It circled the newspaper man exactly,
and by pulling it quickly Ohnimus had his arms pinioned to his side.
"Are there any more trick throws?" asked the reporter.
"Lots of them. I never put myself up as a crack riata man, and I am
out of practice now, but I can lay the noose on the ground at my feet
and kick it around your neck, or pick it off the ground from my horse
and land it around you while the horse is going at full speed, and do
lots of things like that, but none of them is any good. That backthrow
has been used by the Mexican highwaymen to considerable advantage. You
see, in that country the traveler always looks out for danger from the
rear and is prepared for it, but when a pleasant horseman rides past
him, playing with his riata, and wishing him 'Good-day' as he passes,
he is likely to consider the danger as gone by, as well as the man.
That has caused the death of a good many. The bandit gets the right
distance ahead and then lassoes him as I did you. A touch of his spur
jerks his victim from the saddle and that ends it."
"How is the lasso as a weapon of defence?"
"Good. A quick riata man can beat a fellow with a pistol at fairly
close quarters."
"How?"
"Well, here is a pistol. Put it in your pocket and draw it on me as I
come toward you."
The reporter did as he was directed. He had not raised the weapon when
the noose was around his hand and the pistol was jerked a dozen feet.
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