When he arrived and saw one after the other of the planes make a flight, he was more anxious than ever to ride in one. At last he was so near he could have stepped off the platform one plane was lying against, and in fact was about to do so and take all chances when some boys discovered him and began to throw stones at him. He paid no attention to them, but thought how cruel and selfish boys could be to throw stones at him when he was not bothering anyone, only looking at the fascinating planes just as they were. But when they sicked two dogs on him, he knew he would have to go. They chased him to the end of the pier. He could go no farther unless he jumped into the water. Then when one of the dogs snapped at him, he turned to his tormentor and hooked him straight up in the air, and he came down inside one of the hydroplanes just as it was rising from the water, carrying him up with it. The dog was so afraid in the plane that he jumped out when they were about fifty feet in the air, and went kersplash in the water, disappearing from sight and probably touching the very bottom of the lake. When he came to the surface he swam for shore and, reaching it, cut sticks for home as fast as his long legs would carry him.
On seeing what had happened to his friend, the second dog slunk off and disappeared from sight, no one knew where.
Then some rough boys and men thought they would have some fun with Billy and walked out to the end of the pier to tease him, but after the first man had been butted into the lake, the others thought they would not try it. Seeing there was too large a crowd gathered on the shore for him to make his way through it, Billy Whiskers leaped into the water, swimming near the shore until he was so far away that the crowd would not bother him any more. He landed and tried to find his way back to the house where Ruthie was visiting, for he knew by the position of the sun he must have been away a long time. But the more he tried to find the house, the more confused he grew. Billy Whiskers knew he was lost.
He ran up and down the streets, baaing as loudly as he could, hoping he might happen to pass the house and Ruthie would run out and bring him in. But no such luck attended him and his baaing only attracted the attention of the mischievous boys, who threw stones after him or chased him up and down one street after another. He had just escaped one group of boys and was quietly walking down a street, trying to recover his breath, when he heard the voices of several children in a yard the other side of a high stone wall. He thought he recognized Ruthie’s voice, and ran to the gate and peeped in, but no, to his disappointment all the children were boys. They were acting so queerly he stopped to watch them for a minute or two, and then he discovered they were trying to do the tricks they had seen the clowns and trapeze performers do at the circus. He was so busy gazing at them that he pushed the gate open and went inside that he might have a close view of the hand springs and backward somersaults they were turning.
CHAPTER XI
AN EXCITING DAY FOR BILLY
AS Billy stood watching the antics of the boys, a bumble bee began buzzing around his head, bothering him by darting in and out of his ears. He shook his head and tried also to paw it away, but it still persisted in humming around and darting at him.
“Say, you old buzzer, if you don’t keep away from me, I’ll swallow you alive,” threatened Billy.