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diff --git a/old/19815-h.htm b/old/19815-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..32d4fa6 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/19815-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,5965 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Roy Blakeley, Pathfinder, by Percy Keese Fitzhugh</title> +<style type="text/css"> + body {background:#FFF8F0; + color:black; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + font-size:14pt; + margin-top:100px; + margin-left:10%; + margin-right:10%; + text-align:justify} + table {font-size:14pt} + blockquote.small { font-size: 12pt; } + .ind10 { margin-left: 10em; } + .ind15 { margin-left: 15em; } + p {text-indent: 4% } + p.noindent {text-indent: 0%; } + a:link {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + link {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + a:visited {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + a:hover {color:red} + pre {font-size:10pt;} + hr.full { width: 100%; + height: 5px; } +</style> +</head> +<body> +<h1 align="center">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Roy Blakeley, Pathfinder, by Percy Keese +Fitzhugh, Illustrated by Howard L. Hastings</h1> +<pre> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre> +<p>Title: Roy Blakeley, Pathfinder</p> +<p>Author: Percy Keese Fitzhugh</p> +<p>Release Date: November 14, 2006 [eBook #19815]</p> +<p>Language: English</p> +<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> +<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROY BLAKELEY, PATHFINDER***</p> +<br><br><center><h3>E-text prepared by James Eager</h3></center><br><br> +<table border=0 cellpadding=10> + <tr> + <td valign="top"> + Note: + </td> + <td> + This is book 3 in the Roy Blakeley series. It concludes + the story started in book 1: <i>Roy Blakeley</i> (see + <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10552">http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/10552</a>). + </td> + </tr> +</table> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<hr class="full" noshade> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> + +<center> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Book cover"> +</center> + +<br> +<center> +<h1> +ROY BLAKELEY, +<br> +PATHFINDER +</h1> + +<h2> +BY +</h2> + +<h1> +PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH +</h1> + +<h2> +AUTHOR OF +<br> +<br> +TOM SLADE, BOY SCOUT, TOM SLADE +<br> +WITH THE COLORS, TOM SLADE ON +<br> +THE RIVER, ETC. +</h2> + +<h2> +ILLUSTRATED +</h2> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> + +<h3> +PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF +<br> +THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA +</h3> + +<h4> +GROSSET & DUNLAP +<br> +PUBLISHERS :: NEW YORK +</h4> + +<h5> +Made in the United States of America +</h5> + +<h5> +COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY +<br> +GROSSET & DUNLAP. +</h5> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> + +<h2> +TABLE OF CONTENTS +</h2> +</center> +<br> + +<table> +<tr><td align="right">CHAPTER </td> + +<tr><td align="right"> I. </td><td><a href="#1">Hello, Here I Am Again</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> II. </td><td><a href="#2">An Awful Wilderness</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> III. </td><td><a href="#3">Undaunted!</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> IV. </td><td><a href="#4">Go!</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> V. </td><td><a href="#5">I Go on an Errand</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> VI. </td><td><a href="#6">I Discover Some Tracks</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> VII. </td><td><a href="#7">I Meet the Stranger</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> VIII. </td><td><a href="#8">Up a Tree</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> IX. </td><td><a href="#9">Awful Sticky</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> X. </td><td><a href="#10">I Make a Promise</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XI. </td><td><a href="#11">Seeing Is Believing</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XII. </td><td><a href="#12">Marshal Foch</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XIII. </td><td><a href="#13">Around The Camp-Fire</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XIV. </td><td><a href="#14">But I Didn't Write It</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XV. </td><td><a href="#15">No! No! No! Go On! Go On!</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XVI. </td><td><a href="#16">The Mystery</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XVII. </td><td><a href="#17">Appalling! Wonderful! Magnificent!</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XVIII. </td><td><a href="#18">On to Glory</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XIX. </td><td><a href="#19">Jib Jab, Is He Human?</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XX. </td><td><a href="#20">The Parade</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXI. </td><td><a href="#21">We Visit The Side Show</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXII. </td><td><a href="#22">Brent Gaylong</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXIII. </td><td><a href="#23">Brent's Story</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXIV. </td><td><a href="#24">The Light In The Woods</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXV. </td><td><a href="#25">In The Dark</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXVI. </td><td><a href="#26">Dorry And I And The Cricket</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXVII. </td><td><a href="#27">We Take Harry Into Our Confidence</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXVIII. </td><td><a href="#28">In The Woods</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXIX. </td><td><a href="#29">Jib Jab And Harry</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXX. </td><td><a href="#30">Jib Jab Is Surprised</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXI. </td><td><a href="#31">Jib Jab's Story</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXII. </td><td><a href="#32">Jib Jab Turns Out To Be Human</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXIII. </td><td><a href="#33">We Part Company</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXIV. </td><td><a href="#34">A Good Idea</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXV. </td><td><a href="#35">What I Heard On The Telephone</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXVI. </td><td><a href="#36">Up The Trail</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXVII. </td><td><a href="#37">A Voice</a></td> +<tr><td align="right">XXXVIII. </td><td><a href="#38">We Fight And Run Away</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XXXIX. </td><td><a href="#39">Welcome Home</a></td> +<tr><td align="right"> XL. </td><td><a href="#40">Mmm-Mm-M-M!</a></td> +</table> +<br> +<br> +<br> + +<center> +<h2> +ROY BLAKELEY, PATHFINDER +</h2> +</center> + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="1"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER I +<br> +HELLO, HERE I AM AGAIN</h3> +</center> + +<br> +<p>This story is all about a hike. It starts on Bridge Street and ends on +Bridge Street. Maybe you'll think it's just a street story. But that's +where you'll get left. It starts at the soda fountain in Warner's Drug +Store on Bridge Street in Catskill, New York, and it ends at the soda +fountain in Bennett's Candy Store on Bridge Street in Bridgeboro, New +Jersey. That's where I live; not in Bennett's, but in Bridgeboro. But I'm +in Bennett's a lot. + +<p>Believe <i>me</i>, that hike was over a hundred miles long. If you rolled it up +in a circle it would go around Black Lake twenty times. Black Lake would +be just a spool—<i>good night!</i> In one place it was tied in a bowline knot, +but we didn't count that. It was a good thing Westy Martin knew all about +bowline knots or we'd have been lost.. + +<p>Harry Donnelle said it would be all right for, me to say that we hiked all +the way, except in one place where we were carried away by the scenery. +Gee, that fellow had us laughing all the time. I told him that if the +story wasn't about anything except just a hike, maybe it would be slow, +but he said it couldn't be slow if we went a hundred miles in one book. +He said more likely the book would be arrested for speeding. I should +worry. "Forty miles are as many as it's safe to go in one book," he said, +"and here we are rolling up a hundred. We'll bunk right into the back +cover of the book, that's what we'll do." Oh boy, you would laugh if you +heard that fellow talk. He's a big fellow; he's about twenty-five years +old, I guess. + +<p>"Believe <i>me</i>, I hope the book will have a good strong cover," I told him. + +<p>Then Will Dawson (he's the only one of us that has any sense), he said, +"If there are two hundred pages in the book, that means you've got to go +two miles on every page." + +<p>"Suppose a fellow should skip," I told him. + +<p>"Then that wouldn't be hiking, would it?" he said. + +<p>I said, "Maybe I'll write it scout pace." + +<p>"I often skip when I read a book, but I never go scout pace," Charlie +Seabury said. + +<p>"Well," I told him, "this is a different kind of a book." + +<p>"I often heard about how a story runs," Harry Donnelle said, "but I never +heard of one going scout pace." + +<p>"You leave it to me," I said, "this story is going to have action." + +<p>Then Will Dawson had to start shouting again. Cracky, that fellow's a fiend +on arithmetic. He said, "If there are two hundred pages and thirty lines on +a page, that means we've got to go more than one-sixteenth of a mile for +every line." + +<p>"Righto," I told him, "action in every word. The only place a fellow can +get a chance to rest, is at the illustrations." + +<p>Dorry Benton said, "I wish you luck." + +<p>"The pleasure is mine," I told him. + +<p>"Anyway, who ever told you, you could write a book?" he asked me. + +<p>"Nobody <i>had</i> to tell me; I admit I can," I said. + +<p>"How about a plot?" he began shouting. + +<p>"There's going to be a plot forty-eight by a hundred feet," I came back at +him, "with a twenty foot frontage. I should worry about plots." + +<p>Harry Donnelle said he guessed maybe it would be better not to have any +plot at all, because a plot would be kind of heavy to carry on a hundred +mile hike. + +<p>"Couldn't we carry it in a wheelbarrow?" Will wanted to know. + +<p>"We'd look nice," I told him, "hiking through a book with the plot in a +wheelbarrow." + +<p>"Yes, and it would get heavier too," Westy Martin said, "because plots +grow thicker all the time." + +<p>"Let's not bother with a plot," I said; "there's lots of books without +plots." + +<p>"Sure, look at the dictionary," Harry Donnelle said. + +<p>"And the telephone book," I told him, "It's popular too; everybody reads +it." + +<p>"We should worry about a plot," I said. + +<p>By now I guess you can see that we're all crazy in our patrol. Even Harry +Donnelle, he's crazy, and he isn't in our patrol at all. I guess its +catching, hey? And, oh boy, the worst is yet to come. + +<p>So now I guess I'd better begin and tell you how it all happened. The +story will unfold itself or unwrap itself or untie itself or whatever you +call it. This is going to be the worst story I ever wrote and it's going +to be the best, too. This chapter isn't a part of the hike, so really the +story doesn't begin till you get to Warner's Drug Store. You'll know it by +the red sign. This chapter is just about our past lives. When I say, "go" +then you'll know the story has started. And when I finish the pineapple +soda in Bennett's, you'll know that's the end. So don't stop reading till +I get to the end of the soda. The story ends way down in the bottom of the +glass. + +<p>Maybe you don't know who Harry Donnelle is, so I'll tell you. He was a +lieutenant, but he's mustered out now. He got a wound on his arm. His hair +is kind of red, too. That's how he got the wound-having red hair. The +Germans shot at the fellow with red hair, but one good thing, they didn't +hit him in the head. + +<p>He came up to Temple Camp where our troop was staying and paid us a visit +and if you want to know why he came, it's in another story. But, anyway, +I'll tell you this much. Our three patrols went up to camp in his father's +house-boat. His father told us we could use the house-boat for the summer. +Those patrols are the Ravens and the Elks and the Solid Silver Foxes. I'm +head of the Silver Foxes. + +<p>The reason he came to camp was to get something belonging to him that was +in one of the lockers of the house-boat. I wrote to him and told him about +it being there and so he came up. He liked me and he called me Skeezeks. +Most everybody that's grown up calls me by a nickname. As long as he was +there he decided to stay a few days, because he was stuck on Temple Camp. +All the fellows were crazy about him. At camp-fire he told us about his +adventures in France. He said you can't get gum drops in France. + +<p>Gee, I wouldn't want to live there. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="2"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER II +<br> +AN AWFUL WILDERNESS</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>After he'd been at camp three or four days, Harry Donnelle said to me, +"Skeezeks, are you game for a real hike-you and your patrol?" + +<p>I said, "Real hikes are our specialties-we eat'em alive." + +<p>"I don't mean just a little stroll down to the village or even over as far +as the Hudson," he said; "but a hike that <i>is</i> a hike. Do you think you +could roll up a hundred miles?" + +<p>"As easy as rolling up my sleeves," I told him. "We're so game that a ball +game isn't anything compared with us. Speak out and tell us the worst." + +<p>He said, "Well, I was thinking of a little jaunt back home." + +<p><i>"Good night,"</i> I told him, "I thought maybe you meant as far as Kingston +or Poughkeepsie. But Bridgeboro! Oh boy!" + +<p>"Of course, we wouldn't get very far from the Hudson," he said, "and we +could jump on a West Shore train most anywhere, if you kids got tired." + +<p>"The only thing we'll jump on will be <i>you</i>-if you talk like that," I said; +"Silver Foxes don't jump on trains. But how about the other fellows-the +Elks and the raving Ravens? United we stand, divided we sprawl." + +<p>He said, "Let them rave; I'm not going to head a whole kindergarten. Eight +of you are enough. Who do you think I am, General Pershing?" And then he +ruffled up my beautiful curly hair and he gave me a shove-same way as he +always did. "This is not a grand drive," he said, "it's a hike. Just a few +shock troops will do." + +<p>"We'll shock you all right," I said, "but first you'd better speak to Mr. +Ellsworth (he's our scoutmaster), and get the first shock out of the way." + +<p>"I think I have Mr. Ellsworth eating out of my hand," he said; "you leave +that to me. I just wanted to sound you and find out if you were game or +whether you're just tin horn scouts-parlor scouts." + +<p>"Well, do I sound all right?" I said. "Believe <i>me</i>, there are only two +things that keep us from hiking around the world, and those are the +Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean." + +<p>"Think you could climb over the Equator?" he said, laughing all the while. +And he gave me another one of those shoves—<i>you</i> know. + +<p>Then he said, "Well then, Skeezeks, I'll tell you what you do. You call a +meeting of the Foxes and lay this matter on the table-" + +<p>"Why should I lay it on the table?" I said; "you'd think it was a plate of +soup. <i>I'll stand</i> on the table and address them, that's what I'll do." + +<p>He said, "All right, you just picture the hardships to them. Tell them that +for whole hours at a time, we may have to go without ice cream sodas. Tell +them that we'll have to penetrate a wilderness where there is no peanut +brittle. Tell them that we'll have to enter a jungle where gum drops are +unknown. Tell them that we may have to live on grasshoppers. Tell them +about the vast morass near Kingston, where you can't even get a piece of +chocolate cake; miles and miles of barren waste where the foot of white man +has never trod upon a marshmallow-" + +<p>"Sure you can find marshmallows in the marshes," I said. "We should worry." + +<p>"You ask Willie and Tommy and Dorrie and the others if they are prepared to +make the sacrifice-and I'll do the rest. I'll speak to Mr. Ellsworth. But +remember about the heartless desert with its burning sands just above +Newburgh. Now go chase yourself and round them up. I guess you know how to +do it." + +<p>So I got all the Silver Foxes into our patrol cabin and gave them a spooch. +I guess I might as well tell you who they all are. First there's me-I mean +I. Correct, be seated. You learn that in the primary grade. I'm patrol +leader and it's <i>some</i> job. Then comes Westy Martin; he's my special chum. +My sister says he has dandy hair. Then comes Dorry Benton-he's got a wart +on his wrist. Then comes Huntley Manners-Badleigh, that's his middle name. +Sometimes we call him Bad Manners. Then comes Charlie Seabury and then +comes Will Dawson and then come Tom Warner and Ralph Warner-they're twins. +They're both better looking than each other-that's what Pee-wee Harris +said. He's a scream-he's in the raving Raven patrol. Thank goodness he +isn't in this story-not much anyway. Ralph says Tom is crazy and Tom says +Ralph is crazy and Will Dawson says they're both right. I guess we're all +crazy. Anyway, Ralph and Tom came from Maine, so they're both maniacs, hey? + +<p>This is the speech I spooched: + +<blockquote><blockquote> +<p class="noindent">Fellow Foxes: + + <p>Shut up and give me a chance to talk. Sit down, Bad Manners. + I've got something to tell you and don't all shout at once— +</blockquote></blockquote> + +<p><i>Good night!</i> They all began shouting separately. Then I said: + +<blockquote><blockquote> +<p>Harry Donnelle says he's going to hike it all the way home to + Bridgeboro. He says we can go with him if we want to. Our time + is up Saturday, but we'll have to start three or four days + sooner. + + <p>He said for me to sound you fellows, but believe me, there's so + much sound that I can't. I suppose the other patrols will go + back down the Hudson in the house-boat. Every fellow that's in + favor of hiking it home with Mr. Harry Donnelle, will say + <i>aye</i>-but don't say it yet. He said to tell you that we take our + lives in our hands— +</blockquote></blockquote> + +<p>"Why can't we put them in our duffel bags?" Westy shouted. + +<p>"Did you think we'd take them in our feet?" Dorry yelled. + +<p>Then they all began shouting, "<i>Aye, aye, aye!</i>" even before I told them +about the forests and morasses and jungles and deserts and things. Honest, +you can't do anything with that bunch. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="3"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER III +<br> +UNDAUNTED! (THAT'S PEE-WEE'S HEADING)</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>One thing about Harry Donnelle, he was a dandy fixer. When he fixed the +camouflage for us so we could watch a chipmunk, I knew he was a good +fixer. He said he learned how in France. He fixed the chimney on the +cooking shack, too. That fellow could fix anything. + +<p>But a scoutmaster isn't so easy to fix. Lots of times I tried to fix it +with Mr. Ellsworth and I just couldn't. He'd make me think that I wanted +to do his way. He's awful funny, he can just make you think that there's +more fun doing things his way. And I was trembling in my shoes-I mean I +was trembling in my bare feet-for fear Harry Donnelle wouldn't be able to +fix it with him. But that fellow could fix it with the sun to shine-that's +what Mr. Burroughs said. + +<p>Pretty soon he came strolling down to the spring-board where a lot of us +were having a dip in the lake. + +<p>"All right," he said, "how about you?" + +<p>"Did you fix it?" I asked him. + +<p>"All cut and dried," he said; "are you ready for the big adventure?" + +<p>That afternoon we had a special troop meeting, to find out how the +fellows felt about splitting the troop for the journey home. Because you +see our three patrols always hung together. Mr. Ellsworth made a speech +and said how Harry Donnelle had offered to lead the fierce and fiery +Silver Foxes through the perilous wilds of New York State. He said that +the journey would be filled with interest and data of scientific value +(that's just the way he talked) and how we hoped to cross the Ashokan +Reservoir and visit other wild places. He said that we planned to enter +the heart of the Artists Colony at Woodstock and see the artists in their +native state and stalk some authors and poets, maybe, and study their +habits. + +<p>Oh boy, you ought to have seen Harry Donnelle. He just sat there on the +edge of Council Rock (that's where we have important meetings at Temple +Camp) and laughed and laughed and laughed. + +<p>Mr. Ellsworth said, "It is hoped that these brave scouts may succeed in +capturing a poet and bringing him home as a specimen, and that they may +find other fossils of interest. Meanwhile, the Ravens and the Elks and +myself will drift down in our house-boat and endeavor to find someone to +tow us from Poughkeepsie to New York and up our own dear river to +Bridgeboro. The Ravens and the Elks wish me to offer the brave explorer, +Mr. Harry Donnelle, a vote of thinks for taking the Silver Foxes away. They +appreciate that he does this for the sake, not of the Silver Foxes, but as +a good turn to the Ravens and the Elks. The Ravens and the Elks hope to +have a little peace meanwhile. They thank him. In the familiar words of one +of our famous patrol leaders, <i>'we should worry.'</i> And we wish you all good +luck in your daring enterprise." + +<p>I could see that he winked at Harry Donnelle and Harry Donnelle was +laughing so hard that he couldn't make a speech. So I climbed up on +Council Rock and shouted, "Hear, hear" Then I made a speech and this is +it, because afterwards I wrote it out in our troop book. + +<blockquote><blockquote> + <p>The Silver Foxes thank the Ravens and the Elks for their + kind wishes. I bequeath all my extra helpings of dessert to + Pee-wee Harris of the Ravens-up to three helpings. After that + it reverts to Vic Norris of the Elks. Reverts means <i>goes to</i>. + Who ever reaches Bridgeboro, New Jersey, first will send out a + searching part for the others. The searching party will bring + their own eats. If we're never heard of again, that's a sign + you won't hear from us. If we get to Bridgeboro and don't find + you, that'll be a sign that you're not there. If you are there + it won't be our fault. We should worry. We go forth for the + sake of prosperity-I mean posterity. So please tell posterity + in case we don't reach home safely. If our friends and parents + are anxious, tell them to wait at Bennett's on Bridge Street, + because that'll be the first place we go to. +</blockquote></blockquote> + +<p>The next day was Wednesday and we started early in the morning. The others +were going to start down in the house-boat on Saturday. I think the Ravens +and the Elks must have sat up all night making crazy signs on cardboard +just so as to guy us. And Mr. Ellsworth helped them, too. They had the +whole camp with them-even Uncle Jeb; he's manager. He used to be a trapper. + +<p>When we got out onto the main road, we saw signs tacked up on all the +trees and I guess even scout in camp was there. One of the signs read, +<i>Olive oil, but not good-bye</i>. Another one read <i>Day-day to the brave +explorers</i>. Another one read, <i>Don't forget to wear rubbers going through +the Newburgh morass</i>. Another one read, <i>Beware of the treacherous Ashokan +Reservoir</i>. A lot we cared. Didn't people even make fun of Christopher +Columbus? + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="4"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER IV +<br> +GO!</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Buy remember, I told you that the hike didn't really begin till we got to +Catskill. The reason I don't count the hike from Temple Camp to Catskill +is because we were all the time hiking down there. It wasn't a hike, it +was a habit. I wouldn't be particular about three or four miles. Besides, +I wouldn't ask you to take them, because they've been used before. I +wouldn't give you any second hand miles. + +<p>When we got to Catskill we bought some egg powder and bacon (gee, I love +bacon) and coffee and sugar and camera films and mosquito dope and beans +and flour and chocolate. You can make a dandy sandwich putting a slice +of bacon between two slabs of chocolate. Mm-um! We had a pretty good +bivouac outfit, because the Warner twins have a balloon silk shelter that +rolls up so small won can almost put it in a fountain pen-that's what +Harry Donnelle said. Dorry Benton had his aluminum cooking set along, +saucepans, cups, dishes, coffee pot-everything fits inside of everything +else. One thing, we wouldn't starve, that was sure, because we had enough +stuff to make coffee and flapjacks for more than a week, counting six +flapjacks to every fellow and fourteen to Hunt Manners; oh boy, but that +fellow has some appetite! We had plenty of beans, too. Don't you worry +about our having plenty to eat. + +<p>When we got through shopping, we went to Warner's Drug Store for sodas. +Harry Donnelle said he'd treat us all, because maybe, those would be the +last sodas that we'd ever have. As we came along we saw Mr. Warner +standing in the doorway and he was smiling with a regular scout smile. + +<p>"There's something wrong," I said; "there's some reason for him smiling +like that." + +<p>"Have a smile for everyone you meet," Will Dawson began singing. + +<p>But, believe me, I know all the different kinds of smiles and there was +something funny about Mr. Warner's smile. When we got inside we saw a big +sign hanging on the soda fountain. It read: + +<center> +<br> A LAST FAREWELL +<br> TO THE SILVER PLATED FOXES +<br> BEFORE THEY ENTER THE JUNGLE +</center> + +<p>By that I knew that some of the fellows up at camp had been down to +Warner's the night before and put it there, because they knew that would +be the last store we'd go to. + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "All right, line up." So we all sat in a row and some +summer people who were in there began to laugh. What did we care? One girl +said she wished she was a boy; girls are always saying that. So that proves +we have plenty of fun. I could see Harry Donnelle wink at Mr. Warner while +the latter (that means Mr. Warner) was getting the sodas ready. Then all +of a sudden Harry said: + +<p><i>"Attention! Present spoons. Go!"</i> + +<p>So then we all started at once and that was the beginning of the big hike. +Just as I told you, it started at the top of the glasses in Warner's and +ended in the bottom of the glasses at Bennett's. + +<p>When you hear me say <i>M-mm-that's good</i> in Bennett's, you'll know the hike +is over. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="5"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER V +<br> +I GO ON AN ERRAND</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>"Now to skirt the lonesome Catskills," Harry said. + +<p>"Now to what them?" Dorry Benton asked him. + +<p>"Skirt them," he said, "that's Latin for hiking around the edge of them. +We don't want to be all the time stumbling over mountains." + +<p>"Believe <i>me</i>, if I see one in the road, I'll tell you," I said. + +<p>"And we don't want to get mixed up with panthers and wild cats either," +Harry said. And he gave me a wink. + +<p>"There aren't any wild animals in the Catskills," Charlie Seabury said. + +<p>"There are wild flowers," I said, "but they, won't hurt anybody." + +<p>"How about poison ivy?" Westy Martin said. + +<p>All the while as we hiked along the road toward Saugerties, we kept joking +about the wild animals in the Catskills. Harry Donnelle said there used to +be lots of wild cats and foxes, but not any more. He said there were some +foxes, though. + +<p>Westy said, "I bet there are some bears; once Uncle Jeb saw a bear; he +said there weren't any foxes any more." + +<p>"I guess there are some gray ones and maybe a few silver," Harry Donnelle +said. + +<p>"Silver?" I shouted. "Oh boy!" Then I asked him what they fed on mostly. + +<p>"Mostly on ice cream sodas," he said; "they're very dangerous after a half +dozen raspberry; sodas." + +<p>We didn't go near Saugerties, because we wanted to keep in the country, so +we hit down southwest along the road that goes to Woodstock. Then we were +going to hike it south past West Hurley so we'd bunk our noses right into +the Ashokan Reservoir. And the next day we were going to spend trying to +keep out of Kingston. + +<p>When it got to be about five o'clock in the afternoon, we hit in from the +road to find a good place to camp. Maybe you think that's easy, but you +have to find a place where the drainage is good and where there's good +drinking water. + +<p>Pretty soon we found a dandy place about a quarter of a mile off the road, +and we put up our tent there. + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "There's one kind of wild animal that I forgot to +mention and I guess we'll be hunting them all right; that's mosquitoes. +I guess one or two of you kids had better hit the trail for the nearest +village and complete our shopping before we get any further. What do you +say? We're a little short on mosquito dope and we ought to have some +crackers, and let's see, a little meat would go good. I'm hungry." + +<p>When we turned into the woods from the road, we knew that we were coming +to a village and I guess that's what put the idea into Harry's head to +have somebody go there and get two or three things that we hadn't been +able to get in Catskill. + +<p>I told him that I'd go, because the rest would be busy getting in fire +wood and I said it would be good if two or three of them tried to catch +some fish in the brook. + +<p>Oh boy, I had hardly said that, when Ralph Warner shouted that he had a +perch and that the brook was full of them. Harry Donnelle went over and +saw for himself how it was, and then he came back and said to me that as +long as there seemed to be plenty of fish I needn't bother about meat, but +that I'd better go and see if I could scare up some more mosquito dope and +some sinkers for fishing and a trowel to dig bait with, because if we liked +the place we might stay there till noon the next day. That's the best way +on a long hike-take it easy. + +<p>"How about Charlie Seabury?" I said; "he doesn't like fish." + +<p>"All right, get him a couple of chops, then," Harry said; "now can you +remember all the things you're going to get? Mosquito dope, fishing +sinkers, a writing pad and some stamps, and let's see—" + +<p>"Some crackers," I said. + +<p>"Righto," he shouted after me. