he
firm, which was now giving more attention to quality than quantity.
The absence of the men from the Northwest at the cattle convention
that spring was taken as an omen that the upper country would soon be
satiated, a hint that retrenchment was in order, and a better class of
stock was to receive the firm's attention in its future operations. My
personal contingent of steers would have passed muster in any country,
and as to my consignment of cows, they were pure velvet, and could
defy competition in the upper range markets. Everything moved out with
the grass as usual, and when the last of the company herds had crossed
Red River, I rode through to the new ranch. The north and east line
of fence was nearing completion, the western string was joined to
the original boundary, and, with the range fully inclosed, my ranch
foreman, the men, and myself looked forward to a prosperous future.

The herds arrived and were located, the usual round-up outfits were
sent out wherever there was the possibility of a stray, and we settled
down in pastoral security. The ranch outfit had held their own during
the winter just passed, had trailed down stolen cattle, and knew to a
certainty who the thieves were and where they came from. Except what
had been slaughtered, all the stock was recovered, and due notice
given to offenders that Judge Lynch would preside should any one
suspected of fence-cutting, starting incendiary fires, or stealing
cattle be caught within the boundaries of our leases. Fortunately the
other cowmen were tiring of paying tribute to the usurpers, and our
determined stand heartened holders of cattle on the reservation, many
of whom were now seeking leases direct from the tribes. I made it my
business personally to see every other owner of live stock occupying
the country, and urge upon them the securing of leases and making an
organized fight for our safety. Lessees in the Cherokee Strip had
fenced as a matter of convenience and protection, and I urged the same
course on the Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation, offering the free use
of our line fences to any one who wished to adjoin our pastures. In
the course of a month, nearly every acre of the surrounding country
was taken, only one or two squaw-men holding out, and these claiming
their ranges under Indian rights. The movement was made so aggressive
that the usurpers were driven into obscurity, never showing their hand
again until after the presidential election tha