“We got to the river too early to suit Chisholm’s boss-man.  He seemed to think that his cattle would take the water better about ten o’clock.  To kill time my boys rode across and back several times to see what the water was like.  ’Well, any one that would let as little swimming water as that stop them must be a heap sight sorry outfit,’ remarked one-eyed Jim Reed, as he rode out of the river, dismounting to set his saddle forward and tighten his cinches, not noticing that this foreman heard him.  I rode around and gave him a look, and he looked up at me and muttered, ‘Scuse me, boss, I plumb forgot!’ Then I rode back and apologized to this boss-man:  ’Don’t pay any attention to my boys; they are just showing off, and are a trifle windy this morning.’

“‘That’s all right,’ he retorted, ’but don’t forget what I told you yesterday, and let it be enough said.’

“‘Well, let’s put the cattle in,’ I urged, seeing that he was getting hot under the collar.  ‘We’re burning daylight, pardner.’

“‘Well, I’m going to cross my wagon first,’ said he.

“‘That’s a good idea,’ I answered.  ‘Bring her up.’  Their cook seemed to have a little sense, for he brought up his wagon in good shape.  We tied some guy ropes to the upper side, and taking long ropes from the end of the tongue to the pommels of our saddles, the ease with which we set that commissary over didn’t trouble any one but the boss-man, whose orders were not very distinct from the distance between banks.  It was a good hour then before he would bring up his cattle.  The main trouble seemed to be to devise means to keep their guns and cartridges dry, as though that was more important than getting the whole herd of nearly thirty-five hundred cattle over.  We gave them a clean cloth until they needed us, but as they came up we divided out and were ready to give the lead a good push.  If a cow changed his mind about taking a swim that morning, he changed it right back and took it.  For in less than twenty minutes’ time they were all over, much to the surprise of the boss and his men; besides, their weapons were quite dry; just the splash had wet them.

“I told the boss that we would not need any help to cross ours, but to keep well out of our way, as we would try and cross by noon, which ought to give him a good five-mile start.  Well, we crossed and nooned, lying around on purpose to give them a good lead, and when we hit the trail back in these sand-hills, there he was, not a mile ahead, and you can see there was no chance to get around.  I intended to take the Dodge trail, from this creek where we are now, but there we were, blocked in!  I was getting a trifle wolfish over the way they were acting, so I rode forward to see what the trouble was.

“’Oh, I’m in no hurry.  You’re driving too fast.  This is your first trip, isn’t it?’ he inquired, as he felt of a pair of checked pants drying on the wagon wheel.

“’Don’t you let any idea like that disturb your Christian spirit, old man,’ I replied with some resentment.  ’But if you think I am driving too fast, you might suggest some creek where I could delude myself with the idea, for a week or so, that it was not fordable.’