man was honest. I was anxious to
do right. Soldiers are generous to a foe. While he lay asleep in my
camp, I reviewed the situation carefully, and judged him blameless.
The next morning, and ever afterward, I addressed him by his military
title. Nearly a year passed before Major Hunter knew that he and his
Texas partner had served in the civil war under different flags.

My partner returned to the Edwards ranch and was sent in to Fort
Worth, where he took stage and train for home. The straight
two-year-old herd needed road-branding, as they were accepted in a
score or more brands, which delayed them in starting. Major Hunter
expected to sell to farmers, to whom brands were offensive, and was
therefore opposed to more branding than was absolutely necessary. In
order to overcome this objection, I tally-marked all outside cattle
which went into my herd by sawing from each steer about two inches
from the right horn. As fast as the cattle were received this work was
easily done in a chute, while in case of any loss by stampede the
mark would last for years. The grass was well forward when both herds
started, but on arriving at Red River no less than half a dozen herds
were waterbound, one of which was George Edwards's. A delay of three
days occurred, during which two other herds arrived, when the river
fell, permitting us to cross. I took the lead thereafter, the second
herd half a day to the rear, with the almost weekly incident of being
waterbound by intervening rivers. But as we moved northward the floods
seemed lighter, and on our arrival at Wichita the weather settled into
well-ordered summer.

I secured my camp of the year before. Major Hunter came down by train,
and within a week after our arrival my outfit was settled with and
sent home. It was customary to allow a man half wages returning, my
partner approving and paying the men, also taking charge of all the
expense accounts. Everything was kept as straight as a bank, and with
one outfit holding both herds separate, expenses were reduced to a
minimum. Major Hunter was back and forth, between his home town and
Wichita, and on nearly every occasion brought along buyers, effecting
sales at extra good prices. Cattle paper was considered gilt-edge
security among financial men, and we sold to worthy parties a great
many cattle on credit, the home bank with which my partners were
associated taking the notes at their face. Matters rocked along, we
sold when we had an op