Read From Hide and Horn (A Floating Outfit Book Number 5) for Free Online Page A

to
the ground. On rising, as was mostly the case after a good ‘tailing
down’, the steer forgot all its anti-social notions and went
quietly into the moving line.
    Shortly before noon, Vern
Sutherland pushed his tobiano down a draw after three steers which had escaped.
In a foolhardy attempt to show how good a horse he rode, he had not
changed mounts since starting out. While the tobiano overtook the steers and swung them
back in the direction of the herd, it was tired.
    Hearing a low snort to his left,
Vera turned his head and saw a big black ladino coming towards him. Everything about the
animal showed its mean nature and it clearly aimed to fight its way
to freedom. The tobiano faced the steer, but Vern knew it was too leg-weary to deal
with such a dangerous proposition. For all that, the youngster sat
his ground. While he carried a holstered Colt and knew how to use
it, he made no attempt to do so. The sound of a shot might easily
cause the herd to stampede.
    On his way to the drag,
Goodnight saw the youngster’s predicament and raced his bayo-cebrunos ix gelding to the
rescue. Unshipping the rope, with one end ready-tied to the
saddlehorn, he shook out its loop and gauged the distance with his
eye. The rancher approached from the side of the steer as it began
its charge. Rising to stand in his stirrups, as a means of making a
more accurate throw, Goodnight sent the rope curling through the
air. As the loop fell and tightened about the steer’s neck, the
rancher cued the bayo-cebrunos with his knees and brought it to a turning halt.
Manila twanged taut between longhorn and saddlehorn. Fixing to keep
anything he roped, the Texan always tied his lariat securely to the
horn and relied upon his saddle’s double girths to hold all firm.
Braced ready for the impact, the bayo-cebrunos kept its feet. Not so the steer.
Stopped unexpectedly with its feet off the ground, its legs shot
sideways and it slammed down hard on its flank.
    ‘ Get them others back to the herd!’
Goodnight called to Vern. ‘Then go pick a fresh hoss from the
remuda.’
    ‘ Yo!’ the youngster answered and turned
to obey.
    There were other incidents
calling for Dusty’ s or Goodnight’s attention. In the late afternoon, they
combined to help Dawn deal with a group of extra-determined ladinos which broke away.
Only the girl’s deft riding-ability held the bunch together long
enough for the men to reach her. She felt no shame at needing the
assistance. Not even the most experienced top hand cowboy could
have handled the steers alone.
    ‘ Good work, Dawn,’ the rancher
said.
    ‘ Real good,’ Dusty echoed, and grinned
at the girl’s dirt-smudged features. ‘And as a reward, you can take
first spell on the night herd.’
    ‘ How can you stand being
so good to me?’ Dawn yelled at the small Texan’s departing back.
Then she gave a resigned sigh. ‘ It could be worse. I might have been
on the middle watch.’

Chapter Four – We’ll Never Beat Him to
Sumner
    Knowing the importance of
getting longhorns off their home ranges as a means of quietening
them down, Goodnight had insisted that the herd be pushed hard all
day. Wh en he
called a halt towards sundown, they were some fifteen miles from
their starting point. After leaving the Swinging G’s holding area,
none of the trail hands had dismounted for longer than it took to
transfer a saddle to a fresh horse, or relieve the needs of nature.
At mid-day, Rowdy had taken the chuck wagon forward and handed out
cold food to the crew as they rode by, so that they could eat but
still stay on the move.
    Even with the herd watered and
brought to a stop in the open area selected by Goodnight for the
night’s bed-ground, only Mark, Dawn and two of the hands rode back
to where the cook had set up camp. Until the four—first part of the
night guard—had eaten a meal, set out their bedrolls and returned, the
remainder of the hands continued to circle the herd and quieten any
restless urges the