Frank Merriwell's Athletes Part 54

"Wal, be ye reddy naow?" asked Ephraim.

"Yaw. Led her went!"

Barney and Ephraim gave a whoop and lifted Hans off his feet. Then, as the broncho shied sideways, they dropped him with a dull thud to the ground, where he struck in a sitting posture, the breath going out of his body with a grunted puff.

The cowboys laughed heartily, and the girls, who were watching from a distance, were much amused, Miss Gale alone looking severe and unruffled.

"Shimminy Gristmas!" gasped the Dutch boy, as soon as he could catch his breath. "Why you done dot, ain'd id? Why you scared der p.r.o.ncho your holler mit? Don'd you know somedings?"

"Haw! haw! haw!" laughed Ephraim, slapping his thigh. "Darn my pertaturs! but that's ther funniest thing I ever saw!"

"Hey?" squawked Hans, shaking his fist at the Vermonter. "Vot you don'd peen laughin' at? I don'd seen nottings funny apoud id!"

He got up slowly and advanced toward the broncho, which was standing quiet enough.

"Begorra! it wur a mistake, me b'y," declared Barney. "It wur simply an exidint."

"Oh, id vos an oxident?" said Hans, his suspicions allayed by Barney's honest manner. "Vale, don'd you led id fail to happen again. Und if dot Yankee poy from Fermonts done dot any more I peen goin' ter kick uf him der 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 made a significant upward gesture behind Hans' back, and Ephraim nodded and chuckled.

"Are yez riddy?" Barney asked once more.

"Yaw. Led her gone!"

Then, with all their strength, the mischievous a.s.sistants fairly flung the 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 slowly reached out toward the sky with his hands, as if trying to catch something.

"Py shimminy!" he exclaimed; "I nefer seen such peautiful fireworks pefore!"

This seemed to amuse the gathering cowboys more than anything that had happened, and their shouts of laughter aroused the fallen lad, who sat up 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 he regarded 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 been alriddy."

"Did der p.r.o.ncho move?"

"Move?" cried Ephraim, with a broad gesture. "Does dynamite move if yeou swat it with a brick!"

Hans faced the animal, shaking his fist angrily at the innocent creature.

"Look ad here, Mister p.r.o.ncho!" he squealed; "uf you don'd done dot again, I peen goin' to kick uf you der hay oudt! Dot vos peesness! I don'd dislike dot foolin', und I vant you to misunderstood dot!"

"Thar, b'gosh!" said Ephraim; "I kinder guess the gol darn critter understands it naow!"

"You pet! Now, you put me ub right avay queek pefore he haf forgotten id. Hurry up!"

Again the boys caught hold of Hans, but this time they lifted him onto the back of the broncho, where, with no small amount of awkwardness, he succeeded in getting seated in the saddle.

"Hah!" he cried, triumphantly. "Don'd I toldt you so! Ven I vos retty to done peesness, I vos der poy to got there!"

"Hurrah!" shouted the other boys, waving their caps and hands. "What's the matter with Dunnerwust? He's all right! 'Rah! 'rah! 'rah!"

The Dutch boy looked proud as a peac.o.c.k.

"Look avay oudt now!" he said. "I vas goin' to shown you der vay to ride."

Then he tried to start the broncho, but the animal refused to stir.

"Vot peen der madder mit you?" angrily demanded Hans, striking the creature with his hand. "Why you don'd gone along, ain'd id?"

Still the broncho stood quite still, its head down and its short ears tipped back in an ominous manner.

Hans tried in various ways to start the creature up, but was not successful.

"Der p.r.o.ncho peen dead!" he said, in disgust, thumping the animal with his heels.

As if resenting this, the creature suddenly gave a squeal, made a bound into the air, and came down with all four feet close together and its back "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 tried to catch hold and cling on, but the broncho made another leap.

"h.e.l.lup! h.e.l.lup!" roared Hans, as he again shot into the air. "Dat p.r.o.ncho haf injy-rubber mit his pack in!"

CHAPTER x.x.x-INDIAN CHARLIE'S GAME

Although he realized that Hans might be injured, Frank could not restrain his laughter, for the spectacle was one to make a wooden image laugh.

Barney and Ephraim were convulsed.

"Oh!" shouted the Irish lad, holding his hands to his sides and swaying forward and backward. "See th' broncho play bounce ball wid th'

Doochman!"

"Gol darned if this ain't better'n goin' to ther best circus that ever struck aour part of the country!" laughed the Vermonter. "I'd ruther see it than a hull cage of monkeys, b'gosh! Haw! haw! haw!"