'em over to the railroad, to be shipped," explained
Bud. "That's what dad raises cattle for--ships 'em away for beef.
This bunch has been fattened up on a range we keep specially for that.
This is a good time to sell now, prices are high, so we're disposing of
as many as we can.

"The cowboys will drive 'em to the railroad, taking their time, so as
not to run all the fat off the steers. The heavier they are the more
money we get for 'em. I guess they won't go much farther to-night,
though," he added, with a look back at the herd they had passed. "This
is the first day they've been driven, and we always go a bit slow at
first."

"Say, but it's great! Wonderful!" exclaimed Nort, half rising in his
stirrups and breathing deep of the pure, keen air, for it was now
chilly.

"You said an earful!" commented his brother. "I wouldn't have missed
this for anything!"

"Glad you like it," murmured Bud.

"What's that--a wolf? A prairie wolf?" asked Nort, suddenly as a sort
of whine broke the silence of the night, punctuated otherwise only by
the soft footfalls of the horses.

"Wolf? No!" chuckled Bud. "Don't let Babe hear you say that. It's
him--singing! Lots of the men do it."

As Bud's whisper died away, the assistant foreman let his voice soar
from a whine into a more or less of a roar, as he intoned:

"Oh, sing to me not of the joys of a city
Where innocent cowboys are left in a trance.
Give me a hoss, an' some room to do ridin',
When I am daid bring me back to the ranch!"

"Does he get that way often?" asked Dick in a whisper, as the cowboy
began on the second verse of what promised to be a lengthy song.

"More or less!" answered Bud. "The cowboys sing a lot, and some
haven't half bad voices. The songs, too, are corkers, some of 'em.
They sing 'cause it's lonesome ridin' line, and then, too, it seems to
sort of soothe the cattle. Dad has told us, lots of times, where a
stampede has been stopped just by the bunch singing songs."

"Good idea," commented Nort. "Oh, but this is the life for me!" he
chanted.

"Only this ride isn't lasting long enough," said Dick. "That's the
camp, down in there; isn't it?" he asked his cousin, pointing ahead
toward where, in the light of the newly risen moon, could be observed
some white objects.

"Those are the professors' tents," declared Bud. "We got here sooner
than I expected. Talking to you chaps made the time pass quickly."

"What do you think o