CHAPTER II
BOUND FOR THE CANE JUNGLE
Eight o'clock on the following morning found Tad Butler strolling upand down in front of the hotel for his morning airing. By his sidewalked Bill Lilly, whom Tad had found waiting for them in the lobbyof the hotel.
Bill, who was to guide the party through the maze of the canebrake,was a type. He was a spare man, with a long, drooping, colorlessmoustache, gentle blue eyes, and a frame of steel and whipcord.Billy, it was said, had been known to follow the trail of a bear onfoot for days until he finally ran the animal down and killed it.When night came he would throw himself down on the trail and go tosleep or crouch like a wild turkey high up in the crotch of a giantcypress. Unlike the guides of the north, Billy loved to talk. He hadnot, however, looked forward to the task before him with any greatenthusiasm, believing that he was to guide a party of soft-muscledboys through the jungle, boys who would need looking after constantly.He had not thought to find a seasoned woodsman like young Butler.Though Tad had said nothing about himself, Lilly's experienced blueeyes told him that here was no tenderfoot, but a woodsman after hisown heart.
Shortly afterwards the rest of the party came down. Tad introducedthem to the guide, then proposed that they look the horses over.Stacy demurred. He said he never could pick out a horse beforebreakfast, so, to save argument and grumbling, everyone went in tobreakfast, while Lilly sat down and talked with them, making known tothe party his plans for the coming trip.
Tad was especially interested in the horses that Billy showed themhalf an hour afterwards. These were hardy little animals, a crossbetween a standard-bred saddle horse of the north and a mustang.They were tough, wiry animals, owned by a rancher on the outskirts ofthe town. The guide had not picked out the horses, preferring toleave that to the boys, provided they knew what they wanted.
They did, especially Tad Butler. He went over the whole herd,finally choosing a white-coated, pink-nosed animal for himself, afterhaving roped the animal, which did not propose to be caught.
Both the owner and the guide opened their eyes at Tad's skill withthe rope.
"That one has a nasty temper," warned the guide.
"I know it," nodded the Pony Rider Boy.
"But he is sound and can stand a lot of grilling."
"I want that black yonder," cried Chunky.
"I think not," said Butler.
"Why not?"
"He is wind-broken. We don't want any of that sort."
"I guess you boys don't need any of my help in picking out yourmounts," grinned Lilly. "Where did you get your knowledge of horses,Master Butler?"
"He just couldn't help it. He was born that way," Ned Rectorinformed them.
One by one Tad chose the animals, and when he had finished the owneragreed that Tad had picked out the best stock in the herd. They hadbrought along their trappings in a wagon, and the boys now proceededto saddle and bridle the horses they had decided to take. Then theymounted and raced up and down the road, trying out the little animalsas well as they could. Their riding was a revelation to Bill Lillyand to the rancher. Bill said it was as good as a circus.
"But," he added, "you don't want to try any of those tricks in thebrake," shaking his head as Tad swooped down at a fast gallop,scooping up Stacy Brown's sombrero that had been lost from the fatboy's head, and deftly spinning it towards Chunky, both at fullgallop. The fat boy caught it fully as deftly, and solemnly replacedit on his head.
Each of the horses was tried out until the boys finally had settledupon those that they thought best fitted to take with them into thewoods. Next came the packing of kits, the stowing of supplies, and ahundred and one petty details, all of which Tad supervised, knowingpretty well what would be needed by the party. Of course, notknowing the country into which they were going, he was forced toconsult the guide frequently about this or that detail.
When the boys returned to the hotel they did so astride of their newhorses and in their cowboy outfits, attracting a great deal ofattention in the little southern village. Major Clowney said theyoung ladies of his family were eager to see the boys before theyleft. This gave Tad an idea.
"Boys, what do you say to going over to the Major's home and givingthe ladies an exhibition of rough-riding?" he cried.
"Hurrah! Just the thing," shouted the others.
"Would it please them, Major?" asked Tad, glancing at the chucklingMajor.
"They would be delighted, I know."
"What do you say, Professor?"
"Yes, by all means, Tad." The Professor was proud of the horsemanshipof his young charges, and was quite willing, indeed, that they shouldshow off their skill before the Clowney family.
Receiving their tutor's permission the boys removed the packs fromtheir horses, while the Professor, leaving his mount secured to thetie rail, accompanied Major Clowney on foot to his home.
