CHAPTER XXIX--HANS AND THE BRONCHO
Sadie Rodney drew a deep breath.
"I am sorry, Mr. Merriwell," she said, "that this unfortunate affairoccurred, and I must express my admiration for the manner in which youdisposed of that fellow. I can scarcely believe it now. But I fear itwill mean more and serious trouble. I shall speak to father about it,and Indian Charlie shall be watched."
"Don't let it trouble you," smiled Frank. "I do not fear that man, andhe will not harm me, unless he does so in a treacherous manner."
Within ten minutes every cowboy about the ranch knew what had happened,and it was not long before they were trooping around to the front of thehouse to get a look at the tenderfoot who had dared face Indian Charlieand had knocked him out. They stared at the youth doubtingly, and thenwent away shaking their heads.
"Look at them!" laughed Rattleton. "They won't believe you could do it,Frank. I'll bet that some of them think Charlie was struck bylightning."
"It's quite likely he will think so himself, when he is able to think atall," said Hodge. "I thank you for chipping in, Frank; but I should havetried him a whirl if you hadn't touched him."
"I saw him reach for his gun, and----"
"You reached for him. You found him, too. Here come more cowboys!"
Another party of horsemen were seen tearing down toward the ranch, andthe wild and reckless manner in which they rode made it a thrillingspectacle.
"Ah!" cried Jack; "those fellows are horsemen! It is not often you seemen who can ride like that."
"Vale, I don'd know!" put in Hans. "You don'd seen me ride a pronchoalretty yet, eh? I vos a vonder. Pimeby britty soon I vos goin' to shownyou der sort uf a vild parepack rider I peen. You pet I vill surbrisemeinself!"
"That's right, b'gosh!" grinned Ephraim. "It will be better'n a circusto see ye."
"Mebbe you don'd think I can't ride a proncho?" cried Hans, resentfully."You gif me a chance un I vill shown you."
"Begorra!" cried Barney; "it's a chance ye can be afther havin' now.Come on, ye Dutch chaze."
"Oh, gone avay mit yourself!" said Hans, quickly. "I nefer ride a pigpreakfasts on."
"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed the Vermonter. "I knowed he'd back aout. Why,you couldn't ride a saw-hoss!"
"Vot?" screamed Hans, angrily. "Don'd you pelief me! I pet myself zweitollar I can ride der pestest horse vot you never saw! Yaw! I done himany oldt times!"
"Then come on, an' don't ye darst back aout."
Hans was wildly excited. His fat face was flushed and his eyes werebulging. He presented such a ludicrous spectacle that the boys brokeinto shouts of laughter.
"You hadn't better try to ride a broncho, Hans," warned Frank, whofeared the fat lad might be injured. "Keep away from the deceptivebroncho. Only the most expert horsemen can ride them."
"Vale, I peen der most exbert horseman vot you nefer saw. Yaw! I profehim to yourself. Come on!"
Hans ran down the steps, tripped over his own feet, and rolled on thegrass, producing still more amusement.
"Come on!" he wildly cried, as he struggled up. "You don'd know derkindt uv sduff I vasn't made uf. Shust you pring me to a hoss vot Idon'd peen aple not to ride! You can't done dot!"
"He'll nivver dare throy it, b'ys," grinned Barney. "He'll back out th'minute he sees th' baste. Come on. It's poiles av shport we'll be aftherhavin' wid him."
"Come on, fellows!" shouted Rattleton. "Here's where we have a circus!Hurrah for fun!"
A moment later they were following the fat Dutch boy around to thenearest corral, in the vicinity of which a number of cowboys weregathered.
"Pring der proncho oudt righd avay alretty!" shouted Hans, as he waddledaround toward the corral, with the others following him. "I peen goin'to shown you how to ride him, you pet!"
The cowboys stared at him in astonishment.
"Hey?" cried Hank Kildare, putting his hands on his hips and glaring atthe Dutch lad. "Whatever is thet thar ye say?"
"Vere dot proncho vos, ain'd id? I peen goin' to took a whirl oudt of."
"Git out! Ye're crazy! Why, you couldn't ride a dead cow!"
Hans grew still more excited. His face was red, and he wildly flourishedhis short arms, fairly choking in his excitement.
"Py ginger! I shown you dot about pritty queek right avay!" he cried."Uf I don't ride der vorst proncho I nefer seen you vos a liar!"
The cowboys shouted with laughter.
"Why, dern my eyes!" came from Pecos Pete, who was a veteran "bronchobuster," or horse trainer. "I reckon mebbe I'll have to git you to showme a few p'ints about ther business."
"I shown you somedings vot I don't know," flung back the excited Dutchboy. "Pring oudt der proncho!"
"Hyar," said one of the cowboys, dismounting from the tough little beastupon which he had ridden up to the ranch; "hyar's yer chance. Git righton hyar."
"Vot am I gifin' you!" shouted Hans. "Dot peen a drained horses. Vot Ivos lookin' for been a horse dot don'd peen drained alretty yet."
"I'll allow as how you'll find ther critter ain't trained any too much.You can't ride him."
"Vot vill I pet you apout dot?" excitedly demanded the fat boy. "Youdon't think I can't ride him, ain'd id?"
"Wa-al, I judge he'll make it right lively for ye."
"Dot seddles id! How I peen aple his pack to ged on?"
Frank interfered, seeing Hans was in earnest about attempting to ride.
"You hadn't better try it," he said. "The broncho might kill you."
"Vot? Don'd you pelief me! Der proncho vot could done dot don'd peenporn alretty yet. Get oud der vay of."
