ut any trouble, but our attempt to lead him across failed. In
spite of all the profanity addressed personally to him, he proved a
credit to his sire, and we lost ground in trying to force him into the
river. The boys across the river watched a few minutes, when all
recrossed to our assistance.

"Time's too valuable to monkey with a mule to-day," said Priest, as he
rode up; "skin off that harness."

It was off at once, and we blindfolded and backed him up to the river
bank; then taking a rope around his forelegs, we threw him, hog-tied
him, and rolled him into the water. With a rope around his forelegs
and through the ring in the bridle bit, we asked no further favors,
but snaked him ignominiously over to the farther side and reharnessed
him into the team.

The afternoon was more than half spent when we reached the first
bogged cattle, and by the time the wagon overtook us we had several
tied up and ready for the mule team to give us a lift. The herd had
been watered in the mean time and was grazing about in sight of the
river, and as we occasionally drifted a freed animal out to the herd,
we saw others being turned in down the river. About an hour before
sunset, Flood rode up to us and reported having cleared the island
ford, while a middle outfit under Forrest was working down towards it.
During the twilight hours of evening, the wagon and saddle horses
moved out to the herd and made ready to camp, but we remained until
dark, and with but three horses released a number of light cows. We
were the last outfit to reach the wagon, and as Honeyman had tied up
our night horses, there was nothing for us to do but eat and go to
bed, to which we required no coaxing, for we all knew that early
morning would find us once more working with bogged cattle.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning in the
division of the forces, Priest was again allowed the wagon to do the
snaking out with, but only four men, counting McCann. The remainder of
the outfit was divided into several gangs, working near enough each
other to lend a hand in case an extra horse was needed on a pull. The
third animal we struck in the river that morning was the black steer
that had showed fight the day before. Knowing his temper would not be
improved by soaking in the quicksand overnight, we changed our
tactics. While we were tying up the steer's tail and legs, McCann
secreted his team at a safe distance. Then he took a lariat, lashed
the to