BULLOCK - PUNCHING.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 138, 7 December 1907, Page 11

BULLOCK - PUNCHING.

THE GENTLE ART OF PERSUASION. BREAKING BULLOCKS TO THE YOKE. (By Will Lawson.) The huge-shouldered, sinewy-flanked bullocks, whoso heads hare bowed bo tho wooden yoke without their losing any of their ponderous dignity, step daintily across tho broken ground where many bullocks havo loft hoof-marks during many years of servitude. Tho dogs that yap and snap are beneath the contempt of tho working bullocks. Among them, however, aro two young bullocks, as yet unyoked, and they are nervous and anxious. They follow their older companions, making occasional side rushes at the dogs and bellowing hoarsely. Ben, the big bullock-driver, marching behind them, whip in hand, swears at the over-eager dogs, and yells anathemas at the cow-boy who lias not fastened the stockyard gftte open. It sv.'ings in the breeze, causing tho foremost bullocks to pause. Ths boy runs to do Ben's bidding, and sends a young bullock whirling about in a panic. The whips crack ; clogs yelp and snap ; the rebel rushes into the yard at the heels of his comrades, upsetting even their placid tempcis and getting more than one dig in the ribs from pointed horns. Ben kicks a dog, which has had the temerity to follow into the yard, slams and fastens the gate, and stalks like a bull-fighter through the group of assembled bullocks, passing out through another gate Ho presently re-appears, accompanied hy two station hands, who are armed with chains and leather collars and rope inckle, all for the subjugation of two sturdy young bullocks. HANDLING THE RECRUITS. Ths old bullocks accustomed to being yarded and handled, settle down to chew the cud of reflection. Not so the young onob. They are restless, ami move uneasily about. One ot those is bright red in colour, with no mark of white about him. Splendidly proportioned, with small head and a heavy bull-neck, ke looks a fighter. The other beast is splashed liberally with led and white, and is not so confident in Waring, but a' strong bruto notwithstanding. These two aro to be broken in to replace two road-woary veterans, worn out with years of hauling. When properly trained, they will be- yoked in tho centre of the team, where all tho youngsters must graduate for the tobf.onbible positions of leaders or polers. The leaders of the tnam are tho most perfectly trained of all, and are always seasoned haulers, who will swing to a whisper. Those in the pole occupy tho next important position. They must be strong animals, and, above .'ill, able and willing to hold the load on a down-gradb — hold >* till all \h blue, till the yoke is hanging over their foreheads. The two recruits in tho yard aro promising specimens ; fit to pull a mountain. The first atep in their education is in tho direction of making them thoroughly acquainted with ono another. Bullocks .\'ork in pairs, and cannot be changed about in the team as horses 'can. If one Is sick, his mate rests till a recovery >s made. If ho dies, his comrado must scrape acquaintance with a new mate, and it is useless to exp?ct such a bullock to work well alongside a stranger. With the object of effecting this introduction — thia "knock-down," to use a colloquialism (and in this instance tno slang is liternlly correct in expression) — Ben entera ths yard nrmjd with a long pole, on the cud of which « noose of rope io twisted. The young bullock;: evade his advances, and the task of slipping th~ noose over the red bullock's horns would be almost impossible w?re it rot for tho stolid workers who refuse to badge unless heavily ' jostled, and consequently hamper tho young bullock's attempt to escape. SURPRISED. After some manipulation tho noose is slipped in place. The rope is passed lound a r.olid totara strainer set with croat solidity in the yard near the trails. The end of the rope is passed through the rails, where three strong men tail Oil, the last one taking a turn round a! stump. At a word from Ben theso men haul, llio red fellow is plainly surprised. Ho cannot recollect a similar psperier.ee. Taken oft' his guard, lie moves forward a few paces. There he stops, his head lowered to the strain. The men case off a little, and ho raises his head and looks round defiantly. Ben «tirs him up behind with his pole, and the bullock makes a run off sideways, which brings him a little nearer tho post. The slack rope is immediately taUr»n in. 'Again ho baulks, heavy saliva dripping from his lips. He looks round enquhingly at tho. other bullocks; llage sc-izes him. Ho lights for his liberty, bf ßowing and living round the yard ai the limit of the rope's rango. Then, blowing heavily, he comes to a standstill, head down, legs apart. Ben has moved round towards the post. The bullock sees him, and sails straight for him. All tins indignity is obviously ilue to Ben. At the beast's charge that individual runs past the post, end jumps nimbly on to the rails. When tho red bullock pulls up short, due to the rope which, however, is eased off a triile so as not to break his neck, he ia very much nearer the post. Still he fights, making such a turmoil that the somnolent workers begin to bo intercstt'd. The other recruit is absolutely aghast. Never sunco he was" branded has he witnessed such astonishing proceedings. He moves a few steps forward, only to be hunted back by Ben, who has resumed. his whip to urge the unwilling candidate for introduction up to iho post. At Jasfc tho bullock's head is pulled down to the post, and he kneels in the soft earth, angry and exhausted, rolling fearful eyes at'the group of men. Death surely ia his lot now, Ins instinct tells him. When Ben approaches carrying a broad leather collar and a short steel chain, the bullock strains and quivers. The collar is securely buckled about the strong neck and tho short chain is attached.' Then another rope is twisted lotinri tho long polo, and, after more ducking and turning, a second noose encircles tho horns of the led and white bullock. This fellow is sulleii. He won't budge for any man. Head down, he sags backward on the lope, and Bun has 1o drive him to his anchored mate. lie alisomttiiy iv fuses to giyp them an opportunity to trip him on to his knees. iia he i» hauled as close as can be, and a second collar attached to the other end of the shor,t sU'el chain is buckled round his neck. The iopes on the horns are rclc.incd, ;iikl the red bullotn. leaps to his feet. Whatever dreams* of vengeance he cherishes — vengeance on Bun — arc quickly dissipated by his simngcly-kampcied condition. FINAL STAUES. The bullocks cannot understand tho position at all, and they are glad to be lcl'i, unmolested in a corner of tho yard to ponder ok life's ways, and to iccover their wind, »vhilc Ben prepares to yoke up his team for the day's woik. Jt will be sonic- weeks cis the recruits Iki\c a pLico in this teaiti, yet every tuna the team is mustered they will be

