Frank Merriwell's Athletes Part 55

"Yah! yah! yah!" sounded the shrill "c.o.o.n" laugh of Toots. "'Scuse meh, but I's gotter laff or bu'st mah boiluh fo' suah! land ob wartermillions! de nex' bounce am gwan teh--Dar he goes!"

The broncho shot forward a short distance, then stopped suddenly, its forward feet planted solidly.

Over the creature's head sailed Hans, like a huge toad.

In some way the Dutch lad turned in the air and struck on his back.

The others ran forward to see if he was injured.

"Are you hurt?" asked Frank, anxiously, bending over Hans.

The fat lad looked at Merriwell, and slowly the most comical expression conceivable spread over the broad expanse of his face.

"Nit, I don'd peen hurted alretty yet," he replied; "but you pet my life I vos goin' to peen britty queek! I vas goin' to got pehindt dot p.r.o.ncho and teekle his heels a straw mit shust to seen if he could kick uf me a few prains oudt."

Hans was a.s.sisted to his feet. He took a look at the broncho, which was standing quite still, and then turned and ran, as if afraid of the creature.

All this was very amusing to the cowboys, who shouted with mirth.

"Wal, if I don't believe I kin ride that critter!" cried Ephraim Gallup, wagging his head. "I've rid some purty tough nuts in my day."

"Better not try it," warned Frank.

That was just enough to start the Yankee boy.

"By gum! I will try it!" he shouted, and made a rush for the animal.

The deceptive creature stood quite still while Ephraim jumped up and swung one leg over its back, and then, before the Vermonter could straighten up in the saddle, the broncho started with wild and eccentric leaps to scoot around through the party.

"Whoa!" yelled the lank lad, wildly clinging to the creature-"whoa, gol darn ye! Stan' still a jiffy till I git onter--Wow!"

The broncho performed a twisting evolution that sent Ephraim spinning, and the twinkling heels of the animal narrowly missed the Vermonter's head.

Ephraim got up quickly from the ground, placed his arms akimbo, his hands resting on his hips, and stared at the broncho, which was quite still, its head drooping and its whole att.i.tude one of dejection and meekness.

"Wal, may I be chawed to death by 'skeeters if yeou ain't ther darndest deceivin' critter I ever saw!" he drawled.

Then the cowboys shouted again. They were having fun at the expense of the tenderfeet.

Frank was enjoying all this, and, at the same time, was watching Indian Charlie, who had sauntered out of one of the stables and joined the crowd.

To his surprise the foreman of the Lone Star did not notice him at all, or pretended not to notice him. Charlie did not look in the direction of Frank.

"I'll keep my eyes open to see that he doesn't take me by surprise some time," thought Merriwell.

Charlie sneered at Ephraim.

"What is all this?" he asked. "Tenderfeet can't ride anything."

"To be course not!" nodded one of the punchers near him; "but they seem to think they kin, an' we're havin' fun with um."

That was quite enough for Frank.

"So they think tenderfeet can't ride anything!" he muttered. "Well, I don't like to have them believe that."

Then all were surprised to see him walk forward quickly, come up beside the broncho, and spring into the saddle with a single bound.

The boys gave a shout.

"'Rah for Frank Merriwell!" cried Hodge. "'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"

"Now ye'll see some roidin'!" came from Barney.

For a moment the broncho stood quite still, as if astonished that a third person should attempt to ride it, then, with a wild squeal, it began to plunge and leap and rear and buck in the fiercest manner.

To the astonishment of the cowboys Frank kept his seat in the saddle, apparently with as much ease as any one of them could have maintained it.

"Hey! go it!" laughed Merry, finding an opportunity to s.n.a.t.c.h off his cap and give it a flourish around his head. "This is the sport! Wake up, old crowbait!"

It happened that the owner of the horse did not fancy having the animal called "crowbait." He was angry in a moment.

"Buck him, Comet!" he shouted, waving his arms to the little horse and making certain gestures-"buck him hard!"

And Comet bucked as hard as he was able, but still the laughing rider maintained his seat in the saddle.

"Why, this is easy!" declared Frank, who had ridden bucking horses before and studied their tricks. "This creature doesn't seem to have much ginger in him."

The boys laughed and applauded, while the cattlemen looked astonished and disgusted.

"Whatever do yer think o' thet?" said one.

"It's derned queer an onery kid like him kin ride a broncho," admitted another.

"That's ther feller what knocked Injun Charlie out," said Hank Kildare.

"I'll allow he's a terror."

Charlie happened to be standing near enough to hear the words. His face reddened, and he said:

"He proved rather handy with his fists," he admitted; "but he didn't knock me out. I fell backward over the veranda rail, and was stunned. I reckoned it would be said he did it."

Now up to this time no one had felt like disputing anything Charlie said, or even hinting that they doubted him. The time had come, however, when Hank Kildare felt like showing independence.

"Mebbe yer went backward over ther rail, Charlie," he said; "but I don't reckon ye'll claim ye wasn't pushed?"

Charlie scowled, but forced a sneering smile.

"The kid struck at me, and I stepped backward," he declared. "In doing so I struck against the rail and fell over upon my head. That is all."

"Wa-al," dryly drawled Kildare, "it's a nice black eye ye'll have to remember that yar fall."