"He must have got scared at some of my imitations," decided the lad.
"I don't blame him."
"But which one was it? I'll see if I can do them again."
Letting his horse drop back a few rods behind the others, Chunky went
over his list of accomplishments in the imitation line, trying each
one cautiously, keeping a watchful eye on the ears of the pony.
All at once the eyes of the fat boy lighted up. Something struck
him as funny. He laughed aloud.
"Chunky's got them again," chuckled Ned Rector.
Stacy waited until all hands were looking ahead when he tried the
imitation that he believed had caused his mount to halt. His success
was instantaneous. The pony leaped clear of the ground, coming down
with a jolt that made the boy's head ache.
"What's the matter with that horse?" called Captain McKay.
"Guess he's feeling his oats," flung back Chunky. The boy hugged
himself delightedly. What he had done was to give a trilling tongue
movement accompanied by a hiss. It was a perfect imitation of the
trilling hiss of the rattlesnake. When Stacy had first given the
imitation he did not realize what he was doing. He had fooled his
pony. The Pony Rider Boy was delighted. He tried it again with
equal success, though this time he was thrown forward on the neck of
his mount. This jolt nearly broke Stacy Brown in two.
"That was the blow that near killed papa," grinned the lad.
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