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diff --git a/75164-0.txt b/75164-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5af1653 --- /dev/null +++ b/75164-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5257 @@ + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75164 *** + + + +[Illustration: HE AND PEE-WEE WERE TRYING TO CLIMB UP OVER THE SAME +SIDE OF THE BOAT.] + + + + +ROY BLAKELEY’S ROUNDABOUT HIKE + +BY PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH + +Author of THE TOM SLADE BOOKS, THE ROY BLAKELEY BOOKS, +THE PEE-WEE HARRIS BOOKS, WESTY MARTIN, HERVEY WILLETTS, ETC. + +ILLUSTRATED BY H. S. BARBOUR + +PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA + +GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK + +Made in the United States of America + + + + +Copyright, 1927 + +GROSSET & DUNLAP + + + + +CONTENTS + + I. Here We Are + II. Kerflop + III. The Big Four + IV. The Quitter + V. The Stranger + VI. Where There’s a Will + VII. Beaver Chasm + VIII. Plans of Campaign + IX. Hercules Harris + X. The Distant Flicker + XI. In The Dark + XII. The Reward + XIII. It Is to Laugh + XIV. Honors and Awards + XV. The Hero Maker + XVI. Reel Heroes + XVII. Talk Is Cheap + XVIII. Waiting + XIX. The Fixer + XX. The Full Salute + XXI. The Lake Trail + XXII. Sounds in the Night + XXIII. The Other Fellow + XXIV. Safe + XXV. Being a Scout + XXVI. The Day Before + XXVII. The Last Hike + XXVIII. Follow Your Leader + XXIX. The Distant Whistle + XXX. The North Bound + XXXI. Held + XXXII. Better Than Gold + + + + +[Illustration: (map to accompany) ROY BLAKELEY’S ROUNDABOUT HIKE] + + + + +CHAPTER I + +HERE WE ARE + + +Every time I start telling you about one of our hikes, I say it’s the +craziest hike I ever took. I guess it’s true, because they’re all +crazier than each other. If there are a lot of things and each one of +them is crazier than the other, that shows they’re all the craziest. If +you don’t believe it, you can do it by long division only I like short +division better--the shorter it is the better I like it. Even if there +wasn’t any arithmetic at all I’d be satisfied. + +But there’s one good thing about ancient history and that is we don’t +study it in my grade. Next term I get civilized government and French +pastry or history or something or other--I’m going to get a bicycle too. +Then I’m going to have a bicycle trip and write about it. + +So now I’m going to tell you about our latest hike--it’s a nineteen +twenty-six model only it hasn’t got four wheel brakes. It hasn’t got any +brakes at all--we just kept on going and going and going. The noise you +hear will be Pee-wee Harris; when he talks, he’s always trying to get +distance. Don’t blame me, I couldn’t get rid of him. + +I’ll tell you how it was. When we got to Temple Camp, I said I was going +to start a new up-to-date hike with all improvements. I said it was +going to be so crazy that all the other hikes would have a lot of sense +compared to it. Even I wrote a proclamation and tacked it up on the +bulletin-board outside of Administration Shack, calling for volunteers +absolutely positively for not more than one day’s service--maybe two +days. It said that any one who was interested should call on Roy +Blakeley at Silver Fox Cabin and that if I wasn’t there they should hunt +around for me. Because most always if I’m not in one place, I’m in +another. I’m sure to be somewhere. It said if they were interested they +were lucky. + +Of course, the first one to come up was Pee-wee Harris. He didn’t have +far to come, because his patrol bunks in the next cabin to ours. He’s +the head chip of the Chipmunks. He’s the one that had the law of supply +and demand passed, especially demand. He’s a nice little scout, only he +hasn’t got a voice to fit his size. His voice is a large thirty-six--it +was made for a couple of giants. If there was a volcano going you +couldn’t even hear it on account of Pee-wee. + +Right away he wanted to know all about the hike. “When is it going to be +and where is it going to be to?” he wanted to know. + +“It’s not going to be _to_, it’s going to be _from_,” I told him. “And +there are going to be only four Scouts in it--maybe six or seven. It’s +going to start to-morrow morning at about three o’clock in the afternoon +if it’s a pleasant evening and you’re not going to be in it. So you can +see how good it’s going to be.” + +“What’s the name of it?” he wanted to know. Because all our crazy hikes +have names. + +“It’s named the table d’hote hike,” I said, “and I got the idea of it +from a grab-bag. It’s got a little of all our other hikes mixed into it; +they’re going to be all separated together.” + +He said, “What do you want to call it the table d’hote hike for? Don’t +you know that’s a kind of a dinner? You’re crazy! Anyway, how can a hike +be _from_ a place? It’s got to be _to_ a place. You can’t come from a +place till you go to it first, can you?” He was starting to shout--you +know how he does. + +“Sure, doesn’t mince-meat come from an animal called a mince?” I said to +him. “This hike is going to start from somewhere else and go to another +place. As long as two places are separated there can be a hike. Anybody +that knows geometry can do that. If two places are mixed into one, there +can’t be any hike--that’s a fundamental proposition.” + +“You don’t know what fundamental means,” he yelled. + +“It’s derived from the word _fun_,” I told him, “and that’s my middle +name. _Mental_ means the opposite from _physical_--you learn that in the +second grade. Mental means in your mind. Fundamental means fun in your +mind. Ask me another.” + +“Are you going to tell me about the hike or not?” the kid shouted. “How +can I make up my mind if I want to go on it if I don’t know what it is?” + +By that time a lot of Scouts were standing around laughing. Gee whiz, it +doesn’t take much to get Pee-wee started. + +I said, “Do you think a big enterprise like a hike can be started +without due thought and consideration--and you needn’t tell me I got +those words out of a book, because I know I did. Do you think +Christopher Columbus started out to discover Columbus, Ohio, without +making all plans and everything? I don’t know what kind of a hike it’s +going to be yet. I’ll probably decide yesterday afternoon. And then I’ll +pick out who’s going to go on it. I want four fellows and they’ve all +got to be crazy.” + +“They’ll be good and hungry before they get back,” said Pee-wee. + +“That’s nothing, _you’re_ good and hungry before you start out,” I told +him. “You never get hungry, because you’re already that way.” Gee whiz, +a meal a minute is that kid’s speed. The reason he never boils his +vegetables is he’s afraid they’ll shrink. One night he stayed awake +three hours trying to figure out how he could eat more than one meal at +a time and after a while he woke up and found his mouth open, so he had +to get up and shut it. This isn’t so much of a chapter, anyway I should +worry, maybe the next one will be even still worse. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +KERFLOP + + +Now I’m going to start writing the next chapter and I’m going to keep +writing it till the dinner gong rings, so you can see it’s going to have +a good ending. It has a good ending even before it starts. It ends in a +rice pudding, but oh boy, wait till you see what the last one ends in. I +bet you think I’m a crazy author, hey? Anyway, I have a lot of fun. + +So now I guess I’ll tell you how my celebrated, world renowned, crazy +hikes started. First we got carried away in a railroad car and that was +a dandy hike only it wasn’t a hike at all, but it was like one only +different. Then four of us had a bee-line hike and went straight to a +place on account of a solemn vow that we wouldn’t turn right or left. +Then, the next one was a funny-bone hike dedicated to an insane asylum +and the next time I go on one like that, I’ll know it--follow your +leader, that was it; _oh boy_! Then we had a tangled trail hike where we +had to keep turning to the left no matter what--some mixup! We went home +by the way of the Cape of Good Hopeless. Then, we had an elastic hike, +because it stretched way out. Most of the fellows that read about our +hikes like them--no wonder, because they don’t have to go on them. + +Anyway, that night up at Temple Camp I didn’t think any more about a new +kind of a hike, because I couldn’t think of a way to have a table d’hote +hike, having all the different kinds of hikes kind of separated +together. But anyway, I thought up a good name for that kind of a hike, +I’d call it the symposium hike, it’s taken from the word simp and it +means a lot of different things together. + +Early the next morning, as soon as anybody could see the bulletin-board, +Scouts started coming up to my patrol cabin to join the hike--jiminies, +you’d think I was the Pilgrim Fathers starting out. I told them there +wouldn’t be any hike till I thought of a good one. “Do you think I +haven’t got my vast public to think about?” I told them. “Boy scouts all +over the country who are always writing letters to find out if I’m real +or just imitation. And anyway,” I said, “I’m not going to take the whole +of Temple Camp with me--only just four fellows.” + +That same morning I got an idea and I’m sorry now that I got it. I was +just going out on the lake with Dub Smedley--he comes from Jersey City, +I don’t blame him. We were going to catch some sunfish. All of a sudden +I saw Pee-wee sitting way out on the end of the springboard dangling his +legs. He belongs in my troop (I guess you know that) only up at Temple +Camp, I don’t see much of him, lucky for that, I’m not kicking. He hangs +around the cook shack most of the time. Me, I’m out for life, liberty +and the pursuit of snappiness. You follow me and you’ll have some fun, +don’t worry, especially in this story that’s every word true. Even the +ink I’m writing with is true blue or true too or too true. I’m even +greater than George Washington, because he couldn’t tell a lie and and I +can only I won’t. And besides, I’d rather be myself than George +Washington, because he’s dead--anyway, we were going out to fish for +sunfish when I happened to see Pee-wee. I was eating an apple and I +threw the core at him and that’s the end of this paragraph, just where +he starts to yell. Gee whiz, you’d think it was the end of the world. + +“One strike out,” I shouted at him. “What’s that you’ve got in your +hand?” + +“It’s something I invented,” he hollered at me, “and you’re so fresh you +nearly knocked it in the lake. Did I say I’d give you a shot?” + +“Come on, let’s row over to him,” I said to Dub. “I’d rather jolly him +along than catch sunfish.” That’s my favorite outdoor sport, jollying +Pee-wee. + +So we rowed over just under the springboard and I caught hold of one of +his legs so the boat wouldn’t drift. “What is it anyway?” I asked him. +“Let’s look at it.” + +“It’s a windmeter,” he said. + +“A which?” I asked him. + +“It’s for telling which way the wind blows,” he said, “and I’m going to +see if I can sell a lot of them. Maybe the Boy Scouts of America could +use them and maybe they’ll get advertised in _Boys’ Life_.” + +“They don’t care which way the wind blows,” I told him. “Let’s look at +it.” + +Oh boy, that was some invention. I’m glad Edison never saw it or he’d +have died from jealousy. It was a long, thin bottle, maybe about ten +inches long; Dub Smedley said a tooth-brush came in it. There were a lot +of crinkly strips of confetti all different colors fixed to the cork; +the ends of the strips were bound together and fixed to the cork with a +pin. It was kind of like a comet only smaller. It was quite a little +smaller. The way you did was to stick the cork in the bottle and hold on +to the bottle and let the confetti all fly loose. Then, you could tell +what way the wind was blowing. You moved it around in your fingers like +a compass till the confetti blew straight out and then you knew that the +closed up end of the bottle was pointed the way the wind _wasn’t_ +blowing. And the other end was pointing the way the wind _was_ blowing. +When you wanted to put that wonderful instrument in your pocket you just +stuffed the confetti into the bottle and put the cork in that way. There +were three or four matches in the bottle and a lightning bug in case the +matches wouldn’t work. There was a cricket too and there was a hole in +the cork so the wild animals could breathe. + +“What’s the cricket for?” I asked the kid. + +“Will you let go my leg?” he shouted. “Do you think I’m a mooring buoy +or something?” + +“What’s the cricket for?” I asked him. All the while Dub Smedley was +laughing. + +“That shows how much you don’t know about scouting,” Pee-wee said, good +and excited. “That’s named the _Chipmunk Scout Emergency Kit_, and maybe +I’m going to get it patented. It’s a combination windmeter and you can +drink out of the tube if you’re famishing and you can use it for a +compass too, because if you lay a cricket on the ground he’ll always +start going south----” + +“Starting for Florida, I guess,” said Dub. + +“It’s wonderful,” I said. “It’s the most wonderful invention since +Luther Burbank invented the shoe-tree.” + +All of a sudden Dub said, “That would be a good idea for a crazy hike; +we could go whichever way the wind blows.” + +“If we do, I’m the one that invented it,” Pee-wee shouted. He meant the +hike. You know he’s the one that invented the Boy Scouts of America. I +wouldn’t just exactly say he invented the earth, but just the same, he +made some wonderful improvements on it. + +I said, “That’s a very fine crazy idea; we can hike to the four points +of the compass.” + +“You mean six points,” Dub said; “north, east, south, west, and hither +and thither.” + +So then I began to see that he’d be a good one to go on one of my crazy +hikes. + +I said, “How about yonder? We might go there, too. As long as we have a +windmeter we can go everywhere.” + +“Oh, we can go more places than that,” Dub said. + +I said, “Sure, only one thing, I hope the windmeter reverses so we can +come home again.” I said, “Has it got a reverse gear, kid?” + +“Will you let go my leg!” Pee-wee hollered. “Geeeeeee whiz! You grab my +windmeter in one hand and you grab my leg with the other and if you +don’t look out, you’ll pull me off the springboard; a lot you care with +your crazy talk! Now you’ve got a new feller started with all your +nonsensical nonsense!” + +I said, “Those are harsh words, Scout Harris. I’ve made a special study +of crazy hikes ever since I was eighteen years old; I’m fifteen or +sixteen now, and don’t you suppose that by this time I can be sure I +don’t know what I’m talking about?” + +“Will you let go my leg!” Pee-wee kept hollering. All the while Dub +Smedley was laughing so hard I thought he’d tip the boat over. + +I said, “You’d better look out, the water is supposed to be on the +outside of the boat, it’s put there on purpose.” + +Oh boy, you know how it is when I get started in mortal comeback with +Pee-wee. Dub he just sat in the stern of the boat laughing and laughing. +I had hold of Pee-wee’s leg, I mean one of them, because he’s got two +and I’m thankful he hasn’t got four. All of a sudden a fellow that was +in swimming caught hold of the boat so as he could rest and he kind of +pulled it around and before I could let go of Pee-wee’s leg down he came +kerflop into the water. I grabbed hold of his hat and pulled it down +over the head of the fellow who was hanging on to the boat so he +couldn’t see and he let go and then the next minute he and Pee-wee were +trying to climb up over the same side of the boat and it was getting +swamped and Dud and I were laughing and the kid was sputtering and---- + +_Oh boy_, there goes the dinner gong. I should worry about this chapter. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +THE BIG FOUR + + +Now I’m going to write another chapter till I have to go to scout +meeting. I have to get there at eight o’clock, but if I don’t get there +till seven it won’t make any difference. Even if I didn’t get there at +all, Pee-wee would be satisfied, but most always he’s never satisfied, +especially about eats; say it with eats, that’s his motto. Anyway, this +story isn’t about Bridgeboro where I am now; it’s about Temple Camp. +Bridgeboro is where I live, it’s a good place to start out from, I’ll +say that much for it. Anyway, I’ve had some pretty good fun there. I +live in a dandy big house, it’s a two part house, it’s got an inside and +an outside and I like the outside best, because it’s bigger--anyway, +this story isn’t about Bridgeboro. + +So then the four of us decided that as long as we were in a grand mixup +together we’d stick together and have a hike the next morning. And +that’s what this story is about--that hike. Some hike! The other fellow, +the one that had on a bathing suit, was named Egg Sandwich and I guess +that’s why Pee-wee wanted him to go. That wasn’t really his name; his +name was Egbert Sanderson, but everybody called him Egg Sandwich for +short. He comes from Rye, New York, so I guess he’s made of rye bread, +but anyway, I like frankfurters better. + +I said, “Now we have to hang together separately, because fate has +thrown us together.” + +“You think you’re smart talking like a book,” Pee-wee said. He was all +wet and shivering, jiminies he looked awful funny. + +“You’d better go up to your patrol cabin,” I told him, “and get some dry +clothes on and we’ll row around and wait for you. You’re _shaking all +over from head to foot_, you remind me of a milk shake and you needn’t +ask me if I got shaking all over from head to foot out of a book, +because I got it out of an ash barrel.” That kid thinks whenever I use +dandy language I got it out of a book. He doesn’t know I’m such a famous +author, I’m the only one that knows it, that proves I’m smarter than +anybody else, because I know something that nobody else knows. “Go on +up, we’ll wait for you,” I said. + +I bet you like this story already, hey? But only you just wait, it’s +going to be even worse. + +So, now, kind of, while we’re waiting for Pee-wee to come back, I’ll +tell you about us, because we’re the ones you’re going to be with for a +whole lot of chapters--you should worry about Temple Camp. But it’s one +dandy place, I’ll say that. They have as many as four hundred Scouts +there to say nothing of trustees and scoutmasters--why should I say +anything about them? I mind my business and they mind mine. Chocolate +Drop, he’s cook, and I mind his business, believe me. Two helpings of +dessert--_yum, yum_! + +I’m the patrol leader of the Silver-plated Fox Patrol, First Bridgeboro, +New Jersey Troop. We’re solid plated silver and we’re guaranteed for a +year. Thank goodness you won’t meet any of that bunch in this story. If +you want to know how I look you’ll see my face on the cover of this book +and it shows me laughing at Pee-wee. A lot of fellows write to me and +want to know all about me so now I guess I’ll tell them. My favorite +recreation is jollying Pee-wee. I like schools, I mean a school of +perch, and next to roasting Pee-wee I like roast pork. My favorite +flower is graham flour and I like graham crackers next to animal +crackers and my favorite color is a blackish white. I like the water, +but I like root beer better. You can have lots of fun jollying girls. I +hope now you’re satisfied. + +Pee-wee, like I told you, is in the same troop with me. He lives on +Terris Avenue in Bridgeboro. He’s got one mother, one father, one sister +and three million appetites. He used to be in the Raving Ravens, then he +started the Chipmunks and all that bunch were up at camp when we had +this hike, but most of the time Pee-wee doesn’t bother much with his +patrol--they’re lucky. Anyway, I guess you know all about Pee-wee and +me. If you’re not deaf, dumb and blind, you must know about him. Me, I’m +more quiet like a sawmill. + +Dub Smedley belongs in Jersey City, it’s right next to a ferry. He +belongs to a troop there only his troop wasn’t up in Temple Camp with +him. They went somewhere, I don’t know where. He said his scoutmaster +was named Redman, so I guess that bunch are a lot of Indians. Dub was a +second-hand Scout, I mean second class. He was a nice fellow all right. +His favorite outdoor sport is sitting on the ground and moving back and +forth and laughing so hard when I jolly Pee-wee, that