Hook 'Em Snotty (5 page)

Calvin looked worried. “Our dad will kill us if you call the law. He’s running for county commissioner next month.”

Alex moved beside Bobbie. “Maybe you clowns should have thought about that before you stole our cows.”

“Our cows?” Jesse looked confused. “Who are
you
, anyway?”

Bobbie laughed. “Boys, I’d like you to meet another Walker. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet—messing with her was probably the biggest mistake of your lives.”

Bobbie crawled out of her bedroll the next morning to see Alex already saddling the horses.

“Too bad we lost Diablo,” Alex said.

Bobbie shrugged. “There’s always next year.”

“Maybe we should stay up here a few more days and look for him.”

“Naw. We better get these cows on home. Grandpa will start to get worried if we stay up here too long. And besides, we probably need to let somebody know about them.” Bobbie
pointed to a big pine tree. On either side was a Bledsoe, still dressed in his long underwear and tied securely to the trunk.

Jesse strained against the ropes. “You can’t leave us here, Walker. There are bears up here.”

“Don’t worry,” Alex yelled, “one sniff of you and they’ll run the other way.” She leaned close to Bobbie. “What are you really going to do with those two?”

“I figured we’d start the cows down the trail a ways and then I’d come back and untie them later.”

Alex looked over at the boys. “Sure you don’t want to go ahead and hang them?”

“It’s tempting, but I guess I’ll pass.”

Alex pulled the barbed-wire gate open and the cows started filtering out. She stepped up onto her horse and began working to keep them bunched.

Bobbie watched her as she cut left to keep one of the calves from turning back. “Say, Alex, I was just wondering …”

Alex trotted closer. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“I said I was just wondering about something.”

“What?”

Bobbie cleared her throat and her mouth started twitching. “I was just thinking that if you weren’t doing anything next spring …”

Alex’s face broke into a grin.

Bobbie leaned down from the saddle and pulled the mailbox open. She took out a handful of letters and shut the box. One was postmarked Los Angeles. She ripped it open.

Bobbie folded the letter and stuffed it inside her shirt pocket. “Shoot, Sonny,” she said, “everybody knows that’s what you yell to a rider before he mounts a bull.” She smiled, remembering the sight of Alex on Diablo’s back. “So what do you think, Sonny? Want to go to California and hang out?”

The big horse shook a fly off his neck.

“I know what you mean.” Bobbie moved him into a slow lope. “On the other hand, maybe you and I
should
go on out there. We’d show those city slickers a thing or two for sure.”

A horse is a large, strong, and beautiful animal. But remember, a horse is not a plaything, and it can hurt you. Always stay by the front half of a horse’s body, even when grooming or mounting. Never make any sudden movements. Horses scare easily.

Equipment is very important to riding. Your saddle should not only fit you comfortably, it should also fit your horse, leaving it free from
gall
, or rub marks. A bit should suit your skill and your horse’s mouth. Reins should be made of a material you feel comfortable handling.

Mount your horse from the left side, remembering to stay well away from those back hooves. Place your left foot in the stirrup, hold the reins in your left hand, grab the saddle horn, and step up. Throw your right leg over the saddle.

Gather your reins in one hand. Leave enough slack so that you are not bearing down hard on the horse’s mouth. To go forward, gently nudge the horse with the heels of your boots. To back up, pull the reins evenly straight back toward the saddle horn. To turn right or left, simply pull the reins in the direction you want to go. Make sure you are sitting up straight. Your heels should be down.

If you are an inexperienced rider, practice riding your horse at a walk in an enclosed area. Later you can move up to a faster gait. When you are finished with your ride, be sure to give the horse a good rubdown.

Roping is a challenging test of technique and accuracy. There are more than a hundred different brands and styles of ropes. Beginners should choose an inexpensive nylon rope. Shake the rope out in the store and see how the loop hangs. If it’s lopsided, don’t buy it.

Start by practicing roping on the ground. If you’re lucky enough to have a plastic steer or calf head that you can stick in a bale of hay to use as a target, great. If not, you may have to choose something different. Fence posts or bicycle handlebars work just fine. (Little brothers and sisters do not!)

Coil your rope from the straight end. If you are right-handed, hold the end with the loop in that hand, with your index finger pointed. Let the coils rest loosely in your left hand. (If you are left-handed, do the opposite.) Shake your loop out a little larger than your coils.

Twirl your loop over your head in a flat, circular motion. Point your index finger at the target and throw the loop as if you were throwing a rock. The coils should slide through your left hand. When the loop settles around the target, pull out the slack.

One important reminder: Horses can be dangerous. Do not attempt to rope from horseback unless both you and the horse are experienced.

William Little Bear Tucker and his friend Sarah Thompson have heard the eerie Apache legend many times. Will’s grandfather especially loves to tell them about Red Horse—an Indian brave who betrayed his people, was beheaded, and now haunts the Sacramento Mountain range, searching for his head. To Will and Sarah it’s just a story—until they decide to explore a newfound mountain cave, a cave filled with dangerous treasures.

Deep underground Will and Sarah uncover an old chest stuffed with a million dollars. But now armed bandits are after them. When they find a gold Apache statue hidden in a skull, it seems Red Horse is hunting them, too. Then they lose their way, and each step they take in the damp dark cavern could be their last.

Friends Brett Wilder and Tom Houston are video game whizzes. So when a new virtual reality arcade called Rodomonte’s Revenge opens near their home, they make sure they’re its first customers. The game is awesome. There are flaming fire rivers to jump, beastly buzz-bugs to fight and ugly tunnel spiders to escape. If they’re good enough they’ll face Rodomonte, an evil giant waiting to do battle within his hidden castle.

But soon after they play the game, strange things start happening to Brett and Tom. The computer is taking over their minds. Now everything that happens in the game is happening in real life. A buzz-bug could gnaw off their ears. Rodomonte could smash them to bits. Brett and Tom
have no choice but to play Rodomonte’s Revenge again. This time they’ll be playing for their lives.

“… 
please anybody … fire … need help.
”