“No, William, you would lose.  The creek is running almost its normal volume of water.  I dislike very much to interfere with your part of the business, William, but under present conditions I feel justified in telling you that you must not ship these cattle just now.  I have been watching the market with some uneasiness for a month.  Beef has been declining steadily until now it ranges from two-ninety to three-sixty, and you will readily see, William, that we cannot afford to ship at that figure.  For various reasons I have not obtruded business matters upon you, but I will now state that it is vitally important that we realize enough from the beef shipments to make our fall payment on the mortgage and pay the interest on the remainder.  It would be a great advantage if we could also clear enough for the next year’s running expenses.  Have you any idea how much beef there will be to ship this fall?”

“I figured on sixty or seventy cars,” said Billy.  Instinctively he had pulled himself straight in the saddle to meet this fresh emergency.

Dill, with a pencil and an old letter from his pocket, was doing some rapid figuring.  “With beef so low, I fear I shall be obliged to ask you to hold this herd for two or three weeks.  The price is sure to rise later.  It is merely a juggling operation among the speculators and is not justified by the condition of the stock, or of the market.  In a couple of weeks the price should be normal again.”

“And in a couple uh weeks this bunch would bring the lowest figure they name,” Billy asserted firmly.  “Beef shrinks on the hoof like thunder when it’s held up and close-herded on poor range.  What yuh better do, Dilly, is let me work this herd and ship just the top-notchers—­they’re all prime beef,” he added regretfully, glancing through the fence at the milling herd.  “I can cut out ten of twelve cars that’ll bring top price, and throw the rest back on the range till we gather again.  Yuh won’t lose as much that way as yuh would by holding up the whole works.”

“Well,” Dill hesitated, “perhaps you are right.  I don’t pretend to know anything about this side of the business.  To put the case to you plainly, we must clear forty thousand dollars on our beef this fall, for the mortgage alone—­putting it in round numbers.  We should also have ten thousand dollars for expenses, in order to run clear without adding to our liabilities.  I rely upon you to help manage it.  If you would postpone any more gathering of beef until—­”

“It’s just about a case uh now or never,” Billy cut in.  “There’s only about so long to gather beef before they begin to fall off in weight.  Then we’ve got to round up the calves and wean ’em, before cold weather sets in.  We can’t work much after snow falls.  We can pull through the first storm, all right, but when winter sets in we’re done.  We’ve got to wean and feed all the calves you’ve got hay for, and I can save some loss by going careful and taking ’em away from the poorest cows and leaving the fat ones to winter their calves.  How much hay yuh got put up?”