The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog
Encyclopedia
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson
is the first book in the Hank the Cowdog
series for children.
probably during the 1980s when the book was written. It starts off with Drover, Hank's assistant, coming to him and waking him up saying there's been a murder. They find a dead chicken
and Hank says it was a 'raccoon
' who did it, and he says he knows where it is. But the thing he finds in a bush is a porcupine
, and later the local barncat
, Pete, teases Hank for having quills in his nose. Later that day around dark, Hank assigns Drover to watch the chicken house while Hank goes on patrol. A couple hours later, Drover starts yelling there's a monster, Hank comes running and attacks the 'monster' which turns out to be a cow. The next day Hank and Drover sneak a trip on the back of a truck to town. In town the two dogs anger Bruno, a large boxer
. The next day back at the ranch they find another murdered chicken, and Hank can't resist and he eats it. He wakes up and finds that he is in pile of feathers, and Sally May finds him and thinks that he is the murderer. High Loper then ties the chicken's head around Hanks neck. Hank then realizes that he has to leave the ranch. He heads out and meets two turkey vulture
s, Wallace and Junior, in the end he gives them the chicken's head and they fight over it, but in the end a hawk
swoops down and grabs it. The next day Hank finds a female coyote
named Girl-Who-Drinks-Blood (who he calls Missy), they become good friends but then Missy's family shows up. And the next thing Hank knows, Missy is his fiancée. Her brother Scraunch has met Hank on the field of battle before. He and Hank are now worst enemies. Hank becomes good friends with the two coyote brothers named Rip and Snort. After a long time with the coyotes, Scraunch decides that if Hank wants to prove himself to the coyote tribe and marry Missy, he must join in for a raid on the ranch. So Scraunch, Rip, Snort, and Hank along with other coyotes raid the ranch. But Drover, during the middle of the raid, convinces Hank that what he is doing is wrong. So Hank turns on them, and in the end Scraunch is about to kill Hank when a gun
goes off. The coyotes then run off. It ends with Hank being back on ranch as Head of Ranch Security.
John R. Erickson
John R. Erickson is an American cowboy and author, best known for his classic children’s series, Hank the Cowdog.Erickson has written and published 75 books and more than 500 articles, and is best known as the author of the Hank the Cowdog books, audio-books, and stage plays...
is the first book in the Hank the Cowdog
Hank the Cowdog
Hank the Cowdog is series of humorous children's mystery novels, written by John R. Erickson and illustrated by Gerald L. Holmes.The series began in 1982 with a couple of short stories about the proud but bumbling Hank, the self-styled "Head of Ranch Security"...
series for children.
Plot
The setting is in the panhandle of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
probably during the 1980s when the book was written. It starts off with Drover, Hank's assistant, coming to him and waking him up saying there's been a murder. They find a dead chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
and Hank says it was a 'raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
' who did it, and he says he knows where it is. But the thing he finds in a bush is a porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
, and later the local barncat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, Pete, teases Hank for having quills in his nose. Later that day around dark, Hank assigns Drover to watch the chicken house while Hank goes on patrol. A couple hours later, Drover starts yelling there's a monster, Hank comes running and attacks the 'monster' which turns out to be a cow. The next day Hank and Drover sneak a trip on the back of a truck to town. In town the two dogs anger Bruno, a large boxer
Boxer (dog)
Developed in Germany, the Boxer is a breed of stocky, medium-sized, short-haired dog. The coat is smooth and fawn or brindled, with or without white markings. Boxers are brachycephalic , and have a square muzzle, mandibular prognathism , very strong jaws and a powerful bite ideal for hanging on to...
. The next day back at the ranch they find another murdered chicken, and Hank can't resist and he eats it. He wakes up and finds that he is in pile of feathers, and Sally May finds him and thinks that he is the murderer. High Loper then ties the chicken's head around Hanks neck. Hank then realizes that he has to leave the ranch. He heads out and meets two turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
s, Wallace and Junior, in the end he gives them the chicken's head and they fight over it, but in the end a hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
swoops down and grabs it. The next day Hank finds a female coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
named Girl-Who-Drinks-Blood (who he calls Missy), they become good friends but then Missy's family shows up. And the next thing Hank knows, Missy is his fiancée. Her brother Scraunch has met Hank on the field of battle before. He and Hank are now worst enemies. Hank becomes good friends with the two coyote brothers named Rip and Snort. After a long time with the coyotes, Scraunch decides that if Hank wants to prove himself to the coyote tribe and marry Missy, he must join in for a raid on the ranch. So Scraunch, Rip, Snort, and Hank along with other coyotes raid the ranch. But Drover, during the middle of the raid, convinces Hank that what he is doing is wrong. So Hank turns on them, and in the end Scraunch is about to kill Hank when a gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
goes off. The coyotes then run off. It ends with Hank being back on ranch as Head of Ranch Security.
Characters
- Hank- Head of Ranch Security, the cowdog
- Drover- Hank's assistant
- Pete- Head of Mouse Control, cat
- High Loper- Owner of the Ranch
- Sally May- High Loper's wife
- Slim Chance- Ranch Hand
- Bruno- a boxer
- Missy Coyote or Girl-Who-Drinks-Blood- coyote, fiancée of Hank
- Scraunch the Terrible- coyote, Missy's brother
- Chief Gut or Eat-Many-Rabbits-Gut-On-Full-Moon- older coyote, missing part of an ear, missing toes, and is losing a lot of fur. Chief of the coyote tribe, father of Missy Coyote and Scraunch
- Rip- coyote, henchman of Scraunch
- Snort- coyote, henchman of Scraunch
- Wallace- turkey vulture
- Junior- turkey vulture, son of Wallace
External links
- http://www.hankthecowdog.com/