Obr THE CATTLE RAN'GES. 73 



only the very young sought safety by lying 

 fiat to escape notice. 



The horses cantered and trotted steadily 

 over the mat of buffalo grass, steering for the 

 group of low scoria 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 remainder 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 1 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 tlie small fires, and the conversa- 

 tion glanced fitfully over the threadbare sub* 