sometimes he even +falls over and rolls on the ground--he laughs so hard. He’s got +freckles, that fellow has. + +Egg Sandwich was alone at Temple Camp too. He belongs in a troop at Rye +in New York. He’s an awful nice fellow, kind of sober like. I asked him +if he thought he could be crazy enough to go on one of my hikes and he +said yes--he said he was crazy to go. + +Pee-wee said, “Sure, you’re crazy to go--anybody that goes is crazy. I’m +not, because I’m so used to him I don’t mind him--” he meant me. + +“The pleasure is yours and many of them,” I told him. “I take you +because I want to do Temple Camp a good turn. I’d like to be here +sometime when you’re away to see how it is when you’re not here. If I +could be somewhere else when you’re in another place, that’s my idea of +the end of a perfect day.” + +“Now you hear how he talks!” the kid shouted. I said, “Look out, you’ll +tip the boat over.” + +“When he talks like that he calls it an argument,” he yelled. “You +fellers will see before we get through--you’ll rue the day----” + +“Goodness me, such fine language to be using on a week day,” I told him. +“I never rued a day yet, but even if I knew how to rue one, I wouldn’t +do it.” + +“Even before we start he has to talk crazy,” Pee-wee said. + +All the while we were rowing around on the lake. I said, “This is my +idea--all those not in favor of it, shut up. If two vote against the +other two, it’s a majority.” + +“For which side?” the kid shouted. + +“For both sides,” I told him. “What’s fair for one is fair for the +other. United----” + +“If you’re going to say, ‘_united, we stand, divided we sprawl_’ you +needn’t say it,” the kid screamed at me. “I heard you say it fifty +quadrillion times and it hasn’t got any sense to it!” + +I said, “Young Harris, you’re speaking to the leader of the Silver +Foxes, modify your tones.” + +“I haven’t got any tones,” he yelled, “and----” + +“Well, that’s your lookout,” I said. “Are we going to talk about the +hike or are we going to discuss it--which? My idea is to start to-morrow +just before breakfast----” + +“You mean just _after_ breakfast,” Pee-wee said. + +Dub said, “No, Roy is right as he usually isn’t That’s a good idea, +we’ll start before breakfast.” + +“Then you can count me out,” Pee-wee said “and you can’t use my +windmeter and you won’t know where you’re going.” + +“We don’t want to know where we’re going,” Egg Sandwich said. “The less +knowledge we carry with us, the better. Scouts are supposed not to carry +a lot of stuff when they go hiking.” + +“Right the first time,” I told him. “Ideas are stuff, just the same as +any other stuff. Deny it if you dare.” + +“Will you answer me a civilized question?” the kid asked me. + +“If it’s not too civilized,” I said. “What is it?” + +“Why do we have to go on a hike without eating breakfast?” + +“I never said we did,” I told him. “Wrong the first time. I said we’d +start before breakfast--from my patrol cabin. Then we’ll stop in the +eats pavilion for breakfast.” + +He said, “Oh.” + +“Then we’ll go out in front of Administration Shack and hold the +windmeter up and see which way the wind is blowing if any and if so, why +not. Am I right? Do you follow me?” + +“We’re way ahead of you,” Dub said. + +“Then we’ll all raise our hands and make a solemn vow----” + +“There you go with your solemn vows,” the kid shouted. “That means we +won’t have anything to eat all day, _I_ know.” + +I said, “Your leader would like to have a large chunk of silence and +very little of that. We are going to go whichever way the wind blows, +north, south, east, west----” + +“Hither,” said Dub. + +“Thither,” said Egg Sandwich. + +“Or yon,” I said. “It’s settled. The rules will be very simple. We’ll go +where the wind goes. We’ll return when we get back. We won’t take +anything with us, not even any ideas. The only excess baggage that we +carry will be Pee-wee.” + +Dub said, “The object of the expedition is to find out where the wind +goes--to stalk it.” + +I said, “Sure, and to find out what it does when it gets there and if so +where. Am I right?” + +“Absolutely, unanimously,” said Egg Sandwich. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE QUITTER + + +Now pretty soon it’s going to start. The next morning we went in front +of Administration Shack and everybody was there laughing at us. I made a +kind of a speech. I said, “We, the big four, I mean the big three and a +half, on account of Pee-wee, do solemnly pledge our words that we will +go the way the wind blows till five o’clock to-night, because then we’ll +have to come home on account of supper. The solemn pledge only lasts +till five o’clock.” + +One Scout said, “Why don’t you make it last for the rest of the season? +If you got back by Labor Day that would be all right. What’s your +hurry?” + +I said, “We will be at camp-fire to-night with much scientific +information to impart about the winds because wherever they go, we’re +going to follow them with Scout Harris’ famous windmeter, patent not +applied for.” + +So then I held up that crazy thing and the confetti all blew out +pointing into the woods up in back of the camp. That was west. The +cricket escaped out of the bottle--I guess he decided he didn’t want to +go. I dumped the lightning bug out, too. So then we started up into the +woods and every now and then we held up the windmeter to make sure we +were going right. Oh boy, we were having a peachy hike. It was like a +regular, sensible hike, even. Pretty soon I knew we were coming to +Bagley’s Green, that’s a village. You go through the woods about two +miles and then you come to the railroad cut and then Bagley’s Green. + +Now I’ll tell you how it was. When we started out it was early in the +morning and there was a good breeze. You know how it is mornings. But by +the time we got to Bagley’s Green the breeze had died down. There’s a +kind of a little park sort of where the railroad station is and when we +got to that, there wasn’t any breeze at all. + +I said, “A Scout’s honor is to be toasted or trusted or something or +other. We’ve got to stop here till the wind springs up. And anyway, I +just as soon take a rest. If the wind can take a rest, we can, too. +What’s fair for one is fair for all.” + +So we all sat down on the grass in the middle of that place, we should +worry. It was a kind of a big lawn all around the station. + +Dub said, “If the breeze started coming from the east we wouldn’t know +it on account of the station; the station would act like a windshield.” + +I said, “Don’t worry, if we see it acting that way, we’ll know the wind +is around on the other side of it. We’ll appoint Pee-wee a committee to +watch how the station acts.” + +Egg Sandwich said, “What are we going to do, just sit here?” + +“Sure,” I said, “it’s according to rules. We’re governed by the wind. We +may have to stay here for hours.” + +“How can we be governed by the wind when there isn’t any?” the kid +wanted to know. + +“That’s easy,” I told him. “You might as well say how can we starve if +we haven’t got any food to be deprived of. Gee whiz, you’re in the third +grade and take up zoology and you don’t know that! I’ll have a game of +mumbly-peg with anybody,” I said. + +Dub said, “This is a fine kind of a hike--two miles and then get +stalled.” + +“Look at ships; don’t they get becalmed?” I said. “Come on, let’s have a +game of mumbly-peg.” + +So then we all started playing mumbly-peg with Dub’s jack-knife. I said, +“Gee, this is a dandy hike; it’s the best hike I ever didn’t take; you +don’t get all tired out, that’s one thing.” + +“It’s a hikeless hike,” Sandy said. Sometimes we called that fellow +Sandy, but that’s not saying anything against egg sandwiches. + +“If we don’t think up some other kind of a hike, we’ll be stalled here +all night, maybe,” Pee-wee said. “Anyway, till five o’clock. Do you +think I want to sit here in the sun and play mumbly-peg all afternoon? +Geeeee whiz!” + +“Don’t blame me, blame the wind,” I told him. + +“How can I blame it when there isn’t any to blame?” he shouted. + +“That’s a good argument,” I told him. + +“I’m thinking about lunch-time more than I’m thinking about arguments,” +Pee-wee said. “What are we going to do at twelve o’clock?” + +“We’ll eat our own words,” Sandy said, “and go any way we want to.” + +“Sure, a couple of solemn vows will make a nice lunch,” I said. “What do +we care where we go? The wind is the quitter, not us, I should worry.” I +said, “We’ll stay here till twelve o’clock and if the breeze doesn’t +spring up by that time, we’ll go to the next village willynilly, that +means any way no matter what. Then, we’ll buy some eats.” + +“If we had brought some with us like I wanted to do, we could eat them +now,” Pee-wee said. “That’s what we get for starting out not prepared +like Scouts are supposed not ever to do--now you see what we get.” + +“I don’t see it,” Dub said. + +“You mean what we don’t get,” I said. “Where do you suppose that breeze +went anyway? I’d just like to know where it went.” + +“Maybe it went crazy like you,” Pee-wee shouted. + +“I never thought of that,” I told him. + +Jiminies, we were all sprawling on the grass talking a lot of nonsense +and kidding Pee-wee and taking each other’s hats off and pulling up +grass and throwing it in each other’s faces--a lot we cared about +hiking. + +“Now you see how it is,” the Kid said to Dub and Sandy. “Do you blame +the Scouts over at camp that they won’t go on hikes with him--gee whiz, +they all had a taste of it. We always get stalled like this and just sit +around fooling and don’t do anything and he calls it a hike. Even he’ll +write all about it and a publisher will print it to show how crazy he is +and he’ll expect fellers to buy those books where he tells a lot of +crazy nonsense. This is the first summer you fellers ever saw him, but +he’s like this all the time, you ask Westy Martin in his own patrol. +He’s the only one of them that’s got any sense.” + +I said, “Scout Harris, you will cease talking about my old college +chump, Westy Martin. I won’t hear another word against him. He can’t +help it if he has some sense--he’s more to be pitied than blamed. I +won’t hear a word against him--not even a punctuation mark. Anyway, +what’s the use of having sense? That’s one law I have no use for, the +law of gravity.” + +Dub said, “Let’s tell riddles.” + +“Sure,” I said, “that’s a good idea. Now the hike is really started. Why +doesn’t Santa Claus wear a scout suit? Give me any answer, I don’t care +what, and I’ll give you the question to it.” + +“Why doesn’t Santa Claus wear a scout suit?” the kid shouted. + +“Because there isn’t any Santa Claus,” I told him. “No sooner said than +stung. Open your mouth and I’ll shoot this grasshopper in it.” + +By that time, Dub and Sandy were lying on their backs kicking their legs +and laughing so hard they couldn’t speak. + +After a while, Dub said, “Here’s an answer, and you give me the question +to it.” + +“Absotively, posolutely,” I told him. + +He said, “The answer is _yes_.” + +“The question is, is it?” I told him. “Any one else wants to ask an +answer?” + +“I’ll ask one,” Sandy said. “_Yes, we have no marbles._” + +“The question to that is, _Why don’t we make some marble cake?_” I said. +“The way you do it is to subtract the adverb from the combined total +with one to carry. Here comes a man.” + +“You better stop your nonsense or he’ll think you’re crazy,” Pee-wee +said. “I bet he’s going to chase us away from here.” + +“I wonder where _he_ blew in from,” Sandy said. + +“_Blew in!_ That’s a good one!” Dub said. “There isn’t enough breeze to +blow any one to an ice cream soda.” + +“Well, I’m going to go to one pretty soon whether I get blown to it or +not,” Pee-wee shouted. + +By that time we were all sitting up brushing the grass off ourselves and +straightening up our hair kind of, on account of the man who was coming +toward us. + +“I think something is going to happen,” Dub said. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +THE STRANGER + + +That man kept coming straight toward us across the green. + +“Maybe we’re trespassing, hey?” Pee-wee said, kind of scared. “Now maybe +we’re going to get into trouble.” + +Pretty soon I saw the man was smiling and I knew everything was all +right. He took off his hat and wiped his forehead and I saw he had a +bald head--he didn’t have one hair on his head even. It looked like an +egg. But anyway, he was smiling. + +Dub said, “It’s all right, the face with a smile, grins.” + +I said, “Hey mister, will you please tell us how to get off this field? +We were hiking whichever way the wind blew and it stopped blowing, so +now we can’t move.” + +“You better look out how you talk,” Pee-wee said in a whisper. + +By that time the man was right there. He was an awful nice man. He said, +“There isn’t the slightest thing to worry about.” + +I said, “We thought maybe we were going to get arrested.” + +He said, “Oh dear me, no. I wouldn’t _think_ of arresting Boy Scouts.” + +“You might do it without thinking,” Dub said. + +The man said, “I always look before I leap.” Then he said, “May I sit +down and make myself at home?” + +He sat down on the grass with his knees up and his arms around them. +Gee, he was nice and friendly like. He said, “I’m tired myself. I’ve had +a long walk.” When I told him we were Scouts from Temple Camp, he was a +lot interested. He said he knew all about Temple Camp. + +I asked him, “Do you live around here?” + +“Not just here,” he said; “I live in Bagley Center. This is Bagley’s +Green. I’m Saul Bagley. My people settled all this country around here. +My father was Ephraim Bagley. This was all the old Bagley farm through +here. Where that station is, used to be an apple orchard. You know if I +had my way that whole strip of forest land east of Black Lake would +belong to Temple Camp now. No one was sorrier than I was, when the camp +didn’t get it; it was a pretty mean business all through. I told Mr. +John Temple so myself. He’s a very fine man, Mr. John Temple.” + +“Even I’ve been to his house,” Pee-wee piped up. “Even I had supper at +his house--he’s a magnet. He owns so many railroads, he has a kind of a +collection of them. Didn’t I make him a willow whistle to blow in case +he gets held up by bandits--I leave it to Roy if I didn’t.” + +Mr. Bagley put out his hand and shook hands with Pee-wee, like as if +Pee-wee was a kind of a hero. I had to laugh. + +I said, “You mustn’t mind our young hero. He’s the one that invented the +Boy Scouts of America.” + +Mr. Bagley said, “That was a very good invention.” Then he shook hands +with Pee-wee again. + +Jiminies, we knew all about the forest land east of Black Lake--anyway, +Pee-wee and I did. Dub and Sandy were new fellows at camp, so maybe they +didn’t. I’ll tell you how it was. Everybody at camp calls that the +Bagley land--sometimes we call it Bagley woods. It’s east of Temple +Camp. All the Scouts at camp knew about Mr. Temple wanting to buy it and +give it to the camp. But anyway, he couldn’t buy it, because the Bagley +estate wouldn’t sell it to him. But jiminy crinkums, I never bothered my +head about it. Last summer it was fenced off with barbed-wire from +Temple Camp and we couldn’t even go on it. A lot I should worry, they +can take the land away altogether for all I care. + +I asked Mr. Bagley, I said, “Are you one of the people that wouldn’t +sell it to Temple Camp?” + +He said, “Oh, goodness no!” just like that. He said those were the heirs +and there were a lot of them. But he said anyway, he was the real heir. +Jiminies, I felt sorry for him. He was mighty nice, just sitting there +and talking to us like that. He said he liked boys, especially Scouts, +and he said only for a tragedy that happened, Temple Camp would have all +that land. + +Oh boy, you should have seen Pee-wee’s eyes open--that’s his middle +name, _tragedies_. He eats them alive. He said, “Was it a regular +tragedy where somebody got killed--or maybe murdered or something?” + +Mr. Bagley said, “My father, Ephraim Bagley was killed, and it was less +than a mile from here. I have just visited the spot. I could hardly find +it, it looked so different from when I was last there.” + +Pee-wee said, “You ought to have blazed a trail, that’s the way Scouts +do.” I guess Mr. Bagley must have thought he was very smart, because he +just reached over and shook hands with him. + +Mr. Bagley said, “My father was an old man and he had a very tragic +end.” Then he kind of whispered to Dub and said, “And the Boy Scouts are +the losers.” + +“Will you tell us about it?” Pee-wee piped up. + +Believe me, that was some tragedy he told us about. He said he lived in +Bagley Center. That’s about five or six miles from Bagley’s Green. He +said that several years ago his father--that was old Ephraim +Bagley--made a will and it was going to be his last one. He said in that +will the old man left him the farm at Bagley Center and all that woods +near Temple Camp and everything. + +The day he made the will, he started to Catskill with it so as to see +his lawyer and to sign it in front of witnesses and everything. That +night he didn’t come home and the next day they telephoned to Catskill +and they found that he had been there and had signed his will and had it +witnessed. Oh boy, you should have seen Pee-wee how he stared. + +“Did bandits get him?” he wanted to know. + +Mr. Bagley said, “No, but Beaver Chasm got him. We found him in the +bottom of the chasm next day--dead.” + +“Jiminies!” I said. + +“You know Beaver Chasm, don’t you?” Mr. Bagley said. + +“Sure, I know it!” Pee-wee shouted. “Didn’t I stalk a turtle down there? +_Suuuure_, I know it.” + +Mr. Bagley reached over and shook hands with Pee-wee just the same as +before. I couldn’t make out whether he thought the kid was a wonderful +hero for stalking a turtle, or whether he was just kind of making fun of +him. I had to laugh, Pee-wee was so serious the way he shook hands. + +Dub and Sandy didn’t know anything about Beaver Chasm, because they were +new Scouts at camp. But I knew all about it. And Pee-wee knew all about +it--he even owned it. It was a wonder he never had it wrapped up and +sent home. + +Mr. Bagley said, “Yes, sir, we found him lying in the bottom of the +chasm--_dead_. Both of his legs and one of his arms were broken. We +found his coat a few yards from where his body lay; it was caught on a +clump of brush.” All of a sudden, Mr. Bagley leaned away over toward us +and whispered, “And my father’s oilskin dispatch container with his will +in it was gone. Was _gone_!” Then he sat up straight and just looked at +us. + +I said, “Gee, that was funny.” + +“You call it _funny_!” Pee-wee shouted. “Don’t you even know when a +thing is serious?” + +Mr. Bagley just kept looking at us, kind of dark and suspicious like. I +saw Dub sort of move as if he was uneasy for fear Mr. Bagley was +thinking we knew something about it. Then Sandy asked him if it was ever +found. + +“It was never found,” he said, sort of slow like, and very serious. “And +that’s the mystery. _The oilskin dispatch container presented to my poor +father by an overseas boy who carried a message from General Pershing to +the British commander in it was gone from the pocket of my father’s +coat--and with it his last will and testament._” + +We were sort of scared, he looked at us so serious. He just kept looking +at us. Then he said, “But I want you boys to know that if that will had +been found, I would have been glad to sell all that woodland to Temple +Camp, as sure as my name is Saul Bagley. I am for the Boy Scouts first, +last and always. But I can’t be held responsible for the meanness, and +the stubbornness, and the lack of public spirit of a crew of undeserving +beneficiaries under a former will of my poor father, now can I?” + +That’s just what he said; he used dandy big words. