pony, a lariat, a
six-shooter, and a branding iron were sufficient instruments for the
acquisition of wealth. A trained eye and a practised hand were
necessary for the effective use of pistol and lariat; the running iron
anybody could wield; therefore, while a necessary feature of equipment,
the iron was a secondary affair. The pistol was useful in settling
annoying questions of title; the horse and the lariat, in taking
possession after title was settled; the iron, in marking the property
with a symbol of ownership. The property in question was always cattle.

Before the war, cattle were abundant in Texas. Fences were few.
Therefore, the cattle roamed at will over hill and plain. To determine
ownership each owner adopted a distinctive "mark and brand." The
owner's mark and brand were put upon the young before they left their
mothers, and upon grown cattle when purchases were made. Thus the
broad sides and quarters of those that changed hands many times were
covered over with this barbarous record of their various transfers.

The system of marking and branding had its origin among the Mexicans.
Marking consists in cutting the ears or some part of the animal's hide
in such a way as to leave a permanent distinguishing mark. One owner
would adopt the "swallow fork," a V-shaped piece cut out of the tip of
the ear; another, the "crop," the tip of the ear cut squarely off;
another, the "under-half crop," the under half of the tip of the ear
cut away; another, the "over-half crop," the reverse of the last;
another, the "under-bit," a round nick cut in the lower edge of the
ear; another, the "over-bit," the reverse of the last; another, the
"under-slope," the under half of the ear removed by cutting diagonally
upward; another, the "over-slope," the reverse of the last; another,
the "grub," the ear cut off close to the head; another, the "wattle," a
strip of the hide an inch wide and two or three inches long, either on
forehead, shoulder, or quarters, skinned and left hanging by one end,
where before healing it leaves a conspicuous lump; another, the
"dewlap," three or four inches of the loose skin under the throat
skinned down and left hanging.

Branding consists in applying a red-hot iron to any part of the animal
for six or eight seconds, until the hide is seared. Properly done,
hair never again grows on the seared surface and the animal is "branded
for life." A small five-inch brand on a young calf becomes a grea