THE STAGE ROBBERY

Rupert Bear is on the stroll when he trips over a tree-stump and loses his consciousness. He wakes up in the wild west of 1885. Rupert gets up and walks into Rockville in. when he is near the saloon he gets bothered by an outlaw. Fortunately he sensible enough to ignore him. The outlaw Lefty Jack comes after him and holds him tight.

“Let me go. I haven’t done anything to you, have I?”, asks Rupert fierce.

He tries to pull free but lefty holds him too tight. At that same moment Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry come riding towards. They see how Rupert gets treated by Lefty.

Heyes says, “That little bear needs our support. Come on Kid.”

They dismount and go to them.

Curry asks, “Can you against a little bear?”

Lefty looks at him and says, “Mind your own business cowboy. This bear is mine.”

“I am not yours. Leave me alone”, reacts Rupert directly.

“He is right. Let him go”, Heyes says cool but fierce.

Lefty wants to draw his pistol but Curry is faster. Hereby Lefty is forced to let Rupert go. Heyes pulls the bear near him.

“Get lost. if we notice that you bother him we give you a treatment. Understood?”, asks Heyes.

Lefty goes into the saloon, being angry with them.

“Come on. We are going to eat something”, Curry suggests.

They walk to a restaurant. Rupert keeps on looking around him to see if Lefty isn’t coming after him. But it isn’t so.

At the restaurant Rupert tells what has happened.

While they eat he says, “Lefty said to another man that he plans to rob the stagecoach of tomorrow afternoon. I was just walking by when I heard it.”

“That’s why Lefty wanted to have you. I think we are going to cross that plan of Lefty. Don’t you think so Mr Jones?”

“I think so too Mr Smith. You do have a plan, don’t you?”, is the counter-question of Curry.

Heyes keeps silent for a while and says, “We go along with that stagecoach. As soon as Lefty wants to commit the robbery we step in. Rupert, you stay with us.”

Rupert nods.

In the saloon says Lefty to his mate Clarke, “That little bear knows of our plan. We must have him before he tells it to someone else. That bear can put us in danger.”

“You are right. That bear is dangerous. Do you where he is?”, asks Clarke.

Lefty says, “He is with those two cowboys. According to me they are not from here. I don’t know but I don’t trust them either.”

Clarke doesn’t trust them either. They decide to look for Rupert and to silence him for good. But they don’t count on his new friends.

At the hotel Heyes and Curry reserve a room for Rupert Bear.

“Do you have a room for this bear in this hotel?”, Heyes asks calm at the man at the reception.

He looks into the register and says then, “He gets room number seven. that is next to your room Mr Smith. Sign here please.”

Heyes signs for the room of Rupert. What they don’t see is that Lefty sees them at the reception. He goes unnoticed to his partner.

He says, “Now I know how we can get that bear into our hands. He has room number seven at the hotel. You will get him tonight while I play poker against his friends. Say that his friends are injured and they need his support. Bring him to our camp. I keep his friends busy in the saloon.”

“Good idea of you, Lefty”, thinks Clarke.

Though Rupert Bear doesn’t know yet what will be waiting the next few coming hours.

After the reservation is arranged he goes with his friends to the saloon where it is rather quiet. Heyes and Rupert will to a table sit whereas Curry goes to the bar to get their order.

He says against the barkeeper, “Two whisky and a milk.”

The barkeeper gives the order him.

When the Kid comes with the drinks says Heyes smiling with a wink to Rupert, “I did not know that you were now to milk, Mr. Jones.”

"Very funny Mr. Smith", reacts his mate immediately.

“Look out for him. He has a silver tongue”, says Curry to the bear as a warning.

“I have noticed that by now. Are you here also in the evenings?”, asks Rupert while he drinks from his milk.

“When we are in town yes. we are here also tonight but after you are in bed, Rupert. Little bears like you need a lot of rest”, says Heyes.

Later that same day around 21.00 hours.

In the hotel lies Rupert Bear to sleep when Clarke comes into his room. Because the door opens the little bear wakes up very quickly. Clarke finds that a good result.

He says to him, “Get dressed. Your friends are injured and they need your support.”

Rupert quickly gets dressed and goes along with Clarke. The man at the reception sees that Clarke clearly has other plans with the bear but he lets show nothing.

Around that same time Heyes and Curry are at the saloon.

Heyes asks while he looks in the direction of the poker table, “Don’t you notice anything?”

