“We had to keep well to the west getting out of Texas; kept to the west of Buffalo Gap.  From there to Tepee City is a dry, barren country.  To get water for a herd the size of ours was some trouble.  This new medicine man got badly worried several times.  He used his draft book freely, buying water for the cattle while crossing this stretch of desert; the natives all through there considered him the softest snap they had met in years.  Several times we were without water for the stock two whole days.  That makes cattle hard to hold at night.  They want to get up and prowl—­it makes them feverish, and then’s when they are ripe for a stampede.  We had several bobles crossing that strip of country; nothing bad, just jump and run a mile or so, and then mill until daylight.  Then our boss would get great action on himself and ride a horse until the animal would give out—­sick, he called it.  After the first little run we had, it took him half the next day to count them; then he couldn’t believe his own figures.

“A Val Verde County lad who counted with him said they were all right—­not a hoof shy.  But the medicine man’s opinion was the reverse.  At this the Val Verde boy got on the prod slightly, and expressed himself, saying, ’Why don’t you have two of the other boys count them?  You can’t come within a hundred of me, or yourself either, for that matter.  I can pick out two men, and if they differ five head, it’ll be a surprise to me.  The way the boys have brought the cattle by us, any man that can’t count this herd and not have his own figures differ more than a hundred had better quit riding, get himself some sandals, and a job herding sheep.  Let me give you this pointer:  if you are not anxious to have last night’s fun over again, you’d better quit counting and get this herd full of grass and water before night, or you will be cattle shy as sure as hell’s hot.’

“‘When I ask you for an opinion,’ answered the foreman, somewhat indignant, ’such remarks will be in order.  Until then you may keep your remarks to yourself.’

“‘That will suit me all right, old sport,’ retorted Val Verde; ’and when you want any one to help you count your fat cattle, get some of the other boys—­one that’ll let you doubt his count as you have mine, and if he admires you for it, cut my wages in two.’

“After the two had been sparring with each other some little time, another of the boys ventured the advice that it would be easy to count the animals as they came out of the water; so the order went forward to let them hit the trail for the first water.  We made a fine stream, watering early in the afternoon.  As they grazed out from the creek we fed them through between two of the boys.  The count showed no cattle short.  In fact, the Val Verde boy’s count was confirmed.  It was then that our medicine man played his cards wrong.  He still insisted that we were cattle out, thus queering himself with his men.  He was gradually getting into a lone minority, though he didn’t have sense enough to realize it.  He would even fight with and curse his horses to impress us with his authority.  Very little attention was paid to him after this, and as grass and water improved right along nothing of interest happened.