119-Trouble at Coyote Canyon by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:13:48+00:00

CHAPTER 9

Sniper Attack

Joe risked a quick glance at Nick. The boy’s wide-eyed look of terror told Joe that he understood the danger they were in.

“Hang on with all you’ve got!” Joe shouted over the thunder of Pom-Pom’s hooves and the rattle of the wagon wheels on the rock-strewn trail. “I’ll try to stop this thing!”

Joe braced his shoulders against the back of the wagon seat, and one foot against the splashboard, wedging himself in to keep from being thrown from side to side. Then he tightened his grip on the reins, twisting one around each hand to make sure they didn’t slip through his grasp, and slowly began to pull back on them.

“Whoa, Pom-Pom!” he yelled, “Whoa, boy, easy!”

The white horse’s ears flicked around backward, and he tossed his head as if in answer to Joe’s call. The rhythm of his hoofbeats changed; he seemed to be pushing against his back band.

“He’s trying to slow us down!” Joe shouted to Nick. “But I don’t think he can do it!”

“We’ll never make it around the curve!” Nick shouted back. “Should we jump off the wagon?”

Joe shook his head. “if you fell under the wheels, you’d be killed for sure! I’ll keep trying to stop us!” He kept the pressure on the reins, but he was starting to believe that the situation was hopeless. In another moment, the chuck wagon was sure to crash.

“What in the world does Billy Bob think he’s up to?” Frank asked Mike, who was riding next to him some distance ahead of the others. They had been discussing the case. “Look how fast he’s going-he’ll turn over if he doesn’t slow down!”

The top-heavy chuck wagon was speeding up, rocking wildly from side to side. When one of the wheels hit a big rock, it bounced so high that Frank could see daylight under it.

“Something’s wrong!” Mike said urgently. “Come on, we’ve got to help stop that wagon!” He spurred his horse into a gallop.

Frank was close behind him. He had to concentrate on staying in the saddle, but he still had room in his mind to wonder just how Mike planned to stop the runaway wagon. it looked like an impossible job.

As they neared the back of the wagon, Mike shouted, “Go left! Get your rope onto something solid!”

Frank saw that Mike was unlimbering the lasso strapped to the side of his saddle. He glanced down at the rope on his own saddle and started unstrapping it.

Mike’s horse was alongside the rear of the chuck wagon now, but Star, forced to gallop along the edge of the trail, was having trouble gaining ground. Frank unbuckled the strap of his lasso and took it in his free hand. As he had hoped, one end formed a loop.

Star was gaining on the wagon. The driver’s seat was only a few feet ahead now. In the front corner of the chuck wagon Frank saw a thick iron rod that stuck up in the air. It looked strong enough to take the strain .

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