*********** LAS AVENTURAS DE MACHO CABALLO ************

Disclaimer:  Macho Caballo was inspired by Ranma 1/2 by
Takahashi Rumiko.  This is a work of fiction, and no person,
place, or thing mentioned in Macho Caballo is intended to
depict an actual person, place or thing.  As fiction, the
opinions and views expressed by characters are constructs
for the purpose of telling a story, may vary wildly from the
truth, and are not intended to represent views held by any
real person, including this author.  All other mistakes and
errors are mine.

What has gone before:

Ramon reveals his secret to Don Pedro, and finds that his
father is similarly cursed - Papa turns into a badger.  Don
Pedro sends Ramon's father to trade horses with the Yanquis.
Ramon goes along, only to find that the trading will take
place inside the town plaza.  Chased as a boy, Ramon hides
so well as a girl that he is able to work openly helping his
father select horses.  Machita meets the Yanquis cowboys,
particularly a young boy who is drawn to her.  Back at the
ranch, Estrellita is waiting for him.


                     MACHO CABALLO

                PART I:  CHAPTER CINCO



PREMONITIONS:

Grampa Alboro yawned and stretched mightily.  Pushing
aside the woolen rag that served as a door to his adobe
hut, he stepped up the ladder to the roof, to greet the
first rays of the morning Sun.  Every day he spread his
arms and greeted the Sunboy, and every day he paused a
moment to meditate and evaluate the coming day.  Some
mornings the Sun would dim and the sky would darken
while the Sunboy told him of coming events.  Other days,
like today appeared to be, he could ask and wait until
noon and nothing would happen.

"Ahh, maybe next time," he exposed his white teeth in a
wide grin.

Sometimes, it was the face of a little boy who would
peek impishly over the hills.  Again, once it had been a
dark warrior with face painted for battle, just before
the last Apache raids.  Once, weeks ago, it had been the
face of a girl - the girl his grandson had chosen to
turn into.  "What a waste!" muttered the old man, "He
could have been a horse.  At least that would have been
useful!"

This morning - nada.  He became aware of the fluttering
of wings as a hummingbird fed on the cactus flowers near
the hut.  "Ahh, another early riser," he said, admiring
the brilliant red vest and blue coat of the tiny
creature.

The hummingbird, finished with the flower, swooped
toward him and hovered before his face.  Alboro stepped
back and the bird followed, its needle-sharp beak inches
from his eyes.

The old man swatted at the menacing bird, but it darted
away and returned immediately, as if attempting to
pierce his eye.

[Look at me.] it seemed to say.

"What do you want?" demanded Alboro.

[One comes,] it seemed to say, and darted back to the
cactus to resume feeding.

The Sun had become dim and red, the skies darkened.
"*Now* there is a message," grumbled the old man.

No one ever came to this hill.  He had found the hut
many years before and settled in for that very reason.
It was away from the tribe and the village, and no one
walked these trails.

This morning, with the red Sun and the stars peeking
through a dim sky, there was a traveller on the ridge.
Alboro put on a pot of coffee to be hospitable and
awaited the stranger's arrival, meanwhile smoking a
mixture of imported tobacco cut with a locally grown
herb in his blackened pipe.

The first thing he noticed about the traveller was that
he was bald.  Even his brows were clean shaven, and the
eyelids plucked.  About his stout frame the stranger had
a faded robe of fine cotton, with embroidered designs
that seemed unreasuringly familiar.  The mantle
shimmered, and appeared to be decorated with hummingbird
feathers.

Alboro offered coffee, and it was declined.

"What path do you walk?" demanded the stranger in a rude
and imperious tone.

"I am only an herb doctor," replied Alboro carefully,
"May I ask your path?"

"I serve the war god," declared the stranger, "and the
hummingbird is his creature."

Alboro was not surprised when he turned from the coffee
pot to find the Sun bright and the stranger gone.  "The
war god likes hummingbirds?"  he said to himself.



GETTING ACQUAINTED:

The cowboy pushed up to the pine railing.

"<Pardon me>!" he said loudly, though Ramon was close
beside him, coiling the riata.

"<Perdoname>?" Ramon looked up from his chore.

"<Yeah, pardon me.  You seen the seenyoreeta>?"

Ramon arched one eyebrow, then shook his head.  He did
not want to get involved.

"<I was lookin' for the seenyoreeta>," the sandy haired
Yanqui tried again.

"<No comprendo>," Ramon smiled.

He finished coiling the riata and stepped off the fence
toward the bay.  The horse watched him come near, and
there was a glint to his eye.

"<Ahh.  Seenyore?  That there horse ain't easy to ride.
Fact is, I only seen one person stick on him, and that's
the gal I'm lookin' for>."

