Lifesaver [Engl.]

14. Snake hunters in town

While Rango was still in the town hall, he had no idea what was happening outside on the street.
Waffles was just beautifying the day to go back to the lake when he saw several riders coming into town at that moment. With surprise, he stopped on the sidewalk and stared at the strangers in amazement. No sooner, they had passed the entrance to the town, they slowed down and looked around.
Waffles got a strange feeling. The strangers seemed to be looking for something.
He narrowed his eyes to see more clearly who those strangers were. He could only see thick fur on her hands and face under her worn clothes. He scratched his head thoughtfully. He had never seen ferrets like that before.
His breath caught as they rode past him.
The front rider noticed that he was staring at him and raised his hand.
"Stop! Hey you!"
Waffles looked up.
"Who? Me?"
"Yeah, who else?" the stranger asked gruffly. "Where can we find the sheriff?"
"Um, ... why do you want to see the sheriff?"
"That does not concern you!"
"Boss, calm down," his colleague warned him. "Maybe he can tell us something."
The leader nodded grimly. "All right. So listen, did a snake come into town here? Has anyone seen one here?"
Waffles started. There was only one snake around, and everyone knew it.
"Uh ... well ..." Waffles considered. What should he say? The strangers did not seem to be very comfortable. They even looked very dangerous. "So ... I don't know. I don't get much in this city."
The leader snorted. "Idiot," he murmured, signaling his people to continue riding. Waffles watched them go. As the riders passed the sheriff's office, they dismounted in order. The leader knocked on the door. When nothing happened inside, he started banging on the door.
"Nobody seems to be there," said another one.
"I see that myself!" the leader snapped.
At that moment, Miss Oats came walking along the sidewalk. The leader stood in her way.
"Where's the sheriff?" he asked without greeting.
"He's in the town hall," Miss Oats said in intimidation and pointed to the town hall building.
A thought flicked through Waffles. He had to warn Rango. Whatever these strangers wanted here, they were up to no good.

Rango had stopped in the hallway and was contemplating the mayor's oil paintings. He was still angry because Jake left him at the door. Now his knowledge was back where he had been before. Why didn't Jake tell him what had happened?
He stared at the oil paintings again. Things had to go! He could hardly see these pictures at all; where the mayor had once been pictured with a bow and arrow and the other with his rifle.
He looked up when he heard Waffles shouting in the entrance area.
"Sheriff Rango! Sheriff Rango!"
"Up here."
In hurry Waffles climbed up the stairs.
"Sheriff! There are a few people you want to speak to. They asked for a snake."
Rango started. "A few people? How did they look like?"
"I don't know exactly," Waffles said, shrugging nervously. "Looked like ferrets, or such a breed of animal; I've never seen it before."
Rango went pale.
"Where are they now?"
"You're on your way here ..."
"WHAT !?" Rango panicked. "Why did you tell them where I am!?"
"It wasn't me! Miss Oats gave them the hint."
Rango bit his fingernails and looked around in panic. "Where can you get out of here without being seen?"
"There's a back door on the first floor."
Immediately they raced down the stairs and escaped through a side door that led behind the house. Not a second too early, because the leader and his people entered the entrance hall and looked around.
"Hello?" the leader shouted into the room. "Is anyone here?"
"Hey boss," one of his people said. "Look here."
He pointed to the broken entrance doors.
Examining, the leader looked at the demolished doors.
"Riot?" asked his second men.
The leader shook his head. "I do not think so."

