"How should I know? If you will go to sleep an a bucking broncho, you must expect things to happen."
Stacy, by this time, had scrambled to his feet; after which, he began a careful inventory of himself to make sure that he was all there. He grinned sheepishly.
Satisfying himself on this point, Stacy shrugged his shoulders and walked over to his pony with a suggestion of a limp.
"Now that we have halted we might as well make camp for a few hours, get breakfast and take a nap," suggested the Professor.
The boys welcomed this proposition gratefully, for they were beginning to feel the effects of their long night ride, added to which, two of them had had a series of trying experiences before starting out.
In the meantime, Stacy Brown had been examining his pony with more than usual care.
Tad observed his action, and wondered at it. A moment later, the fat boy having moved away; Tad thought he would take a look at the animal.
He was curious to know what Stacy had in mind.
"So that"s it, is it?" muttered Tad.
He found the mark of a spur on the pony"s withers. While it had not punctured the skin, the spur had raked the coat, showing that the rowel had been applied with considerable force.
Tad, with a covert glance about, saw Ned Rector watching him.
"You"re the guilty one, eh?" he demanded, walking up to Ned.
"S-h-h-h," cautioned Ned. "He"ll be redheaded if he knows I am to blame for his coming a cropper."
"Chunky"s not so slow as you might think. But that wasn"t a nice thing to do. It"s all right to play tricks, but I hope you won"t be so cruel as to use a spur on a dumb animal, the way you did, even if he is an ill-tempered broncho. You might have broken Chunky"s neck, too."
Ned"s face flushed.
"It was a mean trick, I"ll admit. Didn"t strike me so at the time.
Shall I ask Chunky"s pardon?"
"Do as you think best. I should, were I in your place."
"Then, I will after breakfast."
Ned got busy at once, a.s.sisting to cook the morning meal, while Juan led the ponies out to a patch of gra.s.s and staked them down. While the Pony Rider cook was thus engaged, he felt a tug at his coat sleeve.
Turning sharply, Ned found Stacy at his side. Stacy"s face was flushed and his eyes were snapping.
"What is it, Chunky?"
"Come over here, I want to talk with you."
They stepped off a few paces out of hearing of the others, Tad smiling to himself as he observed Stacy"s act.
"Well, what"s the matter, Chunky?"
"I can lick you, Ned Rector!"
"Wha--what?"
"Said I could lick you. Didn"t say I was going to, understand. Just said I could--"
"Like to see you try it."
"All right; it"s a go."
Ere Ned could recover from his surprise, Stacy Brown had launched himself upon his companion. One of Stacy"s arms went about Ned"s neck, one foot kicked a leg from under Ned, and the two lads went down in the dust together.
It had happened in a twinkling.
"Here, here! What"s going on over there?" shouted the Professor, starting on a run, while the other lads were laughing.
Chunky was sitting on the chest of his fallen adversary, Ned struggling desperately to throw the lad off.
"c.o.c.k-a-doodle-doo!" crowed Chunky, in imitation of a rooster, flapping his hands on his thighs, in great good humor with himself.
Professor Zepplin grabbed him by the collar, jerking Stacy Brown from the fallen Pony Rider Boy.
Ned scrambled to his feet, and, with a sheepish grin on his face, proceeded to brush the dust from his clothes.
"Downed you, did he?" questioned Tad.
"It wasn"t fair. I didn"t know he was going to try."
"Neither did the Russians when the j.a.ps sailed into them at Port Arthur," laughed Walter. "And they got what was coming to them."
"So did I. Chunky, I deserve more than you gave me. If you want to, beat me up some more."
"Now, isn"t that sweet of him?" chortled Stacy. "I fell off my pony, then I fell on you, and we"ll call it quits, eh, Ned?"
Ned put out a hand, which Stacy grasped with mock enthusiasm.
"We sure will."
"I"d like to know what this is all about?" questioned Walter.
"Something"s been going on."
"I made his pony throw him over," admitted Ned.
Stacy nodded with emphasis.
"He found it out and jumped on me."
"I"ll turn you both over my knee if you try to repeat these performances," warned the Professor.
Linking arms, Stacy and Ned started for the breakfast table, humming,