Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans by Walter R. Brooks Read Free Book Online

of the ant hill and began digging frantically with his sharp claws, sending the dirt flying in all directions.
    He hadn’t dug very far however before the soldiers in the underground barracks rushed to the defense. They seemed to come boiling up out of the ground, big black ferocious insects, and although Jinx jumped and whirled as he dug, sending ants and dirt flying in a cloud about him, some of them managed to grab his fur, and they swarmed over him, biting until he yowled in pain, and jumping off the nest, rolled on the ground.
    While Jinx was trying to get the ants off him, Bill took a hand—or rather a hoof. He plowed into the hill with all four feet, pawing and stamping and doing a lot more damage than Jinx had, and because his legs were longer and there was no fur to cling to, very few ants got on to him, and those that did, didn’t bother much, because a goat’s hide is thicker than a cat’s.
    Bill was having a good time, and the cannibal city would have been ruined for good, if Jinx, having finally got rid of his attackers, hadn’t yelled suddenly: “Hey, Bill, remember Jerry is in there somewhere.”
    Bill was having a good time.
    So then Bill jumped off. Jinx picked up the megaphone and went slowly closer to the hill, which was now a scene of wild turmoil. It was scooped and clawed out to a depth of nearly a foot, and soldiers and worker ants were dashing about in all directions. “Where’s your captain?” he called; and when the captain came forward, he said: “We mean what we say, ant. Now where are those three prisoners?”
    â€œIf it was up to me,” said the captain angrily, “I’d say: go right ahead, destroy our city if you want to. We can rebuild. And then we can take our revenge. We know where you live, cat, and we can visit you there. You can watch and listen, but you have to sleep some time. That’s when we’ll come.”
    â€œOh, stop talking big,” said the cat. “It’s not up to you anyway, you say. Well, who is it up to, then?”
    â€œIt’s up to the queen. She has sent up word that if these prisoners haven’t been eaten, we are to let you have them.”
    â€œEaten!” Jinx exclaimed.
    â€œSure,” said the captain. “When the boys get home from a raid they’re hungry. They want a little snack, and they’ll divide up one or two of the weakest prisoners. Good husky prisoners we keep as slaves, to work for us. But those three: I remember, weak little critters, I don’t believe they’ve done a good day’s work in their lives.”
    â€œIt’s just too bad for you if you’ve eaten Jerry,” said Jinx. “You’ll have Freddy on your neck, and you won’t—” He broke off. “Ah, here they come,” he said, as three smaller ants, guarded by two huge soldiers, appeared from one of the broken galleries of the hill. “Jerry, is that you?” And when one of the ants, coming forward through the ranks of the cannibals, who drew aside to let them pass, waved his feelers: “Climb up Bill’s leg. Get on his neck and I’ll take you home.”
    He was about to jump into the saddle when he noticed that the cannibal captain had come forward and was waving his feelers to attract attention. He pointed the small end of the megaphone down at him. “Yeah?” he said. “What is it now?”
    The ant’s voice came up harsh and grating, and vaguely menacing. “Just to warn you. Remember, we’ll be coming up to the house to see you some dark night.”
    Jinx cocked his hat over his ear and waved a negligent paw. “Any time, brother—any time.” And they cantered away.

CHAPTER
    6
    Freddy had his cowboy clothes on that morning, and he had ridden Cy down to the hotel. When he came out with the cylinder he jumped into the saddle and rode westward out of town toward the Bean farm. But he wasn’t going