by Gary Paulsen
From the top of the next ridge she saw them. Alex and the roan were guarding the entrance to a box canyon just below. Three mama cows with calves were munching on grass in front of her.
Bobbie laughed out loud. “Well, what do you know.” She moved down in the canyon and rode up beside the roan.
Alex jumped down and took the rope off the bull calf. She tried to act casual. “We ran across these extras on our way here. I thought we might as well bring them along.”
“Amazing.” Bobbie shook her head. “I forgot about this box canyon. How’d you find it?”
“Actually, the cow found it. I thought I’d never catch up with her, so I went back and left you that sign.” She took the T-shirt Bobbie held out to her. “When I finally found her she was with these others. When they saw me they ran in here and the roan and I trapped them.” Alex patted the horse’s neck. “We make a pretty good team.”
Bobbie snorted and shook her head. “We’ve been lucky, dumb lucky. But maybe we ought to test our luck by going after Diablo next.”
“Diablo?”
“He’s a wild bull. And big. Over two thousand pounds. Every year I go after him but so far he’s always managed to get away. One year he hooked my horse, nearly killed him.” Bobbie showed her the scar on Sonny’s shoulder. Then she looked her cousin in the eye. “If we could get him, he’d be worth a lot.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m game.”
“Okay. But if I manage to bring him in, it’ll be your job to keep him.”
CHAPTER 7
“Get out of the way!”
Alex could hear barking, and pounding hooves coming at her. She pushed the roan close to the canyon wall.
Bobbie and Wolf shot past her. Seconds behind them was the ugliest, meanest-looking animal Alex had ever seen in her life. The bull was enraged and obviously bent on destroying Bobbie.
Bobbie jerked Sonny up short behind a boulder. The bull stopped, snorted at Wolf, pawed the ground, and prepared to charge.
Alex put two fingers in her mouth and blew. The whistle pierced the air. The bull raised his head and looked around. For the first time he noticed the cows standing off to the side. He looked back at Bobbie, bellowed, and blew snot on the ground. Then he turned and trotted over to inspect the herd.
“I thought you were supposed to bring him in. Alex led the roan to the boulder. “Looks like it worked the other way around.”
“That was close.” Bobbie wiped sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. “Thanks for distracting him.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “Do my ears deceive me, or did I just hear Bobbie Walker say thank you?”
Bobbie ignored her. “I surprised Diablo in the brush just up the trail. He didn’t care for it much and started after us. Figured if he was going to chase me anyway, I’d lead him back here.”
Alex looked over at the big bull, which was now standing quietly with the rest of the herd. “How do we convince him to go with us to the pens?”
“As long as he’s with the cows, we won’t have much trouble from him. But don’t crowd him. We’ll edge around and start them out of the canyon. Then I’ll move up to the side. You and Wolf stay behind and push them out. Just remember—take everything nice and slow.”
CHAPTER 8
They had fourteen head in the pen, including Diablo. Bobbie was trying to put the enormous bull in a separate pen. Both girls were still on their horses, trying to cut the bull out and force him into the next corral. Wolf had been ordered to stay out of the way.
“Try to get around on the other side. Work them easy. Careful, don’t get too close to him.” Bobbie shouted instructions as she moved around Diablo.
The bull snorted and pawed the ground. He ran straight at Sonny. But the big sorrel had played this game before. He quickly sidestepped and let the bull go past into the other pen.
Before the bull realized what had happened, Alex jumped down and pushed the gate shut behind him. She wiped the sweat and dirt off her face and leaned tiredly against the gate.
“Man, am I glad this day’s over.”
Bobbie looked at the sky. “We still have some daylight. Better stay after it till dark.”
“You’re not thinking of going back up there and finding more cows tonight, are you?”
“No. We’ve got plenty to do right here. Those calves need branding, and we ought to go ahead and castrate that bull calf and dehorn that one over there.” Bobbie pointed across the pen.