Ramon tossed the loop over the bay's neck and pulled it
closer.  He talked soothingly to the horse, praising the
flowing mane, the bright intelligent eyes, and the
powerful legs.  The bay snorted, then allowed the boy to
draw him near, tensing his muscles to jerk away.  As the
horse backed away, Ramon let the riata play out, then
slowly began to draw him back in again.  He moved closer
to the horse and extended his hand.

The horse whuffed at the back of his hand and backed off
again.  He seemed confused, casting about as though
looking for something, then returning his gaze to the
boy.  He approached cautiously to smell Ramon's blouse,
then reared onto his back legs, pawing the air with his
hoofs inches from Ramon's face.  Ramon stood unmoving.

"<Well, I don't know whether to whistle `er go spit>,"
said the cowboy.

The bay came to earth with a thump, ran to the extent of
the riata, then slowly stepped back to Ramon.  He eyed
the boy from a short distance, then stepped up and
nudged his chest with his nose.  Ramon got a blanket
from the fence rail and put it on the horse's back and
followed it with the saddle.

"<Yer gonna need a bridle>!" hollered the cowboy, "<He's
gonna reach around and nip you sure'ern Sunday>!"

>From his perch on the saddle, Ramon removed the riata
from the horse's neck and tossed it to the cowboy.  Then
he 'chk-chked' to get the bay moving.  He spent the next
hour with his hands by his side, letting the horse get
used to him and guiding it with pressure from his knees.

Estrellita was sitting the fence when Ramon finished his
ride and began rubbing down the bay's coat.

"<That is one smart rider>!" said the cowboy.

"<That is one smart horse>!" she said.  "<My name's
Estrella>," she added, "<What's yours>?"

"<Everyone calls me Sandy.  At yore service, Ma'am>!"
the cowboy grinned at her.

"<That's Ramon, on the horse>."

"<I thought sure he was gonna get ate up>," said Sandy,
"<Only other soul I ever seen ride that bay was this
seenyoreeta.  Sorta hoped I'd see her here>."

Estrellita wrinkled her nose.  "<What was she like, this
senorita>?"

"<She's prettier'n a speckled pup, `bout so tall, kinda
short shiny hair, big eyes, and man, could she ride that
horse>!"

"<Hmmm.  Where'd you see her>?"

"<Back in town.  Picked out some of the horses for your
boss>," Sandy said as he watched the bay frisking around
after it's rubdown.

"<It's not my boss, just a horse-trader.  He works for
the hacendado, and the hacendado is my grandfather>."

"<Well, I guess that'd make you the rancherita>."

"<Some people seem to think so>."

"<So you're the one she picked out that horse for>?"

"<She did>?"  Estrellita waved Ramon over.  "Hey,
Ramon!" she cried, "I want you to meet my new
boyfriend!"

"Congratulations!" said Ramon as he shook Sandy's hand.
Sandy gave him a puzzled look.

"<Ramon's my boyfriend>," Estrellita explained to the
cowboy and grinned as the two boys looked at each other
in speculation.

To Ramon she said, "Sandy tells me there was a girl in
town with you, yesterday."  At Ramon's concerned frown,
she added, "He said she was the one who picked out that
bay for me."  When Ramon nodded, looking for an escape
route, she added sweetly, "I thought *you* were the one
who picked him out!"



PUTTING ON THE FEED BAG:

Don Pedro had called in all his help from the fields,
leaving only a few hands who patrolled the fences to
watch for marauding coyotes.  Since he felt a barbecue
was in order, no one attempted to dissuade him.  Very
quickly there was a half beef turning on the spit while
chattering mujeres fabricated the remainder of the meal
with delicacies from the garden.

Mama brought Lucita, who brightened at the prospect of a
pinata smash.  Soon she was lost among the other young
children clamoring about the yard before the great
house.

The aroma of sizzling beef set the dogs to howling, and
a vaquero was dispatched to take them a distance away so
their racket would not disturb the party.

Don Pedro sat on the portico in the shade and discussed
the vicissitudes of politics and deeper subjects with
his visitors while they sipped tea.  The porch extended
the full width of the building, with shallow steps at
each side and a broad walkway in front which led to a
graveled drive.

"But you never even tried one," complained the cowboy
known as `Lonesome', "How are you going to know the
difference between a blond and a redhead until you try
them both?"

"Gentlemen, you are talking to the wrong person.  You
see the condition I am in right now," said Don Pedro
solemnly, "This is nothing to what would happen to me if
my wife caught me 'trying' another woman!"

"I suppose you have to keep peace in the house,"
admitted Calpern as the other hands chuckled.

"True enough.  I suppose you have been married long?"

The youngest cowboy wandered up and Calpern answered in
English.  "<Me and the old lady met in Christmas of
'99>," he said, "<We drawed the same number in a pie
sale and the sparks flew.  We met on Tuesday and called
the bible-thumper to tie the knot on Thursday>."

