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283 A TBICK m HORSEMANSHIP. advantage that the other nine were not "in the game," for Alonso with his well-trained horse could do about as he liked; and being of a kindly and jovial mould he caused considerable laughter, in which the contest- ants themselves joined, for they plainly saw the su- periority of the young lieutenant. A certain trick was resorted to by Alonso as a ruse to outwit the others, and Babieca had been drilled and drilled in the following trick more than any other, for the young knight expected to be obliged to utilize it in battle some time: He would pretend to retreat from an enemy, but at the right moment a word and a grip •of the thighs and a motion of the body, the horse would swerve aside so suddently as to surprise the pursuer, and Alonso would bring his horse so as to be really chasing the chaser. By this method Alonso could invariably inflict punishment without much dan- ger to himself, and further, his horse was so trained that just as soon as the purpose of his master was ac- complished he would proceed on the same course originally being taken before the swerve. Thus, with this movement several of the men were fooled, getting the noose over their body before they knew it. This rope-throwing is no modern invention, for history tells that in India a sect known as "thugs," or "peo- ple who use the noose," has flourished from time im- memorial, and should a devotee succeed in throwing a noose over the head of a horseman and in strangling his victim, he was claimed as a hero; but the usual method was for three to tackle a mounted man. Another sport of the day was the running on a fast gallop, the rider reaching down while going on a