es from distant and various _remudas_,
and did not get away from the ranch until after dinner. But then we
started, taking the usual pack mules, and provisioned for a week's
outing.

Included in the party was Captain Frank Byler, the regular home crowd,
and three Mexicans. With an extra saddle horse for each, we rode away
merrily to declare war on the _ladino_ stallion. "This is the third time
since I've teen ranching here," said Uncle Lance to Captain Frank, as
we rode along, "that I've had stallions killed. There always have been
bands of wild horses, west here between the Leona and Nueces rivers and
around Espontos Lake. Now that country is settling up, the people walk
down the bands and the stallions escape, and in drifting about find our
range. They're wiry rascals, and our old stallions don't stand any more
show with them than a fat hog would with a _javaline_. That's why I take
as much pride in killing one as I do a rattlesnake."

We made camp early that evening on the home river, opposite the range
of the _manada_. Sending out Pasquale to locate the band and watch them
until dark, Uncle Lance outlined his idea of circling the band and
bagging the outlaw in the uncertain light of dawn. Pasquale reported
on his return after dark that the _manada_ were contentedly feeding on
their accustomed range within three miles of camp. Pasquale had
watched the band for an hour, and described the _ladino_ stallion as a
cinnamon-colored coyote, splendidly proportioned and unusually large for
a mustang.

Naturally, in expectation of the coming sport, the horses became the
topic around the camp-fire that night. Every man present was a born
horseman, and there was a generous rivalry for the honor in telling
horse stories. Aaron Scales joined the group at a fortunate time to
introduce an incident from his own experience, and, raking out a coal of
fire for his pipe, began:--

"The first ranch I ever worked on," said he, "was located on the Navidad
in Lavaca County. It was quite a new country then, rather broken and
timbered in places and full of bear and wolves. Our outfit was working
some cattle before the general round-up in the spring. We wanted to move
one brand to another range as soon as the grass would permit, and we
were gathering them for that purpose. We had some ninety saddle horses
with us to do the work,--sufficient to mount fifteen men. One night we
camped in a favorite spot, and as we had no cattle to hold that ni