For
these manful services Young Pete received scant rations and much abuse.
Pete had been picked up in the town of Enright, where no one seemed to
have a definite record of his immediate ancestry. He was quite willing
to go with the trader, his only stipulation being that he be allowed to
bring along his dog, another denizen of Enright whose ancestry was as
vague as were his chances of getting a square meal a day. Yet the dog,
despite lean rations, suffered less than Young Pete, for the dog
trusted no man. Consequently he was just out of reach when the trader
wanted to kick something. Young Pete was not always so fortunate. But
he was not altogether unhappy. He had responsibilities, especially
when the trader was drunk and the horses needed attention. Pete
learned much profanity without realizing its significance. He also
learned to chew tobacco and realized its immediate significance. He
mastered the art, however, and became in his own estimation a man
grown--a twelve-year-old man who could swear, chew, and show horses to
advantage when the trader could not, because the horses were not afraid
of Young Pete.
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