Joel returned before noon.  No sign of an approaching herd was sighted by the middle of the afternoon, and the trio resigned themselves to random conversation.

“Dell,” said Forrest, “it’s been on my mind all day to ask you why you picked a yearling yesterday when you had a chance to take a cow.  Straw laughed at you.”

“Because Joel said red cattle were worth a dollar a head more than any other color.”

“Young man,” inquired Forrest of Joel, “what’s your authority for that statement?”

“Didn’t you pick me a red cow yesterday, and didn’t you admit to Mr. Straw that red cattle were worth the most?” said Joel, in defense of his actions.

“And you rushed away and palmed my random talking off on Dell as original advice?  You’ll do.  Claiming a little more than you actually know will never hurt you any.  Now here’s a prize for the best brand reader:  The boy who brings me a correct list of brands, as furnished by Straw, gets my white cow and calf as a reward.  I want the road and ranch brand on the cripples, and the only or holding brand on the others.  Now, fool one another if you can.  Ride through them slowly, and the one who brings me a perfect list is my bully boy.”

The incentive of reward stimulated the brothers to action.  They scampered away on ponies, not even waiting to saddle, and several hours were spent in copying brands.  These included characters, figures, and letters, and to read them with skill was largely a matter of practice.  Any novice ought to copy brands, but in this instance the amateur’s list would be compared with that of an experienced trail foreman, a neutral judge from which there was no appeal.

The task occupied the entire evening.  Forrest not only had them read, but looked over each copy, lending impartial assistance in reading characters that might baffle a boy.  There were some half dozen of the latter in Straw’s list, a turkey track being the most difficult to interpret, but when all characters were fully understood, Joel still had four errors to Dell’s three.  The cripples were found to be correct in each instance, and were exempt from further disturbance.  Forrest now insisted that to classify, by enumerating each grade, would assist in locating the errors, which work would have to be postponed until morning.

The boys were thoroughly in earnest in mastering the task.  Forrest regaled them with examples of the wonderful expertness of the Texans in reading brands and classifying cattle.  “Down home,” said he, “we have boys who read brands as easily as a girl reads a novel.  I know men who can count one hundred head of mixed cattle, as they leave a corral, or trail along, and not only classify them but also give you every brand correctly.  Now, that’s the kind of cowmen I aim to make out of you boys, and to-morrow morning you must get these brands accurate.  What was that?”

Both boys sprang to the tent opening and listened.  It sounded like a shot, and within a few moments was seconded by a distant hail.