"<Bueno>," said Don Pedro, "<Ours was an arranged
marriage. My parents in Spain knew another couple who
had a daughter, and they decided that it would be
beneficial to both families for us to wed.  I have never
regretted it.  I would not admit it to her face, but she
is a moderately attractive woman, an excellent cook, and
a fearsome partner>."

"<Well, they say that when you ain't got no choice, the
best thing you can do is play the hand that's dealt.
The second best thing is if she can cook>."

"<And what of you, my young vaquero?>" Don Pedro waved
Sandy closer, "<What have you done to distinguish
yourself in the field of romance>?"

"<Ain't done much.  I'm just getting started>."

"<He has a good attitude>," said Don Pedro, "<Me, I was
ready to take on the world at his age.  I even had a
couple of conquests under my belt>."

"<Hey, Ramon>," hollered Sandy as the Mexican boy came
in from the corral, "<Come on in and join the talk>."

"What's going on?" asked Ramon in Spanish.

Calpern spoke up, "You will have to learn to speak some
English, son, else some cardsharp is going to cut you
out of a deal."

"<Hey>!" cried Sandy, "<How come you never spoke Mexican
when we were horse-trading, yesterday>?"

"<Hell, son>!" said Calpern as the laughter rolled
around the portico, "<You don't show your cards until
all the bettin's done, do you>?"

"<Guess I'd better learn>," Sandy said shyly.

"<Good.  I'm gonna leave you down here for a spell while
I round up some more strays, if'n the Don here don't
mind>."

"<Not at all.  And young Ramon here will teach him
`Mexican' while your vaquero teaches him your
language>."

"<I'd be much obliged.  Of course, he'll work some, and
I'd be glad to pay his board>."

"<No need, we are always happy to educate you Yanquis on
the finer things in life.  Besides, you have already
helped me immeasurably by furnishing the fine horses>."

"<Oh, yeah.  I meant to ask you>," Calpern stopped to
knock the dottle from his pipe, clean the stem and tamp
the bowl full of tobacco again, then puff it back to
life, "<Met your mayor yesterday.  He seemed to have a
pretty good opinion of hisself>."

"<Senor Sinestro is a liar, a thief, and a murderer>,"
Don Pedro said, "<He obtained his position at the
expense of the people of a town in southern Mexico, and
now he searches for wealth while pretending to govern
the town>."

"<Figured you and him were old friends>," puffed
Calpern, "<What's this about another revolution>?"

"<Ever and ever.  We have cast off the yoke of Spanish
rule, only to flounder about imposing our own rules.  We
get rid of one government and we fail to correct their
mistakes.  The people who take their place get off the
track, and we have to do it all over again.  It takes
time, and we make mistakes>."

"<You bein' Spanish yourself, don't you feel a bit out
of place>?"

"<I have adopted this country.  God willing, I will die
peaceably here.  Perhaps I am a bit of an idealist, no?
My son Esteban, who is the politician, stays in Mexico
City to argue for our rights.  My granddaughter flits
back and forth as though it were a stroll to the
village.  There are bandits in the hills, and I suspect
she is hoping to meet one.  She is an incurable
romantic."

"<The mayor said something about an Empire, I
remember>."

"<Ahh, yes.  The Empire of Mexico.  It sounds good.
Perhaps it will work, or it could be another case of
Napoleon.  Perhaps we should try a president, as your
country did>."

"<Wouldn't know>," puffed Calpern, "<All my dealings
with politicians have been onesided.  They always wanted
the biggest half of the pie.  Where do you suppose this
mayor wants to fit into this picture?>

"<Ahhh, well.  You know my opinion of him>."

"<Yep.  Reckon if you had elections here, he could run
against a polecat and lose>."

"<But he has power, and greed.  That makes him a
dangerous man.  You must watch your back around here, my
friend>."

There was a clangor from the iron triangle beside the
grill in the yard, and they filed off the porch to enjoy
the feast.  Marie pushed Don Pedro's conveyance down a
ramp and out across the yard to a weathered table.  The
table was sheltered by an awning on poles, and it was
burdened with platters of bread, vegetables, and
desserts.  Talk was abandoned for a moment as Don Pedro
said the blessing then a restrained pandemonium began as
plates were filled and everyone fell to eating.

It was a large meal, for everyone who worked on the
rancho was there, with the exception of the outriders.
The children were fed separately, at another smaller
table, and Mama was assisting another woman in serving
them.



BEST LAID PLANS:

When they were full, they took their ease.  Someone
brought out a guitar, another an instument resembling a
dobro, a trumpet, and yet another vaquero found a
battered violin to play, and they had music.

