hands were anxious to go up the
trail; but after riding the range one day I decided that it would be
a pity to disturb the pastoral serenity of the valley. It was fairly
dotted with my own cattle; month-old calves were playing in groups,
while my horse frequently shied at new-born ones, lying like fawns
in the tall grass. A round-up at that time meant the separation of
mothers from their offspring and injury to cows approaching maternity,
and I decided that no commercial necessity demanded the sacrifice.
Then again it seemed a short-sighted policy to send half-matured
steers to market, when no man could bring the same animals to a full
development as cheaply as I could. Barring contagious diseases, cattle
are the healthiest creatures that walk the earth, and even on an open
range seldom if ever does one voluntarily forsake its birthplace.

I spent two weeks on the ranch and could have stayed the summer
through, for I love cattle. Our lead herd was due on the Kansas state
line early in May, so remaining at the Edwards ranch until the last
possible hour, I took train and reached Wichita, where my active
partner was awaiting me. He had just returned from the Medicine River,
and reported everything serene. He had made arrangements to have the
men attend all the country round-ups within one hundred miles of our
range. Several herds had already reached Wichita, and the next day I
started south on horseback to meet our cattle at Caldwell on the line,
or at Pond Creek in the Cherokee Outlet. It was going to be difficult
to secure range for herds within fifteen miles of Wichita, and the
opinion seemed general that this would be the last year that town
could hope to hold any portion of the Texas cattle trade. On arriving
at Pond Creek I found that fully half the herds were turning up that
stream, heading for Great Bend, Ellsworth, Ellis, and Nickerson, all
markets within the State of Kansas. The year before nearly one third
the drive had gone to the two first-named points, and now other towns
were offering inducements and bidding for a share of the present
cattle exodus.

Our lead herd arrived without an incident en route. The second one
came in promptly, both passing on and picking their way through the
border settlements to Wichita. I waited until the third one put in an
appearance, leaving orders for it and the two rear ones to camp on
some convenient creek in the Outlet near Caldwell. Arrangements were
made with Captain St