"Pair of budding warriors, all right; an' awful important. Somebody must
'a' told _them_ they had brains," Mr. Cassidy muttered. "They're just
at the age when they knows it all an' have to go 'round raising hell all
the time. Wonder when they jumped the reservation."
The Indians, seeing Mr. Connors arguing with his prostrate horse, and
taking it for granted that he was not stopping for pleasure or to view
the scenery, let out a yell and dashed ahead at grater speed, at the
same time separating so as to encircle him and attack him front and rear
at the same time. They had a great amount of respect for cowboys.
This manoeuvre was entirely unexpected and clashed violently with Mr.
Cassidy's plan of procedure, so two irate punchers swore heartily at
their rank stupidity in not counting on it. Of course everybody that
knew anything at all about such warfare knew that they would do just
such a thing, which made it all the more bitter. But Red had cultivated
the habit of thinking quickly and he saw at once that the remedy
lay with him; he astonished the exultant savages by straddling his
disgruntled horse as it scrambled to its feet and galloping away from
them, bearing slightly to the south, because he wished to lure his
pursuers to ride closer to his anxious and eager friend.
This action was a success, for the yelling warriors, slowing perceptibly
because of their natural astonishment at the resurrection and speed of
an animal regarded as dead or useless, spurred on again, drawing closer
together, and along the chord of the arc made by Mr.
Pages:
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98