Thus it was that during the most pleasant part of the
day a shadow fell upon the festivities when a black
cabroliet wheeled into the yard accompanied by six
uniformed guards.

"<It is always my bad luck to send the hunting dogs away
too soon>," said Don Pedro.  Nevertheless, he kept his
expression civil as the Alcalde disembarked from the
coach and joined the group on the portico, greeting them
amicably.  He accepted a cup of coffee from Marie and
took his ease against the porch rail.

"Ahhh, children playing in the grass," he said, "I love
the sight.  You must tell me, Don Pedro, how you keep
your grass so fresh and green.  I am sure my brother-in-
law must be envious."

"I was fortunate in building near a spring," Don Pedro
shrugged as well as he could, "There is no great
secret."

"It is just as well.  Let my brother-in-law worry that
you have something he does not.  But let me get to the
reason for my visit - it is good that your granddaughter
has returned.  My niece is being presented this Friday,
and we would very much enjoy having Senorita Estrellita
attend."

"We will inform her - though she chooses her engagements
herself.  I very much fear we have raised an unsociable
child."

Ramon had slipped away unnoticed when the soldiers
arrived and entered the house.  It was some time later
when Estrellita found him in the kitchen and asked him
to talk.

"They are only here on a social visit," she said, "There
is nothing to worry about."

Ramon nibbled on a fragment of pie.  "Yeah?  They aren't
looking for you."

"Silly.  I bet Bertran wouldn't know you from his coach
driver."

"Better not let the Dona hear you calling him by his
first name."

"Enough of that.  Let me show you something."

"Not a good idea," said Ramon around a bite, "I oughta
stay out of sight."

Estrellita opened the door to the patio.  "I have
someone I want you to meet," she said.

There, looking up from a conversation with a perplexed
Don Pedro, was Bertran Sinestro.  The conversation
dropped into dead silence.  The Alcalde did not
hesitate.  "Sergeant!" he bawled.  Ramon threw down his
plate and bolted through the door.

"But wait!" cried Estrellita, trying to hold on to the
Alcalde's jacket, "At least talk to him!  Hear what he
has to say!"

Bertrand calmly unclenched her fingers from the fabric
of his sleeve.  "This person is a wanted fugitive.  Did
you see how he ran?  It is obvious that he has used his
wiles to work his way into your confidence, to deceive
you into thinking he is innocent and taking advantage of
your sweet generosity.  Do not worry, Senorita de
Muerte," he added, "I shall apprehend him!"

"But that is not what I wanted to do at all!" cried
Estrellita.

Don Pedro watched him go.  "Estrellita, you care for
Ramon," he said, "How could you betray him like this to
his worst enemy?"

"I didn't know!" wailed Estrellita, "I never dreamt the
Alcalde would be so... so angry!  Oh, Grandfather, what
have I done?  What will happen to Ramon?"  She fell to
weeping on her grandfather's shoulder.

"That was not anger, my child," Don Pedro soothed her,
"You must understand the madman to discern his moods.
He is happy.  He has found another way to weaken me, by
attacking the children of my closest friends."

"But why?  All I wanted to do was to get them together
and try to help them clear up their misunderstanding!"

He hugged her to him and said, through her hair, "We
cannot hope to make him understand.  However, if you
wish to help Ramon, you will take our fastest, strongest
horse out of the stables and tie it out in the open.  If
you have time, put a saddle on it."

"Yes, I will do that.  But what good will that do?"

"If I know our Ramon, he will not be easily caught.  And
if he happens to take a ready mount which someone else
was planning to ride, well... who could blame him?"

Estrellita was hurrying back through the house to the
rear entrance when she passed the kitchen and came face
to face with Machita.

"You!" cried Estrellita, "Wait!  Who *are* you!?"

"Can't talk now," Machita blurted, "Lucita is outside.
They will find her!"  and she ran for the patio.

Estrellita paused, torn between pursuing the strange
girl and helping Ramon.

"I don't understand *any* of this!" she cried, then
slammed the back door and hurried for the stables.

"Lucita! Lucita!" Machita called, but the little girl
only looked deliberately away from her.  She had found
some companions who had dolls and was busy beneath a
huge oak tree playing make-believe.

"Very well, then.  Gentle Rain!" Machita hissed, trying
to remain in the shade of the heavy shrubbery.  Lucita
peeked coyly over her shoulder as Machita beckoned her
away from the open.  Lucita shook her head `no', and was
about to return to the carved baby crib she was holding
when she saw the soldier coming around the house.  She
whimpered and ran to Machita.


Estrellita had the saddle and bridle, but she could not
get the horse.  She had no sooner entered the tack room
when a soldier appeared and began to patrol about the
stable.  She carefully eased to the corner of the stable
door and watched him carefully checking the stalls.

