. "McCann, I'll take my _carne fresco_ a
trifle rare to-night, garnished with a sprig of parsley and a wee bit
of lemon."

Before we had finished supper, Honeyman had rehooked the mules to the
wagon, while the _remuda_ was at hand to follow. Before we left the
wagon, a full moon was rising on the eastern horizon, and as we were
starting out Flood gave us these general directions: "I'm going to
take the lead with the cook's lantern, and one of you rear men take
the new bull's-eye. We'll throw the herd on the trail; and between the
lead and rear light, you swing men want to ride well outside, and you
point men want to hold the lead cattle so the rear will never be more
than a half a mile behind. I'll admit that this is somewhat of an
experiment with me, but I don't see any good reason why she won't
work. After the moon gets another hour high we can see a quarter of a
mile, and the cattle are so well trail broke they'll never try to
scatter. If it works all right, we'll never bed them short of
midnight, and that will put us ten miles farther. Let's ride, lads."

By the time the herd was eased back on the trail, our evening
camp-fire had been passed, while the cattle led out as if walking on a
wager. After the first mile on the trail, the men on the point were
compelled to ride in the lead if we were to hold them within the
desired half mile. The men on the other side, or the swing, were
gradually widening, until the herd must have reached fully a mile in
length; yet we swing riders were never out of sight of each other, and
it would have been impossible for any cattle to leave the herd
unnoticed. In that moonlight the trail was as plain as day, and after
an hour, Flood turned his lantern over to one of the point men, and
rode back around the herd to the rear. From my position that first
night near the middle of the swing, the lanterns both rear and forward
being always in sight, I was as much at sea as any one as to the
length of the herd, knowing the deceitfulness of distance of campfires
and other lights by night. The foreman appealed to me as he rode down
the column, to know the length of the herd, but I could give him no
more than a simple guess. I could assure him, however, that the cattle
had made no effort to drop out and leave the trail. But a short time
after he passed me I noticed a horseman galloping up the column on the
opposite side of the herd, and knew it must be the foreman. Within a
short time, some one