GO EN RODEO EN 4

the next morning joe, along with a bunch of other cowboys were lined up at the door of the rodeo secretary s office. the mcfarland brothers werent there yet. joe was listening to all the chatter among the cowboys. he felt out of his element. these men had all been competing in rodeos around the country. if there was another beginner he didnt know who it was. he stood in line and kept his mouth shut and his ears tuned for maybe some information that would be useful. ropeing the steers didnt bother him.. but ropeing a calf, or bull dogging that maybe a different story. the one thing he was confident in was his stocking legged horse that everyone was looking at as a pack animal. that was the best horse he had ever ridden and he knew what ever came by needing doing that sorrel could handle it. at just a few minutes past 7 that morning a attractive young woman marched right through the middle of the crowd and opened the door to the office. under her arm she carried a cash box along with a ledger. inside the office she slide behind the desk and laid out her paper work and set the cash box to one side. "ok boys who is first?"she called out. three cowboys rushed past joe and got in front of the desk.. two entered the bronc rideing and the third the wild steer rideing.when joe stepped up he told her he needed entered in the steer ropeing, the calf ropeing and bulldogging.. when she asked about the team tying he sheepishly said he didnt have a partner. from behind him a voice said" ill rope with him" joe looked back to see jerry mcfarland smilling at him. he turned back to the girl" ok with me." he told her. she totaled up the entry fees. when she told him the total he gulped but dug down in his levi pockets and came out with his stash. when he finished counting out the amount he barely had enough to eat on. . he asked the girl to put him down the list in the calf ropeing and bulldogging. she looked up at him with a unasked question on her lips but nodded and said she would do what she could. as he walked back out side jerry was standing in line but asked him to wait until he got entered. joe moved over next to the wall and leaned against it. when jerry came back he quietly said" lets go have a look at the stock." and walked on down the arena to the holding corrells.there they saw a mixed bag of range cattle mostly herford crosses.. the steers were tall and rangey. the mother cows had big calves next to them. "in the calf ropeing you rope the calf around the neck stop him and go tie him down tying three legs.. i know you have done that at the ranch. the bull dogging is different . your going to run up on the left side of that big steer, jump on his head and slide him to a stop. then twist his neck until he falls over. when we get back to camp ill help you out a little with it. in the team tying ill heel for you.. just ty a square knot around the steers hind legs. i know you can do that. all these cattle will run over a 35 foot score. thats the head start you got to give them.." jerry was walking and talking as they went past the corrals. joe was absorbing all he could of the crash course in rodeo. back at camp they found ed was cooking breakfast when they walked up." i got enough for you too joe sit down. we need to talk." joe dropped down and sat close by. ed handed him a plate of breakfast. " i told you yesterday we were short a mount. ole horse we roped calves on is lame.. heres the deal, you mount us on your horse, any thing we win we split with you. that big grulla you got will take the use i bet." ed was talking between mouth fulls of food. suddenly joe saw a way to make a buck besides him winning it. the best cowboys on the road were wanting to use his horse and willing to pay for it." thats all good, but the grulla isnt the horse. its the other one, the sorrell. that grulla is a half brother to him but not hardly broke." joe grinned at the brothers. ed almost choked on his food. " the pack horse?"he asked. joe nodded and forked up another mouth full." you wont be disapointed." was all he said.