Jousting

Reb and the others followed the small, cocky knight to the part of the court where the horses were stabled. “That's him—his name is Blaze,” Nolen said proudly. “He's a bit of a handful.”

Reb grinned at him. ‘“Never was a horse couldn't be rode,’” he quoted. “Just let me have a try.”

Thirty minutes later Sir Nolen was whistling with amazement. “You are a fine rider, lad! I never saw better! Blaze doesn't take to everybody, but he likes you. I can see that. You've let him know who's the boss, and that's what counts with horses.”

“I can ride him all right, but what about the rest of it?” Reb said.

“Well, that's the rub. You seem to be a pretty strong lad. Let's try you on the lance.”

Soon Reb proved that he could put a lance tip through a six-inch ring, and again Sir Nolen was amazed. “Why, there's men that can't do that who've been jousting for years. Now, here's the important thing. You've got the lance in your right hand. What do you do with your left hand?”

“Why, guide the horse,” Reb answered with surprise.

Sir Nolen laughed. “You hold a shield with it, boy! Otherwise, you'd get the other fellow's lance right through your gizzard. You steer the horse with your knees. Blaze is trained to do that. So now, let me give you this shield, and you try that.”

Reb was a little disconcerted but soon found that the sturdy horse obeyed instantly any command he gave with his knees. One slight pressure, and the horse turned.

“Of course, there's no need to turn,” Sir Nolen said. “You are headed straight along the fence. Your lance is pointed over it. You don't want your horse to turn.”

“Well, I think I can handle this part of it,” Reb said. But the thought of that lance coming straight at him troubled him. “How do I keep the other fellow from hitting me?”

“The helmet you will wear is made so that it will slip his lance if he goes for your head. There's nothing on it to catch. The trick is to shift your shield so that his lance goes off to the side. Then, with your own lance, go in over the top or side and catch him in the body. Come along. I'll mount up, and we'll run through it a few times.”

That sounded simple enough, but Reb soon found that it was more difficult than it seemed. Sir Nolen upped the pace until finally they were galloping at each other at what seemed to be a furious rate.

Each time Reb learned something, and finally Sir Nolen said, “Well, boy, we can run at each other all week, but now we'd better try it for real.”

He put on full armor and encased Reb in the same.

“Remember, catch the tip of my lance on your shield and try to catch me on the body.”

“I feel clumsy as a possum in this tin suit!” Reb complained.

“Aye, we all feel the same. But we'd be dead without it. Come now, let's try it for real.”

Reb guided his horse back to his end of the jousting field and turned him around.

Sir Nolen did the same.

Then Nolen shouted, “Go!”

Reb kicked Blaze into a gallop, and the two horses approached each other at break neck speed.

Reb knew he could not out-joust a man such as Sir Nolen, who had made jousting his life, but he had an idea. As they drew close, he suddenly tilted his spear up toward Sir Nolen's head. Sir Nolen was not expecting that and flinched, which pulled his shield to one side. At the moment Sir Nolen's lance struck Reb's shield and slipped aside, Reb's own lance drove into the body of the knight, and he heard a crash as Sir Nolen fell to the ground.

He could not stop Blaze immediately, but he heard a cheer from the sidelines. Whirling his horse around, he looked back anxiously, and threw down his lance. He stepped off his horse and clanked back to Sir Nolen, afraid that he was hurt.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

Sir Nolen got to his feet awkwardly and shoved his visor back. Reb saw that he was grinning. “Yes, I'm all right. That was a neat trick, lad. That's exactly the one you'll use tomorrow against whatever champion the king appoints. Caught me off guard, it did, and it may work again.”