The Voyage of the Rattletrap | Page 5

his head and tail on
his left side, turned around rapidly three times, and lay down and went
to sleep, one ear up and one ear down.
[Illustration: Snoozer]
"He's just the dog for the Rattletrap," said Jack. "We'll call him

Snoozer."
"That looks a good deal like stealing to me, Uncle Jack," said Ollie.
"Doesn't he belong to somebody?"
"No," said Jack, "he doesn't belong to anybody but us. He came here a
week ago with a tramp. The tramp deserted him, and rode away on the
trucks of a freight train; but Snoozer didn't like that way of travelling,
because there wasn't any place to sleep, so he stayed behind. Since then
he has tried to follow every man in town, but none of them would have
him. He's a regular tramp dog, not good for anything, and therefore just
the dog for us."
Snoozer was the last thing we shipped, and after taking him aboard we
were soon out of the harbor of Prairie Flower, and bearing away across
the plain to the southwest. In twenty minutes we ware among the
billowing sunflowers, standing five or six feet high on other side of the
road, which seemed like a narrow crack winding through them. Ollie
reached out and gathered a handful of the drooping yellow blossoms.
The pony was tied behind carrying her big saddle, and tossing her head
about, and showing that she was very suspicious of the whole
proceedings, and especially of a small flag which Ollie had fastened to
the top of the wagon-cover, which fluttered in the fresh morning breeze.
Snoozer slept on and never stirred. At last the road came to the river,
and then followed close along beside its bank, which was only a foot or
so high. Ollie was interested in watching the long grass which grew in
the bottom of the stream and was brushed all in one direction by the
sluggish current, like the silky fur of some animal. After a while we
came to a gravelly place which was a ford, and crossed the stream,
stopping to let the horses drink. The water was only a foot deep. As we
came up on the higher ground beyond the river we met the south wind
squarely, and it came in at the front of the cover with a rush. We heard
a sharp flutter behind, and then the wagon gave a shiver and a lurch,
and the horses stopped; then there was another shock and lurch, and it
rolled back a few inches.
"There," exclaimed Jack, "some of those wheels have begun to turn
backward! I told you!"

I looked back. Our puckering-string had given way, and the rear of the
cover had blown out loosely. This had been more than the pony could
stand, and she had broken her rope and run back a dozen rods, where
she stood snorting and looking at the wagon.
"First accident!" I cried. "She'll run home, and we'll have to go back
after her."
"Perhaps we can get around her," said Jack. "We'll try."
We left Ollie to hold the horses, and I went out around among the
sunflowers, while Jack stood behind the wagon with his hat half full of
oats. I got beyond her at last, and drove her slowly toward the wagon.
She snorted and stamped the ground angrily with her forward feet; but
at last she ventured to taste of the oats, and finding more in the
feed-box on the rear of the wagon, she began eating them and forgot
her fright.
"I guess we'd better not tie her, but let her follow," said Jack. "As soon
as we have gone a little ways she'll come to think the wagon is home,
and stick to it."
"Yes," I said. "I think she is really as great a tramp as Snoozer, and just
the pony for us." "Are we all tramps?" asked Ollie.
"Well," said Jack, "I'm afraid Grandpa Oldberry thinks we don't lack
much of it. He says varmints will catch us."
"Do you think they will?" went on Ollie, just a little bit anxiously.
"Oh, I guess not," said Jack. "You see, we've got four guns. Then
there's Snoozer."
"But will they try to catch us?"
"Well, I don't know. Grandpa Oldberry says the varmints are awfully
thick this fall."
"But what are varmints?"

"Oh, wolves, and b'ars, and painters, and--"
"What are painters?"
"Grandpa means panthers, I guess. Then there's Injuns, and
hoss-thieves, and--"
"There's a prairie-chicken!" I cried, as one rose up out of the long grass.
"Perhaps we can get one for dinner," said Jack.
[Illustration: Mutiny of the Pony]
He took his gun and went slowly toward where the other had been.
Another whirred away like a shot. Jack fired, but missed it. We started