nd until the dew is off the grass because their feet
are made soft by the wet grass and if they are moved onto the hard trail
while in that condition sore heels are sure to result, and a steer with
sore heels cannot travel and will have to be left behind on the trail or
the herd held until those affected have recovered. Our saddle horses
travel several times the distance that a herd of cattle does on the
trail, as it is necessary to ride from one end of the herd to the other
to keep them in line and headed in the right direction. This work is
hard on the horses but that is always provided for by having a small
herd of horses along under the charge of a horse rustler as we called
him and any of the boys could change his tired horse for a fresh one at
any time he chose, but he would have no one to help him make the change.
He would have to rope, throw, saddle and bridle the horse himself
without any assistance whatever from his companions, and this was no
easy matter as most of the horses were wild Texas mustangs and had never
had the saddle on more than once or twice and so as often happened the
cow boy would be led a hard life before he finally made the change of
mounts. On such occasions he always received the unwelcome and unasked
advice of the other boys, but as most of the boys were expert at that
business there was slight chance for railing and chaff. But if for any
reason he should get the laugh from his companions he always took it in
the same spirit in which it was given, only waiting his chance to get
even, and such a chance was not long in coming. This particular herd
acted very well and gave us no trouble to speak of. Our route lay over
the old Hays' and Elsworth trail, one of the best known cattle trails in
the west, then by way of Olga, Nebraska, at that time a very small and
also a very tough place. It was a rendezvous of the tough element and
the bad men of the cow country. There were a large number of cow boys
there from the surrounding ranges and the place looked very enticing to
our tired and thirsty crowd, but we had our herd to look after and
deliver so we could not stop, but pushed on north crossing the Platte
river, then up the trail that led by the hole in the wall country, near
which place we went into camp. Then as now this hole in the wall country
was the refuge of the train robbers, cattle thieves and bandits of the
western country, and when we arrived the place was unusually full of
them, and i