TRICK RIDING.
The Indians made room for Frank to mount and ride.
Standing beside the wheel Frank sprang into the saddle without using
the step, caught the pedals and started.
The savages gave utterance to a grunt of wonder and admiration.
Frank had practiced trick riding, and he now proposed to exhibit his
skill, feeling that it might be a good scheme to astonish the savages.
He started the bicycle into a circle, round which he rode with the
greatest ease, and then of a sudden he passed one leg over the frame,
and stood up on one of the pedals, which he kept in motion at the same
time.
The Indians nodded and looked pleased.
Then Frank began to step cross-legged from pedal to pedal, passing his
feet over the cross bar of the frame and keeping the wheel in motion
all the time.
A moment later he whirled about, and with his face toward the rear,
continued to pedal the bicycle ahead the same as if he had been seated
in the usual manner on the saddle.
"Heap good!" observed Black Feather.
Then, like a cat Merriwell wheeled about, lifted his feet over the
handlebars to which he clung, slipped down till he hung over the
forward wheel, placed his feet on the pedals, and rode in that manner.
This made it look as though he were dragging the bicycle along behind
him.
There was a stir among the Indians, and they looked at each other.
Without stopping the bicycle, Frank swung back over the handlebars to
the saddle. Having reached this position, he stopped suddenly, turning
the forward wheel at an angle, sitting there and gracefully balancing
on the stationary machine.
"Heap much good!" declared Black Feather, growing enthusiastic.
"Oh, those little things are dead easy," assured Frank, with a laugh.
"Do you really desire to see me do something that is worth doing?"
"What more white boy can do?"
"Several things, but I'll have to make a larger circle."
It was growing dark swiftly now, the sun being down and the shadows of
the mountains lying dark and gloomy in the valleys.
"Go 'head," directed Black Feather.
Frank started the bicycle in motion, and then, with it going at good
speed, he swung down on one side and slowly but neatly crept through
the frame, coming up on the other side and regaining the saddle
without stopping.
"Paleface boy great medicine!" said Black Feather.
"Ugh!" grunted all the Indians but Blue Wolf.
The little savage was looking on in a sullen, wondering way,
astonished and angered to think the white boy could do all those
things, while he had been unable to mount the two-wheeled horse.
"How do you like that, Black Feather?" asked Frank, cheerfully.
"Much big!" confessed the chief. "Do some more."
"All right. Catch onto this."
Then away Frank sped, lifting the forward wheel from the ground and
letting it hang suspended in the air, while he rode along on the rear
wheel.
"Merry is working hard enough," said Rattleton. "I never knew he could
do so many tricks."
"There are lots of things about that fellow that none of us know
anything about," asserted Browning, who was no less surprised,
although he did not show it.
"He is a fool to work so hard to please these wretched savages!"
muttered Diamond.
"Now, don't you take Frank Merriwell for a fool in anything!" came
swiftly from Harry. "I never knew him to make a fool of himself in all
my life, and I have seen a good deal of him."
"Well, why is he cutting up all those monkey tricks? What will it
amount to when it is all over?"
"Wait and see."
"The Indians will treat us just the same as if he had not done those
things."
"Perhaps so."
"Of course they will!"
"Now, Black Feather, old jiblets," cried Frank, in his merriest
manner, "I am going to do something else. Get onto this."
Sending the bicycle along at high speed Frank lay over the handlebars
and swung his feet into the air till he held himself suspended in that
manner, head down and feet up.
The Indians were more pleased and astonished than ever.
"Oh, it's all in knowing how!" laughed Frank, as he gracefully and
lightly dropped back to the saddle.
Again the Indians grunted.
"Now, Black Feather, old chappie," said Frank, "I am going to do the
greatest trick of all. I'll have to get a big start and have lots of
room. Watch me close."
