Spring Roundup

Little Joe Cartwright came riding up to the barn of the Ponderosa alongside Hank Watkins, the ranch foreman, at the end of their 5 day roundup selecting the new stock for the remuda from the wild horses grazing in their hills. It was Little Joe's spring break from school, and he'd been begging for years to be allowed to go. This year, Ben thought his skills were good enough to be safe on so local a trip, and the Foreman had endorsed the plan, so Little Joe got to go for his first taste of being a "real cowboy" out on some range.

Other hands had driven the new stock into the large corral out a good distance from the house, and were now headed back to the Bunkhouse for some well earned rest and relaxation. After catching their breath, stretching out the kinks, a change of clothes and maybe a bath or two, they'd probably head to town to hoist a brew or two with friends. Little Joe dismounted and took his horse into the barn, tying Hank's off to the side for when he left. Joe gimped just a bit, as he led Cochise in for a rubdown, a nosebag, and a long drink, before Joe headed into the house.

Hank and his boss, Ben Cartwright, walked out to the remuda corral to take a look at the new mounts. Over in a separate paddock was a beautiful black stallion with a white jagged blaze down the face. Ben chuckled a bit as he saw Little Joe walking around doing his chores, noting the gimp.

"My young man a bit saddle sore, eh? How'd he work out for you?"

"He does a good day's work for his wages, Boss. He's got a real talent for horses, that'n does."

"Good to hear. Now, these look pretty good, too. What's the story with that stallion there? He's a real beauty."

"Well, Boss, about that. I got good news and bad news. But I need to ask a favor of ya."

"What's that, Hank?" Ben's brows furrowed with concern. Hank seldom asked favors, and when he did, it was normally to help out one of the men in some trouble.

"Well, it ain't nothin' much really. I just need to know if you can keep a confidence if I share a story with ya."

Ben looked a bit surprised. "Nothing illegal, is it, Hank?"

"No, sir. Not a bit. Just something that would prolly chafe ya otherwise. I want to know that if I tell you the story, you won't let on that you know, or do nothin' about it."

"That's a pretty big ask, Hank," Ben laughed. "I don't normally give blank checks like that."

"It ain't nothin' important, Boss. And I think it'll be worth it to ya, to hear the story. Otherwise, I'll just give you the short form, and leave it at that."

"All right, I'll keep this to myself."

"I've got your word, right Boss?" Hank smiled as he asked.

Setting his suspicions aside, Ben answered, "OK, yes, I'll give you my word."

"OK then. Well, the good news is that stallion... we been callin' 'im Thunderbolt, cause of that blaze... is already saddle broke. Needs a lot more work, but he's broke to bit, bridle, and saddle, with the softest mouth on him you've ever seen."

"Marvelous! So what's the bad news?"

"Well, Boss, the bad news is that it's Little Joe that broke him."

"WHAT!?" Ben roared. "HANK, I trust you with my youngest son, and you go let him..."

"Hold on, now," Hank held up his hands, "Don't go rushin' off into brush you cain't see. I didn't 'let him' nothin'. It was late in the afternoon and we'd set up at the north corrals for the night, and I was off with a couple of the hands doing a last sweep before putting up for the night. I came back, and there was Lil' Joe, big as life, breaking that bronc. Stuck on him like glue he was, with a terrific sense of which way he was gonna move, and always one step ahead of him.

"I rode in, saw Joe, and was maddern' hops. I climbed the fence and woulda' interfered but you know as well as I, I'da been more likely to get the boy hurt than to help him. All I could do was stand aside and hope he'd ride it out. He did. And he did it with real skill, letting Thunder get a feel for the bridle and bit, just using gentle leg pressures, not kickin' on him. He did a first rate job, Boss. The boys could learn something watchin' him.

"Still, when he rode that big boy over to the fence, and the hands was takin' the tack gently off'n 'im, the rest cleared out away from me right quick as I grabbed yer boy by the back of the shirt and asked him what the heck he thought he was doin'? You know how much good that did. You just get off ridin' somethin' like that, you cain't hear no boss man yellin' at you. You're still way too pumped.