The Pony Rider Boys made what they called a grand entry. They sweptdown in a great cloud of dust on the Clowney mansion, whooping like apack of Indians on the war path. All the colored people in theestablishment ran out into the street to see the exhibition, but bythe time they had gotten outside the fence that enclosed the lawn thecloud of dust had rolled on far down the street.
The ladies of the family were leaning over the fence clapping theirhands.
"There they come back," cried Miss Millicent. "That is Mr. Butler inthe lead."
Tad, sitting his saddle as if he were, indeed, a part of it, sweptpast, lifting his hat. Miss Millicent flung a long-stemmed rosetoward him. The rose fell short, landing at the side of the road.
With marvelous quickness of thought the Pony Rider Boy swerved hispony to one side, threw himself over and caught up the rose by thevery tips of his fingers. He came within a fraction of an inch ofmissing it, but the recovery was beautifully done, arousing greatenthusiasm among the spectators, few of whom ever had seen any suchrough-riding.
Stacy flung his hat into the air, letting it fall to the ground, thenother hats went the same way. Taking a short ride up the street, theboys wheeled and came back at a terrific pace, swinging down fromtheir saddles and scooping up their hats. Tad, however, suddenlychanged his mind about recovering his hat. He had discovered alittle colored boy of about ten years running across the street toget out of the way. The youngster made even greater haste when hesaw Tad heading towards him, and placing one hand on the fenceenclosing the Clowney grounds, the youngster vaulted.
Tad's rope was whirling about his own head. He let it go while thefeet of the pickaninny were still in the air. The loop caught one ofthe colored youngster's feet and was suddenly jerked taut, and thepickaninny landed on his head and shoulders on the lawn with Tad'srope drawn tight around the little fellow's ankle. The pickaninnywas yelling lustily.
Butler brought his horse down so suddenly that the animal plowed upthe dirt all the way to the fence. The slightest mistake or error ofcalculation might have resulted in serious injury to the littlecolored boy, but Butler was confident of himself, the onlyuncertainty being his mount, which of course he did not know verywell. The white horse played his part like a veteran cow pony.
How the spectators did applaud! They went wild with enthusiasm, butthe colored people did not cheer; they stood in wholesome awe of TadButler's ready rope. There was something almost uncanny to them inthe way the lad had roped the pickaninny, and they took good care tocrowd back farther from the street lest the boy might take it intohis head to rope another of them.
"Will these horses jump, Mr. Lilly?" called Tad.
"As high as themselves," answered the guide.
Tad tried his mount over the yard fence and was delighted at itsjumping skill. Then the others poured over into the yard, averitable mounted cataract.
Next they gave an exhibition of rescuing a dismounted companion,jerking the boy up from the ground while the rider's horse was atfull gallop. There seemed no end to the stunts that the Pony RiderBoys could do, and they gave the spectators everyth
ing they knewalong this line. Professor Zepplin's eyes were glowing. He was proudof the achievements of his boys, and well he might be, for theirperformance had been a most unusual one.
The lads brought their exhibition to a close by approaching the fencein a slow trot, and slipping from their saddles without the leastattempt to be spectacular. This was as much of a surprise to thespectators as had been the more startling feats, for they had notlooked for so slow a finish.
"We don't want to tire out our horses, you know," explained Tad."They have a long journey ahead of them today."
"Yes, we could do a lot more if it weren't for that," added StacyBrown pompously.
"It was splendid!" cried the young ladies. "It was marvelous."
"The finest exhibition I have ever witnessed," declared the Major."Do you shoot also?"
"We are the only ones who really do," admitted Stacy modestly.
"I am afraid our friend Stacy is laying it on a little too strong,"laughed Tad, "though we are not what you might call bad shots,especially in the case of Stacy Brown. Why he once shot ProfessorZepplin's hat off and never touched a hair."
The fat boy flushed. Further teasing along this line was interruptedby the servants coming out with a pitcher of lemonade, which the boysdrank sitting on the lawn in the shade of the trees. After a visitof half an hour, Billy Lilly said they had better be going if theywere to make Tensas Bayou that night as they had planned to do, sobidding good-bye to their new-found friends, the lads rode away,waving their hats in response to the fluttering handkerchiefs of theClowney family. Proceeding to the hotel, packs were lashed to thehorses, and shortly after that a cloud of dust just outside the townmarked the trail that the Pony Rider Boys were following on their wayto the jungle.