hip up
behind, Felix; hit him hard!"

Archie continued to shout his orders at the top of his voice; but they
did not seem to help the matter any, for the steer still refused to
move. He had fallen to his knees, and laid his head close to the ground,
as if he had deliberately resolved that he would remain there; and for a
long time, all the pulling and whipping the two Rancheros could do,
brought nothing from him but angry snorts and shakes of the head.

"Now, Archie," said Carlos, as he stopped to wipe the big drops of
perspiration from his face, "what would you do with this fellow?"

The boys, who never neglected an opportunity to pick up items of
information concerning every thing that came in their way, had been
taking lessons of the Rancheros in horsemanship, throwing the lasso, and
managing wild cattle; and Carlos thought this a proper occasion to
ascertain how much they remembered of what they had learned.

"Well," replied Archie, pulling off his sombrero, and digging his
fingers into his head, to stir up his ideas, "I'd keep pulling and
hauling at him until I got him tired out, and then I think I could
manage him."

"That would take up too much time," said Carlos; "I've got other work to
do, and I am in a hurry."

"Make your lasso fast to the horn of your saddle, and start up your
horse, and drag him in," suggested Frank.

"That's the idea, and that's just what I'm going to do," said Carlos.

But that was just what the Ranchero did _not_ do. While he was preparing
to put this plan into operation, the steer suddenly jumped to his feet,
and made another desperate attempt to effect his escape, and this time
he was successful. There was a loud snap, Carlos's heels made a flourish
in the air like the shafts of a windmill, and, in an instant, he was
stretched at full length on the ground. His saddle-girth had parted, and
the steer was at liberty to take himself off, which he did in short
order.

The boys gazed in astonishment at the fallen horseman, who righted
himself with alacrity, stretched his arms and legs to satisfy himself
that there were no bones broken, and then commenced shouting some
orders to his companion, who put spurs to his horse and started in
pursuit of the steer, which was galloping over the prairie, dragging
Carlos's saddle after him. He was very soon overtaken, and Felix,
raising himself in his stirrups, swung his lasso around his head once or
twice, to make sure of an accurate aim, and