99 Leah scrunched up her face Wouldn't that hurt Probably But I don't think it hurts very much replied Mrs Ross The skin of a cow is leather so it s tough Do you remember going to a branding party at your Uncle Jimmy’s Amanda It was a while ago I remember I had fun with all my cousins but I didn't like the burning smell I felt sorry for the cute baby calves who were crying for their mommies Mrs Ross laughed You asked your Uncle if he would please stop hurting the calves He assured you they would all be back with their mommies soon and would get a special treat for their supper They drove through the gate into the yard past a large red barn a log cabin and other red painted buildings Once parked the girls jumped out of the car and were immediately greeted by an excited dog that barked and leapt up to lick their faces Leah backed away but Amanda patted his head and said Hi there Bud How’re you doing Bart leave the young ladies alone A man his face tanned and wrinkled grinned and shook Mrs Ross's hand Sorry about that ma am he just loves to get company that's not cowpokes Welcome to Bar U Ranch My name's Andy and Ill show you around This your first time to the ranch Yes said Amanda and Leah at the same time She's from England and we wanted to show her a real ranch said Amanda Well you've come at the right time The horses are being exercised right now Follow me You don't mind if Bart comes along do you Not at all I love dogs Amanda gave the grey blue dog another pat on the head What kind of dog is Bart Bart here is a Blue Heeler They come from Aus tralia and are great cattle dogs They need the wide
outdoors Best on a farm or ranch Not good as house pets They followed Andy to a corral where some horses were being led while others wandered around on their own Two men in one corner of the corral appeared to argue Amanda glanced in their direction just as one man punched the other in the face A grey horse near them reared up his front legs Andy ran over and caught the horse's reins He spoke softly into his ear until the horse settled down and then led him back to the large red barn Other men broke up the fight The man who had been hit held his bleeding nose and limped past the girls He looked directly at Amanda with the saddest eyes she had ever seen Somehow the eyes looked familiar She shivered in spite of the hot weather Leah continued to watch the magnificent horses walk around the corral They sauntered very proud and alert some mostly grey with specks of black while others black with white markings on their heads Andy came back from the barn a few minutes later and asked if they would like to go for a wagon ride and see the rest of the ranch Oh that would be super wouldn't it Leah The girls climbed up onto an open wagon and sat on bench seats while Andy held the reins of two large salt and pepper grey horses Whoa Dick Stand still Casey Let everyone get on board before we get a move on Andy stroked their broad fore heads You sure like your horses What kind of horses are they asked Amanda These are Percheron draft horses They are the best work horses and extremely intelligent They are known as the gentle giants of ranching This ranch is well known for raising Percheron horses over the
years They toured the ranch at a leisurely pace Andy pointed out various buildings and told stories about the ranch in the old days They watched cowhands round up cattle while Bart barked at the heels of the cows to keep them in line Is that why they are called Blue Heeler dogs because they are a bluish colour and they bark at the heels of the cows asked Amanda You re darned right young lady That's exactly why they are called Blue Heelers And why is he called Bart asked Leah Andy laughed When my son was younger he was a big fan of The Simpsons When we got the puppy he started calling him Bart and I guess it stuck He Sometimes has an attitude like Bart Simpson but all in all he's a good dog They returned to the cookhouse where the friendly Cook offered them milk and cookies fresh out of the Oven Why were those men fighting Amanda asked Andy as she sipped the cold milk Oh it was nothing The hot weather lately tends to get the cowpokes a bit testy is all said Andy Up stairs is the bunkhouse where the ranch hands slept after a hard day on the trail Take your time and look around After finishing the refreshments the girls and Amanda's mother checked out the rest of the cook house One room contained two large round tables fitted with lazy susans in the middle I guess this is where they ate commented Leah Upstairs they found rows of single beds Some beds were neatly made with personal items stowed away underneath or stacked on shelves Other beds were in a tangle and the person's items in disarray Amanda walked over to a bed covered with a red
and grey striped wool blanket On the bed was an open fiddle case a cribbage board and a newspaper open to a page with an advertisement for a western jamboree The bedside table consisted of a wooden apple crate on its side the bottom lined with books On top sat a picture of a pretty young girl with braids and a cowboy hat Beside the picture rested a couple of smooth rocks Amanda tempted to pick them up and examine them was startled by a man rushing up the stairs She noticed he had bright red hair Sorry to disturb you folks said the cowboy out of breath I forgot something here earlier We should be going anyway Amanda's mom steered the girls down the stairs As they were about to leave the cookhouse Amanda noticed some rocks behind glass doors in a cupboard Look at all these cool rocks Were did you get them People who lived and worked here have been col lecting them over the years If you look closely many are fossils It's hard to imagine but this entire area used to be a sea bed You'll notice seashells embed ded in some of the rocks explained Andy Amanda noticed a dark grey rock with interesting marks on it What do those marks mean I don't know They may be pre historic Perhaps a form of written language Amanda thought the marks looked similar to the one on the stone the clown
