Just the Way it Went Down

Cap had a pretty strict rule on the ranch. Roping a cow in the pasture was the last resort. He had done his share of pasture roping during his years, but these days he preferred to start early when the cattle would drive easier, and as a general rule buy gentler cattle. Sometimes buying'em gentle was not as easy as starting early.

It was just daylight enough to not turn on the headlights and they were at the Windsor Pens. The Windsor Pens were on the backside of the ranch and that meant that before daylight the boys had all eaten breakfast, fed their horses, saddled up and trailered all the way to the back side of the ranch. They were unloading at the perfect time. It was only 80 degrees this morning before daylight. Pretty cool yet.

The hands all unloaded their horses and mounted up, each taking a few minutes to move their horses around. This morning it didn't take much to warm one up. The warm up was just in case they came upon a bunch of cattle sooner than expected. Most of the time when they started riding from the Windsor, it was an hour or so before they were in the vicinity of cattle...ample time to warm one up.

Cap delivered strict instructions to Ely. Everyone spread out in the brush and make a "drag" through the pasture pushing everything to the clearing along the fence. Then get'em all together and make a drive straight down the fence to the pens. Easy enough. Cap was gonna go wait at the pens in the truck and honk the horn to kind of help call the cattle in.

"All of these cattle are gentle and shouldn't be any trouble, so you boys just leave your ropes on the saddle horn today.", said Cap... those were famous last words as he drove away.

The boys spread out and when everyone had ridden to their spots and exchanged "whoops" to signal location, it was time to go. They each slowly picked their way through the brush moving whatever cattle they saw in the direction of the fence. This was a methodical process since some older cows were smart and would stand still as a statue when a rider rode right by them so they didn't have to leave the shade. Not only did you have to look ahead of you to pick a path through the brush but you had to look to each side trying to notice even the slow switching of a cows tail as she brushed flies away and just watched you ride by.

Ely was in the middle of all the hands in their line and had been having trouble with the same cow and calf all morning long. He would push her toward the fence and then she'd try to veer off and go between him and Woody. He'd cut her off everytime, but she was getting harder and harder to stop. She didn't want to go. Ely took it as a personal challenge from her. After several hours of cat and mouse by the cow and calf, Ely finally got her pushed out to the clearing and in just a few minutes the rest of the boys had theirs out too. They formed one large herd and started them down the fence trying to ease along as it was already getting pretty hot by this time and they still had a pretty good trip ahead.

The boys fanned out along the opposite side of the cows as the fence and kept'em moving. Ely kept his eye on the problem cow. Slowly she worked her way toward the back of the herd just looking for an opening. He was hoping she would go. If she did he would have a decision to make. Obey Cap and let her go back, or follow his instinct and give her the nylon rope treatment. About 300 yards from the pens, she called his bluff. He was ready with his decision.

She had manueverd all the way to the back of the herd and when one cowboy stepped too far ahead of her she dropped back by herself and wheeled the other way, running away down the fence. Ely had his rope down in a flash and was right behind her in as hot of pursuit as him and old Gray could muster. She sensed the chase and veered to the right hitting the brush without slowing down. Ely did the same. That's the last anyone saw of either of them for a while.

The other cowboys penned the cows without incident and then gathered around the truck to get a drink of water before the sorting began. After about 45 minutes Ely came riding up. His shirt was torn in several places, his face scratched from the brush, his horse was lathered up under the breast collar and his hat looked like it had been used as a handle in a bar fight.

Cap was not happy. Ely had disobeyed a direct order. He better have an explanation.

"Well?" Cap asked as he rode up. There was a long pause as Ely wiped his brow and pushed his smashed hat back on his head.

"I roped a cow, broke her leg, didn't mean to do it, and that's all I want to hear about it." Ely turned and rode away toward the pens.

"Meester Cap?", Jaime asked,"is Meester Ely in trouble?" The rest of the hands kinda snickered at the question.

"Jaime, he's just been here too long to fire." said Cap.

"I think I could have roped her." offered Jaime.

"You ain't been here too long." said Cap looking over his glasses and smiling.