CHAPTER XIX.
EZRA, THE LIFE-SAVING GOAT.
Ted had engaged several sections on the through sleeping car to NorthPlatte, Nebraska, the old home of Colonel William Cody, known all overthe world as "Buffalo Bill."
But they were to leave the train at Green River, ostensibly to buycattle for their ranch. This, of course, was to avert suspicion fromtheir real purpose of hunting down the express robbers.
For Mrs. Graham and Stella the stateroom of the car _Orizaba_ had beenengaged, and the boys made it a sort of ceremonial chamber.
The car was well filled with other passengers, many of them tourists onthe way to Colorado or the Pacific coast, and they were much amused atthe free-and-easy spirit with which the boys conducted themselves, andwhen it became generally known that they were the broncho boys, with TedStrong at their head, they received a great deal of attention, which wasnot particularly to Ted's liking.
As usual, wherever they were, Bud Morgan, Ben Tremont, and Carl Schwartzprovided a fund of amusement for everybody.
Little Dick Fosdick had never known such happiness as he was nowexperiencing. He worshiped Stella, admired Ted, and looked upon Bud asthe greatest pal a boy ever had.
He and Bud were inseparable, and Bud never tired of telling him yarnsabout cow-punching and Indian fighting, while the boy proved abreathless listener, hanging upon every word that fell from theyellow-haired cowboy's lips.
He knew by heart many of the adventures through which Ted Strong hadpassed, and often surprised Ted by correcting some inaccuracy which,through a lapse of memory, Ted had made.
They were sailing across Missouri toward the West, and the boy kept hisface glued to the window, watching for the first glimpse of the goldenWest of his fancy. Just at present he saw only farms and little towns,through which the fast train whizzed without stopping.
The boy knew this sort of country well, and was rather disappointed thatthe boundless prairie did not roll before him from horizon to horizon.
Then he turned his attention to the luxury of the car, but being ahealthy boy, this did not impress him long, and he turned to his heroesfor relief.
Bud was sitting comfortably sprawled out on two seats, singing softly tohimself. Bud could not sing a little bit, but he thought he could, whichserved his purpose personally quite as well as if he could.
Ben was in the seat behind him, reading. After a while Bud's music, orthe lack of it, got on Ben's nerves, and he reached over and poked Budon top of his golden head with the corner of his book.
"Say," said he, "put on the soft pedal, won't you? Perhaps you can sing,and maybe some one told you you could, but take it from me you have nomore voice or musical ability than a he-goat."
"Oh, mercy!" retorted Bud. "Does my music annoy you?"
"It certainly does," snapped Ben.
"Then why don't yer move away?"
"Bah! You're an old goat."
"Thanks fer ther compliment, although yer don't mean it thet away. Butwhen yer likens me ter a goat yer do me proud. If yer were more goatlikeyerself ye'd be a heap more wiser."
"I'm glad you like it. The pleasure's all yours. But if a fellow calledme a goat, I know what I'd do."
"Maybe, perhaps. But yer needn't be afraid that any one will liken yerter a goat. Any self-respectin' goat would get sore at it. If I wuz terpick out yer counterpart in ther animile world, I'd say yer mostresembled the phillaloo?"
"What's a phillaloo?"
"A phillaloo is a cross between a penguin and a jassack."
"Say, you long-haired lobster!" cried Ben, leaping to his feet,apparently in great anger, "don't you call me anything like that."
"Well, didn't yer jest call me a goat?"
"Yes, but--"
"Then sit down an' git back ter yer love story; we're square. Nothin' islost on both sides. But callin' me a goat don't make me sore none. Ijest dote on goats. If I wasn't jest what I am, I'd sooner be a goatthan a collidge gradooate."
"I've heard about enough, if you're alluding to me."
"Take it er leave it. But, ez I wuz goin' ter say before my conversationwas cut inter by a loud an' empty noise, speakin' o' goats reminds me o'a time down on ther Pecos--"
"By Jove! I'm going to ask the conductor to move me into another car.This is too much. I might, perhaps, stand for being called a phillaloo,but I swear I'll not be compelled to stay here and listen to one ofthose silly and impossible stories of this insane cow-puncher."
At first some of the passengers thought that Bud and Ben were reallyangry at one another, but the wise ones soon saw that it was all bluff,as, of course, the broncho boys knew.
But it was very real to Dick Fosdick, who had yet many things to learnabout the boys and their ways, and while the little chap was far tooclever naturally to show his feelings, he sided with Bud, and thoughtthat Ben was very unreasonable, especially as the boys, and some of thepassengers, had flocked around Bud, who appeared not to notice them.
"I reckon, Dick, you'd like ter hear thet thar story erbout the time Ilied down on ther Pecos in the summer o'--"
"Conductor," said Ben, detaining that official as he was passing throughthe car, "is there no way of stopping the noise this person is making? Icannot take my nap on account of his chatter."