In the meantime, Rango and Waffles had sneaked along the wall of the house and peered cautiously around the corner to the entrance to the town hall.
"They mustn't come into the town hall under any circumstances," murmured Rango desperately.
"Why don't you go and tell them?" Waffles asked.
"I can't!" Rango hissed at him. "They know my face. If they see me, they'll kill me."
Waffles scratched his head. "Do they know that you are a sheriff?"
Rango considered. "No, I do not think so. It was dark and I also had a blanket over me. I hardly think that they saw my sheriff's star."
Both were startled when they heard the leader's angry voice in the entrance hall.
"HEY! Bloody hell! Is anyone here!? I don't have all day!"
"Maybe we should check up, boss."
Rango went pale.
"Aaah!" He whined, clapping his hands over his head. "What are we going to do now?"
"Are you all right, Rango?"
Rango looked up and stared into Priscilla's eyes.
"Do you have grief?"
"Little sister, you have to do me a favor," Rango babbled at her, holding the gerbil firmly on the shoulders. "Tell these people that the sheriff is waiting for them in front of the saloon."
Priscilla looked around the corner. "They look like ferrets ..."
"Exactly! Hurry up!"
Without asking, Priscilla ran.
As soon as Priscilla had disappeared around the corner, Rango grabbed Waffles at the shirt and shook him vigorously.
"Waffles! Do me a favor now and please think with me!"
"Okay, okay! I'm thinking," stammered Waffles. "Hey, look!"
Rango looked up. The ferret-looking strangers had left the town hall and were walking straight to the saloon. There they stopped and stared grimly at each other.
"They would be away from the town hall for now," Waffles said. "But what do we do now?"
Rango was frowning and thinking feverishly.
"In any case, they have to leave the town. Under no circumstances may they come to the town hall."
Waffles looked at him helplessly. "And what exactly should we do now?"
Rango sighed. "Somebody has to convince them that they are at the wrong address here. I can't do it. They know me. Someone has to take on the role of the sheriff and tell them."
"And who is that supposed to be?"
Both looked up when they heard a whistle on the sidewalk. Spoons was walking cheerfully down the sidewalk and seemed to be in a good mood. Despite the fact that Jake was in town, he seemed to have long since forgotten his anger.
Rango didn't hesitate long and quickly dragged Spoons into the alley.
"Spoons, you come as called!" Rango said with exaggerated cheer and patted Spoons on the shoulder.
"Really?" Spoons asked with confusion.
"Of course!" Rango continued. "Listen, there are some strangers, they came into town and are looking for Jake."
"What?" Spoons's eyes widened.
Rango pointed to the saloon.
"Do you see the strangers over there?"
Spoons followed his finger. "These weird ferrets?"
Rango nodded. "Exactly, and unfortunately they're the same ferrets that tormented Jake."
Spoons raised his eyebrows. "Those ones? But what are you up to?"
"That's exactly why you come into play. Someone has to convince them that they're looking in the wrong place."
"And what have I got to do with it?" Spoons asked uncomprehendingly. "You said that you take responsibility ..."
"I know, I know. But they know me and know that I know Jake. After all, we both fled from them. I can't appear as a sheriff. So you have to pretend to be me. You have to pretend to be the sheriff."
"What!?"
Waffles' eyes widened too. "What? Why him? Why not me?"
"Because they have already seen you," argued Rango.
"Wait a minute," Spoons interrupted him. Everything was going too quickly. "You all seriously ask me to go to them and tell them ..."
Rango nodded. "Exactly! If you convince them that Jake is not here, they will definitely go away."
"But how am I supposed to do that?" Spoons asked. "I'm not a sheriff after all."
"Oh yes," said Rango and took off his sheriff's star. "And immediately. I hereby declare you here, by virtue of the office, I have been given, for a short time as a sheriff, with all the associated rights."
With these words, Rango put the sheriff's star on Spoons's shirt.
Spoons was speechless.
"Mister Rango? I ... I don't know what to say. I ... I am deeply moved."
Spoons sniffed with emotion.
"All right, all right," Rango said hastily. "You go over to the people now and pretend to be the sheriff. Whatever they want, they must never come to the town hall. And ... you have never seen a snake."
With these words, he pushed Spoons onto the street.
For a brief moment, Spoons stood speechless on the sidewalk and seemed to be gradually waking from his trance. Then he walked slowly over to the strangers who were still standing in front of the saloon.
"I, the sheriff," he muttered to himself. "That I can still experience that in my old days ..."
Carefully, Rango and Waffles peeked around the corner and checked Spoons.
"I hope, he doesn't patter anything out of sheer emotion," Rango whispered uncertainly.
When the strangers saw Spoons approaching, they started whispering.
"Hey, boss, look," said one of them, shoving the leader. "He wears a star. Must be the sheriff."
The leader wrinkled his nose. "Is that supposed to be the sheriff? Just as run down as this place here."
"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Spoons started politely. "I greet you here in our city."
"And you are the sheriff?" the leader interrupted grumpily.
Spoons nodded proudly. "Yes, I'm the sheriff and I haven't seen a snake."
Rango's heart stopped and put his hands over his head. Spoons, you idiot!
The leader raised his eyebrows. "How do you know that we're looking for a snake?"
Spoons cleared his throat expertly. "I have already been informed. I know my city very well. And I always know what is being said here. Even the smallest secrets are familiar to me."
Rango chewed nervously on his fingers. Did they buy it from him?
The leader gritted his teeth. His mate leaned over to him. "Uh, boss? If he's not here, we'd better keep riding."
The leader growled. "All right. But before that, we'll take a drink."
With these words, he turned and entered the saloon.

