RIDING THE RIM ROCK 



89 



nish and restive under the driving. At the beginning 

 of the third day signs of real ugliness appeared. 

 The hot weather and a shortage of water began to 

 tell on the temper of the herd. 



The third day was long and exceedingly hot. The 

 line started forward at dawn and all day long kept 

 moving, with the sun cooking the bitter smell of sage 

 into the air, and w r ith the sixteen thousand hoofs 

 kicking up a still bitterer smother of alkali dust that 

 inflamed eyes and nostrils and coated the very lungs 

 of the cattle. The fierce desert thirst was upon the 

 herd long before it reached the creek where it was to 

 bed for the night. The heat and the dust had made 

 slow work of the driving, and it was already late 

 when they reached the creek only to find it dry. 



This was bad. The men were tired. But, worse, 

 the cattle were thirsty, and Wade, the " boss of the 

 buckaroos," pushed the herd on toward the next rim 

 rock, hoping to get down to the plain below to water 

 before the end of the slow desert twilight. Anything 

 for the night but a dry camp. 



They had hardly started on when a whole flank of 

 the herd, as if by prearrangement, suddenly break- 

 ing away and dividing about two of the riders, tore 

 off through the brush. The horses were as tired as the 

 men, and before the chase was over the twilight was 

 gray in the sage and it became necessary to halt at 

 once and make camp where they were. They would 

 have to go without water. 