Curry asks, “No, why? Must I notice then anything?”

Heyes answers, “Lefty is alone. I wonder where he is up to. Come, then we will have a chat with him.”

Curry warns him with, “Heyes, don’t challenge him. I know you.”

Heyes walks to Lefty and asks innocent, “Still in town? You are not going to chase after little bears?”

“What do you think cowboy? I challenge you for a game of poker. You will lose anyway”, reacts Lefty.

Heyes starts to show a smile and says, “I accept.”

He goes to sit opposite Lefty and puts his hat a bit backwards.

Quite soon Lefty has lost from Heyes. Being very moody Lefty leaves the saloon. He directly goes to his camp. Heyes realizes now that they must be careful.

When Clarke and Rupert are in the camp zijn the bear notices that his friends aren’t injured at all. Also that they aren’t there.

“We got you finally. don’t think that you can get away because you can’t anyway”, says Lefty laughing.

“You are going to help us with that stagecoach robbery”, says Clarke.

‘In your dreams’, thinks Rupert but he doesn’t say it. Quite soon Rupert falls asleep. At least that is what the outlaws must believe and that is what they do. They fall asleep themselves too after they have drunk too much. Quietly Rupert crawls away and climbs into a tree where the horses are standing under. With a little jump the bear ends upon a horse and rides back to town, taking the other horse along.

Sometime later Heyes and Curry come out of the saloon.

Heyes says, “I think that Rupert is already in a deep sleep. Let’s go and have a look.”

Though the man at the reception says, “That little bear has left an hour two ago with his friend.”

Heyes and Curry look at each other.

Curry asks, “How did that friend look like?”

Heyes says directly, “That must be Clarke. that cannot be anything else. He has kidnapped our little friend because he knows too much. Hopefully nothing happens to him. Come on Mr Jones.”

They leave the hotel and get their horses. They follow the track which Rupert has made.

In the camp Lefty notices that Rupert has escaped.

“Clarke, that bear is gone. We must go and look for him”, Lefty says angry.

“I thought that he was asleep. Sorry Lefty”, Clarke says apologizing.

They decide to opopen the hunt for Rupert. But Rupert has taken their horses along.

“That rotten bear starts to get on my nerves and well too. Now he has also stolen the horses”, Lefty says raving.

Clarke says then, “He hangs around with Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.”

“You don’t think that those outlaws get bothered with a little bear? They are good but not crazy”, reacts Lefty.

Rupert Bear quickly rides to town. On the way he meets to the amazing of Heyes and Curry them in person.

“Look Kid. There comes our hero”, says Heyes smiling.

“I wonder how he has eliminated two outlaws”, says Curry.

When Rupert is with them the bear tells what had happened. The outlaws listen patiently.

“We ride to town and you tell this story to the sheriff. We stay by you”, Heyes suggests.

“Will then nothing happen to me?”, asks Rupert worried.

“Rupert, have we ever disappointed you?”, asks Curry.

The bear shooks of no. Together they ride back to town. Once arrived there they go to the sheriff.

In the office of sheriff Miller.

“Sheriff, I am Smith, Joshua Smith and that is Mr Jones. Since we found this bear we have taken him under our wings. He got kidnapped by two outlaws. Rupert, just tell what has happened”, Heyes starts calm.

“When I was sleeping Clarke forced himself into my room. by the noise I woke up. he forced me to come along to his camp. I went along and let them believe that I slept. They fell asleep as well so I saw the chance to escape and took the horses along. They know that I know from their plans to rob the stagecoach tomorrow afternoon”, Rupert tells calm.

“That is interesting news. I have heard those rumors too. What you have done now is something you need to have guts for”, says the sheriff admiring.

Rupert becomes a bit shy of the compliment.

“Sheriff, excuse me bit what is there so special about the stagecoach of tomorrow afternoon?”, Curry asks suddenly.

“That stagecoach contains a strongbox with gold for the bank in Winterstone”, the sheriff answers while he looks at the outlaws.

“That is though ten km from here?”, asks Heyes.

“Why Mr Smith?”, asks the sheriff.

“Nothing. Come Mr Jones. I believe that our hero wants to sleep”, Heyes answers calm.

The next day Lefty and Clarke are back in town. at the delivery they get their horses back. They are looking for Rupert Bear who had left town with his friends in the meantime. The outlaws don’t know that though.

