ds had come to our support, and dismounting we rushed them,
whipping our slickers into ribbons over their heads. The mastery of man
again triumphed over brutes in their thirst, for we drove them in a rout
back over the divide.

Our success, however, was only temporary. Recovering our horses we beat
the cattle back, seemingly inch by inch, until the rear came up, when we
rounded them into a compact body. They quieted down for a short while,
affording us a breathing spell, for the suddenness of this danger
had not only unnerved me but every one of the outfit who had caught a
glimpse of that field of death. The wagon came up, and those who needed
them secured a change of horses. Leaving the outfit holding the herd,
Splann and I took fresh mounts, and circling around, came in on the
windward side of the creek. As we crossed it half a mile above the scene
of disaster, each of us dipped a hand in the water and tasted it. The
alkali was strong as concentrated lye, blistering our mouths in the
experiment. The creek was not even running, but stood in long, deep
pools, clear as crystal and as inviting to the thirsty as a mountain
spring. As we neared the dead cattle, Splann called my attention to the
attitude of the animals when death relieved them, the heads of fully
two thirds being thrown back on their sides. Many, when stricken, were
unable to reach the bank, and died in the bed of the stream. Making a
complete circle of the ghastly scene, we returned to our own, agreeing
that between five and six hundred cattle had met their fate in those
death-dealing pools.

We were not yet out of the woods. On our return, many of the cattle were
lying down, while in the west thunder-clouds were appearing. The North
Fork of the Canadian lay on our left, which was now our only hope for
water, yet beyond our reach for the day. Keeping the slight divide
between us and the creek, we started the herd forward. Since it was
impossible to graze them in their thirsty condition, I was determined to
move them as far as possible before darkness overtook us. But within an
hour we crossed a country trail over which herds had passed on their way
northwest, having left the Chisholm after crossing the North Fork. At
the first elevation which would give me a view of the creek, another
scene of death and desolation greeted my vision, only a few miles
above the first one. Yet from this same hill I could easily trace the
meanderings of the creek for miles as