Bess had no inkling that he had been absent from camp nearly all night, and only remarked solicitously that he appeared to be more tired than usual, and more in the need of sleep.

In the afternoon Venters built a gate across a small ravine near camp, and here corralled the calves; and he succeeded in completing his task without Bess being any the wiser.
That night he made two more trips to Oldring's range, and again on the following night, and yet another on the next.

With eight calves in his corral, he concluded that he had enough; but it dawned upon him then that he did not want to kill one.

"I've rustled Oldring's cattle," he said, and laughed.

He noted then that all the calves were red.