Смешные рассказы / The Funny Stories - стр. 8
“I'll be back this afternoon,” said I. “You must keep the boy quiet till I return. And now we'll write the letter to old Dorset.”
3. The letter
Bill and I got a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote the letter this way:
Ebenezer Dorset:
We have your boy in a place far from Summit. It is useless for you or the most skilful detectives to try to find him. The only term on which we will return the boy is this: we want fifteen hundred dollars. If you agree, send your answer in writing tonight at half-past eight. After crossing Owl Creek, on the road to Poplar Cove, there are three large trees, close to the fence of the wheat field[11]. There you will find a small box. The messenger will place the answer in this box and return immediately to Summit.
If you attempt any treachery, you will never see your boy again.
If you pay the money, he will be returned to you safe in three hours. These terms are final, and if you do not accept them, no further communication will be attempted.
TWO DESPERATE MEN.
I addressed this letter to Dorset, and put it in my pocket. As I was about to start[12], the kid comes up to me and says:
“Aw, Snake-eye, you said I could play the Black Scout while you were gone.”
“Play it, of course, Mr. Bill will play with you. What kind of a game is it?”
“I'm the Black Scout,” says Red Chief, “and I have to ride to warn the settlers that the Indians are coming. I'm tired of playing Indian myself. I want to be the Black Scout.”
“All right,” I say. “It sounds nice to me. I guess Mr. Bill will help you.”
“What am I to do?” asks Bill, looking at the kid suspiciously.
“You are the horse,” says Black Scout. “Get down on your hands and knees. How can I ride without a horse?”
Bill gets down on his all fours[13].
“How far is it, kid?” he asks.
“Ninety miles,” says the Black Scout. “And you have to get there on time. Whoa!”
The Black Scout jumps on Bill's back and digs his heels in his side.
Bill says, “Hurry back, Sam, as soon as you can.”
When I got back to the cave Bill and the boy were not there. So I lighted my pipe and sat down to wait.
In half an hour I heard the noise in the bushes, and Bill came out. Behind him was the kid, stepping softly like a scout, with a broad grin on his face. Bill stopped, took off his hat and wiped his face with a red handkerchief. The kid stopped about eight feet behind him.
“Sam,” says Bill, “The boy is gone. I have sent him home.”
“What's the problem, Bill?” I ask him.
“I was rode,” says Bill, “the ninety miles. Then, when the settlers were saved, the boy gave me some sand to eat. And then, for an hour I had to try to explain him why there is nothin' in holes, how a road can run both ways and what makes the grass green. I took him by the neck and dragged him down the mountain.