DO NOT ANNOY THE INDIANS

by Betty Baker ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 1968

Tebarro and his fellow Yumas are laughably stubborn and superstitious--but then Jeff and tantrum-prone little brother Benjie and multi-petticoated sister Sal are pretty silly too, which takes the onus off the Indians and makes the relationship real. Jeff and Benjie and Sal have come to 1858 Arizona City (pop. 8) to be with Dad at the new Overland Mail station; Mother is sick and, worse, Dad is off looking for gold--though his contract says he should stay at the station and the first stagecoach is due in two days. Jeff, still in short pants at thirteen, has to hustle for the first time and prepare to take responsibility for the station. Argumentative, impractical Sal is not much of a cook (though she tries) and Benjie is mostly a bother: every time he's crossed, he starts to hold his breath. Then there are the Indians--playing with Sal's petticoats, fighting over Benjie's toy wagon, calling the white man ""mean and stingy""--which involves Jeff in the rash promise of a stage ride to Tebarro. The complications are funny and fast until the last swap: the loan of Little White Man Dream (Benjie holding his breath) for a special ceremony in exchange for return of the stagecoach that Tebarro has pirated. An affectionate spoof based on an authentic historical situation, with the rules of the Overland Mail for counterpoint.

Pub Date: April 22, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1968

Categories: FICTION