Bunk House Tails

 Dad was operating a meat packing plant called S & L Meat Co just out of Grants Pass, OR, when he received a call from the Josephine County Fair manager. "Floyd, since you have cattle trucks, could you haul the rodeo stock from the railroad yard to the fairground for us? Cline Bros Rodeo Co from Salinas, California, are shipping their stock by rail and we need an experienced horse and bull hauler." So, at the appointed hour, we were backed into the railroad loading chutes ready to load. The first load was all bucking bulls, so as a fourteen-year-old kid, I was enjoying the show. An old timer, (about 25 years younger than I am now), walked up to the chute, slid the rail door open and peered inside the car for a minute or so. Since no bulls appeared, he walked on into the railcar. I expected to see him come bailing out trying to outrun a bull or two. Instead, in a minute or two, he reappeared leading a BIG, red Brahma bull by the ear— both of them seeming to be comfortable with the arrangement. The rest of the bulls sauntered slowly out behind them. The whole project was finished without problems. The next day I was right by the bucking chutes to watch the rodeo action. When it was big, red bull came up for his turn, he bailed out of the chute and unloaded his pack in about three jumps--then he cleared the ring, including the bull fighters. When they got the wild bull into the stripping chute, he sauntered over to his handler, where the old man scratched his back a few times and walked away unconcerned. Talk about rapport, that was sure evident there!