urned home to start my individual cattle. The ranch outfit
had been at work for ten days previous to my arrival gathering the
three-year-old steers and all dry and barren cows. On my return they
had about eight thousand head of mixed stock under herd and two trail
outfits were in readiness, so cutting them separate and culling them
down, we started them, the cows for Dodge and the steers for Ogalalla,
each thirty-five hundred strong. Two outfits had left for the Double
Mountain range ten days before, and driving night and day, I reached
the ranch to find both herds shaped up and ready for orders. Both
foremen were anxious to strike due north, several herds having crossed
Red River as far west as Doan's Store the year before; but I was
afraid of Indian troubles and routed them northeast for the old ford
on the Chisholm trail. They would follow down the Brazos, cross over
to the Wichita River, and pass about sixty miles to the north of the
home ranch on the Clear Fork. I joined them for the first few days
out, destinations were the same as the other private herds, and
promising to meet them in Dodge, I turned homeward. The starting of
these last two gave the firm and me personally twenty-three herds,
numbering seventy-six thousand one hundred cattle on the trail.

An active summer followed. Each one was busy in his department. I met
Major Hunter once for an hour during the spring months, and we never
saw each other again until late fall. Our segundo again rendered
valuable assistance in meeting outfits on their arrival at the beef
ranch, as it was deemed advisable to hold the through and wintered
cattle separate for fear of Texas fever. All beef herds were routed
to touch at headquarters in the Outlet, and thence going north, they
skirted the borders of settlement in crossing Kansas and Nebraska.
Where possible, all correspondence was conducted by wire, and with the
arrival of the herds at Dodge I was kept in the saddle thenceforth.
The demand for cattle was growing with each succeeding year, prices
were firmer, and a general advance was maintained in all grades of
trail stock. On the arrival of the cattle from the Colorado River, I
had them reclassed, sending three herds of threes on to Ogalalla. The
upper country wanted older stock, believing that it withstood the
rigors of winter better, and I trimmed my sail to catch the wind. The
cows came in early and were started west for their destination, the
rear herds arrived a