about two o'clock
They had been drifting like lost sheep ever since dawn , but we soon had their cattle pointed in the right direction , and Forrest taking the lead , Quarternight and I put the necessary push behind them . Both of them cursed me roundly for not bringing them a canteen of water , though they were well aware that in an emergency like the present , our foreman would never give a thought to anything but the recovery of the herd . Our comfort was nothing ; men were cheap , but cattle cost money . We reached the camp about two o'clock , and found the outfit cutting out range cattle which had been absorbed into the herd during the run . Throwing in our contingent , we joined in the work , and though Forrest and Quarternight were as good as afoot , there were no orders for a change of mounts , to say nothing of food and drink . Several hundred mixed cattle were in the herd , and after they had been cut out , we lined our cattle out for a count . In the absence of Priest , Flood and John Officer did the counting , and as the hour of the day made the cattle sluggish , they lined through between the counters as though they had never done anything but walk in their lives .