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="6"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER VI +<br> +I DISCOVER SOME TRACKS</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>I went back through the woods and when I got to the road I noticed how it +curved, and just then I saw a very narrow path on the opposite side of the +road that led into the woods. I decided it must be a short cut to the +village. So I started along that path. + +<p>Pretty soon the woods grew very thick and it wasn't so easy to follow the +trail, because it was all overgrown with bushes. But I managed to keep +hold of it all right, and after about fifteen minutes I came to a little +stone house with the windows all boarded up and the door standing a little +open. There was a staple on the door with an old padlock hanging on it, +but I guess the padlock wasn't any good. One thing sure, nobody lived +there. I went and peeked inside and saw that it wasn't meant for people +at all, because there wasn't any floor and it was all dark and damp and +there were lots of spider webs around. Even there was one across the +doorway, so by that I knew that nobody had been there lately. + +<p>Right in the middle, inside, were a couple of rocks and water was +trickling up from under them. That's what made me think that the place +was just a spring house. Anyway, I didn't wait because I was in a hurry. +When I came out I pushed the door open a little and then I closed it all +but about a foot or so. Inside of an hour I was mighty sorry that I hadn't +left it wide open, and you'll see why. + +<p>I guess I had gone about a hundred yards further when I noticed something +in the trail that started me guessing. It was the print of an animal; or +anyway, if it wasn't, I didn't know what else it was. There were six +prints, something like a cat's, only the paw that made them had five +toes. The other mark was the paw mark. It was the biggest print that I +ever saw. + +<p>The first animal I thought about was a wild cat. But of course, I knew +there weren't any wild cats right there. Even if there were any in that +part of the country, they wouldn't be roaming around near villages. +Anyway, the five toe prints had me guessing, because a wild cat has only +four. I could see that the animal must have been crossing the path, +because the print was sideways and the bushes alongside of the path were +kind of trampled down. + +<p>You can bet I took a good look in those bushes for hairs, but I couldn't +find any and I kept wondering what kind of an animal had a paw as big as +a man's hand and five toes. + +<p>After I had gone a little further, I came plunk on a whole line of them +along the path. I wasn't exactly scared, but anyway, they made me feel +sort of funny, because they were so big and printed so plain. The animal +that made those tracks must have been a pretty big animal, I knew that. + +<p>Then, all of a sudden, I discovered something else. Some of the prints had +five toe marks and some of them only four. "Maybe that means the animal +was lame," I said to myself, and doesn't make a full print with one of its +feet. But in a minute I had sense enough to see that wasn't the way it +was, because there were always two of one kind pretty close together and +then two of the other kind pretty close together. This is the way it was; +there was a five toe print then another one about a foot in back of it, +then about three or four feet in back of that a couple more about a foot +apart with only four toe marks. + +<p>Good night! I They had me all flabbergasted. + +<p>Pretty soon they left the path altogether and I looked in the bushes for +hairs, but I couldn't find a single one. + +<p>"Anyway," I said to myself, "one thing sure, that animal has five toes on +his front feet and only four on his hind feet and I never saw any tracks +like that before or even pictures of them." + +<p>I wasn't exactly scared, but just the same I was kind of glad when I got +to the village. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="7"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER VII +<br> +I MEET THE STRANGER</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Anyway, that was the smallest village I ever saw to have such big tracks +right near it. All I could see was two houses and the post office, and the +post office was so small that you could almost put your arm down the +chimney and open the front door. But, one thing sure, you could buy +everything you wanted in that post office. You could buy a plough or a +lollypop or anything. It smelled kind of like corn inside. + +<p>I got some lead sinkers and some crackers and a couple of chops for +Charlie Seabury, because it makes him thirsty to eat fish—that's what +he says. The man didn't have any mosquito dope, but there were some boxes +of fly paper on the counter and just happened to think that if we stayed +in our bivouac camp the next morning, it might be good to have some on +account of the flies at dinner time. So I bought a box full. + +<p>Then I said to the man, "I guess there are wild animals around here." + +<p>He said, "Wall, I reckon thar daon't be many no more. Yer ain't expectin' +ter catch 'em with fly paper, be yer?" + +<p>"Just the same," I told him, "I saw the tracks of one that must be big +enough to eat this whole village. You'd better put the village in the safe +before you go home. Safety first." You can bet I know how to jolly if it +comes to jollying. "I want to get some rope, too," I told him. + +<p>He just leaned back and pushed his great big straw hat to the back of his +head and looked over his spectacles and began to grin. He kept his +spectacles 'way down near the end of his nose. + +<p>"Ye're one of them scaouts, hey?" he said. "Yet ain't thinkin' to lead any +elephants home with that thar rope naow, be yer?" + +<p>I said, "No, I'm going to use the rope to lasso mosquitoes as long as +you haven't got any mosquito dope." + +<p>He said, "Wall naow, ye're quite a comic be'nt yer?" + +<p>I told him I was a little cut up and my mother and father couldn't do +anything with me. + +<p>"'N what else can I do fer yer?" he said, laughing all the while. "Them +tracks wuz caow tracks, youngster, so daon't yer be sceered of 'em." + +<p>I told him I wasn't scared of any tracks, not even a railroad track and +that I'd buy the village for seventy-five cents, if he'd send it C. O. D. +He just stood there laughing. Anyway, it makes me mad when grown up people +jolly scouts about tracking and signaling and all that, just as if it was +only play. Because what do <i>they</i> know about tracks? Who ever heard of a +cow with feet like a cat? <i>Good night!</i> And, besides, often it turns cut +that scouts are right. You wait and see. + +<p>Now the things I bought I had in a kind of a flat bundle and I hung it over +my back, because I like to have my hands free. What's the use of wasting +your hands? You'll never find anything out with your back; all your back +is good for, is bundles. + +<p>I didn't have any adventures on the way back, till I got to that spring +house in the woods. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even notice the +tracks again. That's how much I was afraid of them. + +<p>When I got to the spring house, I went in for a drink of water, and believe +me, it was good. I squeezed in, instead of opening the door wide, because +it scraped so hard on the ground that it was easier to do that than to open +it; and I did the same coming out. + +<p>I was just going to start along the path again, when I got a good idea. +That's just the way you get them, sudden like. I decided to shinny up a +tree that was there and see if I couldn't squint our camp over in the west, +because if I could once see it, maybe I'd be able to get to it by a shorter +way than by the path. I did that because it was getting late. + +<p>When I got up to the second branch I looked off to the west, but all I +could see was a little smoke curling up into the sky, and I wasn't sure +whether it was from our camp or from some house. The sun was going down +over that way and all the clouds were kind of red on the edges and the sky +looked dandy. At Temple Camp they'd be just about washing up for supper +then. I thought I could tell about where the road was, but I couldn't +decide about the camp and I was just going to shinny down and hit the +trail when I heard a kind of a sound like leaves rustling and then a funny +sort of growl, different from anything I had ever heard before. I looked +around and then I saw; coming through the woods, an animal with big spots +on it and a long tail. I guess it was almost as big as a tiger; anyway, it +was a good deal bigger than a wild cat. It was making a noise as if it was +grumbling to itself, then all of a sudden, it opened its mouth wide, as if +it was going to roar, but it didn't. It came almost up to the tree and +stood still and its tail hung on the ground and wriggled like a snake. + +<p>I have to admit that I was good and scared. I just held onto the tree and +didn't make a move; I guess I hardly breathed. Then, all of a sudden, the +branch I was standing on cracked. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="8"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER VIII +<br> +UP A TREE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Good night! + +<p>First I thought I was going to fall, but I reached up and got hold of the +branch above and scrambled up to it. The animal was crouching on the +ground, looking up, and its eyes were just like fire. Its tail was +wriggling just like a snake. <i>Oh boy,</i> I was scared. + +<p>But anyway, I wasn't rattled. There's a difference between being scared and +rattled. That's one thing scouts don't get-rattled. I looked down and saw +him there and I knew I was in a mighty dangerous fix, but that only made me +think harder. It seemed to me that that animal must be a leopard because he +had spots, but of course, I knew there weren't any leopards in America. +Africa is where <i>they</i> hang out. But you can bet I didn't think much about +how he happened to be there. He was there, and that was enough for +me. Gee, I like natural history all right, but not when there's a wild +animal just below me. Nix! He was crouching and he looked just as if he +was going to make a spring for the tree. Mr. Ellsworth says that most +fights are won by quick thinking, so I knew that if I could only think of +something to do quicker than that animal could spring, I'd be all right. + +<p>First I thought I'd just shinny down and run and maybe he wouldn't follow +me. That was a punk think. All of a sudden he opened his mouth wide and +kind of hissed at me and came just about two or three inches closer to the +tree. + +<p>Then, all in a jiffy I had a-you know-what do you call those things? <i>An +inspiration.</i> I pulled the bundle around from my back and tore it open and +tore open the paper that the two chops were in. Charlie Seabury says he +ought to have the gold cross because he saved my life, but I don't see it. +Do you? Just because I was bringing the chops to him. He says he made a +sacrifice. I should worry. + +<p>Even the sound of the paper crunching made the animal move a little nearer +and hiss louder and paw the ground with one of its fore feet. I guess in a +couple more seconds he would have had me, but I just threw one of the chops +right at him and he pounced on it. + +<center> +<br> +<img src="images/ill1.jpg" alt="The animal was crouching on the ground, looking up."> +<br>"The animal was crouching on the ground, looking up." +</center> + +<p>That gave me two or three seconds to think. Because you can see for +yourself that if an animal is ready to eat a boy scout it wouldn't take +him very long to eat a chop. Maybe you'll say it wasn't good to give him +raw meat, but how about me. Wasn't I raw meat? It was better to give him +the chop and have a few seconds to think than to let him do the thinking +and get me. + +<p>That was the time when I did some thinking in four or five seconds. Gee +whiz, you have to think quick at school exams, but cracky, leopards are +worse than school principals, I should hope. Anyway, they're just as bad. + +<p>Now was the time I wished that I had left the door of the spring house +open a little wider, because I had a dandy idea. As long as the animal +knew what it was I was throwing, he'd go after the other chop when I threw +it. Because chops were his favorite food, I could see that. So if I could +only just throw the other chop into the doorway he'd go in there after it, +and while he was eating it I'd shinny down in a hurry and shut the door and +wedge a board against it. I said to myself that I could do that quicker +than he could eat the chop, and one thing sure, he wouldn't bother with me +while he was doing it. An animal can never think about two things at once +and he thinks about food most of all. Maybe scouts think about food a lot, +too, but anyway, they can think about two things at once. That's the +difference between scouts and wild animals. + +<p>Oh, if I had only left that door wide open! Then I could have thrown the +other chop right through the opening and 'way into the house. But now I had +to throw it down and almost around a corner, as you might say; and even if +the meat went in at all, it wouldn't go in far. But if I could only throw +it in far enough so that I could slam the door shut, that would be enough. + +<p>Anyway, I saw that if I didn't throw it quick I'd be worse off than before, +because the animal had had a taste of raw meat and he'd be on the war path. +I could see he was looking up at me and his eyes were blazing and he was +making a sound that gave me the shudders. It seemed as if he was giving me +notice that he was going to spring for the tree. I guess he would have done +it that very second, too, only he noticed a leaf stuck to his paw and I +guess it bothered him, because he raised his paw just as a cat does when +she washes her face, and rubbed it off. + +<p>Oh boy, that made me think of something, but you can bet there wasn't any +time to stop and think then. I guess I felt as nervous as William Tell when +he was going to shoot the apple off his son's head. Only I had the chop in +my hand instead of a bow and arrow. Oh, didn't I watch that open space and +take a good aim I My heart was just pounding and my wrist hurt, because my +pulse was going so fast. Because, Suppose I should miss? <i>I'd</i> be the third +chop, I knew that. I just couldn't throw the chop for fear I'd miss. + +<p>You can see for yourself that was the only chance I had. All of a sudden I +happened to think about tearing the chop in half and that would give me +two chances. But if one of the pieces landed inside maybe it wouldn't be +big enough to keep him busy two or three seconds. So I decided to take a +good careful aim and throw the whole chop. If it went in, all right; maybe +I'd have time enough. If it didn't— + +<p>All of a sudden, I heard the animal give a kind of a hissing growl and I +just closed one eye and braced myself against the tree and took a good, +long, careful aim and threw the chop. + +<p>It struck the edge of the door and felt outside the little stone house. +Almost before I saw where it landed, the animal had it. + +<p>I just crouched there in that tree shuddering and waiting for what would +happen next. First, I thought I'd take a chance and drop down and run. +Then I decided I wouldn't. I didn't exactly <i>decide</i>. I stayed where I +was, because I was too scared to move. I didn't even dare to climb higher +for fear the animal would hear me and give a spring. I could even feel my +teeth chattering. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="9"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER IX +<br> +AWFUL STICKY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Now that it was too late, I could see that if I had only landed that meat +inside the house, it would have been easy to get away. And the animal would +have been a prisoner, too, because he could never have got out of that +house. The windows were boarded on the inside and the door was good and +heavy. But what was the good of thinking about that when it was too late? + +<p>I have to admit that for about half a minute I wasn't a good scout. I was +just scared and excited and I didn't do anything. Then I saw the animal +prowling around the tree and looking up and heard him making that noise. +Oh boy, it was terrible! + +<p>Then, <i>bang,</i> just like that, I remembered about him wiping the leaf off +his paw by rubbing it on his face. It was lucky for me he did that, because +it put into my head something I had read, about the way the natives in +India catch tigers. I read it in a natural history book. There's a kind of +a tree in India named the prauss tree; anyway, its something like that. And +it has big flat leaves. + +<p>So the natives spread gum on those leaves. They get the gum from the trees, +too. Then they put the leaves in the path and when the tiger comes along he +steps on them and rubs his paws over his face, so as to get the leaves off. +But that only makes it worse for him, because they stick to his face and +over his eyes and everywhere. He gets just plastered up with them. Then he +gets excited-gee whiz, you can't blame him. And he rolls around on the +ground and can't see and just rolls and rolls and bangs against trees and +gets all played out and then he lies still just like a horse does when he +falls down. And that's when the natives come and get him. And it's easy, +too, because he can't see and all the fight is knocked out of him. + +<p>Oh boy, wasn't I glad I remembered that! I just tore out that box of fly +paper and pulled the sheets apart and dropped them on the ground. Some of +them fell upside down. I should worry. I tried to drop them so they'd fall +around the foot of the tree and a lot of them did. More than half of them +fell right side up. A couple of them stuck to the trunk, but I didn't care. +Maybe that would be good, I thought. Believe me, in about ten seconds I had +the ground around the tree covered with fly paper. He'd have to do a fancy +two-step if he wanted to get between them. + +<p>All the while he was crouching and watching me with those two eyes that +were just like fire. Pretty soon a sheet of fly paper drifted down right +near him and he pawed it. Maybe he thought it was a chop, hey? It just +caught his paw and he tried to wipe it off against his face. Good night! +There he was with one of his eyes and the whole top of his head plastered +flat. He looked as if he had been in a fight. + +<p>Then he came closer to the trunk, pawing at his head all the time and +stepped, kerflop, right on another sheet-plunked his foot right down in +the middle of it. Oh bibbie, then you should have seen him! He tried to +rub it off against his head and it stuck there and then there was a circus. +He rolled over on the ground and caught another sheet against his side. In +another second he had one flopping on the end of his tail and he kept going +around after it until pretty soon it got stuck to one of his legs. +Jiminetty! But you should have heard him howl I bet he was mad clean +through. + +<p>But safety first-oh boy! I dropped another one and it landed right on his +nose; lucky shot. By now he was acting just like a cat having a fit and +bowling like mad. I guess he couldn't see at all, because he went, +kerplunk, up against a tree and then rolled away and went banging against +the spring house. He had two sheets on his face and another one on his paw +and the whole front of him was all mucked up with gum and the grass and +dirt were sticking to him. Believe me, he was a sight. He didn't look much +like a lord of the jungle; he looked more as if he was on his way home +from the hospital. + +<p>You can talk about tanks and machine guns and poison gas and hand grenades, +and all the other new fangled weapons, but tangle foot for mine; that's +what <i>I</i> say. If the Allies had used tanglefoot, the war would have been +over three years ago. And if they had spread it all along the banks of the +Marne, the Germans would never have gotten across, that's one sure thing. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="10"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER X +<br> +I MAKE A PROMISE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Honestly, inside of five minutes that wild animal was a wreck. Every time +he tried to claw the paper from his head he howled, because it pulled his +hair and hurt him. I don't say I was glad to sit up there and watch him, +because there isn't much fun in seeing animals suffer. Maybe he wasn't +suffering, but anyway, he was half crazy. But how about me? Safety first. + +<p>Pretty soon he kind of half rolled and half staggered over against the +trunk of my tree and I knew he couldn't see at all. Then he lay there with +his back up against it trying to rub the sheet off his back, and all the +while he kept pawing his head and making it worse for himself. I guess +even if he had gotten the paper off, he'd still be blind, because the gum +would keep his eyes shut. By that time I knew I was safe, because he was +even more helpless than he would have been if I had shot him and not killed +him. It was mostly because he couldn't see, and that got him rattled, and +you're no good when you're rattled. All I wanted was for him to get away +from the tree so I wouldn't have to be too near him, and then I'd shinny +down and hit the trail for camp. + +<p>But just then I had another thought. Maybe you won't believe me, but I felt +sorry for that wild animal. I knew how <i>I'd</i> feel if I was in such a fix as +that. If I had only had a pistol I would have shot him, but boy scouts +don't carry pistols-only in crazy story books. We never shoot anything, +except the chutes in Coney Island, and you can't call that cruelty to +animals. + +<p>And if I just went off and left him there, maybe he'd stagger around in the +woods and claw at himself and tear himself all to pieces and get all bloody +and just die. That wouldn't be much fun, would it? As soon as I wasn't +scared any more I felt sorry for him-that's the honest truth. I saw how he +was beaten and I felt sorry for him. I knew he was really stronger than I +was, and that it wasn't a fair fight. I don't care what he intended to do, +it wasn't a fair fight. Even if I had shot him he might have looked brave +and noble, kind of. But with all that stuff on him and the dirt and grass +sticking to his fur, I just sort of felt as if nobody has a right to make +an animal look like that. + +<p>So I took the rope and made a lasso knot in it and let myself down the +trunk as far as I dared. I have to admit I was sort of scared, but you have +to be decent when you win. You have to be, even if it's only a wild animal. + +<p>I tried two or three times to get the noose over his head, but I couldn't, +because he wasn't still enough. But after a couple of minutes I managed it +and then I tied the other end of the rope to the tree. After that I climbed +away out to the end of the lowest branch and it bent down with me and I +dropped to the ground. + +<p>First I thought I'd go over and touch him to see how he felt, but I just +didn't dare to. I was scared of him even then. So I just started off along +the path, going scout pace, and when I got a little way off so I <i>knew</i> I +was safe, I looked back and said, "You stay where you are and don't get +excited, and I'll fix it for you." + +<p>Because anyway, I hadn't done my good turn yet and it was pretty near dark. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="11"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XI +<br> +SEEING IS BELIEVING</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>The fellows were just thinking about sending a couple of scouts to hunt for +me when I went running pell-mell into camp, shouting that I had captured a +leopard. + +<p>"A what?" Westy asked. + +<p>"A leopard," I shouted, "as sure as I stand here. Come and see for +yourselves. He's tied by a rope; he's got fly paper all over him!" + +<p>"How many sodas did you have?" Harry Donnelle asked me. + +<p>I said, "That's all right, you just come and see." + +<p>"It's a leopard; you can see it for yourself." Harry said, "Sit down, +Kiddo, and—rest and have a cup of coffee. Guess you fell asleep by the +wayside, hey? Tell us all about your dream. Here's a plate of beans. Did +you see any mermaids?" + +<p>"Never you mind about beans and mermaids," I told him; "one man told me +already that they were cow tracks I saw. I guess he wouldn't want to go +through what I've been through since then. The animal had five toes on +his fore feet and four on his hind feet-that's a leopard, I'm pretty sure. +Anyway, he's got spots. You come and see." + +<p>"You don't think it could have been a spotted calf, do you, Kid?" Harry +said in that nice easy way he has of jollying. I don't know much about +calves' toes, but I've eaten calves' feet. + +<p>Even after I had told them all about it, they all said I must have been +seeing things and that probably the animal was a raccoon or maybe <i>possibly</i> +a wildcat. Anyway, Harry Donnelle said they'd all go back with me to the +place, because they thought maybe we'd get in trouble on account of +plastering some honest, hard working calf with fly paper. But just the same +he took his rifle, I noticed that. I carried the lantern. + +<p>All the way through the woods they were jollying me and calling me <i>Roy the +Leopard Killer,</i> and Harry Donnelle said I must have been carried off on +the magic carpet to India, just like the people in the Arabian Nights. All +the while I didn't say anything and when we came to the tree and the spring +house, I went ahead and saw that the animal was lying close to the tree, as +if he were asleep. I guess he was all exhausted. The rope was fast around +his body just behind his fore legs where it couldn't choke him and where he +couldn't get free of it. He started up when I went near him, but didn't + seem to get excited. + +<p>I just held the lantern and said, "You see what a fine calf this is. He +ought to win a prize at the County Fair. He's disguised as a leopard, but +he can't fool us—I mean you fellows. You can bet boy scouts know a calf +when they see one." + +<p>They just stood there about fifteen or twenty feet off, staring. Even Harry +Donnelle stood stark still, staring. "What's the matter?" I said. + +<p>"Are you afraid of a poor calf? Come down in the front row; I won't let him +hurt you." Then Harry came nearer, but the other fellows stood over near +the spring house, so they could scoot inside, I suppose. The Safety First +Patrol! + +<p>Harry Donnelle just looked and then he said, "By—the—great—horn—spoon! +It's a <i>leopard.