There Was A Curious Calmness In The Man's Movements, A Fearless Repose
That Utterly Ignored The Wild Rushes, And As A Natural Result They Soon
Ceased; And Within Just A Minute Or Two The Beautiful Creature Was
Standing Still, Watching In Quivering Wonder.
Gradually a double rope began to play in the air with ever-increasing
circles, awakening anew the colt's fears;
And as these in turn subsided,
without any apparent effort a long running noose flickered out from the
circling rope, and, falling over the strong young head, lay still on the
arching neck.
The leap forward was terrific; but the rope brought the colt up with a
jerk; and in the instant's pause that followed the Quiet Stockman braced
himself for the mad rearing plunges that were coming. There was literally
only an instant's pause, and then with a clatter of hoofs the plungings
began, and were met with muscles of iron, and jaw set like a vice, as the
man, with heels dug into the ground dragged back on the rope, yielding as
much as his judgment allowed - enough to ease the shocks, but not an inch
by compulsion.
Twice the rearing, terrified creature circled round him and then the rope
began to shorten to a more workable length. There was no haste, no
flurry. Surely and steadily the rope shortened (but the horse went to the
man not the man to the horse; that was to come later). With the
shortening of the rope the compelling power of the man's will forced
itself into the brute mind, and, bending to that will, the wild leaps and
plungings took on a vague suggestion of obedience - a going WITH the rope,
not against it; that was all.
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