Lifesaver [Engl.]

4. Appeal for Help

"Hey! You have to cut a better figure, if you jump from the board."
Elbows laughed. He laid on the beach and looked over to the diving board, where Buford stood in his swimming trunks. But before he made the first steps for the run, he pulled up vigorously his bathing pants once again.
"I bet 10 glasses of water, that the board will crack," Furgus said, who was lying next to Elbows.
Elbows nodded. "The bet is valid."
At this moment, Buford took a run-up. But as soon as he had walked two steps on the board, he stopped as if thunderstruck, swayed and tilted forward. With a belly punch, he landed on the board. This made a faint crack and before Buford knew it, he and the board landed in the water.
"I won!" Furgus triumphed.
With a puff, Buford came back to the water surface.
"It's a good thing that we have a spare diving board," Elgin said, who had watched all from his beach chair. "Hey! Buford? Do you need a towel?"
But Buford wanted something completely different.
"Hey! Look!" he snarled and pointed hastily forward. "Why does the roadrunner ride without a rider?"
Beans, who was still sitting on the lake to wait for Rango, stood up with a start.
"It's Rango's roadrunner!"
The roadrunner ran down the street and stopped in front of the jail.
Immediately Beans dashed to it. The very idea, that something happened to Rango, made her hurry up.
The others, lured by Buford's cries, left the beach and water and ran over to the prison, where Beans held the reins of the roadrunner.
"Where is Rango? What happened?"
Then she noticed the letter on the roadrunner's reins. Hastily, she pulled it out quickly and unfolded it.
It was Rango's handwriting, without doubt. Quickly she scanned the lines.
At that moment, the other city dwellers arrived the prison.
"Anything bad?" Furgus asked cautiously, who feared the worst.
After Beans had finished reading the letter, she let the paper sink speechless.
"What's written there?" Waffles asked curiously. But Buford was faster and whipped it out of her hand and read:
"Whoever finds this letter, please bring it to Dirt.
My dear friends, I send you this letter because I desperately need your help immediately. Drum up as many people as you can find and do not forget to take the Doc with you! I'm in the Death Mountains at the old covered wagon cemetery.
Please, come quickly.
Rango"
After Buford had finished, everyone was silent.
"In Death Mountains?" Furgus muttered. "What is he doing there?"
"Doc should also come," Buford repeated.
"Sounds very urgent," Furgus said thoughtfully.
"In this case, it will be the best that we hurry up," Buford said, who still wore his bathing trunks. "Call all together!"

Annoyed, Rango fired off one warning shot after another. The birds had flown up again and circled over the plain like greedy vultures.
"Get off!"
Rango hoped that the note had gotten into Dirt. He had failed to mention Jake in the letter purposely, from fear that no one would come. Beans would have come. No matter whether Jake was around or not. But with Beans alone, he could do nothing. He needed the help of everyone.
Rango sighed in relief as he heard chicken footsteps in his near. He quickly ran to the rock bend. The city people shouldn't realize immediately why he had asked them to come here. He knew all would think that he was crazy.
Beans was the first one who rode around the corner. It took a load off her mind as Rango approached her, sound and healthy. She climbed down quickly and flung her arms around his neck.
"Rango! Thanks god, you are okay. But what's going on?"
"Oh, Beans," Rango said. "I'm so glad to see you here."
He hugged her. At this moment, the others came.
Rango counted 10 or 15 town people. Including Elgin, Furgus, Buford, Doc, Spoons, Waffles and Ambrose.
"So, what's up?" Elgin wanted to know.
"Yeah, it there anything special?" Waffles asked excitedly.
Rango raised his hand. „Alright, alright! Quiet please! I have sent for you to come here because I urgently need to ask for something."
Curiously, the city people looked at him. Rango wanted to make it short. Who knows how much time Jake still had.
"When I passed this way, I noticed this here."
Rango pointed behind himself. All eyes wandered ahead. Rango couldn't tell whether they were stunned or shocked. Anyway, all stared up in disbelief, where Jake was still hanging unconscious on the metal arch.
Buford scratched his head questioningly. "Uh... did you him..."
Rango raised his hands defensively. "No, no, of course not! I found him in this condition. I've already checked him. He is not dead yet."
"And what do you want to say with that?" Beans asked skeptically.
Rango realized that he had to muster all his power of persuasion now.
"Well, that's why I asked you to come here. You must help me to get him down from there.
All of a sudden, everything was quiet, even the wind seemed to hold its breath, and everyone stared at Rango in disbelief, who became a few centimeters smaller at the sight of the others.
"You're not serious, are you?" Beans asked stunned.
"That's right," Elgin agreed. "Why should we do that?"
"Listen, people," Rango tried once again. "I know, it sounds crazy. But we have to help him."
"Mr. Rango," Buford said. "I know, you don't live with us a long time yet, but here in the desert, the survival of the fittest applies."
Rango narrowed his eyes. "Oh, does that mean, you would like it if I left you in that state?"
"Of course not, but..."
"And you Spoons? Would you like it if I left you lonely and abandoned without water in the desert?"
"But that with Jake is something completely different," Ambrose commended. „He is a killer. And someone like him got was he deserved."
Spoons bared his head. "You can't beat a venerable death."
Everyone startled. The birds of prey had risen into the air and circled greedily over the small gathering group.
"Do you understand now?" Rango said in a haunting voice. "They'll kill him."
Buford shook his head. "Mr. Rango, leave him alone. Maybe it's even the best for him."
Furgus nodded. "He is right. Who knows how long he's been hanging there."
"You can do nothing for him anymore," Spoons said.
Rango scowled.
"Very well! As you will! Go back home, but I will stay here! I'll defend him against these vultures for so long, even if I'm about to perish."
With these words, Rango ran to the dilapidated wooden cart, stood himself in position on the top of the boards and raised his revolver. The birds took notice of him and circled around him aggressively. Then the first one swooped down on him. Rango shot, the bird dodged. The second one attacked him immediately afterwards. Rango could avoid his claws in the nick of time. The hawk raised himself into the air again and both orbited their victim again.
The townspeople stood at a distance and watched the hunting game with open mouths.
One of the buzzards rushed back at Jake now. Rango shot again. Now the hawks were sick to death of that chameleon. Annoyingly, they yelled at Rango and attacked him again. Rango dodged again and ran around the wooden cart. The birds seemed to like the game and flew up and down repeatedly.
Beans couldn't watch it any longer.
Angrily, she took her rifle. "What are you waiting for!? Help him!"
Immediately, the others grabbed their guns and shot out from all pipes. The hawks, surprised by the attack, flew up. It became all too much for them gradually. With anger, they shrieked again, then they flew away.
When Rango realized, the birds were gone, he sank on his knees in the sand with exhaustion and panting.
Slowly, the townspeople surrounded him. "And what exactly do you intend to do?"