e and retire.

"Our boss this summer was some relation to the wife of some of the
medicine people Down East. As they had no use for him back there, they
sent him out to the ranch, where he would be useful.

"We started north with the grass. Had thirty-three hundred head of
twos and threes, with a fair string of saddle stock. They run the same
brand on both ranges--the broken arrow. You never saw a cow-boss
have so much trouble; a married woman wasn't a circumstance to him,
fretting and sweating continually. This was his first trip over the
trail, but the boys were a big improvement on the boss, as we had a
good outfit of men along. My idea of a good cow-boss is a man that
doesn't boss any; just hires a first-class outfit of men, and then
there is no bossing to do.

"We had to keep well to the west getting out of Texas; kept to
the west of Buffalo Gap. From there to Tepee City is a dry, barren
country. To get water for a herd the size of ours was some trouble.
This new medicine man got badly worried several times. He used his
draft book freely, buying water for the cattle while crossing this
stretch of desert; the natives all through there considered him the
softest snap they had met in years. Several times we were without
water for the stock two whole days. That makes cattle hard to hold
at night. They want to get up and prowl--it makes them feverish,
and then's when they are ripe for a stampede. We had several bobles
crossing that strip of country; nothing bad, just jump and run a mile
or so, and then mill until daylight. Then our boss would get great
action on himself and ride a horse until the animal would give
out--sick, he called it. After the first little run we had, it took
him half the next day to count them; then he couldn't believe his own
figures.

"A Val Verde County lad who counted with him said they were all
right--not a hoof shy. But the medicine man's opinion was the reverse.
At this the Val Verde boy got on the prod slightly, and expressed
himself, saying, 'Why don't you have two of the other boys count them?
You can't come within a hundred of me, or yourself either, for that
matter. I can pick out two men, and if they differ five head, it'll be
a surprise to me. The way the boys have brought the cattle by us, any
man that can't count this herd and not have his own figures differ
more than a hundred had better quit riding, get himself some sandals,
and a job herding sheep. Let me give you this poin