This novel battle had been going on for nearly ten minutes, and even Frank had become highly excited over it.
"Pull him along, Carlos!" shouted Archie, jumping about on the porch as if he had lost all control over his legs, and they would dance in spite of every thing he could do to prevent it.

"Pull him along! Whip up behind, Felix; hit him hard!" Archie continued to shout his orders at the top of his voice; but they did not seem to help the matter any, for the steer still refused to move.

He had fallen to his knees, and laid his head close to the ground, as if he had deliberately resolved that he would remain there; and for a long time, all the pulling and whipping the two Rancheros could do, brought nothing from him but angry snorts and shakes of the head.
"Now, Archie," said Carlos, as he stopped to wipe the big drops of perspiration from his face, "what would you do with this fellow ?" The boys, who never neglected an opportunity to pick up items of information concerning every thing that came in their way, had been taking lessons of the Rancheros in horsemanship, throwing the lasso, and managing wild cattle; and Carlos thought this a proper occasion to ascertain how much they remembered of what they had learned.
"Well," replied Archie, pulling off his sombrero, and digging his fingers into his head, to stir up his ideas, "I'd keep pulling and hauling at him until I got him tired out, and then I think I could manage him." "That would take up too much time," said Carlos; "I've got other work to do, and I am in a hurry." "Make your lasso fast to the horn of your saddle, and start up your horse, and drag him in," suggested Frank.
"That's the idea, and that's just what I'm going to do," said Carlos.
But that was just what the Ranchero did _not_ do.

While he was preparing to put this plan into operation, the steer suddenly jumped to his feet, and made another desperate attempt to effect his escape, and this time he was successful.

There was a loud snap, Carlos's heels made a flourish in the air like the shafts of a windmill, and, in an instant, he was stretched at full length on the ground.