers. The Comanche Indians had been
a constant menace on the western frontier of the State, and during the
rebellion had allied themselves with the Federal side, and harassed
the settlements along the border. It required a regiment of mounted
men to patrol the frontier from Red River to the coast, as the
Comanches claimed the whole western half of the State as their hunting
grounds.
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