"So I sat him down and told him he was a dang fool. Coulda' got himself a broke leg or arm, and then we'd be luggin' his sorry self all over half the territory to get him back here. He tried to look sorry and respectful, Boss, but you know none of us coulda' done that when we'd sat our first stallion, so I just walked away to get the story. I was gonna blister the ears off the straw boss I'd left in charge, but turns out one of our young'ns dared Joe, and the straw boss didn't know it was happening 'til Joe was already mounted and in the thick of it."

Ben nodded, understanding. They'd all been there, one way or another, one time or another. "So, what'd you do?"

"Well, that gimp on Joe ain't saddle soreness, Boss. You know, you've always said we should treat your boys as our own when they're out with us... so I took Lil' Joe out in the woods a ways from the camp, and gave him just what our Pa's woulda given us, or what I'da given my own kid brother. I 'tole him that 14 was too young to go risking his neck on some fool stunt like that, that he didn't have MY or YOUR permission to go bustin' ANY bronc yet, let alone that stallion. That I wasn't gonna explain his broken leg to you, and I wasn't about to take the time and trouble to ride him back here for the hidin' we both knew you'da given him. So, I cut me a switch, had him take 'em down, so's I could see what was happening... you know a switch could cut him or do real damage if I wasn't careful... and gave him 12 good stripes that he'd feel the rest of the trip without cripplin' him."

Ben nodded, looking out at the remuda as he said, "Well, thank you, Hank. What darned fool dared the boy?"

"I done dealt with that too, Boss, so never you mind. When Joe and me got back there was a little bit of snickering, as the boy was limpin' a bit, and they all knew what happened. I went to the fellas that had been there, and the one who dared him in particular, sayin' the boy's woes were as much their fault as his, and if any of 'em ever dared someone stupid again, I'd give 'em just what Joe got, and I didn't care how old they was."

"So, how was the rest of the trip?" Ben smiled.

"Went smooth as glass, Boss. No problems at all. Lil' Joe didn't whine or complain about anything. He stood to supper that night, and woke his self up with a little yelp a couple times rolling the wrong direction in his sleep," Hank smiled, looking down at his boots. "But he worked a full day, next day, standing in the saddle. By yesterday, he could sit his saddle most of the time. Today, hardly a wince. That pony o' his is pretty clever, too. You got a good hand there in that boy, Boss. He does a man's day of work."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, Hank. Thanks for looking out for him. He's already fussing about wanting not to finish school, but just quit and work the Ranch. But I think he needs to finish and get all the book learning he can, too. He's got the brains to manage this whole thing when I'm gone, and I'm real pleased at how you take an interest in training him up. You were right about one thing, though," Ben chuckled.

"What's that, Boss?"

"If you'd not have gotten my promise, I sure as blazes would be all over him about pulling such a fool stunt. As it is, well, I see you took care of things aright, so I don't see much need to push into it. Thanks, Hank. Give me a sheet on these new ponies tomorrow if you would? I'll put them in the ledgers and we'll see about getting them branded with the calves pretty soon."

"Right, Boss. Glad yer happy with ever'thing. Night now."

"Night," Ben replied, just standing at the fence a spell, while Hank headed to his horse and the Bunkhouse.

Ben walked back, expecting that Joe would already be inside or washing up to change clothes for supper. Instead, as Ben passed the barn towards the house he heard him.

"Hey, Pa? Got a minute?" Little Joe called to him from the barn, grinning a bit sheepishly.

"Sure, son," Ben turned to the barn. "Welcome home!" and he spread his arms wide for a bone crushing hug after six days apart. "Whew!" Ben laughed. "I'm sure it's no surprise, but you smell of horse in a serious way, boy. Better get a bath before supper, huh?"

