the last ship load of steers to japan

while I worked at the old spur feedlot in san tan I met a feller who became a good friend. due to tragic circumstances our superintendent was killed and bob was hired as his replacement. bob was fresh back from austrailia. he had spent 3 years on a cattle venture. bob was a new mexico native who with a great education had been involved with some high end cattle deals.  he seemed somber and all business when   we first met and  for a crew of fun loving cowboys he was a bit of a turn off and a shock. we were fiercely loyal to our boss who had been killed. so bob had a tough row to hoe. but as time went on we found he was one tough customer. and had a dry , arresting sense of humor.   as we got to become friends he told me of some of the deals he had been involved in  austrailia.  this one came to mind when a friend mentioned a cattle drafting event. bob had competed in those events  down under and told me of them.   it seems that bob was managing one of the first commercial cattle feeding ventures there. they had been feedin out 1000 pound bullocks(steers for you Yankees)  and finishing them around 1400 pounds.  down under they like their beef heavy. it seems a Japanese buyer of beef came around and bought 200 head of these big steers. but he wanted them delivered to japan LIVE!!  this meant getting these big steers into a sea port  then on board a big ocean going cargo ship. now bob is independent and a raging conservative. down under almost everything is unionized.  the first thing bob did was make a enemy out of the trucking industry because he wouldn't pay their high fee. so, he hired a crew of riders and commenced to drive that 200 beeves to the sea port 80 miles away. he never told me about the things that happened on that drive but I bet it was a wild trip!! at the sea port they found pens for these cattle but also found out that the ship master and the jap buyer wanted those cattle in halter and broke to lead and tie!!! now if you have  ever had to halter  break a steer  you know it don't happen over nite!! bob scoured the little sea port town for all the one inch rope he could find and put the boys to work making rope halters  for those steers then he made a phone call to a vet friend . two days later those steers were all wearing rope halters and  little hundred pound Japanese sea men were leading those steers into the hold and tying them to hastily built stalls.   bob said he collected the check for the cattle, paid off the crew and ran to the bank and deposited that check. he had to because that tranqualizer was gonna wear off in 24  hours!!!! that buyer never came back . it seems when those steers saw daylite in tokiyo  they scattered down through the streets with those little seamen hanging onto the lead ropes!!