Bolts Read Online Free PDF Page A

fiercely, snapping out his trick teeth and raising the sharp hackles on his neck. “I’ll show you who’s tough! I’m the toughest critter alive! I’m all steel, and armor-plated! I’m a rip-rarin’ thunderbolt, full o’ dynamite and lightning! I’m gonna cut you both down to size, unzip you good, and chaw you up for the buzzards!”
    He whirled upon them, using teeth and talk.
    Whether it was his outrageously tough talk or his very tough teeth that did the work, Bolts didn’t know. But in less than a minute his opponents gave up trying to damage his metal hide and fled with frightened yelps.
    Now Bolts could hear angry shouts from the horsemen. “What are we going to do?” cried Comrade Pang in his sharp voice. “If we don’t catch that little monster, we’re in trouble. Whatever he is, he knows entirely too much about us.”
    â€œGet more dogs!” bellowed Major Mangler. “Get more men! He’s got to be stopped!”
    Bolts couldn’t help a slight shiver as he heard these ominous plans. Then he told himself, “Aw, I’ll worry about that later. If I can handle a couple no-account curs, I can sure take on a few more.”
    Feeling quite proud of himself, he turned to hunt for the little burro. But in his pride he forgot about his tail, which naturally snapped up straight. Instantly the light on the end of it flashed, and a sizzling scorpion seemed to sting him again.

    â€œYipe!” he burst out, turning another somersault and landing hard on his sniffer. Shaken, he got to his feet. “Looks like pride goes before a fall,” he mumbled. “But it sure is queer. Seems like a feller oughta be able to hold his tail up in proper fashion without getting himself stung. Guess I got short-changed in more ways than one.”
    Carefully holding his tail down, Bolts hurried through the cactus and caught up with his companion.
    â€œI don’t know what you did to them,” said the burro, still twitching with nervousness. “But it sounded ghastly. Perfectly ghastly. Did you completely unzip them?”
    â€œAw,” Bolts said modestly, “it was mainly talk. There’s all kinds of power in the right sort of words—but you sure gotta choose ’em carefully for the occasion. Where do we go from here?”
    â€œOn to the mountains. They are not far ahead.”
    â€œUmp!” muttered Bolts. “I didn’t figger on mountains. Do we have to cross ’em to reach Battleship Lane?”
    â€œI would imagine so. Since the place you seek isn’t on this side, it almost has to be on the other side. But you’ll have to cross over alone. I’m staying in the cactus.”
    Bolts’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Naw! How can you live in a prickly place like this? Thought a critter like you had to have grass and water.”
    â€œNot when there’s cactus to eat.”
    â€œYou eat this stuff?”
    â€œCertainly. If you know how to nibble it, tender young cactus is perfectly delectable. Furthermore, I’m quite safe here. You see, there are lions in the mountains.”
    â€œLions!”
    â€œIndeed, yes. Mountain lions. Unfortunately, they find burros delectable. I’ll miss your good company, but I’d prefer to remain here and eat—instead of going on to be eaten.”
    Live and learn, thought Bolts. This sure was a tough world for a tin dawg to be lost in. Mountains and hungry lions ahead of him, Comrade Pang and the major and all Lumpy’s cutthroats behind him, and not a friend save the burro this side of Battleship Lane. On top of it the factory had shortchanged him all around, and doubled his misery by putting a scorpion in his tail. What was a poor dawg going to do?
    At this moment Bingo and the commander were hovering over their special radio. “I’m sure I heard him a couple times,” said Bingo. “But he always cuts me off.