"Yes, sir. I'll prolly do that, but I wanted to talk to you a minute first. I want to tell you something terrific, but I need to check on something first."

"OK, what's that, son?" Ben smiled, sensing Joe's dilemma.

"Um, well, Pa. You know that school rule about getting whupped there? And how we'd get whupped here, too?"

"Yes," Ben nodded, thoughtfully.

"Well, that's just for school, right? Not for stuff like a roundup, right?"

"Now, Joseph, you realize that in asking such a question you've already sorta stepped into the pile with both feet, right?"

"Yes, sir, but I'd rather tell you the whole truth than have you see me flinching when I sit down, or if you see me get out of the tub or something. Besides, I've got something terrific I want to tell you also, and I can't do that without being honest about this."

"I see. Well, Joseph, I've never made a formal rule about something like a roundup. Usually, if one of you boys misbehave when you're working with the hands, they can just send you home to me, or bring you home to me, and I take care of things from there myself. But when you're too far away, Hank always knows to treat you, or Hoss, or Adam, as he'd treat his own kid brother or as I would treat you. So... I take it you took a licking, and are worried I might give you another one."

"Yes, Pa."

"Well, do you NEED another one? Do you deserve it?"

"Pa, he did such a good job, I can say for sure I don't need another. Whether I deserve it or not, well, I guess that'd be up to you when I tell you what earned me this one, huh?"

"I see. Well, I guess you better tell me how you earned it, and then we'll talk about what you deserve. Want to sit down on the porch and talk to me?" Ben said, walking across to the porch chairs.

"Um, no thanks, Pa. You go ahead and sit. I'd rather stand, I think."

"I see. Well, all right. Now go on with your story," Ben sat, smiling.

"Well, Pa, you saw that stallion out there? The black with the blaze?"

"Yes, son."

"Well, I green broke him. Got walk, trot, and lope, left and right turns, go, stop, and back up from him. Nobody'd touched him, and I got all that in one go."

"Well that's mighty impressive son. I'm very proud of that. However, are you telling me Hank let you on a wild stallion?"

"Well, no, sir. Not exactly. That's where the whuppin' part comes in. I did it when he was away from the camp, and one of the guys dared me. He was maddern' a wet hornet when he got back and saw me, but he saw everything I got done on him, and I was pretty proud of that. Well, at least until... Pa he took me out in the woods and switched my bare backside a dozen licks. He was really mad, afraid I'da gotten hurt. It was an awful whuppin' Pa, worse than yours."

Ben smiled and shook his head, "It wasn't worse than the one I'd have given you if I'd been there and seen you on that stallion, believe me. And it wasn't as bad as it could have been, either. He knew you had to ride the next three days, so I can tell you, the reason you took that on a bare butt was so he knew not to strike too HARD. Through your britches, you can't tell whether someone is taking deep bruising or even getting cut, so it can cripple a rider. At least for a few days.

"Tell you what, son. I'll let this go this one time. Especially since you've owned up to this yourself. But the next time you risk your neck on some fool dare, I'll give you a darned sight better than Hank did, because I won't CARE if you can't ride for two weeks. Don't you go tempting fate like that, Joseph. There's lots you can do training green horses, without jumping on wild stallions. You hear?"

"Yes, sir. I hear you fine."

"All right then," Ben said, standing up to hug his son again.

"You go get yourself and your striped backside into a tub of water, and maybe we'll find you a cushion to sit on for supper, if you don't think Hoss will tease you too much."

"I don't care how much he teases me, Pa. A cushion sounds like heaven to me right now."

"All right, then. See you at supper."

"Thanks, Pa. Missed you."

"Missed you, too, and good job with that stallion, son. Proud of you." Ben laughed, closing the front door behind him while Joe headed off to the wash house.

A/N: I enjoy the Bonanza universe, and hope you like some of these short sniglets that bounce past my mental movie screen from time to time. Please feel free to comment and/or review. Thanks for reading, hopefully enjoying! Grace to you, Gentle Reader! - Mort