ther _flop_ him over, on to his
back by a sudden and skilful action of your horse on the rope. If
properly thrown, or flopped hard enough, the steer will lie dazed or
stunned for about half a minute. During that short period, and only
during that short period, you must slip off your horse, run up to the
steer and quickly tie his front and hind feet together, so tightly and
in such a way that he cannot get up. Then you throw up your hands or
your hat, and your time is taken. While you are out of your saddle your
horse will, if well trained, himself hold the steer down by carefully
adjusting the strain on the rope which still connects the animal's horns
with the horn on the saddle.

[Illustration: WOUND UP. (Horse tangled in rope.) (By C. M. Russell.)]

I may here tell a wonderful story of a "buck" nigger who sometimes
attended these gatherings. He was himself a cowboy, and indeed worked in
my neighbourhood and so I knew him well. He was a big, strong, husky
negro, with a neck and shoulders like a bull's. You cannot hurt a nigger
any way. Well, this man's unique performance was to ride after a steer,
the bigger and wilder the better, and on getting up to him to jump off
his horse, seize the steer by a horn and the muzzle, then stoop down and
grip the animal's upper lip with his teeth, turn his hands loose, and so
by means of his powerful jaws and neck alone throw down and topple the
steer over. The negro took many chances, and often the huge steer would
fall on him in such a way as would have broken the neck or ribs of any
ordinary white man. In this case also the steer must be an active one
and going at a good pace, otherwise he could not be thrown properly.

Stock-whips were never allowed. Useful as they may be at times, still
the men are liable to ill-treat the cattle, and we got on quite well
without them. Dogs, too, of course, were never used and never allowed on
the range. They so nearly resemble the wolf that their presence always
disturbs the cattle.

This deprivation of canine society, as it may be imagined, was keenly
felt by us all, perhaps more especially by myself. Had I only then had
the companionship of certain former doggy friends life would have been
much better worth living. As a protection at night too, when out on long
journeys across the country, during the hunting and fishing trips, or
even at the permanent camps, the presence of a faithful watch-dog would
probably have saved me from many a restle