Two days afterward we had
fifteen hundred younger steers of my own raising in the herd, and on
the 10th of the month the fourth one moved out. A day was lost in
making a general settlement, after which Major Hunter and I rode
through the mixed cattle under herd, finding them contentedly
occupying nearly ten miles of the valley of the Clear Fork. Calves
were dropping at the rate of one hundred a day, two camps of five men
each held them on an ample range, riding lines well back from the
valley. The next morning we turned homeward, passing my ranch and
corrals, which but a few days before were scenes of activity, but now
deserted even by the dogs. From the Edwards ranch we were driven in to
Fort Worth, and by the middle of the month reached Wichita.
No herds were due to arrive for a month. My active partner continued
on to his home at The Grove, and I started for our camps on the
Medicine River. The grass was coming with a rush, the cattle were
beginning to shed their winter coats, and our men assured me that the
known loss amounted to less than twenty head. The boys had spent an
active winter, only a few storms ever bunching the cattle, with less
than half a dozen contingents crossing the established lines. Even
these were followed by our trailers and brought back to their own
range; and together with wolfing the time had passed pleasantly. An
incident occurred at the upper camp that winter which clearly shows
the difference between the cow-hand of that day and the modern
bronco-buster.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182