</i>" + +<p>"I thought maybe it was a nanny goat," I said. + +<p>He just shook his head and looked at the animal all over and said, "Jumping +Christopher! That's a <i>leopard,</i> as sure as you live." + +<p>"Well, if you insist," I said. + +<p>"I never heard of a leopard on the North American Continent," he said, +shaking his head-. + +<p>"I guess he swam over, hey?" I said. + +<p>"Jingoes, I hate to shoot him," he said. + +<p>By now all the bold, brave, heroic Silver Foxes began coming closer to get +a good pike at the leopard. Every time the animal stirred, they'd back away +again. Once the leopard stood up and pulled against the rope and rubbed his +paw over his face, and gee whiz, you should have seen that bunch scatter. +Dorry Benton went scooting into the well house. + +<p>But pretty soon they all saw that there wasn't any fight left in that wild +beast. He wasn't suffering, but he was blind and all exhausted. Even still +none of us exactly liked to touch him and we didn't get too near; even I +didn't, I have to admit it. + +<p>Harry Donnelle held the lantern over toward the animal and looked at him +ever so long, as if he just couldn't believe his eyes. "He's a magnificent +specimen," he said; "I'd give a good deal to know how he happened in these +parts." + +<p>"Oh," I said, "the woods are full of them, they were prowling all around +here when I came through. One of them was about twice as big as that." Oh +boy, you should have seen those fellows look around through the woods. Will +Dawson went into the spring house to get a drink of water; he was thirsty +all of a sudden. + +<p>All the while Harry Donnelle was kind of pondering and then he said, "A +couple of you kids go into the village and get a wheelbarrow or a cart or +something. I don't think this fellow is in pain; I'm going to take him +alive. I can't put a bullet into him. I never saw such a magnificent +specimen." + +<p>"Suppose we should meet some more," Hunt Manners said, just as he and Westy +were starting along the path. + +<p>"Take some fly paper with you," I said, "and think of your brave patrol +leader." + +<p>"You won't meet any more," Harry Donnelle said; "this fellow must have +strayed down out of the mountains. There is a species of leopard found in +America, but I never knew they grew to such a size as this, or had spots +either. Trot along and get back as soon as you can." + +<p>While the two fellows were gone, Harry tied +the leopard's fore feet and then his hind feet together with rope. He wound +it around good and plenty and tied it fast, you can bet, and then we just +sat around waiting. + +<p>Pretty soon along came the whole village, postmaster and all, and Hunt and +Westy with a wheelbarrow. Some escort! You'd think Westy and Hunt were +General Pershing getting home from France. I should think they would have +been afraid someone would steal the village while they were gone. Because +you know yourself that there are lots of robberies and hold-ups and thefts +and things since the war. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="12"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XII +<br> +MARSHAL FOCH</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>I was sitting up on a branch of a tree when they came along and I heard the +postmaster saying that Cy Berry had lost his heifer and he guessed maybe +now it was found. + +<p>I shouted, "You have one more guess. I think the leopard ate his heifer; he +was terribly hungry." + +<p>Well, you should have heard them as soon as they had a look at the animal. +One of them said, "I haint seed no leo-pods around these parts—<i>neverrr</i>. +And I been livin' here nigh on to forty year." + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "Well, the animal is a leopard just the same. Either +you've been staying home most of the time or else he has." I had to laugh, +it was so funny the way he said it. Another one said, "There be'nt no +leopards in the Catskills, that's sartin." + +<p>"Well, maybe he was just spending the summer here then," Harry said; "but +here he is, anyway, and I'd like to get him away from here." + +<p>"Yer be'nt goin' ter try to keep him, be yer?" the man asked. + +<p>Harry said, "Yes, I'm just that reckless. I think he's worth more alive +than dead, if I can spruce him up a bit." + +<p>"Ye'll get yer hand bit off," one of the men said. + +<p>Then Harry said that all he wanted was a place to put the animal till +morning, and he'd see if he couldn't get some kind of medicine to dope him +with, while he tried to get the fly paper off. I guess they didn't like the +idea very much, but one of the men whose name was Hasbrook, said we could +put the leopard in his barn till morning if we wanted to. So they got him +into the wheelbarrow and it wasn't hard doing it on account of his legs +being tied. Then we all started back to the village. + +<p>While we were going along Harry said, "I've often heard of a man having an +elephant on his hands, but never a leopard. Maybe we'll have to shoot him, +but I just hate to do it. I have an idea that gasoline will melt that +stuff, only we'll have to be careful about his eyes. I'd try it to-night, +only I'm afraid to use the gasoline near a lamp. I'm going to send a line +to the Historical Museum people though, tonight, and one of you kids can +drop it at the office. I daresay there's a train out of this burg in a +few days." + +<p>I just couldn't help saying to him, "I'll be glad if you don't shoot him-I +will." + +<p>He laughed and gave me a rap on the head and said, "You see I know what it +is to be shot, Kiddo. I was shot twice in France. Maybe I'm not much use, +but I'd be less use if I was shot, wouldn't I? Nobody's much good after +they're shot. Ever think of that?" + +<p>"Maybe I didn't," I said, "but anyway, I know you're right. I guess you're +always right. Anyway, I think the same as you do." + +<p>"Shooting is no fun," he said; "don't shoot till you have to. What do you +say?" + +<p>I said, "You're right, that's one sure thing and I'm glad I met you, you +bet." And you bet I was glad, because he was one fine fellow. Maybe he was +kind of wild sort of, but he was one fine fellow. Mr. Ellsworth said so, +and he ought to know. + +<p>When we came into the village, there was a +Fraud car standing in front of a house and a man just getting out of it. + +<p>"Whatcher got thar, Cy?" he called. + +<p>"A leo-pod," Cy called back, "an honest ter goodness leo-pod." + +<p>"Who's them fellers? The posse?" the man asked. + +<p>"What posse?" Cy called. + +<p>"I thought mebbe you'd caught up with that beast from Costello's. That you, +Hiram? Taint no reg'lar leo-pod is it?" + +<p>"Reg'lar as church goin'; look on 'em yourself." + +<p>Harry Donnelle just stood there smiling. Then he said, "Have a look; it +won't cost you a cent." + +<p>After the man had looked and Harry had told him all about it, he hauled out +of his overalls a newspaper and said, "Lookee here." + +<p>We all crowded around him and Harry held the lantern so we could see the +paper. + +<p>"Jest fetched it from Kingston," the man said. + +<p>Then Harry began reading out loud. This is what he read, because I pasted +that article in our hike record book: + +<center> +<h3> + + WILD ANIMAL AT LARGE +<br> + INFURIATED LEOPARD ESCAPES FROM VISITING +<br> + CIRCUS-ARMED POSSE SEARCHING WOODS +</h3> +</center> + +<blockquote class="small"> + <p>While transferring one of the leopards from a cage to a parade + wagon at Costello's Circus yesterday, the animal becoming + frightened at the sudden striking up of the brass band, forced + his way between the two barred enclosures and made its escape + from the circus grounds. + + <p>An attempt to shoot it as it crouched beneath a Roman chariot + in panic fright was unsuccessful, and before its keeper was + joined by others with revolvers, the animal had sped through + the adjacent fields, frightening some boys who were playing + ball, and was last seen at the foot of Merritt's hill, near + the west turnpike road. It is supposed that the animal entered + the woods and made for the mountains where a party of circus + attaches and volunteer citizens, fully armed, hope to + encounter and destroy it. + + <p>No serious damage was done by the animal, except the tearing + of a tent which had not yet been raised, as it tore at a rope + in which its leg became entangled. + + <p>When seen this morning Mr. Rinaldo Costello, owner of the + circus, said that no fear need be entertained by citizens, as + the animal would undoubtedly avoid human haunts. He added that + little hope is entertained of catching the beast alive, as + these animals are always taken when cubs, and when grown, + fight to the death all efforts to capture them. The escaped + animal, a magnificent specimen of the leopard family, was + imported by Mr. Costello at a cost of more than six thousand + dollars. In captivity it was said to be comparatively docile. + The leopard is distinctive among animals of the cat family, in + having five toes on its fore paws and four on its hind paws, + this being its unique characteristic. It is said that few full + grown leopards have ever been captured by man, and their value + is hence greater than that of all other animals save the + giraffe, which is said to be all but extinct. This leopard was + known as Marshall Foch, and was a favorite with all the circus + people. +</blockquote> + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="13"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XIII +<br> +AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>As soon as we got the leopard into Mr. Hasbrook's barn, we made a hay bed +in one of the stalls and laid him there. I felt awful sorry for him now +that I knew about his history. And I wished that he had never come near me, +but got away into the mountains. Harry Donnelle held the lantern into the +stall and he looked so helpless lying there, with his feet tied together +and grass and dirt all over him and the fly paper on his face, that I kind +of blamed myself. Anyway, I was glad that his people liked him and missed +him. + +<p>Maybe he'd be glad to get back, hey? + +<p>Harry said, "Good night, Marshal Foch, and good luck to you. Just have a +little patience." + +<p>He was awfully nice, Harry was. That was just the way he talked. + +<p>Before we went into the house he said, "Suppose three or four of you kids +go back and bring our stuff here and we'll camp right here on the spot +till we get through with this business." So the Warner twins and Will +Dawson went back by the road and the rest of us went in the house with +Harry and Mr. Hasbrook. + +<p>When we got in the parlor, Harry looked over the paper and found a big ad. +This is how it read: + +<center> +<h3> + COSTELLO'S MAMMOTH SHOW! +<br> + THREE DAYS IN KINGSTON. +<br> +<br> + BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE. +<br> + WORLD'S CONGRESS OF FREAKS. +<br> + DARING ACROBATS. +<br> +<br> + JIB JAB, THE WORLD'S MYSTERY. +<br> + SEE HIM! +<br> + IS HE HUMAN? +<br> + GRAND STREET PARADE TO-MORROW. +<br> + AT THREE P. M. SEE THE ELEPHANTS. +<br> + FREE! FREE! FREE! +<br> +<br> + TWO PERFORMANCES DAILY. +<br> + COME! +<br> +<br> + GRANDEST COMBINATION OF WONDERS +<br> + EVER GATHERED UNDER CANVAS. +<br> + SUPERB SPECTACLE +<br> +<br> + GORGEOUS! STUPEFYING! +<br> + ASTOUNDING! +</h3> +</center> + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "I rather like Mr. Costello already; he's so modest. +I bet he's one of those quiet, retiring little <i>'after you, please'</i> men +that blushes when you speak to him. We'll just drop him a line and one of +you kids can hike it over to Saugerties and catch an early train down to +Kingston and hand it to him." + +<p>I said, "I'll go." + +<p>But he said, "No, you've had adventures enough and if they ever get you in +a circus they'll keep you there in the <i>congress of freaks</i>." So it was +decided that Dorry Benton would go. + +<p>While we were waiting for the fellows to come back with our stuff, Harry +wrote the letter and this is what he said. It's copied word for word out +of our hike record: + +<blockquote class="small"> + + <p class="noindent">Mr. Rinaldo Costello, Proprietor,<br> + Costello's Mammoth Show.<br> + Kingston, N. Y.<br> + <br> + Dear Sir: + + <p>This is to inform you that your leopard, Marshall Foch, has + been captured by a boy scout and is alive and well, save that + he is suffering from nervous shock and requires to have his + face washed. + + <p>You may call in your armed posse. You are greatly mistaken in + supposing that leopards may not be captured alive. It requires + only the proper apparatus. + + <p>The bearer of this letter will give you any further information + which you may require, and we shall be glad to see you here, as + soon as it may be convenient for you to call. + + <p class="ind10">Respectfully, + <p class="noindent"><span class="ind15">HARRY C. DONNELLE,</span> + + <p class="noindent"><span class="ind15">In charge of Boy Scouts en route.</span><br> + <span class="ind15">Silver Fox Patrol, Bridgeboro,</span><br> + <span class="ind15">New Jersey. Stopping on farm</span><br> + <span class="ind15">of Mr. Silas Hasbrook, Bently</span><br> + <span class="ind15">Centre, N. Y.</span> +</blockquote> + +<p>After a little while the fellows came back with our stuff and we put up +our tent between a couple of trees in Mr. Hasbrook's orchard. He said we +could camp in the house if we wanted, but how can anybody camp in a house, +I'd like to know? You might as well talk about going swimming in a bath +tub. No siree, the orchard for us. Mr. Hasbrook said we could eat all the +apples we wanted to, but we didn't eat many. I ate five-that isn't very +many. + +<p>We gathered some sticks and started a campfire and I made coffee and +flapjacks and scrambled eggs with egg powder. Mr. Hasbrook's daughter +brought us out some pie and <i>um, um,</i> wasn't it good! Oh boy, it was nice +sprawling around there. But anyway, we turned in early—one o'clock in the +morning is early. You couldn't turn in much earlier or it would be the +night before. I guess we wouldn't have turned in then, except that Dorry +had to roll out at about six, so as to catch the train down to Kingston. + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "I suppose Mr. Rinaldo Costello will send a mammoth, +astounding, bewildering, astonishing, amazing, stupefying, extraordinary, +remarkable, dazzling, baffling, cavalcade after Marshal Foch, as soon as +he gets our staggering, unbelievable, incredible letter." + +<p>We were all of us just sprawling around the fire and Harry was sitting on +a little three legged milking stool and kind of guying Costello's mammoth +show, in that funny way he had, and saying that Mr. Costello would +probably say I was a matchless, intrepid, dauntless, fearless hero and +adventurer, when all of a sudden that word adventurer put a thought into +my head. + +<p>I said, "When it comes to being a dauntless, fearless adventurer, I guess +nobody has anything on you, that's one thing sure." + +<p>"Oh, I've had a few games of basketball," he said. + +<p>"I bet you've been to lots of places," I told him. + +<p>He said, "Well, I've attended one or two pink teas and strawberry +festivals. Once I was usher at a concert in an Old Ladies' Home. The +wildest time I ever had was umpiring a game of checkers." + +<p>"You didn't win that Distinguished Service Cross umpiring a game of +checkers," Westy said. + +<p>"No, I won that playing hide and seek with Fritzie in No Man's Land," he +said. "Chuck a little more wood on the fire, Roy." + +<p>I said, "There's one thing you never told me about, and you promised to +tell it, too. It's an adventure, but it's a kind of a mystery, too." + +<p>"Well," he said, "adventures aren't so much, but I'll have to make an extra +charge for mysteries. The high cost of mysteries is something terrible. I +don't know what the mystery may be, but if you'll go in the house and get +my cigarette case out of the pocket of my coat that's hanging in the +sitting room, I'll let you have any mystery I happen to have in stock at +the wholesale price." + +<p>Oh bibbie, didn't I scoot in after that cigarette case. He was always +smoking cigarettes, that fellow. He told us never to do it, but he was +always doing it himself. He said he was too old to reform. + +<p>When I came back I said. "It's about that money of yours-that two hundred +dollars that we found in the locker of the house-boat. It made a lot of +trouble in Temple Camp, that's one sure thing. Don't you remember how you +said that you'd tell me all a'bout how you got it, some day?" + +<p>He said, "Oh that; that wasn't an adventure; that was just an episode." + +<p>"I know what episodes are all right," I told him; "didn't my father have a +couple of them. If there's a narrow escape, that's a sign it's not an +episode; it's an adventure. You can have episodes any day. + +<p>"Well, there wasn't a very narrow escape to that one, anyhow," he said, +laughing all the while; "it was about six feet wide, I guess. But here +goes, if you want it. Gather closer around the fire, because this +adventure is mighty wet." + +<p>"That's a sure sign it's an adventure," I told him, "because how can an +episode get wet?" + +<p>"I guess you're right," he said; "it might get a little damp, but not +really wet. Anyway, do you think you can keep still for about ten minutes?" + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="14"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XIV +<br> +BUT I DIDN'T WRITE IT</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>The reason I said that about the two hundred dollars causing a lot of +trouble at Temple Camp, was, because a little fellow there named Skinny +McCord (you'll see him after a while) was suspected of stealing it. A lot +of fellows thought he took it from a fellow while he was saving the fellow +from drowning and then hid it in the house-boat. They thought <i>that</i> just +because he went to the house-boat, and because they found out that he had +a key to the locker. But all the while that money belonged to Harry +Donnelle and he came up to Temple Camp and claimed it, after I wrote and +told him all about Skinny. That's how he happened to visit Temple Camp +and you can bet I'm glad he did. Anyway, that's all part of another story, +and maybe you read it. + +<p>Now part of the story that Harry Donnelle told us, I knew already, but the +other fellows didn't, because I never told them how I had met him before. +So this is the story just the way he told it to us that night, because +afterward I got him to write it out for our hike record. And the reason I +put it in here is, because it has something to do with the story that comes +after this. So here it is, and oh boy, didn't we listen as we sat around +that camp-fire in Mr. Hasbrook's orchard. That's where stories are +best-around the campfire. +<br> +<center> +<br> + HARRY DONNELLE'S YARN +</center> +<br> +<p>Well, messmates, when my father told you that you could have the old +house-boat for the summer, you never knew he had a son in the army, now, +did you? But just the same, little Harry was trotting around in Camp Dix, +all dolled up in his lieutenant's uniform, waiting to be mustered out. +Little Harry had just come home from France where he had been mixed up in +the big—<i>episode</i>. + +<p>One fine day I said to myself, "While I'm waiting here, I guess I'll go +home." So I got a short leave and the next that was seen of me I was +stepping off the train in Bridgeboro. That was early in the morning; the +dawn was just breaking. Pretty soon it broke. Just as it was all broken I +saw Jake Holden, the fisherman, standing near the milk train. You'll see +that this is a fish story. It is a fishing <i>episode</i>. + +<p>That man persuaded me to go fishing with him. I knew that if I went home +I'd have to meet all my sister's friends and maybe drink tea and play +tennis. So I decided to go fishing with Jake. I thought I'd be safer. I +was a coward. I was <i>afraid</i> to go home and drink tea and play tennis. + +<p>So I went up to the old house-boat where the governor had it tied up in +the creek near home. + +<p>The scene was dark and gloomy. It was early in the morning. Even the swamp +grass wasn't up; it was all trampled down. Not a sound could be +heard-except the milkman rattling bottles up near the house. + +<p>I crept into the house-boat, took off my uniform, put it into a locker that +I had the key of and togged myself out in a set of old rags which I found +there. Many were the times I had fished in those rags. I don't know how +long I stayed in the house-boat. Jake was to come through the creek in his +motor boat and I was to meet him. But I was foiled—foiled by the Boy +Scouts. I heard voices in the distance and pretty soon I recognized my +father's voice and the voice of Skeezeks Blakeley and the uproarious clamor +and frantic utterances of Pee-wee Harris. I can hear it now, it haunts me +night and day. + +<p>I didn't wait to meet those unexpected guests. + +<p>I didn't know that the house-boat was to become their's on an extended +loan. I sneaked out and beat it through the marsh grass for all I was +worth. + +<center> +<br> + I love, I love, I love my home, +<br> + But, oh, you yellow perch! +<br> +</center> + +<p>So now you know of my miraculous escape from the boy scouts and the awful +peril I averted of drinking tea and playing tennis. I am now approaching +the darkest scenes of that frightful adventure. + +<p>After my escape from the boy scouts and my honored parent, I went fishing +off the bleak and barren coast of Coney Island. I was swept by ocean +breezes and the smoke from Jake Holden's pipe. In the distance we beheld +the wild and rugged scenery of Luna Park. I caught some perch, some bass, +a couple of crabs, an eel, two blue fish and a bad cold. We landed at the +iron pier and sold our catch to a man who keeps a restaurant and serves +shore dinners. + +<p>Then we went forth again. The wind was starting to blow a gale and the +smoke from Jake Holden's pipe enveloped me like a fog. The sky grew dark. +Jake wanted to lift anchor and go ashore, but I said, "No, let's stay out, +because the fish are biting." + +<p>What happened next was my fault, not his. We stayed out there fishing in a +blinding gale, the sea coming in in great rollers. Pretty soon the Luna +Park tower was 'way around the corner. Either they had moved it or else +our anchor was dragging. + +<p>"Jake," I said, "we're tearing the bottom of the ocean all to pieces; it's +a shame. We'll be off Rockaway in about ten minutes, if this keeps up." + +<p>"The boat'll be all tore to pieces, you mean," he said, "and <i>we'll</i> be in +the bottom of the ocean if this keeps up. We're shipping water by the +bucketful. Let's get out of this." + +<p>So we hauled in the anchor and tried to get our power started, but it was +too late. Our plug was short circuiting, the coil was gone plumb crazy, +and most of the Atlantic Ocean seemed to be in the carburetor. The rest of +it was on the floor. Besides all this, the pump was on a strike-shorter +hours, I suppose. + +<p>Kids, we were in one dickens of a fix. It was late afternoon and there we +were blowing around the ocean, bailing to keep on top, and with the land +moving farther and farther away all the time. By dusk the shore was just a +misty line, that was all. Every wave that hit us, meant bailing like mad +to keep our gunwale above water. We took off the muffler and used it to +bail with. + +<p>A dozen times we lighted our lantern and a dozen times the wind or the sea +put it out. It was water soaked, useless. I said, "Jake, it's all up with +us," and he said he guessed it was. + +<p>Boys, I've gone forty-eight hours without sleeping, in France. I've gone +three days without food. I've seen a shell burst into smithereens ten feet +from me. But I'd rather go through all that again, I'd rather play tennis +and drink tea, even, than to go through another night like that. All night +we couldn't so much as see each other's faces. Our arms were stiff. We +just bailed, bailed, bailed and kept her from swamping. + +<p>In the morning the weather eased up a little and if we had only had her +running, she would have taken the seas all right. She's a filthy little +boat, but game. But an engine is never game; it's always the boat that's +game. A gas engine is a natural born coward and a quitter. A hull will +fight to the last. If our engine hadn't lain down, we could have hit the +sea crossways and we'd have skimmed over it like a car on a scenic +railway, but the swell got us sideways and we swung like a hammock. + +<p>Anyhow, we could ease up a little on the bailing and before the sun was +well up, we were able to use the oar. We had only one, because the other +one was carried away. But we managed to keep that little jitney head-on, +and pretty soon we knew it wasn't a case of drowning, but more likely a +case of starving. There wasn't a speck of land in sight. We might have +been half way to Europe for all <i>I</i> knew. + +<p>Well, after a while Jake said, "What's that? Looks like a log floating." + +<p>It didn't look like anything much, but it wasn't the ocean, that was sure, +and we tried to make it with our oar. The thing was drifting in on us, so +we didn't have to do all the work-just get in its path. We could slacken +our own drifting with the oar, so pretty soon we were alongside it and saw +it was a swamped life boat. There was one man floating around in it-dead. +That two hundred dollars belonged-or rather was in his pocket. There were +some other things in his pockets too; some things that started me guessing. + +<p>I think you kids had better tarn in now; it's getting late. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="15"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XV +<br> +NO! NO! NO! GO ON! GO ON!</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>All right, there isn't much more. We had no guess how long the man had +been in the boat or whether he had starved or what. He might have been +dead several days, I thought. The life boat was awash. There was the name +of some ship or other on the bows, but the boat had been painted since the +name was printed there, and all I could make out was a few indistinct +letters under the fresh paint. I made out an L, then DY, then NNE. I have +a hunch the name was <i>Lady Anne,</i> but maybe not. + +<p>The man must have been a pretty rough character from all I could judge; a +sailor, I daresay. It was out of the question rescuing the body. Every +ounce of weight in our own boat made it worse for us, and we couldn't have +hauled it over the side without danger. So we did the next best thing and +that was to go through his pockets in the hope of finding something to +identify him. + +<p>You getting sleepy? No? Well, we found a weather wallet on him. Know what +that is? It's a pocket-book made of rubber. You can see them in ship +supply stores all along South street in New York. In there he had two +hundred and seven dollars and a letter. The writing was all smeared and +some of it I couldn't read at all. I couldn't make out the address, out +I <i>think</i> it was signed "Father." + +<p>That was no place to be doping things out, with the seas rolling us +goodness knows where, so I just stuffed the money in my trouser pocket, +because it made too big a wad to go in my wallet. But I dried the letter +as best I could and put it away in this little case I always carry. Here's +the case and here's the letter now. And I suppose that if there's any +mystery, as you call it, why this is <i>it</i>. + +<p>Now just wait and don't get excited and you'll see the letter. Just let me +finish. We pushed off from the life boat and I think it must have sunk +soon afterward. The sea got pretty calm after a while and late that +afternoon we were picked up by a schooner and set ashore. + +<p>Jake and I agreed to say nothing about our discovery; I'll tell you the +reason in a minute. He forgot and blurted out something about our finding +a life boat and it got into the newspapers, but no harm was done, because +after our rescue we gave the names of Mike Corby and Dan McCann and after +we had started home, no one knew who to hunt for, even if they wanted to. + +<p>But the principal reason we gave false names was, because my leave from +camp was already up and I didn't want anybody, my own folks especially, to +know that I had sidestepped home and mother to go off on a crazy fishing +trip. Get me? Jake went home and I haven't seen him since. + +<p>I hustled to Bridgeboro by train, sneaked over to Little Valley in a big +hurry to change my duds and-the house-boat was gone. The boy scouts had +carried away my uniform and Lieutenant Donnelle was a ragged outcast, a +couple of days overdue at camp. + +<p>How to get my uniform, that was the question. The boy scouts had done me a +bad turn. I traced the fugitive house-boat to St. George, Staten Island. I +lurked near shore till dark, and when a party of you kids came ashore and +one of you mentioned to another that a certain Roy had remained on board, +I said, "Here is my chance." I rowed over, made his acquaintance, took him +into my confidence, obtained his promise of silence, and changed my +clothes. I found him a bully little scout. The old rags which went by the +name of trousers I put into the locker, forgetting in my hurry, to take +the two hundred and seven dollars. + +<p>After fastening the locker I took some change out of my uniform to reward +our young friend, but he spurned my offer. I must have dropped the locker +key when I pulled the change out of my pocket. As you all know, little +Skinny found it and got himself suspected of hiding the money in the +locker. So much for that. I returned to camp and got slapped on the wrist +for being late. + +<p>But the letter which I had taken from that dead man I had with me, and +here it is now. When I visited Temple Camp upon the urgent plea of my old +pal Skeezeks, I claimed the two hundred and seven dollars, but it was not +mine. + +<p><i>It wasn't the dead man's either.</i> + +<p>Now listen to this water soaked letter, or as +much of it as I can make out: + +<blockquote><blockquote><blockquote> + + —hundred dol—is a good deal of money.— +<br> to—be careful.—such places—are likely +<br> —get robbed. +<br> +<br> thought you—glad—get the ring.—wear +<br> —on second finger of left hand—war.— +<br> these fifty years. —real cameo-heado— +<br> Lincoln.