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +WHERE THERE’S A WILL + + +Jiminies, up to that time I never knew how near Temple Camp had come to +getting that land. Because Mr. Saul Bagley sure was strong for the +Scouts. He was mighty nice the way he spoke about Mr. Temple and all the +councilors and trustees. And oh boy, didn’t he roast the people that +owned the land! They were his cousins, but anyway, he didn’t have much +use for them. + +Pee-wee said, “Maybe those cousins knew about that will where he left +everything to you and maybe they waited for him when he was on his way +home and maybe they--maybe they did something to him, hey? So you +wouldn’t get all the property and everything; hey? Maybe they got the +will.” + +Mr. Bagley said to Pee-wee, “I see you are a Boy Scout with brains. But +you are mistaken. My cousins who came into my father’s property were all +at home that night. I investigated everything myself. They were having a +barn dance in their home. They are not murderers. There was no murder or +foul play of any kind as far as I have been able to find out. _And +that’s the mystery._” + +He said he would take us and show us just where his father’s body was +found and that was when we forgot all about the wind dying down and our +solemn pledge and everything. So you see our following-the-wind hike +didn’t last long. And that’s why I’ll never trust the wind +again--because it’s a quitter. Even a tempest I wouldn’t trust. Just +like I told you in the beginning this hike goes every which way, and +anyway, it isn’t a hike at all. But if you want to follow us you’ll see +some fun. + +On the way to Beaver Chasm, Mr. Bagley told us that he used to live with +his father on the farm in Bagley Center. His cousins lived on another +farm. After his father lost his life, Mr. Bagley went to live on the +other farm with his cousins. Those were the people that got all of old +man Bagley’s property. He said the reason why his father had left +everything to those cousins was because he was good and mad on account +of him running away from home. He said he ran away when he was fifteen +years old and never came back till he was thirty--jiminies, I bet he had +a lot of fun. + +Dub said, “I bet you were a wild boy all right.” + +Mr. Bagley said, “I sailed before the mast, twice around the Cape of +Good Hope and once to Africa. I can show you boys an elephant’s tusk +from an elephant I shot; I suppose that piece of ivory is worth a +hundred dollars.” All the while he was walking along, he talked to us; +_oh boy_, he was interesting. + +Dub asked him how he happened to come home and he said he came home when +his mother died. But even still his father kept on being mad at him, +because he didn’t like to work around the farm--gee whiz, I didn’t blame +him, I wouldn’t either, not after being in Africa and all places like +that. But anyway, after a while old Ephraim Bagley decided he was sorry +he had left him out of his will and he made a new one and took it to +Catskill and got witnesses to it and everything. And that was where the +cousins got left out entirely, in that will. But anyway, it didn’t do +poor Mr. Saul Bagley any good. + +Sandy, he’s very sober like when he’s not laughing at Pee-wee and me. +He’s kind of sensible like Westy Martin, only different. He asked Mr. +Bagley why he didn’t think that maybe those cousins did have something +to do with the way old Mr. Bagley died and something to do with the way +the will disappeared, too. Mr. Bagley said because nobody except him and +his father knew about the will, so why should any one want to kill him? + +“That’s a dandy argument,” Pee-wee said. “And it’s a dandy mystery too, +because what became of the will?” + +“That’s the question,” Mr. Bagley said. + +“A will is no good just if you steal it or happen to find it,” Sandy +said. “I can’t see why any one would want to get hold of it--except +maybe those cousins.” + +All of a sudden, Mr. Bagley stopped right short where we were in the +woods and he looked straight at Pee-wee and said very slow and scary +like, “That--will--is--still--in--Beaver Chasm.” + +“Good night!” I said. + +“Do you want us to find it?” Pee-wee piped up. “Those are just the kinds +of things we’re supposed to do, because we’re scouts and we even find +lost people sometimes--you look in the newspapers and see. And I bet if +that will is down there we can find it, because anyway, I know a feller +that lost a licorice jaw-breaker through a cellar grating in front of a +grocery store in Bridgeboro where I live and because I told him to buy +an ice cream cone instead and he wouldn’t so I said I’d get it from him +because Scouts have to be out for service.” + +“Sometimes they’re out for jaw-breakers,” Dub said. + +Pee-wee went right on and he said, “I went in the store and so I could +get on the right side of the grocery man I bought three bananas----” + +“Talk about service!” Sandy said. + +“Yes, continue,” I said, “and be sure to stop when you get to the end. +We now have two bananas and the problem is which was the other one----” + +“Are you going to let me tell Mr. Bagley or not?” the kid yelled at me. + +I said, “Mr. Bagley, you must excuse our young hero, he was born during +the famine in Hiawatha and that’s why he’s always eating Indian meal. +His favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Feast. When it comes to +stalking a licorice jaw-breaker----” + +Just then Mr. Bagley stopped and laid his hand on my shoulder and he +said, “If you boys want a _real_ hunt; if you want to make _names_ for +yourselves, now is your chance. And it’s no matter for joking.” + +Jiminies, that made us all sober. Even I was sorry that I started +kidding Pee-wee. I said, “Believe me, if there’s anything we can do to +help you we’ll be only too glad to do it.” + +“Sure, that’s our middle name,” Pee-wee said. + +Mr. Bagley said, “And you’ll be helping yourselves too; you’ll be +helping Temple Camp.” + +“That’s us,” I said. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +BEAVER CHASM + + +Pretty soon we came to Beaver Chasm--it’s in the woods. Lots of times I +saw it but I never went down in it. Once a couple of Scouts from camp +told me there were rattlesnakes in it; I guess that was the reason. All +the times I had been to it before I followed the brook from Black Lake. +You can see how it goes on the map I made, not saying what kind of a map +it is. I guess I’d get about six minus for it in school--I should worry. +Anyway Beaver Chasm is a deep place that the brook flows through. That +brook starts away off some place or other and goes west through the +chasm, then south into Black Lake. It takes a west southerly +course--gee, I remind myself of a geography lesson--that’s one study I +have no use for. + +Anyway you needn’t bother about the brook now so you can let it flow +merrily, merrily, what care we--that’s in my school reader. Do you see +where the arrows are pointing? Where it says _Roy’s route_ and _Through +the woods_? Well that’s the way the four of us went and you can see +where we got becalmed near the Bagley’s Green railroad station, only the +map doesn’t show where the wind went and anyway I don’t know how to make +a picture of the wind. + +After we started off with Mr. Bagley we went north up through the woods +toward the chasm. I never went to it that way before. All the times I +had gone to it I had gone in at the end of it like the brook does, I +hope I make myself plain, that’s dandy language like a real author. You +see where Bagley Center is? It’s about two miles north of the chasm. +There are a lot of stores there and everything. It’s a flourishing +met--something or other, only I don’t know how to spell it. + +I don’t like maps any better than you do and there are only two more +things about this one. Do you see how there’s a road going from Bagley +Center to Catskill? You can’t see Catskill but anyway it’s off in that +direction and you can get dandy big ice cream cones there in Schnizel’s +Confectionery. But if you’re hiking from Catskill to Bagley Center +there’s a short cut through the woods and for quite a ways you don’t +have to bother with the road. I made a dotted line for that trail and it +goes across Beaver Chasm on three or four logs side by side--_some +bridge_! So now you know all about the country where we were going to +have some adventures. + +So now you have to answer questions. 1. Which way did Roy Blakeley and +his four companions approach Beaver Chasm? Correct, be seated. 2. Which +way can you take a short cut through the woods from Catskill to Bagley +Center? Point out where the log bridge is? Then you can go home if you +want to, I don’t care. + +When we got to the chasm we were on the south side of it, and I can tell +you one thing, that chasm is good and deep. The sides are pretty steep +too--all rocks. When I looked down into it I saw that there wasn’t any +brook at all, it was dried up Then I remembered how every one at camp +was saying that the lake was very low that season. Uncle Jeb (he’s +manager) said it was lower than he had ever seen it before. That was the +first thing Pee-wee said to me; he said, “Oh, look how the brook isn’t +there!” + +I said, “Yes, I can see the brook, it isn’t there. No, we have plenty of +bananas.” + +We were standing right on the edge near the logs that go across. Dub and +Sandy were seeing the chasm for the first time. They both said they +never thought it was anything like that--so deep. I guess they were +surprised. + +Dub said, “_Jumping jiminies_, why didn’t you ever tell us about this +place?” That’s the way it is with new fellows at Temple Camp. + +But anyway the place even seemed different to me now on account of what +I heard about it. Oh boy, did we listen! Mr. Bagley said that when they +found his father in the chasm one of the logs was lying in the bottom of +the chasm too; it was broken in halves. The old man must have been on +his way back from Catskill and he was taking the short cut through the +woods. While he was crossing on the logs one of them broke and he fell +and was killed. Mr. Bagley pointed down to the very spot where they +found his father. Then he pointed down to a lot of bushes and he said +that was where they found his father’s coat. For a couple of minutes we +all stood there just staring down into the chasm. Even Pee-wee didn’t +say anything. When you know something happened in a place--like getting +killed--that place seems kind of scary. And besides I had never looked +down into it like that before. When you go in where the brook is, it +doesn’t seem so deep and dark. + +One of us asked Mr. Bagley if he had any idea how his father’s coat +happened to be away from his body, because that seemed funny. + +He said, “I have no more idea than the man in the moon. All _I_ know is +that when we lifted his coat off that clump of brush the oilskin +container _was not in any of the pockets_. We _know_ that he went to +Catskill. We _know_ that he signed his will and had it witnessed. We +_know_ that he started back. We found him the next day lying against +that big rock down there. On the night that he met his death his two +cousins, Caleb and Bertha Clemm, were in their home. I live with them +there now. He is an old bachelor and she is an old maid. But I don’t +hold that against them--I’m an old bachelor too. But I’ve had a roving +career. Now you boys who are so clever, what do you make out of that +mystery?” + +“_Jiminies_,” I just gasped. + +Sandy and Dub just shook their heads. + +Pee-wee said, “Do you know what I bet? I bet that oilskin thing is down +there, somewhere; I bet it’s there yet. And I bet we can find it.” + +Mr. Bagley said, “My young friend, that is what I have thought for +several years. I have searched this chasm many times. But I want you to +notice one thing--_the brook is dry_. There are a hundred new places to +search--dried up pools, crevices under rocks, places where I could only +_feel_ before, but which may now be _seen_. Well, I’ve brought you here +and you are Boy Scouts. Here is an adventure for you.” + +Pee-wee could hardly speak, he was so excited. He said, “And if we find +it and you get all the property like that will says, do you cross your +heart you’ll sell that woods over near the lake to Temple Camp? That’s +only fair, so do you promise?” + +Mr. Bagley just looked straight at him, then he shot out his hand and +gave Pee-wee’s hand a good long shake. I had to laugh to look at Pee-wee +standing there looking very important with his hand being shaken up and +down. Then Mr. Bagley said, “A promise is a promise. And I +think--you--boys--are--going--to--do--something--BIG.” + +All of a sudden he dropped Pee-wee’s hand and started off through the +woods. It was hot and he had his hat off and he was wiping his bald head +with his handkerchief. I had to laugh, he looked so funny starting off +that way. There was about as much hair on his head as there is on an +egg. + +“That’s right, _laugh_!” Pee-wee shouted good and mad. “That’s all the +sense you’ve got--to laugh at somebody when they’re feeling bad! I +suppose you’d stand here laughing if _your_ father fell down and got +killed in this chasm--you’ve always got a smirk on your face no matter +what!” + +I was just going to start kidding him along when Sandy said, “I think +the man was starting to cry; gee, I feel sorry for him. I think he +didn’t want us to see him and that’s why he started away so suddenly.” + +We all stood there just looking down into the chasm and not saying +anything. It looked pretty spooky. I’ll say that. + +“Do you know what I think?” Dub said. “I think that’s one fine +idea--about now being a good time to hunt on account of the brook being +dry. Gee williger, we fellows have got the chance of our lives. +Something big! Well, _I’ll say so_.” + +“Jiminies,” I said, “I’m just beginning to see it.” + +“Sure,” Pee-wee shouted at me. “After a new feller that was never at +Temple Camp before begins to talk sober about it, then you sit up and +listen. And when we find the wallet you’ll write it all up in a story +and take all the credit. Even you’ll be more important than Mr. Bagley +who will own the land and Mr. Temple who will buy the land--if we find +the wallet. Do you know what we’re going to do?” + +“Sure,” I said, “we’re going to sit down. Ask me another one.” + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +PLANS OF CAMPAIGN + + +Gee whiz, I can be sober when I have to. I could see all right enough +that we had a chance to do something big. I wasn’t going to start +fooling about it. I knew if old Mr. Bagley’s last will was in that chasm +and we could find it, _oh boy_, there would be some excitement. His son +would get all that land that Temple Camp wanted and he would sell it to +Mr. Temple. You can see where _we_ would fit in--_oh boy_! Talk about +good turns! + +“There are only two things bothering me,” I said. + +“There are six things bothering me,” Dub said, “and all of them _when +are we going to eat and if so, what_?” + +“Those are the same twenty things that are bothering me,” Sandy said. + +I said, “Pee-wee can’t even speak, he’s starving to death.” + +All of a sudden the kid piped up, “The reason I don’t speak is because +I’m disgusted----” + +“Good,” I said, “I hope you’ll be disgusted for the rest of your life.” + +“If I kept on going around with you I’d be disgusted twice at the same +time,” he said. + +“Fancy that,” I said to him. “If you don’t like going around with us, +you can go my way and I’ll go yours.” + +“You start out in the morning,” he shouted, “without any lunch and look +where we are now, with no village anywhere around and nothing to eat.” + +“Do you expect me to get a village and bring it here?” I asked him. “Is +it my fault there isn’t any village here? Did I make the map of the +Catskill Mountains? I’ll leave it to Dub. We’re having a fine hike with +detours. What are you kicking about?” + +“I can’t eat detours!” the kid shouted. + +“Well you couldn’t eat a village either,” I said; “so what are you +talking about?” + +“Will you fellows listen?” Dub said. “For just two seconds will you +listen? We’ve got a big chance, haven’t we? We’ve got a chance to do +something that will knock Temple Camp off its feet. Suppose we can find +that will! First will somebody please tell me what one of those dispatch +containers is like. I’d like to know whether one would last all this +while--whether it would be preserved.” + +“If you’re talking about preserves,” I said, “you’d better ask Pee-wee. +He knows all about preserves.” + +“Are you going to be serious when there’s a real mystery or not?” the +kid yelled. “Now we’ve got a chance to do something, are you going to +have some sense or not? Are we going to get something to eat I don’t +know how, and are we going to try to find that oilskin cover or whatever +you call it, or are we just going to stay here talking crazy and acting +like fools--which?” + +“We are going to plan our campaign at once, ain’t it,” I told him. “The +answer is no we do, _by an unanimous minority_.” + +“Listen,” said Sandy, kind of sober like. “It’s noon-time and we thought +that by this time we’d be at a village or some place or other. We’ve got +a chance to do something big. Are we just going to fool around or what? +I’d like to hunt for that thing, only we’ve got to have something to +eat, that’s sure.” + +“It’s even more than sure, it’s absolutely positive,” Pee-wee piped up. + +I said, “All right then, listen----” + +“Are you going to be serious?” Pee-wee shouted. + +“Now listen,” I said, “and no more fooling. Hunting for that thing means +work. You don’t think we can go down there and just pick it up, do you? +All right then. How about eats? There are a lot of things to be +considered if we’re going to do this and what we need first of all is a +leader----” + +“I thought you were going to say that,” Pee-wee shouted. + +“You wanted me to be serious, didn’t you?” I said. “All right then, +listen. I’m willing to hunt for that oilskin container, only if we do +we’re going to do it right. We’re going to start out like Columbus did, +only different.” + +“There you go,” Pee-wee shouted. + +“All right,” I said. “We’re at Beaver Chasm, aren’t we. And it’s time +for lunch. We’re about two miles from Bagley Center and we’re about five +miles from camp. How long can we hold out without eats?” + +“Maybe five minutes,” Dub said. + +“Maybe three at a pinch,” Sandy said. + +“I can’t hold out at all,” Pee-wee piped up; “not even at a pinch.” + +“A fine lot of Scouts!” I said. “Now I’ll show you what a fine Scout I +am. The brook down there in the chasm has run dry but there will be +water standing in pools between the rocks and all places like that. +Further along is a place they call the Giant’s Basin--all rock. There +will be water in there, I bet you. And that’s just where all the fish go +when the brook runs dry. I bet in places down there we’ll be able to +scoop them up in our hands--please shut up till I finish.” + +“This is what I say let’s do. Let’s go down in the chasm and find a +hollow place where some fish are and let’s scoop some up and cook +them--I’ve got some matches.” + +“I can even get a light from the sun,” Pee-wee said, all excited. + +“The sun is too far to go for a light,” I told him. “Even if you went +scout pace you wouldn’t get back in time for lunch. After we’ve had +something to eat----” + +“That shows you how we’ve got resources,” Pee-wee said. He was talking +for the benefit of Dub and Sandy because they were new fellows at camp. + +“Sure,” I said, “and we can fry some resources or boil them in ice +water. I say let’s _eat_ and after that let’s hike back to camp and get +permission to start out again to-morrow and camp for a couple of days in +the chasm. We can bring a tent and some provisions and everything and we +won’t say anything to any one why we’re going to do it and if we find +that oilskin container we’ll be the big noise at Temple Camp. Now that’s +the way I say to do. We’ll go back this afternoon and get ready for +to-morrow and you fellows can leave it to me about getting permission to +come back and camp here.” + +“Do you promise you won’t let any other Scouts in on it?” Pee-wee asked +me, all excited. “Now’s our chance, if we only keep still!” + +I had to laugh, Pee-wee talking about keeping still. