LET 'ER BUCK 



est brute Oregon can secure. Lee knows he is mount- 

 ing one of the best horses in the world when 

 Drumheller hands him the halter rope. See how 

 carefully he takes a last look over everything and then 

 deliberately at the judges. The judges nod. The 

 rider wants at least two of the judges to see everything 

 he does, readjusts himself in the saddle and his rein in 

 his left hand, snuggles his feet right up to his heels 

 in the stirrup — for a single foot out disqualifies the 

 rider. 



'Turn him round," he snaps to the wranglers 



The rider knows that though the old outlaw is stand- 

 ing apparently square, he is really "tense up" to "throw 

 back." Turning him changes this position or "un- 

 tracks" him. The blind is off. He is loose. 



The wranglers spring to one side, one of them jerks 

 off the blind and frees the end of the snubbing rope. 

 The great brute springs into the air and the rider's 

 legs shoot forward to scratch towards his neck. 



"Let 'er buck!" comes from all sides, at this first 

 jump. But the initiated know something is wrong. 

 There is an unnatural throw to Long Tom's head 

 towards the wranglers on his left — the free end of the 

 snubbing rope has traveled too fast through Tom's 

 halter and has whipped into a knot around its own 

 bight and caught, causing this violent, unnatural jerk 

 leftward. Caldwell's halter rope is on the right of the 

 horse's neck. The sudden jerk of his head to the left 

 will force him to either give way, be pulled forward, 

 or let the line slip through his hand. This will cause 

 a change of rein, and when the horse recovers will 

 make so much slack he will have nothing to steady him- 

 self with, and his ride will be hopeless on a horse like 



Long Tom. 



214 



