By this time the boar was close to the little fellow. Long before this the savage pig would have rushed at the small boy, but, truth to tell, the way Trouble stood there, crying, puzzled the boar. And when animals are puzzled they don’t act as quickly as when they know just what is going on.
However, neither Ted nor Janet would have reached Trouble in time to save him. For as Ted got through the barbed wire fence, which alone prevented the boar from getting out of the pasture, there was a thud and rush of feet and a voice shouted:
“I’ll get him! Stand still, little boy!”
The rush of feet were the galloping hoofs of a horse. And the voice was that of Mr. Weldon, the movie actor. He rushed his steed toward the fence, called to his mount, and, in another moment, the horse sprang cleanly over the fence and rushed on toward the boar. But more particularly Mr. Weldon guided his steed toward Trouble.
As the little fellow turned to see whence came the pounding of hoofs and the cheery call of the man, the rider leaned from the saddle and in one hand picked up small William, swinging him up in front and to safety. All the while the horse was going at top speed.
In another moment Mr. Weldon had leaped his animal back over the fence, and the boar was left alone in the field, doubtless wondering, in his small brain, what had become of that boy he was going to gash with his tusks.
“There you are, little man!” said Mr. Weldon, as he brought his horse to a slow pace and set William on the ground near Ted, who had crawled back through the fence. “I wouldn’t go in that field again, if I were you.”
“I should say not!” cried Ted, who had been surprised with the quickness of it all. “What made you go in there, Trouble?”
“I—now—I thought he was a little nellifunt, an’ I was going to give him peanuts!” sobbed the little chap, for he wasn’t yet over his fright.
“Oh, elephant! He’s crazy about elephants!” explained Jan, who came up just then. “I guess he thought the big teeth on that pig were elephant’s teeth.”