"<Ligardo esputo>!" she hissed(1).  She could not get to
the best horses without attracting the guard's
attention, and the other horses were outside the stable
in the corral, except... except her new horse.  Ramon
had finally bridled the bay and tied it in the shade
beneath a scrub oak tree.  She left the heavy saddle in
the tack room and sneaked back out of the stables.

The bay was not glad to see her.  He was tired of the
bridle and bit and wanted some freedom.  The saddle
Ramon had used earlier was nearby, and with some effort
she swung it into place.  The bay did not cooperate.  It
inhaled, and she had to kick it in the belly to get it
to release its breath and allow her to tighten the cinch
strap.  The bay stamped about and pulled away from her,
but she succeeded.

"This is important, you dumb jackass!" she cried in
frustration, "Try and help me a little, allright?"

The bay looked at her with a glint in his eye, as if
daring her to get into the saddle.  He turned his head
toward her to the extent of the reins and nibbled at the
air.

"Not today," she backed away from him, "You have to let
someone else ride, and if you get fickle and screw this
up, I'll personally carve you up for dogfood!"

She went back through the shrubbery to look for Ramon.
The bay nickered once softly and watched her go.

_______________________________
1 Literally, `lizard spit'.  What it means in real life
usage, I have no idea and am afraid to ask.



CHAPTER CINCO:  END




                     MACHO CABALLO

                  PART I:  CHAPTER SEIS

                    GAINS AND LOSSES



INDIGNITIES:

Don Pedro looked out from the porch as the soldiers searched
the buildings.  Sinestro seemed particularly interested in
the upstairs of the great house.

"In my youth, I would have thrown him off my land for doing
what he is doing here," he said to his wife, who stood
beside him.

She pressed his hand.  "In our youth, a Spaniard could walk
safely down a street in Mexico City," she said.

"I know," he said, seeing the Yanquis drawn together in a
group at the far end of the shelter, "He has taken so much.
But how much more must I give up?"

"How much more do you have?" she asked.

He put her hand to his lips.  "I have everything, <mi
corazon>," he said, "and I want to lose nothing.  But I fear
that I will be stripped of what is dear to me."  A moment
passed, and he asked, "Have you seen Estrellita?"

"She was going for a ride," smiled the Dona.

"Good girl."

The cowboys had drifted back to their end of the porch.
Calpern said, "<The boys was wonderin' if us being here was
causing any problem>."

"<Please, do not concern yourself>," said Don Pedro, "<The
Alcalde has this passion for me and mine.  When he has
finished soiling the ground here, he will depart.  If
anything, he will avoid displeasing someone who can provide
him with horses>."

"<Ain't seen no shortage of horses, hereabouts.  Yet, I sold
ever last spavin-legged critter I brought in>," said
Calpern, "<Kinda makes a man wonder what's so special about
Yankee mustangs>."

"<Perhaps the fact that there is nothing special about
them>," suggested the don, "<They have no markings.  While
there are many horses here, each one has someone's brand on
it>."

"<Sounds like someone may be wantin' a bunch of people moved
in a big hurry>."

"<Perhaps, my friend, perhaps>."



BREAKING AWAY:

Estrellita met Machita in the shadow of the eaves of one of
the many wings of the great house.

"Take care of her, and get her away from the house," Machita
shoved Lucita into Estrellita's arms, "I have to find a way
to get her out of here."

Estrellita looked at the dark-haired girl speculatively,
then said, "If you see Ramon, tell him the bay is saddled."

"Thanks!" cried Machita as she dodged between the bushes.

"<De nada>..."  Estrellita stared after the vanished girl.
Holding Lucita's hand, she led the way, through paths known
only to her, into the garden.

"Who was that girl, Lucita?" she asked.

"Gentle Rain," Lucita corrected her.

"Is that her name?  Gentle Rain?"

"No.  *I'm* Gentle Rain."

"Oh, yeah.  Then who was that?"

Lucita refused to answer, pulling toward the shelter of the
corn plants.

"There's nothing out here to harm you," Estrellita pointed
out.  "All the soldiers are at the house."

One soldier, however, was not searching the house.  She had
forgotten the guard at the stable.  He could see the garden
from his vantage point, and ran out through the border of
the garden to intercept them.

"Senorita!" he called, "<Por favor>!  Give the girl to me!"

Estrellita pulled Lucita behind her.  "You can't want her,"
she cried, "She hasn't done anything."

"I am very sorry, Senorita, but that is for my sergeant to
decide.  Please, let me have her."

"No!" said Estrellita, and her chin came up as she stood
defiantly before Lucita.

"Senorita!  You must not interfere!"  The guard stomped
across a row of beans and reached for the frightened girl.

"Run, Lucita!" cried Estrellita and threw herself at the
surprised guard.  Lucita squealed and scampered away.

