a little of that."

"Help yourself," says they. "It's a maverick we come across."

I took a steak, and noted that the hide had been mighty well cut to
ribbons around the flanks and that the head was gone.

"Well," says I to the carcass, "No one's going to be able to swear
whether you're a maverick or not, but I bet you knew the feel of a
brandin' iron all right."

I gave them a thank-you, and climbed on again. My hosses acted some
surprised at bein' gathered up again, but I couldn't help that.

"It looks like a plumb imposition, cavallos," says I to them, "after an
all-day, but you sure don't want to join that outfit any more than I do
the angels, and if we camp here we're likely to do both."

I didn't see them any more after that until I'd hit the Lazy Y, and had
started in runnin' cattle in the Soda Springs Valley. Larry Eagen and
I rode together those days, and that's how I got to know him pretty
well. One day, over in the Elm Flat, we ran smack on this Texas outfit
again, headed north. This time I was on my own range, and I knew where
I stood, so I could show a little more curiosity in the case.

"Well, you got this far," says I.

"Yes," says they.

"Where you headed?"

"Over towards the hills."

"What to do?"

"Make a ranch, raise some truck; perhaps buy a few cows."

They went on.

"Truck" says I to Larry, "is fine prospects in this country."

He sat on his horse looking after them.

"I'm sorry for them" says he. "It must he almighty hard scratchin'."

Well, we rode the range for upwards of two year. In that time we saw
our Texas friends--name of Hahn--two or three times in Willets, and
heard of them off and on. They bought an old brand of Steve McWilliams
for seventy-five dollars, carryin' six or eight head of cows. After
that, from time to time, we heard of them buying more--two or three
head from one man, and two or three from another. They branded them
all with that McWilliams iron--T 0--so, pretty soon, we began to see
the cattle on the range.

Now, a good cattleman knows cattle just as well as you know people, and
he can tell them about as far off. Horned critters look alike to you,
but even in a country supportin' a good many thousand head, a man used
to the business can recognise most every individual as far as he can
see him. Some is better than others at it. I suppose you really have
to be brought up to it. So we boys at the Lazy Y noted all the cattle
with the new T