I had only the one little branding-iron, a thin bent iron rod, generally carried tied to the saddle alongside the carbine.

The branding-iron must be, if not quite red-hot, very nearly so.

Then the calf has to be ear-marked and altered.
When the mothers are near by the bellowing of the young ones as the hot iron burns into the hide makes them wild with fear and anxiety, and the motherly instinct to charge is strained to the utmost, though they seldom dare to do it.

The calves themselves, if big and stout enough, will often charge you on being released, and perhaps knock you over with a painfully hard punch.
This was merely an adventure which lent some excitement and interest to the regular work.

Happily no more serious raid on our cattle occurred in that direction, but one never knew when a little "pulling" might take place and so had to be constantly on the alert.
About this time certain ill-disposed individuals tried "to get their work in on us" by asserting land frauds on our part.