The Border Boys with the Mexican Rangers

by John Henry Goldfrap

  CHAPTER XV.

  BY FAIR MEANS OR FOUL.

  A bugle note cut short their search. It proclaimed that the start ofthe tilting contest was at hand. The boys, accordingly, rode up to thestand where the senorita handed each of them and the other contestantsa sharply tipped lance decorated with white, green and red, thenational colors.

  They were then informed of the rules of the contest, which were simple.Each contestant was allowed twenty-five tries at the rings, and theone gaining the greatest number of points was to be the winner. A blowwith the sawdust bag was to count one point off. As the Don finishedannouncing the rules, the Mexicans gave a yell and a flourish of theirlances and galloped off to the starting point.

  Jack, Ralph and Walt saluted with a wave of their hats and flourish oftheir lances, and then headed off after them. Their little display ofgallantry caused quite a murmur of admiration to run through the crowd.This was increased to enthusiasm when it was seen how easily and wellthey sat their active little horses.

  “Diablo! Those Gringoes can ride!” exclaimed more than one Mexican inevident amazement that any American could sit on a horse at all.

  At the starting line the lads dismounted, as they did not wish toimpose any more exertion than was necessary upon their ponies. Leaningtheir lances against the ropes of the course, they gave themselves overto studying intently the methods used by the tilters, some of whom wereold hands at the game, or so one would judge by the confidence theydisplayed.

  “By George, those fellows are doing magnificently,” Jack had toadmit, as one after another the Mexican contestants dashed down thehuman-fringed lane and neatly transfixed the ring without bringing theheavy sack around.

  The next instant a roar proclaimed that one victim had been struck,and peering down the course the boys could see the one who had failedgalloping off, shaking his spear angrily, while his hat hung all awryon his head from the force of the blow the sack had dealt him.

  But while everybody was still laughing at the mishap, and addressingall kinds of jocular remarks to the victim, Jack suddenly turned aroundas he heard a peculiar noise behind him. He was glad he had done so,for as he faced about the figure of a Mexican slipped away in thecrowd. The fellow had been standing by the group of lances assignedto the Americans. With a few quick steps Jack reached the implementsand found that an attempt had been made to saw one of them through inthe middle. The rascal who had attempted the trick, however, had beendetected so quickly by Jack’s vigilance that he had not had time to domuch more than scratch the tough ash handle.

  “Guess I’ll take charge of those lances,” said Jack to himself, and heproceeded to do so.

  The next minute Walt was summoned to take his turn, and leaped into thesaddle with a bound. Jack handed him a lance, making no mention of whathe had discovered, for he had no wish to make his chum nervous.

  Down dropped the starter’s flag, and off dashed Walt down the lane offaces, his mount going like the wind. As he neared the post he crouchedand drove his lance, as he thought, straight for the ring. But alas!he hit the arm of the tilting apparatus and around came the sawdustbag, hitting the Border Boy a blow on the head that almost knocked himout of the saddle. A chorus of yells and jeers that made Walt’s earsburn, greeted his failure. He was much downcast, as he rode back to thestarting place to await his turn to try again.

  Ralph came next and fared no better than Walt. But he was moreeasy-going about it.

  “Guess I’ll do better next time,” he shouted to the laughing Mexicans,none of whom understood him.

  Now came Jack. On account of his mount,—little Firewater,—he perhapsattracted more attention than the others. At all events, a great rippleof sound swept like a wave through the crowd as he dashed down thelists. But as the Border Boy neared the ring and couched his lance forthe tilt, a sombrero was hurled from the crowd, striking Firewaterfull in the eyes and causing him to stop and swing with an abruptnessthat would have sent a less practiced rider flying, and perhaps havecaused him serious injury. But if this had been the intent of the manwho hurled the hat, it failed, for Jack kept his seat almost without aperceptible shifting.

  “A hundred pesos to the man who finds and captures that scoundrel!”shouted the Don angrily. “Senor Merrill, come here.”

  Thus summoned to the stand, Jack became the center of all eyes.

  Jack swept by in a cloud of dust and transfixed thering.]

  “That was an outrage, senor, for which I apologize to you in the nameof my country,” said the Don, his voice quivering with real chagrin.

  “Oh, it was cowardly!” cried the senorita, clasping her handsimpulsively.

  “Most probably it was the act of some irresponsible person,” declaredJack, unwilling to give his host more pain.

  “He shall suffer for it if he is caught,” was the rejoinder; thenturning to one of the officials of the course, the Don told him toannounce that Jack would try again.

  This time a roar of genuine surprise went up as Jack swept by ina cloud of dust and transfixed the ring as deftly as any of hispredecessors.

  “Bravo!” cried the Don, “and shame on any of my countrymen who will notsay likewise.”

