United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Peter adjusted the saddle as best he could to the bull's great girth
while Judith rubbed the brute's forehead, talking to him softly. Sioux
stood with head lowered, his red nostrils dilating and contracting
rapidly. But he did not move. When Peter nodded, Judith jerked the
blindfold free and leaped into the saddle. Sioux brought his mighty fore
legs together and leaped into the air. Peter hesitated a fraction of a
minute before putting his foot into Buster's stirrup, and the bull's leap
brought him against the flank of the uneasy horse. Buster reared and
Peter fell, his left foot in the stirrup. The horse started at a gallop,
dragging Peter toward the east gate.
Sioux, glimpsing from his wild, bloodshot eyes the prostrated figure of
a man, gave a great bellow and charged. Judith brought her quirt down on
the bull's flanks, at the same time whistling shrilly. But Sioux was now
out on his own. He overtook Buster half-way down the corral and thrust a
wicked horn at the wildly kicking Peter. Judith leaped from the saddle
and, running before Sioux, seized his horns and threw herself across his
face. The bull paused.
At this moment came the full blast of Sister's hunting cry from the west
gate. She crossed the corral like a hunted coyote and buried her fangs in
Sioux's shoulder just as Douglas on the Moose caught Buster's bridle.
Sioux cast Judith off as if she were a rag and gave his full attention to
Sister. Judith picked herself up, rushed to the still plunging Buster and
jerked Peter's foot from the stirrup. She ran to the blindfold lying in
the sand a short distance away, then whistling shrilly above Sioux's
bellowing and Sister's yelping, she again caught one of the bull's horns
in her slender brown hand. Sioux had rubbed Sister free against the fence
and was now charging the dog as she snarled just under his dewlap.
Again and yet again he flung Judith against his shoulders, but she did
not fall nor lose her grip. Suddenly, so quickly that the grandstand
could not follow the motion, she had wrapped the blindfold over the
burning eyes. As the bull stopped confused and trembling she hobbled his
fore-legs to his head with the bridle-chain. Then she seized Sister's
collar and stood panting, her hair tumbled about her neck. The grandstand
shouted its delight.
Peter had risen and was wiping the sand from his face.
"Call Sister, Peter!" cried Judith. "She'll bite me in a minute."
Peter mounted Yankee, whistled to Sister, and with a rueful grin and
shake of his head for the audience, he trotted from the corral. Judith
loosened the bridle-chain and jumped once more into Sioux's saddle.
"Pull off his blindfold, Doug!" she cried.
"Nothing doing," returned Douglas succinctly. "You get off that bull,
Jude, before I take you off."
"I'm going to ride him up to the grandstand," said Judith between set
teeth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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