Several persons who were not in the secret were for interfering inbehalf of Bud and his story, which they wanted to hear, but were headedoff by the conductor, who said:
"Sorry, but I cannot interfere with the gentleman. He does not seem tobe annoying the other passengers. If you wish to take a nap you are atliberty to go up ahead in the smoking car."
At this Bud began to gloat.
"I hear they've put a cattle car up next ter ther injine fer sechsensitive people like you. Yer might enj'y a leetle siesta on therstraw."
Ben sank back into his seat, and began to snore gently.
"What about the story down on the Pecos, Bud?" said Dick.
"You'd like to hear it, eh? Then I'll tell it to you. Of course, theother folks may listen to it, but it is understood betwixt me an' youthet it's all yours, an' whatever goes inter their ears is jest therleavin's. Is that a go?"
The boy nodded eagerly, even though he didn't understand the drift ofBud's remarks.
"What's the story about?" asked the boy.
"The goat, my boy. Perhaps you don't know it, but the goat is one ofthe noblest animals what walks. He is also one o' ther smartest, an' informer years used ter be able ter talk, but ez soon ez he got ter be sopopular in secret societies ther gift o' speech was withdrawed from him,so thet he wouldn't be able ter give erway ther secret things what hesaw an' heard at ther meetin's."
"But, Bud, are they really smart?" asked Dick.
"Smart ain't no name fer it. All yer got ter do to find out if they'resmart is ter look at their whiskers. The smartest o' all animiles isman, an' don't he wear whiskers? An' I want ter ast yer what otheranimile hez whiskers exceptin' ther goat. Ther goat knew what he wasabout when he begin ter raise whiskers. He says ter hisself--"
"What bosh!" exclaimed Ben, snorting in his sleep.
"Aire you addressin' yer remarks ter me?" asked Bud, looking over theback of the seat at Bud. But the only answer was a gentle snore.
"What did he say?" asked Dick eagerly.
"'Why,' says he, 'if they won't let me talk they can't keep me frombein' ez near a man ez I kin go; by gravy, I'll raise whiskers likeDeacon Smith,' who was a member o' ther lodge in which ther goatofficiated; and, by jinks, he did, an' ther fashion wuz follered, an'they wear them ter this day.
"There ain't no question o' their smartness, an' their prominence. Ain'tone o' ther signs o' the zodiac up in ther heavens named after thergoat--Capricornus is ther feller ter what I refer--an' them heathenchaps what wuz half man an' half goat? Didn't they come pretty nearbein' ther whole thing?"
"But about the Pecos?" inquired Dick, who was not partial to preaching,but wanted to get at the heart of the story.
"Oh. yes. I wuz leadin' up ter it
gradooal, fer what I'm goin' terrelate--if thet yap will choke off on thet moosical snore--"
"Here, wake up, you're snoring so loud we can't hear ourselves holler,"said Kit, reaching over and shaking Ben.
"I can't keep awake while that fellow persists in yarning away like afanning machine. It's so monotonous I can't keep awake," and Benstretched and yawned.
"Let's get away from here and go to some other part of the car,"whispered Dick.
"No, we'll just stay here an' spite him. He'll wake up after a while an'be glad to listen to ther story. So here goes!
"I was punchin' cow's down on the Pecos one summer fer ther Crazy BRanch. We had eight punchers in ther bunch, a good chuck wagon, an' easywork, so I wuz pretty well suited, an' thet summer I gained twelvepounds, even if it wuz a hundred an' forty in ther shade, which we hedforgotten ter bring along with us."
"Forgotten to bring what?" asked the boy.
"Our shade. Yer see, down in thet country ther sun is so strong thetevery one carries his own shade, fer there isn't a tree in ther wholecountry big enough ter cast a shadder o' any sort. Out on ther ranches,at certain seasons o' ther year, they serve out shade ter ther men jestther same ez they do bacon an' saleratus ter ther outfit thet goes outherdin'."
Dick looked seriously at Bud for a moment, hardly knowing whether or notto doubt him, but Bud's face was as grave as a deacon's.
"I don't understand it, I'm sure," he said. "But where do they get theshade to give to the men?"
"That's easy enough. It's always gathered on dark nights, generally latein ther fall er in ther winter, so thet it'll be real cool."
"But where do they get it?"
"What--ther shade? Why, they just go out an' gather it off the ground inthin shapes, kinder longer than broad. It can be rolled up just like ablanket, an' carried behind ther saddle. It's gathered in ther coldmonths. Ye've heard o' ther 'cool shade.' Well, that's why they gatherit late in the year. Summer shade is no good, because it's too warm."
"But what is it like?"
"Oh, it's black, an' I hear they strip it off close ter ther ground. Wedon't get no shade like it in this part o' ther country. Ther only placewhat hez it is ther West, whar it's needed most."
"But how about the Pecos?"