—getting along—to—make two +<br> ends meet—to each one who left our village +<br> ---------------------------- +</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote> + + +<p>There is quite a lot more, but I can't make it out. + +<p>Well, kids, I've studied that letter like a spelling lesson and this is +what I make out of it. I can kind of see a picture of an old fellow that +fought in the Civil War. I don't know who he is or where he is. But I can +see him in an old faded blue uniform. I kind of like him. Look in the +fire, everyone of you, and keep your eyes fixed on the blaze. See him? I +do. I can see him just as plain—poor old codger. Funny thing, a campfire, +isn't it? I can see him better now than I could before. He's got white +hair and he's writing a letter to that kid of his in France and telling +him to be careful of that money. He's having a hard time trying to make +two ends meet. Poor old fellow, he's warning that son of his about places +in France where soldiers get robbed. I've seen some of those places, +sailors' hang-outs, in Brest, and I can back him up there. + +<p>I have a kind of hunch that the old fellow-put some more wood on, Roy-I +have a kind of a hunch that he sent the kid a ring, a cameo ring, +with the head of President Lincoln on it. I can see old honest Abe +now—right there where the new sticks are blazing up. Huh? Maybe it's only +a crazy notion; what do you say? But I've doped out a kind of a notion +that that old fellow got the ring when he started off to war; that somebody +or other presented one to each fellow; that left the village. I'd give a +doughnut to know where that village is. + +<p>Anyway, the old man wore it on the second finger of his left hand and I +kind of think he wanted that kid of his to do the same—over there in the +trenches. + +<p>Maybe I'm just a sort of a day dreamer, but that's the picture I've had in +my mind ever since I was fishing with Jake Holden. And it seems to all fit +together now when I look right there in that blaze. Pretty good camp-fire +yarn, hey? Not so worse? Just look into the fire yourselves and think +about that letter. Nothing but a kind of fancy, hey? Faces in the blaze +and all that sort of stuff. Never saw me get sentimental before, did +you—Skeezeks? + +<p>The funny part of the whole thing is that the man we saw in the boat +<i>didn't have any second finger on his left hand.</i> It couldn't have been +his finger the writer of the letter meant. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="16"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XVI +<br> +THE MYSTERY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Gee whiz, I didn't even know that he had stopped talking. I was just +looking into the blaze and I could see the whole thing right there. Maybe +it wasn't true at all, but anyway, I could see it. Especially I could see +the old man. That's just the way it is with camp-fires. + +<p>Then, all of a sudden Harry Donnelle poked up the fire and began to laugh. +"Funny, hey?" he said. + +<p>I said, "Do you think the dead man in the boat stole the money and the +letter?" + +<p>"The letter happened to be with the money," Harry said; "I don't know that +I think anything in particular. But how did a sailor with the second finger +of his left hand gone, happen to have a letter asking him to wear a ring on +that finger. How about the soldier who is warned against going where he +will get robbed? Maybe he went, after all, and got robbed. We might start a +search for a soldier who happens to have a second finger on his left hand. +But then, quite a few soldiers enjoy that distinction. So there we are-up a +tree. But here is a sailor with two hundred odd dollars and a letter +referring to two hundred dollars. There is something about him wearing a +ring on a certain finger and he doesn't happen to have that finger. Funny." + +<p>Well then, here's a query-as long as queries don't cost anything. Might not +the sailor have robbed the soldier of his two hundred and odd dollars? And +just neglected to destroy the letter that was with it? You see, kids, I +just ran plunk into the middle of the thing and I'd like to get hold of one +end or the other. Somebody or other got a ring when he went away to war +fifty years ago. He lived in a village. Who was he? Whoever he is, he's +having a hard job making two ends meet. If I could find him I think I'd +turn over this money to him. Now at the other end of the line, somewhere, +is a fellow that ran chances of being robbed-reckless, like your Uncle +Dudley. He's got a ring with President Lincoln's face cut on it—a cameo. +I'd like to find <i>him</i>. But you see I haven't any way of finding either +of them. The only thing I'm sure about is that the dead sailor couldn't +have worn the ring. His finger had been gone many years, that's sure. So +what are we going to do about it? I guess we'll go to bed. But that isn't +getting us anywhere, is it? + +<p>Funny, hey? Kind of a mystery after all-Skeezeks. + +<p>I guess every one of us lay awake thinking about it that night. Anyway, I +know I did. And most all the time till the day we got home, we kept talking +about it. Harry Donnelle would always laugh and say maybe there wasn't +anything to it at all and that if he knew who the sailor was, he'd go and +give the money to his people-probably. + +<p>He said he guessed the camp-fire up at Temple Camp was what started him +seeing pictures. But always he would say how it was funny that a man +without his second finger should have that letter on him. But he said that +as long as there wasn't any finger, it couldn't point anywheres, and we +should worry. + +<p>But just the same all the way home, whenever we started a camp-fire, we'd +look into it and kind of see an old soldier with white hair and a blue +coat and then we'd see a young fellow, wearing khaki, and a ring with +Lincoln's head cut on it. + +<p>In the fire we made near Orange Lake just before we hit Newburgh, we saw a +soldier in a kind of a restaurant where there were a lot of sailors and we +saw them take something away from him. But that's always the way it is with +camp-fires. Mostly we saw the old soldier. + +<p>Harry Donnelle always laughed about it and said the camp-fire was a regular +art gallery and he guessed he'd give that unlucky two hundred dollars to an +orphan asylum, or to the widows and orphans of the poor garage keepers or +to the destitute Standard Oil Company. So it got to be a kind of a joke, +and that's the way it was till the whole thing was solved. And I'm going to +tell you all about it, too, but I can't bother now, because I have to tell +you about our hike and the crazy thing that happened next day. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="17"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XVII +<br> +APPALLING! WONDERFUL! MAGNIFICENT!</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Anyway, there was one person we never saw in the camp-fire blaze and that +was Mr. Costello. If we had, we wouldn't have seen the blaze. He was so big +that he would have filled the whole fire. Harry Donnelle said he could even +have blown a camp-fire out if he wanted to-even the big one at Temple Camp. + +<p>I wasn't awake when Dorry started for Kingston in the morning, so I didn't +hear him go. But I knew when he came back all right. If I hadn't known it, +it would have been because I was dead. + +<p>He got back before noon and the first I saw of him he was sitting on a big, +high fancy seat of a cage wagon, wedged in alongside a great big man with a +high hat on and a cutaway coat and a red Vest. The big man was driving and +the two horses had sleigh bells on them and fancy harness and they made an +awful racket. They were dandy white horses, though. Dorry looked awful +scared and little alongside the big man. The cage wagon was all gold color +and fancy on the top and the wheels looked like Fourth of July pinwheels. + +<p>Harry said, "Mr. Costello doesn't exactly look as if he had sneaked off, +does he? He's not ashamed to be seen. What's that, a searchlight?" + +<p>I said, "No, it's a diamond; he's got diamonds all over him. Somebody must +have sprinkled him with diamonds before he started. He had them everywhere +except on his feet. He had a big long whip in his hand, too. There was a +man in the cage, besides; I guess he was a keeper." + +<p>Harry said, "Get me a pair of smoked glasses, will you?" + +<p>As soon as the big man got down he took off his high hat and waved it and +said, "How do you do, sir." He said it in a big round voice, kind of. + +<p>Then he said, "I am Mr. Rinaldo Costello, proprietor of Costello's Mammoth +Show." He talked so loud that he almost scared us. + +<p>Harry just said, "When I saw you coming I thought it was the village +undertaker. We're glad to welcome you to our temporary camp. We are also +touring the country; this is my mammoth show." Then he pointed to all of +us fellows who were standing around, and Mr. Costello took off his hat +again and waved it and bowed very low and held his whip so that I thought +he was going to give us a crack with it, only he didn't. I guess he was +used to cracking that whip. It was awful funny the way Harry sat on the +fence talking to him. I don't know how it was, but that fellow could be +awful funny. + +<p>Mr. Costello said, "This young gentleman who you were kind enough to send, +has told me a very; <i>thrilling</i> story. If it is all true I must pay my +tribute to the dauntless young scout whose valor in combat is truly +matchless." + +<p>"Excuse me while I blush," I said. I just couldn't help saying it. + +<p>"He is known as Roy the Leopard Catcher," Harry said. "In the wilds of +Catskill village he is known by the natives as Skeezeks-Skeezeks the Bold. +Allow me to introduce him." Then he grabbed me by the hair and shoved me +right out in front. Then he said, "Like all true heroes, he is modest. But +perhaps you will wish to see Marshal Foch. We shall be sorry to part with +him." + +<p>Then they all followed Mr. Costello and Harry to the barn. Mr. Costello +walked as if the whole world was looking at him. He looked awful +funny, all dressed up that way in the country. I bet he was hot. I didn't +go, because I wanted to look at that cage wagon. It had gold mermaids on +the corners of it, and oh boy, wasn't it fancy. The mermaids' tails went +all along the sides. Inside there was hay on the floor. I bet it was fun +for Dorry, riding on that thing. Every time the white horses stamped the +bells would jingle afterward Harry said it sounded like a junk wagon, but +<i>I</i> liked them anyway. + +<p>I wished I was the man to ride inside of that cage with Marshal Foch. I +guess he knew how to handle leopards all right, hey? Maybe they were good +friends even. Gee whiz, I like hiking better than anything else, except +apple pie, but anyway, I'd like to be in a parade, that's one thing. That's +just what I said. I said it out loud to myself. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="18"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XVIII +<br> +ON TO GLORY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>When they came back the keeper was leading Marshal Foch with a rope, and +the fly paper was gone from his head and his body. Harry Donnelle said they +melted the stickum with gasoline and that it didn't hurt the leopard much. +He said it came off easier than a porous plaster does. You bet I was glad; +because that leopard and I were kind of friends. Anyway I would have been +glad. The keeper had a pistol but I guess it was just safety first because +the animal walked along by him just as meek as could bet and walked right +up the slanting board into the wagon. I guess he knew that keeper all +right. His eyes were kind of half shut and all sticky like, and his nice +fur was all stuck up but the men said they could fix him all right as soon +as they had time. + +<p>I just couldn't help saying "So long, Marshal Foch, I'm sorry I had to do +it; see you later." He just walked back and forth in the cage, awful +graceful, as if he was looking to see if everything was all right, and +maybe he was glad to get back, hey? + +<p>Then Mr. Costello said in his big loud voice, just as if he was making a +speech, "I am going to give the people of Kingston, <i>absolutely free,</i> an +opportunity to view for the first time in America, the dauntless young +hero of two continents." I don't know why he said two continents, because +I only live on one, and believe me, that's enough. + +<p>But most everything he said had <i>two continents</i> in it. Harry said it was a +wonder he forgot Mars and the Moon. "The dauntless young hero scout, pride +of two continents," that's what he said. Oh boy, didn't I blush I And +didn't Harry Donnelle laugh! + +<p>"May I ask your name, sir?" Mr. Costello said. I told him, "Roy Blakeley." + +<p>"I would like you to ride with Marshal Foch in the parade," he said, "and +later at the performances. I think I will call you <i>Roy the Redoubtable;</i> +or perhaps <i>Blakeley the Bold</i> would be better. This is an opportunity of +a lifetime to the people of Kingston. It will rejoice the scouts of two +continents to see their intrepid young hero riding in triumph with the +savage, man eating, beast that he subdued." + +<p>Harry said, "That would be delightful. What do you say, Roy?" + +<p>I said, <i>"Good night,</i> I won't have to ride in the cage with him, will I? +I like him all right, but—but we're not-kind of, we're not yet well +acquainted yet." + +<p>Mr. Costello said, "You will ride on the seat outside, as his triumphant +conqueror. You will out rival the gladiators of ancient Rome. You will +listen to the plaudits of the multitude. Are you able to look fierce? Just +a little fiery? Just a little suggestion of fearless courage and intrepid +power in your eyes? Something like <i>this</i>." Oh boy, he gave me a look that +nearly knocked me over. + +<p>Harry said, "Try it, Roy." + +<p>I looked as fierce as I could, and all the fellows broke out laughing. + +<p>"That will be fine," Mr. Costello said; "just a little glance of the eye to +strike terror as you look from left to right. Our advance agent will do the +rest. There is not much time, but he will see that the people are advised +of their opportunity. The boys of Kingston will thrill with pride and +glory. Step up to the seat, my young friend." I said, "I don't believe I +can look fierce enough, honest I don't." + +<p>Harry Donnelle was just sitting there on the fence laughing so hard I +thought he'd fall off. + +<p>All of the fellows began guying me and saying I was a fool to be scared and +that they wished they had the chance. But gee whiz, I was never part of a +circus before, and I didn't want to sit way up on the top of that fancy +wagon and just look fierce. I bet you wouldn't, either. + +<p>Pretty soon we were driving away and Mr. Costello looked awful big sitting +there beside me. He kept cracking his whip all the time. + +<p>"So long, see you at the parade!", the fellows shouted. + +<p>"Don't get nervous," Harry called. + +<p>"I should worry," I called back; "I don't care what becomes of me now." + +<p>They had big red shutters with gold designs to cover up the cage so no one +could see Marshal Foch, and the keeper sat on the step in back. Oh boy, +how that Mr. Costello did drive; and lie could crack the whip so it sounded +like a rifle going off. + +<p>Pretty soon we came pell-mell into Kingston and I could see the circus +posters in all the store windows and on the fences. The pictures of Mr. +Costello looked just like him, kind of brave and bold like, and he always +had a whip in his hand. I guess he slept with that whip under his pillow, +hey? + +<p>While we were passing along one of the streets, a half a dozen scouts +shouted to me and I gave them the scout salute. + +<p>Mr. Costello said, "Those intrepid young gentlemen will be proud of their +young comrade; the whole city will do you honor for your daring and +dauntless deed." I noticed that whenever he strung together a lot of words +they all began with the same letter. It sounded fine, too. + +<p>I said, "I know one thing, and that is I'd like to have a rich, red, rare, +racy, raspberry soda, just now." + +<p>"You will soon be able to regale your ravenous and rapacious capacity among +the freaks of two continents who will accord you a warm and wonderful +welcome," he said. + +<p>Gee, you couldn't beat him at it, that was one sure thing. + +<center> +<br> +<img src="images/ill2.jpg" alt="I gave them the scout salute."> +<br>"I gave them the scout salute." +</center> + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="19"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XIX +<br> +JIB JAB, IS HE HUMAN?</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Jiminy crinkums, I may be a nut (that's what the troop calls me anyway), +but I'm not a freak and, believe me, when I saw who I was going to have +dinner with that day—<i>good night!</i> + +<p>They all sat around a big mess board that stood on horses just like at +Temple Camp. It was in a side tent. Judge Dot sat right next to me, he was +a midget. I guess he was only about three feet high, and he had a special +chair. On the other side of me was Lieutenant Lemuel Long; he was the thin +man. He was about as fat as a clothes pole. He didn't eat much, but it +wasn't because he didn't have any appetite. He said he had a contract with +Mr. Costello not to eat much, because that would make him fat. He said he +had a contract not to weigh more than eighty pounds. Gee, you've got to +keep a contract if you make one, that's one thing. + +<p>But anyway, Madame Whopper could eat all she wanted to; she was the fat +lady. She was a marvelous mammoth-that's what it said under the picture. +She ate nine pieces of pie. I ate four, but anyway, she was a professional. +They kept bringing her more pie. Judge Dot said once she ate eleven pieces. +I liked Judge Dot, because he said he was sorry about Marshal Foch. He gave +me his picture with his name on. He said if it was anyone else but me, it +would cost a quarter. + +<center> +<br> +<img src="images/ill3.jpg" alt="He took the fur right off his head"> +<br>"He took the fur right off his head" +</center> + +<p>But anyway, the one I liked best was Jib Jab, is he human? He had fur just +like a bear, but a head like a man, only his face was brown and it had +long hair on it. His face didn't look exactly like a man and it didn't look +exactly like animal. First I was kind of scared, because in the pictures +he was in a cage and he was grabbing hold of the bars and glaring awful +fierce and wild. And, gee whiz, I didn't want to eat dinner with a wild +animal. Oh boy, didn't I have a good scare when I saw him coming to the +table! + +<p>He jumped over the board seat and sat down right opposite me and took the +fur right off his Head, just as if he was scalping himself and laid it on +the ground. He looked more like a man then. + +<p>He looked across arid said to me, "Hello, old top, how are they treating +you?" + +<p>I said, "I'm feeling pretty well." + +<p>"Going into the parade, I hear," he said. + +<p>"That was quite a stunt you pulled. You'd never catch me like that if I +once broke loose. Think you could?" + +<p>I said, "Maybe I couldn't, but anyway, I guess you're human, all right." + +<p>Then he began to laugh and said to the thin man, "How goes it, Skinny; you +going to ride?" + +<p>I guess he meant the parade. The fat woman said, "I wouldn' do no ridin' +fer no proprietor, not me. The public has got to come to <i>me;</i> I wouldn' +never go to <i>them."</i>' + +<p>Jib Jab said, "All in the game." + +<p>Judge Dot said, "It's different with you, Jib; you ain't human and you +can't say for yourself. You're in the menagerie class. You got to ride in +your cage. You ain't a regular freak. I never heard of no parade work in a +freak contract." + +<p>Madame Whopper said, "I wouldn' do parade work fer no proprietor, ride or +walk, I wouldn' not even Barnum hisself, I wouldn'." + +<p>Jib Jab said for me to pass him the butter and then he winked at me and he +said, "You're too particular, Ma. Parade work is all right. I like +parade work, except I can't smoke. How about it, Kid?" + +<p>I said I didn't mind being in a parade, but I wouldn't want to ride in a +cage like he had to do. + +<p>He laughed and said it was all in the game. He said if he ever broke out of +that cage, I'd never capture him until he came back for his money on +Saturday night. + +<p>I said "Sometimes boy scouts find people; sometimes they hunt for people +that are lost. In our magazine there's always a notice if a scout is lost +and all the scouts are on the look out for him." + +<p>"Yes, but those people are human," he said. + +<p>I said, "Gee whiz, I can't deny that." + +<p>"You never hunted for a <i>what-is-it,</i> did you?" he asked, awful funny like. + +<p>I told him, "No, I never did, but once a troop of scouts found a girl that +was lost on a mountain, and there was another troop that found a fellow +just from seeing his name in the newspapers." + +<p>He said, "You're a wide awake bunch, you kids. They don't have any boy +scouts in the jungle where I was captured alive. If you ever get on my +trail, I'd give you a run all right." + +<p>I asked him where that jungle was where he was captured alive, and he said +it was on Washington Avenue in the Bronx. + +<p>He was an awful nice fellow. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="20"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XX +<br> +THE PARADE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Before we were finished I could hear the band playing outside and when I +went out all the wagons and chariots and things were in a line ready to +start. There were two elephants, a big one and a baby one, and about a +half a dozen cage wagons with animals in them and a steam calliope and a +lot of things, all gold and red. There were some dandy white horses. + +<p>On Marshal Foch's cage was a big sign that said: + +<center> +<h3> +<br> + MARSHAL FOCH +<br> + THE RETURNED LEOPARD +<br> + AND +<br> + SCOUT BLAKELEY +<br> + PRIDE OF TWO CONTINENTS! +<br> + HIS DARING AND DAUNTLESS CAPTOR. +<br> +</h3> +</center> + +<p>I climbed up to the seat and sat by the driver. + +<p>He had an awful fancy hat and kind of tinsel stuff all over him. He had a +tassel on his hat and it kept blowing in my face. I didn't know what they +were waiting for, but pretty soon Jib Jab came out and he had a chain +around his leg. He looked pretty fierce and savage. A keeper was holding +the chain and Jib Jab pulled and jerked on it, so a lot of people who were +standing around backed away. The wagons were all around in a circle so I +could see him in his cage, and he winked at me while the keeper was fixing +the chain to one of the bars. + +<p>Oh boy, but that was some parade! The streets were all full of people and +the steam calliope made so much noise you'd think you were in a boiler +factory. Oh, didn't everybody stare at me! I guess my face was as red as +the fancy wagons, but what did I care? On one of the streets I saw Harry +Donnelle and the other fellows coming out of a candy store. They were all +wiping their mouths with their handkerchiefs and Westy was rubbing his +stomach with his hand, as if he had been eating something good. They just +aid that to jolly me, I bet. I should worry about them. Then they all +began laughing at me, because I was trying to look fierce and bold. Maybe +you think that's easy. + +<p>Gee, I guess we went through every street in Kingston, with people staring +at me all the while, and kids hooting, but I didn't care. Anyway, I was +proud to ride on that wagon. + +<p>Just when we were coming back into the circus grounds, I saw Harry Donnelle +and the patrol and some other scouts waiting, so I climbed down, because I +wanted to be with them. Mr. Costello came out and talked to us and said +that I did fine. + +<p>He said I was the idol of thronging multitudes-that's just what he said. I +was good and thirsty, I know that. Gee, didn't Harry Donnelle laugh. + +<p>Mr. Costello said, "The boy scouts are an honor to this great and glorious +country and I should like to take our intrepid young friend to Europe to +appear before the high nobility." + +<p>Harry said that I was a modest kid and that he guessed one continent was +about all I could carry in my pocket. He said that some day maybe I'd pick +up Europe if I happened to be passing that way. + +<p>Then Mr. Costello gave us all tickets to the show that night and after +that he made me a speech and said how I was beloved by all the world +renowned personages in the side show. He said that Madame Whopper told +him I was a little gentleman. 'A' scout is courteous-oh joy. + +<p>Then he put his arm over my shoulder and walked away with me and told me +not to talk very much about Jib Jab being human, because he wanted the +people to decide for themselves. He said it wasn't telling a lie, because +he never said Jib Jab wasn't human. He just said, "Is he human?" + +<p>He said it's all right to ask a question. + +<p>Gee whiz, nobody can deny that. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="21"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXI +<br> +WE VISIT THE SIDE SHOW</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Those scouts that we met were nice fellows. They were hiking back to +Newburgh; that's where they lived. They told us they had hiked up along the +river to visit a place named Elm Center, about ten or fifteen miles west of +Kingston. They said they had a bivouac camp just outside the city and that +they had stayed there for a couple of days, so as to take in the circus. + +<p>We all went to the show together that night, and I sat on Marshal Foch's +cage wagon and rode around in the parade at the beginning of the show. All +the fellows cheered me, even those new fellows. After the show I told them +all that I wanted to go into the side show and say good-bye to my friends. +We were all standing outside and Dorry Benton said, "I'll go with you." + +<p>Of course, as soon as he said that, they all wanted to go, but Harry said +he guessed two were enough. So Dorry and I went in and made a call. The +freaks were getting ready to go to bed, but anyway, they were glad to see +us. I guess Madame Whopper slept in another tent; anyway, we didn't see +her. Maybe she had a whole tent to herself. + +<p>Mr. Lemuel Long said he was hungry and he wished he could eat a lot like +scouts do. Gee, I have to admit that scouts eat a lot-especially dessert. +You can bet I wouldn't want to be a human skeleton. Judge Dot said he +should worry, because he couldn't grow any taller no matter what happened. +He said he was fifty-two years old and after you get to be fifty-five you +begin to shrink. He said everybody does, mostly. He said if he shrunk, he +was going to make Mr. Costello give him more money. Gee whiz, I couldn't +blame him, especially on account of the high cost of living. He said Madame +Whopper had gained fifty pounds and she made Mr. Costello give her a raise. + +<p>While we were talking with Judge Dot, Jib Jab came in and said, "Hello, +S'couty, how did you like the show?" + +<p>I said, "You looked good and wild, that's one thing, especially with that +chain on." He said that chain was his own idea. + +<p>I guess he had just been washing his face, anyway, there wasn't any hair on +it and the brown was all cleaned off. I could see now that he was a mighty +nice looking fellow. His hair was kind of curly and his eyes were awful +bright. He took off his fur covering and put on a kind of a bath robe and +then sat down on a chair and stuck his feet up on Madame Whopper's +platform. Oh boy, you should have seen Dorry stare. First he looked at the +fur covering. It had paws and claws on it just like an animal. Then he +looked at Jib Jab. I guess he didn't know what to make of him. + +<p>Jib Jab said, "Now for a smoke," and he lighted a cigarette; "nothing like +a quiet smoke after the day's work is over. Back in the jungle I never had +all this bother of dressing and undressing. Civilization is just killing +me. Fact is I can't be tamed. Anybody got a newspaper? I suppose I ought +to be thankful I haven't got my face all plastered up with fly paper. +Where's old Sky Scraper?" That's what he called the, giant. + +<p>"Gone to bed," Judge Dot said. +"How about you, Shorty; got a match?" he asked Judge Dot. + +<p>Judge Dot just said very stiff like, "I'll bid you good night, sir ." + +<p>"Happy dreams, Shorty," Jib Jab called after him. Then he said, "That's the +trouble with all these freaks-uppish, especially the giant. Why he looks +down on everybody. Ma's about the best of the lot. Shorty thinks he's the +whole circus just because he has three rings on his hands. Same with +Skinny. I'd rather be back in the jungle than living with this bunch. Half +the time they don't speak to me. You see I'm not a regular freak; they +look on me as a kind of a butt-in." + +<p>I said, "Gee, I'm sorry; I should think they'd like you." + +<p>"They're all jealous," he said; "that's the trouble. They're all down on +parade work, even Ma. They couldn't stand for me making a hit with that +chain. Last week, up in Albany, I started to growl just as Shorty started +selling his photographs. The louder he piped away with that silly little +squeaky voice of his, the more I roared. When it comes to roaring, I've +got even the lions jealous. Fact is I'm not liked; they are all jealous, +even the animals. And I feel it, too; any honest hard working +<i>what-is-it</i> would. Especially if he's human. The little two-headed boy +we had was about the best of the lot, only he was double faced. He's with +Barnum's now-fifty a week and overtime." + +<p>"I don't see why you want to be a <i>what-is-it,</i>" I told him; "especially +if they don't treat you right." + +<p>He just went on smoking, awful funny, kind of. Jiminy, I couldn't make him +out at all. + +<p>He said, "Now you take Teddy Roosevelt, the elephant. He's what you'd call +a big attraction-very big. Do you suppose he'd refuse to pal with me just +because I'm a poor, neglected <i>what-is-it?