Page:Edward Ellis--Alden the Pony Express Rider.djvu/168

 carcasses for Shagbark to look after, the angered Alden turned upon the servant and exclaimed:

“Of all fools that I ever saw you’re the champion!”

“How’s dat?” asked Jethro, still smiling.

“When you had the best chance in the world to bring down that buck why didn’t you do it, instead of running away from him?”

Jethro shook with exulting laughter.

“You can’t fool dis chile; I reasoned out de whole thing. Mr. Shagbark tole me how dem critters chaw and stomp and bite a feller; I knowed dat if I brunged down dis one, it would make de oder two so mad dey’d come at me afore I could load up ag’in, and you wouldn’t hab any Jeth any more. So I luft; dem antelopes am wery rewengeful—wery rewengeful—and I’se too smart to gib ’em de chance dey wanted to lambast me.”