sideration a saving in wages. In a two days' run they would lay down
the cattle farther on their way than we could possibly drive in six
weeks, even if the country was open, not to say anything about the wear
and tear of horseflesh. But Don Lovell had not been a trail drover for
nearly fifteen years without understanding his business as well as
the freight agents did theirs. After going over a large lot of other
important data, our employer arose to take his leave, when the agent
of the local line expressed a hope that Mr. Lovell would reconsider his
decision before spring opened, and send his drive a portion of the way
by rail.

"Well, I'm glad I met you, gentlemen," said the cowman at parting, "but
this is purely a business proposition, and you and I look at it from
different viewpoints. At the rate you offer, it will cost me one dollar
and seventy-five cents to lay a steer down on Red River. Hold on; mine
are all large beeves; and I must mount my men just the same as if they
trailed all the way. Saddle horses were worth nothing in the North last
year, and I kept mine and bought enough others around Dodge to make up
a thousand head, and sent them back over the trail to my ranch. Now, it
will take six carloads of horses for each herd, and I propose to charge
the freight on them against the cattle. I may have to winter my remudas
in the North, or drive them home again, and if I put two dollars a head
freight in them, they won't bring a cent more on that account. With the
cattle it's different; they are all under contract, but the horses must
be charged as general expense, and if nothing is realized out of them,
the herd must pay the fiddler. My largest delivery is a sub-contract for
Fort Buford, calling for five million pounds of beef on foot. It will
take three herds or ten thousand cattle to fill it. I was anxious to
give those Buford beeves an early start, and that was the main reason in
my consenting to this conference. I have three other earlier deliveries
at Indian agencies, but they are not as far north by several hundred
miles, and it's immaterial whether we ship or not. But the Buford
contract sets the day of delivery for September 15, and it's going to
take close figuring to make a cent. The main contractors are all right,
but I'm the one that's got to scratch his head and figure close and
see that there's no leakages. Your freight bill alone would be a nice
profit. It may cost us a little for water getting out