and lying on the ground!

When his horns were free, the goat looked around for the boys. He was a
very mad goat, and when he saw them he went for them like an express
train. Juan ran one way, and Ignacio ran the other. Tonio was a naughty
boy, but he wasn't a coward. He kept his lasso whirling over his head,
and as the goat came by, out flew the loop and dropped over his horns!

The goat was much stronger than he, but Tonio braced back with all his
might and held on to the rope. Then began a wild dance! The goat went
bounding around the pasture with Tonio at the other end of the rope
bouncing after him.

It was a sight to see, and Juan and Ignacio were not the only ones who
saw it either.

V

Senor Fernandez was going by on his fine black horse, and when he heard
the yells of the boys he rode up to the pasture to see what was going
on. He was right beside the bars when the goat and Tonio came tearing
through.

The goat jumped over the bars that the boys had left down, but Tonio
caught his foot and fell down, and the goat jerked the rope out of his
hands and went careering off over the fields and was soon out of sight.

Tonio sat up all out of breath and looked at Senor Fernandez. Senor
Fernandez looked at Tonio. Juan and Ignacio were nowhere to be seen.
They were behind bushes in the goat-pasture, and they were both very
badly scared.

"Well," said Senor Fernandez at last, "what have you been doing?"

"Just playing bull-fight a little," Tonio answered in a very small
voice.

"Didn't you know that was _my_ goat?" said Senor Fernandez severely.
"What business have you driving it mad like that? Get up."

Tonio got up. He was stiff and sore all over. Moreover, his hands were
all skinned inside, where the rope had pulled through.

"Were you alone?" asked Senor Fernandez.

"Not--very--" stammered Tonio.

"Where are the other boys?" demanded the Senor Fernandez.

"I d--don't know," gasped poor Tonio. "I--I don't see them anywhere."
(Tonio was looking right up into the top of the cactus hedge when he
said this, so I am quite sure he spoke the truth.)

"Humph," grunted Senor Fernandez. "Go look for them."

Tonio began to hunt around stones and bushes in the pasture with Senor
Fernandez following right behind on his horse. It wasn't long before he
caught a glimpse of red. It was the pieces of the serape, which Ignacio
had picked up. Tonio pointed it out, and Senor Fernandez galloped to it
and brought out t