Biff! Like a flash, out shot the long-eared creature’s hind legs, sending the tail-twisting tars down in a heap. Lashing out right and left, the animal darted off.
“Whoa! Whoa!” shouted Herc, who had been taken all by surprise at the unexpected success of the experiment.
“Wow! I’m falling off!” he yelled the next instant. He fell forward and managed to clutch the donkey by the neck and one ear. This terrified the animal even more. Plunging and bucking like a fishing cobble in a storm he rushed about the bazaar, eluding all efforts to capture him.
Ned tumbled off his donkey and tried to grab Herc’s beast. But he was shaking so with laughter at the other’s plight that he made a botch of it and landed in a heap, narrowly missed by the donkey’s threshing heels.
The tars yelled themselves hoarse.
“Hang on, Herc! You’ll come in a winner!” they yelled.
Suddenly the donkey altered his tactics. As swiftly as a rocket he sped for a large open store in which brassware of all descriptions and also Oriental confectionery were displayed for sale.
“Whoa!” yelled Herc.
But he might as well have tried to stay the stars in their courses. With a wild bray the donkey dashed in a bee-line for the store.
“Oh, glory! He’s going right through it!” roared the sailors.