  This had its effect on those within hearing of the Don, but onthe outskirts of the crowd, where the lower element of the townpredominated, low hootings and expressions of dissatisfaction wereheard.

  On the next round several of the Mexicans failed, but Walt, Ralph andJack each got one of the rings. This placed Jack and the three Mexicanswho had succeeded on an even basis.

  The crowd began to shout encouragement to its representatives. One ofthem, a tall fellow on a splendid horse, turned to Jack as they stoodawaiting their turns once more.

  “A bet of twenty pesos on the Mexican team, senor,” he said.

  “I don’t bet,” rejoined Jack, “but I hope the best man wins.”

  The Mexican, with a glance of contempt, replied:

  “Peste! You are only boys. Mocho chico. What chance have you to win?You had better withdraw before you are covered with shame by yourfailure.”

  “Guess we’re not worrying,” rejoined Jack easily, “but it’s your turn,senor.”

  “So it is. Behold, and you shall see with what ease I will get zeering.”

  He thundered confidently off. Alas, for the caballero’s hopes! It istrue that he “got it” in one sense, but instead of getting the ring hegot the bag with a force that sent his sombrero spinning into the crowd.

  “Not so easy as it looks, eh?” laughed Jack, as the discomfited Mexicancame riding back with a black frown on his face.

  “Santa Maria, it was my horse’s fault,” he declared, “the brute is nogood. He is a beast; what you Gringoes call a ‘skate.’”

  He began spurring the animal savagely, making the poor creature jumpand caper about in its agony.

  “I wouldn’t do that, senor,” said Jack quietly, but with a gleam in hiseyes. “By the way, we’ve a proverb in our country that might interestyou.”

  “A proverb,—bah! what is it?”

  “Why, they say a bad workman always complains of his tools,” rejoinedJack, looking the other straight in the eye. “Think it over.”

  Before the other could reply it was Jack’s turn once more, Walt andRalph both having scored failures. Once more the Border Boy succeeded,thus getting one point ahead of the rest. On the next round, however,he missed the mark, while the three Mexicans still in the contest allscored.

  “You see,” said the tall Mexican, “we can easily, if we will, preventyou Gringoes from scoring at our national games.”

  “By fair means?” replied Jack.

  “By any means, senor,” was the reply, “all is fair in love and war.”

  “Guess I’ll keep an eye on you,” thought Jack to himself.

  With varying fortunes the game went on till two rounds from theconcluding one only Jack and two Mexicans were left in the game. Waltand Ralph had dropped out in favor of Jack when they saw that theywere too far behind to ca
tch up. The scores of all three, the Mexicansand the Border Boy, were now even, and the excitement was extreme. Nocheers or any other sounds were to be heard now. In intense silencethe crowd watched every move.

  The next bout found them still on even terms. Now came the last, witheveryone fraught up to a tense pitch of excitement. It had ceased tobe a game of tilting the ring. It was a contest for the supremacy ofMexico at one of her favorite games.

  “Now, Jack, old chap, no misses,” cried Ralph from the crowd.

  “Go in and win, old boy. You can do it!” came from Walt.

  Jack said nothing, but in his heart was a determination to get thatring at any cost but that of fair play. The tall Mexican now regardedthe Border Boy with open looks of enmity. He made no attempt to concealhis hatred of the young American boy who had made the best horsemen inSonora look to their laurels.

  But Jack paid no attention to the fellow, concentrating all hisattention on his lance, to see that it was in fit condition for thecrucial test.

  The tall Mexican was the first of the trio to dash off.

  Yells, almost prayers, of encouragement implored him to transfix thering. But just as he couched his lance his horse stumbled, and beforehe could regain his stride the prize was gone so far as that contestantwas concerned. Next came his compatriot. But ill fortune followed him,too. In some unknown manner his aim, which had proved unerring, nowfailed him at the test, and he struck the ring with a jangling clinkbut failed to dislodge it.

  Bang! Around came the sand bag, knocking him almost off his horse,which he had imprudently reined up, in his chagrin.

  Now came Jack’s turn. That lad would not have been human if he had notfelt a slight trace of nervousness as he settled himself in his saddleand prepared for the word. Amid a breathless silence it came.

  “Yip-ee-ee-ee!”

  The cowboy yell broke from the throats of Walt and Ralph. It was theonly sound but the clattering of Firewater’s hoofs as he rocketeddown the course. But the next instant Bedlam broke loose as Jack’slance entered the ring cleanly and removed it from its snap without ahitch. Howls and a few cheers filled the air, but the former by farpredominated. But amid the confusion there came a sudden sound thatabruptly halted the babel.

  Three shots sounded out sharp and clear. At the same instant Jack, whohad just reined in Firewater, was seen to reel from his saddle and fallapparently helpless to one side of it.