The guard shoved Estrellita aside and gave chase.  Beyond
the fence, another soldier appeared and prepared to catch
Lucita as she ran toward him.

Estrellita struggled up from the dirt, hearing Lucita's
cries of fright and the grunt of the pursuing soldiers.
Above them she heard the muffled thunder of hoofbeats as the
bay jumped the garden gate with Ramon in the saddle.

"Gentle Rain!" called Ramon, and Lucita stopped to stare at
the horse and rider coming toward her.  She held up her
hands, as though reaching for help.  With one leg over the
saddle, Ramon leaned far out and down to catch Lucita and
swing her up behind him.

The bay slid to a stop, almost sitting down in the soft soil
of the garden and sending dirt clods flying over the two
soldiers.   He reversed direction and bounded back toward
the great house.

Belatedly, one of the soldiers drew his pistol and fired a
shot which went wild.

Don Pedro heard the pistol fire and jerked his head up.  "He
has been found," he said.  The yard was full of children
running to see what had happened.

Shouts could be heard from the direction of the garden,
coming closer until all conversation was drowned out in the
booming clatter of hooves on the portico floor.  The bay
swept through the portico, dodging chairs and people with
Ramon and Lucita clinging to the saddle and to each other.

At the end of the porch was the gate road, and at the gate
were two more guards.  These soldiers, alerted by the
racket, readied their muskets.  One shouldered his weapon,
but the other fumbled the hammer, lifting the gun only to
find the horse bearing down on him.  He threw down the
musket and dived for the fence.

The bay, nostrils flared and eyes wide, had extended his
neck straight ahead and settled into a dead run straight for
the gate and the remaining guard.  That person, feeling the
absense of his companion and seeing the determination of the
oncoming animal, fired his musket high and also dodged for
cover.  In a moment, Ramon and Lucita were under the
cottonwoods on the main road and headed in the direction of
Villarica.

When the noise had died down, Sinestro stepped up to Don
Pedro and scowled.  "I will remember that two fugitives were
found in your presense," he said.

Don Pedro returned his frown.  "And I will remember that
they were both children," he said.

Sinestro glared at him for a moment, then said, "Don Pedro.
Senora.  Senorita," for Estrellita, grimy with garden dirt,
had just arrived.

"Alcalde," said Don Pedro, stiffly.

"Until we meet again."  Sinestro entered the cabrolet and
departed.

"<Whooeee!>" said Sandy, "<That feller's madder'n a bear
with his balls in a crack>!"

"<Sandy, you got to remember that there are ladies
present>," Calpern reminded him.

"<Sorry, Ma'am>," Sandy gulped.

"<Quite all right>," said the Dona, "<I am relieved that our
friends got away>."


OLD FRIENDS:

His father's village was just over the ridge, but Ramon
guided the bay around it.

"Get ready to jump off," he instructed Lucita.  She
responded by clinging more tightly to him.  "We are coming
to some rocks," elaborated Ramon, "You can climb up on them
from the horse without leaving tracks."

"I don't want to leave you," whined Lucita.

"I won't be gone long, but I have to hide the horse away
from here."  The bay edged toward one side of the huge rocks
beside the trail in an attempt to scrape his rider's leg,
until Ramon twitched the reins and guided him clear.  He
said, "You won't be alone.  Look!"

"Red Cloud!" shouted Lucita.  Two figures had appeared on a
boulder beside the trail, wearing odd boots which looked
like basketwork.  Red Cloud swung Lucita up into her arms
while an older youth named Wolf Walker looked on.

"You will be followed," predicted Wolf Walker.

"I don't know if they are after me, yet.  I didn't see
anyone behind me," said Ramon, "How did you know I was
coming?"

"You wouldn't see anything," said Wolf Walker, "You have the
eyes of a wart hog."

"I'll be back," said Ramon sullenly, "As soon as I can hide
the horse."

"Don't hurry," said Wolf Walker.

Ramon guided the bay up through narrow canyons into the
hills beyond the village.  Papa had several holding areas up
here, and he sought one of them.  He tried to keep the horse
on solid rock as much as possible to slow a tracker if they
sent one after him.  The bay was shod, worse luck, for the
steel horseshoes could made a clear track even on stone.

When he finally turned the horse loose, in a box canyon with
a brush gate, it was past noon and he was both hungry and
thirsty.  He began to wish he had snatched a pocketful of
corn tortillas while he was in the kitchen.  The bay had
found a spring at the rear of the canyon, so he drank his
fill and prepared to walk to the village.


Lucita ran to meet him, then returned to play with other
children.  She seemed to have forgotten the morning.

"Gentle Rain will stay with us," said Red Cloud's mother, a
woman with turquoise in her beadwork and Red Cloud's eyes,
"We will see that no harm comes to her."

