My partner returned to the Edwards ranch and was sent in to Fort Worth, where he took stage and train for home.  The straight two-year-old herd needed road-branding, as they were accepted in a score or more brands, which delayed them in starting.  Major Hunter expected to sell to farmers, to whom brands were offensive, and was therefore opposed to more branding than was absolutely necessary.  In order to overcome this objection, I tally-marked all outside cattle which went into my herd by sawing from each steer about two inches from the right horn.  As fast as the cattle were received this work was easily done in a chute, while in case of any loss by stampede the mark would last for years.  The grass was well forward when both herds started, but on arriving at Red River no less than half a dozen herds were waterbound, one of which was George Edwards’s.  A delay of three days occurred, during which two other herds arrived, when the river fell, permitting us to cross.  I took the lead thereafter, the second herd half a day to the rear, with the almost weekly incident of being waterbound by intervening rivers.  But as we moved northward the floods seemed lighter, and on our arrival at Wichita the weather settled into well-ordered summer.

I secured my camp of the year before.  Major Hunter came down by train, and within a week after our arrival my outfit was settled with and sent home.  It was customary to allow a man half wages returning, my partner approving and paying the men, also taking charge of all the expense accounts.  Everything was kept as straight as a bank, and with one outfit holding both herds separate, expenses were reduced to a minimum.  Major Hunter was back and forth, between his home town and Wichita, and on nearly every occasion brought along buyers, effecting sales at extra good prices.  Cattle paper was considered gilt-edge security among financial men, and we sold to worthy parties a great many cattle on credit, the home bank with which my partners were associated taking the notes at their face.  Matters rocked along, we sold when we had an opportunity, and early in August the remnant of each herd was thrown together and half the remaining outfit sent home.  A drive of fully half a million cattle had reached Kansas that year, the greater portion of which had centred at Wichita.  We were persistent in selling, and, having strong local connections, had sold out all our cattle long before the financial panic of ’73 even started.  There was a profitable business, however, in buying herds and selling again in small quantities to farmers and stockmen.  My partners were anxious to have me remain to the end of the season, doing the buying, maintaining the camp, and holding any stock on hand.  In rummaging through the old musty account-books, I find that we handled nearly seven thousand head besides our own drive, fifteen hundred being the most we ever had on hand at any one time.