This is a continued story! That special cow deserves special treatment. You remember last week, the cow with the death wish, wishing I was dead! She left us standing in the feed room, quaking in our boots, and old Dog whining with his tail between his legs.
Sure enough, Sweetie (that’s not exactly what I named her, but it is printable) was injured in the udder area. I knew she wasn’t gonna make it if we didn’t get hold of a tranquilizer gun fast and get her down. An arterial squirt was evident on the trail of destruction she left in the wake of her escape.
The local game warden covers several counties and the one he was covering that day was full of curves and hills. He assured me he would find a gun closer to home and send me some help as soon as possible. The offspring were back and we all saddled up for trailing the cow, hoping she wasn’t laid up just waiting for us.That could and would be a bad day at the ranch!
Snip was snorty, that ailment of fed too much and ridden too little, and I was already worn out from working all day. I swear the offspring were acting like we were going on a lion hunt, rifles in scabbards and both of their voices had gone an octave higher. I was wishing I was in the trucking business on a cross-country long haul, just anything other than what I was doing.
The vet, my vet, the savior of many days, drove into the pasture. As he cleared the gate, I felt my blood pressure go back to a normal rate and the knot in my belly relax. Here was help. I wasn’t gonna have to rope and be stomped to death by the bleeding bovine. Both of the offspring got sorta tough, spurring and holding up, acting raunchy. But I knew their relief was asmighty as mine!
We held up in a wad of horseflesh that was snorty and sweaty because the horses were as soft as the cowboys on them whilethe vet made a slow turn around the brushy pasture. He followed the blood into a thicket with his field glasses, stopped and took a long, hard aim and slowly pulled the trigger. The cow slipped into a drug induced sleep and he motioned for us to come on to help.
One lunch provider out of the four was missing, so a quick stitching up stopped the bleeding, and the truck and trailer arrived at about the same time. We rolled Sweetie over onto the sled and gently pulled her into the trailer. It was a pleasant ride back to the barn.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the life of a cattleman is about a perfect way to spend the allotted time a feller has but there can arise, and often do, a few glitches.
Today I can look back and sigh, wishing I would make time to saddle up more often, smell the roses as it were, and thanks to a crazy cow I had a little ride this week. Take it where you can find it, my old Pappy used to say.
Cow is gone, fences are fixed, weather is perfect and then, just as you get comfortable, it is time to pay taxes! Are you smiling?
Bill is a pen name used by the Gravette author of this weekly column.
Opinion, Pages 6 on 10/13/2010