Comrades of the Saddle | Page 6

striking up an
acquaintance. But when they found themselves at dinner seated at the
same table with the foreigner they broke their reserve and told him their
names.
In return the German said he was Hans Ober.
A speaking acquaintance thus established, Hans lost no time in asking
questions about the United States and particularly the West, to which
Larry and Tom replied as well as they were able.

Evidently glad of their company, the German sat with them after the
boys returned to their car from dinner.
Once or twice Hans had tried to learn where the chums were going
without asking directly, but they had given evasive answers, and at last,
as though believing confidence would beget confidence, he announced
that he was going to join his brother Chris, who had a store in Tolopah.
As they heard their destination mentioned, Larry and Tom exchanged
surprised glances, which did not need their words to let Hans know
they were all three bound for the same place.
This coincidence removed whatever of reserve was left and the three
boys talked freely.
Hans said he had come from Berlin and that his father had given him
money to buy a share in his brother's business and told them of how his
fears that he might lose the money had made him sit up the first two
nights he was on the steamer.
CHAPTER IV
GUS MEGGET
The boys were at breakfast the next morning when Hans, happening to
look out the window, caught sight of the mighty river that almost
divides the United States in half.
"My eye! but that's a big river," he exclaimed. "What do you call it?"
"The Mississippi," returned the brothers. They were too engrossed by
their first glimpse of the "Father of Waters" to correct the German as he
struggled to pronounce the name.
"Oh, look at the funny boats!" exclaimed Tom, pointing to the long line
of river steamers that were tied up at the levee. "What are those things
on the back end?"

"They are the paddle wheels. I know, because I've looked at pictures
like them in my geography," replied Larry. "They have the paddle
wheels on the end because the water is so shallow in places."
It was Just after noon that the two chums and Hans were vouchsafed a
glimpse of real "dyed-in-the-wool" cowboys.
The train had stopped at a crossing, as stations are known in Oklahoma,
because of a hot-box on one of the wheels.
Learning that it would be all of a quarter of an hour before the trouble
could be repaired, the boys had left their car and were filling their lungs
with the bracing air.
It chanced that a gang of cowboys had ridden Into the town for a
celebration and, as it was unusual for a train to stop for any length of
time at the crossing, they rode up to find out the reason.
For a few minutes they contented themselves with putting their ponies
through all sorts of "stunts" to the great delight of the people on the
train.
At the sight of them, Larry, Tom and Hans walked toward the cowboys
and stared at them in wonder and admiration.
The cowboys had noticed the three lads, and, because they had been
drinking bad "fire-water," suddenly decided to amuse themselves with
them.
"Whatcher lookin' at?" roared one of the cow-punchers, a big fellow
with close-set eyes and a heavy jaw.
The boys made no response.
"Can't cher speak? I'll teach you some manners then!" he bellowed.
In a thrice he whirled his pony and rode for the boys at full speed.
Ignorant of the roughness of cowboy fun, the three lads stood their

ground, never thinking the fellow would hurt them.
The cowboy was riding straight at Hans. When the pony was within
two leaps of the German, boy Larry cried to him to jump to one side.
But Hans was too terrified to move, and the pony was almost upon him.
In another moment he would be run down.
From the train rose shouts of warning and anger, changing in the next
moment to cheers.
Realizing that the German boy could not save himself, Larry threw up
his hands right in the face of the pony, causing the animal to rear so
suddenly that only its rider's expert horsemanship saved him from
being unseated.
At the same time Tom seized Hans and jerked him to one side just
before the broncho's forelegs struck the ground again, almost on the
very spot where the German boy had been standing.
Furious at the interference with his so-called fun, the cowboy roared at
Larry:
"I'll teach you to scare Gus Megget's pony, you calf tenderfoot!"
Black, indeed, did it look for the three lads. The companions of the