Free Dude Ranch by Bonnie Bryant Page B

creek and they began the crossing. The girls were assigned spots in the middle of the creek and on either side of the herd, to see that none of the cattle would stray in the middle of the crossing. The horses stood contentedly in the water. The girls suspected the cool creek felt good on the animals’ hot feet.
    Stevie watched while the herd sloshed across thecreek. It had rained the week before so the water level was quite high and the stream was flowing rapidly. Most of the cattle didn’t even seem to notice the water at all, except to take a sip at the bank. But there was one calf who was having trouble. Its mother watched it with apparent concern.
    He was almost all a reddish-brown color with a bright pink nose and little eyes that sparkled in the daylight. He was much smaller than most of the other calves in the herd and it seemed that the majority of him was spindly legs with knobby knees—and those spindly legs were having quite a time with the rushing water. At first, he was okay, but when he got a few steps out into the creek, it was clear that he was having trouble holding his balance. He stepped sideways, downstream, his legs being pushed by the water. Stevie realized that if he took one more step forward, the rush of the water was going to be too much for him, and he might drown.
    She’d already watched one animal die that day, and she wasn’t going to see it happen again.
    Stevie turned to Carole. “Come on. We’ve got a job to do.” The two of them went over to where the little calf was quaking in the water. The creek was about a foot deep there—not deep enough to cause Stevie and Carole harm, but just deep enough to get their boots soaking wet. Stevie consoled herself with the knowledgethat she did, after all, have a clean pair of socks with her.
    The girls slid down off their horses and, wrapping the reins around their wrists, they leaned over to pick up the little calf together. It was still struggling against the water. He may have been a little calf, but he was heavy. Using every ounce of their strength, and working in perfect unity, they lifted the calf up to Stewball’s withers.
    “Let me get on the other side to make sure he’s not just going to slide off,” Carole said. She dodged under Stewball’s neck, taking hold of the calf’s front hooves. “Push him a bit!” Carole told Stevie.
    Stevie hefted the calf, evading the angry kicking of his rear hooves. “I don’t think he likes this much,” she told Carole. “I don’t think I’d like it much either,” she added.
    “Beats drowning,” Carole reminded her.
    The girls shifted the calf’s weight a couple of times. When they were pretty sure he was balanced, Carole remounted Berry and held Stewball’s reins for Stevie, keeping the horse steady under his new and heavy burden. Stevie rose in the stirrups carefully, sitting right behind the straddled calf. Carole handed her Stewball’s reins. “Good luck!” she said.
    Stevie had the feeling she was going to need it. She adjusted the calf against her thighs so he wouldn’t slideoff, and proceeded across the creek. The calf protested his rather uncomfortable position with grunts and bleats. Stevie tried to pat him, but that just made him kick and
that
could lead to disaster. She started to sing to him. “Git along, little dogie, git along!” He calmed down. Stevie figured that meant he liked her singing; or maybe it just sounded like the cows’ moos! Whatever the reason, it worked. The calf lay quietly, and its mother followed Stewball obediently.
    When she and Carole reached the far side of the creek, Eli spotted them, and grinned broadly at Stevie.
    “I’ll make a wrangler of you yet,” he said. “Never did that on one of your sissy English trail rides, did you?”
    Stevie knew it was a compliment, so she smiled back at him. “I’m learning,” she said. “But how do I get this guy down from here?”
    Eli rode over to her. He dismounted and helped Stevie remove the calf