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +HERCULES HARRIS + + +I guess you’re in a hurry for the next day to come, but anyway you’ll +have to wait till after we’ve had our lunch because we were good and +hungry. Mostly I have eats come between the chapters so as you won’t be +interrupted. Oh boy, the things that happen between the chapters are +even more than the things that happen in the chapters. Between chapters +we have ice cream cones and everything, but they’re not a part of the +story. + +It was nice and dim down there in the chasm. We couldn’t go down the +side, so we went to the end where it sloped down sort of and we went in +the way the brook does--I mean the way it comes out. Only then there +wasn’t any brook. It was all rocks in the chasm. I guess that chasm is +about a half a mile long. Where it’s widest there is grass growing but +everywhere else there are rocks. When there’s any water in there it kind +of wriggles in and out among the rocks. + +Just like I thought, there was water in the Giant’s Basin. That’s a deep +pool made by rocks. It was full of killies, just like I knew it would +be. Because when the brook dried up the fish would have to go where +there was water. They were all crowded in it and we could scoop them up +in our hands--jiminies it was easy. We found an old tin dipper that I +guess used to be used to drink out of and we hammered it flat with a +stone so it was kind of like a frying-pan. Then we started a fire and I +fried killies and they were good. Sandy kept cleaning them with his +knife while I kept frying them and Dub kept getting wood for the fire. I +bet you can guess what Pee-wee was doing--honest that kid could cause a +shortage in the Atlantic Ocean. You have to eat a lot of killies but +that’s easy. + +Afterward I took a long stick and felt around on the bottom of the pool. +There were other places like that pool, only not so big. There were lots +of crevices between rocks too. All of a sudden I began to think we did +stand a pretty good chance of finding that lost will. Because I’ll tell +you why. If the dispatch container fell out of the old man’s pocket into +the water it would have been carried along and most likely get wedged in +somewhere between rocks. Or else it might get into one of those pools. I +didn’t bother my head thinking how the wallet or whatever you call it, +got out of the old man’s pocket because I believed it fell out before +his coat was taken off. And I didn’t worry about how his coat happened +to be off, either. + +I said, “To tell you the honest truth the only thing that makes me think +we won’t find anything is because Pee-wee is mixed up in it. You fellows +don’t know because you’ve never been up to camp before, but Pee-wee is +the big hero of about three million things that never happened. I’m +sorry it wasn’t him that tried to start the world war because then it +never would have happened. You see how the wind died down when we +started out on a windmeter hike. But if it wasn’t for Pee-wee I’d think +we might find that oil-can or oil container or whatever you call it. It +looks good to me. Only there’s no use hunting around. We ought to come +and camp here a couple of days or so and work spasmodically----” + +“You mean systematically!” Pee-wee yelled. + +“What difference does it make what I mean?” I shot back at him. “It’s +actions that count, not meanings--I’ll leave it to Dub. We’ve got to go +to work under deficient leadership--or sufficient or inefficient, I +don’t care.” + +All of a sudden Pee-wee went up in the air. “Are you going to have some +sense or not?” he shouted. “Now we’ve got a chance to find a paper that +will fix it so Mr. Bagley can sell all that woods to Temple Camp and +every newspaper in the United States will have pictures of us how we +found a lost will and maybe I bet even that woods will be named after us +even! And all you can do is to keep on fooling about it, you think it’s +a joke to not get some property that you ought to get, you’re such a big +fool always laughing and talking a lot of nonsensical nonsense! Do you +think that’s the way to discover something serious?” + +“I don’t want to discover anything serious,” I said. + +“That’s because you’re a Silver Fox,” the kid yelled, “and they’re all +the same only you’re worse than any of them and they ought to be named +the Laughing Hyenas!” + +By that time Dub and Sandy were laughing so hard they couldn’t speak. +Dub was lying on his back kicking his legs. + +I said, “This has gone far enough. We shall find that will, say no +more.” + +So then we all started for Temple Camp and on the way there we were good +and serious about what we were going to do, because I could see we had a +chance to do a pretty big stunt. We all said we wouldn’t tell anybody +why we were going to camp in Beaver Chasm, so nobody would come there, +because in Temple Camp, _oh boy_, they’re a snoopy bunch. After supper +that night I went in Administration Shack and got permission for the +four of us to camp in Beaver Chasm for three days--that’s the most you +can get permission for unless a scoutmaster goes along. They give you an +eats ticket; it’s a requisition slip, that’s what it really is, only we +call it an eats ticket. Then you take that to the cooking shack and +Chocolate Drop (he’s cook) gives you enough food to last for the time +you’re going to be away. But he always gives more than you need. We had +to come home late the third day so he gave us enough so we could cook +eight meals--coffee and beans and egg powder and Indian meal (I make +flapjacks out of that) and canned pineapple and salmon and crackers and, +oh gee, all kinds of stuff. Chocolate too. And dandy bacon. + +We got a tent from the commissary and four army cots. We could have made +hemlock beds, that’s easy, only you can carry things in army cots by +carrying them like stretchers. Two of them we carried rolled up and the +other two open and full of things. Pee-wee was all dressed up like a +Christmas tree or a hardware store or something, with his belt-axe and +his aluminum frying-pan and his scout-knife and his compass all hanging +from his belt. He didn’t bother about his windmeter. He sounded like a +freight train when he walked. + +We started out early in the morning--that’s two starts for this story. +In most stories you get only one start. But in this story you get two +starts and a lot of different endings. This time we didn’t go up through +the woods because on account of all the things we had to carry. There’s +too much brush in the woods and not even a trail in most places. So we +went along the shore of the lake where there’s a path and all the Scouts +thought we were going camping around the lake. That was one good thing +to throw them off the scent. Then we turned north where the brook is, +and you better look at the map. There’s a good path right beside the +brook and we followed it till we came to the woods trail, the same way +that old Mr. Bagley went home the day he didn’t get there. It was pretty +easy walking along that trail to the chasm. So that’s how we got there. + +We picked out a peach of a place in the chasm and put up our tent there +and built a fireplace out of stones. Oh boy, it was nice where we +camped. We put the tent right close to one side of the chasm where the +wall was almost straight up and down. We were good and tired so we just +sprawled around getting rested till lunch time, and after that we said +we’d start hunting. Where the side of the chasm went up there was a kind +of a shelf, all rocks, and Pee-wee sat on that. Dub and Sandy and I sat +on rocks on the ground. It was so rocky around there that even there was +a big flat rock inside the tent, we put the tent up around it and we +used the rock for a dining table. + +Sandy was feeling kind of silly, I guess we all were, and he said, “Did +we put that flat rock in the tent, or didn’t we?” + +Dub said, “If we did we can claim to be pretty strong to put a rock the +size of that one inside the tent. Most fellows couldn’t even lift it.” +Pee-wee almost fell off his royal throne. “That shows the two of you are +getting to be as crazy as Roy,” he shouted. + +I said, “Silence! Those are harsh words, Scout Harris. What Dub says is +perfectly true. It’s an interesting question in natural science----” + +“You make me sick with your natural silence, I mean science!” he +shouted. + +I said, “I accept your apology for using the word _silence_. I never +thought you knew there was such a word. But you’re wrong as I usually +never am. If that rock is in the tent, we are the ones who put it +there--deny it if you can. If we didn’t put the rock in the tent, then +how did the tent get outside the rock? It’s as clear as mud, I’ll leave +it to Sandy.” + +By that time Dub and Sandy were both laughing because they had Pee-wee +and me started. + +I said, very sober like, “We can claim that we lifted a rock weighing +about a quarter of a ton because we put it in that tent and _we did not +have a derrick_. Therefore by the same line of reasoning we’re stronger +than mustard. Am I right?” + +“Sure you are,” Dub said. + +“You couldn’t be righter,” Sandy said. + +I said, “Now I have a peach of an idea and it will cause a great +sensation in scout circles throughout the civilized world----” + +“You think you’re smart using big words,” Pee-wee shouted. + +I said, “As long as you have your camera with you, Dub, we’ll let +Pee-wee take our pictures standing on the rock inside the tent and we’ll +write underneath it, _Picture shows three Boy Scouts standing on huge +rock which they put inside camping tent without the aid of a derrick_. +Then we’ll send it to _Boys’ Magazine_ and they’ll print it. What do you +say?” + +“It’s a fine idea,” Dub said. + +“We ought to have our coats off showing our sinewy arms,” Sandy said. + +“Maybe we can even get the Pathé Weekly to send and take pictures of +us,” I said. “Where’s your camera anyway?” + +“Do you think you can get me to take a picture of a lie?” Pee-wee +started. “So you can get famous for what you didn’t do. _No sireeeeee!_” + +“Do you claim we didn’t put that rock in the tent--without the aid of a +derrick?” I asked him. “That shows how much you know about comparative +logic.” + +“It shows how much I know about not being a big fool and a big bluff,” +he screamed. + +“Oh I know a better idea,” I said, “and it’s absolutely, positively +honorable--it’s even guaranteed for one year. We’ll stand Pee-wee on the +rock with his coat off and his arms folded kind of like a gladiator and +a fierce scowl on his face. Then we’ll take his picture and we’ll write +on it, _Boy Scout of superhuman strength! He is standing on the huge +rock which he put inside the tent by his own tremendous scout prowess. +Write and ask him how he did it._” + +_Oh boy!_ I’m sorry we ever did that crazy thing because we’ve been +getting letters from Boy Scouts ever since. But jiminies, I had to +laugh. We stripped Pee-wee to the waist and stood him on the rock inside +the tent with his arms folded and a scowl all over his face. We made him +look like a gladiator. Then we raised up one side of the tent so as to +get plenty of light and we took a dandy picture of him standing on the +flat rock. Afterward we got some printed in Catskill and I pasted one on +a card and I typed some stuff on the card with the typewriter in +Administration Shack. I’m so strong I can use a typewriter with one +hand. It said: + + YOUNG HERCULES HARRIS + BOY SCOUT. + + WHO WITHOUT THE AID OF A DERRICK OR EVEN + A CROWBAR SUCCEEDED IN PLACING THE HUGE + ROCK INSIDE THE TENT. ASK HOW HE DID IT. + + ROY BLAKELEY--SCOUT SCRIBE OF + 1ST BRIDGEBORO, N. J. TROOP. + CABIN L, TEMPLE CAMP. + +Dub and Sandy and I tacked that picture on the bulletin-board at Temple +Camp and a Scout came and asked me how Pee-wee ever did it. + +“That’s easy,” I said. “He put the tent up over the rock. No sooner said +than stung.” + +I think it was that fellow that sent the picture to _Boys’ Magazine_. +Anyway, pretty soon letters began coming to me asking how any Boy Scout +could lift such a rock and ever since then I’ve been sending postal +cards to Scouts all over the country telling them and it’s getting to be +no joke because, jiminy crinkums, don’t you suppose I’ve got anything to +do with my money but buy postage stamps? I can’t even get a new tennis +racket and I had to stop eating ice cream cones. So please stop writing +to me because now you know how it is. Write to Pee-wee and address him +care of the cooking shack--that’s where he usually hangs out. I’m +through answering letters. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE DISTANT FLICKER + + +I made flipflops for lunch and Pee-wee ate eleven of them. Dub ate +seven. Sandy said he could eat them as fast as I could make them, but I +was four ahead of him when he stopped. So then we each took one. That +made twelve for Pee-wee. He wanted one more but I said it would be bad +luck. + +We had bad luck anyway. We dug around all afternoon in all the crevices +and places and we drained out that pool and poked all around between the +rocks in the bottom of it. We couldn’t find any oilskin container. We +turned over lots of rocks in the bed of the brook and looked underneath +to see if anything might have got wedged there. Wherever two rocks were +close together we pried them apart. We found lots of things that had got +caught when they were floating down the stream, pieces of wood and +things like that. And we felt all around at the roots of bushes that +were under water when the brook was running. One place, in a crevice +between two rocks, we found a whistle made out of willow wood. It was so +dry the bark curled right off it. I said I guessed it came from Temple +Camp. But Sandy said _no_, because the brook flowed into Black Lake. +Maybe some kid away up in the mountains made that whistle and lost it in +the brook, hey? + +We kept on hunting till suppertime and then I fried bacon and we roasted +potatoes and Pee-wee’s face got all blackened up eating them. So I +opened a can of soup so he could get the black off his face and that +only made his face worse--honest he looked like a coal-bin. There was a +spring and we got water from that. There was a cross cut in the rock +over it and Pee-wee said it was an Indian sign. Dub said, “Maybe the +last of the Mohegans are camping around here.” + +“Sure,” I said, “maybe there’s a tribe of Indian motorcycles parked up +the line. Wherever Pee-wee goes he sees Indian signs. Once he saw some +Indian meal in the street and he thought a tribe of Indians had passed +through. He thinks a hotel reservation is where Indians live. I can tell +you what that cross means,” I said, “and you want to remember it +wherever you hike around these parts. It means the water in that spring +has been tested and it’s all right. That cross was put there by a savage +tribe of doctors. Pee-wee knows all about signs. He went to night school +and he can even read them in the dark.” + +I had to laugh at the kid, he was sitting there with his face all +blackened up, munching an apple. I said, “Are you sure you had enough to +eat? Pretty soon it will be dark and then you won’t be able to find your +mouth any more.” + +“You think you’re smart showing off in front of new fellers,” the kid +said. He could hardly speak, he was having such a mortal combat with a +big bite of apple. + +“If you took smaller bites they wouldn’t be so big,” I told him. “You +ought to take your bites in two sections, then you’d think you were +eating two apples--don’t answer till convenient.” + +“Ythnkersmartdontyer,” Pee-wee munched at me. + +“Explain all that,” I said. “Do you know Pee-wee’s favorite word?” I +asked Dub and Sandy. “_Troop_ because it rhymes with _soup_. Look out +now, he’s going to speak.” + +“Do you mean to say Indians were never around here?” the kid shouted. +“Didn’t Uncle Jeb even find an old arrow in the woods?” + +“It was an old Pierce-Arrow,” I said. “Pee-wee is so dumb he thinks an +especially fine ford across a stream is called a Lincoln--take your time +and answer, pronouncing each word distinctly.” + +“Do you know what he said?” Pee-wee screamed at Dub and Sandy. “He has +to be so smart with new fellers at camp he told Harold Titus that a +tomahawk is a male bird and Harold Titus wrote it down in his scout +record book. I’m warning you to be careful because you’re new fellers +and the first thing you know he’ll make fools of you like when he told +even a little lame tenderfoot that Robin Hood is a bird’s hat, you can +ask Westy Martin in his own patrol and even worse he told another little +feller----” + +“We’ll wait while you take a bite,” I said. + +“I can eat and talk too!” the kid shouted. “Even he told another +tenderfoot that the rule that says you have to hike one mile and back +means that you have to come back backwards and that tenderfoot tried to +do it and he slipped and hurt his kneecap----” + +“That’s no place to wear a cap,” Dub said. + +“Absolutely right,” I spoke up gallantly. + +“He hurt himself in three places,” the kid yelled. + +“He should keep out of such places,” Sandy said. + +“Absolutely positively correct the first time,” I said. “A true Scout +wouldn’t go to such places--I leave it to Dub.” + +“What places are you talking about?” Pee-wee yelled. + +“Any places,” I said. “What’s the difference? As for that tenderfoot or +tender knee or whatever he was, his name was Piker, he was so mean that +when the flag was raised he only gave two cheers. Anyway what’s that got +to do with Indians? Whenever Pee-wee can’t answer an argument he takes a +big bite of his apple--it’s a cinch.” + +By that time it was dark and we were just getting ready to start a +little camp-fire when all of a sudden the kid said, “Look!” + +“Is it Indians?” I asked him. + +“Shh--look!” he said. “There’s a light way down in the other end of the +chasm.” + +We all looked, and jiminy crinkums if he wasn’t right. Away far down at +the other end we could see a little light shining. I guess maybe that +was a half a mile away. + +“That’s blamed funny,” I said. “I wonder what that is.” + +“It’s human beings,” Pee-wee said in a kind of a scared whisper. + +“I never heard of anybody camping in here,” I said. Dub and Sandy just +looked. We were all good and surprised. It was just a teeny little +light, away off, but it had us guessing. + +Sandy said, “I don’t just like to turn in for the night without knowing +who that is.” + +“You’re right,” I said. + +“What’s the difference?” Dub said. + +“The difference is I’m going to find out who it is,” Pee-wee said. “I’m +going to sneak up and find out. Do you think I’m going to sleep in this +chasm with bandits, maybe? Maybe it’s those same bandits that robbed the +post office in Warnerville the other night.” + +I said, “It’s too bad you threw away the core of your apple, you might +need it to throw at them.” + +But Dub and Sandy didn’t laugh, they just kept gazing down through the +dark chasm at that little light. Seeing it there kind of made the chasm +seem even more dark and spooky. I wouldn’t have minded so much if there +was some one else in the chasm only, gee whiz, I wanted to know who it +was. A light isn’t always so cheerful--sometimes it’s kind of scary. