Chapter 12
elsewhere. All the old foremen expected to use the greater
portion of the men who were in their employ the year before, and
could summon them on a few days' notice. But Forrest and myself
were compelled to hire entirely new outfits, and it was high time
we were looking up our help.
One of Flood's regular outfit had married during the winter, and
with Forrest's and my promotion, he had only to secure three new
men. He had dozens of applications from good cow-hands, and after
selecting for himself offered the others to Quince and me. But my
brother Bob arrived at the ranch, from our home in Karnes County,
two days later, having also a surplus of men at his command.
Although he did not show any enthusiasm over my promotion, he
offered to help me get up a good outfit of boys. I had about half
a dozen good fellows in view, and on Bob's approval of them, he
selected from his overplus six more as first choice and four as
second. It would take me a week of constant riding to see all
these men, and as Flood and Forrest had made up an outfit for the
latter from the former's available list, Quince and I saddled up
and rode away to hire outfits. Forrest was well acquainted in
Wilson, where Lovell had put up several trail herds, and as it
joined my home county, we bore each other company the first day.
A long ride brought us to the Atascosa, where we stayed all
night. The next morning we separated, Quince bearing due east for
Floresville, while I continued southeast towards my home near
Cibollo Ford on the San Antonio River. It had been over a year
since I had seen the family, and on reaching the ranch, my father
gruffly noticed me, but my mother and sisters received me with
open arms. I was a mature man of twenty-eight at the time,
mustached, and stood six feet to a plumb-line. The family were
cognizant of my checkered past, and although never mentioning it,
it seemed as if my misfortunes had elevated me in the estimation
of my sisters, while to my mother I had become doubly dear.
During the time spent in that vicinity, I managed to reach home
at night as often as possible. Constantly using fresh horses, I