Chapter 10

No horse would put up with that treatment, and Roy’s was no exception. It reared to avoid the thrashingcow, nearly going over backwards. Roy slipped from the wet saddle and splashed down into the rushing water mid-river.

Though he was a good swimmer, Roy had a moment or two where he wasn’t certain which way was up. Muddy water slapped his face and flooded into his mouth. He couldn’t see over the waves churned up by the herd. The current caught him and he tried to swim diagonally to the far bank. He spotted his horse splashing up out of the river, then he realized the panic-stricken cow was swimming straight at him, bawling its distress.

He grabbed the animal’s tail as it went past. This was easier than fighting the current, but they were going in the wrong direction. He’d have to abandon the cow and try to make his own way across. Just as he reached that decision, a lasso landed around the cow’s neck.