</i> Only this morning we had a bag +of peanuts together; he and I and little Ruth. He's just as plain and +democratic as he can be. But you see my position isn't easy. I'm human and +yet I'm not. I don't know where I fit in. The animals are kind of leery; +you can't blame them. And the freaks are as stuck up as poor old Marshal +Foch was. Sometimes I wish I was back in the jungle." + +<p>Jingoes, I didn't know how to take him at all, and I could see Dorry was +just staring at him as if he "didn't know whether he was jollying us or +not. + +<p>"Anyway, we have to be sorry for you," I said. He just kept puffing on his +cigarette and he said, "Well, it's good to sit back here when the freaks +have turned in and have a quiet smoke. Pretty strenuous work jerking and +pulling on that chain. It's a hard life being a question mark." "You said +something," I told him; "cracky, I wouldn't want to be a <i>what-is-it.</i>" + +<p>He just said, "No, when you grow up, make up your mind whether you're +going to be human or not. Don't try to be two things. Don't be a question +mark. Why away down in my savage, primeval heart, I wouldn't hurt a +kitten. Yet here I am growling and roaring and wrenching at my cage bars +and straining at that old chain, and the children and old ladies back up +on the street when they see me, frightened out of their lives. I'm not +loved by anyone. It's mighty hard. Either one of you kids got a cigarette +about you?" + +<p>I told him no, that scouts didn't smoke cigarettes. + +<p>He said, "Well, drop in and see me down at Poughkeepsie or Newburgh if you +happen in when we're there. You're always welcome." + +<p>Gee, we just couldn't make heads or tails of that fellow. Anyway, I liked +him. And I had to admit that that was good advice he gave me about making +up my mind whether to be human or not. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="22"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXII +<br> +BRENT GAYLONG</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>The fellows were all waiting for us when we came out and we hiked out to +where those scouts had their camp. There were only five of them, one +patrol, and the biggest one was a kind of scoutmaster and patrol leader +rolled into one. His name was Brent Gaylong. I walked with him behind the +others and he told me all about his patrol and the troubles they had. He +was an awful nice fellow, kind of quiet like; but he was funny, too. +Christopher, that little troop must have been started on Friday the +thirteenth, that's one thing sure. + +<p>I said, "What's the name of your patrol?" + +<p>"Well," he said, "we call ourselves the Church Mice, because we're so poor. +First we were going to call ourselves the Job's Turkeys, but we decided +that a church mouse was poorer than Job's turkey." + +<p>I had to laugh. I said, "I've heard of most every kind of an animal's name +used for patrols, but never a church mouse. My patrol is the Silver Fox." + +<p>"That's a bully name," he said. + +<p>"Anyway," I told him, "the name hasn't got so much to do with it. There was +a patrol up at Temple Camp named the Polliwogs and they were all nice +fellows. But they couldn't keep still, they were always wriggling. Maybe +they're frogs by this time, hey? A fellow up there told me about a patrol +named the Caterpillars and afterwards they changed it to the Butterflies. +He said there's a patrol out west named the Mock Turtles. There's a lot of +crazy fellows come to Temple Camp. One of them said there was a fellow in +his troop named Welsh and he was chosen leader of a new patrol and they +wanted to call it the Welsh Rabbits. Church Mice is all right, I think." + +<p>He said, "It's appropriate anyway. I'd like to see a camp like that Temple +Camp; it must be great. Trouble with us is we've had such plaguey hard +luck. I guess there's only one thing harder than our luck and that's the +biscuits we make." + +<p>I said, "I can make hard ones." + +<p>Then he said, "You see, first our scoutmaster had to go to war. We were +just starting then. It hit us a good whack. We tried to get another, but +scoutmasters were pretty scarce; they were scarcer than coal and sugar. +They were all in France. So I took the job. I suppose we could get one +now, but since we've worried along all this time without one, we decided +to wait till our scoutmaster gets back. He'll be back in a couple of weeks, +I understand, and we want to give him a welcome. We've got two dollars and +fourteen cents toward it so far-two dollars and four cents, really, because +there's a Canadian dime. If there are any Canadian dimes around, we're sure +to get them. Then our little shanty burned down. It was about the best +camp-fire I ever saw, only it left us without a meeting-place. We still +have our scout smiles; they don't cost anything. If they did, we couldn't +afford them." + +<p>I said, "That's one thing about scout smiles; they're the only things that +haven't gone up." + +<p>"So here we are," he said, "hiking back home after one of our fool +enterprises. We intended to go down on the train, but we went to the +circus instead." + +<p>"It's about thirty miles down to Newburgh," I said; "you'll have to +bivouac twice anyway." + +<p>He said, "I guess we've got eats enough." + +<p>"We might as well all hike that far together," I told him. + +<p>"Good idea," he said, "if you don't mind chumming up with a traveling +poor-house." + +<p>"We should worry about being poor," I said; "I know a man that's rich and +he can't hike at all. He goes on crutches. How would you like to be him? +Anyway, don't you fellows get discouraged." + +<p>"Don't worry," he said; "first it was hard, but now we've come to like it. +You can get a lot of fun out of hard luck. And all we need is time, I +suppose. This winter we're all going to work on Saturdays. Trouble is that +isn't going to help us give our scoutmaster a <i>welcome home</i>. We've done +more crazy things this summer trying to get a little money together! I +guess it would have been better if we'd all knuckled down to jobs. But I +wanted these poor kids to get a taste of scouting. Too late now, anyway. +Why if I told you why we hiked up to Elm Center, you'd just laugh in my +face. You'd say we were crazy. But we've had a good time anyway." + +<p>I said, "One thing sure, everything will come out all right and it's better +to go on a hike and camping and all that in the summer than to be working +in the city. One of those fellows ahead of us is named Dorry Benton and +he's kind of—not exactly poor, but—Anyway, he's crazy to get a motorcycle +and he was going to stay home and work this summer, but Mr. Ellsworth (he's +our scoutmaster) told him no, that it was better for him to go up to Temple +Camp. That big fellow with us isn't our regular scoutmaster. + +<p>"Anyway, Dorry is crazy to have a motorcycle and you can bet he'll have more +fun with it if he has to wait for it, won't he? Anyway, I wish you'd tell +me what you came up this way for. I won't tell any of the follows if you +don't want me to." + +<p>"Oh," he said, "they might as well all have a good laugh. And I don't want +you to think that I'm grouching about hard luck, either. We'll land right +side up-scouts mostly do. The woods are free, thank goodness. All that's +troubling us is that when Mr. Jennis went away he gave us a spread and +presented each one of us with a scout knife and we'd like to return the +compliment, that's all. We'd like to show him how much we think of him. I +had a crazy notion we'd all go down to New York and meet him and give him +something or other when the transport arrives. Happy dreams. I guess all +we'll give him is the scout salute. But we'll come out right side up yet, +even if we have to sweep up the streets in Newburgh. Principal trouble +with us is that we're a lot of dreamers; I guess I'm the worst of the lot. +Not much money in adventures. So now we're up against it. You don't make +money <i>scouting</i>, you make it <i>working</i>." + +<p>I said, "I wish you'd please tell me why you came up this way, will you?" + +<p>"Sure I will," he said; "it's a joke-it's a peach of a joke. Only I tell +you beforehand, we're a band of wild adventurers. Here we are at our +luxurious camp. Pretty big tent, hey?" + +<p>"I don't see any tent," I said. + +<p>He said, "Don't you see that big blue tent?" + +<p>"Where?" I asked him. + +<p>"With the little gold spots all over it?" + +<p>"Oh, you mean the sky?" I said. + +<p>"Some tent, hey?" he said. And then he began laughing. + +<p>"There's no man can make a tent like that," I told him. + +<p>"It's only intended for rich scouts," he laughed "we don't even bother to +take it with us when we go; we just leave it here. Oh, we're a reckless, +extravagant bunch." + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="23"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXIII +<br> +BRENT'S STORY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>The Church Mice didn't even make up a full patrol, because there were only +five of them counting Brent Gaylong. Maybe the rest of them stayed home. +Only three of them had the uniform, and Brent didn't have any. They didn't +even have duffel bags or a camp kit and when I saw how it was with them, I +just had to admire that fellow who was keeping them together. + +<p>Especially I felt sorry for them, because our troop has about everything +and that's mostly the way it is with all the troops that go to Temple Camp. + +<p>Anyway, we made up some pretty good late eats and after that we got a good +big fire started and all sat around it. Brent lay on his back near the +blaze and had his knees drawn up and was looking up at the sky. That's just +the way he lay all the while he was telling us about his patrol and why +they came up that way. It seemed as if he thought it was all just a big +joke, but I could see he thought a good deal about scouting and about those +fellows. I had to laugh at him, but I liked him a lot just the same. He was +kind of happy-go-lucky, I could see that. Harry Donnelle liked him, that +was sure. I guess it was because he was kind of happy-go-lucky, too. + +<p>"Buried treasure is all right," that's what he said, "and so are missing +people, and people lost in the woods and all that; and liberal rewards are +very nifty. But if you're after fifty or so buckarinos, the best thing is +driving a grocery wagon or selling the Saturday Evening Post on street +corners. You don't get much adventure mowing people's lawns, but it's sure +money. The trouble with us is we've been speculating in adventure and now +we're going to walk back home. Take a lesson from our terrible example-and +don't read the newspapers." + +<p>Harry Donnelle said, "There's seventy-five per cent profit in adventures. +I'd go to South Africa if I thought there was a ten cent piece buried +there." That was just exactly like him. + +<p>"Anyway," I said, "I'd like to know why I shouldn't read the newspapers." +"Because they will lead you astray. They sent us off on a get-rich-quick +enterprise," Brent said. + +<p>Of course, I knew he was half joking, but that was always the funny way he +talked. He reached over and held a stick in the fire till the end of it was +all flaming, then he stuck it in the ground near his head and pulled a +clipping out of his pocket. He kept lying on his back all the time and he +looked so funny, I just had to laugh. + +<p>Then he said, "Well, now, this is what brought us up into these woolly +wilds", and he began to read the clipping. This is it, because he gave it +to me afterwards: + +<center> +<br> + BOY SCOUTS ASKED TO SEARCH +<br> + FOR MISSING DOUGHBOY. +<br> +</center> +<blockquote class="small"> + + <p>Boy scouts in all sections of the country have been asked to + watch for Horace E. Chandler, late of the American + Expeditionary Forces in France, who has been missing since + his discharge from Camp Upton several weeks ago. + + <p>Private Chandler was mustered out on August third, having + served with great courage and distinction in the Argonne + Forest, where he received honorable mention for unusual + heroism in raiding-single handed an enemy machine gun nest. + + <p>Private Chandler's home is in Greendale near Plattsburg in + New York. He is reported to have been seen in Albany several + days after the date of his discharge, by several young men + who had known him formerly, but on being questioned they + were not certain of the identity of their former friend. + + <p>His whereabouts are now a mystery and no reason can be + ascribed to his disappearance. It is thought that he may + have been the victim of foul play while on his journey home. + + <p>A wealthy and public spirited citizen of Greendale, Mr. + Horace E. Wade, whose namesake, Private Chandler was, has + offered the sum of one hundred dollars for any information + leading to the discovery of young Chandler's whereabouts. + + <p>Boy scouts have often succeeded in discovering missing + persons. Their large organization, covering as it does, + the entire country and their predilection for long tramps + and journeys afford them some of the best facilities for + such quests. + + <p>Mr. Wade has offered his reward after the futile efforts + of the police in many large cities to locate the returned + soldier. +</blockquote> + +<p>"And here's his picture to go by." Gaylong said; "good looking chap, huh? +Here's what it says underneath it, <i>'Private Horace E. Chandler from a +photo taken the week before he sailed for France.'</i>" + +<p>Nobody said anything for a minute and Dorry, who was nearest to Brent +Gaylong, leaned over and looked at the picture. "I'd like to read it over +in a better light," he said. + +<p>Brent said, "Take it; it's no use to us. It gave us a good hike, that's +all. We thought we might come back with the hundred. We had scout uniforms +and everything all bought-in our minds. We had a sumptuous gold headed cane +for Mr. Jennis. We had a meeting shack all furnished up. Oh, we were +regular prosperous scouts for a couple of days—in our imaginations. I +think I ought to have the badge for day dreaming, if there is one. I think +I could get a job in a dime hovel. Up to Elm Center and back again chasing +a rainbow!" + +<p>He was so funny about it that I didn't know how disappointed he really +was. He was kind of funny and serious at the same time. But I could see +they were all disappointed. + +<p>All of a sudden Harry Donnelle said, "What started you up to Elm Center +near Kingston, when our wandering warrior lived away up near Plattsburg?" + +<p>"Oh, yes," Brent said; "I forgot the best part of it. Quite some time after +we read that accursed article, little Willie here and I happened to drop in +at a movie show in Newburgh-ten cents counting the war tax. Cheap but +filling. There was a picture in the Pathe jigamerig of an aviator landing +in the village of Elm Center near Kingston, New York. I had never heard of +Elm Center before. But anyway, an aviator had to come down there and so Elm +Center got on the screen. There were a lot of people standing around +looking at the machine and little Willie wide-awake here, said to me, +'Do you see that soldier in the film? The one leaning against the fence +and kind of glancing this way? He's the fellow whose picture was in the +paper.' I took a good squint at him and, by jingoes, it was! It was +Horace E. Chandler. 'Caught at last,' I said." + +<p>"So here we are on our way home from Elm Center. It's a pretty little +village-post office, two stables, a hardware store where you can buy cake, +and a watering trough. One of the nicest watering troughs I ever saw. + +<p>"And Horace E. Chandler? Oh, they never saw him or heard of him. Maybe he +went up in the airplane, huh? If I only had a Curtis biplane, I'd search +the skies." + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="24"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXIV +<br> +THE LIGHT IN THE WOODS</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Gaylong just rested his leg on his other knee and clasped his hands in back +of his head and kept looking up at the sky. He said, "So that's the story +of the adventurous Church Mice. The next time we go in for a hundred +dollars, we're going to get jobs in grocery stores. Hey, kids?" I could see +he thought an awful lot of those fellows. + +<p>All the while Harry Donnelle was whistling to himself, as if he didn't care +much. Pretty soon he said, "You had your turn; what more do you want? +What's a hundred dollars?" + +<p>"It's a good deal to <i>us</i>," Gaylong laughed. + +<p>"You said something about treasure hunting," Harry said; "you don't suppose +anybody ever goes treasure hunting on account of the treasure, do you? +They go on account of the adventure. So treasure hunting is <i>always</i> a +success; even if you only find a tin spoon. You had your hike; you had your +fun; you made a hundred per cent profit. That's the difference between a +scout and a detective. It's <i>going after</i> something that makes the fun; +not <i>getting</i> it." + +<p>Brent Gaylong said, "I get you." + +<p>"I've flopped around all over the world and I haven't got a cent to show +for it," Harry said, "and if anybody told me there was a lead pencil buried +up near the North Pole, I'd go after it. What fun is there buying a lead +pencil in a store? Poor old John D. Rockerfeller could do that much." + +<p>"I get you," Gaylong said. + +<p>"Besides, didn't you meet <i>us?</i>" Harry said. + +<p>"We're better than a hundred dollars, I hope. Fun hasn't cost a cent; it's +the only thing that hasn't gone up in price. Maybe the wandering warrior +is having the time of his life, too. And you'd go and spoil it all for +him. Maybe he doesn't want to be found. Never thought of that, did you? +What you fellows need is not a hundred dollars. You need the scout idea. +Adventure!" + +<p>"Righto," Gaylong said. + +<p>"But we'd like to have that hundred dollars," the little fellow named +Willie piped up. + +<p>"True again," Gaylong said-awful funny. + +<p>Of course, I knew that was the way Harry would think about it, because's +he's one of that reckless, happy-go-lucky sort. I guess Brent Gaylong was +kind of the same way. Anyway, before we lay down to go to sleep, I said to +Gaylong: + +<p>"Would you mind letting me have that article to read by our lantern while +you fellows are spreading the balsam?"1 +<br> +<p>1 Balsam is used for making beds. +<br> +<p>He said, "Sure," and began feeling in his pockets. "Guess that other fellow +has it," he said, sort of careless; "it's no use anyway." + +<p>Pretty soon we were all fixed for the night. We made those Newburgh scouts +sleep under our balloon silk shelter. They didn't want to, but we told +them we'd like to sleep in the open for a change. + +<p>I guess I must have been asleep for an hour or so, when all of a sudden I +was awake again. Anyway, it couldn't have been more than an hour, because +the wood from our fire was still warm. It was awful nice and dark and +quiet. There wasn't any sound at all, except a cricket. Pretty soon I +could hear the whistle of a train very far away; I guess it was way over at +the Hudson. I just lay there kind of thinking and wondering what made me +wake up. Because, oh boy, I'm usually dead to the world when I sleep +outdoors. + +<p>All of a sudden I saw a little light not very far away, in among the trees. +As soon as I saw it it went out, and then it came again. First I thought it +was a fire fly. Then I knew it couldn't be—it was too big. Then I saw it +steady for about a minute and then it went out. + +<p>I sat up and just stared at the spot where I had seen it and I didn't make +a sound. I wasn't exactly scared, but I wondered what it could be. + +<p>Then I crept away and started over that way in the dark. I wasn't scared, +but I was kind of nervous, sort of. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="25"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXV +<br> +IN THE DARK</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Just then I heard a rustle and I could see a black form quite near. I saw +it move behind a tree. + +<p>"Who's there?" I said; but there wasn't any answer. + +<p>I stopped for two or three seconds, because I didn't know just what to do, +then I walked up to the tree and just as I came near, the form stepped out +from behind it. + +<p>Then I heard a voice say, "What do <i>you</i> want here?" + +<p>I said, very surprised, "Dorry? Is it you?" + +<p>He said, "What do you <i>want</i> here?" + +<p>"I don't want anything," I said; "I just saw a light and I came to see what +it was. What's the matter?" + +<p>He said, "Nothing, I'm going to bed." + +<p>"Did you have the light?" I asked him. +"Maybe you only saw it same as I did. Only you act awful funny, sort of." + +<p>He said, "I've got as much right to be up as you have. Nobody can sleep on +that hard ground." + +<p>"Why didn't you dig a hollow for your hip?" I asked him, "same as I do. +Hard ground will never keep a fellow awake. It's your hip. Gee, you're a +scout; you ought to know that." + +<p>"Come on back," he said. + +<p>I don't know, but something about the way he acted made me feel sort of +funny-suspicious, kind of. + +<p>I said, "Were you hunting for something with your flashlight? What's the +matter? Why don't you tell me what you came out for?" + +<p>"There isn't any reason, and why should I tell you anyway?" he said. + +<p>"Well," I said, "because I'm your patrol leader for one thing. And as long +as Mr. Ellsworth isn't here, I have a right to ask you. I'm not mad. Only +I wonder why you got up and came away, that's all. Anyway, I got a splinter +in my finger grabbing one of these trees, I know that." + +<p>"You want to find out if I've got the flashlight?" he said. + +<p>"No, I don't want to find out if you've got your flashlight," I said, +"because I know you have. I'm not that kind. First you have to say I didn't +speak about the splinter for that reason." I said; "you have to take back +what you said." + +<p>"I never said you were sneaky," he said; "here, take it." + +<p>"It's no crime to have a flashlight, I hope," he said; "here take it." + +<p>"I wouldn't try to find out that way," I told him. + +<p>"I know you wouldn't," he said. + +<p>So then he held his flashlight to my finger and I said, "what do you know +about that? I'm carrying a lumber yard around with me. I <i>thought</i> I felt +kind of heavy." + +<p>"Have you got a needle?" he asked. + +<p>"A crowbar would be better," I told him. + +<p>"Hold still," he said, and then he just pulled it out with his fingers. + +<p>"That ought to be worth a couple of dollars, hey?" I said, "with the high +cost of timber." + +<p>So then we both laughed. Anyway, Dorry and I were always good friends, you +can bet. He was just going to turn off the flashlight when I noticed that +piece of newspaper sticking out of his jacket pocket and I pulled it out, +just kind of half joking, and I said, "Here's what I want. Gaylong said I +could read it." + +<p>Gee whiz, there wasn't any harm in that. Oftentimes I'd do things like that +with fellows, and especially Dorry, because I'd known him so long. + +<p>"You put that back," he said, kind of mad. + +<p>"What's the use of getting mad?" I said. + +<p>"You're grouchy because you can't sleep. Here, let's have your flashlight." +And I just grabbed that out of his pocket, too. + +<p>I guess he was going to grab them both away from me; anyway, it seemed that +way for a couple of seconds. + +<p>Then he said, "Now you'll go and spoil it all." + +<p>"Spoil what?" I asked him. + +<p>"Go on, read it," he said. + +<p>"Sure I'll read it," I told him; "what's all the excitement about?" + +<p>"I hope you can keep your mouth shut," he said. + +<p>But, believe <i>me</i>, I didn't read very much of it, because all I could see +was the picture. I held the flashlight on it and just stared and stared +and stared. + +<p>Then I said, "Dorry!—You know—? I was just flabbergasted and I could +hardly speak. + +<p>"Sure I know," he said; "it's Jib Jab. I'm going to get my motorcycle after +all." + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="26"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXVI +<br> +DORRY AND I AND THE CRICKET</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>For a couple of minutes I could hardly speak, I was so surprised. The +picture in that article was the picture of <i>Jib Jab, is he human?</i> I knew +by the wavy hair and the look he had, that made me not know whether he was +jollying me or not. He had that very same look in the picture. I could +almost hear him speak to me. And I just couldn't take my eyes off it. Even +that funny kind of twinkle in his eye was there, just the same as when he +made Judge Dot mad. + +<p>"You and I are the only ones that saw his real face; that's one good +thing," Dorry said; "It's Jib Jab all right, hey?" + +<p>"Yes, it's Jib Jab," I said, kind of half dreaming, I was so surprised. +"And that's why you came out here; so as to read it and look at it all +alone. Dorry, if you got the hundred dollars and bought a motorcycle, you'd +fall off it and break your neck. You'd never get any fun out of a +motorcycle you bought that way." + +<p>"Give me the paper," he said. + +<p>"Here," I said, "take it." + +<p>I guess neither of us spoke for about a minute. All the while I could hear +the cricket chirping, it was so quiet. + +<p>"You heard what Harry told him about how they'd had their fun already," +Dorry said; "you heard what he told them—about how they'd had their fun +already—didn't you? Now it's <i>our</i> turn. If we can find him— + +<p>"Shut up," I said. + +<p>"You heard him," he just kept up, "and you know it's true. They had their +adventure. They had their hike—didn't they?" + +<p>All the while I could hear the cricket, just chirping, chirping, chirping. +It was awful dark and quiet. + +<p>I said, "Dorry, don't talk like that, because you know you don't mean it. +If you meant it, you wouldn't be a Silver Fox, you wouldn't. And it's just +the same as telling lies about Harry Donnelle. I dare you to go and ask him +about it; I <i>dare</i> you to; and see what he says. Maybe he's reckless and +crazy about adventures and doesn't care anything about having money, and +maybe he's kind of as you might say wild. Maybe he flirts a lot with girls +and likes to risk his life, maybe, but anyway, he's fair and square, and he +never did a mean thing in all his life. Mr. Ellsworth said so, and I guess +he ought to know. If you think you've got a right to do that, go and ask +Harry Donnelle. I <i>dare</i> you to. Go and tell him you know where that +soldier is and that you're going to notify his people up there near +Plattsburg and claim the hundred dollars so you can get your motorcycle. +Just go and do that." + +<p>"Why should I do that?" he asked me. "What's that noise?" + +<p>"It's a hawk," I said; "he's after little birds in their nests. Don't you +remember how we wouldn't name our patrol the Hawks, because they +sneak—<i>you voted against it yourself—</i>you did." + +<p>"I mean that other—" + +<p>"It's just a cricket," I said. "I'm glad we're out here all alone. I'm glad +it's so quiet and dark. Maybe you can't see in the dark, but you can see +what's right or wrong better in the dark, because I'm not mad—honest I'm +not. You know what Tom Slade said about trails. Maybe he's dead now, over +in France; but anyway, you know what he said about trails." + +<p>"He wanted a motorcycle, too," Dorry said. + +<p>"Yes, but you know what he said about trails? + +<p>"How if you get thinking about doing something that isn't fair and square, +it just means you're on the wrong trail. And you know yourself how hard it +is to find the right trail if you once get started on the wrong one? Maybe +you don't think much about Tom Slade, these days, but I do. Often when +nobody knows it, I do." + +<p>"I don't see anything wrong in it," Dorry said; "<i>we</i> were the first to see +him." + +<p>"Then what makes you feel so mean about it?" I asked him. "What makes you +ask me about a little sound like a cricket? It's because you're kind of +rattled and you're not sure, that's why. Once a murderer went and confessed +after hearing a cricket all night. Maybe you don't know that it's in a book +how crickets start your conscience—maybe you don't. Listen!" + +<p>He said, "You mean you'll tell and you won't help me?" + +<p>"No, I won't tell," I said, "and I <i>will</i> help you. I'll help you to put +the Church Mice on their feet. I'll help you to give that scoutmaster a +good welcome. I'll help you to fix it so those poor little codgers all have +uniforms. I'll help you to fix it so you can look Harry Donnelle in the +face—and Mr. Ellsworth, when you see him. And Tom Slade. And if it's a +case of sneaking, I'll help you with that too. We'll make those fellows +think that <i>they</i> discovered Jib Jab, otherwise satisfactory, you can go +and ask Harry Donnelle they'd never take the reward. And if that isn't if +it's all right for you to get the reward. And if he says yes, I'll say so +too. I bet he has no use for motorcycles anyway." + +<p>Dorry didn't say anything, only just stood there. + +<p>"What do you say?" I asked him. + +<p>He didn't answer me. + +<p>"What do you say—Dorry?" I asked him. + +<p>"How does a cricket make that sound, anyway?" he asked. + +<p>"I should worry about how he makes it," I told him. + +<p>He just said, "Funny, isn't it?" + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="27"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXVII +<br> +WE TAKE HARRY INTO OUR CONFIDENCE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>One thing, I wouldn't let anybody talk against Dorry Benton. Even I +wouldn't have told you about that, only he said it was all right. I knew +all the time that he would never cheat those fellows out of their reward. +He didn't say anything more that night, but in the morning he came after me +when I went to get sticks for the fire, and then I knew everything was all +right. + +<p>He said, "You and I are the only ones that know who Jib Jab is. What are +we going to do about it? And another thing, would it be all right for +scouts to take a reward like that? Something for a service?" + +<p>"Sure it would be all right," I told him; "something for a service means +tips and things like that. Scouts can take presents and win rewards, I +hope. Didn't Pee-wee win an extra helping of pie up at camp for keeping +still all through dinner? Mr. Ellsworth said it was all right." +Gee, Dorry couldn't answer that argument. + +<p>"You should worry about its being an right," I said; "but, oh boy, if we +make a mistake we'll spoil everything. We have to watch our step. We've +just got to make Brent Gaylong discover that fellow without any help. If we +don't, <i>good night!