The Young Lion Hunter | Page 5

The lad looked keen to me, and deep as the sea.
But he was not fresh or forward, and despite my uneasiness I began to
like him.
"Kid, will you take my mustang?" asked Ken.
"Nix," answered Hal. "I'm going to ride Wings and beat the life out of

you and your mustang."
I sent Purcell for a saddle, and he fetched one presently and put it on
Wings.
"Youngster, seein' as you are set on the pinto, all-l right," said Purcell,
as he fastened the cinch.
Then Hal looked straight at the rancher.
"Mr. Purcell, I've had ponies at home and I could ride them," he said.
"But this'll be new to me. Will you give me a few tips?"
That pleased me immensely. Whatever Hal was, he was not a fool. I
noticed Jim Williams wore an expression as near akin to excitement as
it was possible for that cool Texas ranger to wear. Perhaps in Jim's
mind, as in mine, the lad was being measured. Purcell, too, appeared to
like the boy's frankness.
"I don't know as I kin give you many tips," he said. "Fact of the matter
is you must try to stick on, that's all. Just keep your toes in the stirrups,
so you can git them out quick. Then squeeze him with your knees for
all you're worth...Wait! Make sure where you're going...There!"
Hal sat firmly in the saddle. Wings champed the bit and turned his head,
then shook it, and suddenly lifting his hind hoofs he kicked viciously.
We scattered and climbed the corral fence. When we turned round the
pinto had come down on all fours and squared himself. With head
down, humping his back, he proceeded to buck with startling quickness,
and tossed Hal like a feather. The boy hit the ground with a thud, and
slowly got up, considerably shaken. Then he went up to the mustang,
now standing quietly.
Quite a little crowd of villagers, mostly boys, had collected to see the
fun, and some of the latter were inclined to make remarks at Hal's
expense. One of them, a boy I knew to be a rascal, poked his head
between the bars of a gate, and yelled derisively at Hal, to the immense
delight of the other lads. Hal eyed him a moment, but he did not say

anything. This made the fellow all the bolder, for he climbed the fence,
from which he directed more remarks.
"Mr. Purcell," said Hal to the rancher, "I hadn't got ready that time. I
wasn't expecting it. Now how must I treat him? My way at home was to
coax a pony, be decent to him."
"It'll pay best in the end to be decent to a hoss," replied Purcell. "Be
kind, but firm, an' use your spurs."
"I haven't any spurs; I never used any."
"You'll need them out here."
Hal mounted the pinto again. Wings wheeled about, pranced, stood up
pawing the air, snorted, and then, dropping down, he began to run
round the corral. He zigzagged against the fence, and slowing down he
took short jumps, kicking at the same time. Then he squared himself
again and lowered his head.
"Look out, Kid!" yelled Ken.
We all shouted warnings. Hal was prepared, and for the space of a few
seconds, while the bucking pinto pounded a dusty circle in the corral,
he kept his seat. But a new move, a sort of sidestepping buck, flung
him against the fence, and he fell all in a heap. It was a hard fall, but
the boy got up. A lump began to show on his chin, and blood, his
knuckles, too, were bloody.
"Lookie here, Redhead," called out the smart youngster who was
amusing his comrades by making fun of Hal. "Can't you ride no better'n
that? Haw! Haw! You can't ride or nothin', Redhead! Redhead!"
"Say, Johnny, can you ride him?" asked Hal, coolly.
"Yep, you bet."
"Come down and let me see you do it. I don't believe you."

Johnny eyed Hal rather doubtfully. Hal looked very much interested,
very friendly, but his eyes were cold and hard. The Western lad
hesitated, and finally driven to it by the bantering of the other lads, he
dropped off the fence. Vaulting into the saddle, he rode Wings round
the corral, kept his seat easily while the pinto went through his tricks,
and altogether gave an exhibition of riding which would have made
most any Eastern lad green with envy.
"You did ride him. I was wrong. I thought you couldn't," said Hal,
walking slowly up to Johnny as he dismounted. "You're a crack
horseman."
Suddenly Hal leaped at the fellow, and at the same moment Ken yelled
and tumbled off the fence. I was too amazed to move. Jim Williams's
mouth