Partida Rol por web

No cowboy ever quit while his life was hardest and his duties were most exacting. -- J. Frank Dobie, A Vaquero of the Brush Country, 1929

Other states are carved or born; Texas grew from hide and horn.

-Have ´em mount up, Vern!, Harvey Stenbaugh shouted from the porch. He was eager to start working again, but the wounds were still healing. The foreman looked at Vernon Adams again, measuring the veteran cowboy. -It´s ´bout time ya rounded up!

Vernon Adams had a clear idea of most of the cowboys that would go on the cattle drive. In addition to Sinta, Crowe and Hurd, he had chosen Lon, Razor, Brimley and Corman from Bronson´s cowboys. They had done cattle drives before. Hitchins would ride the chuckwagon. He was a good cook. Conrad Howler would take care of the horses. His father ran a horse ranch and a shop in town, and Conrad was considered an excellent horse wrangler. The Jenkins brothers, Timothy and Howard, were in the saddle business and they were somewhat tenderfoot, so they would probably ride the back (known as the "drag").

It was going to be a long ride, so they would all have time to get to know each other better. But first, it was necessary to herd all the cattle in one place. Vernon left the cowboys to sort it out themselves while he went through the food supplies with Hitchins.

Sinta did not know any of the other cowboys, so she instinctively moved towards Wheelwright.

- Crowe, let's move over there and bring the animals in, what d'you say?

-Sinta and Crowe, you with us, OK? Ride forward, and herd ´em back this way. Me and Lon ain´t gonna let ´em go stray. Lon, come on, get up now. Wakey, wakey! Let´s get on with it!

Ryan "Razor" Longston was a trusted cowboy in the Bronson brand. He was young, but he has earned his place amongst the veterans. He knew quite a few jokes, and he was in general a nice guy to hang out with. However, he was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Not the brightest... Maybe that´s why he was called the "Razor".

Mick "Lon" Longston was his older brother. A more quiet type, who liked to sleep whenever he had the chance.

-OK, I´m comin´ Ryan.

Mick was probably the only person, besides their mother, who still called his little brother Ryan. To everyone else, he was Razor.

-I´m Mick, by the way. But everyone around here calls me Lon. And that´s me brother Razor.

The four cowboys got on their horses, and moved along the left flank of the huge herd of animals.

-Boys, is that a WOMAN gettin´ on a horse over there??! Wimen are good for one thing, ya know hehehe And it ain´t ridin´no horses. Bloody Vern, you have a ten dollar Stetson on a five-cent head!!

Marc Corman was laughing and making fun of Vernon, who gave him a stern look but did not say anything. Corman´s outburst was pointless, and probably last nights drinking had gone too far.

He grabbed Brimley by the shoulder, and waved the two Jenkins brothers to go with him as well. They would take care of the other flank.

Sure thing, Sinta - Crowe agreed, his lips showing a thin smile afterwards. Even though he was usually worried, and not a soul could doubt he was worried at that moment as well, he had been kind of happy since he got Bolt. It was a beautiful horse, and he couldn't wait to put him to the test. 

With a nod he accepted to follow Razor's instructions, and with a second nod and that strange unusual smile of his, he responded to Lon's introduction, thinking that there was no point in introducing himself since Razor's brother already knew their names. 

Anyway, the smile was gone when he heard the drunk talk trash about Sinta. Crowe looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. He didn't liked one bit that kind of attitude, since he wouldn't have allowed anyone to talk to her sisters that way. And now that they were gone, he couldn't help but see a little of them in every girl who crossed his path.  

Vernon was talking with Jason and Hitchins. He did not have time for this kind of silly quarrel. He was holding a list of names on a piece of paper. Hitchins needed to know how many men would need feeding.

–Thirteen?, the cook asks surprised. –Why so many?

-It´s 1500 heads. We need eight cowboys at all times. Plus me, you and Conrad for the horses. That´s eleven. Jason will ride with us for a few days at least, and one more to scout ahead. Thirteen, ain´t it?

Vernon had done the numbers over and over again. Even with Jason deciding last minute to come along did not affect his well-laid plans. Nobody knew what obstacles were waiting for them. Storms, harsh weather, Indians, outlaws, river crossings, rattle snakes, cow diseases… It was over a month journey to Fort Worth…

Cowboys on the trail were busy 16 hours a day with their various duties. It is inconceivable that they could sustain themselves by hunting and foraging for food. Therefore, adequate provisions were required. These were put in the “Chuck Wagon”, which carried food and the boys' bedrolls. The chuck would be beans, corn meal, bacon and coffee.

For each day, a cowboy on the trail would need:

1 pound beans
½  pound corn meal
1/4 pound bacon
1/12 pound coffee

A slaughtered cow could substitute for the bacon, but this was generally not done. The available meat that could be eaten before it goes bad was not worth the loss of the profit it would have made at the end of the trail.

-Hmm, OK, Jace, help me out ´ere with the numbers would ya?, the cook said and took a pen from behind his left ear. -So, we need beans... 390 pounds, corn meal 145 pounds, bacon 90 pounds, coffee 35 pounds more or less…

A few ranch hands started loading the wagon. All this was paid for by Vincent Bronson, but the real value was obviously the cattle that was being rounded up in the mean time.

The wagon itself was fitted out with bows and sheet, a 5 keg of water on each side in case of emergency, and a dried beef hide stretched under the wagon to carry wood and the Dutch ovens used to bake biscuits. In the rear of the chuck wagon there was a cupboard the width of the wagon and about 5 1/2 feet high, with shelves for the supplies and a drop-door cover. This door was used by the cook for his table.

-Boys, is that a WOMAN gettin´ on a horse over there??! Wimen are good for one thing, ya know hehehe And it ain´t ridin´no horses. Bloody _{Vern, you have a ten dollar Stetson ^{on a five-cent he...}}

Although she was already moving to the other end of the herd, Sinta heard the man's remarks. She was on the verge of turning around and put the man on his place, but then decided it was too early for a fight.

It was better to shut these bigmouths as early as possible, but she still did not know where her feet were standing, or who this guy was. She did not want to be thrown out of the group so early, nor to embarrass Vern. There would be time to make the man eat his words tonight, or tomorrow. Stupid men could not keep their mouths shut anyway. Sinta was used to this. She hated it, but it was not the first guy she met that considered himself above her just because they had a bell's clapper between their legs. Good thing was they were mostly full of hot air and shut up as soon as someone stood up to them. Sinta had been there before.

Oh, man... she was already missing Jack...

Given that Sinta appeared to be less annoyed than he would have thought, he just looked at the man, remembering his face. Maybe not the time, but sure as hell he was not getting out of that insult empty handed. Crowe wondered if that man realized that he could depend on the girl's help, and he doubted she would give it to him. 

Then he looked away and minded his own business, since there wasn't much to do around anyway. 

Sinta and Crowe rode on the left flank, and started herding the animals towards Lon and Razor.
 

- Hey, heyoo... hop, hop, yeehaa!

Sinta moved up and down the herd, steering the cattle in the right direction. She rode the mare like she had always owned her, like they naturally belonged together...

C'mon, Bolt - he whispered to the horse's ear before patting its neck and hitting its flank with the rope attached to the rein. - ¡Yeeeeha! - Crowe screamed as he helped Sinta herding.