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We busied ourselves repairing fences, putting in flood-gates on the river, doing anything to keep away from camp. Miller himself went back to see Jack within ten days, remaining a week. None of us stayed at the home ranch any more than we could help. We visited other camps on hatched excuses, until the home round-ups began.
One pony would be used for the morning work, one for the afternoon, and neither would again be used for the next three days. A separate pony was kept for night riding. The spring and early summer round-ups were especially for the branding of calves. There was much hard work and some risk on a round-up, but also much fun.
Sheepmen sometimes use it to take their wagons up above; sometimes cattle outfits too while on round-ups." "Could an auto go ahead on it?" "Yes, I guess so. By hard driving." "Then he's up there." Weir ran back to his car, jumped in. "Let me go with you," Johnson shouted after him. "No, I can handle the fellow," the engineer answered. And again his machine started on.
The latter part of May we sold four hundred saddle horses to some men from the upper Yellowstone. Early in June a wagon was rigged out, extra men employed, and an outfit sent two hundred miles up the Little Missouri to attend the round-ups. They were gone a month and came in with less than five hundred beeves, which represented our winter drift.
We always have a chuck-wagon on the round-ups, you know. But it's a name that used to be quite common in the West." "Yes, it comes from the Spanish Chiquita," he said. He repeated the word with the soft caressing Spanish accent, "Che-keé-tah!" A flood of scarlet swept up into the girl's pallid face, and slowly subsided to her normal rich coloring.
These M cattle, numbering only 2000, did not justify the running of a mess wagon and full outfit, so I made arrangements with a very strong neighbouring ranch company to run the cattle for us, only myself attending the round-ups to see that our interests were properly protected. Meantime the stock horses must be looked after.
Just for the mileage ten cents a mile each way in a county that's jam full of miles from one edge to the other; ten cents a mile each way for each and every arrest and subpoena. You drag them to court twice a year the farmer at seed time and harvest, the cowman from the spring and fall round-ups.
Tamale Jose had raided once too often, and prosperity and plenty had followed on the ranches and the losses had been forgotten until the fall round-ups clearly showed that rustlers were again at work.
Our lead herd was due on the Kansas state line early in May, so remaining at the Edwards ranch until the last possible hour, I took train and reached Wichita, where my active partner was awaiting me. He had just returned from the Medicine River, and reported everything serene. He had made arrangements to have the men attend all the country round-ups within one hundred miles of our range.
Those who have seen the stump of a tree which has been gnawed down by a beaver will understand the exact force of the comparison. In those days on a cow ranch the men were apt to be away on the various round-ups at least half the time.
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