"Well, I must hurry and get the bay home before they are up. Because when the overseer swears at the herdsman, then the cowboy vents all his rage on me. Just wait till I'm herdsman, and then I'll have a barrow-boy of my own to knock about! God bless you, Sándor bácsi."
"He has done that already."
The little lad jumped on the bay, bareback as it was, and stuck his naked feet into its sides. But the bay absolutely refused to stir, turned suddenly right round, and tried to return to the stud. Finally the csikós, taking pity on the boy, brought out his stock-whip, caught it a good thwack in the hind-legs and cracked it two or three times, whereupon the horse, lowering its head, set out full tilt over the puszta, as straight as it could go. The boy had hard enough work to keep his seat, clutching the mane with both hands. The csikós, meanwhile, was quite clear as to his own course.
"Tell Ferko Lacza that Sándor Decsi sends him his respects!" he shouted out after the vanishing "taligás." But whether the boy heard this message is doubtful.
CHAPTER XI.
Next day the csikós went into the "karám," and said to the head herdsman,
"I have some business on hand, godfather, may I take a half-holiday this afternoon? By evening I will be back."
"Certainly you can have leave, my son," replied the old man, "but on one condition. Your are not to enter the Hortobágy inn. Do you understand me?"
"I give you my word of honour not to put a foot inside the Hortobágy inn."