“Where is that rotten bear?”, asks Lefty who starts to lose all of his patience.

“He has done a runner, Lefty”, is the comment of Clarke.

No matter how they search, Rupert remains unfindable for them.

In deliberation with the sheriff and the driver Heyes, Curry and Rupert ride along with the stagecoach. Rupert in the stagecoach and his two friends in distance. But so that they still can keep an eye on Lefty and Clarke and the stagecoach. Lefty and Clarke are not up to date about this plan. They don’t know either that the gold is in Winterstone already. That morning very early Rupert Bear had his friends had brought the strongbox brought to town.

From the bushes Lefty and Clarke see the stagecoach coming.

“Just a moment and that strongbox with gold is ours. That rotten bear and those outlaws are nowhere to be seen. So we can do what we want”, Lefty says laughing mean.

They ride nearer but don’t see that Heyes and Curry have caught them in their eyes.

“Look Kid, there are our robbers. I am curious of how Rupert behaves himself”, says Heyes.

“I think that he will. He knows what he must do”, is the answer of the Kid.

Lefty and Clarke ride to the stagecoach.

Lefty calls out loud, “Now you stop the stagecoach and put that brown strongbox on the ground.”

The driver stpos the carriage and puts the strongbox on the ground. Very unnoticed Rupert crawls out of the stagecoach and runs away. Heyes discovers him as first and catches him.

“Everything goes according to plan, Joshua. They have taken the strongbox. I could get away easily”, tells the bear.

“You have done your best. Come, then we are going to give Lefty and Clarke the surprise of their life. Thaddeus waits for us”, says Heyes.

He puts Rupert on the horse next to him. Together they ride to the Kid. Rupert tells him too what has happened.

“We go to their camp and you go and get the sheriff halen. We deliver them a nice surprise”, says the Kid.

Rupert nods.

While Heyes and Curry go to the camp of Lefty and Clarke, Rupert goes back to town to warn the sheriff. The deputy sheriff Sam Willis sees Rupert coming.

He stops the horse and says then, “Did you succeed lad? The sheriff awaits for you.”

“Yes. Joshua and Thaddeus are to their camp. Do we go now?”, asks Rupert very excited.

The sheriff comes outside and says, “We go now. You lead the way, Rupert.”

Quite soon they reach the camp of the outlaws. Sam stops Rupert who is a bit too excited.

“They may not see us. Let Smith and Jones do their work first”, says Sam to the bear who understand that and gets calmer.

Meanwhile Lefty and Clarke have arrived with the strongbox in their camp.

Lefty says as he puts the strongbox on the ground, “Make that strongbox open quickly. Then we can divide our gold.”

But at the moment that Clarke wants to open the strongbox they hear Curry saying to them,

“I wouldn’t open that strongbox if I was you. There is only one man who can do it and that is Hannibal Heyes.”

“Where is he then?”, asks Lefty worried.

“I am here”, says Heyes smiling.

He looks at the lock on the strongbox and opens it at once. He looks into it with squeezed eyes and closes the strongbox again.

“What is the matter Heyes?”, asks Curry amazed.

“Just look for yourselves boys. It is your treasure”, says Heyes says mysteriously as he gets up.

Lefty and Clarke do that but don’t notice that Heyes and Curry sneak away.

“Hands up boys. You are under arrest”, they hear saying then.

They do that and the voice turns out to be belonging to the sheriff who has come with the deputy and Rupert.

Lefty sees him and shouts at him, “Due to you everything goes wrong. What are you such a rotten bear!”

“He has outsmarted you time and time again, Lefty. Come along”, says the sheriff.

Rupert rides to his friends and tells them everything.

When Lefty and Clarke are arrested by the sheriff and they are behind bars Lefty says angry, “You mustn’t arrest but those two cowboys and that rotten bear. Those cowboys happen to be Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry.”

“Would Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry bring back the loot of a stagecoach robbery? I don’t think so”, reacted the sheriff right away.

Now his attackers are in prison Rupert is relieved. He likes Heyes and Curry very much and they him too. The sheriff has paid them each a reward of 100 dollars for catching Lefty and Clarke. Rupert is first a bit dazed but does accept it.

After a while they ride to another city. But suddenly the horse of Rupert bolts and throws the bear of his back. He gets unconsciously and becomes awake in Nut wood. In his pocket Rupert find the 100 dollars note and realize he has really lived it. Excited he runs to home where his parents are waiting for him.