~ One Spur and the Arrow ~
Part 6: THE CAPTURE
~ 190 ~
Northward down the valley
Cut from his wild band
The magnificent wild Arrow
Fled across the thriving land
~ 191 ~
Marking him a mile wide
Was Dig with Billy Lorrel
Bill upon his screwball horse
Dig upon his sorrel
~ 192 ~
They did not try to take him
For One Spur had not said
So they followed along the ridge-line
Above a dry creek bed
~ 193 ~
Miles up the valley
The herds were driven on
through the narrow ravine
That soon they were gone
~ 194 ~
Then the riders joined together
To rest their tired mounts
The air grew calm and silent
Free of noise and shouts
~ 195 ~
Alone, and in his kingdom
Stood the glistening Wild horse
As he watched the bunch of riders
Follow the rivers course
~ 196 ~
He turned and tossed his wild head
As they spread across the way
He reared, snorted, pawed the air,
Then cut down through the clay
~ 197 ~
But Kane had watched his movements
And spurred his horse to speed
By his rump, One Spur slapped
His mighty Blue grass steed
~ 198 ~
Then wild eyed, the Arrow,
Thundered down the valley floor,
In the wind his flowing mane...
Behind, his black tail poured.
~ 199 ~
Over the rocky rises,
Down the yielding banks
Powered by mighty shoulder
Lathered to the flanks,
~ 200 ~
Across the open valley,
A beautiful graceful thing,
Splendid in his hammering run
Faster than a Falcons wing
~ 201 ~
In his wake the riders,
Let their horses go,
Like lightning through the heavens
like a flooded river's flow
~ 202 ~
Ah! The wild horse gathered
His bunching legs and flung
Them down the stony hillsides
And breathed no ebbing lung
~ 203 ~
Tense with nerves appealing
To slow his shuddering pace
He turned towards the meadows
To seek to end the chase
~ 204 ~
Vibrant on the meadows
His thundering hooves beat down
Fleet with rhythmic effort
Power his unconquered crown
~ 205 ~
Through his wide blown nostrils
He screamed his fearless pride
As the scattered trees flew passed him
In his gallant streaking stride
~ 206 ~
Limbs that sought to sweep him
Were violently smashed aside
As bushes crashed before him
And a million insects died
~ 207 ~
Shrubs and plants and cacti
Were hurled from shattered ground
That sprayed the reeling grasses
And turned the rocks around
~ 208 ~
Throbbing yet his straining heart
Sought out greater speed
As he swerved into the streaking wind
For more power was his breed
~ 209 ~
And speed he gained with effort
That blurred his gallant pace
Wondrous was his boldness
And fine his wild race.
~ 210 ~
The horses now like lancers
Stretched through the swirling dust
With freedom in their paces
Their souls sort out the lust
~ 211 ~
Riders skilled to leather
Pulled their hat brims down
Gritted teeth from flying stone
That could slash a covered crown
~ 212 ~
Their horses trained for roughness
Felt not the bruising rocks
Ignored the razored splinters
That tore hair from bleeding hocks.
~ 213 ~
Dust was mattered in the foam
That slowed the horses not
With bleeding mouths and silent bits
O'er the trembling earth they shot
~ 214 ~
Now louder the thunder grew
As each rider sought to win
For all would here the riders name
Who brought the Arrow in
~ 215 ~
They loosed their ropes and stockwhips
And threw their kits away
As in the blue, God's fiery eye
Burned watchful in the day
~ 216 ~
Now the horses too ran solo
Though as a vibrant team they swept
Through spraying twig and gumleaf
With many gullies leapt
~ 217 ~
With iron flinting iron
And saddle leather near
One Spur and his riders
From the foothills galloped clear
~ 218 ~
The wild horse turned westward
But One Spur marked him there
And to the east flashed Deacon
With his stockwhip in the air
~ 219 ~
He shied from flying saplings
That he himself cut down
As he tried to swerve from meadows
To higher rocky ground
~ 220 ~
But no trail opened for him
As the stockwhips forced him back
So he widened at the shoulder
To flee their fearful crack
~ 221 ~
Now the Arrow sensing capture
Rolled savage eye with fear
As One Spur and his riders
Held back a merry cheer
~ 222 ~
The horses that he guarded
Had fled through the ravine door
So the wild horse to his limits
Strained for a little more
~ 223 ~
Then the earth a stammer
Echoed to the beat
There wasn't any way to go
He couldn't now retreat
~ 224 ~
In the dust the hunters
Spurred their pounding steeds
Blood showed red upon their flanks
As they matched the Arrow's speed
~ 225 ~
All the valley rumbled
To the rhythms of their hooves
In the air the dust clouds rose
From a dozen guttered grooves
~ 226 ~
Closer drew the ravine
Freedoms only door
Across its front a ten foot fence
Blocked the valley floor
~ 227 ~
From the northern hillsides
Clive, and Billy Lorrel
Slipped down through the grasses
That shone like emerald coral
~ 228 ~
By the fence they waited
With looped and ready ropes
As in the distance vibrant thunder
Raised their wild hopes
~ 229 ~
The Arrow a shaft of velvet
Ashine in sapping sun
Shot from the dust a bullet
From freedoms powerful gun
~ 230 ~
His white eye rolled with horror
In his desperate straining flight
As the barrier at the ravine
Loomed before his wild sight
~ 231 ~
He reached the defiant fence rail
And heard the stockman's cry
As from the ground he bravely leapt
And twisted in the sky
~ 232 ~
He leapt with grace and courage
As twin ropes curled and sung
Whipped his head and powerful neck
Where they held and clung
~ 233 ~
Half stretched over the fence rail
He felt the ropes jerk tight
But now it was all to late
To halt his hurling flight
~ 234 ~
His hind legs hit the fence bar
As his head was pulled low down
And in a smashing violent fury
The Arrow crashed to ground
~ 235 ~
Then all about were riders
Dismounting, jumping down
His wildly threshing pawing legs
Were pinned and quickly bound
~ 236 ~
So now this wondrous wild horse
Famed throughout the land
Was captive of a noble man
Of firm but gentle hand
~ 237 ~
Bye and bye the wild horse
Was carefully shipped away
To the station land of One Spur
Many miles away
~ 238 ~
Here time would be taken
To calm the Arrow down
To teach him not to fear
This man of such renown