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 [p 77] 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
Señor 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 [p 78] 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 Señor Fernandez. Señor 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 Señor 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 Señor Fernandez severely. “What business have you driving it mad like that? Get up.”