The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-12-11

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suggestion of his second, he changed
his position before the seventh round
and at the word "Vai" had his MAJ
round the leg and attempted TO trip hin
by jerking his foot up and throwing
himself back with his full weight
Catch as catch can, strike where yoI
please, but don't kick, is the rule of tn,
Mexican wrestling-ring.
Don Gil seemed to yield, but il
stumbling forward bore down upon hi!
aggressor in a way that obliged him tt
clutch his arm in order to save himself
from an underfall. In the next moment
he had him around the waist, and, dis
engaging his right arm with sudden
wrench, he bent the mozo backward til
his knee-joints gave way, and, in spite
of his desperate writhing and plunging
the youngster was Frustrated on his ma
tive soil in front of his black-eyed
inamoratas.
That made them even, and the pos.
session of the 10 onzas now depended
on the result of the third match-echaI
lanzas, Observation-Disclosures exercise
which the six lancer regiments of the
regular army and the use of the hunt
ing-spear among the half-savage Indi-
ans have made very popular in Mexico
The target was the skull of goat stuck
on a short pole, distance sixty yards
By agreement of the seconds the athlete
used short, heavy spear of -polished
lockwood, while the mOzo preferred the
Government regulation lance, which
had won him weekly victories on the
parade-ground at the castillo. Their
proficiency in the use of these archaic
implements would have won the APP
plause of a Turkestan robber-knight
and thrown Maurice Thompson into
ecStaSies.
The mozo's friends were confident OF
victory, and even his former rivals, the
soldiers of the garrison, cheered up
roariouslv when he knocked the target
down at the first throw But the from
tiersman showed that he had not lived
among the Comanches in vain, for at
the end of the first two rounds each
lanzero had scored one square hit and
one 90 graze;" and, when the attendant
chulos returned them their missiles, the
spectators leaped from their seats and
crowded to the front, with utter disre-
gard of civil rights and female privileges,
/ The ring-master vOciferated, girls
! clambered on the shoulders of their gal
lants, and even the priests and foreign
residents were in a state of fierce excite
ment. Juanito declined the first throw,
so did his rival; but, before the seconds
had found their dice-boX, Don Gil had
changed his mind and stepped to the
! front, spear in hand, with the saDgfroid
of an old stager.
His javelin touched, but failed to stir,
the target; and the silence became
! breathless when the mOZo squared him.
self for the decisive throw. He paused
on hearing his name called; his second
! had seen his arm tremble, made his way
through the crowd with a bottle OF
aguardiente, and offered him glass per
darle firmeza-to steady himself if his
nerves should be in need of it. But
Juanito, smarting under the sting of his
late defeat, declined the offer with an
! impatient gesture, and again poised his
lance. His hand trembled yisibly, and
once more his second challenged him,
but before any one could interfere he
leaned back and let drive.
The lance darted through the air with
an audible whiZz, little too high, as il
seemed, but coming down in fiat curve
it struck the jaw-bone of the strange
target fair and square. The skull spun
round like a top, and when it fell the
men of Perote rushed upon their cham
pion like crew of Sumatra pirates,
snatched him up and dragged him away
Regardless of his modest protests, OF
the shower of bouquets and the pouting
of disappointed lips, they rushed him
/ off to the rear of the circus-tent, where
the manager had left splendid roam
stallion as security for the payment OF
the 10 onzas, and, amid shouts that
We're echoed by the cliffs of the Sierra
Madre, they lifted him up and upon the
horse, which, though wild with terror
could not stir a leo in the crowd that
pressed around it in a compact mass
q Did he like the horse? Would he pre-
fer it to the cash?'' The owner valued
it at % onzas, but the collection wa,
taken up in a minute, and the multitude
surged back. dragging horse and rider
along till they stopped in front Of the
stage, where they surrendered their vic
tim to the mad muchachas.
The population of Perote and Tres
monies was crowded together within {
space of forty yards around the stage
in a confused mass, all shrieking anC
gesticulating ike Donnybrookers, laugh
inc, Dragging and cheering, and shaking
hands with all the friends and relative,
of the victor.
A troop OF ragged Indians that haC
. come from the mountains at the north
ern border Of the cOmarca were stand
inc together in the rear rank, and the
enthusiasm of the poor devils gave me
an idea what the rapture of gymnastiC
competition must have been in a cOun
try where every male adult was an ath
lete, at a time when men did not thinE
it necessary to despise earthly things fol
the love of heaven.
The sages of that time inclined to tn,
view that this world had been created
for its own sake; nay, that it nigh
Just be possible to enjoy Paradise OF
this side of the grave; and our system
of ethics takes alarm at the mere men
ton of such hereSIeS; but we have be
gun TO rediscover a truth which wa
familiar enough to those nature-taugh
heathens, namely: That the highes
moral and physical well-being can no
be attained separately, but must Z
hand-in-hand, like thought and action
or viii and force; and l hope that tn,
time will come when every school-hOus,
shall have its gymnasium and every vii
lage its arena, for only then can we Gel
citrate our recovery from the Satanic