The Right of Way 215 



From where Buck stood, upon his throne 

 at the top of the butte, to the utmost strag- 

 gling end of his herd, it was forty miles. 

 For forty miles up and down the creek his 

 mighty army rested. For six or eight 

 miles to each side it spread out upon the 

 plains. Yet any movement in the front 

 would have been known at the rear in a 

 surprisingly short time. How the intelli- 

 gence could have traveled so far and fast 

 would have been a mystery. 



For perhaps ten minutes Buck stood 

 upon the crest of his hillock looking off 

 across his kingdom at his subjects ; then he 

 slowly turned his nose southward and 

 started at a leisurely trot toward the land 

 of sunshine and better feed. 



On every side his subjects followed his 

 lead. All headed southward and all 

 trotted after their King, old bulls and 

 cows, heifers, calves and yearlings, a mighty 

 concourse, impelled by some instinct as old 



