the
evil circle of the rope. One deft sharp twitch, the noose flew tight,
and he was caught.

A snort of terror and a bound in the air gave Tom the chance to add the
double hitch. The loop flashed up the line, and snake-like bound those
mighty hoofs.

Terror lent speed and double strength for a moment, but the end of the
rope was reached, and down he went a captive, a hopeless prisoner
at last. Old Tom's ugly, little crooked form sprang from the pit to
complete the mastering of the great glorious creature whose mighty
strength had proved as nothing when matched with the wits of a little
old man. With snorts and desperate bounds of awful force the great beast
dashed and struggled to be free; but all in vain. The rope was strong.

The second lasso was deftly swung, and the forefeet caught, and then
with a skilful move the feet were drawn together, and down went the
raging Pacer to lie a moment later 'hog-tied' and helpless on the
ground. There he struggled till worn out, sobbing great convulsive sobs
while tears ran down his cheeks.

Tom stood by and watched, but a strange revulsion of feeling came over
the old cow-puncher. He trembled nervously from head to foot, as he
had not done since he roped his first steer, and for a while could do
nothing but gaze on his tremendous prisoner. But the feeling soon passed
away. He saddled Delilah, and taking the second lasso, roped the great
horse about the neck, and left the mare to hold the Stallion's head,
while he put on the hobbles. This was soon done, and sure of him now old
Bates was about to loose the ropes, but on a sudden thought he stopped.
He had quite forgotten, and had come unprepared for something of
importance. In Western law the Mustang was the property of the first
man to mark him with his brand; how was this to be done with the nearest
branding-iron twenty miles away?

Old Tom went to his mare, took up her hoofs one at a time, and examined
each shoe. Yes! one was a little loose; he pushed and pried it with the
spade, and got it off. Buffalo chips and kindred fuel were plentiful
about the plain, so a fire was quickly made, and he soon had one arm of
the horse-shoe red hot, then holding the other wrapped in his sock
he rudely sketched on the left shoulder of the helpless mustang a
turkeytrack, his brand, the first time really that it had ever been
used. The Pacer shuddered as the hot iron seared his flesh, but it was
quickly done, and the famous Mustang Stallio