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Short Stories & Tall Tales
Son of Gaucho
By Ben Henry Swadley
Horses screamed in the distance. Something was terribly wrong at the corral. Ross mounted his horse, Gaucho, and sped though the cactus flats towards the ranch. A long branch from an ocotillo hit his face, the needles whipping painfully into his cheek. Gaucho was taking a beating from the cactus as well, but he ran fast, without hesitation.
Ross felt for his Winchester '94 aside the saddle. As he neared the corral, he could see a coyote attacking the colt. Ross beaded down the rifle on the coyote, but the frenzy of horses didn't allow a clean shot. He shot in the air with a loud crack. The coyote turned to look at Ross and darted out of any possible line of fire, fleeing for the scrub. Ross put the rifle back in the scabbard and stepped into the corral. The horses began to settle.
Blood gushed from the colt's chewed up back legs. Ross went to the colt. "Easy little feller, I'm gonna take care of you. Easy."
Ross examined the deep, blood spurting gash. "What are we gonna do? We're gonna need the doc. I ain't gonna loose Gaucho's only son to no darn coyote. No way in heck."
Ross led the limping colt into the barn while Gaucho watched.
He built a fire and put a small branding iron in it. "We gotta cauterize that big gash little feller or you're gonna bleed too much, I think." The wide-eyed colt shivered then collapsed in shock.
The hot iron shook in Ross's hand. "This is gonna hurt you boy, but I gotta do it." The smell of singed hair and burnt blood filed the barn as the colt whinnied in pain. Ross packed the cauterized wound with axle grease and sulfur and then wrapped his little legs with bandages torn from his shirt tail.
Ross took a deep breath and became aware of the dried blood and riveting pain in his cheek from the impaled ocotillo spines. He pulled out the spines with pliers. They stung furiously. He remembered that Gaucho hadn't escaped the cactus spines either. He pulled them out as Gaucho stood still except for stomping his foot; seemingly understanding that Ross was helping him.
Ross mounted Gaucho to head into Las Cruces for the doc. "Gaucho, old boy, we gotta make due haste. We gotta get the doc here to tend to that feller in the barn before that little one goes down too far."
Ross and Gaucho took off on a dead run, dust billowing in their wake. Gaucho's nostrils flared. His head lowered. They went into a surprising burst of speed as if Gaucho knew what was at stake. Ross soon had to slow Gaucho to a maintainable speed. He was still at a pace that would beat any horse in New Mexico. After ten miles, the buildings of Las Cruces were in sight. They sped to the doctor's office and Ross tied Gaucho to the rail. Gaucho took a long, deep drink from the water trough.
Ross hurried into Doc Lovelace's office.
The doc looked at Ross and said, "What in the world happened to your face? Been kissin' the cactus, have ya? Part of your shirt's missin' too."
Ross replied, "Done pulled out the spines, but I ain't here for me."
Doc Lovelace asked, "Well then why are you here?"
"Doc, I got a hurt colt. Bit up by a coyote pretty bad. I'd be most appreciative if you was to drop what you're doin' and come on directly to my place."
The doctor grabbed his bag. "That'd be Gaucho's colt then. Yep, we had better go tend to him directly. Can't be loosin' the son of the fastest horse in the Southwest, now can we?"
The doc tried to mount his horse, but Gaucho grabbed the doctor by the cuff of his jacket and wouldn't let go. Gaucho kept tugging the doctor towards his flank.
"For Pete's sake, Gaucho. What are you doin'?" Ross looked at the doctor with a sudden realization etched on his face, "I think he wants you to ride him back to the ranch so you'll get there quick."
"Is it OK?" Doc Lovelace asked.
"I think it's a good idea all right. I'll take your horse and you take Gaucho. Darn horse is smarter than us."
Doc Lovelace mounted Gaucho as Ross strapped down the doctor's bag. The doc gave a light tug on Gaucho's reins. They took off through the main street at a break-neck speed. Ross mounted the doctor's horse and followed. Soon, Gaucho and the doc were out of sight. Ross pushed the doctor's old nag as fast as she would tolerate.
A mile out of town, Gaucho jumped the big rocks in the stream bed. The doctor slipped sideways, managing to grab the saddle horn and pull himself upright while Gaucho momentarily slowed. After Gaucho sensed the doctor was saddled firmly, he took off again, throwing the doctor's head back.
When Ross got within sight of the barn, he saw Gaucho peering through the barn doors. A single shot rang out, echoing through the ranch buildings. Gaucho jumped. Ross's mouth ran dry and his hands felt weak on the reins. He stopped the doc's nag and waited. "I guess the little feller couldn't make it," he lamented.
After a minute, Ross rode to the barn, head drooped. He opened the barn door, expecting the worst. A big smile came over his face when he saw the colt standing wobbly on bandaged legs.
"What the heck was the shot about, Doc? I thought you had put the colt down."
The doc said, "Naw. That darn coyote was lurkin' out there, probably smelled the blood. I took a crack at him. I guess I'm too old and feeble-sighted 'cause he high-tailed it off."
Ross asked, "So how's the colt then?"
"He's probably gonna be OK, Ross," The doctor said, smiling. "Thanks to Gaucho here, we got back in plenty of time to sew everything up and stop him from loosing more blood."
"What else do I need to do Doc?" Ross asked.
"You're gonna need to change his dressin' and put this here ointment on his wounds. He's gonna be a little sleepy. I gave him some opium to settle him down and help with the pain." The doctor gave Ross some liniment and rolls of clean bandages.
Gaucho walked in the barn and nuzzled the colt. Ross took off Gaucho's bridle and saddle.
"That horse runs like lightenin'. I had a heck of a time stayin' on," the doc said. "Funny thing is, every time I got a little loose in the saddle, Gaucho slowed down some 'til I got right, then he'd speed back up. Treat him right. He's a fine horse. You and him saved that colt today."
"I sure thank you, Doc. Send me the bill, Looks like I got some coyote huntin' to do."
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