THE ROUND-UP 



to lose a hundred bucks." There was nothing from 

 volplaning to tail spin that Sharkey couldn't do — an 

 airship run loco had nothing on that jerked fresh beef. 

 The colossal proportions of the ton-and-a-half black 

 brute looked even larger to me as I watched Happy 

 Jack tighten up the double cinch with a smile. Well, 

 Jack could afford to smile — he wasn't going to ride 

 him. 



Squarely seated in the saddle, the blind was jerked 

 off, Buck! the great mountain of concentrated ex- 

 tract of beef — buck! — beneath me — buck! did gyra- 

 tions that for rapidity and variety — buck! — buck! — 

 would make a whirling dervish — buck! — giddy with 

 envy — buck — buck — buck! No! my joints weren't — 

 buck — coming apart — buck — they — buck — j ust — buck 

 — felt — buck — that way — buck. I was — buck — hold- 

 ing a ton, weight — BUCK — by the saddle horn — buck 

 — buck — with my left hand — buck ! It suddenly shifted 

 — buck — and I held a ton in my right — BUCK — by 

 the strap behind — buck — buck! I felt like an ani- 

 mated — buck — walking beam — buck — of a ferry boat 

 with the engine gone crazy — buck — buck — BUCK! 

 but my fingers held — buck — buck — He's only jump- 

 ing now, — but nearly ran down a herder who sprang 

 aside — jab! went his goad — only the herder — jump — 

 knows why or how and perhaps he doesn't — jump — 

 but jab went the point into Sharkey's flank — He 

 wasn't expecting it — BUCK — neither was I — buck — 

 I was slightly off balance, which an animal detects 

 instinctively — I could feel the play and concentration 

 of his great muscles — BUCK — something hit me under 

 the saddle — BUCK — pulled out my spine then jammed 

 it together like an accordion — BUCK — something else 

 hit me under the chin — BUCK — something else on top 



167 



