umber of our outfit to bring up our cattle. Now Slaughter and the
rest of us took the oxen, which we had unyoked, and went out about a
quarter of a mile to meet his herd coming up. Turning the oxen in the
lead, young Pete took one point and Flood the other, and pointed in
the lead cattle for the bridge. On reaching it the cattle hesitated
for a moment, and it looked as though they were going to balk, but
finally one of the oxen took the lead, and they began to cross in
almost Indian file. They were big four and five year old beeves, and
too many of them on the bridge at one time might have sunk it, but
Slaughter rode back down the line of cattle and called to the men to
hold them back.

"Don't crowd the cattle," he shouted. "Give them all the time they
want. We're in no hurry now; there's lots of time."

They were a full half hour in crossing, the chain of cattle taking the
bridge never for a moment being broken. Once all were over, his men
rode to the lead and turned the herd up Boggy, in order to have it
well out of the way of ours, which were then looming up in sight.
Slaughter asked Flood if he wanted the oxen; and as our cattle had
never seen a bridge in their lives, the foreman decided to use them;
so we brought them back and met the herd, now strung out nearly a
mile. Our cattle were naturally wild, but we turned the oxen in the
lead, and the two bosses again taking the points, moved the herd up to
the bridge. The oxen were again slow to lead out in crossing, and
several hundred head of cattle had congested in front of the new
bridge, making us all rather nervous, when a big white ox led off, his
mate following, and the herd began timidly to follow. Our cattle
required careful handling, and not a word was spoken as we nursed them
forward, or rode through them to scatter large bunches. A number of
times we cut the train of cattle off entirely, as they were congesting
at the bridge entrance, and, in crossing, shied and crowded so that
several were forced off the bridge into the mire. Our herd crossed in
considerably less time than did Slaughter's beeves, but we had five
head to pull out; this, however, was considered nothing, as they were
light, and the mire was as thin as soup. Our wagon and saddle horses
crossed while we were pulling out the bogged cattle, and about half
the outfit, taking the herd, drifted them forward towards the Solomon.
Since Millet intended crossing that evening, herds were likely to be
to