With that Red and another squire cantered their great horses to the far end of the lists where they lined up in front of a knight holding up a green flag. As soon as the knight dropped the flag they were off at a full gallop. The boy had never seen anything like it. The big horses kicked up huge clods of dirt and the very ground began to pound.

The squires lowered their lances down to level and about half way down the lists they began to snag rings from the posts. Red missed the first large ring and snagged the next ring, the smallest size and she continued to snag all the small rings. The other squire snagged a mixture of big and small rings and beat Red and Mary to the end of the lists.

At the end of the lists a knight tallied the rings and marked their times. While a group of pages put new rings on the posts, Red trotted Mary up to the boy and handed him the lance. She jumped off of Mary and started massaging the horse's legs. The boy put the lance in a stand then held up a bucket of water for the horse to drink.

"We have about ten minutes before the next run, go check with the scorekeeper and see how I did."

As soon as Mary had her fill Wolf ran to check with the scorekeeper, then ran back and announced, "You've won by twenty points!"

"See it's not how big or fast you are, it's all about strategy; you can't possibly snag all the rings, you have to go for the big points. The next round will be harder. That is where the money will be. Squire Willow is just as good as me and I can't afford any mistakes."

They watched the next three pairs ran and Squire Willow won her round by a larger margin then Red had won hers. Wolf knew that Willow was much older looking, a full grown woman, very tall and strong. She looked formidable and by her insignia she squired for the Wolverine.

Red mounted up on Mary and Wolf handed her a new lance and she wheeled the giant horse around started a canter to the far end of the lists and arrived before Willow and her mount, Johnny, giving Red time to line up and calm Mary. The horse seemed to know exactly what she needed to do.

When the green flag went up Mary jumped to a full stride ahead of Willow and her mount. Mary reached full speed before the first ring and Red had her lance down to snag it. Red continued to snag almost every ring and finished even with Willow.

Again they deposited their rings with the judges. Red returned to the boy and handed him her lance then dismounted. Wolf again watered the horse then ran to get the judge's decision.

When he returned he announced, "You won by three points!" Red let out a yell.

"Now I have a chance for gold." While waiting for her next run Red explained jousting a little more. "We do it a little different here then they do elsewhere. Our rings are larger, there are more of them and horse speed counts a lot, which is what makes it so hard. The faster you ride, the harder it is. You have to be a natural on the horse. David the squire I'm up against is very good I've beat him only once."

"What are you going to do?"

"Ride like the wind and snag all the rings."

"All of them?"

"Every last one."

"You said it couldn't be done."

"Did I? I've been practicing and I've developed a few tricks of my own. Maybe I'll surprise everyone."

"I'll bet on you."

"You better or I'd make your life miserable." She grinned and winked at him.

Wolf asked, "What odds should I ask for?"

"You're not so dumb either. Ask at least three to one."

"I'll get you five." Wolf made good on his word. The squire David seemed such a sure bet. With only a few minutes available for Wolf to take bets he scrambled. Unfortunately only a few squires and pages had the nerve to bet, but Wolf could remember them all. He knew he wouldn't forget Wayne. The page made a snide remark about both him and Red not being worth the money, but he bet ten dollars. Once the bets were collected Wolf ran to attend to Red and tell her about the bets. She seemed to be pleased.

Red asked for a particularly light lance which the boy handed her. This time she trotted Mary to the far end of the lists the other squire on her tail. The determination in his eyes made it obvious there would be no mistakes on his part.

This time when the green flag rose they were off together. They reached the first ring together and both snagged them and the ten rings after. When it came to the last ring Red got hers and the other boy managed only to knock his off the hook and it went spinning into the grass. It looked good for Red, but the other squire's horse being a head faster than Mary.

Red did not return to the paddock, but waited for the judge's call. It didn't take long before Red was declared the winner by two points, the smallest margin of the day. A cluster of pages who had bet on her were cheering and hollering for her.

There were other horse games to play and more demonstrations by the knights. The best action came near the end when the Raven and the Wolverine, clad in full armor on their war horses. They were in full frontal armor, carrying long lances with blunted tips.

They started on opposite ends of the lists. Red started Midnight with a hearty slap on the rump. Willow did the same for Cloud. On the first pass the rider's lances connected with the other's shield and shattered in a shower of splinters. The entire school went wild cheering for one or the other.

