Frank Merriwell's Alarm Part 10

"I have made a discovery that will be worth millions of dollars to the government of the United States. Now I know a swift and sure way of settling the Indian question. Provide every Indian in the country with a bicycle, and there will be no Indians left in a week or two."

"Gamlet's host--I mean Hamlet's ghost!" chuckled Rattleton, holding his hand over his mouth to keep from shrieking with laughter. "I never saw anything like that before!"

Merriwell sprang forward and a.s.sisted Blue Wolf in untangling himself from the wheel, fearing the bicycle would be utterly ruined.

The little Indian was badly done up. His face was cut and bleeding in several places, and he was covered with dirt. With some difficulty he got upon his feet, and then he backed away from the bicycle, at which he glared with an expression of great fear on his countenance.

"Heap bad medicine!" he observed.

It seemed that the other Indians were really amused, although they remained solemn and impa.s.sive.

"Give me hatchet!" Blue Wolf suddenly snarled. "Heap fix two-wheel hoss!"

He would have made a rush for the offending wheel, but Frank held up a hand warningly, crying:

"Beware, Blue Wolf! It is in truth bad medicine, and it will put a curse upon you if you do it harm. Your squaw will die of hunger before another moon, your children shall make food for the coyotes, and your bones shall bleach on the desert! Beware!"

Blue Wolf paused, dismay written on his face. He longed to smash the bicycle, but he was convinced that it was really "bad medicine," and he was afraid to injure it.

"Say, that is great, old man!" enthusiastically whispered Rattleton in Merriwell's ear. "Keep it up."

"Blue Wolf not hurt two-wheel hoss," declared Black Feather, who seemed to be the chief of the little band. "Want to see white boy ride."

"Do you mean that you want me to ride?" asked Frank.

"Ugh!"

"All right," said Frank. "I'll show you how it is done."

Then he motioned for the savages to stand aside.

"No try to run 'way," warned Black Feather. "Injun shoot um."

"All right, your royal jiblets. If I try to run away you may take a pop at me."

CHAPTER VI.

TRICK RIDING.

The Indians made room for Frank to mount and ride.

Standing beside the wheel Frank sprang into the saddle without using the step, caught the pedals and started.

The savages gave utterance to a grunt of wonder and admiration.

Frank had practiced trick riding, and he now proposed to exhibit his skill, feeling that it might be a good scheme to astonish the savages.

He started the bicycle into a circle, round which he rode with the greatest ease, and then of a sudden he pa.s.sed one leg over the frame, and stood up on one of the pedals, which he kept in motion at the same time.

The Indians nodded and looked pleased.

Then Frank began to step cross-legged from pedal to pedal, pa.s.sing his feet over the cross bar of the frame and keeping the wheel in motion all the time.

A moment later he whirled about, and with his face toward the rear, continued to pedal the bicycle ahead the same as if he had been seated in the usual manner on the saddle.

"Heap good!" observed Black Feather.

Then, like a cat Merriwell wheeled about, lifted his feet over the handlebars to which he clung, slipped down till he hung over the forward wheel, placed his feet on the pedals, and rode in that manner.

This made it look as though he were dragging the bicycle along behind him.

There was a stir among the Indians, and they looked at each other.

Without stopping the bicycle, Frank swung back over the handlebars to the saddle. Having reached this position, he stopped suddenly, turning the forward wheel at an angle, sitting there and gracefully balancing on the stationary machine.

"Heap much good!" declared Black Feather, growing enthusiastic.

"Oh, those little things are dead easy," a.s.sured Frank, with a laugh.

"Do you really desire to see me do something that is worth doing?"

"What more white boy can do?"

"Several things, but I'll have to make a larger circle."

It was growing dark swiftly now, the sun being down and the shadows of the mountains lying dark and gloomy in the valleys.

"Go 'head," directed Black Feather.

Frank started the bicycle in motion, and then, with it going at good speed, he swung down on one side and slowly but neatly crept through the frame, coming up on the other side and regaining the saddle without stopping.

"Paleface boy great medicine!" said Black Feather.

"Ugh!" grunted all the Indians but Blue Wolf.

The little savage was looking on in a sullen, wondering way, astonished and angered to think the white boy could do all those things, while he had been unable to mount the two-wheeled horse.

"How do you like that, Black Feather?" asked Frank, cheerfully.

"Much big!" confessed the chief. "Do some more."

"All right. Catch onto this."

Then away Frank sped, lifting the forward wheel from the ground and letting it hang suspended in the air, while he rode along on the rear wheel.

"Merry is working hard enough," said Rattleton. "I never knew he could do so many tricks."