"My mother is grateful to you," said Ramon, "Now, I will
have to go back home to see about Mama."

"The soldados tried to capture Gentle Rain?" asked Red
Cloud, and Ramon nodded.

"The lookout saw you out on the flat, coming from your
father's corral," said Wolf Walker.

"Huh?" asked Ramon.

"You asked how we knew you were coming."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

"The soldados will come," said Wolf Walker, "We should warn
the old ones."

"It's my responsibility.  I will tell them."

"You have been offered a place in the village, and you have
refused.  Now you do not speak to the old ones.  I will tell
them."

"Yeah, but I'm the one the soldiers will be after!"

"Then we will hide you, since you cannot hide yourself."

"What do you mean by *that*?"

"You live inside the walls of your village, away from the
air.  You have no skills, you cannot hunt or stalk, you must
be protected like a small child.  You are worse than a
woman!"

"You take that back!"  cried Ramon, and he launched himself
at the older boy.  He grabbed Wolf by the waist and swung
him around until both lost their footing.  Soon they were
tumbling down the slope toward the shallow creek, struggling
to pin each other to the ground.

Lucita came to Red Cloud.  "Why are they fighting?" she
asked nervously.

"They are playing rough," said Red Cloud, "Boys like to play
rough.  It prepares them for being men... some day."

Red Cloud picked her up and they watched the fighters.
Ramon won a temporary advantage by knocking Wolf Walker's
legs from under him, but the other pulled him down also and
they were rolling down the slope again.

"They aren't hurting each other?"

"Maybe a little.  But by hurting each other a little, they
learn how to hurt others more, later, when they are too old
to play.  Then when they have to fight, they will know how."

"I don't want to be too old to play," said Lucita.

"These two aren't too old - yet."

The last tumble, from solid ground into the streambed, ended
the fight with the breath knocked out of both boys.  "You
can tell them," wheezed Ramon, "I have to get home before
Mama comes after me."

"That... that was what I was trying to tell you!" said Wolf
Walker.

Ramon did not complain when Red Cloud escorted him home.


GAINS AND LOSSES:

"Mama has had me sitting and standing and walking and
prissing all afternoon," complained Machita.  She took care
not to step on the hem of the skirt as she climbed the
ladder onto the roof.

"Then why are you still a girl?" smiled Papa, who was gazing
into the West toward the distant purple hills.

"Because she is not satisfied!  I still must help with the
cooking.  Is a girl's work never done?"

Papa smiled, as though he had heard the same complaint many
times before.

"Awww, Papa, you've got to do something!" said Machita,
"She's trying to turn me into a girl!  If she wanted a
daughter, why didn't she have one instead of me?"

Albierto sat and studied the sunset clouds, chin in hand,
for long moments.  "You will not speak to your mother about
this," he said.

"Of course not!  But why does she want me to be the girl, so
badly?"

"For many years I have travelled to the Brazos river, and
traded with the Commanche," said Papa.  He paused, deep in
thought.

Machita sat beside him.  She had learned to go along with
Papa's habit of changing the subject.  She said, "Well,
people say it is not always a good thing, to sell horses to
them."

"It is said they may use the horse you sell to carry off
your family," said Papa, "I do not agree, but I have been
told this by many people."

"So why do it?"

"Because, when I met your mother, before I work for Don
Pedro, I was selling horses.  She cost me fifteen of the
best ponies I ever had."

"You *bought* Mama?"

Papa grinned fiercely, "You did not know this, did you?  She
tells of a courtship under a roof and chaperon, for this is
what she wishes you to believe.  She never spoke to me of
her past, and I have never asked her.  The bunch of
Commanche I got her from said she came from down South.
They also said that the people they bought her from spoke of
a child."

"A daughter?"

"Perhaps so.  I have never asked her, and she has never
said.  But sometimes, when she thinks I am not looking, she
watches the children of travellers.  And for years, until
she made me stop, I have taken horses to the Commanche."

"Looking for her daughter?"

Papa sniffed suddenly and stood.  "You ask too many
questions," he said, "I do not have the answers to my own."

Machita watched fireflies winking in the growing dusk.  "I
have never had a sister," she complained, "Now I have a
little sister, I may have had an older sister, and my mother
is trying to turn me into another!"

Papa remained silent, and Machita asked, "Ahh, Papa?  If
Mama never spoke of it, and you never talked about it, how
could she tell you to quit looking?"

The elder Caballo turned away.  "You will never speak to
your mother about this," he said.

"I already said I wouldn't!"

"You remember the time I took you with me, to their camp?"

"Yeah, and they made me wrestle that girl... Say!  Was that
her?  Was that my sister?  She was older than me."

