[originaltext] Often during my young life, I had ridden my horse down hills,

Often during my young life, I had ridden my horse down hills, chasing cows, and I had never been afraid. Suddenly, I experienced a moment that terrified me. I was on a narrow edge of rock on one of the highest points of the ranch, and I could see the treetops on the plateau below, like tiny shrubs, racing beneath the hoofs of my horse. The cow was getting away ’from me! I urged my horse to go faster and then, to gain distance, I made him jump to a steep slope below. He skidded in the winter mud to the edge of the slope and hung for an instant, balanced dangerously, half falling into the deep valley hundreds of feet below. Miraculously, he got his footing again. Shaking with fright, I got off him and sat down in the wet grass, trembling with the thought of what had almost happened. Then, slowly and carefully, I led my horse back down the steep hill, wondering how we had ever got up so high in the first place. "Somebody else is going to have to get that cow," I said to my father, "I’m not going up there again."