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +IN THE DARK + + +The fire was already started so I said I’d go with Pee-wee while Dub and +Sandy stayed and tended to it. Because there’s a rule that you must +never leave a fire, no matter where, without somebody to watch it. + +When Pee-wee and I are alone we never have any mortal comebacks. That’s +one thing I’ll say about him, he gets excited but he never stays mad. +He’s the biggest enemy I’ve got among all my special friends. It was +good and dark walking through the chasm. You have to go over rocks and +through brush and you don’t get along very fast. + +I said, “If it turns out to be somebody camping, remember don’t say +anything about why we’re camping here--don’t say anything about the will +or anything Mr. Bagley told us.” + +“Yes but maybe he might have told somebody else too,” Pee-wee said. + +I said no I didn’t think so, because he seemed to like us and he kind of +gave us the job. + +“Even if we make friends with them we’ll keep it a secret, hey?” the kid +said. “Because I think we’re going to find that thing, hey?” + +“Sure, we’ve got all to-morrow and most of the next day to hunt,” I +said. “And don’t worry, because if Mr. Bagley told anybody else, they +wouldn’t be camping down at the other end of the chasm.” + +After a little while we came near enough to see that the light was in a +funny kind of a tent, I suppose you’d call it. It was up against the +side of the chasm--it was slanting from the side of the chasm to the +ground. We stopped about two or three hundred feet away from it. As near +as I could make out the cloth was fixed to the side of the chasm and +went down over a couple of poles. It was like a lean-to shelter only +there was so much canvas it went right down to the ground. A lean-to +hasn’t got any sides but this had sides and you couldn’t see inside it. +All we could see was a bright spot on the canvas where the light was +inside. + +[Illustration: ALL WE COULD SEE WAS A BRIGHT SPOT ON THE CANVAS.] + +“They’re not Scouts anyway,” I said. + +“What’s that on top of the thing?” Pee-wee whispered to me. + +Honest, I couldn’t make out that crazy tent at all. We went a little +closer and stopped short when I stepped on a twig. Gee williger, that +twig sounded like a cannon when it broke, it was so dark and quiet all +around. + +“Shall we go on our hands and knees?” Pee-wee asked in my ear. + +“No, just stand here a minute and don’t move your feet,” I said. “There +are all dried leaves and brittle twigs under us. If I start to run you +do the same.” + +“And I won’t sneeze either, hey?” the kid said. + +“You stay where you are,” I told him. + +I went ahead a little bit, close enough so I could see that shelter +better. It had _me_ guessing. As near as I could make out there were +branches laid all over the canvas--I mean on top. I didn’t know why any +one would want to do that. The whole thing looked sort of like a thatch +roof sticking out from the rocky wall, with canvas hanging down to the +ground on the side where I was. It was a blamed crazy looking outfit, +I’ll say that. Maybe it was meant to be camouflaged, that’s what I +thought. I wasn’t going to go marching up to it, you bet. + +Even I took off my sneaks before I went back to Pee-wee so I could feel +the twigs with my bare feet and wouldn’t make a sound by breaking them. +All of a sudden I heard a kind of a rustling sound but I guess it was +only a bird. + +“Come back a little,” I said to Pee-wee, “and be careful how you walk.” + +“I’ve got my shoes off already,” the kid whispered, “and I tied the +laces together and I’ve got the shoes hung around my neck--that’s the +way Scouts used to do. And if you keep your mouth shut then you’ll be +sure to keep from sneezing.” I had to laugh. “Well, you keep your mouth +shut,” I said. + +When we got a little further away from the place we stopped and I said, +“That’s the darnedest, funniest thing _I_ ever saw. It looks like a +pigpen with tent sides to it. The top is all covered with brush. That +would never keep it from leaking. What do you suppose is the idea? Maybe +it’s meant to be disguised--what do you say?” + +Pee-wee grabbed hold of me and pushed his mouth tight against my ear and +whispered, “I bet you it’s those bandits that robbed the post office, I +bet you it is! And I’m going to find out.” + +“You’re going to do nothing of the kind,” I said. “If it’s robbers, or +even tramps, we better keep away. Come ahead back to our tent--we’ll +find out to-morrow.” + +“Do you think I’m a quitter?” Pee-wee said. “Do you think I can’t sneak +up there without making any sound? Didn’t I stalk a rabbit and he never +knew it till another rabbit told him? You wait here and hold my shoes. +Now we’ve got a dandy mystery--it’s a good mysterious one.” + +“All right,” I said, “but for the love of goodness be careful. When you +come back, how can you tell where to find me in the dark? I tell you the +way we’ll do. I’ll--shh----” + +“What is it?” he said. + +“I thought I heard a sound,” I told him. “This is the way I’ll +do--shh--I’ll keep close in by the wall and you come along close to it, +then you’ll be sure to find me. I know a place where we can scramble up +if we have to and get out of the chasm. And look out you don’t make any +sound. I don’t know who’s there, but the place has got _me_ guessing.” + +One thing I’ll say for Pee-wee, he can make the loudest noise with his +mouth and the smallest noise with his feet of any Scout I ever knew. +He’s sure one little fiend when it comes to stalking--grasshoppers, +crickets, field-mice and everything he stalks. And believe me, you just +try to stalk a field-mouse, you just try it. But just the same I felt +kind of scary waiting for him. I picked my way along the rocky wall till +I came to the place where we could make a short cut out if we had to. It +was a kind of wide crevice where you could scramble up. + +I kept waiting and waiting, and he didn’t come back. Then I began +thinking what I would do if he didn’t come back at all. Gee whiz, +bandits these days, they don’t care what they do. I was kind of sorry I +let Pee-wee go. All of a sudden there he was. And even in the dark I +could see he looked good and scared. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +THE REWARD + + +Pee-wee was so excited he could hardly speak. “We don’t have to hurry,” +he said, “because nobody saw me--I didn’t make a sound. Listen, it’s +bandits! I crept around to the other side of the place and there isn’t +any canvas there at all. The top is all covered with brush like you said +and underneath there’s a couple of blankets where people sleep. +_Listen_--there are pistols--three of them--one great big one--I _saw_ +them. And I saw a mask or something like bandits use--black. Even a +shotgun I saw--listen--there’s nobody in there now, but you can bet I +didn’t wait.” + +“Are you sure you’re not dreaming?” I asked him. + +“Do you think I don’t know a dream when I see one?” he said. “Do you +call a shotgun and pistols and a burglar’s mask all things like that a +dream? And you needn’t say that it’s somebody hunting because this isn’t +the hunting season so you needn’t say it. And nobody ever goes camping +like that--no _sireeee_. I know who’s hiding there all right. It’s those +bandits that robbed the post office in Warnerville and we can get the +reward and I’m the one that wanted to sneak up and you said no, so that +shows how much you don’t know--it’s good I didn’t do like you said +because now you got the proof I didn’t get killed. And I bet this cleft +is where they came down, too. We’d better get away from here.” + +“I guess you’re right,” I said. + +“_Oh boy_, that’s some discovery!” he said. “It’s even almost better +than finding that will. And anyway I’m elected leader now because I +discovered them so I’m going to be the one to say what we’ll do.” + +I said, “It was a very exciting election, I’ll say that. All right, kid, +come ahead back. I guess you win to-night. What are we going to do about +it?” + +He said, all excited, “To-morrow morning early we’re going to go to +Bagley Center and tell the police--that’s the nearest village. Oh boy, +we’ll get the reward because I saw a bulletin in the Catskill Post +Office and I think it’s a thousand dollars, anyway there were a lot of +naughts----” + +“Maybe the naughts were upside down,” I said. I had to laugh he was so +excited. + +“There was a five and a lot of naughts,” he said, “and now I’m sorry I +didn’t count them. Then after we get the reward we’ll find the will and +Mr. Bagley will get his land and he’ll sell it to Temple Camp--and do +you know what let’s do?” + +“Break it to me gently,” I said. + +“We’ll have about a thousand dollars anyway and we’ll build a troop +cabin in that new land, away off in the woods, and we won’t let anybody +come there. We’ll be kind of different from everybody at camp, hey? +Maybe we’ll let visitors come to see us--because I bet a lot of people +will want to see us, hey, especially girls. Even we’ll be _double_ +heroes.” + +Then he came up for air and he didn’t say any more till we got to camp, +only trudged along beside me very important. He was starting in being a +hero already. When we got to camp he went marching up and started +trampling out the little fire. I guess Dub and Sandy thought he was +crazy. + +“What’s the idea?” Sandy wanted to know. + +“I’ll tell you as soon as the fire is out,” Pee-wee said, very +mysterious like. + +They looked at me and I just said, “Ask the kid, he’s the big hero +to-night.” + +“I found the place where those bandits are hiding,” Pee-wee said. “We +have to be careful and not have any light. To-morrow morning we’re going +up to Bagley Center to tell the police.” + +I said, “Don’t look at me, you heard what he said.” + +I guess none of us slept very much that night, I know _I_ didn’t. I kept +hearing sounds all the time and once I thought somebody was creeping up +to our tent. I was sorry we didn’t go up to the village right away as +soon as we found that camp but the other fellows thought every one would +be in bed. I just lay there listening for sounds. Once I fell asleep and +I had a dream that I found old Mr. Bagley’s last will and I was just +going to go and give it to him when one of those bandits pointed a +pistol at me and was just going to shoot me when Pee-wee threw a tomato +at him and I started to run. Jiminies, when you travel with Pee-wee +there’s something doing even when you’re asleep. + +He got us up at about five o’clock in the morning, you’d have thought we +were going to catch a train. I said, “I’d rather be a bandit, then I +wouldn’t have to get up so early.” + +He said, “We better have strong coffee on account of what we’re going to +do.” + +I was so sleepy I hardly knew what I was saying. I staggered up against +Dub--he was as bad as I was. + +“How much is it--ten thousand dollars?” he stammered. + +“You mean the reward?” I said. I didn’t know what I was saying I was so +sleepy. “Search me, all I know is it’s got a five and a lot of naughts. +I don’t even know if the naughts are in front of the five or after it. +It may be one five thousandth of a cent for all I know, we should worry, +where’s the coffee-pot? We’re all mixed up with so much money and I +haven’t got enough for an ice cream cone when we get to Bagley Center. +That’s one thing I don’t like about robbers, they get you up so early in +the morning.” + +“Suppose the wind shouldn’t be blowing toward Bagley Center?” Sandy +said. He was so dopey he couldn’t find the sugar and he handed me the +bottle of iodine. + +“Then we can’t go,” I said. + +“Are you going to start your crazy nonsense?” the kid wanted to know. +“Are you going to wake up and have some sense?” + +After we had our coffee we got awake and we started being serious. +Because I had to admit that robbers are no laughing matter. Anyway +Pee-wee wasn’t any laughing matter. + +“Do you think it’s a joke getting five thousand dollars maybe?” he said. + +“That’s no joke,” I said. “Come on, I’m going to start in being serious. +Who’s going to be serious?” + +“I am,” Dub said. + +“Same here,” Sandy said. + +“I’ll even cry if you want me to,” I said to Pee-wee. + +If you look at my specially made map you’ll see there’s a dotted line +going from Beaver Chasm to Bagley Center, and it’s a dandy dotted line, +too. I made it good and slow. But I like to make railroads and brooks +better. All through there is woods. That dotted line is a trail. But, +believe me, you wouldn’t care anything about Bagley Center. But there’s +one good thing about it, I didn’t see any school there. The trail runs +right into the village--it’s the only thing in the village that runs. I +was wondering where Mr. Bagley lived. + +“Maybe he’d be a good one to tell,” Pee-wee said, “because don’t you +know how he said he was away a lot and had adventures before he came +home to stay?” + +I said, “No, I think we better go to the police because they’re the +right ones to go to.” + +There wasn’t anybody up in the village, anyway we didn’t see anybody. +Only one man we saw and he was driving down the street in a wagon with +milk cans. He turned around and kept staring at us. Pretty soon we came +to a house where there was a girl sweeping off the porch. I guess maybe +she was a Girl Scout or something like that because she had a khaki +blouse on. She was busy, sweeping good and hard. + +Pee-wee said, “Let’s ask her where the police station is, hey?” + +“Sure,” I said, “I’ll ask her. Only maybe she’s sweeping in her sleep, +it’s so early. I wouldn’t want to wake her up.” + +“If she’s asleep she’ll tell you so,” Dub said. + +“I never thought of that,” I told him. + +“Are you thinking about getting the robbers arrested or are you thinking +about being a fool?” Pee-wee wanted to know. + +I went up to the girl and I said, “Hey, girl, are you awake because we’d +like to ask you a question?” + +“Don’t you pay any attention to him because he’s a fool,” Pee-wee said. +“Will you please tell us where the police station is?” + +She stopped sweeping and she looked kind of surprised and she said, +“It’s on Main Street and it’s right next to the Fire House.” + +I said, “Can you get any ice cream cones anywhere around there?” + +“Don’t you pay any attention to him,” Pee-wee piped up, “because it’s +serious business--so do you think the police are up yet?” + +She said, “Goodness me, I don’t know, but if you’re hungry _I_ can give +you something to eat. I shouldn’t think you’d want ice cream cones so +early in the morning. I just bet you’re Boy Scouts and you’re lost. Do +you know where you are?” + +“We’re here,” I said. + +“Oh I just bet you’re lost,” she said. “Because you don’t belong in this +town. I bet you belong over at that big camp and I bet you’ve been out +all night and don’t know where you are. Last summer two boys that +belonged over at that camp, they were such smarties they got lost and +they thought this was Snowden Hollow and they had to go to the police +station and get something to eat and three girls showed them how to get +back to their camp. Oh I just almost _died_ laughing! The whole village +was laughing about it.” + +“That would be only about five people anyway,” I said. “It wouldn’t be +enough to make a good laugh. We’ve had as many as thirty or forty people +laughing at us,” I said. + +“Even fifty,” Pee-wee said, “and besides, you think you’re so smart, +we’re not lost at all and if you knew what we came to this town for +you’d even be scared. And besides sometimes Boy Scouts get lost on +purpose----” + +“And they get hungry on purpose, too,” Dub said. + +“They get lost so they can find their way,” the kid shouted at her. +“That shows how much prowess they’ve got.” + +“We carry it around in our pockets,” I told her. “And resources, too, we +have plenty of them. How can you find your way if you don’t get lost? +Anybody that knows short division can do that.” + +The girl just sat down on the steps and kept on laughing and laughing +and laughing. She said, “That’s just too funny! They get lost so they +can find their way! _Oh dear!_” + +I said, “I know even funnier things than that.” + +“That’s all girls can do--_giggle_,” the kid said. “When they get in a +boat they scream, and when they see a mouse they scream, and when they +see a spider they scream, and they’re scared of snakes and caterpillars, +especially toads, and all they can do is giggle. Anyway just to show you +how smart you’re not with your giggling and laughing at Scouts, now I’ll +tell you what we came to this village for and it wasn’t to get something +to eat--you’re so smart! It’s because we know where some robbers are +camped, and if they’re the ones we think they are we’ll get a reward, I +don’t know how much it is. But anyway did you ever hear of girls getting +a reward for scouting, I mean doing big things? Stopping trains and +finding lost people and saving lives and all that? So now you know why +we want to go to the police station--you’re so crazy all you can do is +to sit there and giggle! Sweep with brooms, that’s all girls can do.” + +She stood up all of a sudden, very brave--you know how they throw their +heads back--girls. She stamped her foot at Pee-wee and looked straight +in his eyes as if she was trying to scare him and she put her face right +close up in front of him. + +I said, “Don’t you dare to kiss him.” + +“I wouldn’t kiss such a dunce,” she said. “But I’ll tell you what my pal +and I did yesterday afternoon. There’s a crazy man named Saul Bagley in +this village and he escaped from his home and wandered away three days +ago and there was a reward of a hundred dollars offered by his cousins +where he lives to anybody that would find him. And we two girls traced +him to Dale’s Corners and he was telling everybody there that Charlie +Chaplin gave him a million dollars and the Boy Scouts got it away from +him. And last night Miss Ella Bagley gave us a check for one hundred +dollars. So _there_, Mr. Smarty.” + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +IT IS TO LAUGH + + +Dub and Sandy and Pee-wee and I all just stared at each other. + +“Did--didn’t his--Mr. Bagley--didn’t his father leave him a lot of money +and everything in a will?” the kid blurted out. + +The girl said, “Oh goodness me, no. He’s been telling everybody that for +years. Oh he’s perfectly harmless, only he wanders off.” + +I said, “Will you please excuse me while I drop dead? We met him over at +Bagley’s Green and he told us his father got killed in Beaver Chasm and +that his last will got lost there.” + +“That’s just like him,” the girl said. “His father did lose his life +there but there wasn’t any _will_. Oh goodness me, did he tell you +that?” + +“Haven’t we been hunting for the will?” Sandy blurted right out. + +The girl just looked at us and then, _goodnight_, she started laughing. +Boy, I never saw anybody laugh so hard. She said, “Oh it’s just too +_excruciating_!” + +“You think you’re big using hard words,” the kid said. “What do we care +about wills? Do you say robbers aren’t more important than wills? If you +saw what I saw last night you wouldn’t be standing there laughing like +a--like a hyena. _A regular robber’s den._” + +The girl said, “Well, if that’s what you saw you’d better run and tell +the police. But I bet all you saw was the camp of the moving picture +people who have a regular robber’s cave over in the chasm and they’re +making part of a picture there. We’ve been over there three or four +times to watch them. And, oh I think you’re just too funny for +_anything_!” + +Oh boy, I wish you could have seen Pee-wee! He just stared at her. + +She said, “Don’t tell me it was a little rush-covered lean-to that you +saw! Why that’s the place where the kidnapped child is taken to--and +kept there by the robbers. Mr. Hartley, he’s one of the robbers, and +he’s a perfectly lovely man. He comes up here to town lots and lots.” + +“I guess he was here last night,” I said. + +Even still, Pee-wee just stared. + +I said, “Well there’s only one thing for us to do now and that is to +rescue that child from the moving picture robbers. Anyway I feel the +need of an ice cream cone to keep me from laughing to death.” + +Even after we started away the girl was sitting there on the porch steps +laughing at us. I was glad when we got around the corner. Pee-wee didn’t +say a single word. + +“Two strikes out,” I said. “There goes the will, also the robbers. I +blame it all to Pee-wee’s windmeter. Those were the two most thrilling +adventures I ever didn’t have. But anyway I’ve got a new idea----” + +“If it’s crazy we’re not going to do it,” the kid shouted. + +“I don’t blame you,” I said. “Don’t ever mention the word crazy to me +again. And the next time you wake me up at five o’clock in the morning +I’ll kill you. What are we going to do now?” + +“One thing, we’re not going to make any solemn pledge,” the kid said. + +Sandy said, “The more we don’t make, the better I’ll like it. Anyway we +can camp in the chasm to-night, can’t we? I say let’s go back and get +acquainted with those movie people.” + +Dub said, “Sure, maybe we can get them to take pictures of us hunting +for old man Bagley’s will.” + +“Well, anyway,” I said, “there’s one thing that’s real and that’s ice +cream cones. What do you say we go and get some and then start back?” + +Dub said, “Let’s not bother.” + +“Do you call ice cream cones a bother?” the kid shouted. + +“Maybe they’re a bother, but I don’t mind a little bother,” Sandy said. +“If I was coaxed I might even eat two.” + +“I don’t believe we’ll find any stores open yet,” Dub said. + +“I can eat seven even without being coaxed,” Pee-wee said. + +“You have to coax him to stop,” I told Sandy. + +I had to laugh, we started out to hunt for a lost will, then we got +started after a reward for finding some bandits, and there we were in +Bagley Center on the trail of ice cream cones. + +I said to them, “This is just the kind of a hike I like, it’s full of +adventures that we don’t have--it’s safe and insane.” + +The kid said, “That’s a good name for it. Why don’t you call it _Roy +Blakeley’s Safe and Insane Hike_?” + +“Wait till it’s finished,” I said. “Now if we could only save somebody’s +life and then find that it wasn’t anybody after all.” + +“Every hike