herself what that strife of sound and action meant. When she
tried to take in the whole scene she did not make out anything
clearly and she determined to see it little by little.

"Will you stay longer?" asked Florence; and, receiving an
affirmative reply, she warned Madeline: "If a runaway steer or
angry cow comes this way let your horse go. He'll get out of the
way."

That lent the situation excitement, and Madeline became absorbed.
The great mass of cattle seemed to be eddying like a whirlpool,
and from that Madeline understood the significance of the range
word "milling." But when Madeline looked at one end of the herd
she saw cattle standing still, facing outward, and calves
cringing close in fear. The motion of the cattle slowed from the
inside of the herd to the outside and gradually ceased. The roar
and tramp of hoofs and crack of horns and thump of heads also
ceased in degree, but the bawling and bellowing continued. While
she watched, the herd spread, grew less dense, and stragglers
appeared to be about to bolt through the line of mounted cowboys.

From that moment so many things happened, and so swiftly, that
Madeline could not see a tenth of what was going on within
eyesight. It seemed horsemen darted into the herd and drove out
cattle. Madeline pinned her gaze on one cowboy who rode a white
horse and was chasing a steer. He whirled a lasso around his
head and threw it; the rope streaked out and the loop caught the
leg of the steer. The white horse stopped with wonderful
suddenness, and the steer slid in the dust. Quick as a flash the
cowboy was out of the saddle, and, grasping the legs of the steer