FARMER DOBSON AND HIS PRIZE BULL
This was a species of game that Jerry was not looking for that morning,
thank you.
Perhaps bulls were not mentioned as being included in the closed season,
but they had a value attached to them, and he was not in the humor to
give Farmer Dobson any sort of club to hold over his head.
Jerry did not like the idea of taking to a tree, either. Flight, then,
would seem to be his only course.
To leave the "tote" road and dash wildly through the forest was his
plan, as he saw the bull coming so hurriedly in his direction.
Before he could even start toward putting this idea into play another
actor had appeared on the scene.
Jerry saw a figure rushing through the scrub with the evident idea of
intercepting the oncoming bull. He immediately recognized the flaming
red bandana which he had noticed around the thick neck of the farmer on
the occasion of his visit to the camp.
Then Jerry grinned, nor did he make the first move toward leaving.
Stepping to one side, he screened himself behind a friendly tree and
waited.
"There's his bull, all right. Now let's see how he leads him home by the
ring in his nose. It will show me how," was what he was saying as he
peeped around the base of his ambush.
The bull still came on. Somehow he seemed to take a new lease of life at
sight of Farmer Dobson. It may have been caused by the flaming
handkerchief just below the red face of the tiller of the soil. Then
again, possibly, a list of indignities suffered in the past at the hands
of this same owner occurred to the bull.
Jerry saw the man flaunt his arms wildly in the air. He was shouting
loudly, too, and perhaps in the past the sound of his hoarse voice had
cowed the bull.
"But the bully old chap doesn't seem to care a snap now for all his
ranting--not so you could notice!" exclaimed the observer, in delight.
This fact finally became apparent to the farmer. By that time the animal
was within twenty feet of him, and still advancing. Indeed, no one
could blame Dobson for turning and running. The appearance of that big
beast, with lowered head, and tail standing out stiff in the rear,
during his charge, was enough to send terror to the heart of even a
braver man than Farmer Dobson.
"Three to one on the bull!" exclaimed Jerry, unmindful of the fact that
the chase was heading toward him.
Fast though the bulky farmer ran, the bull overhauled him in speedy
order. Jerry fairly held his breath as the collision occurred, and
gripped his gun as though half tempted to shoot.
Then it was all over but the shouting. The watching boy saw something
bulky ascending gracefully into the air; nor was he in the least doubt
as to what this figure with the sprawling arms and legs must be.
Farmer Dobson was getting a rise in the world. He crashed through the
lower branches of an oak, and stuck there.
"Wow!" exclaimed Jerry, breathing again. "He's straddling a limb! What
luck!"
He was tempted to let out a tremendous yell, so charged had he become
with excitement, but he caught himself just in the nick of time.
"Ginger! That would turn the attention of good old Bowser from Dobson to
me. A perch in a tree doesn't tempt me just now. Wonder what is going
to happen next?" was what Jerry kept saying to himself.
He soon knew.
The bull was pawing the ground angrily and bellowing at the foot of the
tree, now and then casting a look upward. Evidently he could not
understand why the ripe plum did not fall down again so that he could
practice some more.
The farmer by this time had recovered his wind to some extent. His heavy
voice could be heard shouting at the animal, as though in that way he
could send him about his business.
"The bull doesn't seem to care whether school keeps or not. He's got his
man up a tree, and I expect he means to keep him there. What's that
Dobson is saying? Can he have seen me?"
"Hey, you fellers! Come here and chase this beast away! A dollar apiece
if ye coax him off, d'ye hear?"
Jerry realized that from his elevated perch Dobson must have sighted
some others near by. Possibly they were lumbermen, looking over this
section for some purpose.
"Cracky! I'd like to see 'em coax! Perhaps the circus ain't over yet,"
chuckled Jerry, with all a boy's love for fun.
Shouts were heard in the near distance. Jerry pricked up his ears at
catching the boyish inflection of these outcries.
