"To get even," answered Tad laughingly.
"How do you know that I was thinking of such a thing?"
"Perhaps I read your mind."
"Humph! You better learn to read your own before you go prying into mine.
I'll show you what I'm going to do."
"Cinch up," interrupted the voice of Professor Zepplin. "We have no time to waste."
Still grumbling, Stacy climbed into the saddle. He promptly fell off, having forgotten to cinch the saddle girth. Now the pony woke up and began to kick as the saddle slipped under its belly. Stacy moved more quickly than he had at any other time during the day. Over and over he rolled in a cloud of dust in his efforts to get out of the danger zone, while the pony kicked and squealed, the boys shouting with laughter.
"Whoa!" roared the fat boy, sitting up after he had reached a place where he considered it safe to do so. "Whoa! Catch him, somebody."
"Catch him yourself," retorted Ned.
Tad's rope wriggled through the air. It caught one of the flying hind feet of the pony. Then the little animal plowed the dirt with its nose, while Walter sprang forward, sitting down on the angry animal's head.
"Now get that saddle off," commanded Tad. "Come, Chunky! Do you think we are going to wait here all day for you?"