Hans was determined, and Frank found it useless to argue with him.
"Is the animal vicious?" he asked in an aside of its owner.
"Wa-al, he ain't bad," was the slow reply. "He kin buck a leetle, buthe's trained to it, an' he won't try it unless I set him at it."
"Then don't set him at it, for Hans might be thrown off and killed. Lethim ride, and he will be satisfied. It'll be more sport to hear himboast than it would be to see him flung off and injured."
The cowboy looked doubtful, but Frank finally succeeded in getting himto agree not to set the broncho to bucking.
Then Ephraim and Barney each got hold of one of Hans' legs to assist himto mount.
"Are yez riddy?" asked the Irish lad, a twinkle in his eyes, with one ofwhich he winked a signal at the Vermonter, who grinned back knowingly.
"Vait a leedle!" squawked Hans, as he reached up with his short arms andgot a hold on the saddle--"vait till I ged me der saddles hold uf!"
"Wal, be ye reddy naow?" asked Ephraim.
"Yaw. Led her went!"
Barney and Ephraim gave a whoop and lifted Hans off his feet. Then, asthe broncho shied sideways, they dropped him with a dull thud to theground, where he struck in a sitting posture, the breath going out ofhis body with a grunted puff.
The cowboys laughed heartily, and the girls, who were watching from adistance, were much amused, Miss Gale alone looking severe andunruffled.
"Shimminy Gristmas!" gasped the Dutch boy, as soon as he could catch hisbreath. "Why you done dot, ain'd id? Why you scared der proncho yourholler mit? Don'd you know somedings?"
"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed Ephraim, slapping his thigh. "Darn mypertaturs! but that's ther funniest thing I ever saw!"
"Hey?" squawked Hans, shaking his fist at the Vermonter. "Vot you don'dpeen laughin' at? I don'd seen nottings funny apoud id!"
He got up slowly and advanced toward the broncho, which was standingquiet enough.
"Begorra! it wur a mistake, me b'y," declared Barney. "It wur simply anexidint."
"Oh, id vos an oxident?" said Hans, his suspicions allayed by Barney'shonest manner. "Vale, don'd you led id fail to happen again. Und if dotYankee poy from Fermonts done dot any more I peen goin' ter kick uf himder stuffin's oudt!"
With this threat he prepared to attempt to mount once more.
Barney and Ephraim came forward to lift him. The Irish lad ma
de asignificant upward gesture behind Hans' back, and Ephraim nodded andchuckled.
"Are yez riddy?" Barney asked once more.
"Yaw. Led her gone!"
Then, with all their strength, the mischievous assistants fairly flungthe fat boy over the broncho's back.
Hans came down on the other side, striking the ground with a dull thud,having fallen flat on his back. He lay there a moment, and then slowlyreached out toward the sky with his hands, as if trying to catchsomething.
"Py shimminy!" he exclaimed; "I nefer seen such peautiful fireworkspefore!"
This seemed to amuse the gathering cowboys more than anything that hadhappened, and their shouts of laughter aroused the fallen lad, who satup and looked around.
Frank and his friends were amused.
"Vill somepody peen kindt enough to exblain vot habbened," urged Hans,in a bewildered way.
Barney and Ephraim rushed around and lifted him to his feet, although heregarded them with some suspicion.
"May th' ould Nick floy away wid a broncho thet won't shtand still!"cried Barney. "Av th' baste hadn't moved thin it's mounted ye'd beenalriddy."
"Did der proncho move?"
"Move?" cried Ephraim, with a broad gesture. "Does dynamite move if yeouswat it with a brick!"
Hans faced the animal, shaking his fist angrily at the innocentcreature.
"Look ad here, Mister Proncho!" he squealed; "uf you don'd done dotagain, I peen goin' to kick uf you der hay oudt! Dot vos peesness! Idon'd dislike dot foolin', und I vant you to misunderstood dot!"
"Thar, b'gosh!" said Ephraim; "I kinder guess the gol darn critterunderstands it naow!"
"You pet! Now, you put me ub right avay queek pefore he haf forgottenid. Hurry up!"
Again the boys caught hold of Hans, but this time they lifted him ontothe back of the broncho, where, with no small amount of awkwardness, hesucceeded in getting seated in the saddle.
"Hah!" he cried, triumphantly. "Don'd I toldt you so! Ven I vos retty todone peesness, I vos der poy to got there!"
"Hurrah!" shouted the other boys, waving their caps and hands. "What'sthe matter with Dunnerwust? He's all right! 'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"
The Dutch boy looked proud as a peacock.
"Look avay oudt now!" he said. "I vas goin' to shown you der vay toride."
Then he tried to start the broncho, but the animal refused to stir.
"Vot peen der madder mit you?" angrily demanded Hans, striking thecreature with his hand. "Why you don'd gone along, ain'd id?"
Still the broncho stood quite still, its head down and its short earstipped back in an ominous manner.
Hans tried in various ways to start the creature up, but was notsuccessful.
"Der proncho peen dead!" he said, in disgust, thumping the animal withhis heels.
As if resenting this, the creature suddenly gave a squeal, made a boundinto the air, and came down with all four feet close together and itsback "humped."
Dunnerwust shot up from the saddle in a most surprising way.
By chance he came straight down and struck in the saddle again. He triedto catch hold and cling on, but the broncho made another leap.
"Hellup! hellup!" roared Hans, as he again shot into the air. "Datproncho haf injy-rubber mit his pack in!"