They had been fierce rivals twenty years. Too fierce some said. The rivalry came to a head in the National Amateur Quail Championship run that year on the King Ranch.
They had been top amateur handlers for years now, competing all over the country in regional championships with all-age dogs they bred and trained themselves. Like others in the top echelon, the semi-pros Ben Reach called them, they were serious as a heart attack about winning, so much so that many competitors dreaded being braced with them. They were generally good sportsmen, unless your dog was a threat to win; then sportsmanship went out the window, and you best be on the lookout, or so rumor had it.
Both were Trustees of the AFTCA, and at Trustee meetings the seriousness of their rivalry sometimes bubbled up in disagreements on petty things like where to hold a trial or judge selection. Each had his strong opinions, and they often differed. But they were both thrilled, as was everyone else, when the King Ranch was announced as the venue for the Quail Championship, the most coveted of all titles in their chosen sport. The trials allowed to be held there were few but legendary, for the fabled ranch held wild quail in abundance many years and the sections chosen south of Falfurrias lay like grassy African savannas with objectives of patches of woody cover lying like islands in the big pastures.
As fate would have it, they were drawn as brace mates. Bill Scales’ pointer male The Rascal and Fred Eanes pointer bitch Waltzing Matilda would go in the last brace on the last day. Both were contenders for Amateur All-Age Dog of the Year.
Rascal was named Champion, Matilda was lost near the end. Then Fred filed a complaint with the Trustees seeking to have the title withdrawn and Bill banned from competition. The complaint alleged Bill had intentionally run off Matilda, causing her to be lost.
It was a complaint often heard in field trials but seldom if ever proved. But Fred claimed to have photographic evidence to prove it. In hours the internet was filled with messages about it. Next day a cell phone video of Bill apparently heeling Matilda, then sending Matilda away from the course went viral on the internet. Bill called Ben Reach and asked him to defend.
Ben’s father had admonished him against taking cases involving dogs on his first day of law practice. But when he heard Bill’s story he could not turn him down.
The case would be heard at the Trustees’ next meeting, scheduled for Dallas in a month. Bill flew Ben in his private jet to Falfurrias. A rented Chevy Suburban waited on the tarmac. Bill drove them to the section of the Ranch where the Championship had been run. Ironically, Ben had thirty years before hunted quail on it as the guest of a client. Waiting there was the foreman of the Ranch who had served as head marshal for the Championship. He was a Mexican-American named Hosea Renaldo, a third generation employee of the Ranch. His son, Juan , age fifteen, would supply the key evidence for Ben’s defense of Bill. In the Suburban the three men and boy drove to the place where Bill was alleged to have ridden off Matilda. Ben recalled having shot a covey rise there. It was on the edge of a large motte.
The Trustees’ trial was held in the largest conference room of a major law firm in downtown Dallas (a partner in the firm was current President of the AFTCA, hence the King Ranch as venue of the Championship). He would preside at the trial of Bill. Fred, a lawyer himself, would present the evidence against Bill.
The conference room, on a 35th floor in downtown Dallas, held the latest high-tech audio-video projection equipment. In a brief opening statement Fred announced for the first time that the cell phone video on which his case against Bill was based had been taken by Fred’s scout. Many had already deduced that was likely. And all in the top echelon of amateur field trials knew that Wallace Green, the scout-photographer, shared Fred’s dislike of Bill. Then the trial of Bill began after Ben waived an opening statement.
Wallace Green testified he had been searching for Matilda when he caught sight of Bill riding with Matilda at heel, then when he was a hundred yards away from a motte, casting Matilda away and blowing his whistle, the universal “get out of here” signal. Then he testified to taking the video with his cell phone. Ben waived cross examination, reserving the right to call Wallace during his presentation of the defense.
Fred put on evidence that Matilda has been found pointing by his scout Wallace Green after being declared out of judgment (gone too long) with the help of a GPS tracking collar carried by a judge during her heat.
“Where was she found,” was Ben’s first question for the defense after he called Wallace Green as his first witness. In answer, Wallace Green gave the longitude and latitude coordinates from the tracking receiver.
Then Ben called Hosea Renaldo. He testified to having marshaled the Championship. Then Ben asked him, “Would you please explain the particular hazards to bird dogs competing on these grounds.”