</i> he'll never claim the reward. I know that fellow." + +<p>"Maybe we'd better tell Harry; Donnelle," Dorry said. + +<p>"That's just what I was thinking," I told him; "because maybe he can think +of a way." + +<p>So as soon as we could, we got Harry off in the woods alone. There wasn't +much time, because we were all going to hit the trail for Newburgh after +breakfast. + +<p>I said, "Harry, that freak fellow in the circus is the same fellow who's +picture was in the paper; he's Horace E. Chandler, I'm positive." + +<p>He said, "I told you if you ate too many of those flapjacks last night, +you'd be dreaming dreams." + +<p>"All right," I told him, "you remember about Marshal Foch; how you said he +was a calf?" + +<p>"Let's have a squint at the picture," Harry said; "these remarkable +discoveries of yours are getting to be a bad habit. A leopard is bad +enough, but a <i>what-is-it!</i>" + +<p>So we showed him the picture and he screwed up his face and looked at it +awful funny. Then he read the article all through. + +<p>"Well, so you think that's Wandering Horace, do you?" he asked. + +<p>I said, "Yes, because his hair is the same, and that funny kind of a look +in his eye and everything. You've got to admit Jib Jab is human. He's a +nice fellow, too. I bet he'd want to see these fellows get the reward." + +<p>Harry said, "Yes, I don't exactly hold it against him that he's human; he +couldn't help it I suppose. I'm kind of human myself. But just suppose, for +the fun of it, that you're right—" + +<p>"There's no fun about it," I told him; "Dorry and I both saw him." + +<p>"All right," he said; "and you want to sacrifice him to the Church Mice. +You want to put them on his trail. How do <i>we</i> know he wants to be +discovered?" + +<p>"It's a good turn," Dorry said. + +<p>Harry said, "Well, I'm not a scout and I don't deal much in good turns—" +I said, "I bet you did hundreds of them." And I bet he did, too. + +<p>He just said, "But who is the good turn going to hit? What is it you want +to do?" + +<p>Dorry said, "We want these fellows to find out who Jib Jab is; we want to +start things going so they can find out of their own accord, before its too +late." + +<p>"Yes, and how about poor Jib Jab?" Harry said. "If you harm one person to +help another, do you call that a good turn? How do we know why he's +traveling with that circus and living in an animal's skin? Seems to me +we've got to consider <i>him</i> when we act." + +<p>Gee, by that I saw that there's a lot more to good turns than some fellows +think. + +<p>"But anyway," I said, "Harry, that fellow is reckless just like you. Do you +mean to tell me his mother and father haven't got a right to know where he +is? Just because <i>you</i> went all over the world doesn't say—" + +<p>"Well, there isn't any mention of his mother and father here," he said; +"only Mr. Horace E. Wade! up there in Greendale, or whatever they call it." + +<p>For a couple of minutes, Dorry and I didn't say +anything, and Harry just sat there on a log whittling a stick. + +<p>Then he said, "Let's see that picture again." Dorry handed it to him and he +looked at it in that funny, squinty way, same as before, then handed it +back. + +<p>"Then can't we do anything about it?" I asked him. + +<p>"How about getting the reward ourselves?" he asked me. + +<p>"What do we want it for?" I said. "We're having plenty of fun. We don't +need anything." He just went on whittling and looked up kind of funny like, +at Dorry. + +<p>"How about you?" he asked. "You saw the picture first, and recognized him. +Come in handy, that hundred, I dare say?" + +<p>Dorry just said, "Nix." + +<p>"Bully for you," Harry said, and he gave him a push in the chest. Didn't I +tell you I knew how he'd feel about it? + +<p>"Well, then," he said, "since you are the only ones who would have any +claims, we'll have to see what kind of a scout the Honorable Mr. Jib Jab +is. I kind of like that fellow's face—" + +<p>"Don't you go and ask him to go off to South +Africa with you," I said. Because I knew Harry Donnelle, all right. + +<p>"We'll just have to see if he's game for a little conspiracy. I kind of +think from that twinkle in his eye, that he will be. We'll just have to +lay the whole thing before him. We'll tell him about Gaylong and the poor +Church Mice and if he's human-" + +<p>"Sure he's human!" I said. "Doesn't he smoke cigarettes and jolly the +freaks, and wink at us and all that? <i>Sure</i> he's human-he's <i>especially +human!</i>" + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="28"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXVIII +<br> +IN THE WOODS</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>So you see it's best to always think twice before you do a good turn. Don't +be in too much of a hurry about it. Because a good turn might go wild and +cause a lot of trouble. You've got to take a good aim. + +<p>As long as Jib Jab had told us we'd always be welcome, Harry said, it would +be best for him and Dorry and I to wait till the show was over that night +and then go in and make a call on him. So he told the fellows that we'd +hang around in the woods for one more day and hike it for Newburgh in the +morning. He said that would give us a chance to get some provisions in +Kingston and to stalk in the mountains. They all liked the idea, only Brent +Gaylong said his fellows didn't have many eats and they didn't want to be +sponging on us. + +<p>Harry said, "We're all one family and I'm sick of this Silver Fox outfit, +anyway. It'll help to vary the monotony." That was always the way he +talked. + +<p>In the afternoon I took a walk through the woods with Brent Gaylong and the +little fellow he called Willie Wide-awake. He was a nice little fellow. He +found a four-leaf clover and he said, "Maybe that will change our luck." + +<p>I said, "Maybe; you never can tell." And, oh' boy, didn't I just laugh to +myself. <i>You wait</i>, that's what I said to myself. + +<p>Gaylong said, "The trouble with us fellows is that we started our great and +glorious troop during the war. Everybody was organizing troops—France, +Germany, Uncle Sam, Italy—and we got lost in the shuffle. Too much +competition. We'll land rightside up yet. But when I look over that scout +magazine and see all the ads of things scouts want, it sort of makes me +discouraged. Knives, cameras, bicycles, canoes, magic lanterns, toy steam +engines, tin railroads, fancy memorandum books, electric motors, I suppose +I'm behind the times, but just about all we want is a little place to meet +in, and our scoutmaster back again and the price of a welcome for him, +that's all. That, and the woods." + +<p>"You said it," I told him. "You should worry about all those ads; they +have nothing to do with scouting. All they've got to do with scouting is +that they're good to kindle a camp-fire with. Scouting doesn't cost +anything when you once get started." + +<p>"It would cost about ten dollars a minute if some people had their way," +he said. + +<p>"Sure," I said, "they'd have you looking like Santa Claus. You should +worry." + +<p>"But I ought not to kick," he said; "because I'm to blame for this wild +goose chase. You see I wanted to get the kids out of doors. I wanted to get +their minds off patent sleds and go-carts, and goodness knows what all. I +was brought up in the country and I wanted them to have a taste of +adventure—the kind of stuff that isn't advertised, you know ." + +<p>I said, "You bet I know; and I have to admit you're right, too." + +<p>"Of course, there wasn't any chance of finding that fellow, Chandler," he +said; "but what's the difference? We had about seven dollars, and the kids +wanted to buy one of those moving picture machines, <i>'Boy Scouts, +Attention! Here is just what you want!'</i> You know. So I just took the +seven plunks and brought them up this way on a hike. Something they <i>really +did</i> want. I thought maybe there was one chance in twenty of finding that +Chandler, but I didn't say so. I let them think the chance was fair. +Anyway, we had a hike. We were out for adventure. They forgot about the +cornets and the clock-work gew-gaws that they really <i>didn't want</i>. We've +been scouting. We're broke, but we've been scouting. We hiked up to a +remote village after a missing person. Romance! Adventure! We've been +<i>scouting</i>. Hurrah, and a couple of bravos! That fellow Donnelle has the +right idea; and he's a brick." + +<p>"Believe <i>me</i>, that's the biggest compliment you ever paid a brick," I +said. + +<p>"So here we are," he said; "cleaned out and happy, and living on our scout +brothers. That's the idea, isn't it? Brothers? Poor relations, hey? But +we're real, honest to goodness, scouts. None genuine unless labeled +<i>Church Mice</i>. Boy Scouts, Attention! Here is something you <i>really</i> want. +Hiking! Adventure! Some day or other we'll stumble into fifty or a hundred +dollars, but by the Big Dipper we'll get it <i>scouting</i>. That fellow +Donnelle has the right idea; he's a peach." + +<p>"Believe <i>me</i>, he's a whole orchard," I said + +<p>Then neither of us said anything for about a minute, only we kept wandering +along through the woods and we stopped and watched a chipmunk in a tree and +kept good and still so lie wouldn't be scared. And Brent Gaylong picked up +a locust, awful careful, and held it in his two fingers and showed Willie +Wide-awake how its wings went and how it was different from a bird. And +Willie Wide-awake held it in one hand, because he had the four-leaf +clover in the other hand. It was nice in the woods. I found a red lizard, +too; the kind that come out after it rains. I guess he made a mistake, hey? +There are lots of them up that way. + +<p>I said, "You just keep that four-leaf clover and it'll bring you luck. If +you can stand a pine cone on your thumb and hold it that way till you count +ten, then you can make a wish and it'll come true." + +<p>So Willie Wide-awake balanced a pine cone like that and counted ten and +then he said, "I wish we'd get a hundred dollars and I wish Mr. Jennis +would hurry up and come back." + +<p>And then I batted the pine cone away with a birch stick, So as to make the +wish come true. You've got to be sure the stick is made of birch. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="29"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXIX +<br> +JIB JAB AND HARRY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Anyway, the day passed soon enough, even if we didn't have much to do, and +after supper, Harry said very innocent sort of, "Roy, suppose you and Dorry +hike into Kingston with me and carry home some stuff. The rest of you start +a fire." + +<p>Little Willie Wide-awake piped up, "I'll go with you." But Harry just +ruffled up his hair, the same as he was always doing with me and said, "You +just sit here and watch the fire. See what you can find in the fire. The +other night we were seeing all sorts of things in the fire-pictures and +things. You can find all kinds of pictures in fires, can't you, Brent?" + +<p>Brent Gaylong said, "That's the idea." + +<p>So then Harry gave the little fellow a kind of a push so he went sprawling +right down all over the other fellows. Gee, I bet those kids liked him. I +don't know, but he had a way about him that everybody liked. After we +started I told him he ought to be a scoutmaster, and he said he would only +he had a date in Labrador. He said he had a date to go hunting seals. +Another time he told us he had a date to kill a man in Australia. He had a +lot of dates. + +<p>On the way to Kingston he said to us, "Did you give that newspaper article +back to Gaylong?" + +<p>And I told him, "Yes." + +<p>"All right," he said; "we don't want that in our possession. We have +nothing to do with this business; see?" + +<p>Dorry said, "Sure, we understand." + +<p>Then Harry said, "Now I don't want you kids to be disappointed if this wild +man of Borneo turns out not to be wandering Horace at all; see?" + +<p>"I can't be mistaken," I told him. + +<p>He said, "Well, Columbus was mistaken when he thought he'd reached India, +and he was smarter than you." + +<p>"Gee whiz," I said, "I don't deny he was smarter than I am. But anyway, I +know we're not mistaken." + +<p>"All right," he said; "but I want you to let me do the talking. All I know +about this savage beast is the twinkle in his eye. Twinkles are good +things; you can usually bank on a twinkle. But you kids leave it to me; +understand?" + +<p>I said, "It'll be so still you'll be able to hear the silence." + +<p>"Because this is a pretty delicate business," Harry said. "Even if Jib +comes across all right, there's still Gaylong. Our fingers mustn't be seen +in this pie. We're going to try to make something <i>happen,</i> that's all. If +he knows that we had anything to do with it, he wouldn't <i>touch</i> the +reward. Gaylong is as white as a snowstorm." + +<p>I said, "Take it from me a snowstorm is dark brown compared to him. I know +that fellow." + +<p>"Well, if we can just handle this wild <i>what-is-it,</i> we'll put one over on +Gaylong all right," Harry said. "We'll buy that cane for what's-his-name +and we'll build that scout meeting-place. I'm getting kind of interested +myself now. I haven't been so worked up since I sold a phonograph to a king +over there in the Cannibal Islands. As soon as he heard it talk, he wanted +to eat it. Come on, get a hustle." + +<p>When we got to Costello's Mammoth Show, the people were crowding out. Harry +went up to the wagon where they sold tickets and said, "Hello, Mr. +Costello, how's business?" + +<p>"Marvelous, magnificent!" he said in that big voice of his. "The town is +spellbound by our sumptuous show. How are the young scouts?" + +<p>Harry told him we were all well, and asked him if I might go in and say +good-bye to my friends. + +<p>"They will be proud to receive the young hero and his companions," he said. +And he waved his whip toward the door of the small tent. I kind of liked +that man. You can like a person, even if he's a kind of a faker. + +<p>In the side show tent, Lemuel Long was playing checkers with Judge Dot. +Over in the corner, Jib Jab sat with his feet up on one of the platforms, +smoking a cigarette. He had his bathrobe on and his face was all clean. I +guess he was tired after pulling at that chain all day. He turned his head +and said, "Hello, Scouty, glad to see you." + +<p>I said, "Jib Jab, this is the fellow who's looking after us on our hike; +its Mr. Donnelle. I thought I'd come and see you before we go away and I +brought him, too. He wouldn't tell anybody about you being human." + +<p>Harry Donnelle put out his hand in that nice off hand way he had, to shake +hands with him, and Jib Jab started to reach out too. Then, all of a sudden +he stood up and raised his arm and saluted. + +<p>"How are you, Lieutenant?" he said; "I see you're mustered out, but I +salute you just the same, because you saved my life in France. I know you +even if you don't know me, Lieutenant." + +<p>Just then Dorry whispered in my ear, "Did you notice his hand when he +saluted. There's a cameo ring on it. Look close and see if that's Abraham +Lincoln's head carved on it. Its awful old and clumsy looking." + +<p>Just then Jib Jab took my hand and I had a good look at that ring. Oh boy, +you can bet I was excited. And you can bet a scout knows Abraham Lincoln's +head when he sees it. But even if I was flabbergasted, I could seem to just +hear those words, <i>"saved my life."</i> + +<p>I bet that fellow Harry Donnelle had hundreds and hundreds of adventures +that he never told <i>us</i> about. I guess he didn't even notice the ring. +That's one thing about a scout, he's observant. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="30"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXX +<br> +JIB JAB IS SURPRISED</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Just then Mr. Lemuel Long and Judge Dot got up to go to bed and Jib Jab +called, "So long, Shorty! So short, Longy!" + +<p>While he was laughing at them, I whispered to Harry, "Notice the ring on +his finger." I guess Harry noticed it all right, only he didn't say +anything. + +<p>He just said, "Your face seems familiar to me; you were in my regiment, +eh?" + +<p>"I was one of those in the machine gun nest," Jib Jab said; "don't you +remember the four privates you saved?" + +<p>Harry said, "Oh, you were one of those fellows, eh? Glad to see that you +got back to the States all right. I came to see you, but I didn't know who +you were; that is, I didn't know you had been in France. You're Horace E. +Chandler, I think, aren't you? I'm glad to see that you're human; there +seems to be some question. Will you have a cigarette?" + +<p>Gee, it was awful funny to watch the two of them. Jib Jab just stared at +him while Harry lifted himself up on the edge of the exhibition platform +and lighted a cigarette, kind of off hand and friendly like. + +<p>"How's the savage beast business?" he asked him. + +<p>"What makes you thing I'm Chandler?" Jib Jab said. + +<p>Harry said, "Oh, I've suspected you were Chandler ever since these boys saw +your picture in the paper, but of course, I didn't know you had been mixed +up in the big scrap with me. Funny how things come about, huh?" + +<p>"Well, I suppose I'll have to admit it," Jib Jab said; "I hope you're not +going to shout it out loud." + +<p>"No, I just want your assistance. I think you're a good sport. Far be it +from me to criticise you for being a <i>what-is-it</i>. I'd like to be one +myself. Must be kind of nice flopping around the country with a lot of +freaks. How much does that skinny fellow weigh, anyhow? He looks like +a ramrod. Little fellow's kind of pesky, isn't he?" + +<p>The two of them just sat there smoking cigarettes. Harry was dangling his +legs from the platform and Jib Jab had his feet resting on it and his chair +tilted back. It was awful funny to see them. For a couple of minutes +neither of them said anything, only Harry kept looking around at the +platforms where the freaks usually were. Pretty soon he just blurted out, +"How'd you happen to hit this job, Chandler?" + +<p>Jib Jab said, "Oh, I don't know; its a long story. It's a pretty good job +when you want to lie low." + +<p>"Lie low, huh? Why, what's the matter?" Harry asked. + +<p>"Cracky, I never saw Jib Jab so serious before." He said, "Oh, I was just +one of the heroes that didn't get a job, that's all. I'm a happy-go-lucky." + +<p>"Same here," Harry said, and he just kept looking at him, awful sharp and +searching, kind of. + +<p>"I came back from France broke." + +<p>"Same here," Harry said. + +<p>"And I just thought I'd try to pull together a bit before I hit the trail +for home," Jib Jab went on. "I had a little over two hundred dollars to +bring home to my old dad, but they relieved me of it in a sailors' dance +hall over in Brest." + +<p>"Live up near Plattsburg, eh?" + +<p>"Yop, and I started home as soon as I was mustered out, but didn't make it. +Just couldn't face the old folks—busted. I tried to get a job in Albany, +in Poughkeepsie; nothing doing. Worked for a couple of days for a farmer +over here in Elm Center, then hit the circus. Circus is a great place when +you're down and out. Ever work in a circus?" + +<p>"I kinder think I'd like to," Harry said; "I've done most everything else." + +<p>"So here I am among the missing till I can save as much as I promised to +bring home. I sent the old gent a letter saying I had two hundred bucks. I +don't know who's got that two hundred, but I know one thing; I'm not going +up to Greendale till I have that much. I'm not human till then." + +<p>"Old gent write you a letter?" Harry asked, kind of careless. + +<p>"Yop, and warned me. Didn't do much good." For about a minute Harry just +sat there smoking and Jib Jab did the same thing. Neither one of them +spoke. Harry was whistling <i>Over There</i>. Then he reached down into his +pocket and threw a roll of bills into Jib Jab's lap. + +<p>"Here's your two hundred, Jib," he said; "and here's part of the letter. +Let's have a squint at that ring, will you?" + +<p>Gee whiz, I guess you could have knocked Jib Jab down with a feather. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="31"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXI +<br> +JIB JAB'S STORY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Then Harry told him all about his adventure cut on the ocean and how he +found the dead man in the boat, and the money. + +<p>"Funny thing, too," he said; "but we were trying to dope out the meaning of +that letter, all sitting around the camp-fire. We even thought we could see +the old gent. Old veteran, isn't he? Huh, that's just what we thought. +Blamed funny thing, a camp-fire." + +<p>Jib Jab didn't say anything, only just looked straight ahead of him. Harry +just kept smoking and swinging his legs. + +<p>"Guess we hit it about right, hey?" he said. + +<p>Jib Jab just kept looking straight ahead of him. + +<p>"Pretty near," he said. He sounded kind of strange. Even still he didn't +put the money in his pocket, or the water-soaked letter either, but they +just stayed where Harry threw them, on the bathrobe. + +<p>"Pretty tough, being broke," Harry said. + +<p>"Bet the old gent'll be proud to see you. Under Grant, I suppose?" + +<p>"Sherman," Jib Jab said, very quiet. + +<p>Then neither of them spoke for about a couple of minutes, only Harry asked +him for a light. + +<p>"Ever get mixed up with the boy scouts, Jib?" Harry asked him. + +<p>Jib Jab just shook his head. + +<p>"Well, listen here," Harry said; "and here's the test of whether you're +really human." + +<p>"I guess I'm pretty human," Jib Jab said, very low. + +<p>Then Harry said, "We ran into a party of scouts, Jib, who went up to Elm +Center to see if a fellow they saw in a moving picture was you. I guess it +was all right. They had an idea of winning that reward; you know about the +offer, of course?" + +<p>"Yes, I knew," Jib Jab said. + +<p>"How about this old gent you're named after? Friend of your father's? I +thought as much. Pretty rich, I suppose? Good. Now, Jib, you and I know +what it is to go broke. I've gone broke forty-eleven times. And we're both +keen for adventure; that's our trouble, I guess. There's a fellow over +where we're camping, a young fellow, with a bunch of little tenderfoot +scouts. They came up to hunt for you and to get that reward. They're broke. +They need some mazuma to start in with. They need a hundred. Do they get +it?" + +<p>Jib Jab said, "What do you mean?" + +<p>"Well, first you're willing to go home?" + +<p>"Do you have to ask me that?" + +<p>"All right then," Harry said; "here's the plan of campaign and General +Pershing himself couldn't plan it better. You're going home, that's +settled. Prodigal son, and all that stuff. But first you've got to be +discovered. Give us another light, will you? I put it to you from man to +man, or from tramp to <i>what-is-it, you can't go home without being +discovered.</i> You've got to come over our way and get yourself discovered. +These scouts need a shack to meet in and a lot of stuff. They want to give +their scoutmaster a welcome home. He was in the scrap same as you and I. +It all hangs on that hundred dollars, Jib. I'm sorry, but you'll have to be +the goat. That young fellow Gaylong is a double barrel scout and he's +trying to pull through with that outfit of kids. He wouldn't take a cent as +an ordinary present. I've got his number, Of course, if you've got the +instinct of a baboon that doesn't mean anything to you. But all over the +fences in this happy berg, Costello is wanting to know if you're human. You +can't show you're human just by taking off that bear skin and washing your +face. I want to know if you're <i>human</i> or not." + +<p>"Run out and ask Costello for a couple of marvelous, matchless matches, +will you, Roy?" + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="32"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXII +<br> +JIB JAB TURNS OUT TO BE HUMAN</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>So that's all I can tell you about their talk, because when I went back +Harry was waiting for us near the entrance. All I can tell you is what +happened. On the way back through the woods Harry wouldn't talk at all, +only he said that the scouts were a blamed nuisance and he guessed he'd go +and work in a circus. Gee whiz, I hope he doesn't. But, oh boy, he'd make a +dandy <i>what-is-it</i>. + +<p>When we got to camp there was a peachy big fire and they were all sitting +around it. Brent Gaylong was lying on his back, same way as he always did, +with his knees up. + +<p>"Move up and give us a chance here," Harry said; "we're tired." And he +squeezed right in between little Willie Wide-awake and another one of those +kids. "Regular sewing circle, huh?" he said. "Well, Bill old top, what did +you see in the blaze?" + +<p>"He's been seein' things," Brent said, kind of laughing. + +<p>"Get out—<i>no</i>," Harry said. + +<p>"I saw a transport," Willie Wide-awake said; "that long log looked like a +transport. Then it crackled and I didn't see it any more." + +<p>Harry said, "Torpedoed, I guess. Didn't see anything of that scoutmaster of +yours, did you?" + +<p>"I looked, but I didn't see him," Willie said. + +<p>"Down in the cabin eating his dinner, probably," Harry said. "Chuck on a +couple more logs, Westy old boy." + +<p>"He saw a meeting-shack, too," Gaylong said. + +<p>"It was just like real," the kid piped up. + +<p>"That point on the blaze made the roof. You can see things better if you +half shut your eyes." + +<p>"That's the idea," Harry said; "you've got to get kind of dreamy. You're +getting the hang of it all right. Over in France one night I saw the house +I live in at home. There was a new chicken coop. Once I saw Teddy +Roosevelt." + +<p>"One good thing," Brent said in that funny way he had; "the things you see +in the fire don't cost anything." + +<p>Harry said, "Yes, but they're going up like everything else. They go up in +smoke." + +<p>"Like everything else," Gaylong said. + +<p>"There you go," Harry said; "Hard Luck Gaylong, the boy grouch. How do you +know when you may strike luck. Look at Charlie Collins over there on the +west front; ran plunk into his own brother while he was on sentry duty; +brother said, 'H'lo Charlie'—just like that. Neither one knew the other +was in France. You've been looking at maps and things and you believe +everything the geography tells you. I've been all around this world and you +can take it from me, its about the size of a coconut. Look how Stanley +met Livingstone in South Africa. You take a tip from me and keep that +newspaper picture." + +<p>Brent said, "I'd paste it in a scrapbook only we haven't got a scrapbook." + +<p>"We haven't got any paste either," Willie shouted. + +<p>"Poor, but honest," Gaylong said. + +<p>Then Harry put his arm around little Willie Wide-awake's shoulder, awful +nice and friendly like, and he said, "Don't you mind him, Bill old boy. Let +him grouch. Now let's you and I see what we can find there." + +<p>Gee, he was awful nice and it made me like him a lot. Because, anyway, it +showed that even if he was kind of wild and reckless, he could be nice to a +little fellow like that. I wish he'd be a scoutmaster, but I don't believe +he ever will. He's got too many dates. We all looked into the fire and +listened when he began. + +<p>He said, "I can see old Grouch Gaylong, there, with a fine scout uniform +and one of those big long sticks and about 'steen hundred badges; badges +for being sarcastic, badges for lying on his back and sticking his feet up +in the air, Calamity Jane badges-all kinds. I can see you head of the +Church Mice patrol, only the Church Mice have struck it rich. They won't +speak to the Silver Foxes any more. See that long, thin flame? That's one +of their tails." + +<p>"I can see the American flag," Willie Wide-awake said. + +<p>"Sure, Old Glory;—right underneath it is a little kind of a bungalow all +fixed up, and a canoe right near it. See the canoe? And I can see a +face-yes sir, I can see a face. Mr. Jennis, is it? See, right through the +middle of the flame? That's Mr. Jennis, all right. And—" + +<p>"I can see it!" Willie Wide-awake shouted. + +<p>"Sure you can," Harry said, "plain as day—" + +<p>"<i>Look! Look!