"The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry (adapted)

Part One

It looked like a good thing, but wait until I tell you. Bill Driscoll and I were in Alabama when he had the kidnapping idea. There is a town in Alabama called Summit. The inhabitants of the town were very normal people.

Bill and I had about six hundred dollars. We needed two thousand dollars more for our scheme in Illinois. We discussed everything in front of our hotel.

"Summit is the best place for kidnapping," I said. "Parents love their children in small towns."

"And Summit doesn't have an important newspaper with curious reporters," said Bill.

"You're right. Summit probably has only one lazy sheriff. It looks like the perfect place for kidnapping," I said.

We chose our victim carefully. He was the only child of an important man named Ebenezer Dorset. Mr Dorset was respectable and stingy. The kid was a boy of ten with red hair.

"I'm sure Ebenezer Dorset will pay the ransom of two thousand dollars for his little boy," I said to Bill. But wait until I tell you.

About two miles from Summit there was a little mountain and a forest. We found a cave here. It was the perfect hiding place for us. We bought food and drink and put it in the cave.

One evening we passed by the Dorsets' house with a horse and buggy. The kid was in the street. He was throwing stones at a little cat.

"Hey, little boy!" cried Bill.

The boy threw a stone at Bill's eye.

"This will cost Mr Dorset five hundred dollars more!" said Bill angrily.

The boy fought like a bear but at last we put him in the buggy. We drove away quickly and took him to the cave. That evening I took the horse and buggy back to the village and then I returned to the cave.

When I arrived there was a camp fire at the entrance of the cave. Bill had some scratches on his face.

The boy had two big feathers in his red hair and said, "Ha! This is the camp of Red Chief, the great Indian warrior!"

"He's all right now," said Bill. He was examining some scratches on his legs. "We're playing Indians. I'm a hunter called Old Hank and I'm Red Chief's prisoner. He's going to scalp me early tomorrow morning."

The boy was having a lot of fun. He forgot he was our prisoner because he loved camping out in the cave.

He looked at me and said, "Your name is now Snake Eye. You're a spy. When the Indians return they will cook you on the fire!"

We had dinner, and the kid ate a lot and talked a lot.

"I like this place. I never camped out before. I hate school. Are there any real Indians in the forest? I want some more food. What makes your nose so red, Hank? My father has lots of money. Are the stars hot? I don't like girls. Why are oranges round? Are there any beds in this cave? A parrot can talk but a fish can't."

The kid had a very loud voice and he scared Bill.

"Red Chief," I said, "do you want to go home?"

"Why?" he asked. "I don't have fun at home. I hate school. I like to camp out. Please don't take me home."

"All right," I said. "We'll stay here in the cave for a while."

"Oh, good!" he said. "I never had so much fun in all my life."

We went to bed at about eleven o'clock. Red Chief was between us. We couldn't sleep for three hours because he jumped up and down and screamed. He was still playing Red Chief. At last I fell asleep but I had bad dreams.

I woke up because Bill was screaming like a frightened woman. It was terrible to hear a big, strong, fat man scream in that way. I jumped up and what did I see? Red Chief was sitting on Bill. He was pulling Bill's hair with one hand. In the other hand he had a knife. He was trying to take Bill's scalp!

I took the knife from the kid but Bill was still terrified. He tried to sleep but he couldn't. I slept a little but then I remembered something. Red Chief wanted to cook me on the fire that morning.

"Sam, do you think the kid's father will pay money for the little devil?"

"Sure," I said. "Parents love noisy little devils. Now you cook breakfast and I'll come back in a few minutes."

I walked to the top of the little mountain and looked down. The town of Summit was quiet. No one was looking for the kid or the kidnappers. I expected to see the men of the village running about with pitchforks. But everything was silent. I only saw one man working quietly in the country with his horse.

"The parents don't know about the kidnapping yet," I thought.

When I returned to the cave Bill was furious and his face was red. The boy wanted to throw a big rock at Bill.

"He put a hot potato down my back," said Bill. "And I hit him."

"Be careful!" said the kid to Bill. "No one ever hit Red chief before!"

After breakfast the kid took a slingshot out of his pocket and went outside the cave.

"Do you think he'll run away, Sam?" asked Bill.

"No, he won't. Today we have to send a message to his father. We must ask him for the ransom money."

Just then we heard a loud cry. Red Chief was playing with the slingshot. Suddenly a rock hit Bill behind his left ear. He fell in the fire across a pot of hot water. I pulled him up and poured cold water on his head for half an hour. When Bill could finally speak he said, "Don't go away and leave me alone with the kid, please."

I went outside the cave and said angrily, "If you don't behave, I'll take you home. Now, are you going to be good?"

"I was only playing," he said sadly. "I didn't want to hurt Old Hank. But why did he hit me? I'll behave, Snake Eye, but please don't send me home. Can I play Black Scout today?"

"I don't know the game," I said. "You and Bill can decide. I'm going away for a while. Now come in and apologize to Bill."

We went into the cave and the kid apologized. Then I spoke to Bill.

"Today I'm going to Poplar Cove to send a letter to Mr Dorset. I'm asking for the ransom money."

"You know, Sam, in the past we did many dangerous things together. I was with you during earthquakes, fires, floods, cyclones, train robberies and police raids. And I was never afraid of anyone or anything. But now I'm afraid of this kid. So come back soon."

"I'll come back this afternoon. Now let's write this letter."