"Sho! I almost fergot it, didn't I, while teachin' yer something erboutther way they do things in Arizony an' her sister-in-law, Noo Mexico?Now I'm off, shore.
"Ping-pong Martin wuz in ther outfit thet year. Mebbe yer knows him?"Bud looked at the small boy inquiringly, much to his embarrassment.
"No, sir, I never heard of him before."
"Well, no matter, but this Ping-pong cuss, he had a personal friend, agoat, what couldn't no more be shook than a sore thumb, and had folleredPing off ter ther wars, so to speak.
"Ping run off from home on ther quiet ter join our outfit, leavin' thergoat to home, locked up in ther barn. Ping thought he hed ther goatfaded, but one day, when we wuz half asleep in our saddles, a fellerover on ther other side come a-runnin' in.
"'What's ther matter?' sez I.
"Thar's a funny animile over here. He shore is ther devil, fer he wearshorns, an' hez a face exactly like thet o' ole man Pillsbury. I ain'tbettin' none it ain't him. But if it is Pillsbury, he better not gohome lookin' like thet 'thout lettin' his wife know first.'
"Ping an' me rode over ter ther other side, an' thar stood a goat,lookin' so nice an' socierble.
"'Great hevings!' shouted Ping, makin' a rush fer ther goat, 'thet's mygoat Ezra, ain't you?'"
"Did the goat understand him?"
"Did he understand him? Well, I should whisper sweetly. Why, thet goatjest jumped all over Ping, a-runnin' his whiskers inter his eyes, an'laughin', he wuz so glad ter see him. He'd traced Ping plumb ercrossther desert ter get ter us, an', o' course, we couldn't sic him homeafter that.
"We all got ter love Ezra fer his lovely ways; that is, all except'Boney Bill' Henderson."
"Why? Didn't the goat like him?"
"Well, it wuz this way: Boney Bill had a habit o' beggin' ther greasefrom ther fryin' pan every night ter ile his boots. This made 'em goodan' strong, ez well ez easy ter chew on. One night, Ezra bein' fond o'boots, finds 'em an' chews ther tops off'n 'em. They wuz ther only bootsBill hed, an' we wuz two hundred mile ter another pair, so Bill hed tergo through ther season barefoot, an' ther sun jest nacherly warped hisfeet out o' all shape.
"But thet wuzn't what I wuz goin' ter tell yer erbout. That fall therUtes went on ther warpath, an' wuz headin' our way, an' I want ter tellyer we wuz some scared. We hed several brushes with ther Injuns, an'ther courier we sent ter ther fort fer help wuz killed an' scalped.
"Thar we wuz, in a little valley entirely surrounded by Injuns thirstin'fer our gore. How long we could hold out agin' 'em wuz ther problem. Butwhenever one o' 'em showed his head we took a pop at it, an' theyreturned ther compliment. We wuz prayin' fer ther comin' o' thersoldiers, which wuz ther only thing what could save us from a horribledeath.
"Ther Injuns got next ter ther fact thet our ammunition wuz runnin'short, an' they wuz gittin' some gay; sorter takin' advantage o' us in away. I could see thet they wuz gettin' ready ter make a rush down interther valley an' massacree us all, an' we prepared ter sell our livesdearly.
"One mornin' we missed Ezra, ther goat. I'll never fergit ther misery onther face o' Ping-pong when he finds it out.
"'Bud,' he says ter me, 'I'm goin' out ter find Ezra, an' if them Injunshez got him, I'm goin' ter bust ther whole tribe wide open.'
"I tried ter persuade him not ter go, but he will, so I goes with him.We sneaks up ther side o' ther hill, an' looks over ther ridge rightdown inter ther Injun village. The sight what met our gaze almost, butnot quite, made me bust open with laughin'.
"Ther Injuns wuz all down on their hands an' knees, bowin' ter Ezra, whowuz walkin' eround on his hind legs, sashayin' sideways an' noddin' hishead jest like a live bock-beer sign. Yer see, ther Injuns hed neverseen a goat before, an' when Ezra walks onto them, waggin' his whiskersin a wise sort o' way, they thinks he's some kind o' a god, er somethin'like that. But when he got up on his hind legs an' begin ter sashay thetsettled it. They wuz shore o' it then.
"We watched ther performance fer a while, then ther Injuns got up an'begin ter mosey. In an hour thar wuzn't a Injun within twenty mile. Theyjest hit ther high places fer home.
"Thet wuz ther way Ezra saved our party. After thet he could hev etevery boot in ther outfit, an' thar wouldn't hev been a kick."
"What became of him?" asked Kit.
"Oh, he went back home with Ping an' raised a large family, an' theywuz talkin' o' runnin' him fer ther legislature an account o' hiswhiskers an' his smartness."
"He was a smart goat, wasn't he?" said Dick.
"You bet. Thet's why I said that some goats wuz jest ez smart ez lots o'collidge gradooates what I hev met."
Ted Strong's Motor Car Page 19