you have you get crazier,” Pee-wee said. + +“Life, liberty and the pursuit of snappiness,” I told him. “The most +interesting things you do are the things you don’t do, I’ll leave it to +Sandy. You take adventures; you don’t know what to do with them after +you get them. If you could keep them it would be all right. I should +worry about having adventures. _I’m_ out for fun, that’s what I’m out +for. Now you take young Scout Harris. It’s different with him.” + +“I’ve got some sense,” Pee-wee said. “Do you mean to tell me that place +didn’t look like a robber’s den?” + +“I don’t know, I never saw a robber’s den,” I told him. + +“But if there was a robber’s den it would look like that, wouldn’t it?” +he shouted at me. “Didn’t we get all excited? Wasn’t that an adventure? +It’s better than a lot of nonsense like you usually have in your crazy +hike stories.” + +All the time we were going down the main street of Bagley Center and Dub +and Sandy were laughing at us. Pretty soon we came to a candy store and +we went in and got some cones. Sandy said he would pay for them out of +the reward we didn’t get. We all sat along the counter eating them. The +man--gee, he was a nice man--he stood there talking to us. Dub asked him +if he knew the moving picture people over at the chasm. + +He said, “You mean the folks that was doing that Cumberland Mountain +stuff? Yes, they often come over here. Guess they’re pretty near +finished, ain’t they? I heard they was finishing up. That’s a pretty +clever youngster they got with them, so I hear. You boys seen him? +Dresses up like one of you Scout fellers. What’s his name--Bunko +Bravado, is it? He’s only ’bout sixteen or so. He was in here after some +candy one day. Yes, they’re a great lot. I see a picture down to +Peekskill last winter had that kid in it. Why they threw him off a big +cliff and the next you see he was swimming in the water. Gave me the +shivers. He’s escaping from a band of kidnappers, or something or other +like that, over in the chasm, so I hear.” + +Dub said, “I bet it’s hard candy he eats.” + +“Sure, rock candy,” Sandy said. + +The man said, “I think it was marshmallows.” + +Pee-wee didn’t bother saying anything till he finished his cone--he was +too busy. Then, all of a sudden he opened up. + +“That shows how much you don’t know,” he said to the man, “because boys +in moving pictures are a lot of bluffs. That was just a dummy they threw +off the cliff. They don’t do real things like Scouts do. Some of them do +like Douglas Fairbanks, but most of them, I can do better things +myself--thrilling and all that.” + +“Douglas Fairbanks is terribly jealous of him,” I said to the man. “If +you should see Douglas Fairbanks, don’t mention the name of Scout +Harris, whatever you do--it only makes trouble.” + +“They’re a lot of false alarms in the movies,” the kid said. “When it +comes to running and trailing and stalking and jumping and showing +resources and things Boy Scouts can beat them every time. Scouts, they +know how to swim and dive--they don’t have to have rag dummies to do +their stunts for them--_geeeee whiz_!” + +“They can even do their own eating,” I said. + +So then each of us had another cone and after that we started back to +Beaver Chasm. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +HONORS AND AWARDS + + +We took our time hiking back to the chasm. That’s the way we always do. +We just ambled along kind of kidding each other--you know how. Because +anyway we didn’t have to get back to Temple Camp till the next day. One +reason we took our time was because Dub wanted to take some snapshots in +the woods. + +After a little while he said, “Now that we had our adventures with +bandits and wills, can anybody tell me about the Gold Cross?” + +“I can tell you all about it,” Pee-wee piped up. “You have to save a +life by risking your own life. Then you’re a hero. It isn’t like winning +the life-saving badge, like you have to do to get to be an Eagle. For +that you only have to know how to save a life. But to get the Gold Cross +you have to save one. See?” + +“It’s the same, only different,” I said. “Some Scouts think that to win +the taxidermy badge all you have to do is drive a taxi. Pee-wee thought +he could get the plumbing badge by eating plums. But he was mistaken +just the same as he was when he thought if he won the astronomy badge +he’d be a Star Scout. He thinks a Life Scout is one that has saved a +life.” + +“Will you shut up while I give him information about scouting!” the kid +screamed at me. + +“Just the same as you can’t get the first aid badge till after you get +the second aid badge,” I said to Dub. “That’s where a lot of Scouts fall +down. Pee-wee thinks that pioneering means making pie, but you can’t get +the badge that way because he tried. If you save a life by losing your +own you get the Gold Cross. If you save two lives you get the double +cross--I’ll leave it to Sandy.” + +“That shows how much you don’t know about the rules!” Pee-wee yelled at +me, “because they don’t have the Gold Cross any more, they have a round +medal. They don’t have the Silver Cross or the Bronze Cross any more +either.” + +“But the double cross they have,” Sandy said. + +“Absolutely, positively incorrect the first time,” I said. “If a Scout +having won the first aid, second aid, and lemonade awards, gets +double-crossed, that means he’s an Eagle Scout--I’ll leave it to +Pee-wee. If you want to know all about scouting apply to Roy Blakeley, +leader of the Silver Fox Patrol----” + +“You mean the Silver Fool Patrol!” the kid said. + +“Is there anything else you’d like to know?” I asked Dub. + +He said, “Well, I was thinking that maybe if I saved a life, I’d get the +life-saving badge and then I’d be an Eagle and I’d get the Gold Medal +too.” + +“You’ve got an appetite like Pee-wee,” I said. + +“I thought I might kill two birds with one stone,” he said. + +“A Scout is not supposed to kill birds,” I told him, “so there’s where +you’re going to get in trouble. What do you want the Gold Medal for?” + +“_He’s crazy_, don’t you listen to him!” Pee-wee shouted at Dub. “You +win the life-saving badge by rules and you win the Gold Medal by being a +hero. And if you get the Gold Medal, that doesn’t give you the +life-saving badge.” + +“Any more than if you’re chicken-hearted it gives you the poultry +badge,” I told him. “That’s where lots of Scouts make mistakes. I never +make any.” + +“You have them ready made,” Pee-wee shouted. + +Dub said--he was trying to be serious--he said, “Well it seems funny to +me that if you save a life you don’t get the life-saving badge. If I +could only do that, then I could finish my Eagle tests and get the Gold +Medal too. You see I’ve got a towering ambition. What I’m thinking about +is that Ellen Burnside award of a hundred dollars that goes with the +Gold Medal. I thought I might save somebody’s life and get the medal and +the hundred dollars, then get my Eagle badge on the strength of the +life-saving stunt and then I could live up in Eagle Crag Cabin for the +rest of the summer----” + +“And have me visit you,” I said. + +“Good-night, Napoleon didn’t have anything on you,” Sandy said. + +“If you had a bean-shooter up at Eagle Crag Cabin you might conquer +Temple Camp,” I said, “and you could send Pee-wee with a large +detachment to demand the surrender of the cooking shack.” + +Dub said, “Well I guess it can’t be did. First I was crazy enough to be +counting on our getting some kind of a reward for finding that will, and +then I was thinking maybe we’d get the reward for finding some bandits.” + +“All you think about is money,” Sandy said. + +“All I’m thinking about is staying till the end of the season with you +fellows,” Dub said. “Just us four, I wish we could stick together till +camp closes. We’ve had a lot of fun doing nothing. Gee, I like you +fellows----” that’s just the way he said. He said, “That’s the way I am, +I’d rather get in with just three or four fellows and bang around with +them than be in with everybody. I’ve been here a week and I don’t know +many Scouts at camp--only you fellows. Christopher, I wish I could stay +with you. I’m kind of sorry I came up at all now, because it will be so +hard to go back. Crinkums, you sure have kept me laughing.” + +After he spoke like that we all just hiked along a little while and +nobody said anything. Even Pee-wee didn’t say anything. + +Pretty soon Sandy said to me, “How soon do you and Pee-wee have to go +home?” + +“Not till the camp closes up,” I told him. + +“Oh boy!” Dub said. + +“Me till August twenty,” Sandy said. + +“Me till next Saturday,” Dub said. “Hard luck, hey? After I get home +I’ll be thinking about you jollying Pee-wee.” + +“Will you think about me answering him back?” Pee-wee piped up. “How I +beat him in arguments?” + +“Sure,” Dub said. And he just went along, kind of smiling and not saying +anything. None of us said anything. + +After a while the kid said, “Why do you have to go back?” + +“Shut up,” I whispered to him. Sandy looked at the kid, too, and sort of +frowned. + +“Oh just because,” Dub said. “It’s like having one little sliver of +pie--you only want more. I wasn’t thinking about it when we started out. +Will you fellows be here next summer?” + +Jiminies, but I felt sorry for him. I’ll tell you how it was with Dub, +he was an in-and-outer. That’s a Scout that comes to camp alone without +any troop or anything, and just stays a couple of weeks or so. Some of +them only stay one week. Those fellows have to start home as soon as +they get in with anybody. My troop goes up as soon as school closes and +we stay till school opens. All of a sudden I could see how it was with +Dub. Do you remember how even he kind of didn’t want to go get ice cream +cones in Bagley Center? It was because he only had a little bit of money +and he had to take care of it. + +After the way he talked coming back then I knew that all the while he +had really been counting on us getting some kind of a reward. Me, I +should worry about those things. I’m out for fun, not money. And now I +knew he was thinking of some way so he could stay at Temple Camp and go +around with us. That fellow would be an Eagle Scout only for one badge, +but that wouldn’t do him any good about staying at camp. If he saved +some fellow’s life he’d get the Gold Medal, and besides he’d get a +hundred dollars--that’s the Ellen Burnside award for anybody that gets +the Gold Medal. But you don’t see fellows risking their lives every day +in the week. It isn’t like trying for a badge. I felt sorry for him. + +I was walking with him ahead of the others and he said, “I suppose you +think I’m crazy. But do they give you that hundred dollars as soon as +you win it?” + +I said, “Listen Dub, I’ll tell you, no fooling, how it is. There are +lots of different awards at camp--donations, sort of. But that’s the +only one with money.” + +“That’s why I’d like to win it, so I can stay,” he said. “I wonder if +you get the money right away?” + +I said, “That wouldn’t make any difference, Dub. I think it isn’t given +out till later. But if a Scout wants to stay the camp will give him +credit for it--that’s easy. Tom Slade--he’s chief scout assistant--he +could fix that for you. But what’s the use counting on that, Dub?” + +He said, “I know it.” + +“Waiting for somebody to get his life in danger! You might be six months +waiting.” + +“And it isn’t such a good thing to be waiting for either; is it?” he +said. + +I said, “No it isn’t, if it comes to that--if you want to look at it +that way. I never thought about that. Gee, I’d like to see you stay, +Dub. I’d try to work you in on the hospitality award if I could. Any +Scout that swims all around the lake without landing can ask another +fellow to stay at camp all summer. But you see the trouble with all +those awards is that they’re only given once in the season. Now there’s +a Scout here named Wyne Corson and he won that award the first week he +was here. You know Hervey Willetts, don’t you? That fellow with the +funny little hat? Well, he’s the one that’s staying all summer with +Corson. Now nobody else can win that award this season, or I’d try for +it. If I had done it I’d get one of my patrol to do it. Only, you see, +it’s only given out once in a season. The award is for just one fellow’s +board at camp. It’s the same with the Ellen Burnside award. You’ve got +to be the first one to save a life or you don’t get the hundred dollars. +See? The money is only given to one Scout in a season. It’s a private +award, not a B. S. A. award. + +“Every season some fool, or maybe some tenderfoot, gets his life in +danger at Temple Camp, and you’d get a chance to win the medal if you +stayed long enough. That is, you would if you weren’t afraid of risking +your own life. Only you want to win a hundred dollars inside the next +week, and jiminy crinkums, if you did you’d be mighty lucky, that’s all +I can say. If you got your Eagle award, even that wouldn’t do you any +good. Because you couldn’t have Eagle Crag Cabin to stay in unless you +were staying all summer. I mean you could have it to stay in as long as +you’re here, but you’d only be here a week.” + +“Heads or tails I lose, hey?” Dub said. “I guess there’s nothing for me +to do but go home. Like you say, _united we stand, divided we sprawl_. +Well anyway I’m glad I was here while you fellows were here. We had a +good time while it lasted, hey?” + +Jiminies, I felt awful sorry for him. + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +THE HERO MAKER + + +All of a sudden I had an idea and I turned around and said, “Hey, Scout +Harris, you know so much about scouting, is the Rotary Club award for +one hundred dollars?” + +He said, “Yes, but it doesn’t come till the end of the season in the +canoe races.” + +I said, “Well, then, that settles it, we’re out of luck. United we +stand, divided one of us goes home.” + +Dub said, “Never mind, let’s go back to the chasm and see those movie +people. We can camp in the chasm to-night and when we go back to camp +to-morrow, anyway we can say we had a good time. I don’t have to go home +till next Saturday.” + +“You make me tired!” Pee-wee shouted. “You don’t have to go home at all. +That’s what Roy Blakeley’s all the time saying, united we stand, and it +hasn’t got any sense to it. All you have to do is to save somebody’s +life----” + +“Just like that,” I said. + +“Save two or three, then you’ll be sure,” Sandy said. + +“Don’t you pay any attention to them,” the kid shouted. “Just because +they don’t keep their eyes open that doesn’t mean you can’t find a +chance to save life and be a hero and get a hundred dollars. You stay +with me and I bet you inside of a week you’ll see somebody that needs to +get his life saved. On the lake, that’s where you want to stay. You +stick with me and I’ll show you. Gee whiz, if you want to stay at Temple +Camp and be kind of partners with us you can do it, that’s easy.” + +“Sure,” I said, “Scouts risk their lives every evening with matinees on +Saturdays and holidays. Just say what kind of a life you’d like to save +and the fixer will fix it for you. Did you ever hear the poetry Brent +Gaylong made about him?” I said. I guess you fellows that are reading +this story never heard it either. Everybody at Temple Camp knows it. + + His middle name is Hunter’s Stew, + He mixes it. + In mixing he can sure outdo, + All other Scouts he ever knew, + And when a thing goes all askew, + He fixes it. + +Pee-wee shouted, “Do you bet I can’t show you how to save a life? Do you +bet I can’t fix it so you can stay here--do you bet? Even I know some +rattlesnakes, where they live----” + +“You can’t get the reward for saving a rattlesnake’s life,” I said. + +“Will you shut up!” he hollered at me. “I know where they live--a whole +nest of them.” + +“Why did you never tell me this?” I asked him. + +“Because you’re a big fool and will you keep still while I’m talking, +doing a good turn to help a brother Scout like it says you’ve got to do +a lot you know about it making fun of the handbook--_will you shut up_!” + +“I can’t shut up twice at the same time, can I?” I said. + +“Will you _keep_ shut up till I get through talking to Dub?” he shouted. +Oh boy, he was sure started. When he gets started he shouts right along +without ever stopping and that’s why there aren’t any punctuation marks +when he talks. “Will you not be a big fool for one minute!” he yelled at +me. + +“Go ahead,” Dub said. “I’m with you.” + +“You stick with me and I’ll fix it for you----” + +“Now that we’ve found the bandits,” I said. + +“And old man Bagley’s will,” Sandy said. + +“I know where there are rattlesnakes,” the kid shouted, “and I know some +tenderfoots that are going stalking to-morrow right near that tree +and--and--you can--you know how to grab a rattlesnake, don’t you?” + +“Sure I do,” Dub said. + +“And if that doesn’t work----” + +“Then the rattlesnakes will stay all summer and Dub won’t. It’s the same +only different,” I said. + +“You take the lake,” Pee-wee started up again. + +“Take it yourself, I don’t want it,” I said. + +“Will you listen to me?” he shouted at Dub. + +“Let’s have a large chunk of silence and a very little of that,” Sandy +said. “Pee-wee has the floor.” + +“I think he has the blind staggers,” I said. “He’s so highly strung from +everybody stringing him. Go on, turn on the loud speaker.” + +Pee-wee said, “All right, you can laugh----” + +“I’m not laughing,” Dub said. + +“But anyway,” Pee-wee went on, “if you really want to stay at Temple +Camp I’ll find out a way for you to save a life----” + +“First you go to the saving bank,” Sandy said. + +I said, “Absolutely correct the first time. Then you pick out a Scout +that’s dying----” + +“_Do you deny I did a lot of things?_” Pee-wee screeched at the top of +his voice. “Didn’t I tell MacElton a branch was rotten on a willow tree +that sticks out over the lake, _didn’t I_? And didn’t I tell him that +tenderfoots were always up in that tree--_didn’t I_? And didn’t that +branch break just like I said it would? He hung around that in a boat +and he saved little Skinny Bonner from drowning and he got the Gold +Medal. So now, you think you’re so fresh with all your crazy Silver Fox +nonsensical nonsense! You ought to be named the Jackass Patrol, that’s +what Councilor Stone said. If Dub sticks to me next week I’ll show him +how he can win the Gold Medal by saving a life and get the Burnside +hundred dollars too, because I know a way, already I know a way, and he +can stay till the end of the season and even he’ll have some money left +for sodas and cones and things.” + +“So _that’s_ the idea,” I said. + +“No it isn’t the idea,” he screamed at me. “But I know a feller that’s +going to be reckless, and I know where he’s going to do it, and when +he’s going to do it, and I know how you can save him. Only if you’re +going to follow Roy Blakeley around for the rest of the season I pity +you.” + +“Those are harsh words, Sprout Harris,” I said. + +“You stick with me,” Pee-wee said to Dub, “and I’ll show you how. You +just leave it to me. Always I do things when I say I will.” + +“Even when he fails he succeeds,” I said. + +Jiminies, it looked as if the kid had Dub started. He put his arm around +Pee-wee’s shoulder and said, “All right, don’t get excited, kid, I’m +going to stick to you. I have a nunch things are going to break right +for us.” + +“If I say I’ll fix it, I’ll fix it,” Pee-wee said. + +“What’s the use laughing? Maybe he can,” Dub said. “Anyway I believe +something’s going to happen, I just have a feeling.” + +“Oh sure,” I said, “something always happens when Pee-wee is on the +scene.” + +The kid just hiked along, very mad, and very important looking. He +didn’t say a word. + +“Heroes made while you wait,” I said. Sandy was laughing. I was winking +at him. “Harris the hero maker,” I said. + +Just the same I could see that Dub was kind of in with Pee-wee. That’s +the way it is with Pee-wee, he shouts so loud and says what he can do, +and fellows believe him, especially new fellows. Poor Dub, I felt sorry +for him. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +REEL HEROES + + +We were glad when we got back to the chasm; anyway I was, I know that. +Our little tent looked good, standing there. Dub said he wished we could +camp there all summer, just us four. “Yes, and what would I be doing?” I +said. “Cooking meals for the four of us. Do you think all I came up to +Temple Camp for was to cook flapjacks for a human famine?” + +“What are we going to have for lunch?” Pee-wee wanted to know. + +“I’d make some angel cake if I only had some angels,” I told him. “How +about spaghetti and rice pudding? Only we haven’t got any cream.” + +Oh boy, it was nice sitting around eating lunch. I know how to make +dandy spaghetti. You have to have a can of tomatoes and you pour them +over it. Once I flavored it with chocolate but it wasn’t any good, but +licorice isn’t so bad. Once I used a lot of long strings of licorice +that they call shoe strings--you get them three for a cent--I used them +instead of spaghetti. Only tomato sauce doesn’t go good with it. Black +spaghetti, that’s what we called it. It was only just an +experiment--experiments are all right as long as you don’t eat them. + +“I can eat experiments or anything,” Pee-wee said. + +Sandy said he’d like to be in Italy where the spaghetti grows. You could +just go out in the fields and pick it, that’s what he said. + +“Do they plant it in grated cheese or just in the earth?” I asked him. + +He said, “They plant it in the earth and they call it wop-weed over +there.” + +I said, “Well, that’s news to me, I never knew where spaghetti came +from.” + +“Well, anyway, we know where it goes to,” Dub said. + +“Sure,” I told him, “but I never knew it grows just the same as +macaroni.” + +“You’re crazy!” Pee-wee shouted. He was trying to keep some spaghetti +from wriggling away from his mouth. + +“Hold your mouth up in the air and eat it by the attraction of +gravitation,” I told him. + +“Spaghettidoesngrow,” he said. + +“Explain all that,” I told him. “Here, have some more.” + +“Are we going down to the other end of the chasm to see those movie +people this afternoon?” Sandy wanted to know. + +I said, “Sure, we positively are, and I’ve got an idea. It’s an +inspiration, accent on the third syllable. _Look at Pee-wee!_” all of a +sudden I said. “He should use sandpaper to hold spaghetti--this is +terrible.” + +Honest, I wish you could have seen that kid. He was trying to shovel +spaghetti into his mouth and it was slipping every which way. + +“Take some salt in your hand so it won’t skid,” I told him. + +“Whatsthinspiration?” he managed to get out. + +“Go into second and don’t jam your brakes on too hard and you’ll make +it,” Sandy told him. + +I was laughing so hard I couldn’t speak for a couple of minutes--seeing +Pee-wee eat spaghetti. I said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get any rough +spaghetti but it’s very expensive.” + +“How about the inspiration?” Dub wanted to know. “This expedition is +getting worse and worse.” + +“Yes, and even he’ll write it up in a book and expect fellers to read +it,” Pee-wee said. + +“It will sound all right as long as they don’t read too hard,” I said. +“You read a book too hard and you spoil it--I’ll leave it to Sandy. +That’s what knocks the back covers off most books.” + +“This one will be the worst of any of them,” the kid said. + +“Just the same,” I told him, “I’m always getting letters from Scouts who +want to join my hikes. I have to refuse them because they’re not crazy +enough. One fellow that lives in Nutley, New Jersey, said he could prove +he was a nut. Even I wouldn’t let that fellow in.” + +“What’s the inspiration?” Dub wanted to know. + +I said, “Oh yes, listen. What’s the name of that movie hero up the +chasm? Don’t you know, the man in the candy store told us?” + +“Bunko Bravado,” Sandy said. + +“We’ll go and see him,” I told them, “and we’ll dare him to do something +dangerous. And if he does, Pee-wee will save his life. There you are. +What could be nicer? Nothing whatever, said our young hero preparing to +jump from the cliff.” + +So in the afternoon when we were all good and rested, we took a hike to +the other end of the chasm to see the movie people. Sandy said if they +were using rag dummies we might throw one down from the top of the chasm +and have Dub jump down after it and we’d take a picture of him and he’d +get the Gold Medal and the Burnside award. + +“Is that the way you talk to new fellers at camp?” the kid shouted. +“Telling them to be crooked--gee whiz!” + +“Didn’t you say that movie actors were crooked?” I said. “Did you say +they don’t really do things? Didn’t you say they were not regular +heroes?” + +“I didn’t say they were crooked,” Pee-wee said, all excited. “I said +they’re not real heroes like Scouts, because they double and they use +dummies and it’s just kind of acting, the things they do. Do you think +they really walk up buildings and drop from telegraph wires and all +that?” + +“You’d better look out how you talk to them,” Dub said. + +“Do you think I’m afraid of them?” the kid asked him. “Gee whiz, they’re +only just actors. When they have to do things where you have to have +prowesses and things like that--and reckless daring----” + +“Goodness me,” I said. + +“I bet there isn’t one of them can dive like Hervey Willetts does,” +Pee-wee said. “They just do things that kind of make it _look_ as if +they’re brave. Scouts are real heroes because they no fooling take their +lives in their hands----” + +“Like spaghetti,” Sandy said. + +“Geeeeeee whiz,” the kid went on, “didn’t I see Freddie Fearless in the +_Leap of Love_ and he gave a good big jump into the ocean where it was +all rocks and a lady next to me nearly fainted and people were giving +sighs and everything but I didn’t because I had a wild cherry +jaw-breaker in my mouth----” + +“That shows how really wild he is,” I said. + +“_Will you shut up!_” he yelled at me. + +“He wouldn’t eat tame cherries----” + +“I wouldn’t eat tame cherries--I mean--will you _shut up_!” the kid just +screeched. + +“He eats wild animal crackers,” I said. “Yes, yes, go on with your +story.” + +“He went kerplunk into the water,” the kid said, “and I could see it was +only a dummy and they zipped the film quick. Then when he was climbing +into a boat it was that feller--Freddie Fearless. Geeee whiz, he gets +thousands and thousands of dollars for bein a ’fraid cat. Do you think +I’d be afraid to jump that?” + +“What became of the wild cherry jaw-breaker?” Sandy asked him. + +“It wasn’t rescued,” I said. “It was never heard of again.” + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +TALK IS CHEAP + + +That time we went, we could see just how the camp was on account of it +being daytime. That lean-to thing looked just like I thought it would. +But there wasn’t any other tent. There was a place where I thought one +had been. I said to the other fellows that I guessed some of the movie +people had gone away. + +Sandy said, “Well, there’s four of them here anyway.” + +Those four were sitting outside the lean-to. There were three kind of +young men and a fellow about like us. They were just sitting there like +as if they were resting. The three big fellows sat in a row on a board +that was laid across a couple of stumps. The boy was sprawled on the +ground in front of them. Right near them was a high three-legged +thing--you know, like a camera stands on. Jiminies, I’ll say that +lean-to did look like a robber’s den all right. The canvas sides of it +weren’t there. All the lean-to was that second time we saw it was just a +roof sticking out from the side of the chasm, all covered with brush and +with brush hanging part way down the three sides of it. As we came near +we saw a box standing on a rock--it had pieces of red chalk in it. + +Pee-wee whispered to me, he said, “That’s what they use to mark their +faces with.” + +I said, “Pee-wee is scared of them, now that we’re here.” + +“I’ll show you if I am,” the kid said. + +With that he marched right up ahead of us and he said, “I bet I know who +you are. You’re the moving picture people that are _on location_ here, +and I know what on location means. You’re making that play about the +Cumberland Mountains.” + +One of the grown-up fellows said, “That’s a pretty good bet. Who wins?” + +“Because in Bagley Center they told us about you,” the kid said. + +“Well _now_!” one of the men said. + +“And I bet I know who that boy is too,” Pee-wee said. “That’s Bunko +Bravado only I bet it isn’t his real name--I bet you. And if that’s a +scout shirt he’s got he has no right to wear it because there’s a law +that says so--even President Coolidge says so--you can’t wear a regular +official scout shirt unless you’re a Scout.” + +The men all looked at each other and they started laughing. One of them +winked at the boy and he started laughing too. Jiminy, even Dub and +Sandy and I started laughing. + +“Can we see you do some acting?” Pee-wee asked them. “I bet one of you +is the director, hey?” + +“Every time he hits the mark,” one of the young men said. “Now which one +of us is Harold Lloyd? See if you can tell him when he hasn’t got his +glasses on.” + +First off, Pee-wee was kind of shocked. Then he looked at them very hard +and he said, “None of you is Harold Lloyd.” + +“Isn’t it wonderful?” one of the men said. “Again he is right.” + +“And anyway Harold Lloyd isn’t so smart,” Pee-wee said. “Because anyway +he doesn’t really do those things. Do you think I’d be scared of him if +he was here? Even Douglas Fairbanks says Scouts are the smartest. But +anyway I’d like to see you--how you do things.” + +The boy on the ground said, “Go on, talk some more.” + +“Sure thing, talk some more,” one of the men said. “We’re taking a rest +this afternoon. We got all tired out this morning stopping a bear from +jumping on one of our horses.” + +“Where’s the bear?” Pee-wee said. + +“He’s taking his afternoon nap,” the man said. + +“Talk low so you won’t wake him,” the boy said. “The horse has gone to a +meeting of the Paramount directors.” + +“Yes and you dope bears, that’s the way you do it,” Pee-wee said. + +“But don’t tell anybody, will you?” the boy said. + +“Will you tell me your real no fooling name?” Pee-wee asked him. “I bet +it isn’t Bunko Bravado.” + +“It’s Timothy Timid,” one of the young men said. “Only you mustn’t ever +let it leak out. We had him swallow a spiral spring so he could make big +leaps. Now he goes by leaps and bounds.” + +“Did he have to jump across this chasm anywhere?” Pee-wee asked them. +“Down there where it’s narrow, I mean.” + +One of the men said to him, “You just wait for the sixteen reel picture +to be released next fall, _The Daredevil of the Cumberland Hills_. Do +you see that place up there? Where there’s a rock sticking out? He leaps +with sublime abandon across that----” + +“Is she the heroine?” Pee-wee piped up. + +“_Good night!_” I said. “Excuse me while I faint.” Dub and Sandy both +started laughing. And Bunk what’s-his-name started rolling on the +ground, laughing too. _Sublime abandon._ Oh boy! + +“You think you’re so smart laughing,” Pee-wee said to the boy hero. +“Just because you get a lot of money and have your picture in the papers +and all that and you think you can jolly Boy Scouts that find kidnapped +children I can prove it by a scoutmaster----” + +“Zip goes the fillum,” one of the young men said. + +“I bet if you really did jump across there in the picture it was only a +rag dummy--I bet it only looked as if you did. Because anyway William S. +Hart is so smart with pistols, a bandit took five hundred dollars away +from him. And I know a Scout that doubled for a feller like you that has +a crazy name and gets a lot of money because people are fools.” + +One of the young men kind of winked at young Bravado or whatever his +name was, and he said, “Will you take that from a Boy Scout, Dan +Daraway? Call his bluff! Show him what’s what in the movies. Don’t let +him get away with it that you ever had anybody double for you. Why +remember in the _Demon of the Deep_ how you dived to the bottom of the +ocean? These Scouts are a bunch of false alarms. Give him a call, for +the honor of our profession--the second biggest industry in the United +States!” + +I didn’t know whether to laugh or not. Even Pee-wee was kind of +flabbergasted. + +One of those young men said, “We’ve had enough knocks about the movies. +Now the Boy Scouts are jumping down our throats. Well here’s a good +chance to test it out between the Boy Bluffs of America and the second +largest industry in the United States. What do you say, Reckless?” + +The boy wonder--gee he seemed to have all kinds of names--he got up +slowly and brushed some grass off him and he said, “Come ahead, Boy +Scout. Put up or shut up. I’ll give you one that will make your hair +curl.” + +And there we stood gaping at him while he walked off kind of careless +like across the chasm. + +“Well,” I said, “that’s that.” + +“He’s bluffing,” Sandy whispered to me. + +“He’s just jollying the kid,” Dub whispered. + +“There he goes,” one of the young men said. + +And the next thing we knew Pee-wee was running after him. + +“Looks like we’ll have a nice day for finishing to-morrow,” one of those +young men said. + +“What time is Gloria Swanson going to be here?” another one asked. + +The other one said, “Why she’s coming with Milton Sills. I suppose +they’ll drive up to the Center.” + +“They bringing the Indians with them?” one of the fellows asked. + +“That’s the way _I_ understand it,” another one said. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +WAITING + + +“Jiminies,” I said to Dub, “I’d like to see those Indians if they’re +real, wouldn’t you?” + +“Look,” he said. + +We all looked where the boy movie hero was going, with Pee-wee alongside +him. The three young men just sat where they were, in a row--they didn’t +seem so much interested. As long as they didn’t follow those two, we +didn’t either. I guess maybe we were afraid they would think it wasn’t +fair. Maybe we were so surprised that we didn’t, I don’t know. Anyway we +just stood there watching. Dub sat down on a rock, then Sandy and I did, +too. The three young men were talking to each other. Jiminies, I didn’t +know what to make of it all. But anyway I wasn’t worrying because I knew +Pee-wee could do anything that Daredevil Daraway Bravado of the Demon +Deep, or whatever his name was, could do. “Don’t worry,” I said to Dub +and Sandy. “They’re not going to do anything so very wonderful, he’s +just kidding Pee-wee.” + +I’ll tell you how it was in that end of the chasm. It was wide where +that camp was. But just beyond that it was very narrow with the sides +straight up and down. If you’ll look at the map you’ll see how it was. +At the east end of the chasm, that’s where you should look. Where the +brook comes in do you see where it goes to a point? Well that’s where I +mean. Near that point it’s very narrow and high. If you go up on top +there and drop a stone it makes a funny sound, a kind of an echo. That’s +where they went, those two. It’s easy to go up where the chasm is wide. + +We could see the two of them standing up on top right near the edge. I +don’t know how wide it is up there--maybe it’s about seven or eight feet +wide. Maybe ten, I don’t know. Tom Slade says the higher up you are the +narrower a place like that seems. He says you have to be careful with +your calculations when you’re high up. I should worry, I guess he knows. +Anyway about maybe ten feet below the top of that place, there’s a crazy +tree growing out from one side--it’s all crooked like. It looks all +bushy. I guess brush and stuff like that fell down on it from the top, +maybe. Way up there, even, we could hear Pee-wee shouting away. When he +gets excited it always seems as if he’s mad. I heard him say something +about Silver-plated Foxes (that’s my patrol) and Sandy thought he was +telling that other fellow he was only a silver-plated hero, because +that’s the way he talks. + +All of a sudden I noticed those three grown up fellows--they were +talking excited together. Just then a couple of them jumped up and came +out in the middle of the chasm and one shouted, but the fellows up on +the top didn’t pay any attention. Pee-wee was waving his hands and +talking as loud as he could and all the while the grown up fellow down +in the chasm was shouting trying to make the two of them listen. Then +the other one jumped up and started running for all he was worth. He ran +up where it was wide and not so steep and all the while he was shouting, +“_Cut it out, don’t let him do that._” + +Anyway it was too late. All of a sudden Pee-wee backed away so he could +get a head start and _good night_, if he didn’t go running to the edge! +It seemed to me as if he tripped. Anyway he jumped and he just missed +the other side of the precipice. I felt kind of hollow--sort of cold +like when you’re in an elevator and it stops short. Then the three of us +went running pell-mell into the narrow part of the chasm. The two grown +up fellows ran there too. But Pee-wee wasn’t on the ground there. I +almost stepped on a little bird without any feathers on it that was +sprawling around on the rocks. Then I saw another one flopping around. + +“Look,” Sandy said. He was holding a little branch of a tree with a nest +on it. And then I knew that the whole business had broken off from the +tree that stuck out away up above us. I could hear a voice up there +calling _help, help_, but it didn’t sound like Pee-wee. All of a sudden +a rotten piece of a branch fell on my head and we heard a crackling +sound up there. + +One of those big fellows shouted, “Hang on up there. Get hold of two +limbs so if one breaks you’ll have the other. Hang on and don’t get +excited.” + +I knew Pee-wee had caught in the tree, lucky for him, but I knew it was +rotten and might break with him any minute. + +I said, “Where’s that canvas that was around your lean-to last night?” + +One of the men said, “What canvas?” + +“Don’t you know there was a canvas?” I said. + +I went running for all I was worth to the lean-to, but I couldn’t find +any canvas anywhere. Dub came running after me and we pulled all the +brush from the roof of the robber’s den or whatever it was, and dragged +it into the narrow place right under the tree. + +“There’s a coat of mine in there--hurry up,” one of the men said. + +Sandy ran and got the coat and came back dragging some more brush. We +spread the brush right about under the tree, covering up the rocks and +making the ground as soft as we could. Then the two grown up fellows +held the coat stretched out between them ready to try and catch Pee-wee +if he fell. Dub and Sandy got hold of the other two sides of it. It was +a pretty good way and that’s what I wanted the canvas for. Only an +overcoat isn’t big enough. I was wondering what became of the canvas. +Because with just an overcoat if Pee-wee should fall all of a sudden it +would be too quick for them to get in just the right place to catch him. +Even while they were holding the coat spread out there was a sound like +wood splitting up above. Then a kind of a forked shape piece of wood +came down, but it didn’t land in the coat. + +“Let’s stand just where that fell,” Dub said. + +All of a sudden there was a loud crackling sound and I heard a scream. +But only some leaves and twigs came down. A couple of them landed in the +coat. + +“Clinch your fingers and hang on hard,” one of those men said. “Double +your fists tight. Something is starting to bust up there.” + +Just then there were more loud screams and Pee-wee yelled, “_Help, +help!