HUNTING FROM THE RANCH. 37 



very good ; for the tall, bearded, scrawny 

 cook knew his work, and the OX outfit always 

 fed its men well, and saw that they worked 

 well too. 



Before noon the circle riders began to ap- 

 pear on the plain, coining out of the ravines, 

 and scrambling down the steep hills, singly or 

 in twos and threes. They herded before them 

 bunches of cattle, of varying size ; these were 

 driven together and left in charge of a couple 

 of cow-punchers. The other men rode to the 

 wagon to get a hasty dinner lithe, sinewy 

 fellows, with weather-roughened faces and 

 fearless eyes ; their broad felt hats flapped as 

 they galloped, and their spurs and bridle 

 chains jingled. They rode well, with long 

 stirrups, sitting straight in the deep stock sad- 

 dles, and their wiry ponies showed no signs of 

 fatigue from the long morning's ride. 



The horse-wrangler soon drove the saddle 

 band to the wagons, where it was caught in a 

 quickly improvised rope-corral. The men 

 roped fresh horses, fitted for the cutting-work 

 round the herd, with its attendant furious gal- 

 loping and flash-like turning and twisting. In 

 a few minutes all were in the saddle again and 

 riding towards the cattle. 



Then began that scene of excitement and 

 turmoil, and seeming confusion, but real 

 method and orderliness, so familiar to all who 

 have engaged in stock-growing on the great 

 plains. The riders gathered in a wide ring 

 round the herd of uneasy cattle, and a couple 

 of men rode into their midst to cut out the 

 beef steers and the cows that were followed 

 by unbranded calves. As soon as the ani- 



