Accordingly Paul rode closer in, and the camera showed him in imminent danger of being trampled under the feet of the rushing steers.
But Baldy, who had done the same thing so often that he did not need to rehearse it, rode swiftly in and managed to "cut out" Paul, so that the actor was in no real danger. The cattle nearest to him were forced to one side.
Then, as called for in the action of the little drama, Mr. Switzer, who was a good horseman, having been in the German cavalry, rushed up to attack Paul. Of course it was but a pretended attack; but it looked real enough in the pictures.
Ruth and Alice, with the other spectators on the little mound, looked on with intense interest.
"Oh, I just wish I was on my pony!" cried Alice, as she looked at the scene of action.
"Alice, you do not!" protested Ruth.
"Yes, I do! Oh, it must be great to drive those cattle around that way!"
"You have a queer idea of fun," remarked Miss Pennington in a supercilious tone, as she looked in the small mirror of her vanity box to see what effect the sun and dust were having on her brilliant complexion. For it was dusty, with the thousands of hoofs tearing up the earth.
The main part of the action over, the cattle were now being "milled" by the cowboys. That is, the onward rush was being checked, and the steers were being made to go around in a circle.
Thus are stampedes, when real, gradually brought to an end.