"Those fellows are Pet Peters and his crowd. Gee-whittaker! What luck
for me, with this reserved seat at the show!" he laughed.
He heard the crash of the undergrowth as the newcomers advanced on the
run. The promise of a big dollar apiece was an attractive lure to the
Peters lot, and there was little they would not have attempted to earn
so easily.
Each of them had armed himself with a stout stick of some sort. Some
were long, and others short, but all promised to be serviceable in
chasing away the domestic animal that had treed the farmer.
The bull paid no attention to the new arrivals until they were closing
in on him from all sides.
"Say! I believe that old critter is playing 'possum. He doesn't want to
scare the Peters crowd till he gets 'em in close. Now look what's going
to happen! Whoop!"
The bull had suddenly whirled around, and made a bee-line for the
nearest of the circle. That worthy happened to be Pet himself. His
courage oozed out at sight of that terrible beast bearing swiftly down
upon him.
Throwing away his stick he started to run, but the bull was too close
upon him.
"Up he goes!" shouted Jerry in admiration, as he saw the figure of Pet
whirling into the branches of another tree, where he clung desperately,
half frightened to death.
This time the bull did not wait to strike the ground with his hoofs, and
bellow. He seemed to know that there was plenty more excitement close
by, if only he looked for it.
"Run!" shrieked Jerry, as the animal caught sight of a second chap
trying to scuttle off.
Every boy was by this time rattled. They no longer had any thought of
hostile action toward the old hero of many a battle. Those little black
horns, each surmounted with a shining brass ball, sent a spasm of terror
to their hearts, and not the promise of five dollars apiece would tempt
them to linger.
But the bull was not satisfied with the scattering of his enemies. He
yearned for more exercise, apparently, for he started to chase, first
this fleeing boy, and then, turning aside, galloped after another, until
he had the entire bunch panic-stricken, most of them howling in an
excess of fear.
Jerry just lay down on the ground and shook with laughter. He could not
remember when such a feast had come his way.
At the same time he was wise enough to do nothing to attract the
attention of the bull. Let the animal return to his two treed prisoners,
if he wished, and keep them straddling those limbs a few hours. The
experience would do them good, perhaps.
Having chased the aggressors away, the bull now came trotting back to
the scene of his victory. It was simply ludicrous to see the manner in
which he passed from one tree to the other, bellowing, and shaking that
big head of his as if daring the human birds to come down.
"Hey, there, Mister Dobson! Ain't yuh goin' to get that bull away? I
don't want to sit up here all day an' night. It's yer business to drop
down an' coax him to go home!" shouted Pet.
What the farmer said made Jerry shake all over with amusement; but while
it seemed to act as a safety-valve to his feelings, perhaps it would not
look well in print, being a series of vigorous exclamations.
"Say, I'll hold ye for damages, Farmer Dobson!" Pet wailed, trying to
rub himself in half a dozen places at once.
"Go to grass! I ain't doing nothing; just sitting here! Hold the bull
for damages, if ye want to," answered the other, who had a few pet
bruises of his own that needed attention, and which kept him from
feeling humorous over the situation.
"How we a-goin' to get down?" next asked Pet.
"The critter'll get tired after a while, and wander off. All ye have to
do is to sit still, and try not to excite him any more. I'll give ye the
dollar all the same, boy, 'cause I seen ye earn it; but them other
fellers run off, an' they don't get a cent."
"What do I get for sticking the whole performance out?" called Jerry
just then, at the same time taking care not to show himself to the bull.
The farmer and Pet looked in vain to see the speaker.
"It's that Jerry Wallington. I seen him when we was runnin' up. Say,
Farmer, ain't there any way to sick the measly old bull on him?" called
Pet.
"You'll have to excuse me, gentlemen, but I've got a previous
engagement. Good-by!" Saying which, Jerry slid off, keeping the tree
between himself and the animal until he thought it safe to stand erect.