Page:Patches (1928).pdf/244

 of minutes he was disqualified and some one else took his place.

Then for the next hour and a half the audience beheld the most hair-raising incidents that they had yet seen during the rodeo. There were broncs upon four' legs and broncs upon two legs, cow-punchers in the saddle and cow-punchers flying through the air or sprawling in the dirt. Some of the latter limped away with sprained ankles or nursed sprained wrists while one poor fellow had to be carried away on a stretcher and it was subsequently learned that he had ridden his last race.

These practically wild horses squealed, snorted, and bucked, kicked, and bit, and the cow-puncher had to act like lightning, always keeping his head. Occasionally a woman shrieked or covered her eyes or even fainted, men who were enured to such scenes gasped in fear and astonishment. Several horses crashed through the inner fence and before the contest was over much of this fence was in kindling wood. One of the frantic broncs finally leaped the outside fence and before the audience was aware of what was happening was in among the spectators, but men had been placed in readiness for such an event and the frantic horse was almost immediately enmeshed in half a dozen lariats and rendered helpless.

When the great audience had shouted, screamed,