Shanks Mule

Two days outside Sidewinder his horse stepped into a gopher hole and busted the right fetlock. Much as it pained him, he’d been obliged to put a bullet in its head.

He’d left the horse lying there without cutting off any of the haunch to take with him. He couldn’t bring himself to butcher such a faithful animal. It seemed wrong. Now he regretted his scruples. This barren country was an endless vista of rock and scrub. Not a critter to be seen.

There was nothing to do but cinch his belt tight across his empty belly and trudge onward.

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12 thoughts on “Shanks Mule

  1. You have portrayed the tight bond between horse and man. To think of using the horse for meat was something he just couldn’t tolerate. This man deserves to find help. Great story.

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