“Hello! what ails Billie and his mount now?” burst out Adrian, as the fat chum went flying past, with Jupiter acting like a crazy thing, stopping short every little while to “buck,” and leap, and dance wildly, after which he would go off again like the wind.
They started their own bronchos along at a lively pace in order to keep Billie in sight, at least.
“Looks like Jupiter might have suddenly gone back to his old ways again,” remarked Donald; “and I don’t know that I ever saw him carry on just like that, even when he used to give every broncho-buster on the range the time of his life trying to break him in.”
“But Billie sticks like glue!” declared Adrian; “look at him, would you, when the pony nearly stands on his silly head? If Billie never did another thing he’s shown us that he comes of a race of riders, that’s sure. Chances are that boy at the stable
wondered how such a fat fellow ever could keep in his saddle when on a lively broncho.”
Donald made no reply. Perhaps these words had set him to thinking; or it might be he was so taken up with watching the frantic evolutions of the runaway pony just then that he could not spare the time for talking.
Meanwhile Billie was having what he would call a “warm session” with his mount. He tried to soothe Jupiter with caressing words, but for a wonder they seemed to have no effect; for if anything the beast only acted uglier than before.
Discovering this Billie changed his tactics. Believing that it was only a return of Jupiter’s old vicious nature, he was now determined to give him a treatment similar to those that had in the past proved so salutory.
“Well, if you just feel like you must go and run away with me,” he muttered between his set teeth, “I’ll help things along the best I know how. I’ll try and give you something to run for, you crazy thing!”
With that he brought his quirt down upon the flank of the pony with decided emphasis. As a rule he seldom had need to let Jupiter feel the sting of the lash, as the animal was a “willing goer,” and ready to “break his heart” as Billie said, in carrying that heavy weight along as rapidly as the others could gallop.