When he looked forward, it was upon an empty plain, save for the one lone horseman, that came riding back to him.
"Did you see it?" he asked.
The other had seen nothing that could be designated as "It."
"The Phantom Steer" said the first spokesman. "As sure as we live there was a big, shadowy steer that led the bunch, and these that came on became as he, for I rode through them, and cut them with my rope, time after time."
The Phantom Steer was a Thing in the semi-mythology of the west, that always leads herds and men "to the end of the trail." And they say, out in that section of the land somewhere, there is an arroyo where the herds have gone down, led by this mysterious creature, and if you will go there at night when the moon is full, you can see the shadows moving, and you can hear the "moo" as of belated cattle'.
So the Texas Trail was swung away to the east, where the Thing did not interfere with safe delivery on to the northern range.
COWBOY ESCAPADES -- DEATH OF TIMMEY TATE -- RED PATH BILL -- FRA- TERNAL AND CLASS SENTIMENT
When the Cheyenne and Northern railroad was built, the trail went into disuse. The cattle were brought north by rail and unloaded at Wendover, and trailed from there into the Big Horn Basin and the British possessions.
I "skinned mules" on the head of Pole (Xodgepole) creek, Horse creek and the Chugwater, and I cooked for an outfit from the river to "the basin." I had had no experience at cooking to amount to anything, but I could boil spuds and beans, make "sore-finger bread," and make good coffee. The recipe for