The Warrior Sheep Go West Read Online Free PDF

challenge.”
    He lowered his head and charged. Sal did the same. The shiny bucket with its handful of nuts went spinning across the shed. The sheet of newspaper covering it was shredded under two sets of hooves as they trampled the printed image of Red Tongue.
    The Boombergs retreated hastily to the top of a stack of hay bales.
    â€œAwesome,” murmured the Professor. “They homed in like missiles.”
    Holly took a coil of rope from her briefcase and tied it in a slip knot. She stood up, ready to take aim. There was no escape.

6
    The Staple Gun
    What’s up?” asked Wills, as he, Jaycey and Links ran to join Oxo and Sal by the upturned bucket.
    â€œRed Tongue!” panted Sal. She nosed the trampled newspaper.
    â€œOoh…have we killed him already?” gasped Jaycey.
    â€œNo, dear,” said Sal. “This is only a pretend one. We were practicing.”
    Wills peered at a torn headline.
    â€œThis is just talking about him,” he told Jaycey. “It says, Red Tongue is…”
    â€œWhat?” asked Oxo. “As good as dead?”
    â€œNo,” said Wills. “It says, Red Tongue is on the road!” He looked up, pleased. “That’s good. All we have to do is find the road.”
    â€œEasy,” said Oxo. “Let’s go.”
    But as he turned to the door, his eyes suddenly bulged and a choking noise gurgled from his throat. Beside him, Sal was bulging and choking too. From on top of the hay bales, Holly Boomberg had thrown her rope and caught them both in the one noose.
    â€œHold them,” she instructed, handing the rope to Stanley. “Pull as tight as you need. Just keep them still.”
    â€œI can’t hold them!” cried Stanley, digging his feet into the hay and clutching the rope to his chest. “Honey, what are you doing?”
    â€œIsn’t it obvious, dear?” asked Holly, jumping down to the floor. She had taken a very large staple gun from her briefcase and was fitting something into it as she edged toward the struggling sheep. “My plan was to do this at the ranch, but I might as well attach the sensors now, while they’re nicely trapped.”
    She lunged forward, grabbed Sal’s ear, and deftly stapled a silver stud into it.
    â€œExcellent…” she said, fitting a gold stud into the staple gun.
    Oxo choked and strained helplessly. Holly turned to him, pushed her sleeves up a little so as not to dirty the cuffs, then grabbed one of his ears. With a snap, the gold stud was fired from the staple gun into his flesh.
    â€œOhmygrass…” wailed Jaycey. “That must be sooo sore!”
    Holly smiled up at her husband as she slipped the staple gun back into her briefcase. “Back on track, darling,” she said. “You can go back to the car now and drive the ancient shepherdess and her boy out to the ranch. I’ll take these two back to site in that stupid cart thing. They’ll just about fit.”
    â€œWhat about the others, honey?” asked Stanley, slithering down from the hay bales, the rope still clutched to his chest.
    Holly shrugged. “They’re no use to us now. They can stay here.”
    â€œThey’ll die without water,” observed Stanley, though his glance at Jaycey, Wills, and Links was unconcerned.
    â€œThat’s what sheep are supposed to do, isn’t it?” said Holly, barely listening. “Die and get eaten.”
    She opened the door a crack and peeped out. Don, the pilot, was pacing up and down close to the plane. He saw Holly and tapped his watch angrily.
    â€œDo hurry, darling,” Holly said to Stanley. “The pilot’s going to explode if we don’t get away from here soon.”
    â€œOK, OK, I’m gone.” The Professor dropped the rope and hurried to the door. “Stay in touch.”
    He disappeared, leaving the door open. Sunlight poured in and the sheep made an instinctive bid for freedom. Holly