Alex wasn’t listening. She had her back turned and was watching Diablo. The bull’s eyes were blood-red and he was still snorting and running around in circles.
“My dad told me people used to actually ride those things.”
“What? Bulls? They still do. Mostly in rodeos now, though.” Bobbie glanced over at Alex. “I’ve tried it a couple of times.” “Get real.”
“I have. At the Fourth of July Rodeo. It’s really not so bad. Hittin’ the ground is what hurts.”
“Are you serious? You couldn’t get me on something like that for a million bucks.”
Bobbie nodded. “I understand. You have to have backbone to ride bulls.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing. It’s just that you gotta be tough to ride bulls, that’s all.”
Alex stared through the wooden rails at Diablo. “You did it?”
“Sure.”
Alex climbed up on the gate. “You rope him. I’ll get on him.”
“Hey, I was talking about normal bulls. This one’s loco. He’ll kill you.”
Wolf growled. The hair on his back was standing up. A deeper voice cut the evening air. “Yeah, Bobbie. And we wouldn’t want the new little girl hurt, now would we?”
Bobbie turned. Two boys were sitting on horses looking down the side of the hill at them.
“Calvin and Jesse Bledsoe,” Bobbie said, her voice flat. “What are you two doing on Rocking W land?”
Jesse, the older and meaner Bledsoe boy, sneered. “It’s a free country, Walker.” He rode his gray horse to the corral fence and peered over it at the cattle. “Some of our cows have turned up missing and we thought they might have wandered over here. We’re just checking.”
“If we run across anything of yours we’ll send it back your way.”
“I just bet you will.” Calvin, the younger boy, who was about Bobbie’s size, spit a wad of tobacco juice on the ground. The brown liquid dribbled down his chin. “After you stamp the Rocking W brand all over them.”
Bobbie forgot about her swollen ankle. She flew over the fence and pulled Calvin off his horse. Before the boy had time to react, Bobbie was sitting on his stomach and had his arms pinned to the ground.
Jesse started to step off his horse.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Alex pointed to Wolf. The dog was snarling and baring his teeth.
Bobbie let Calvin up and dusted off her jeans.
Alex moved to the top rail of the fence. “I’m new at all this cowboy stuff, but if I see either one of you around here again, I’m gonna let Wolf have you for supper. Understand?”
Calvin picked up his hat and glared at Bobbie. “This ain’t the end of it, Walker.”
The two boys mounted, wheeled their horses, and rode off. When they were out of sight Bobbie turned to Alex.
“Let Wolf have them for supper?”
Alex shrugged. “I read it in a book. It worked, didn’t it?”
Bobbie couldn’t help smiling. “Yeah, I guess it did.”
CHAPTER 9
“This is crazy. Besides, it’s fixing to rain. We better get the tarp out and make a tent or we’re going to get wet.”
“In a minute.” Alex was balancing on the top rail of Diablo’s pen. Waiting.
“I don’t know how I let you talk me into this. I’m going to get my rope off of him and get ready for the rain.” Bobbie started to climb the fence.
“Get back. Here he comes.”
The bull had been mad about being penne
d up. But he was even madder now that he had a rope around his neck and two humans were practically in the pen with him. He charged at the fence. Alex saw her chance and jumped, landing squarely on his back just to the rear of his shoulders.
For a split second the bull was so surprised he didn’t move. Then suddenly his temper flared and he went wild. Alex barely caught the rope before Diablo started bucking.
There was nothing else to hang on to. Alex clenched her knees as tight as she could, closed her eyes, and held on.
The bull was infuriated. He pitched up and down, sideways and around. But Alex managed to stay with him.
Bobbie couldn’t believe it. She waved her hat in the air. “Yee-haw. Hook ‘em, snotty! Stay with him, Alex. You got the old booger beat.”
Then it ended. In a beautiful arc Alex flew through the air.
Into the water tank—again.
