lesh
and strength to withstand the rigors of the climate. I had no
opinions, except what other cowmen had told me, but was willing to
take the chances where there was a reasonable hope of success.

The first move was to buy an outfit of good horses. This was done by
selecting from half a dozen remudas, a trail wagon was picked up, and
a complement of men secured. Once it was known that we were in the
market for cattle, competition was brisk, the sellers bidding against
each other and fixing the prices at which we accepted the stock. None
but three-year-old steers were taken, and in a single day we closed
trades on five thousand head. I received the cattle, confining my
selections to five road and ten single-ranch brands, as it was not our
intention to rebrand so late in the season. There was nothing to do
but cut, count, and accept, and on the evening of the third day the
herd was all ready to start for its winter range. The wagon had been
well provisioned, and we started southwest, expecting to go into
winter quarters on the first good range encountered. I had taken a
third interest in the herd, paying one sixth of its purchase price,
the balance being carried for me by my partners. Major Hunter
accompanied us, the herd being altogether too large and unwieldy
to handle well, but we grazed it forward with a front a mile wide.
Delightful fall weather favored the cattle, and on the tenth day we
reached the Medicine River, where, by the unwritten law of squatter's
rights, we preempted ten miles of its virgin valley. The country was
fairly carpeted with well-cured buffalo-grass; on the north and west
was a range of sand-dunes, while on the south the country was broken
by deep coulees, affording splendid shelter in case of blizzards or
wintry storms.

A dugout was built on either end of the range. Major Hunter took the
wagon and team and went to the nearest settlement, returning with
a load of corn, having contracted for the delivery of five hundred
bushels more. Meanwhile I was busy locating the cattle, scattering
them sparsely over the surrounding country, cutting them into bunches
of not more than ten to twenty head. Corrals and cosy shelters were
built for a few horses, comfortable quarters for the men, and we
settled down for the winter with everything snug and secure. By the
first of December the force was reduced to four men at each camp, all
of whom were experienced in holding cattle in the winter. Lines giving
am