Away he went, bending over the handlebars and sending the bicycle
flying over the ground. He acted as if he intended to make a big
circle, but suddenly turned and rode straight toward the pass by which
they had entered the basin. Before the Indians could realize his
intention, he was almost out of sight in the darkness of the young
night.
Howls of rage and dismay broke from the redmen. They shouted after the
boy, but he kept right on, quickly disappearing from view.
"There," sighed Browning, with satisfaction, "I told you he was not
doing all that work for nothing, fellows."
"He's done gone an' lef us!" wailed Toots.
"That's what he has!" grated Diamond--"left us to the mercy of these
miserable redskins! That's a fine trick!"
"Oh, will you ever get over it?" rasped Rattleton. "Why shouldn't he?
He had his chance, and he'd been a fool not to skin out!"
"I thought he would stand by us in such a scrape as this."
"What you thought doesn't cut any ice. He'll come back."
"After we are murdered."
Rattleton would have said something more, but the Indians, who had
been holding an excited conversation, suddenly grasped the four
remaining lads in a threatening manner.
"Oh, mah goodness!" palpitated Toots. "Heah is whar I's gwan teh lose
mah wool! It am feelin' po'erful loose already!"
Browning was on the point of launching out with his heavy fists and
making as good battle of it as he could when he heard Black Feather
say:
"No hurt white boys. Make um keep still, so um not run 'way off like
odder white boy. That am all."
"I'll take chances on it," muttered Bruce, giving up quietly.
The four lads were forced to sit on the ground, and some of the
savages squatted near. The fire was replenished, and the Indians
seemed to hold a council.
"Deciding how they will kill us," said Diamond, gloomily.
"Nothing of the sort," declared Rattleton. "See them making motions
toward the bicycles. They are talking about the wonderful two-wheeled
horses."
"Gracious!" gasped Toots; "dat meks mah hair feel easier!"
Browning held a hand on his stomach in a pathetic manner.
"Oh, my!" he murmured. "How vacant and lonely my interior department
seems to be! Methinks I could dine."
"The hard bread and jerked beef," whispered Jack. "It is in the
carriers attached to the wheels."
"Yes, and we had better let it remain there."
"Why?"
"These Indians look hungry, too."
"You think----"
"I do. They will take it away from us and eat it if we bring it out.
That would leave us in a bad fix."
"But they can get it out of the carriers."
"They can, but they won't."
"Why not?"
"They are afraid of those bicycles--so afraid that they will not go
near them. Therefore our hard bread and jerked beef is safe as long as
we let it remain where it is."
Harry agreed with Bruce, and they decided not to touch the food in the
carriers; but all were thirsty again, and they expressed a desire to
have another drink from the water-hole.
To this the Indians did not object, and they took turns at drinking,
although the water did not taste nearly as sweet as it had the first
time.
Having satisfied themselves in this manner they sat down on the ground
once more, being compelled to do so by the redskins, who were watching
them closely.
"They have us in a bad position in case they take a notion to crack us
over the head," said Harry. "We wouldn't get a show."
"Mah gracious!" gurgled Toots, holding fast to his scalp with both
hands. "We's gwan teh git it fo' suah, chilluns! De fus' fing we know
we won't no nuffin'!"
"We must get out of this somehow," muttered Bruce.
"That's right," nodded Jack. "Merriwell has taken care of himself, and
left us to take care of ourselves."
He spoke in a manner that showed he felt that Frank had done them a
great wrong.
"It's a good thing he got away as he did," asserted Harry. "Now we
know we have a friend who is not a captive like ourselves, and we know
he knows the fix we are in. You may be sure he will do what he can for
us."
"He'll do what he can for himself. How can he do anything for us?"
"He'll find a way."
"I doubt it."
"You have become a great doubter and kicker of late, Diamond. It is
certain the loss of that Mormon girl who married the other fellow has
soured you, for you were not this way before. Why don't you try to
forget her?"
"I wish you might forget her! You make me sick talking about her so
much! I don't like it at all!"
