After Lisa left the band room, Rick turned to Cern and said, "We owe you an apology. When you came in here with Lisa we thought you were two-timing Dema. We couldn't let that happen. Not with Lisa. But I think that's not what you were doing."

"Either that, or you have the best come-on line we've ever heard!" 

Carlos got a poke from Joe for that.

Cern chuckled and said, "No, I was just trying to learn what I need to know. But I understand why you are protective of her. She's very pretty, very nice, very smart."

Joe spoke up. "Hey Cern, I've been telling the guys here about how I taught you to shoot Apache style. They don't believe me."

Mike said, "We want you to show us what you can do."

Cern said, "Really? I don't know..."

Rick said, "Actually, there's money on it."

Cern looked at Joe. He was grinning. 

Cern said, "Well, if Joe's really willing to lose... What's the set-up?"

"You put three arrows into a hat from the back of a horse. Joe brought his bow."

"A horse? I didn't practice on a horse!"

"Well, a horse machine. Maybe you saw it in the lobby."

"The 'bronco'! No way!"

"We'll run it slow. That part will be a piece of cake."

"Who will be wearing the hat?"

They all laughed. "It would have to be Joe, but even he's not that crazy."

Cern liked these boys, and it seemed like harmless fun, so he was willing to go along. As they walked to the corner of the casino lobby where the bucking horse machine was featured, Rick told Cern, "Joe told us you played his bow like a guitar! If you survive this ride, we want to see that too." 

Cern just grinned at him. It was still very early and there was no one else in the lobby. The "horse" looked like little more than a saddle on a barrel, mounted on a piston. Cern swung up into the saddle, and Joe strung his bow and handed it to him, along with the arrows. Rick turned on the "bronco," set to "trot." 

 As soon as it started to move, Cern dropped the bow and arrows and grabbed the pommel with both hands. Everyone laughed. "Better give me a minute here," he said. 

 When he had the timing of the mechanical motion down well enough to let go with both hands and still keep his seat, he reached for the bow and Joe handed it to him. Then he took the arrows one by one and positioned them in his grip, the way Joe had shown him.

He looked around at the boys. "Tell me again. Whose hat am I supposed to shoot at?"

"Joe's!" shouted Carlos.

"I hope his winnings will be enough to buy him a new one!"

Everyone laughed at that. Joe hastily took off his hat and put it on a stool Mike had brought from the band room. Everyone stood off to one side, well out of the line of fire. 

 Cern looked at Joe and said, "Wish me luck!" At the same time he opened his shaman dream and made his hands be Joe's hands again. Then he reached for the first arrow.

Cern got lucky. His first arrow pinned the hat to the stool, so he didn't have to shoot the others at a moving target. It was over in a few seconds. Joe punched the sky and said "Yes!" Everyone else's eyes got big and round.

Cern immediately handed Joe the bow and climbed down out of the saddle.

Mike was inspecting the hat. "How'd you do that?"

"Better ask Joe. I think I just used up my beginner's luck."