ile the horse is in hot pursuit the rider
dexterously whirls his reata above his head until, at a favorable
moment, it leaves his hand, uncoiling as it flies through the air, and,
if the throw is successful, the noose falls over the animal's head.
Suddenly the horse comes to a full stop and braces himself for the
shock. When the animal caught reaches the end of the rope it is
brought to an abrupt halt and tumbled in a heap on the ground. The
horse stands braced pulling on the rope which has been made fast to the
horn of the saddle by a few skillful turns. The cowboy is out of the
saddle and on his feet in a jiffy. He grasps the prostrate animal by
the tail and a hind leg, throws it on its side, and ties its four feet
together, so that it is helpless and ready for branding or inspection.
The cowboys have tying contests in which a steer is sometimes caught
and tied in less time than a minute.

It is a comical sight to see an unhorsed cowboy chase his runaway horse
on foot as he is almost sure to do if caught in such a predicament. He
ought to know that he cannot outrun his fleet steed in such a race, but
seems to be impelled by some strange impulse to make the attempt.
After he has run himself out of breath he is liable to realize the
folly of his zeal and adopt a more sensible method for capturing his
horse.

The cowboy who works on the southwestern range has good cause to fear
the malodorous hydrophobia skunk. At a round-up all of the cowboys
sleep on the ground. During the night, while they are asleep, the
little black and white cat-like animal forages through the camp for
something to eat. Without provocation the skunk will attack the
sleeper and fasten its sharp teeth in some exposed portion of his
anatomy, either the nose or a finger or toe and will not let go until
it is killed or forcibly removed. The wound thus made usually heals
quickly and the incident is, perhaps, soon forgotten; but after several
weeks or months hydrophobia suddenly develops and proves fatal in a
short time.

The only known cure for the bite of the skunk is the Pasteur treatment
and, since its discovery, as soon as anyone is bitten, he is
immediately sent to the Pasteur Institute in Chicago for treatment.

CHAPTER VI

RANCH HAPPENINGS

Ranch life is often full of thrilling incidents and adventures. The
cowboy in his travels about the country looking after cattle, hunting
wild game or, in turn, being hunted by yet wilder