Desert People

For the next few days the Sleepers had what amounted to a vacation. Reb, more than anyone else, had a blast! The desert people were horsemen, and their horses were strong and swift. They were amazed to find that the young man who wore the outlandish hat was as good a rider as many among their own people. And they were amused at the use of his lariat.

The first morning Reb had demonstrated his skill by dropping a noose over the head of a half-broken pony.

Abdul gasped with surprise. “We have never seen such!”

A murmur of approval went up, and Reb found himself giving lariat lessons each morning and became very popular.