a little
tough, but by drawing on all of Lovell's wagons for the necessary
staples, we can provision them until next spring. You must leave some
flour and salt and beans and the like."

"Beans!" echoed Seay. "That will surely tickle my cook. Did you ever
notice that the farther north it goes, a Texas trail outfit gets
tastier? Let it start out on bacon and beans and blackstrap, and after
the herd crosses the Platte, the varmints want prairie chicken and fried
trout. Tasty! Why, those old boys develop an elegant taste for dainties.
Nothing but good old beef ever makes them even think of home again. Yes,
my cook will give you his last bean, and make a presentation
speech gratis."

Forrest's wound had begun to mend, the soreness and swelling had left
the knee joint, and the following morning Seay spent in making crutches.
Crude and for temporary use, the wounded man tried them out, and by
assistance reached the entrance, where he was eased into an old family
rocking-chair in the shade of the tent.

"This has been the dream of my life," said he, "to sit like some old
patriarch in my tent door and count my cattle. See that white cow
yonder?" pointing with a crutch. "Well, she belongs to your uncle John
Quincy. And that reminds me that she and her calf are up as a reward to
complete the roll of brands. Boys, are you ready?"

The revised lists were submitted for inspection. Compared with the one
rendered by Straw, there was still a difference in Dell's regarding a
dun cow, while Joel's list varied on three head. Under the
classification the errors were easily located, and summoning the
visiting foreman, Forrest explained the situation.

"I'll have to appoint you umpire in deciding this matter. Here's the
roll furnished by Nat Straw, and you'll compare it with Dell and Joel's.
Of course, old Nat didn't care a whoopee about getting the list perfect,
and my boy may be right on that dun cow. Joel differs on a
three-year-old, a heifer, and a yearling steer. Now, get them straight,
because we're expecting to receive more cattle this evening. Pass on
these brands before you leave to meet your herd this afternoon. And
remember, there's a cow and calf at stake for whichever one of these
boys first gets the roll correct."

After dinner the three rode away for a final inspection. The cattle were
lazy and logy from water, often admitting of riding within a rod, thus
rendering the brands readable at a glance. Dell led the way to th