Herding Bulls

At True Story from the Summer of 1963 or 1964 - at told by Kenneth J. Kapp

As a small boy about 8-9 years of age I had the opportunity to spend several weeks on my grandpa's farm in Eastern Oregon during the summer.  One of the things my grandpa did was to trade cattle.   He would often pick-up and deliver cattle to various places.  I remember one particular day we were going to a pasture to load a very large bull and take it to the auction.  Now I will admit that the size of the bull has probably grown over the years as I have related this story on occasion, but to an 8-9 year old city boy, not used to the ways of the farm, it was a certainly a huge and ferocious animal.  

As we arrived at the pasture my grandpa told me his plan.  He had backed the truck up to the loading chute and opened the gate on the truck so the bull could walk right in once we got him in the chute.  On the pasture side of the chute there were two wires that ran from the chute down close to the ground forming a "V" to help guide the cattle into the chute as they were herded in.  These wires had electric current running through them to help in the process as well.

My grandpa informed me that there was one particular place where the wires might be just a little bit too high and occasionally cattle would get under the wire and back behind the chute.  If this occurred, the cattle would have to be flushed back out, and the cattle could become spooked and break back out into the pasture thus starting the entire process over again.

He also informed me that it would be my job, on this particular day, to stand guard by that opening and yell and wave my arms if the bull started that way.  He assured me that I would be safe and that the bull was more afraid of me than I was of him.  Now I believed my grandpa and was ready to fulfill my part of the plan.  I knew he wouldn't ask me to do anything that would be harmful to me.

As my grandpa started walking across the large field to where the bull was, I decided that it might be in my best interest, even though I planned on doing exactly what he had told me, to formulate some escape route just in case things didn't go according to the master plan.  I looked around and realized that there was a place in the nearby log fence that I could easily get under to safety if I acted in time.  I was now ready no matter what the circumstance.

My grandpa was now across the pasture and herding the bull towards me.  I had his plan and I had my escape plan.  I was set.  As they started to get closer to me, the bull got bigger and bigger and more and more ferocious looking.  My plan was looking better all the time, but I didn‚Äôt want to disappoint my grandpa.  I decided that I would hold my position as long as possible.  Certainly he would understand.

Sure enough as the bull got close he started heading straight for me.  Now I was standing around with my arms draped over my head so I would be ready to wave them and yell, but I did start to inch just a little bit closer to my escape port.  Just as I was about ready to put my plan into action, I caught that electrical fence right under my arm.  The shock caused me to jump and yell and flail my arms, which of course, immediately made the bull turn and walk right into the loading chute just as my grandpa had told me.

I don't know if my grandpa knew or sensed my fear but he cheered me on yelling, "Atta boy Kenny!"

How many of us exercise Faith in this manner; ready and willing to follow our Father-in-Heaven's plan but we also have our own plan to duck for cover if and when the going gets tough?

I learned that I need to have faith and trust in the people sent here to teach me.