ee to fight. Alight from thy horse, cowardly
Spaniard! To-night of all nights shalt thou feel the Indians' blade
between thy ribs." "Fight him, amigo," I said. "I shall enforce fair
play." But my friend Reyes whom I knew to be a man of both strength and
courage, weakened, being cowed with the superstition of the unlucky
Noche Triste. "Tomorrow I shall fight thee, Indian," he answered "not
at nighttime, like a thieving coyote." "If thou wert not astride thy
horse and out of my reach, thou wouldst not dare say that to me, thou
cuckold dupe of the Americans!" sneered the Indian. This insult to my
companion angered me, and I demanded a retraction and an apology
therefor from the Indian. When the macho flatly refused and repeated
the insult in a more aggravating manner, I replied that I feared not to
meet him or any other goatherding Indian and was ready to fight him on
the spot.

Saying this, I dismounted and threw my horse's bridle to my friend
Reyes to hold. Then the cacique, or Pueblo chief, the father of
Jtz-Li-Cama, appeared and demanded our weapons. "I shall not interfere
in this fight, senores," said he, "if you surrender your weapons to me,
the lawful alguacil (officer) of this district." He then took the
macho's knife, and I gave him my revolver and stripped for the fray.

I advanced and scratched a circle of about twelve feet diameter in the
deep sand with my foot, then I stepped to the center of this ring and
awaited my antagonist. I cautioned my friend Reyes to see to it that no
one else overstepped the line. To the lonely sand dunes of the Rio
Grande unwittingly I thus introduced the manly sport of the prize ring.
But the battle was not fought for lucre or fame, nor according to the
London Prize Ring Rules; it was fought in defense of a friend's honor,
and the stake was life or death. The Indian made a rush for me, but I
avoided him and warded off his blows. I did not touch him till I saw my
chance, and then I tapped him under the chin which sent him sprawling.
He arose promptly and came for me in a rage, when I felled him with a
blow on the head. Again he came, and this time he gave me a stunning
blow in the face, which maddened me so, that I took the offensive and
laid him low with a terrific hit. I was now thoroughly infuriated and
threw all caution to the winds. When he arose once more, I attacked
him. He took to his heels and I followed him up. I noticed then that
the whole crowd of Indians were running a