rth of our camp on the Saw
Log. An hour later, as we were scaling the divide, one of the point-men
sighted a posse in our rear, coming after us like fiends. I was riding
in the swing at the time, the herd being strung out fully a mile, and on
catching first sight of the pursuers, turned and hurried to the rear. To
my agreeable surprise, instead of a sheriff's posse, my brother and five
of his men galloped up and overtook us.

"Well, Tom, it's a good thing you moved last night," said Bob, as he
reined in his reeking horse. "A deputy sheriff and posse of six men had
me under arrest all night, thinking I was the Quirk who had charge of
Don Lovell's 'Open A' herd. Yes, they came to my camp about midnight,
and I admitted that my name was Quirk and that we were holding Lovell's
cattle. They guarded me until morning,--I slept like an innocent babe
myself,--when the discovery was made that my herd was in a 'Circle
Dot' road-brand instead of an 'Open A,' which their warrant called for.
Besides, I proved by fourteen competent witnesses, who had known me for
years, that my name was Robert Burns Quirk. My outfit told the posse
that the herd they were looking for were camped three miles below, but
had left during the afternoon before, and no doubt were then beyond
their bailiwick. I gave the posse the horse-laugh, but they all went
down the creek, swearing they would trail down that herd of Lovell's.
My cattle are going to follow up this morning, so I thought I'd ride on
ahead and be your guest in case there is any fun to-day."

The auxiliary was welcomed. The beeves moved on up the divide like
veterans assaulting an intrenchment. On reaching a narrow mesa on the
summit, a northwest breeze met the leaders, and facing it full in the
eye, the herd was allowed to tack westward as they went down the farther
slope. This watershed afforded a fine view of the surrounding country,
and from its apex I scanned our rear for miles without detecting any
sign of animate life. From our elevation, the plain dipped away in every
direction. Far to the east, the depression seemed as real as a trough
in the ocean when seen from the deck of a ship. The meanderings of this
divide were as crooked as a river, and as we surveyed its course one of
Bob's men sighted with the naked eye two specks fully five miles distant
to the northwest, and evidently in the vicinity of the old trail. The
wagon was in plain view, and leaving three of my boys to drift the
cat