Escape from Fire Mountain by Gary Paulsen Read Free Book Online Page A

ears. “I'm glad you're so agreeable.”
    Nikki brushed his smooth coat, slid on his bridle, and lightly tossed a blanket on his broad back. She grabbed her saddle, moved to Goblin's left side, and swung it up. When everything was in place, she pulled the cinch tight and stepped up.
    In minutes she was heading up the north trail toward Sugar Loaf Ridge. There were some dark clouds in the distance, but it would take a few hours for them to get here. In the meantime, she would take a leisurely ride and check on the elk herd. Then she would come back, make an embarrassing amount of popcorn, and pig out while she watched movies on TV.
    Nikki wound her way up the narrow trail, working Goblin into an easy canter. Giant pines lined the trail on both sides. Every so often a rabbit would dart out of the brush and race alongside Goblin, then disappear backinto the undergrowth. Goblin whinnied playfully each time. He seemed to enjoy the game.
    Several miles up Nikki topped out on a small peak overlooking a grassy meadow. To her right were beautiful snowcapped mountains. It was peaceful here. She stopped and took a deep breath of the fresh air.
    In the meadow below a movement caught her eye, and she slid the binoculars from the saddlebags.
    Bighorns.
    A large band of bighorn sheep was passing through from the salt licks on its way up to the high mountains. The big rams marched like royalty with their curled horns held high. The spring lambs jumped over their mothers, chased one another, and butted heads with an unending supply of energy.
    Staying in the shadows of the tall trees, Nikki urged Goblin forward until he was right at the edge of the meadow. Silently she stepped off her horse and tied him loosely to a branch. She slowly crawled closer, using the tall grass for cover.
    The lambs were still romping about. One ofthe mothers got tired of being hurdled and butted a little one end over end. The tiny lamb tumbled to the ground in a woolly heap. Nikki nearly laughed out loud.
    From nowhere a rifle shot cracked the morning and echoed through the valley.
    The band of sheep scattered, but it was too late. A large ram fell to the ground.
    Nikki froze.
    Poachers.
    Through the tall grass she watched two camouflage-colored four-wheelers drive up to the ram. Two rough-looking men jumped off and went mechanically to work, slicing and hacking at the throat of the dead animal. They were after its head. Within minutes it was severed. Carefully the poachers wrapped the beautiful curled horns and tied the ram's head on the back of one of the four-wheelers.
    Nikki held her breath. No telling what they would do if they found her there as a witness.
    One of the men suddenly looked in her direction. He had cold blue eyes and a pointed red beard. She tried to sink lower into the grass. The man began walking right at her. Hepassed so close he almost stepped on her hand.
    A horse whinnied. It was Goblin. He had somehow gotten loose and decided to join Nikki in the meadow.
    The man with the red beard grabbed the horse's reins. “Someone's out here, Frank. They probably saw the whole thing.”
    The man called Frank finished tying the ram's head and wiped the blood off his hands. “Quit worrying. It's just a loose horse. You've been jumpy all day.”
    The bearded man scowled. “I'll quit worrying when we close down this operation. We've got too much at stake to get caught.”
    “We're not going to get caught. No one lives in these mountains. There's one old hunting lodge and no people around for miles.”
    “Then where did he come from?” Red Beard looked at the horse.
    “Like I said, he got loose. Probably threw a greenhorn somewhere down in the valley. Give him a swat and send him on his way. We've got more important things to worry about.”
    The bearded man tied the horse's reins together and hit him hard on the rear. Goblin jumped forward and raced through the trees.
    “Don't just stand there,” Frank snarled. “Let's get this one back to camp