of a repetition, Forrest had taken the lead
thereafter, and was due at Supply within a day or two. Flood and Priest
had passed Abilene, Texas, in safety, but no word had reached our
employer since, and it was believed that they had turned eastward and
would come up the Chisholm Trail. Bob reported the country between
Abilene and Doan's Crossing as cut into dust and barren of sustenance,
many weak cattle having died in crossing the dry belt. But the most
startling news, seriously disturbing us both, was that Archie Tolleston
was stationed at Doan's Crossing on Red River as a trail-cutter. He had
come up from the south to Wichita Falls by train with trail cattle, and
finding no opening as a foreman, had accepted the position of inspector
for some Panhandle cattle companies. He and Bob had had a friendly chat,
and Archie admitted that it was purely his own hot-headedness which
prevented his being one of Lovell's foremen on the present drive.
The disturbing feature was, that after leaving headquarters in Medina
County, he had gone into San Antonio, where he met a couple of strangers
who partially promised him a job as trail boss, in case he presented
himself in Dodge about June 15. They had intimated to him that it was
possible they would need a foreman or two who knew the trail from the
Arkansaw to the Yellowstone and Missouri River country. Putting this and
that together, the presence of Archie Tolleston in Dodge was not at all
favorable to the working out of our plans. "And Arch isn't the man to
forget a humiliation," concluded Bob, to which I agreed.

The next morning I rode across to the Saw Log, and up that creek
beyond all the herds. The best prospect for a camp was nearly due north
opposite us, as the outfit lowest down the stream expected to start for
the Platte the next morning. Having fully made up my mind to move camp,
I rode for town, taking dinner on Duck Creek, which was also littered
with cattle and outfits. I reached town early in the afternoon, and
after searching all the hotels, located the fiscal agent in company with
the buyers at the Lone Star saloon. They were seated around a table, and
Mr. Field, noticing my entrance, beckoned me over and offered a chair.
As I took the proffered seat, both strangers turned on me, and Mr.
Radcliff said: "McIndoo, this agent of yours is the hardest man I ever
tried to trade with. Here we've wasted the whole morning dickering, and
are no nearer together than when we sta