nearly midnight
At the ferry we learned that there had been no serious loss of cattle so far , but that nearly all the stock from the Frio and San Miguel had drifted across to the Nueces . We also learned that the attendance on San Jacinto Day had been extremely light , not a person from Las Palomas being present , while the tournament for that year had been abandoned . During our ride up the river before darkness fell , we passed a strange medley of brands , many of which Deweese assured me were owned from fifty to a hundred miles to the north and west . Riding leisurely , it was nearly midnight when we sighted the ranch and found it astir . An extra breeze had been blowing , and the vaqueros were starting to their work at the wells in order to be on hand the moment the wind slackened . Around the two wells at headquarters were over a thousand cattle , whose constant moaning reached our ears over a mile from the ranch . Our return was like entering a house of mourning .