"If you don't like it lump it."
Jack and Harry glared at each other as if they were on the point of
coming to blows, and this gave Browning an idea. He saw the Indians
had noticed there was a disagreement between the boys, and he leaned
forward, saying in a low tone:
"Keep at it, fellows--keep at it! I have a scheme. Pretend you are
fighting, and they will let you get on your feet. When I cry ready
we'll all make a jump for our wheels, catch them up, place them in the
form of a square, and stand within the square. The redskins are afraid
of the wheels--think them 'bad medicine.' They won't dare touch us."
Browning had made his idea clear with surprising swiftness, and the
other boys were astonished, for they had come to believe that the big
fellow never had an original idea in his head.
Both Jack and Harry were taken by the scheme, and Diamond quickly
said:
"It's a go. Keep on with the quarrel, Rattleton."
Harry did so, and in a very few seconds they were at it in a manner
that seemed intensely in earnest. Their voices rose higher and higher,
and they scowled fiercely, flourishing their clinched hands in the air
and shaking them under each other's nose.
Browning got into the game by making a bluff at stopping the quarrel,
which seemed to be quite ineffectual. He seemed to try to force
himself between them, but Rattleton hit him a hard crack on the jaw
with his fist, with which he was threatening Diamond.
"Scissors!" gurgled Bruce, as he keeled over on his back, holding both
hands to his jaw. "What do you take me for--a punching bag?"
"You have received what peacemakers usually get," said Harry, as he
continued to threaten Diamond.
The Indians looked on complacently, their appearance seeming to
indicate that they were mildly interested, but did not care a
continental if the two white boys hammered each other.
Jack scrambled to his feet and dared Harry to get up. Harry declared
he would not take a dare, and he got up. Then Bruce and Toots lost no
time in doing likewise, and, just when it seemed that the apparently
angry lads were going to begin hammering each other Browning cried:
"Ready!"
Immediately the boys made a leap for the bicycles, caught them up,
formed a square with them, and stood behind the machines, like
soldiers within a fort.
The Indians uttered shouts of astonishment, and the four boys found
themselves looking into the muzzles of the guns in the hands of the
savages.
"What white boys mean to do?" harshly demanded Black Feather. "No can
run away."
"Heap shoot um!" howled Blue Wolf, who seemed eager to slaughter the
captives. "Then no can run away."
"Hold on!" ordered Browning, with a calm wave of his hand. "We want to
parley."
"Want to pow-wow?" asked Black Feather.
"That's it."
"No pow-wow with white boys. White boys Injuns' prisoners. No pow-wow
with prisoners."
"No!" shouted Blue Wolf. "Shoot um! shoot um!"
"Land ob massy!" gurgled Toots. "Dey am gwan teh shoot!"
"Black Feather," said Browning, with assumed assurance and dignity,
"it will not be a healthy thing for your men to shoot us."
"How? how?"
"Do you see that we are protected by the 'bad medicine' machines? If
you were to do us harm now, these machines would utterly destroy you
and every one of your party. The moment you fired at us these machines
would be like so many demons let loose, and as they are not made of
flesh and blood, they could not be harmed. Not one of your party could
escape them."
The light of the fire showed that the Indians looked at each other
with mingled incredulity and fear.
"Wow!" muttered Rattleton. "Is this Browning I hear? How did you
happen to think of such a bluff?"
"Have to think in a case like this," returned the big fellow,
guardedly. "I think only when it is absolutely necessary. This is one
of those occasions."
The Indians got together and held a consultation.
"Can't we make a run for it now?" asked Diamond, eagerly.
"We can," nodded Bruce, "but we won't run far. They'd be able to drop
us before we could get out of the light of the fire."
"What can we do?"
"Why, we'll have to----"
Browning was interrupted by a clatter of hoofs, which caused him to
turn toward the East. The Indians heard the sound, and they turned
also.
Then wild yells of terror rent the air.