Saddle Bull

My cousin Meb had a gentle young bull, about a 2 year old, that he could put his saddle on and ride. I think it was the calf of the milk cow and Meb had been training it since it was quite small, but now it was large, nearing its mature height. The bull was standing tied to the corral fence with the saddle on his back and Meb said he was going to ride over to the pond to look for a cow. He asked me if I wanted to go with him. Gee, I sure do, that sounds like fun, so he mounts up and I get on back of the saddle.

The young bull ambles along at a leisurely walk, switching his tail back and forth. He's fat and has a full belly from consuming the young tender tumble weeds that are in their prime stage for eating. It was a nice pleasant summer day, with a cool breeze blowing and I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Meb was telling me what a smart, well trained animal this Bull was when about then it gets a tickle in his throat and has to cough. A great surge of processed juicy green tumbleweed shoots out from his back end to cover his tail with fly-trap plaster. Then, Bull proceeds to apply the fly-trap slop, slap, slop, slap from side to side where both my legs and feet are hanging in range. Some of it comes up and gets me in the eye as I looked back to see what's going on.

Meb laughs with delight and explains to me what a great fly killer Bull is and mostly on account of the good training he's gotten at the hand of his master. He goes on to explain other endearing features of his fly killing talent and how many thousands of flies he's able to destroy each day, which makes Bull a most valuable animal. About every hundred yards or so Bull would re-demon-strate his great ability, bringing much praise from his master and hilarious merriment, too, as he watched his pupil apply the green plaster to the legs of my pants and to my shoes. I wasn't nearly as enthralled about Bull as Meb seemed to be. By the time we returned to the corral I was a real cowboy. At least I smelled like one and looked like I had plenty of cow on me, or I guess it must have been Bull.