"Oi don"t understhand it!" muttered the son of the Emerald Isle.
Frank gave him a quick glance of surprise.
"Don"t understand what?" he asked. "I thought I was talking plain enough."
"Ye wur, me b"y-ye wur! It"s how ye know so much about iverything thot puzzles Barney Mulloy. If there"s iver a thing ye"re not posted on Oi dunno pwhat it is. Ye can talk about iverything, an" ye can tell me more in a minute thin Oi iver knew. How do ye foind it all out, Frankie?"
Frank laughed.
"I"ll tell you, Barney," he said. "Some years ago I made up my mind that I couldn"t know too much, and I resolved to find out all about everything that came beneath my notice. Since then I have practiced the art of observation and investigation. That is the way I have found out about things. It is one way of obtaining an education. Lots of fellows are not able to go to college, but they can keep their eyes and ears open and lay up a store of practical knowledge that will be of the greatest use to them in all probability. Of course many of the things I have investigated and found out about may not be of value to me at any time during my life; but there is no telling what will be of value and what will not. All my life I have taken an interest in horses, and it is but natural that I should find out as much as possible concerning them.
If this had not been the case, I could not have astonished the cowboys by my horsemanship during this trip. They regarded me as the most remarkable tenderfoot they had ever seen, and it all came from the fact that I had found and improved an opportunity to ride, shoot and throw the la.s.so. I didn"t learn those things without some trouble, but trouble doesn"t cut any ice with me when I set out to do a thing."
"Well, it"s not ivery fellow can put hissilf out to learn all about th"
things he says."
"He can if he will. The trouble is that he sees things without thinking of learning anything about them. If he begins to cultivate the habit of investigation it will grow on him, and it will not be long before he will discover the value of some of the knowledge thus obtained. Try it, Barney."
"Begobs, Oi will! Oi niver thought av it before, but it"s mesilf thot"ll be after trying it. Did yez notice th" girrul wid thot horse-bater, Frankie?"
"Yes. Rather pretty, I thought."
"It"s a p"ache she wur, me b"y!" enthusiastically declared the Irish lad. "It"s not plazed she wur wid th" way th" spalpane wur b"atin" th"
poor b"aste."
They came out of the wood to the open country, and a beautiful stretch of country lay before them.
Of a sudden, Barney gave an exclamation:
"Look there, Frankie!" he cried, pointing.
Along the road from a distance, coming toward them at a mad and furious gallop, was a horse, bearing a girl, who was vainly trying to hold the frightened animal.
In pursuit of the runaway was a man who was fiercely lashing another horse, and Frank recognized this animal even before he did the rider.
It was the handsome black horse that the stranger had been maltreating in the wood, and its rider was the same hot-tempered young man.
The girl on the runaway was his companion.
Instantly Frank seemed to understand what had happened.
"The fool!" burst from his lips. "He has kept at his own horse till the one the girl is riding has been frightened and is running away with her.
She may be thrown and killed!"
Without loss of time, Frank turned about, so he was heading in the same direction as the runaway horse, which was coming behind him.
"Pwhat are yez goin" to do?" cried Barney.
"I am going to stop that runaway horse if I am built right!" returned Frank, with grim determination.
"Look out-look out, there!"
The man in pursuit of the runaway shouted to the boys.
Barney was not given time to turn about. He tried to do so, but in his haste and confusion, ran out of the road into the ditch, and was forced to dismount. Before he could get into the saddle again the frightened horse was bearing the girl past.
The Irish boy caught a glimpse of her face, from which the warm color had fled. Her lips were pressed firmly together, and there was a look of fear in her dark eyes; but she was doing her very best to check the frightened horse, although the animal had the bit in his teeth, and her gloved hands seemed unable to do but little to restrain him.
A thought of Frank"s theories concerning a "light hand" for driving flashed through Barney"s head, but he instantly realized that this was an exceptional occasion. Even brute strength might not avail now.
Then how did Merry expect to check the runaway?
The Irish youth saw his friend, who was pedaling swiftly along the road, glance over his shoulder at the approaching runaway. Then Barney held his breath, wondering what Frank would do, but feeling that he was bound to make some desperate attempt to stop the horse.
Frank was pedaling along at high speed when the runaway reached his side. He swerved toward the horse, crying to the girl:
"Hold fast, if he swings sideways suddenly! Don"t let him pitch you out of the saddle."
She nodded that she understood. She realized that this daring young cyclist was going to try to check the horse.
Frank was close to the animal"s head, and then Barney saw him reach out swiftly and grasp the bit. A moment later Merriwell was torn from the saddle and carried along, dangling at the head of the runaway.
"Hurro!" shouted Barney. "It"s just loike th" b"y! It"s niver a bit is he afraid av anything at all, at all!"
With a death grip, Frank clung to the bit, knowing he might receive fatal injuries beneath the feet of the horse if his hold was broken.
With his other hand he reached up and obtained a hold. He lifted his feet so they did not touch the ground, and, within three seconds, the speed of the runaway slackened.
Then, still clinging, Frank talked to the horse softly, soothingly, rea.s.suringly. His words were s.n.a.t.c.hed out sometimes, sometimes broken, but there was nothing in the sound of his voice to add to the fears of the frightened animal. Instead, there was something to calm and quiet the frantic creature.
"Hold fast!" he again called to the girl.
Then the horse was turned from the road, was swept about in a complete circle, and by the time it again faced in the direction it had been running, it was brought to a stop.
"Jump down quickly," directed Frank, as he saw the pursuing man come thundering nearer and nearer. "This horse will act bad when he comes up."
The girl obeyed. Down from the saddle she slipped to the ground, losing no time in getting away from the prancing horse.
Up came the man, flushed of face and shaking with excitement. He gave a yank at the bit that fairly flung the black gelding upon its haunches, and he hoa.r.s.ely cried:
"That confounded beast ought to be shot through the head!"
At the sound of the man"s voice the horse Frank was holding showed every symptom of fear, making a sudden attempt to break away.
Merriwell spoke soothingly to the creature, holding fast to the bit with a firm, steady hand, and patting its neck.
"It"s not the horse," was his thought, "it"s the man who ought to be shot!"
"You are not harmed, are you, Iva?" somewhat anxiously asked the man, addressing the girl.