This Tim well knew and as he was short of money and a circus was coming to town the next week, he decided to let him go. But not without one last effort to get a little more out of Mike. Now Mike had a hunting knife Tim had long coveted, though it had a rusty blade and a wobbly handle, so he said:
"I"ll tell you what I"ll do, Mike. I"ll let you have him for three dollars cash and your hunting knife with a package of cigarettes thrown in."
"All right, it"s a go!" said Mike. So Mike took hold of Billy"s rope and led him into his yard and thus Billy changed hands once more and became the property of Mike O"Hara.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
_Billy Gives the Boys a Ducking in the Mill Pond_
When Mike O"Hara became the possessor of Billy Whiskers he felt as proud as a peac.o.c.k, for he knew he had made a good bargain and got the best of Tim Rooney for once in his life, and this pleased him mightily as Tim generally got the best of him in a trade.
When he reached his own yard, he called over the fence for Tim to come and see what Billy and Nanny would do when they first saw each other. Tim accepted the invitation with alacrity and jumped over the fence just in time to see Nanny walk out of the shed, as they thought to make the acquaintance of Billy for the first time.
"Now is my chance," thought Billy, "to kiss her, and she can"t make a fuss before the boys." So up he walked and kissed her straight on the mouth. Nanny was so surprised that she gave him a startled look, turned her back and walked into the shed again.
"How is that for a cold snub!" said Tim. "Let us harness them together and see what they will do."
"All right," said Mike, "if you will help me make a harness for Billy. I have one for Nanny already."
The two set to work and in an hour had made a harness for Billy out of old leather straps and strings, and then they commenced to harness them to the little cart made out of a packing box set on wheels.
The goats bleated and squirmed, wiggled and bucked, but nothing dismayed the boys and they kept on until the two goats were harnessed up tight and strong to the cart, and then the fun began.
Mike jumped in and took up the reins and Tim followed after, and out of the yard and down the road they went, sending a cloud of dust after them.
From all sides went up the cry: "Look at Mike O"Hara, he has got a new goat!" And from front-yard, back-yard and sand-pile flocked the children to see the fun.
All went well for a quarter of a mile, when Tim, tired of running on behind, jumped in with Mike. Billy felt the additional weight in a minute and he bleated to Nanny that he would be switched if he would pull Tim Rooney, the boy who sold him so cheaply.
"You will have to," said Nanny.
"No, I won"t," said Billy. "You just watch and see what I will do! But you must promise to do quickly what I tell you to, or I can"t do it, because I am hitched up with you; so, Nanny, you will have to follow me and not pull back."
"All right," said Nanny, "I will do whatever you tell me to."
"Very well. Do you see that pond ahead?"
"Yes," answered Nanny.
"Now go slowly until we get within ten feet of it; then take a long breath and run straight into the water as far as you can go.
Don"t stop or turn to right or left no matter how hard they pull or scream. Keep right on and we will give Mr. Tim a ducking he won"t forget. I"ll teach him to stay out of any cart I am pulling!"
They were now ten feet from the pond and Billy gave Nanny the signal call, and with one accord both goats put down their heads and commenced to pull and run for dear life. At first the boys thought it great fun going so fast and neither suspected what the goats were up to, until Billy gave a quick turn and into the water they went before either boy could jump out.
The water was cold and deep and both boys took hold of the reins to try to stop the goats or make them turn round but to no use; on they went until only the heads of the boys were seen sticking out of the water and both goats were swimming. When they got in Billy enjoyed the wetting he was giving the boys so much, that he did not stop when he had wet their feet, but told Nanny to keep on until they were drenched to the skin.
While they were swimming, Billy said to Nan:
"I am tired of this, beside when we get to sh.o.r.e the boys will pound us for ducking them in the pond, so as soon as we get to sh.o.r.e I am going to run them into a big tree and upset them. This harness is so rotten that it will break at the least strain that is put on it, and when the cart goes over we will both give a big pull which will break it loose from the cart, and then we must run and hide in those thick bushes I see ahead, where the boys can"t find us."
"Oh, Billy, I am afraid," said Nanny. "They will surely find us and whip us and shut us up without any supper."
"You"re a coward, Nanny. Do what I tell you and I"ll take care of you. The boys will never find us if we once get loose and I"ll show you where there is the best supper you ever tasted."
And once again Nanny fell in with his plans and both goats began to swim for sh.o.r.e pulling the cart with the two boys still in it, scolding like magpies.
Once on sh.o.r.e, Billy turned to the left, instead of the right which was the way home, and made for a tree that was just the right size to catch the hub of the wheel and overturn the cart in great shape.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
The boy commenced to switch the goats for the ducking they had given them, and of course, thought the whipping the cause of their rapid progress; but could they have read Billy"s mind they would have seen their mistake, for Billy knew the harder and faster he hit the tree the more sure he was of smashing things and getting free.
Smash, bang, roll and tumble! the cart has. .h.i.t the tree and two boys are rolling over each other in the dust, while two goats go scampering off into the thick bushes that line the road.
Mike recovered himself first and started in hot pursuit of the runaways while Tim sat still on a stone and rubbed his head and nose which was bleeding profusely.
"Hurry, Nanny, hurry," Billy called as he disappeared from sight down a deep ravine. Poor Nanny was so frightened at what she had done, she could not hurry or begin to keep up with Billy, who made great leaps from rock to rock; so she ran under a thorn-apple tree and trusted to its low drooping branches to hide her.
But Mike was too close on her heels. He saw the moving of the branches and knew one of the goats was hiding there. She made a futile attempt to escape but the thorns ran into her so that she gave up and meekly let herself be led back to the cart.
"I have one of them," Mike called out as soon as he came in sight of Tim.
"Which one?" said Tim.
"Nanny," said Mike.
"I"ll bet ye it wasn"t that old one; he"s a foxy old customer, he is, and I"ll bet me red shirt ye"ll never set your eyes on him again. Devil take me if I care if ye don"t after the wetting and b.l.o.o.d.y nose he"s given me," said Tim.
"You hold Nanny, while I go look for Billy, Tim."
"All right and joy and good luck go with ye, but mark me words ye never will find him when you"re looking for him. Better come home with me, and if he ever comes back he"ll come back to-night to see Nanny of his own accord," said Tim. "I know the ways of goats better than ye do."
But Mike did not take Tim"s advice. He went to look for Billy but in about an hour and a half he wished he hadn"t, for he saw no signs of the runaway, and came back tired and foot-sore just in time to see Tim and Nanny disappearing over the hill on the way home.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
_Billy"s Adventures in Town_
Billy hid behind some rocks in the bottom of a ravine until he thought the boys had given up looking for him. Then he came out of his hiding-place, and snipped off the fresh young leaves from the bushes as he walked along making up his mind what he would do next.