ds could again be relet to advantage, and
started for the capital, while the major and I journeyed on south.
Some former sellers whom we accidentally met in San Antonio complained
that we had forsaken them and assured us that their county, Medina,
had not less than fifty thousand mature beeves. They offered to meet
any one's prices, and Major Hunter urged that I see a sample of the
cattle while en route to the Uvalde country. If they came up to
requirements, I was further authorized to buy in sufficient to fill
our contract at Fort Buford, which would require three herds, or ten
thousand head. It was an advantage to have this delivery start
from the same section, hold together en route, and arrive at their
destination as a unit. I was surprised at both the quality and the
quantity of the beeves along the tributaries of the Frio River, and
readily let a contract to a few leading cowmen for the full allotment.
My active partner was notified, and I went on to the headwaters of the
Nueces River. I knew the cattle of this section so well that there was
no occasion even to look at them, and in a few days contracted for
five herds of straight threes. While in the latter section, word
reached me that Edwards had sublet four of our Indian contacts, or
those intended for delivery at agencies in the Indian Territory. The
remaining two were for tribes in Colorado, and notifying our segundo
to hold the others open until we met, I took stage back to San
Antonio. My return was awaited by both Major Hunter and Edwards, and
casting up our purchases on through cattle, we found we lacked only
two herds of cows and the same of beeves. I offered to make up the
Indian awards from my ranches, the major had unlimited offerings from
which to pick, and we turned our attention to securing young steers
for the open market. Our segundo was fully relieved and ordered back
to his old stamping-ground on the Colorado River to contract for six
herds of young cattle. It was my intention to bring remudas down from
the Clear Fork to handle the cattle from Uvalde and Medina counties,
but my active partner would have to look out for his own saddle stock
for the other beef herds. Hurrying home, I started eight hundred
saddle horses belonging to the firm to the lower country, assigned
two remudas to leave for the Double Mountain ranch, detailed the same
number for the Clear Fork, and authorized the remaining six to report
to Edwards on the Colorado River.

Th