“Where did you get the new sense?” inquired Grant solemnly.

“Oh, once in a long time I run up against a fellow that come from the East.  He usually gave me all the advice I needed and never charged me a cent for it either.”

The boys laughed at Grant’s confusion, but ignoring the interruption Zeke continued with his tale, “I tried to appear unconcerned like and I said to one of the men, ’Take hold here and give me a lift, I’m ’most afraid to back down any further for fear I’ll tip my mother out.’  They didn’t either of ’em offer to help me, in fact neither one of them got out of the buggy and when I took hold of my horse’s head and tried to back away they just moved up their horses so that the wheels kept locked just as they had been before.  I looked at the wheels and pretty quick I made up my mind that mine were a good deal stronger than theirs.  I had told my mother when I took the reins that she had better get out while we were tryin’ to break loose there.  Of course she did what I told her.  I was afraid the men might draw their guns, but still I thought maybe the fact that I had my mother along with me might make ’em hesitate a little.  There are mighty few men even in the mines that will do anything to frighten a good woman, and nobody had to look very long into my mother’s face to make up his mind that that was what she was, sure enough good.

“Well, we backed and filled for a spell and I see that things were gettin’ worse so I waited until we worked out away a few yards up a little rise on the side of the mountain.  The men all the while pretended that they thought it was a joke, and then when I got just to the right place, quick as a wink I jumped up and yelled at my horse in the loudest tones I could muster, and when little Zeke really tries hard to make himself heard there isn’t usually much trouble in hearing him.  I struck my horses with my whip at the same time and all together we had considerable of a ruction, but it turned out just as I thought it would.  Their horses were scared worse than mine and when they all four jumped ahead going in opposite directions, of course something had to give way and it wasn’t my wheels either, let me tell you.  I didn’t wait to investigate how much damage I really had done, but I put my horses into their best licks and stopped just long enough to take in my poor, old, frightened mother, and then I didn’t stop, let me tell you, until I was out o’ sight of those men.”

“Did they try to chase you?”

“No, they didn’t.  I’m thinkin’ they were having troubles enough of their own just then.  At all events I never see any more of them.”

“Do you really believe they meant to rob you?” asked George.

“Sure, as you’re born!” replied Zeke.  “That was just what they were there for.  The only thing that saved me was my havin’ my mother along.  ’Twasn’t long afterward before I heard of a man being held up just as I was.  Two men came along in a buggy and locked wheels with him and while he was trying to help himself out of the fix one of them dropped him with the butt of his gun and went through his pockets and all his belongings.  That’s one reason why I have always remembered Jump Off Joe Creek.”