</i>" the little fellow shouted, and he clutched Harry by the +arm, all excited. <i>"I see it! It's real! Look!"</i> + +<p>I was looking, too, and I saw it and then I knew. And I wanted, I just +wanted to go over and clutch Harry Donnelle by the arm, just like that kid +was doing. I could see Brent Gaylong roll over and look, kind of curious, +through the blaze. And all the fellows seemed to start, all except Dorry +and I. But I didn't budge, only sat there watching Brent Gaylong. His face +looked kind of strange. Then he stood up. And the other face behind the +blaze rose up, too. And Jib Jab was standing there and the fire was shining +on his face. And even I could see the twinkle in his eye. + +<p>Then I heard Harry Donnelle speak and his voice sounded queer, because it +was so still around there. And there wasn't any sound except the fire +crackling. + +<p>He said, "Who are you? What do you want here?" + +<p>"Just a stranger after food and shelter," I heard; "I've been wandering in +the woods. I am a discharged soldier and I'm in hard luck." + +<p>But I didn't notice him, because I was looking at Brent Gaylong. He was +standing up straight and looking steady, right across the fire, into that +face. And he didn't take his eyes off it; just stared. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="33"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXIII +<br> +WE PART COMPANY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Oh, it was great to watch Harry—the way he acted. He just said, "A +soldier, eh? Sit down, we were just going to have a bite to eat. I was in +the big scrap, myself." That's what he always called it—the big scrap. He +didn't pay any attention to Brent Gaylong, and Brent just stood there +staring. + +<p>Pretty soon Brent said, "Your name isn't Chandler, is it?" + +<p>"Maybe, and maybe not," Jib Jab said. "Who are you?" + +<p>He didn't admit he was Chandler right away and Harry Donnelle said, kind of +careless sort of, "If you're the missing Chandler you might as well so say. +We're all tramps and wanderers here. All broke, too." + +<p>So pretty Soon <i>Jib Jab, is he human?</i> admitted that he was Horace E. +Chandler, and Harry Donnelle said it was mighty lucky we had decided to +stay over night in that neighborhood. He said he had always thought that +the world was about as big as a coconut, but now he knew it was the size +of a green pea. He said the trouble with it was there wasn't enough elbow +room, and scouts couldn't get away into the woods and be alone, because on +account of the crowds—crowds of missing people. Oh, he was great and, +believe me, we liked that fellow. + +<p>None of those Church Mice even knew that Horace E. Chandler was Jib Jab who +was in the circus. On the quiet, Jib told us that Mr. Costello didn't mind +his leaving like that, because <i>what-is-its</i> were easy to get, on account +of so many of them being out of work—I mean people. But Jib said, Mr. +Costello told him he was the best <i>what-is-it</i> he ever had, and he would +give him a good recommendation, if he wanted it. + +<p>So that's the end of <i>Jib Jab is he human?</i> And, gee, you'll have to admit +he was human, all right. He said he wouldn't go home to Greendale unless +the Church Mice went with him and stayed for a few days on his father's +farm. Harry Donnelle stood up for him and said that was right. I bet +he knew about it all the time. He said that he wouldn't trust Chandler to +go home alone. + +<p>"Now you've got him, hang onto him," that's what he said to Brent. "Safety +first, don't take any chances. Go up there and get your hundred. These +discharged soldiers are a bad lot. See what kind of a farm he lives on, and +if it's any good we'll hike up there next summer and strip the apple trees. +Got any good russets up there, Horace?" + +<p>So that's the way they fixed it, and the next morning Horace Chandler and +the Church Mice started off on their journey to Greendale. Brent Gaylong +said he was going to phone home from Kingston, so that their people would +know. Anyway, I guess their mothers and fathers wouldn't worry much, +because Brent was the kind of a fellow they could trust, that was one sure +thing. + +<p>Harry told Horace Chandler to start off with them just as if they were +going to hike all the way, and then when they got good and tired, to buy +tickets on the railroad. Do you know what I think? I think Harry had some +money and that he gave it to Horace so he could do that. That's what I +kind of think. It would be just like him anyway. + +<p>One thing, you're going to meet all those fellows again, but not in this +story. Because after a while we went up to that farm in Greendale and +camped there, and met old Major Chandler and Mr. Wade and Horace, and had a +lot of fun, you can bet. It's a whole story all by itself. They have dandy +russet apples up there, and, oh boy, can't Horace's sister Betty make apple +dumplings. I ate four one night. Hunt Manners ate six, but anyway he +started before I did. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="34"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXIV +<br> +A GOOD IDEA</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>That same day we hiked out through Woodstock. Harry Donnelle said we had to +be careful, because the woods were infested with poets and authors and +artists, but I should worry, who's afraid of a poet? We saw a lot of them +and they wore funny big neckties and long hair. But anyway, Harry said they +were harmless. They live in little shacks. + +<p>We went around the Ashokan Reservoir and then along the road down through +Atwood and Stone Ridge till we got to the Wallkill River, and that night we +camped near New Paltz. There's a great big abnormal school there, or a +normal school, or whatever you call it. I should worry. Anyway, there's one +thing I like about school, and that's vacation. + +<p>The next day we followed the Wallkill River and caught some perch and +cooked them "for supper", and that night, around the fire, we made Harry +tell us how he saved four privates on the West Front. The next morning we +started off again and passed a place named Great Bluff. It was a great +bluff all right, because it was so small you could send it by Parcels Post. + +<p>Pretty soon we came to a place named Tanner's Crossroads. I couldn't see +anything so cross about them. But anyway Mr. Tanner was cross enough to +make up. He wouldn't let us take a short cut across his land. What cared +we? I don't know how big the village was, because I didn't have a ruler +with me. I guess somebody must have dropped the village there and never +noticed it. That night we slept just inside of a village named <i>Slow</i>. +Anyway, that's what it said on a sign alongside the road. Harry said it +meant for autos to go slow. I made flapjacks that night. In two days we +came in sight of the Hudson. I knew it would be there. Oh boy, but we +climbed some hills. Pretty soon we could see Haverstraw, but we didn't go +near it. We camped in a dandy place outside the town. And that's the place +where we had our big adventure. Maybe you'll remember how I said our hike +got tied in a knot in one place. Well, that was the place. + +<p>So now I'm going to tell you about that adventure. It has girls in it and +everything. And it shows you how boy scouts can be heroes. It has two +heroines, so maybe if you don't like one, you'll like the other. One's an +emergency heroine, that's what Harry said. + +<p>Now maybe if you've read all about our adventures up at Temple Camp, you'll +remember that my sister Marjorie was going to have a birthday party. I told +Mr. Ellsworth that I would like to go home for that party and go back to +Temple Camp the next day. Maybe you will remember about it, on account of +my saying that she was going to have coconut frosted cake. + +<p>Now on that night that we were camping near Haverstraw, I happened to think +about it being my sister's birthday. I just happened to think of it while +we were sitting around our campfire. + +<p>I said, "This is my sister's birthday and she's going to have a party and +coconut frosted cake and things, and I'd like to be there. I wish I had +thought about it yesterday-I'd have sent her a postcard." Because, one +thing, I never forgot about my sister's birthdays. + +<p>Harry said, "Why don't you call her up?" +"Sure," Westy said, "they'll just about be having the eats now ." + +<p>I said, "What good will that do me?" + +<p>"Anyway, where's the telephone?" Dorry said. + +<p>"I bet there's a booth over in that little station," Harry said; "why don't +you go over and see? It would be a big surprise, hey?" + +<p>I said, "You bet it would. Come on over and we'll see if there's one there, +Westy." The station that Harry spoke about was a little dinky station that +we had passed about a half of a mile back. When we passed it, Harry said he +guessed maybe it was the West Haverstraw Station. It was all dark even +then. But anyway, Westy and I decided we would go back to it and see if it +was open and if there was a 'phone booth there. + +<p>"Let's wait till half-past nine before we start," I said; "and then we'll +call up at exactly ten o'clock, because that's the time they'll all be +going in for the eats and they'll be giving the presents then, too. It'll +kind of seem as if I were there just at the right minute." + +<p>So at half-past nine, Westy and I started down the road. + +<p>"Give her our best wishes," Harry called after us. + +<p>It was awful dark and we could hardly see our way going along the road. A +couple of times I went stumbling into the ditch. But, anyway, all the +while I kept thinking about Marjorie and how it would look at home with all +those people there and lots of presents and things. + +<p>"I'm mighty glad Harry thought about that," I said. + +<p>Westy said, "Jiminies, it will be great. Just when they're all sitting down +around the table, all of a sudden the 'phone will ring-" + +<p>"Yop," I said, "and Marjorie will answer it, because she always answers the +'phone, on account of Charlie Wentworth all the time calling her up. He's +in Philadelphia. That's what makes the 'phone service so bad, because he +keeps all the operators busy. Believe me, they ought to have a private +wire. Anyway, that's what my father says." + +<p>"I bet you won't be able to get her," Westy said. + +<p>"There you go," I told him; "Calamity Jane!" + +<p>"To call her up, you'll have to call Central down," he said. + +<p>"I should worry," I told him. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="35"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXV +<br> +WHAT I HEARD ON THE TELEPHONE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>That station stood all by itself, and it was pitch dark all around. It +reminded me of the Grand Central Station, it was so different. First we +tried the door and it was locked. Then we tried one of the windows and it +opened. + +<p>I said, "Do you think it would be all right to climb in?" + +<p>"Sure it would," Westy said; "because the window doesn't open into the +ticket agent's room, only into the waiting room. Go ahead." + +<p>I didn't see any harm in climbing in, because the window was part open and +there was a sign outside that said "Public Telephone." + +<p>"Anyway," Westy said; "if anybody should come and find us here, we could +say we just wanted to 'phone. And we could prove that's all we wanted, too, +by our really getting the number." + +<p>First I didn't know what we ought to do, but as long as we didn't have to +break anything open, and as long as all we wanted was to 'phone, I decided +it would be all right. + +<p>So we climbed in and I saw there was a booth in the corner. I dropped a +nickel into the 'phone and held the receiver to my ear and waited and +waited and waited and waited. Gee, I waited about as long as three whole +chapters would be. + +<p>Then I heard a girl's voice. It said, "Hello, hello." + +<p>I said, "I want three, two, one, Bridgeboro, New Jersey, and please hurry +up, because my sister's having a party." + +<p>I guess the wire was crossed, the girl was awful excited, and every time I +said hello, she'd say, "Hello, hello, is this you, father?" + +<p>I guess she was so rattled, she didn't know who she was talking to. + +<p>By this time I was getting kind of sore at the operator, because I wanted +to get my sister the minute of ten o'clock, and she was sort of spoiling +my plan. I had just three more minutes to get her, because Westy lighted +a match and looked at his watch. Then I said, "Hello, hello." + +<p>The same voice kept saying, "Hello, hello, is this you, father?" + +<p>I said, "No, it isn't. How long does it take to get the operator in this +berg?" + +<p>The poor girl was almost crying by now. She said, "I've been trying for an +<i>age</i> to get my father. Won't you <i>please</i> let me get him? I want my +father! Why <i>don't</i> they give me my father?" + +<p>Gee whiz, you'd think I had her father in my pocket. I said, "I'm trying to +get my sister, too. If you happen to see her, tell her, will you?" + +<p>She said, "Oh dear; it's just <i>exasperating</i>. Won't you <i>please</i> get off +the wire. I want Central. Why can't they help me? We're in such a <i>dreadful +predicament</i>." + +<p>I said, "I guess Central went to the movies or somewhere. I'm a boy scout +and I'm in a dark station somewhere or other near Haverstraw—" + +<p>"Oh, isn't that just too <i>provoking!</i>" she said. I said, "Oh, it isn't so +bad in here, only it's dark." + +<p>"Is there <i>anything</i> I can <i>do</i>?" she said; "we're lost on the top of +Eagle's Nest Mountain. Oh, I wonder if you'd be willing to go to Haverstraw +and tell my people—Judge Edwards. It's <i>dreadful!</i> We've been here since +five o'clock. We haven't had a thing to eat and we're nearly perishing. The +boys made a mistake about the trail. Oh, it's <i>terrible!</i> We're frightened +out of our lives. I'll <i>never, never</i> come up this <i>horrible</i> mountain +again!" + +<p>I said, "Are the boys scouts?" + +<p>She said, "No, they're regular young men and they're <i>utterly bewildered!"</i> + +<p>I said, "Now I <i>know</i> they're not scouts. But anyway, you don't need to +worry, because we'll come up and get you. Trails are our middle names. You +should worry about Central. But, one thing, I'd like to know how there +happens to be a 'phone up there." + +<p>She said, "Oh, you're just a <i>dear."</i> That's just exactly what she +said—honest. + +<p>I said, "Mountains aren't horrible. I've met a whole lot of them and +they're all right. Don't you worry. I was trying to get my sister on the +'phone to tell her Many Happy Wishes, because it's her birthday, and she's +having a party. She's just seventeen. We're on a hike." + +<p>"Oh, I'm just seventeen, too," she said; "and you're perfectly <i>wonderful</i>. +I <i>know</i> you'll save us. We're up here at the fire observation station. If +you'll go to my father and go to the police—" + +<p>"We should worry about the police," I said; "the only trail they can follow +is a trail around the block. One of us fellows will go to your father's +house and tell him, and meanwhile, the rest of us will come up there. +Anyway, I'd like to see that observation station. So now maybe you'll calm +down and tell me how to find the mountain road." + +<p>"Oh, do you <i>think</i> you <i>can?"</i> she asked. + +<p>"Sure, we can," I told her. + +<p>Just then somebody must have pulled her away; from the 'phone. Anyway, a +fellow's voice said, "Let me talk to him. What is he? Just a kid?" Then he +said, "Will you please run to Haverstraw and notify Judge Edwards, 22 +Terrace Street, that his daughter and three friends are on the top of +Eagle's Nest, and to please have the authorities notified and a party +formed to come here. I will see that you're suitably rewarded." + +<p>I said, "I'd be ashamed to have the whole town of Haverstraw coming up +after met and scouts don't accept rewards. We'll send to Haverstraw and +tell Judge Edwards, and then we'll come up and get you. All you have to do +is to sit there and ten riddles till you see us. Which road do you take for +Eagle's Nest?" + +<p>Then he said how we should follow the west road from Haverstraw till we got +to a big white house with a windmill in front of it. Pretty soon after we +got past that, he said, we'd come to a cow path that led through the +fields. He said we should follow that till we got into the woods where we'd +see picnic grounds and then we'd find a trail that went up the mountain. He +said other trails branched off from it, so we'd have to be careful. He said +it didn't go right to the top, and I suppose that's why they couldn't find +it coming down. + +<p>He said, "Did you ever hit a mountain trail?" + +<p>"<i>Hit</i> one?" I said. "We give one a knock-out blow every couple of days. So +long, we'll see you later. Tell that girl not to worry." + +<p>Gee whiz, I forgot all about Marjorie. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="36"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXVI +<br> +UP THE TRAIL</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>As soon as I told Westy about it, he said he'd go into Haverstraw so as to +save time, while I went back to camp and got the rest of the fellows. Oh +boy, didn't I hustle. I went running into camp shouting that there were two +fellows and two girls on the top of Eagle's Nest, and that we had to go and +rescue them. + +<p>"Are they human?" Harry asked in that funny way he had. + +<p>"Yes, they're human," I said. + +<p>"Five toes on their front feet and four on their hind feet?" he asked me. +"Had we better take some flypaper?" + +<p>"All right, you can laugh," I said. + +<p>He said, "I've followed you through many wild adventures, but I never +accompanied you in rescuing a maiden in distress." + +<p>"Two maidens," I said. +"All right," he laughed; "the more the merrier." + +<p>"And one of those fellows said I was a kid," I told him. "Anyway, if I took +a girl out, I'd know how to bring her back, that's one thing. Wait till I +see that fellow." + +<p>Harry just laughed and said he wouldn't miss it for anything. So we took +two lanterns and started off along the road that ran north, and pretty soon +we hit into the main road out of Haverstraw and came to the big white house +with the windmill. Pretty soon we hit into the cow path that led up through +the woods. It wasn't just like the fellow said, because it fizzled out in a +pasture. Anyway, across the pasture were thicker woods and we picked up the +mountain trail there. If he had told us that it started right near a big +stone, it would have saved us a lot of hunting around with our lanterns. +That's just the way it is with big fellows; they think they're so smart +that they don't know anything. Gee whiz, you didn't need a microscope to +see that rock, but he never even mentioned it over the 'phone. + +<p>One thing, who ever named that mountain Eagle's Nest ought to apologize to +the first eagle he meets. It would have been a crazy eagle that would build +a nest like that. As nearly as I could make out it was a lot of mountains +all jumbled into one. Harry said it was a kind of a bouquet of mountains. + +<p>The trail led up through a pine forest and first it was easy following it. +Then It went down into a hollow and got mixed up with a lot of rocks. I +guess that must have been one of the rooms of the eagle's nest. Anyway, we +couldn't follow it through there so we took a chance and picked it up on +the other side. + +<p>That's where the climbing began. Oh boy, that was some tangle-all +underbrush and scrub oak. <i>Good night</i>, I don't know how those girls ever +got through there. Pretty soon I stopped and began sniffing. + +<p>"Do you know what it reminds me of?" I said. + +<p>"It reminds me of raking up the leaves at home." + +<p>"It smells like a rake," Hunt Manners said, just joking. + +<p>"Not but I mean burning autumn leaves," I said; "you know how it smells in +Bridgeboro in the autumn. Then you know it's getting cold and Thanksgiving +and Christmas are coming. Anyway, you can laugh, but that smell always +reminds me of Thanksgiving." + +<p>Harry just sniffed, but didn't say anything, and we started up again. There +were lots of big hubbles, kind of valleys in the mountain, and most of them +were rocky. I guess in the daytime it would be easy enough to keep the +trail in those places, but at night, we had some job. + +<p>In one of those places we heard a sound as if some one was moving and we an +stopped short and looked around. Pretty soon Dorry whispered for me to +look, and he pointed to a dark thing kind of sneaking away. + +<p>Harry called, "Who's there?" + +<p>There wasn't any answer and the man, or whatever it was, was gone. It was +so dark we couldn't see which way he had gone. + +<p>Harry said, "That's funny; this is a queer place to meet anybody." + +<p>Will Dawson said, "I guess it was just a tramp." + +<p>"Or a leopard," Tom Warner said. + +<p>"Or maybe a <i>what-is-it</i>," Charlie Seabury chimed in. + +<p>Anyway, we didn't want to run any risk of losing the trail, so we didn't +bother about him, but kept on up the mountain. + +<p>The higher we got, the worse it was. There was what we call mongrel forest, +tall trees and thick brush underneath. But it was straight going now, +without any up and down places. The trail was easy to follow, only we had +to go in single file, the first fellow (that was Harry), keeping it by +holding a lantern low. + +<p>Pretty soon he stopped and said, "There's brush burning somewhere around +here; I can smell it." + +<p>Ralph Warner said, "<i>Listen</i>." + +<p>We all stood stark still and just as plain as could be, I could hear a +crackling sound quite a way off. + +<p>"I don't smell it now," I said; "I did a little while ago." + +<p>"Wait till the breeze is this way," Harry said, and then, in just a minute +we got a good whiff of it—strong, just like when I burned the leaves on +our lawn at home. Then all of a sudden I couldn't smell it at all. Dorry +tied his scout scarf on a stick and held it up, and when it blew out +straight we got a strong whiff, and the crackling was louder. Sometimes it +blew around the other way, up the mountain. Sometimes we couldn't smell +anything at all, but mostly we could hear the crackling a little. It was +too dark to see any smoke and there wasn't any blaze. Harry said he guessed +it was pretty far away. He said the breeze could carry the smell a long +distance. + +<p>"It couldn't carry the sound so far, though," I said. + +<p>"Trouble is, a stiff breeze can carry most anything," Harry said; "well, +let's move along and rescue the maidens." + +<p>Just then Hunt Manners said, "<i>Listen!</i>" + +<p>Far off we could hear the whistle of a locomotive and a kind of rattling, +not very clear, but I knew it was the rattling of a train. + +<p>"That's 'way over at the Hudson," Harry said; "shows you how far sound will +carry in the night." + +<p>Just then I looked at Dorry's scarf that was tied on the stick, and I saw +it was blowing the way we were going—up the mountain. + +<p>I said, "That's why we hear the train; the breeze is blowing from the east. +But I can't hear the crackling now." + +<p>"Guess the breeze is blowing that up the mountain, too," Harry said. + +<p>Then we started up the trail again toward the summit. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="37"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXVII +<br> +A VOICE</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>It was a jungle of underbrush, that's what Harry said. Pretty soon the +trail just fizzled out in the bushes. We poked around with our lanterns and +found a spring there. I guess the wood between there and the summit must +have been where the party got lost. Sometimes we could hear the crackling +and sometimes we couldn't, but we could smell the burning brush all the +time. + +<p>"Guess we're pretty near the summit," Harry said; "let's call that we're +coming. The breeze will carry our voices." + +<p>So we all called together, "Hello, we're coming." + +<p>There wasn't any answer, but anyway, we couldn't have heard on account of +the breeze blowing up the mountain. + +<p>That was the only thing we had to guide us now—the breeze. We kept the +scarf in the air and just followed it, pushing through the brush. Sometimes +we had to stop and tear away an opening, so as to get through. There must +have been an easier way or those girls and fellows would never have managed +it, but Harry thought it was better to push right up than to be groping +around for a path. + +<p>All of a sudden, Ralph Warner said, <i>"Look!" Good night!</i> A long line of +fire was coming up the mountain, maybe a quarter of a mile in back of us. +First it seemed like a dotted line, kind of, because there were dark +spaces. But even while we looked some of these filled up. The thing it +reminded me of most of all was soldiers; it seemed like a line of soldiers, +all bright and fiery, charging up the mountain. It was coming fast and I +have to admit it scared me. Because even if we could get through the brush +fast enough, I saw we couldn't get out of range of it. Kind of, the thought +came to me that it was like soldiers who had just scrambled out of the +trenches. That was just how suddenly we saw it. I remember I heard Harry +say something about wind and fire being allies, but we didn't stop to talk, +only pushed up through the brush as fast as we could, but all the while it +kept gaining on us. + +<p>Pretty soon I said, all out of breath, "We can't keep this up; it's +gaining; I can even feel the heat." + +<p>"We can't flank it, that's sure," Harry said; "hustle for all you're worth; +that's all I can say." + +<p>Gee, I'll never forget that night. We just pushed on up through the brush, +stumbling and falling and lifting each other and trying to run. Our clothes +were all torn and we were panting like a lot of dogs. + +<p>"Watch and see that no fellow is left behind," Harry panted. + +<p>Every minute two or three of us were just dragging some fellow up out of +the brush. I guess it was a case of more haste, less speed; it's pretty +hard running through brush. + +<p>Harry just panted out, "Boys, we're in a pretty tight place; don't get +rattled. Lift your feet high with each step and follow right in my tracks. +If anybody falls, <i>shout.</i>" + +<p>I said, "We're losing all the time; what's the use?" + +<p>"We can keep ahead of it for a couple of hundred yards," he said; "maybe +we'll strike clear land. Anyway, we can't do anything else than give it a +race." + +<p>By that time we could feel the heat and sometimes sparks blew almost over +our heads, but they were out when they reached ground. Harry just kept +panting out, "Hustle," and "Keep your nerve." + +<p>By now the crackling was loud and I could taste smoke. I knew there wasn't +much chance for us, but I didn't say so. Anywhere a blown fire is bad +enough, but uphill it just rushes. It seemed funny that I'd have to die on +Marjorie's birthday, and all of a sudden I thought how I had tried to +'phone her. Gee, she'd never even know that. + +<p>"Hustle," Harry said. + +<p>"Do you hear a voice?" Dorry asked; <i>"listen."</i> As plain as could be, I +heard a girl's voice, crying. It kind of seemed as if it might be Marjorie +crying, because I was dead. + +<p>Then I heard Hunt Manners say, "Yes, I hear it." + +<p>Harry just panted out, "Never mind, step high and hustle." + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="38"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXVIII +<br> +WE FIGHT AND RUN AWAY</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>"Where are you?" Harry shouted; "all call together." + +<p>We could hear several voices answering all together, "Here." + +<p>"Keep shouting," he called; "we're coming. Is there any open land up +there?" + +<p>"No," a voice said; "hurry!" + +<p>We followed the voices and pretty soon came to the observation station. It +was just a little shanty with a trestle-work wooden tower close to it. + +<p>"Did you get 'phone connection yet?" Harry called as we came up. + +<p>"Guess the poles are burned down," a fellow's voice answered. "We can't +even get Central. Have you got water?" he fairly wailed. "We're going to +be burned alive! Have you got water?" + +<p>Inside were two girls and two young fellows. + +<p>One of the girls was wringing her hands and just sobbing, and the other +girl was trying to calm her down. She just kept crying, "It's coming nearer +and nearer! What shall we do? Oh, what shall we do?" One of the fellows was +all gone to pieces, too, and he just clutched Harry's arm and said, "Save +us; can't you save us?" + +<p>Harry just kind of threw him off. He said, "We're here to save you if we +can, and die with you if we can't. The first thing is, not to be a coward. +Remember, when the Titanic went down, the band was playing. There have been +a couple of million people killed in the last two years. Who are you, to be +standing here crying like a baby?" + +<p>Oh boy, that hit the girl if it didn't hit the fellow. She just got up and +grabbed Harry by the hand and said, "I'm <i>not</i> a coward. I <i>can</i> be brave." + +<p>"All right," he said; "we've got about eight minutes. Sit down and be +calm. These boys are scouts. Take a lesson from them." + +<p><i>Oh, didn't I admire that fellow!