18-WICKED WHISKERS'S WATER DAM

WICKED WHISKERS'S WATER DAM Before I went to the evil gunmouse's ranch, I needed to know more about him. Mick told me the whole sad story. It seemed WICKED WHISKERS was the owner of a piece of land north of Cactus City. A RIVER ran through the land. For years, the river ran straight to Cactus City and was used for farming, cattle, and the citizens of the town. Then Wicked decided he wanted to control Cactus City. He built a dam so the water no longer reached the city. Fields got dry. Cattle got thirsty. "Now we have to pay Wicked to deliver water to us," Mick explained with a sigh. "He makes us pay for the water in gold."

I was disgusted. What kind of mouse would steal water from needy rodents? It was sneaky. It was cruel. It was enough to make me ready to take on Wicked Whiskers. Mick showed me a MAP. "We'll need three days and three nights to reach the Big W, Wicked Whiskers's ranch," he said. Thea, Trap, and Benjamin were excited. "This is going to be fabumouse!" Thea cheered.

"We'll be like real cowrats!" Trap grinned. "I love horses!" Benjamin squeaked. I felt limp. I couldn't ride a horse for three days. I didn't even know how. Before I could protest, Mick threw me on a horse. It took off at a gallop. I hung on for dear life. One minute, I was hanging upside down from the saddle. The next minute, I was facing the horse's tail. The crowd watched me go. "Look at the stranger! He's a regular gymnast!" I heard one mouse cry. "I've never seen anything like it!" another added. "He's better than a circus acrobat!" someone else squeaked. I tried not to sob hysterically. I didn't want to upset the good rodents of Cactus City.