Sykes, Heather: Magic Saddle Bags

The Magic Saddle Bags – by Heather Sykes, Victoria BC Now this is a story of a man named Boon Often found stumbling out of the saloon Boon never had much and clung to the bottle His trusty steed Jiggs controlling the throttle Now Jiggs was a character always waiting for Boon Who sometimes didn't stir till late afternoon One dark cool night as the re began to wain Old Boon was passed out, snoring loudly in the rain Jiggs was munching grass, it was late into the night

When a sudden slap on his rump gave him quite a fright Before he could blink, his rider sent him running

Jiggs was backed by a Bandit who was devious and cunning He was a wanted felon who had devised a plan To hit the towns bank and steal what he can Jiggs would be his getaway and carry all the loot Bandit's pistol was loaded, and he was ready to shoot Before Jiggs new it, they had arrived in the town

Bandit grabbed Boons saddle bags and jumped on down Jiggs was starting to realize he was part of a crime He started plotting a plan and biding his time Bandit quickly returned, with the bags fully loaded He dug in his spurs and old Jiggs exploded They bolted from town and deep into the woods Bandit grinning with joy at the towns missing goods Now Jiggs had a plan as he slammed on his brake

Sending Bandit ying forward and straight into the lake Jiggs turned to leave but became distracted by clover

Bandit stumbled out of the lake, and tossed his lasso over Jiggs pulled against the rope with all his might Now the two where involved in an all-out ght They twisted and turned in an unchoreographed dance But the wet wanted Bandit, he didn't stand a chance Jiggs fought against the rope and pulled it so tight

It created a slingshot careening Bandit deep into the night Jiggs let out a big snort, bidding Bandit farewell Then trotted back to camp with a story to tell Boon started to stir, it was just after lunch He got up to check his bags for something to munch Still riding high from the night before

Boon pulled his hand from the bag and his jaw hit the oor His prayers had been answered sometime in the night He could by his own cabin and sit by the light Jiggs would eat apples, and the very best hay They would lay in the eld and cuddle all day Boon started to dance and so did Jiggs

Who was dreaming of eating carrots in his new fancy digs He didn't dare tell Boon of the events that took place He just stood there admiring the smile on Boons face Boon twirled and hollered 'Yippee Yahoo' He jumped on Jiggs screaming 'you know what to do' Jiggs took off at a gallop as the butteries scattered They were free at last and nothing else mattered