noon
As we felt under obligations to touch at Abilene within a few days , there was a constant skirmish for grass within a reasonable distance of the trail ; and we were early , fully two thirds of the drive being in our rear . One sultry morning south of Buffalo Gap , as we were grazing past the foot of Table Mountain , several of us rode to the summit of that butte . From a single point of observation we counted twelve herds within a space of thirty miles both south and north , all moving in the latter direction . When about midway between the Gap and the railroad we were met at noon one day by Don Lovell . This was his first glimpse of my herd , and his experienced eye took in everything from a broken harness to the peeling and legibility of the road brand . With me the condition of the cattle was the first requisite , but the minor details as well as the more important claimed my employer 's attention . When at last , after riding with the herd for an hour , he spoke a few words of approbation on the condition , weight , and uniformity of the beeves , I felt a load lifted from my shoulders .