Drought in too, to uecome accustomed to their names, to move when their names are uttered, and to learn finally and compk-texy that Ben tho Bullocky is boss of the outfit,. During this, timo they will be kept cnamed together— to sleep, eat, drink, and »va/k together, so that they may become altogether admirably matchedT As showing how two bullocks thus treated will learn to act as one bullock, a pair such as here dehcribed have been known to jump fence& .chilst chained together. And the writer once saw an angry driver whose leaders refused to back, jab one of then} with a pitchfork. The result was a broken chain, and two bullocks leaping a fence on the sky-line yoked together, them with a pitchfork. The result was a broken chain, and two bullocks leaping a fence on the sky-line yoked together. The yoking up of a well trained team of "cows" is a sight Avorth watching. The heavy wooden yokes lie on the ground conveniently. There are chains there also, laid whero they will be required when the bullocks take their appointed places. Ben cracks his whip, and yells, "Billy! Lion!" • These are the leaders, Billy on the near, Lion on the offside. Two grizzled veterans, one of them with a broken horn, swing lazily out of tho bunch, and march slowly np to a certain place against the roils. It is always the same spot. It would not matter if thoy were a yard or two one way or the other, yet thoy make no miscalculation like that. Arrived there, they close their eyrs and resume chewing. The yoke, with the U shaped irons, which encircles the neck, removed, is placed on their necks. Then tho ends of the irons are thrust upwards through poles in the yoke and securely pinned. A length of steel chain is hooked to a ring in the centre of the yoke, passed between the bullocks, and the loose end is thrown on tho ground behind them. "Sergeant! Major!" The whip cracks" several times, and twice it cracks on hide. Theso are comparatively recent additions to the team, and are not very willing workers. While Ben is persuading them to come up, a gaunt, red bullock with only half a tail— tho other half worn out thumping the steel chain— rushes into Major's place. Ben laughs as he drives him back. This is a Mick —a onp-time leader, whose brave mate died, and there isn't another equal to him in weight and height or in espcrjsnee to share the lead with him. So ho mii3t perforce work with Smoker in the centre, and fret his heart out trying to win to the lead. Major and Sergeant being in position, the samo operation of yoking-up is gone through, tho end of the leader's chain is hooked into the yoke-ring cf the second pair. This is lcpcatcd with each pair till there is a continuous line of steel chain reaching from the leaders to the polers — veterans who have hold stiff loads on their, strong necks when the hills v/ero long and tiring, yet in the up-hill strain thoy did not get so much whip as Smoker did— Smoker is a loafer whom the mighty Mick drags along— so ihat oven the pole-bullock has his compensations, his privileges in life. When Iho whole tenm is yoked np the yardgate is oper.d. "Whoa back, Billy! Come here, Lion!" Ben shouts. Billy obediently stands still while Lion walks round him, thus executing a wheeling movement. "Git up," says Bon. And the big, daintily-stepping leaders tramp through tho gate and down to the bullock dray, j which stands with pole resting on "a ! prep. Tliu team i 3 deftly swung ami ' backed till Tim and Larry aro on either side of the. polo, the end of which is passed through tho ring in their yoke. InHi-thiek stoel pins thrust through holes in the polo keep the rinsr from moving forward nnd backward. The bi<* whip yolleys. Slowly the team breaks the lead out, and uwny they go, Billy and Lion marching alone; with their lightstepping, soft-footed stride, Micky tearing after tlvni with Smoker 'boring p-yiinst him with his shouldor and pulling sulkily, -and Tim ond Larry steadying tho who'o team down tlie*i:inch fo Hie creek, thoir heads b^r.t under (he frirful weight, their hoofs 'scrambling through the tr.-avel. The;). up the other side, all pulling with a will. And so lacy pass down tho rough hill road.