"No.  They thought it was a great joke, insulting you by
letting you wrestle a girl, even if she was much older and
stronger than you at the time.  You were only eight years
old.  But you didn't notice and went ahead.  You didn't show
pride, or refuse because it was beneath you.  Because they
admired your determination, while you were wrestling they
showed me your sister.  I said goodbye to her, from across
the shelter.  I could get no closer.  She had the white
man's disease, I think it was cholera."

Machita found it difficult to speak around the lump in her
throat, "She died?"

Papa nodded.  He was silent for a long time, so Machita got
up and dusted off the skirts.  She placed a hand on Papa's
shoulder, but could think of nothing to say but, "I won't
tell Mama.  I promise."


TO MARKET, REDUX:

Ramon was awakened by warm water trickling onto his face.
Convinced something was wrong, she hurried into his clothes
and looked around.  The still of early sunrise lay about,
and only a few birds were singing.

"Did you hear anything?" she asked.

Mama was finishing breakfast for her, and Papa was nowhere
about, as usual.  "No, nothing is wrong, <mi Machita>.  This
is a market day, remember?"

"But why make me into a girl this early?  Can't I stay male
for a little while?"

"Not today.  I shall need you to help me, again."

"I am beginning to think Grampa had the right idea," said
Machita sourly.

"And just what idea was that?" Mama demanded.

"To be a hermit.  When you live by yourself, you don't have
to worry about how you look."

"Well, you are not him, thank God, and you have much more
than he will ever have.  You are young, you are strong, and
smart, I should hope."

Machita sighed once again and donned the dress.  "I hate
this thing," she said.

"Will you wear it this time, for me?"

"Mama, you don't have to try so hard."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm worried about Lucita, too.  I just don't know anything
to do about it."

Mama sat down and embraced her.

"I suppose I am being too *normal*, today," she said.  "I
want to go to the Alcalde and scream at him that he is doing
something terribly wrong.  I want to get Lucita and go away
somewhere.  I want to do something, *anything*.  I want it
all to stop."

"I know, Mama, I know."

"Well..." Mama rose to her feet, "come with me.  We must go."

Machita sighed and went with her.


The market was already busy when they arrived, the hum of
commerce rising like the clamor of a beehive as vendors and
customers bargained over garden produce, textiles, and
pottery.

The boys were there, too, Machita saw, perhaps more than
last time.  They stood back and stared, and she tried to
ignore them.  When she lifted the bowl of squash and beans
to her head, they gawked, and she growled, "Just like last
time.  What is wrong with the way I walk?"

"Nothing, Machita," Mama assured her, "Nothing at all."

Sometime during the morning, the boys were joined by older
men, toughs from the mining camps.  These too watched her,
but the look in their eyes was different.  Machita realized
that what she had seen from the boys was respect, almost
worship.  These men had a look of hard determination to
them, a callous sneer that respected nothing.  She edged
closer to Mama.
Her eyes were caught by the glare of sunlight reflected from
a man's head, bald as a stump, and she could not help
staring.  She had seen bald men before - Pablo was bald -
but this man was *peeled*.  From the high, arched nose to
the collar of his faded tunic, there was not a hair.  As
though he felt himself being watched, he cast about, then
turned full face toward Machita.  There was an emptiness in
those eyes that unsettled her and she realized that she was
alone.  Mama had gone on to the next stall.

Trouble came, not from the crowd of toughs eying her, but
from soldiers who shoved their way through the crowd of
bargainers and surrounded Mama.  "Senora Caballo, we have to
arrest you for harboring a known fugitive from the law,"
said the sergeant.

"Machita! cried Mama, "Get away! Run!"

The soldiers and Mama seemed to recede in Machita's sight,
until they were little and far away, too far away to hear as
the soldiers not ungently led Mama away.  When she could
move, they were gone, and there was no one who would look at
her except the men from the miner's camp.  The bald man with
the empty eyes was with them, and he pointed at Machita and
spoke to the toughs. When she could move, they kept her from
following Mama.

Machita dumped the bowl of beans and squash in their path
and ran.

For frantic moments, she dodged among the women and old men
in the market, until she reached the other side of the
marketplace.  There she chose between alleyways and pelted
down the narrow passageway until she came to a stone fence.
The dress was hampering her flight, so when she found
someone's laundry hanging on poles beyond the fence, she
found shelter, ripped the dress off and traded it for some
pantalones and a shirt before running on.

She had to find Mama.

-


CHAPTER SEIS:  END


<Muchas gracias> to my prereaders Yvonne and Harry and close
kin, as well as to Andre for his excellent advice (which I
did not always heed, but always appreciated).
C&C welcomed.

James and the Bluejay
   jeeades@ix.netcom.com
   http://www2.netcom.com/~jeeades/bluejay.htm