The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
By John Erickson and Gerald L. Holmes
4.5/5
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Titles in the series (78)
The Case of the Midnight Rustler Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder in the Middle Pasture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Missing Cat Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFaded Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's A Dog's Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Let Sleeping Dogs Lie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Case of the Halloween Ghost Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Every Dog Has His Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost in the Blinded Blizzard Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Fiddle-Playing Fox Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHank the Cowdog and Monkey Business Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Laundry Monster Files Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonlight Madness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Vampire Cat Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Bog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mopwater Files Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Haystack Kitties Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Hooking Bull Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Black-Hooded Hangmans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Case of the Saddle House Robbery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Slim's Goodbye Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
9 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a book that kept me snickering, although I did feel sorry for Hank. (Sorry, Hank, I kept the chapter you told me to cut out.) Hank gets pretty low in this book, mostly due to the dreaded Eye-Crosserosis and its affects. Fortunately the plucky cowdog perseveres and all is well. I think it is fun for people who like dogs. While you don't have to have read the first book in the series, it makes it easier to keep up with who is who.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This second book builds on the strengths of the first, offering adventure and plenty of laughs (my kids are still giggling about the identity of the dreaded “silver monster bird”). Indeed, it’s easy to see why this series is so popular. The Hank the Cowdog books offer just enough grime and naughtiness to keep the boys interested and amused, while ultimately reassuring us that the world is a gentle place in which the good guys will generally do just fine (and the cat will get his comeuppance). I expect we’ll be moseying along to book three soon.
Book preview
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog - John Erickson
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
John R. Erickson
Illustrations by Gerald L. Holmes
Maverick Books, Inc.
Publication Information
MAVERICK BOOKS
Published by Maverick Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 549, Perryton, TX 79070
Phone: 806.435.7611
www.hankthecowdog.com
First published in the United States of America by Maverick Books, Inc. 1983,
Texas Monthly Press, 1988, and Gulf Publishing Company, 1990.
Subsequently published simultaneously by Viking Children’s Books and Puffin Books, members of Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1999.
Currently published by Maverick Books, Inc., 2011
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © John R. Erickson, 1983
All rights reserved
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Erickson, John R.
The original adventures of Hank the Cowdog / John R. Erickson ; illustrations by Gerald L. Holmes.
p. cm.
Originally published in series: Hank the Cowdog ; [1]
Summary: Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, is framed for the murder of a chicken and becomes an outlaw with the coyotes.
ISBN 1-59188-101-3 (pbk. ; alk. paper)
[1. Dogs—Fiction. 2. West (U.S.)—Fiction. 3. Humorous stories. 4. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Holmes, Gerald L., ill. II. Title. III. Series: Erickson, John R. Hank the Cowdog ; 1.
PZ7.E72556Or 1999 [Fic]—dc21 98-41813 CIP AC
Hank the Cowdog® is a registered trademark of John R. Erickson.
Printed in the United States of America
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Dedication
In memory of my mother and father, Anna Beth and Joseph Erickson
Contents
Chapter One: Bloody Murder
Chapter Two: Quills - Just Part of the Job
Chapter Three: An Enormous Monster
Chapter Four: The Boxer
Chapter Five: Another Bloody Murder
Chapter Six: Buzzards
Chapter Seven: True Love
Chapter Eight: Hank Runs a Bluff
Chapter Nine: Me Just a Worthless Coyote
Chapter Ten: Aged Mutton
Chapter Eleven: The Attack on the Ranch
Chapter Twelve: The Exciting Conclusion
Chapter One: Bloody Murder
It’s me again, Hank the Cowdog. I just got some terrible news. There’s been a murder on the ranch.
I know I shouldn’t blame myself. I mean, a dog is only a dog. He can’t be everywhere at once. When I took this job as Head of Ranch Security, I knew that I was only flesh and blood, four legs, a tail, a couple of ears, a pretty nice kind of nose that the women really go for, two bushels of hair and another half bushel of Mexican sandburs.
You add that all up and you don’t get Superman, just me, good old easygoing Hank who works hard, tries to do his job, and gets very little cooperation from anyone else around here.
I’m not complaining. I knew this wouldn’t be an easy job. It took a special kind of dog—strong, fearless, dedicated, and above all, smart. Obviously Drover didn’t fit. The job fell on my shoulders. It was my destiny. I couldn’t escape the broom of history that swept through . . . anyway, I took the job.
Head of Ranch Security. Gee, I was proud of that title. Just the sound of it made my tail wag. But now this, a murder, right under my nose. I know I shouldn’t blame myself, but I do.
I got the report this morning around dawn. I had been up most of the night patrolling the northern perimeter of ranch headquarters. I had heard some coyotes yapping up there and I went up to check it out. I told Drover where I was going and he came up lame all of a sudden, said he needed to rest his right front leg.
I went alone, didn’t find anything. The coyotes stayed out in the pasture. I figured there were two, maybe three of them. They yapped for a couple of hours, making fun of me, calling me ugly names, and daring me to come out and fight.
Well, you know me. I’m no dummy. There’s a thin line between heroism and stupidity, and I try to stay on the south side of it. I didn’t go out and fight, but I answered them bark for bark, yap for yap, name for name.
The coyote hasn’t been built who can out-yap Hank the Cowdog.
A little before dawn, Loper, one of the cowboys on this outfit, stuck his head out the door and bellered, Shut up that yapping, you idiot!
I guess he thought there was only one coyote out there.
They kept it up and I gave it back to them. Next time Loper came to the door, he was armed. He fired a gun into the air and squalled, something about how a man couldn’t sleep around here with all the dad-danged noise. I agreed.
Would you believe it? Them coyotes yipped louder than ever, and I had no choice but to give it back to them.
Loper came back out on the porch and fired another shot. This one came so close to me that I heard the hum. Loper must have lost his bearings or something, so I barked louder than ever to give him my position, and, you know, to let him know that I was out there protecting the ranch.
The next bullet just derned near got me. I mean, I felt the wind of it as it went past. That was enough for me. I shut her down for the night. If Loper couldn’t aim any better than that, he was liable to hurt somebody.
I laid low for a while, hiding in the shelter belt, until I was sure the artillery had gone back to bed. Then I went down for a roll in the sewer, cleaned up, washed myself real good, came out feeling refreshed and ready to catch up on my sleep. Trotted down to the gas tanks and found Drover curled up in my favorite spot.
I growled him off my gunnysack. Beat it, son. Make way for the night patrol.
He didn’t want to move so I went to sterner measures, put some fangs on him. That moved him out, and he didn’t show no signs of lameness either. I have an idea that where Drover is lamest is between his ears.
I did my usual bedtime ritual of walking in a tight circle around my bed until I found just exactly the spot I wanted, and then I flopped down. Oh, that felt good! I wiggled around and finally came to rest with all four paws sticking up in the air. I closed my eyes and had some wonderful twitching dreams about . . . don’t recall exactly the subject matter, but most likely they were about Beulah, the neighbor’s collie. I dream about her a lot.
What a woman! Makes my old heart pound just to think about her. Beautiful brown and white hair, big eyes, nose that tapers down to a point (not