“Must be something pretty rotten if a greenhorn got on to it in a week,” Baxter commented.
“Of course,” Scott continued, “the super explained the trouble they had in that patrol district and said he hoped to break it up by getting in a complete stranger from another part of the country. As I did not know anything about sheep they gave me a guard who is an expert, but as I understand it they hold me responsible for keeping the bands down to the number allowed in the permits.”
“I don’t like his looks,” Scott said, “but I don’t really know anything against him. Well, I ran onto the first signs when I went down to visit the small ranchers and find out about the free use stock. Every one of them wanted to know how much it was going to cost him this year, almost dropped dead when I said ‘nothing,’ and then went with me to the next place to see if I told the same story there. I had quite an escort by the time I got to the last place and they had a regular celebration.”
“Of course that was a hang over from last year and has nothing to do with this year’s work,” Baxter explained.
“Yes, I know that,” Scott replied, “but it helps to show you the way I have been worried. The next morning I was to count in the sheep. Just as I was starting out the ranger ’phoned that the lookout had reported a fire on this edge of the district and ordered me out on it because I did not know enough to count the sheep alone. Heth told me the wrong trail and I was more than half a day getting there. When I finally got to the top of that peak over there I could not see the faintest trace of a fire.”
“There was one, though,” said Baxter with sudden interest, “for I happened to be down this way and put it out. I know who set it, too. It was one of Jed Clark’s herders. He said he wanted to burn up the brush so that it would not be in the way of the sheep. Of course I knew that was a fake, but I could not find out why he really did do it, and I could not do anything to him because he had taken great care to keep it from spreading.”
“I saw the ashes down there this morning,” Scott explained, “and could not figure it out. I did not get back to the cabin till late, all the sheep were in, and Heth was not there. So I decided to come out this morning to see what a band of sheep really looked like and see how they handled them. I visited three or four of them and they looked awfully big to me. I tried to count them, but could not do it. Then I came on over here to see what these bands were like. I have seen a couple of them and they do not look over half as large as mine.”