Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/225

212 PtJN P03 THE INDIANS. hpirse goes atraigkt ahgad on a d,ea!i run it is no trick to stick on, and although the young fellow is not in tiae race, yet he is in heaven o.n horseback. And now up comes .another, but in taying to guide his racer around the pta:^ he pulls the wrong rein, thereby turn- ing the horse away irom the turning place, which gives the third horse a chance to get around the pole. And this third son ojE, the prairie is a young Pawn^,. and so far has made, the best showing. The reasaa. for this- is the f apt. that, at .hoins he has a jovatg buffalo calf which he has been training to ride, and although the young bull nature of the , creature.: wUl come out, our young Pawnee wiU stick on until the, animal will put its head to tho ground and falriy. turn a somersault, so the young acrobat is compeHed| to dismount, or rather cannot help being dumped; , but this experience gives him an advantage over Tbos ' fellows. But what of the oilier three? One has lost control of his horse entirely, for upon losing his bal- ance he slid off, and in trying to save himself let go the reins, and naturally the horse could not stop ow-, ing to its being on a fast run; then the other is in a, plight, having been jolted off, but stiU holds to lie^ bridle but cannot get upon his feet; so he is h^^ag' digged along but hangs on like grim death, withoat< knowing what to do until finally the horse stops -when the young fellow being f uU of nerve tries to scramble upon the horse, which is a leggy animal, and having no experience takes some time before he succeeds in mounting. In fact, the young Pawnee is on his way to the winning post before he regains the back of his horse. The other unfortunate is the winning foot-