The bull turned and started for her. Alex tore up the fence and fell over the other side.
She was breathing hard when Bobbie got to her and pounded her on the back. “You’re a natural, cousin. Best ride I’ve seen in a while. And that dismount was something else.” Alex took in air.
Bobbie waited until Alex was breathing normally again and walked her to the camp. “You were great. A lot of first-time riders throw their guts up. Really, one time I saw Toby Matlock throw up for a half hour. It was gross. He musta had spinach for lunch because it was all slimy and green….”
Alex held her stomach, gulped, swallowed. “You’re not helping things here.”
Thunder rumbled and Bobbie looked up. The clouds were black. The rain would be here any second. She quickly moved the saddles under a tree and covered the bedrolls with the tarp.
A drop hit Alex on top of the head.
Bobbie motioned for her to get underneath the tarp. “We don’t have time for a tent. We’ll be dry enough under here.”
“Speak for yourself. You’re not the one who just went for a swim in the water tank.”
When the rain came it was as if someone had tipped over a huge bucket of water. The two cousins moved down in their bedrolls with Wolf snuggled in between. They held on to the edges of the tarp so that it wouldn’t blow away.
“Bobbie?”
“What?”
“Next time I start to do something that stupid, I want you to—”
Lightning crashed and Bobbie couldn’t hear the rest of Alex’s request. She grinned to herself and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 10
The rain stopped about midnight and all the clouds were gone by morning. Except for the wet grass and mud, it was as if it had never happened. Bobbie pushed the tarp back and peeked out. Wolf licked her face. The sky was bright and blue overhead. She stood up and stretched.
She stopped. Something wasn’t right, some sound was missing. She turned to the corral. The cows were gone.
She ran to the pens. The gate was down, trampled in the mud.
Alex came up behind her, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “I guess the lightning spooked them.”
Bobbie moved inside the first pen. “That’s what they wanted us to think.”
“They? What are you talking about?”
“The Bledsoes. They did this.”
“How can you tell?”
“The cattle might have run through the gate all right, but Diablo didn’t open his own pen and follow them. Look over there.”
Alex turned to look where Bobbie pointed. Diablo’s pen was empty and the gate was standing wide open. “Those morons. Hadn’t we better go after them?”
“On what? They took our horses.”
Alex looked at the grassy hill where Bobbie had staked the horses the night before. They were gone too. All that was left were the girls’ saddles and bedrolls.
Alex rubbed her hands together as she thought. “You know this country better than I do. Where do you think they took them?”
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t go after them on foot.”
“Why not? Your ankle seems better this morning. Besides, we don’t have horses in L.A. and we manage to get around.” She moved to the saddles, untied Bobbie’s saddlebags, which held the food, and slung them over her shoulder. “You in or out, cowgirl?”
Bobbie ran her hand through her hair. She let out a deep breath and then whistled for Wolf. “I thought you told me to stop you when you wanted to do something stupid.”
“They’re your cows, aren’t they?”
Bobbie nodded.
“You said the ranch might go under if you don’t get them, didn’t you?” Bobbie nodded again.
“Then what’s stupid about it? We need to go get them.”
Bobbie untied her rope from the front of her saddle. “How can anybody argue with logic like that?”
CHAPTER 11
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Alex leaned on a nearby boulder.
Bobbie sat beside her. “Like I said, it’s a shortcut.”
“I hope it beats your last shortcut.”
“Give me a break. How was I supposed to know that canyon would be full of running water? I didn’t know it had rained that hard up here.”
“How soon before we get to this Turkey Roost,’ anyway?”
“Not long. Just over the next ridge.”
“What makes you think that’s where the cows are?”
“The Bledsoes wouldn’t take them home because it would be too easy for them to get caught. They’re not smart enough to think of using the box canyon. So that leaves the Turkey Roost. It’s the only other place on this whole mountain with even a piece of a fence that will hold cattle.”
