ht into Texas and sold them to a farmer there. Of course they
were not missed out of so many cattle; but someone in Texas had seen
them at their new home, noticed my brand and sent word to me. On going
after them I found they had been sold to an innocent man who had paid
cash for them and taken no bill of sale. It was not a pleasant duty to
demand the cattle back from such a man, but he ought to have known
better.

Some rustlers in Arizona once detached from a train at a small station a
couple of carloads of beef cattle, ran them back down the track to the
corral, there unloaded the cattle and drove them off. This very smart
trick of course was done during the night and while the crew were at
supper.

For all these reasons it will be seen why my small ranch was such a
success and such a profitable and money-making institution. But alas! it
was to be short-lived! As explained before, I was paying no rent and my
fences were illegal. "Kind" friends, and I had lots of them, reported
the fences to Washington; a special agent was sent out to inspect,
ordered the fence down and went away again. I disregarded the order. To
take the fence down meant my getting out of the business or the ruin of
the herd. Next year another agent came out, said my fence was an
enclosure and must come down. Seeing still some daylight I took down
some few miles of it, so that it could not be defined as an enclosure,
but only a drift-fence. During the winter, however, I could not resist
closing the gap again. Next season once more appeared a Government
agent, who in a rage ordered the fence down under pains and penalties
which could not well be longer disregarded. Cattle were up in price; a
neighbour had long been anxious to buy me out; he was somewhat of a
"smart Alick" and thought _he_ could keep the fence up; he knew all the
circumstances; so I went over and saw him, made a proposition, and in a
few minutes the ranch, cattle, fences and mills were his. Poor man! in
six months his fence was down and the cattle scattered all over the
country. He eventually lost heavily by the deal; but being a man of
substance I got my money all right. So closed my cattle-ranching
experiences some eight years ago (1902).

It may be noted that experience showed that polled black bulls were no
good for ranch purposes. They get few calves, are lazy, and have not
the "rustling" spirit. Durhams or Shorthorns also compared poorly in
these respects with Herefords, and b