The second pass went better; the Wolverines lance shattered and the Raven drove her shield so hard with his lance that she almost lifted from the saddle. She managed to hang on and return upright. There was a hushed pause until the Wolverine lifted an arm. Then the cheering began anew. The boy ran to the Raven to see if he needed anything. He found the knight's armor to be modern Kevlar with a thin layer of stainless steel bonded to it.

"Are you alright Sir?" the boy asked.

"I'm fine." the Raven answered. The Raven walked his horse over to the Wolverine and pointed his lance at her chest.

"Do you yield, Sir Knight?" the Raven loudly demanded.

"I do not yield," the Wolverine replied just as loudly.

"Then I offer you another lance."

"I accept." The Wolverine trotted her horse to the far end of the lists where she picked up another lance and waited for the drop of the flag. The Raven went to his end of the lists and exchanged his lance for a new one. After signaling his readiness the green flag raised and the two knights started their charge.

They came at each other leaning forward in their saddles. Their shields pulled tightly to their armor. As their lances connected with each other's shield, the Raven's lance shattered and the Wolverine's drove hard into his shield.

This time the Raven was rudely dumped onto the turf. Red and Wolf were there in a flash to help him up. The Wolverine rode up and pointed her lance at him.

"Do you yield Sir Knight?"

"I yield," the Raven replied, holding an arm up in submission.

The Wolverine removed her helmet and handed it to Willow, and then she dismounted and went to the knight and gave him a bear hug. More than a few pages snickered at the sight.

With the jousting finished, it was time for the racing. While the racers prepared their horses, adults and non racers worked at removing the string and posts marking the two lanes of the lists. Riders slowly accumulated in a long line in the lists. The first to line up were the pages, Wart amidst them. The squires lined up behind the pages on a mixture of horses, including the Percherons.

When the Green flag rose, a wild wave of horses moved out in a thunderous mass. The tumult of riders rapidly stretched into a long line. Wolf could see Wart riding among the faster horses.

The racers galloped hard, streaming for the far end of the open part of the valley where a red flag could be seen. They raised a large cloud of dust. The line of racers reached the flag and rounded it to the left. The horses were allowed to slow some to save their strength for the obstacles. They crossed the valley from right to left splashing through several streams before they reached the second red flag.

Rounding the flag the horsemen started the long return to the lists. The way back involved a number of obstacles to slow the tired horses down. The riders encountered a shallow stream they had to ride lengthwise for quarter of a kilometer. The next obstacle was a field of brush pine through which they had to weave their horses. Finally they rode through a stand of trees with low branches that favored the smaller horses and younger riders. The obstacles bunched the horses for the last dash to the finish line at the lists. The line of horses galloped through the lists kept the ground shaking.

Wolf soon realized the loud din of the horses was matched by the cheering of the students. Wart placed well, finishing fourth among all the pages.

Wolf took charge of Wart's horse, walking it to cool down and then leading it to the water trough to drink. Red and the Raven rode the course to check on any stragglers and to note any damage to the land that would require immediate attention.

Later Red and Wolf counted up the bets that she had won. She gave Wolf twelve dollars to pay his winnings. He marveled that he now had more money he had had in the last year.

He asked Red with a bit of sarcasm, "Now that I'm rich what do I do with it? I haven't seen money used at camp since I've been here."

"Bet with it next week or keep it. You'll get plenty of chances to spend when school starts back up. It's how I managed to afford Easy Rider and his saddle; it's how I pay for his upkeep. Saddles are quite expensive unless you can get a bargain on a good used one."

"What about Mary?" he asked.

"She pays for herself. She's a working horse and the school values her to be worth her upkeep, besides she doesn't eat that much. The school bought her saddle and pulling harness. They'll keep them when I leave, so I have to earn a few more dollars."

She continued on, "These bets are strictly under the table. It's against the rules."

"I figured that out, but why?"

"A good number of the students here are rich, can you tell?" He nodded. "I thought you could. Well, some will try to take advantage of you, being all snobby. Don't complain if you lose, just take your lumps. The school tries to weed the worst out. But, it also means you have to work harder. The school rewards hard work, but strongly discourages betting."

"So how do you get away with it?"

"I work twice as hard and study twice as much as the boys, which for a girl is an easy job. You've got to keep any betting strictly under the table; understand?" Red emphasized.

"Yeah, I understand."

"Good. Now let's see if the Mess has any ice cream."

The mood in camp that night was festive with a lot of singing, music, and storytelling.