Two men he chose from his outfit and sent to the
captain, as the Picardo contribution to the detail told off to herd the
horses, but beyond that he confined himself chiefly to making himself as
unobtrusive as was consistent with dignity.
Six men were sent out after beef; and although Dade had many times in
Texas done exactly what they were doing, he watched interestedly these
Californians at their work.
Cattle were everywhere except in the immediate vicinity of the camp.
Half a mile or so the vaqueros galloped; then two of the leaders singled
out a fat, young steer and made after him with their riatas hissing as
the rawhide circled over their heads.
A loop dropped neatly over the wide horns, and a moment later the second
settled upon the first. The first man turned and headed towards camp
with the steer at his heels, ready at the slightest opportunity to make
use of those long, sharp-pointed horns which nature had given him for
just such need as this. The steer quite forgot the man behind, until he
made a vicious lunge and was checked by the rope that had hung slack and
unnoticed over his back. Furious, the steer turned and charged
resentfully at the caballero who was following him and shouting taunts.
But there again he was checked by the first.
So, charging this way and that; galloping wildly in pursuit of the man
who seemed to be fleeing for his life, or wheeling to do battle with the
rider who kept just so far in his rear, he was decoyed to the very
outskirts of the camp.
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