In response Hosea said, “Most everything, animal or vegetable, on the land sticks or bites. There’s cactus and a dozen other quilled bushes. There is rattlesnakes and javelinas. But worst of all is wild hogs. They can be vicious, kill a bird dog with one swing of their tusked snout. And they are fast, can run down a bird dog before it is aware of any danger.”
“Have you personally witnessed a feral boar hog attack successfully a bird dog?” Ben asked.
“Yes, many times, hauled them bleeding to a vet, seen them bleed out on the way.”
Next Ben called Juan Renaldo to the witness chair. After identifying himself in response to Ben’s questions, Juan explained he had been riding during the championship, following various scouts and keeping out of sight, carrying a digital motion camera for a filming project for a high school photography class. Among those he followed that day was Wallace Green.
“Tell us what you observed of Wallace Green scouting Walsing Matilda.” Ben asked.
“I saw him filming Mr. Bill Scales as he heeled Waltzing Matilda away from the Boar Motte.”
“What is the Boar Motte?” Ben asked.
“That’s what everyone calls the motte at (Juan gave the longitude-latitude coordinates of the motte where the alleged “riding off of Matilda” had happened).”
“Why is it called that.” Ben asked.
“Because it’s where Vicious usually stays.”
“And who is Vicious? Ben asked.
“He is the biggest, meanest wild boar on the Ranch.” Juan said.
“Did you see Vicious that day?” Ben asked.
“No, but I heard him. He was snorting from inside the motte.”
“Tell us what you saw when you heard Vicious snorting?” Ben said.
“Matilda was taking the edge of the motte. Mr. Bill Scales saw her about the time he heard Vicious snorting. He immediately rode for Matilda and commanded her to heel, then rode away from the motte. When he had her safely away from where Vicious was snorting, he sent her on.”
“Sent her on in what direction,” Ben asked.
“Toward the front down the course,” Juan answered.
“Did you video this?” Ben asked. The conference room was deadly silent. Suddenly a 12-foot by 12-foot screen behind Juan came alive on his push of a button, and was filled by video of Matilda being sent by Bill Scales. The audio erupted with the sound of Bill’s whistle. Matilda was headed for the next motte in the huge pasture which was clearly seen by the Trustees as ahead on the course (the course was shown on a large map on an easel at the end of the conference room and had been explained to the Trustees previously by Hosea Ronaldo during his testimony). The video unfolding on the screen showed Matilda circling the next motte and disappearing around its edge, still forward on the course of the brace.
“Tell us about Vicious, and why he is allowed to live?” Ben asked.
“He is alive only because of his cunning. He has been shot and wounded at least three times. That has made him very wary, the scent of man makes him go deeper in the motte. He lures dogs like Matilda in with his snorting. He has killed at least a half-dozen bird dogs,” Juan said.
“Did Mr. Bill Scales know about Vicious and that he hung out in the motte?” Ben asked.
“Yes, my father told him all about Vicious when he was here quail hunting last season.”
“Did Mr. Wallace Green see you when you were videoing Mr. Bill Scales rescuing Matilda?” This drew an objection by Fred Eanes, which the President overruled.
“I do not think so,” Juan said.
Ben said, “No further questions of Mr. Juan Renaldo at this time.” Then he called Wallace Green as a witness.
Mr. Green you testified you videoed the action you testified about with your iPhone, correct?
“Yes.”
“And yet you were aware the rules forbid a handler or scout using a cell phone while participating in a trial, and the judges of this trial announce before the running that handlers and scouts were not to have cell phones in their possession during a brace they were participants in, did they not?”
“Yes, but I have a heart condition and my doctor instructed me never to be without my iPhone.”
“Did you explain this to the judges before the trial started?” Ben asked.
“I didn’t feel it was necessary. I had explained it to those judges before and they didn’t object.”
“Mr. Scales reserves the right to file a complaint about Mr. Green having his cell phone with him while scouting,” Ben said.
* * * * *
It took the AFTCA Trustees just thirty minutes to find Bill Scales not guilty of riding off Matilda, and to issue a warning to Wallace Green about possessing a cell phone while handling or scouting.