Stampede

How did we wind up like this, Bernie asked Cecil.
Keep moving!
They sped up. I'm tired and thirsty, one of them said. Harriet angled over, coughing on dust. I have a bad feeling about this, she gasped.
Where are we going, George bellowed. Leaders pushed them harder. Hour after hour. Finally they took a break. We need a plan, Bernie thought. What if we charge the horses and scare them off? Then he realized the men had guns and it might be suicide.
A word popped into his head--stampede. He passed the word on to the others, who had no idea what it meant. Confusion reigned. They finally understood the object was to rumble off in all directions at once.
Unfortunately, Ned was in the front and he was the clumsiest of all. He tripped over his own hooves and fell. The others fell over him into a pile. Cowboys cursed them and let the whips fly. Bernie and Cecil were on the bottom, cursing their lives.
Sally, always the optimist, suggested the real purpose of this cattle drive was to get them in shape for the cattle Olympics.
We need another plan, Bernie moaned.