linky, as usual, got in the first throw, and the hungry loop of his
lasso circled the front feet of the plunging roan. He stood on his
head, fell on his side, and struggled vainly to get up. But he was in
the iron hands of masters of horses. Every time the roan half rose,
Blinky would jerk him down. Presently Gus flopped down on his head
and, while the horse gave up for a moment, Blinky slipped the noose off
one foot and tied the other foot up with it. They let the roan rise.
On three feet he gave a wonderful exhibition of bucking. When he
slowed down they drove him behind the rope corral.

"The night's gone, the day's come, the work's begun," sang out Blinky.
"Eat dust, you buckaroos."

Pan chose the little bay to tie up first. But after he had roped her
and got up to her there did not appear to be any urgent reason for such
stringent measure. Little Bay was spirited, frightened, but not wild.

"I'll risk it," said Pan, and led her to the rope corral.

The sun rose hot and, likewise, the dust. The cowboys did not slacken
their pace! It took two hours of exceedingly strenuous labor to tie up
all the wild horses. Each horse had presented a new fight. Then came
the quick job of packing their outfits, which Juan had gotten together.
Everyone of the men had been kicked, pulled, knocked down, and so
coated with sweat and dust that they now resembled Negroes. Their
hands were fairly cooked from the hot ropes' sizzling when the horses
plunged. And at nine o'clock they were ready for the momentous
twenty-five mile drive to Marco.

"All ready for the parade!" yelled Blinky. "Go ahaid, you fellars.
Open the gate, an' leave it fer me to close."

Pan and the others were to ride in front, while Blinky drove the
horses. The need for men was in front, not behind. As they started
down the wing of the trap to open the gate the roped wild horses began
a terrific plunging, kicking, bucking and falling down. Some of them
bit the rope on their feet. But little by little Blinky drove them out
into the open. Pan and his father dropped back to each side, keeping
the horses in a close bunch. That left Gus and Brown in front to run
down those that tried to escape. The white-footed stallion was the
first to make a break. He ran almost as well on three feet as on four,
and it took hard riding to catch him, turn him and get him back in the
bunch. The next was Pan's roan. He gave a great deal of trouble.

"Haw! Haw!