Alex stood up. “If we’re that close, let’s get going.”
Bobbie’s shoulders drooped. Her ankle was starting to throb and she noticed that her breathing was a little ragged. “I can’t remember the last time I walked this far.”
“That’s because you’re spoiled. Every time you step out of the house you probably jump on a horse.”
Bobbie thought about telling Alex a thing or two about being spoiled. Then she remembered the morning she had actually tried to do her chores while riding Sonny. She half smiled and decided to save it for another time.
“Listen.” Alex held up her hand. “Do you hear that?”
Wolfs ears were up. He was alert and started for the next ridge.
Bobbie called him back. She tried to get a grip on her breathing. “It’s the cattle. They’re bawling because those idiots have them penned up with no water.”
Alex stayed low and climbed to the top of the ridge. She could see the cows. They were in a small clearing just on the other side of some trees. Diablo wasn’t with them. The Bledsoe boys had made camp and were sitting near the fire laughing about something.
Bobbie crawled up behind her. “I don’t see the horses or the bull.”
Alex worked her way around a stand of pine trees. She motioned for Bobbie to follow and pointed to a spot on the other side of the cattle. “The horses are over there. They’re not even tied up.” She spoke in a low voice. “They must not be too worried about us coming after them.”
“They need to start worrying.” Bobbie squared her shoulders and headed down the hill.
“Hold on.” Alex grabbed the back of Bobbie’s shirt. “We need a plan.”
“Why? Aren’t you the one who said they were my cows and I should just go get them?”
“If you go rushing down there, who knows what those two might do? They could turn the cattle loose and we’d wind up chasing them all over again.”
The corner of Bobbie’s mouth twitched furiously. “I know one thing, we’re not going to get them back by standing around here talking about it all day.”
“Right.” Alex picked up the saddlebags and moved under a tree and sat down. She rummaged inside and pulled out a can of tomatoes. “Yechh. Don’t you eat anything besides beans, peaches, and tomatoes?”
“You’re going to eat at a time like this?”
Alex nodded. “T
hose guys aren’t going anywhere. Besides, it will give us time to make our plan.”
CHAPTER 12
“This idea of yours better work.” Bobbie stroked Wolf as she put her arm through the coiled rope.
“At least in the dark we have the element of surprise on our side.”
They stood on the hill above the Bledsoes’ camp. The fire had gone down to a dull glow. Both boys seemed to be asleep in their bedrolls. Alex could hear them snoring all the way to the top of the ridge.
The cousins made their way silently down the hillside and found their horses’ halters and lead ropes in a heap next to a tree stump where the Bledsoes had tossed them. Bobbie handed Alex the roan’s halter and moved to untangle Sonny’s.
Alex slipped the halter over the roan’s ears. The old horse seemed glad to see her. Alex patted him and scratched his neck.
They untied the Bledsoes’ horses and pushed them gently away into the brush, then slipped Jesse’s and Calvin’s saddles onto their own mounts. Working silently, in a short time they were ready for the cows.
Across the opening, in the pale moonlight, Alex could see the Bledsoe boys still sleeping. She saw something else too.
Their boots.
Quickly she dismounted and tiptoed to the bedrolls.
Bobbie tried to grab her as she went past but Alex was too fast.
One pair wasn’t enough. Alex reached for the second pair.
A large hand clamped around her ankle.
She fell forward.
The older Bledsoe had her foot. She twisted and threw the boots at him, pounding him in the chest and face. Jesse loosened his grip and Alex scrambled to stand up. He tackled her. The air blew out of her lungs. She felt as if someone had dropped a house on her.
Calvin sat up, reached his hand down the back of his long underwear, and scratched. He squinted out into the darkness. “What’s going on, Jesse?”
“Get over here and help me, stupid. She’s getting away!”
Alex squirmed out from under Jesse and managed to get to her knees. Calvin kicked off his sleeping bag and reached for her arm. She swung wildly with the other one.