Buford looked up in surprise when he saw the whole "clientele" come in through the door.
The piano player also finished his song for a moment. They all stared at the strangers. But the leader seemed to be used for such a reception and went straight to the bar. Without greeting, he slapped his hand on the table.
"Nine drinks of your best schnapps."
Without a word, Buford reached behind the shelf and put glasses on the counter. No sooner, he had filled the first glass, the leader reached for it and drank it all at once.
The townspeople didn't say a word. Apparently, everyone was wondering what the ferrets were. Even so much that no one noticed the sheriff's star on Spoon's vest, and that was pure luck.
The whole thing "being stared at" became too much for the leader.
"What's there to stare at?" he asked grumpily into the room.
Immediately everyone turned around and went back to what they had stopped. The piano player also started to play again.
Spoons took off his hat apologetically. "Forgive me, but we rarely get visitors here. I don't think you're from here."
The leader snorted. "As if we would voluntarily stay in this goddamn country," he grumbled angrily and had his glass poured in again. "The only thing is we're looking for a rattlesnake."
Suddenly it was quiet in the saloon. So quiet that you could have heard a pin drop on the floor. Of course, the leader had noticed this and looked up in surprise from his drink. His eyes narrowed. That sudden silence had made him suspicious. Without turning around, he placed his glass almost silently on the counter. Spoons, who was standing right next to him, swallowed hard.
Now the leader began to move and walked slowly and deliberately through the rows of chairs and tables, trying to look in every eye for a brief moment and then taking the next pair of eyes. As if he was trying to read the mind in someone's eyes.
Buford had hastily grabbed a glass and was nervously cleaning it as Ambrose restlessly stroked his playing cards. Then the leader turned and walked back to the counter in the same slow step. Then he leaned against the bar table and supported himself with his right elbow, so that he stood in a relaxed position.
Elgin, who was also sitting at the bar, gave the impression that he was frozen.
The leader examined him carefully. "Did you see a rattlesnake?"
"Uh ... he's deaf," Spoons said quickly.
The leader raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh really?"
"Yes," Buford said, nodding hastily. "Deaf and dumb."
"Well, well," the leader murmured slowly and turned to the other city people. "But not the others in the room, right!?"
He crossed his arms behind his back and took two steps forward between the rows of tables. Again he looked everyone in the eye.
"Well, since the others are probably not deaf, I can ask the question again: Has anyone seen a rattlesnake?"
Everyone was silent. But the leader noticed that it was a suppressed silence. No one said a word, but the townspeople showed an attitude as if they were undecided to provide information. And whenever the leader looked someone in the eye, his eyes avoided his eyes, which made him all the more suspicious.

Rango and Waffles had also sneaked over to the saloon and were peering carefully through a side window.
Rango chewed his lower lip nervously. He had admonished the townspeople not to tell anyone about Jake. But now the residents seemed indecisive at the sight of the strangers. Did they really want to give Jake protection any longer?

The tension in the saloon was already so high that you could almost feel it. The silence grew too much for one of the townspeople and raised a hand. But Buford gave him a warning look, so that the person dropped his hand again. Spoons, who had noticed this, gave Buford a questioning look. Buford shook his head. He didn't like protecting Jake either, but on the other hand, he didn't want to stab Rango in the back.
The leader was getting impatient. "So, did anyone see a snake here, yes or no !?"
His question was silenced again, which drove an unspeakable anger in him.
"Talk to me!"
"Madog!" One of his people said. "Now don't get upset."
"Shut up!" the leader snapped. "How many times should I tell you not to mention my name!"
Madog's eyes fell on the table, where Ambrose and a few other players were sitting, still holding their cards. Madog approached them with impending steps, while the players tried to concentrate on their cards again.
Now Madog tried the harmless tour again. "Did you see anything?"
He leaned down a little and tried to look into Ambrose's eyes. Ambrose made an effort to keep his poker face on. But the slight trembling of his hands with which he held the cards revealed too much of his uncertainty.
"Well, I'm listening."
Ambrose's eyes went to Spoons. The mouse shook his head violently.
Madog hit the table with his fist. "ANSWER!"
"I saw a snake."
Everyone turned. Madog, too.
A desert lizard woman in a blue dress was standing in the door.
Rango and Waffles, who had watched everything through the window, were frozen. Rango caught his breath and Waffles' mouth remained open.
Without hesitation, Beans entered the saloon. "I can tell you where he is."