r own
cattle quietly grazing on the hillside. We rounded them up, but our
brands were so completely burned out and effaced that, when we put them
in the corral at Camp Thomas and claimed ownership, the sheriff refused
to acknowledge it, and we had to draw his attention to a small jaw brand
lately adopted by us but unnoticed by the thieves, and therefore not
"monkeyed" with. This was proof enough, and so our long and tedious trip
was to some extent compensated for. The particular rustlers we were
after we could hear nothing of, except one man, who was lying wounded at
a certain establishment, but who was carefully removed before we got to
the place.

On returning home there were only two possible passes through the
mountains. It was lucky we took the one, as the other, we afterwards
learned, had been put into a state of defence and manned by the outlaws,
who in such a place could have shot us all down without danger to
themselves.

This short narrative will give some sort of idea of the state of the
country at that period. Thereafter it became necessary that the cattle
in the mountains should be more carefully guarded and looked after, and
the duty fell to me to "cut sign." By "cutting sign" is meant, in this
instance, the riding round and outside of all our cattle, pushing back
any that had strayed too far, and carefully looking out for fresh sign
(footprints) of cattle or horses leading beyond our range limits. Such
sign was always suspicious, and the trail must be followed till the
stock was found and accounted for. If horse tracks accompanied the
cattle it would be a dead sure proof that something was wrong. I
continued this work for a long time, but nothing suspicious occurred. At
last, one day when searching the open country with my field-glasses, I
was gratified and at the same time alarmed to see three or four men
driving a considerable herd of cattle in the direction, and on exactly
the same trail as before taken by the rustlers. Convinced that all was
not right, and quite realizing that there was the prospect of serious
trouble for myself, I lit out for them, keeping as well under cover as
possible, till, on mounting a small tree-covered knoll, I found myself
directly overlooking their camp. There were the cattle, from four to
five hundred, and there the men, preparing their mid-day meal, four of
them in all, and all strangers to me. It was necessary at all costs to
know who they were, so I was obliged to dis