58 The Wilderness Hunter. 



mounds which was my goal. In mid-afternoon I reached 

 it. The two wagons were drawn up near the spring ; 

 under them lay the night-wranglers, asleep ; nearby the 

 teamster-cooks were busy about the evening meal. A 

 little way off the two day-wranglers were watching the 

 horse-herd ; into which I speedily turned my own animals. 

 The riders had already driven in the bunches of cattle ; 

 and were engaged in branding the calves, and turning 

 loose the animals that were not needed, while the remain- 

 der were kept, forming the nucleus of the herd which was 

 to accompany the wagon. 



As soon as the work was over the men rode to the 

 wagons ; sinewy fellows, with tattered broad-brimmed 

 hats and clanking spurs, some wearing leather shaps or 

 leggings, others having their trousers tucked into their 

 high-heeled top-boots, all with their flannel shirts and loose 

 neckerchiefs dusty and sweaty. A few were indulging in 

 rough, good-natured horse play, to an accompaniment of 

 yelling mirth ; most were grave and taciturn, greeting me 

 with a silent nod or a " How ! friend." A very talkative 

 man, unless the acknowledged wit of the party, according 

 to the somewhat florid frontier notion of wit, is always 

 looked on with disfavor in a cow-camp. After supper, 

 eaten in silent haste, we gathered round the embers of 

 the small fires, and the conversation glanced fitfully over 

 the threadbare subjects common to all such camps ; the 

 antics of some particularly vicious bucking bronco, how 

 the different brands of cattle were showing up, the small- 

 ness of the calf drop, the respective merits of rawhide 

 lariats and grass ropes, and bits of rather startling and 



