hundred head, from the latter cattle, with customers of the year
previous.
But my zeal for bartering in cattle came to a sudden end near the
close of June. A conservative estimate of the arrivals then in sight
or known to be en route for Abilene was placed at one hundred and
fifty thousand cattle. Yet instead of any weakening in prices, they
seemed to strengthen with the influx of buyers from the corn regions,
as the prospects of the season assured a bountiful new crop. Where
States had quarantined against Texas cattle the law was easily
circumvented by a statement that the cattle were immune from having
wintered in the north, which satisfied the statutes--as there was no
doubt but they had wintered somewhere. Steer cattle of acceptable age
and smoothness of build were in demand by feeders; all classes in fact
felt a stimulus. My beeves were sold for delivery north of Cheyenne,
Wyoming, the buyers, who were ranchmen as well as army contractors,
taking the herd complete, including the remuda and wagon. Under the
terms, the cattle were to start immediately and be grazed through. I
was given until the middle of September to reach my destination, and
at once moved out on a northwest course. On reaching the Republican
River, we followed it to the Colorado line, and then tacked north
for Cheyenne. Reporting our progress to the buyers, we were met and
directed to pass to the eastward of that village, where we halted
a week, and seven hundred of the fattest beeves were cut out for
delivery at Fort Russell. By various excuses we were detained until
frost fell before we reached the ranch, and a second and a third
contingent of beeves were cut out for other deliveries, making it
nearly the middle of October before I was finally relieved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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