"How do you manage to poison them, Hugh?" asked Jack. Hugh did not
answer, but pointed across a valley to a bit of hillside that had
just come in view, and said, "There's a bunch of coyotes now trying
to get a calf. Come on." And without a word more he galloped away.
Jack had just time to see that he was riding toward an animal about
which a lot of smaller animals were dancing, when suddenly old Grey
threw up his head and began to gallop after Hugh, and for a few
minutes Jack had all he could do to keep from falling off his horse,
as it wound in and out among the rocks and the sage-brush. It seemed
pretty rough riding, and he had an awful pain in his side, but pretty
soon his horse stopped galloping and began to walk, and he saw that
he was near Hugh, who was sitting on his horse, looking at a cow,
close by which stood a little tottering calf. The cow seemed angry
and shook her head as if she would like to charge on the horses.
"Look at that fool of a critter," said the old man, "she left the
bunch and came near losing her calf by coyotes, and now she wants
to fight us for driving them off. I always did say that cows had no
sense."
"Were those coyotes that were running around? I could not see very
well, because old Grey was going so fast, and I had a hard time to
keep from falling off," said Jack.
"Well, well, you'll have to learn to stick on to your horse. I forgot
that you wan't used to riding. We'll sure have to practise riding,"
said Hugh. "Now, let's drive this heifer over to the bunch. She's in
big luck that she didn't lose that calf, young as it is."
"I thought coyotes were little animals, and I should think that a
big cow could keep them away, and that all the calf would have to do
would be to stay close to its mother."
"That would be all right, son, if the cow and calf had just a little
bit of sense, but you see that's just what they ain't got. The
coyotes get around them, and first one and then another makes a dash
at the cow and tries to make her mad, or to scare her calf away from
her. If the calf leaves its mother only a little way it gets a bite,
and if the cow gets mad and begins to chase the coyotes, very likely
the calf gets left behind, and may be gets two or three bites, or
even gets pulled down. The only safe place for a calf is right close
by its mother's side. Now, I believe that cow has quieted down, so
that we can start her toward the bunch. You stop here till I see."
Hugh rode toward the cow, calling at her, and after a moment she
turned and walked away from him, the calf staggering at her side.
"Come on," called Hugh. "She'll go all right now."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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