</i> I bet the girl did, too. Gee, you +couldn't blame her. + +<p>"There ought to be some axes here," he said; "hustle and turn things over." + +<center> +<br> +<img src="images/ill4.jpg" alt="We chopped away the brush to make a long clear space"> +<br>"We chopped away the brush to make a long clear space." +</center> + +<p>Oh boy, it didn't take us long to have that shanty inside out. We found +five axes. + +<p>"All right," Harry said; "now we've got just one slim chance and it all +depends upon how fast we can work. We've got to chop down and tear up a +line of brush and start a fire back to meet the other one. Everybody get +busy-woman's place is on the fire line; <i>hustle!</i>" + +<p>Oh boy, you should have seen that girl who had been crying. She just +grabbed an axe and wouldn't give it up. Now this is the way we did, and all +the while that line of fire was coming along, nearer, nearer, nearer. We +chopped away the brush so as to make a long clear space about ten or +fifteen feet wide. Harry and three of the scouts and one of the girls used +the axes; because that girl just wouldn't hand over the axe and we couldn't +make her. And didn't she turn out to be a regular Mrs. Daniel Boone! + +<p>The rest of us threw the brush over toward the fire as fast as we could. +Some of the small bushes we just dragged up out of the earth. Some +hustling! + +<p>The fire was so near us now, that we could feel the heat good and strong +and sparks kept falling among us, so we had to keep stamping them out. +I don't know how long it took us, but pretty soon we had a long, narrow +space cleared. I know my hands were bleeding. As fast as the brush was +chopped away, some of the fellows dragged it over toward where the fire +was, as near as they dared. That girl would go almost up to the blaze and +push a big clump of brush toward it and then run back. Her dress was all +torn, but she didn't care. + +<p>Then we lighted the brush along the edge of the cleared space that was +nearest to the fire. If the wind had been blowing that way, the fire would +have moved right out to meet the other one. But it had to buck the wind and +that was bad. Anyway, the clearing we had made prevented it from coming our +way, but the sparks kept blowing across the clearing, and we knew that all +we had done was to check the fire long enough to get another good head +start away from it. + +<p>Believe <i>me</i>, we didn't wait long. + +<p>Harry was panting so hard he could only just talk. "We've got to get down +the other side of the mountain," he said, "I figure it'll be about ten +minutes or so before the land this side of the clearing gets started. The +sparks'll start it. The clearing isn't wide enough and the wind is wrong. +Drop everything and follow me—quick." + +<p>Then Will Dawson spoke up. He never talked very much, but he was a good +scout just the same. He was breathing so hard he just gulped. "Do either +of you girls or fellows know where the man who lived here got his water? +There must be water here somewheres or they wouldn't have built the house +here." + +<p>"We can't stem this advance with spring water," Harry said; "we'd need a +reservoir. Come on!" + +<p>"But if we could find the spring," Will said, "we could follow the trickle +and get into a brook lower down. How are we going to find our way down the +other side of the mountain. It's worse than this side. The west side of the +mountain is always worse." + +<p>"The fire won't climb down as fast is it climbs up," Harry panted; "it +doesn't work that way. The mountain itself acts as a wind shield. We've +got to get over the top blamed quick. I'll find a way down. Don't let's +waste time here!" + +<p>Will just said, "The best trail in the world is a brook. It goes the +quickest way. If it takes us fifteen minutes to find the spring, even then +it's best. It's better than getting lost. The brook knows it's way and we +don't. Water is a scout." + +<p>"Who says so?" Harry said, kind of impatient. + +<p>"Kit Carson said so," Will said. + +<p>"Well, I guess you're a pretty good scout, too," Harry said; "hike around, +only <i>hustle!</i>" In about two minutes we found the spring, about a hundred +feet from the house. + +<p>"Lucky it's there," one of those new fellows said. + +<p>"It had to be there," Will answered him; "because people drink water. Where +there are people, there is water." + +<p>Gee whiz, I never knew Will Dawson till that night. And I was mighty proud +that he was in my patrol, you can bet. + +<p>That girl said, "Isn't he just <i>wonderful?</i>" I said, "You're wonderful, +too, and I'd like to have you in my patrol." + +<p>But, one thing, there wasn't any time to talk, because the sparks were +blowing across the clearing and dropping all around the house. The fire +that we had started back toward the other one had cleared some land between +us and the blaze, but not enough. + +<p>The water from the spring trickled down over the rocks and we followed it. +It went through a kind of cavern on the top of the mountain, and when we +got through there, we could see plain enough that we were on the west +slope. The mountain wasn't all down hill right there, but the trickle of +water flowed down through hollows and anybody could see now that Will +Dawson was right. He was right for three reasons. + +<p>First, because as long as we followed the brook there wouldn't be any going +up and down, like there was climbing up the east side of the mountain. +Second, because it took us down the quickest way. And third, because we'd +always be near water. In some places we had to scramble down steep +precipices where the water fell, but we always managed it, and every time +we did that, we knew we were saving space. + +<p>After we got about half a mile, we could see points of flame up over the +top of the mountain and we knew the fire had reached the spot where we had +been. Harry said he guessed the shanty was on fire. Maybe it would come +down the east side a ways, we didn't know, but anyway it wouldn't have such +a breeze to drive it, and we were coming into open land, so we should +worry. The west slope of that mountain was easy, once we got down a ways +from the top. That's the way it is with most all the mountains near the +Hudson; the steep side faces the river. Pretty soon we were hiking across +pastures and then we came to a road. We didn't bother with the brook after +we passed the steep part. I don't know where it went, but it did us a good +turn, that's one thing. Some fellows like fire better than water, and I'm +not saying anything against camp-fires. And I don't say that water is +always a friend, either, because look at floods and things like that. But +I like water better. + +<p>Only I gee whiz, I don't like it to rain in vacation. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="39"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XXXIX +<br> +WELCOME HOME</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>Now this chapter goes from the bottom of that mountain to the top of a +pineapple soda in Bennett's. That's in Bridgeboro where I live. The first +house we came to along the road we got the farmer up and told him about +the fire on the east side of Eagle's Nest, and how we got away from it. He +asked us if it was very bad. + +<p>"Jiminetty!" I said, "I don't know how bad it is, but I hope the eagles up +there have their nests insured." + +<p>Harry asked him if he had a telephone and he said, "No." + +<p>"We probably couldn't get a number if you did," Harry said; "the telephone +company reminds me of Rip Van Winkle, they seem to have gone to sleep at +the switch-board for twenty years. Have you got a flivver?" + +<p>We kind of knew he had, because they raise flivvers on all the farms up +that way. But he was a <i>regular</i> farmer-he had a Packard, 1776 model. And, +believe me, we packed that Packard, and in ten minutes we were rolling over +the road that runs around the mountain, headed for Haverstraw. + +<p>Harry kept talking to the girls; it was awful funny to hear him. Those +other two fellows didn't have a chance at all. Gee, I was glad of it, +because what right did that fellow have to say I was just a kid? That girl +that helped us, said we were <i>just wonderful</i>. Cracky, I wouldn't say that +we're so smart, but when there's a fire we don't stand wringing our hands +as if they were a fire bell. + +<p>When we came into Haverstraw, we found the streets full of people, +everybody watching the fire on the mountain. We could see the east side +of Eagle's Nest and the fire, just as plain as if it were all on a movie +screen. It seemed kind of funny, because while we were up there we never +thought about how it would look from the village. The fire was right up on +the top of the mountain now, with little patches in other places, and we +could see a great big burned space. I guess that was the very part we had +passed through on our way up. + +<p>I could see now, even better than before, the danger we had been in. I +guess everybody in the village thought we were dead, because when we looked +away up there it just seemed as if nobody could have escaped out of all +that. + +<p>"We went out the stage entrance," Harry said, as the auto rolled up along +the main street; "sneaked through the back yard, hey?" + +<p>"Oh, I think you're just <i>marvelous!</i>" one of the girls said. + +<p>Harry said to her, "Let it be a lesson to you never to throw a lighted +cigar away in the woods." + +<p>"Oh, the <i>idea!</i>" she said; "I think you're just horrid. I wouldn't touch +a <i>horrid</i> cigar!" + +<p>"Well, don't throw a good one away, either," Harry said; "the good ones are +just as bad." + +<p>"Aren't you <i>perfectly terrible!</i>" the other girl said. + +<p>But she didn't think he was terrible. Anyway, I knew from what he had said +that the dark figure we had seen on our way up was probably to blame for +the whole business. Cracky, I've got nothing to say against cigars, because +my father smokes them, but anyway, a cigar isn't worth as much as a +mountain, I should hope. And you bet it was a lesson to us never to throw +matches in the woods and always to trample our campfires out before we turn +in. But, jiminies, I guess all scouts know that. + +<p>When we stopped at Judge Edwards' house, a big crowd of people pressed all +around us wanting to know how we escaped. They said that men had tried +three times to get up the mountain, but were driven back by the flames; +they thought we were all dead. + +<p>Mrs. Edwards came running out calling, <i>"You're not dead! You're not dead! +Oh, you're not dead!"</i> + +<p>Gee, anybody could see that. + +<p>She just threw her arms around her daughter and around the other girl and +around those two fellows. Oh boy, I thought I was in for it, too! I don't +mind leopards and <i>what-is-its</i>, but nix on hugging and kissing, Then +Judge Edwards and Westy came out and, oh, I can't tell you everything that +happened, because everybody was talking all at once. Harry said it was a +regular west front, all over again. + +<p>Mrs. Edwards made us all go into the house and have cake and hot coffee, +and just to show you how things happen, what kind of cake do you suppose it +was? I bet you can't guess. Yum, yum—m—m, it was coconut frosted cake. +And you can bet I thought about my sister Marjorie while I was eating it. I +had three helpings and home in Bridgeboro I would only have had two, so +that shows you that it's worth while doing a good turn. + +<p>After that we didn't have any more adventures. Good night, we had had +enough of them, that's what <i>I</i> said. We bunked in Judge Edwards' house and +the overflow bunked in the barn, and the next morning we hit the trail for +home. Believe me, we stuck to that trail as if it were a tight rope. Harry +said if anyone of us looked right or left, he'd put blinders on us. That +night we camped near Nyack and early in the morning we said good-bye to the +Hudson and struck in southwest till We' came to our own little +river—that's the Bridgeboro River. At about four o'clock that afternoon we +went tramping over the River Road bridge and hit into Main Street. Right on +the corner was Bradly's grocery wagon, and oh boy, it looked good to me, +because it proved we were back home. <i>"Bradly's Casli Grocery,"</i> Dorry +said; "those are the three sweetest words in the world. + +<p>"Wrong the first time," I said; "the three sweetest words in the world are +<i>Bennett's Fresh Confectionery.</i>" + +<p>"Me for Bennett's!" Charlie Seabury shouted. + +<p>"Same here!" Dorry piped up. + +<p>"Bennett's or die!" screamed Ralph Warner. + +<p>"Lend me a dime, will you?" Tom Warner shouted at his brother. + +<p>"Lend me two dimes, somebody!" Bad Manners began howling. + +<p>Good night, it was some circus! + +<p>Harry said, "Come ahead, I'll take you all to Bennett's and treat you, and +I hope I'll never get mixed up with this crew again. I've had enough." + +<p>"Hurrah for Harry Donnelle!" everybody yelled. + +<p>Cracky, everybody was staring at us and laughing as we went down Main +Street. We should worry. + +<p>In Bennett's we all lined up and Harry told Mr. Bennett to please put +arsenic or carbolic acid or some other nice flavoring in our sodas; +something to keep us quiet. + +<p>I ordered a pineapple soda and yum, yum-m-m, didn't that first spoonful of +ice cream taste good. + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<a name="40"></a> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h3>CHAPTER XL +<br> +MMM—MM-M-M!</h3> +</center> +<br> + +<p>This is the last chapter and it's very short. Maybe you'll say that's one +good thing. But it's a good one just the same. It's a peach—I mean a +pineapple. It's the best chapter I ever wrote. It goes from the top of the +glass to the bottom of the glass. And that's the end of the story. So even +if the story's no good, it has a good ending. It had a good beginning, too. +Harry Donnelle said there should be a special chapter about that soda. + +<p>Of course, there were seven other sodas, too. I don't mean that I drank +seven more. But mine is the best one to end with, because I always go +right down to the bottom of the glass. The bottom is the only thing that +stops me. + +<p>So that's the way it is with this story. It has a happy ending. It bunks +right into the bottom of the glass. The plot is all cleared up. So is the +glass. There's nothing left to tell—or to drink. + +<p>Harry Donnelle said if I didn't look out I'd scrape the polish off the +glass with my spoon. I should worry, a scout is thorough. So long. + +<center> +<h3>END</h3> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<hr width="50%"> + +<br> +<br> +<br> +<h2>Percy Keese Fitzhugh</h2> +</center> +<br> +<br> + +<p>Percy Keese Fitzhugh (7 Sep 1876 - 5 Jul 1950) was the author of nearly +100 books for children and adolescents. From 1917 to 1935 he was one +of the most popular childrens authors in the United States. + +<p>He was born in Brooklyn, NY on September 7, 1876. He attended Part +Institute, Brooklyn, and eventually moved to Hackensack, NJ. He +married Harriet Lloyd LePorte on July 13, 1900. + +<p>His first published work, The Golden Rod Story-Book was released in +1906. It was in Hackensack that his writing career began to take off. + +<p>In 1914, after the release of a silent picture "The Adventures of a +Boy Scout", he was commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America to write a +book based on the film. That book was "Tom Slade Boy Scout of the Moving +Pictures" (Gutenberg #6655), the book that really launched his career. +The book became an instant success and was followed by several, equally +successful novels. The Tom Slade series gave birth to several other +series based on the characters from Troop 1, Bridgeboro, NJ. The other +series included Pee Wee Harris, Westy Martin, Roy Blakeley, Mark Gilmore, +and some of The Buddy Books for boys. In all, millions of his Scouting +books were published. In 1931, he began writing the Hal Keene Mystery +series (10 titles) under the pseudonym Hugh Lloyd. The Hal Keene books +were followed by the Skippy Dare series (3 titles) in 1934. + +<p>On July 5th, 1950, Percy Keese succumbed to a long illness and +passed away. He was 73. + +<p>What Mr. Fitzhugh did to promote the Boy Scouting movement can +never be measured, but it is safe to say that thousands of boys joined +the Scouts because of his writings. Today his books are sought after +by collectors all over the world. + +<p>Note that characters from each series crossover to or are mentioned in +the others. These are the books about various members of Troop 1, +Bridgeboro, NJ. + +<p>More can be found about Percy Keese Fitzhugh at the website at: +www.bridgeboro.com +<br> +<br> +<center> +<table width="84%" border="1" cellpadding="2"> +<tr> +<th width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"><b> </b></div></th> +<th width="50%" height="19"><div align="left"><b> </b></div></th> +<th width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"><b>Copy</b></div></th> +<th width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"><b>Stat</b></div></th> +<th width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"><b>Guten</b></div></th> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 1</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> #9833</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 2</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris On The Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#15750</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 3</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris In Camp</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 4</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris In Luck</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 5</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris Adrift</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#17767</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 6</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris F.O.B. Bridgeboro</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1923</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 7</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris: Fixer</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1924</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 8</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris As Good As His Word</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1925</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 9</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris: Mayor for a Day</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1926</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">10</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris and The Sunken Treasure</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1927</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">11</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris On The Briny Deep</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1928</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">U</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">12</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris In Darkest Africa</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">13</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris Turns Detective</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">14</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris Warrior Bold</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">U</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">15</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Pee-Wee Harris Goldbrick — an unpublished manuscript!</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> </div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 1</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#10552</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 2</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#10316</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 3</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley Pathfinder</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#19815</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 4</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Camp On Wheels</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 5</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Silver Fox Patrol</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 6</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Motor Caravan</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1921</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 7</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley Lost Strayed or Stolen</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1921</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 8</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 9</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley at The Haunted Camp</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">10</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Funny-Bone Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1923</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">11</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Tangled Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1924</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">12</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley on the Mohawk Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1925</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">13</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Elastic Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1926</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">14</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Roundabout Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1927</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">15</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Happy-Go-Lucky Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1928</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">16</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley's Go-As-You Please Hike</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">U</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">17</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley Wild Goose Chase</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">18</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Roy Blakeley Up In The Air</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1931</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">U</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> </div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 1</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade - Boy Scout</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1915</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> #6655</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 2</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade At Temple Camp</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1917</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 3</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade On The River</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1917</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 4</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade With The Colors</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1918</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 5</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade On A Transport</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1918</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 6</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade With The Boys Over There</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1918</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#18954</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 7</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade' Motor-cycle Dispatch Bearer</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1918</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 8</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade With The Flying Corps</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1919</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 9</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade at Black Lake</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1920</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#18943</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">10</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade On Mystery Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1921</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center">#18180</div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">11</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade's Double Dare</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1922</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">P</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">12</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade On Overlook Mountain</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1923</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">13</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade Picks a Winner</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1924</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">14</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade At Bear Mountain</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1925</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">15</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade: Forest Ranger</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1926</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">16</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade At Shadow Isle</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1928</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">17</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade In The North Woods</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1927</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">18</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade in the Haunted Cavern</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right">19</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Tom Slade Parachute Jumper</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> </div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 1</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1924</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 2</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin In The Yellowstone</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1924</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 3</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin In The Rockies</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1925</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 4</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin On The Santa Fe Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1926</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 5</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin On The Old Indian Trail</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1928</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 6</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin In The Land Of The Purple Sage</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 7</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin On The Mississippi</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 8</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Westy Martin In The Sierras</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1931</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">U</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> </div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 1</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Lefty Leighton</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 2</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Spiffy Hewnshaw</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 3</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Wigwag Weigand</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1929</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 4</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Hervey Willets</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1927</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 5</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">Skinny McCord</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1928</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</tr> +<tr> +<td width="5%" height="19"><div align="right"> 7</div></td> +<td width="50%" height="19"><div align="left">The Story of Terrible Terry</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">1930</div></td> +<td width="10%" height="19"><div align="center">R</div></td> +<td width="15%" height="19"><div align="center"> </div></td> +</table> + +<a name="cpr3"></a> +<br> +<table><tr><td> +Copy = Copyright date<br> +<br> +Stat = Copyright status, P=Public Domain, R=Renewed, U=Unknown<br> +<br> +Guten = Gutenberg book number +</td></tr></table> +</center> +<br> + +<table> +<tr><td width="18%"></td><td align="left"> + <font size="-1"> + Copyright © 2006 James Eager.<br> + This biography and bibliography of 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