_” But kind of it didn’t sound like Pee-wee. + +One of the men said, “I’m afraid the whole blamed rotten tree is coming +down.” + +Just then, _oh boy wasn’t I scared_, I heard a voice shouting, “I’m +coming down.” + +They stretched the coat out tight and kept looking up so they could get +into the right spot quick. But nothing happened, only a twig or +something fell down on Sandy’s face. It hit him plunk in the face +because he was looking up. + +One of the men said, “Never mind that, keep your eyes peeled up there +and when you move, whatever you do don’t trip on these blamed rocks.” He +kicked some of the brush we had laid there out of the way so his feet +wouldn’t catch in it. + +It made me feel kind of cold and kind of funny in my throat, the way the +four of them stood there waiting and just looking up. + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +THE FIXER + + +I couldn’t just stand there not doing anything so I ran into the wide +part and up the side where it was easy to go up. I guess maybe I was +kind of kidding myself that I could do something up there. I guess I +didn’t want to see Pee-wee come falling down. If I could have helped I +would have stayed there. But as long as I wasn’t doing anything I +couldn’t keep still. + +Up on the edge of the precipice there was only just that one grown up +fellow kneeling down and looking over. I had never been up to that place +before. Up there it didn’t look like a chasm, it was just a wide +gap--you’d call it a cleft I guess. + +I said kind of frightened like, “Did he say he was going to fall--the +kid? Did he say that?” I guess I was trembling all over. “I heard him +call he was coming down,” I said. + +“That wasn’t him,” the man said. “Keep back.” + +But a lot I cared what he told me to do. He waved his hand for me to +keep back but I didn’t pay any attention. _Geee whiz_, he didn’t own the +place and wasn’t Pee-wee my friend. Maybe you’d never think so, the way +we were always at it, but just the same he was. I kneeled down and crept +up to the edge and looked over. The tree was sticking out maybe about +ten feet down. It was all rocky there and the tree was growing out from +between rocks. + +I called out and said, “Hey kid, they’re ready to catch you down there, +so don’t be scared.” But all the while I knew they’d be mighty lucky if +they could just catch him. + +Just then I saw a head down there in the tree and then that fellow, +Daraway Bravado or whatever they called him, crawled out from all that +bunch of leaves and branches. There was blood trickling down his face. +He was right close in by the precipice--I guess he was standing on the +trunk of the tree. + +“Is it solid?” the man called down to him. + +“Yep, guess so,” he answered back. + +I asked something but they didn’t pay any attention to me. I had to look +way over to see that boy. I was lying down flat looking way over. I +could hear the fellows down on the bottom calling but the young man up +near me didn’t seem to hear them--anyway he didn’t bother with them. +That moving picture boy, the way it seemed to me, he was standing on the +trunk close in and his two arms were tight around a crooked rock that +stuck out. I didn’t see how he could hold on to it, that’s the way it +looked to me. But anyway he did. I heard him say, “Come on, and be +careful.” + +Then I saw Pee-wee--jiminies, he looked terrible! He was all blood and +his clothes were torn and his face was white. + +[Illustration: THEN I SAW PEE-WEE----JIMINIES, HE LOOKED TERRIBLE!] + +“Get hold of my leg,” the other boy said, and he stuck one leg out. + +I didn’t say a word. It seemed to me that if I spoke even, Pee-wee might +fall. I didn’t want him to look up at me, I was afraid he’d tumble if he +did. He was crawling so careful, and he was so scared, that it seemed as +if anything might topple him over. I just held my breath while I was +waiting. He grabbed hold of the boy’s leg, then he got hold of him round +the waist. I just looked at that fellow’s hands, the way they were +clutching hold of the rock. Oh, _did I hope_ he wouldn’t let go! Pee-wee +climbed up on his shoulders and got hold of another rock and then the +man who was reaching over was just able to get hold of one of the kid’s +arms. Oh, that was risky work! Then that boy let go one of his +hands--gee it gave me the _creeps_--and he reached up and held Pee-wee’s +foot on his shoulder. Then he sort of guided the kid’s foot up to a +smaller chunk of rock that stuck out. All the while the man had hold of +Pee-wee’s arm. The next I knew the poor kid came scrambling up over the +edge--he didn’t even see me. Even when I spoke he didn’t notice me. He +just fell down flat on the ground--I thought he fainted but he didn’t. + +I was just going to shout down that Pee-wee was safe all right when I +heard a noise and somebody called, “_Righto._” I looked over the edge +and that other boy wasn’t there. + +Somebody called up, “Where’s the kid? Is he all right?” + +“Tell ’em yes only my leg’s cut and I had a hair-breadth escape,” the +kid said. I had to laugh the way he said it. + +“That movie boy fell down I think,” I said to the man. + +He went to the edge and shouted, “How about it down there?” + +Sandy--I think it was Sandy--called back, “He’s all right--this one’s +all right. How about the kid?” + +“Did you tell ’em I had a hair-breadth escape from death?” Pee-wee asked +me. + +I just mussed up his hair with my hand--gee it was bad enough +already--and I had to laugh, I just couldn’t help it. “You crazy little +rascal,” I said to him. “Don’t ever talk about the Silver Foxes being +crazy again. Do you think you can walk?” + +“Anyway I showed him Boy Scouts are all right,” the kid said. “Actions +speak louder than words, hey?” + +“Your words are always loud enough,” I said. “You don’t need to bother +about actions. After this stick to words. Come on, see if you can get up +and I’ll help you down into the chasm.” + +Already the man had gone down in a hurry. + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +THE FULL SALUTE + + +Pee-wee had a lot of scratches on him--he looked as if he had crawled +through a nutmeg grater. He was kind of lame too. But he was all right. +He said it was a mortal peril he was in. + +“It wasn’t so terribly mortal,” he said, “because I didn’t get killed, +but I almost did so it was kind of mortal.” + +“After this when you go out with me I’m going to have you on a leash,” I +told him. + +When we got down in the chasm things were not so good. That boy had held +on up there as long as he could--just till Pee-wee was safe--then he had +gone crashing down and lucky for him they caught him in the coat. He was +lying on the coat when Pee-wee and I got there, and he smiled at us. He +wasn’t hurt bad but I guess he had a good shock. His face was bloody and +his hands were cut--I guess from clutching that piece of rock. He was +moving his head from one side to the other. + +I pulled the kid aside and I spoke good and serious to him. Don’t you +think I can’t be serious when I want to. I said, “You listen here Mister +Scout Harris. That fellow saved your life. Dub and Sandy and those other +two fellows were holding that coat for _you_. If they hadn’t been +holding it for _you_, that fellow would be lying there dead--on account +of you. I don’t care what he is, movie actor or anything else, you go +over and tell him you’ve got to hand it to him for what he did. You tell +him he’s _one_--_real_--_honest to goodness_--hero! Come on now.” + +“Sure I will,” the kid piped up. “Do you think I don’t know heroes when +I see them? I know more about them than you do. Didn’t I say how I’m +going to show Dub how he can be one--didn’t I?” + +“Sure, all right, come on,” I said. + +They were all standing around that fellow--he was sitting up kind of +feeling around his shoulder. Dub was wiping the blood off his face and +we could see then it was only a bad scratch he had. + +Pee-wee marched up very brave and honorable like and he said, “No matter +who you are, I got to admit you’re a hero and you saved my life and you +might even have got killed doing it and you can bet I’m glad you didn’t. +And anyway, besides, I take back what I said to you, gee whiz, that’s +only fair. If you were a Scout you’d get the Gold Medal, that’s one +thing sure.” + +The fellow just looked at him and he said, “I am a Scout. Who says I’m +not? I never said I was anything else. I’m a Scout from Temple Camp just +like you are.” + +Pee-wee nearly went down for the second time. One of those men came with +some iodine and he kneeled down and wiped the boy’s cheek and he put his +arm around him and said, “Yes siree, he’s the greatest Roman of them +all. Do you want to know his name? It’s Bobby Easton--hey Bobby? He’s a +Scout--yep. All wool and thirty-six inches wide. They don’t make ’em +like him every day. Do you want to shake hands with him?” + +“That ain’t the way you do,” Pee-wee shouted. “You give the full scout +salute--that shows how much you all don’t know about scouting.” So then +he gave him the full salute, standing up there like a little tin +soldier. I said, “Look, he’s posing for animal crackers.” + +The man said, “Yes, I think the movie people went away late last night +and we got here this morning and moved in. We’re surveyors working for +Uncle Sam and we’re going to make a map of all this region. We were +doing old Overlook Mountain last week and they told us up there that if +we wanted a wide-awake helper to help out in the local field as a stake +boy, we could probably get one at Temple Camp. Well, they picked a +winner for us, that’s all I can say. Hanged if I wouldn’t like to take +him up to Alaska with us next summer. What do you say, Mac?” + +“I could swing it for him,” one of the others said. + +All of a sudden I spoke up. I said, “As long as one of them was saved +and then the other one was saved, will you please excuse me while I drop +dead? I could even drop as dead as Bunko Bravado is. And please send +word to my fond parents that I died laughing. _The fixer has fixed it._ +Scout Bobby Easton, he gets the Gold Medal for saving life by risking +his own, and he gets a hundred dollars besides--that’s a private +award--and that proves that if Dub sticks to Pee-wee he can stay at +Temple Camp as long as he wants--_not_--and get a hundred dollars, only +watch him get it! + + His middle name is Hunter’s Stew, + He mixes it. + In mixing he can sure outdo, + All other Scouts he ever knew, + And when a thing goes all askew, + He fixes it. + +“Good night,” I said, “please let me die in peace. And don’t let Scout +Harris come to my funeral because he’ll spoil it all.” + +As soon as I dropped down dead, Sandy he dropped down dead too--I could +see him with my dying gaze. Dub just stood where he was. He couldn’t die +because he was petrified. Everybody started laughing. They even woke me +up out of my peaceful death, laughing so hard. I said, “There’s only one +thing I have against scouting and that is that there isn’t any fixer’s +badge.” + +We were all laughing, and all the while Sandy was telling Bobby Easton +and those three government surveyors about how Pee-wee was going to fix +it for Dub so he’d get the life-saving medal and enough money to stay at +camp. Oh boy, didn’t they laugh! + +Bobby Easton said, “Then I don’t take it.” + +I said, “That’s where you’re positively absolutely wrong the first time, +Bunko Daraway Reckless Bravado, because you have to take it whether you +want it or not--you’re a hero. You can’t help being one any more than +Pee-wee can help being a fixer and doing such good turns to his Scout +comrades--accent on the good turns. Do you think it worries us not to +get a medal? Didn’t we _not_ find a will? And didn’t we _not_ find some +bandits? If we got what we were after when Pee-wee was along we’d all +drop dead from shock and so Dub Smedley couldn’t stay anyway, so what do +we care? Do you think that was the first time young Harris leaped before +he looked?” + +“You’re the Scouts that started out camping on a three days’ leave, +aren’t you?” Bobby Easton asked me. “I was going to come and ask you if +I could go but a Scout told me not to because you fellows were crazy. +Now that I know you I think I’d like to stick to you.” + +“Why not?” Dub said. “I’ll be starting home next week.” + +“Don’t be so sure,” I told him. “Maybe we’ll be able to fix it yet--we +should worry.” + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +THE LAKE TRAIL + + +That afternoon we stayed and helped those surveyors to get their own +tent up, and we built them a scout fireplace out of stones. They were +going to cook with an oil-stove--jiminy, nix on that. That Bobby Easton +was a nice fellow all right. He said he remembered seeing us at camp but +he didn’t get acquainted with us because he was new at camp. He was +helping those surveyors on field assignment, that’s what they call it. +Lots of Scouts at camp do like that. A couple of fellows I knew went for +a week with some men who were stocking the lakes and streams with +fishes. + +Bobby Easton was going to stay with those surveyors for a week--as long +as they camped in the chasm. A stake boy is the one that holds the cord +and drives stakes and all like that. Pee-wee thought it was a fellow +that ate a lot of steak. At night we all had supper together and those +surveyors told us. + +The next day we took down our tent and went back to Temple Camp. If you +stay over your time you don’t get camping leave again, so if you ever go +there you better be careful. Those surveyors went back to camp with +us--they were telling us how they were going to do surveying for levees +down on the Mississippi. Boy, wouldn’t I like to go with them! At camp +they made up a statement about how Bobby Easton saved Pee-wee’s life--it +was an affidavit like you have to have--and all of us had to sign it. +Then Bobby had to answer a lot of questions by the camp council--that’s +the same as local council. Then after a while he got the Gold Medal for +life-saving from the National Court of Honor. He showed it to me after +he got it. He got the Burnside award, too, after about a week, and he +bought a canoe to keep on the lake. So I guess he’s coming up there +every summer. He treated us all to ice cream too, down in Catskill. But +all that wasn’t until after he got through helping the surveyors over in +the chasm. + +So then poor Dub only had about a week to stay because Pee-wee didn’t +find anybody who was dying to have his life saved. I said that maybe +there might possibly be an earthquake or something and a lot of people +would almost get killed. But there wasn’t any earthquake--jiminies there +never is at Temple Camp. Pee-wee said over in Japan they have dandy +tidal waves. But what good do they do us--that’s what I asked him. + +Two or three nights before the day Dub had to go home, he said to me, +“Are you going to be at camp-fire to-night?” + +“Sure, there’s nothing else to do,” I said. + +He said, “Let’s take a hike, just us two.” + +“Sure,” I told him, “but watch out for Pee-wee.” + +“Are you game to walk around the lake?” he asked me. He said he had +never done that and he wanted to do it. He wanted to see how it was on +the other side of the lake. + +“It’s all woods,” I told him. “The shore comes down steep and those +hills are all covered with woods--you can see from camp how it is. +There’s a trail goes all the way around.” + +He asked me did I care so much about camp-fire. + +“Sure not,” I said. “Haven’t I got all summer to sprawl around +camp-fire?” Then right away I was sorry I said that. Because in a couple +of days he had to go home. “Come on in the office,” I said, “and I’ll +get permission.” + +Dub waited, reading the bulletin-board while I told the councilor that I +was going for a hike with another fellow. The councilor (that was +Saunders, he’s a nice councilor all right) he said, “These night hikes +are being discouraged but you boys come home early and I guess it will +be all right.” + +I said, “Believe me, I’ll get back by ten because I’ll want to get a +piece of pie before cooking shack closes up. Chocolate Drop, he’s cook, +and he goes to bed about ten o’clock.” + +Dub was waiting for me, looking around Administration Shack. He was +looking at the Indian canoe and the elk’s head and the stuffed +beaver--there are a lot of things like that in Administration Shack. I +guess he had never been in there except when he was being registered. He +was looking at the big bulletin-board when I went back to him and he +said, “We might row across if it wasn’t for that.” He was pointing at a +notice that said--here’s just what it said because I copied it: + + Attention is called to the rule recently announced forbidding + the use of boats or canoes after dark. The mishap of Wednesday + evening last emphasizes the importance of a rigorous enforcement + of this new regulation. Boats and canoes must not be taken from + their mooring places after supper except by special permission. + Disregard of this rule will be followed by summary dismissal + from the camp community. + +“That’s on account of tenderfoots,” I told Dub. “Some of the Scouts that +are up here this season ought to have their nurse girls with them. +Anyway I’d rather walk around, wouldn’t you?” + +“Sure, anything suits me,” Dub said. “I’m going home in a couple of days +anyway.” + +I said, “You don’t mean you’d take a boat for that reason, do you? If +you’re going home you might as well go right.” + +He said, “No, I only meant I have to go home in a couple of days. Come +ahead, I didn’t mean anything, let’s hike around.” + +I felt sorry for him because he had to go right when the season was +getting started, but how could I help it? You can bet I wouldn’t want to +be leaving when the Scouts are coming every day. “You might as well go +merrily, merrily,” I said. “You’ll be up next summer.” + +“I’ll be going to work next summer,” he said. + +“Forget about it,” I told him. + +We started walking around the lake, going toward the brook--that’s west. +If you look at the map you’ll see how we went. It’s about three and a +half miles around the lake. If you want to see Pee-wee jump up in the +air just tell him it’s longer one way around the lake than it is the +other way. Just tell him that with a sober face if you want to see some +fireworks. When you get past the brook it’s all woods, but there’s a +trail. It’s hard to follow it in the dark unless you’ve been over it in +the daytime. I bet I’ve been over it a hundred times. If you ever come +to Temple Camp I’ll take you around. + +While we were hiking around through the woods I asked Dub how he made +out with those pictures he took that day we were on our way from Bagley +Center to the chasm. He said they came out pretty good. + +I said, “Then all you’ve got to do to be an Eagle is to take the life +saving tests? I should think you would have done that before this.” + +“What’s the use?” he said. + +“Awh, come out of it, Dub,” I told him. “Just because you can’t stay all +summer, is that any reason for not caring about your tests? _Boy_, if I +had only one test more to be an Eagle you can bet I’d hop over the top +all right. There are lots of Scouts here that would change places with +you, you can bet.” + +“Yes--they wouldn’t,” he said. “And go back to a flat up over a bakery +store? I bet you and all your patrol, and Pee-wee, live in nice big +houses.” + +“Believe me,” I told him. “Pee-wee would change places with you to live +over a bakery store. If he lived over a bakery store you’d never see him +up here. Look out where you’re stepping, it’s marshy near the shore.” + +He said, “Look at the luck that Easton fellow had--the Gold Medal and a +hundred bucks. And he doesn’t need it either, his folks are rich.” + +“That has nothing to do with it,” I said. “You win a prize or you don’t. +Being rich hasn’t got anything to do with it.” + +“Yes, but he would have stayed all summer anyway,” Dub said. + +“Oh gollies, is that all you’re thinking about?” I said. “Gee, you +weren’t like that when we were at Beaver Chasm.” + +“I didn’t have to go so soon then,” he said. + +“It wasn’t until after Bobby Easton won the Gold Medal that you started +grouching,” I said to him. + +He said, “What do I care about the Gold Medal--or being an Eagle Scout +either? They don’t get me anything.” + +“_Good night!_ Don’t get you anything?” I said. + +“Sitting home minding the baby while my mother’s out working,” he said. +“What good is it being an Eagle Scout when you have to do that? Or the +Gold Medal either--what good is it? Now I’m sorry my mother let me come +up here at all. Gee, all she could scrape together was two weeks’ board +and that isn’t enough up here even just for two weeks. Fellows buy cones +and hot dogs and everything and go to the movies over in Catskill. I +couldn’t even chip in for the closing events.” + +I said, “Well, what of it? You won’t be here anyway.” + +“Don’t rub it in,” he said. + +“I don’t mean it that way,” I told him. “Only why should you be putting +up a half a dollar for something you won’t have anything to do with? +Anyway that’s against the rule in this camp, taking up collections like +that. Gee, I should think you’d be glad your mother did that--sending +you up here like that.” + +He said, “Do you live in a big house?” + +“Sure,” I told him, “but what’s the difference? They’re all the same +size when you get on the outside of them--the outside of every house is +the same size. You go outside your house and you’ve got just as much +room as I have when I go outside of my house. Let’s hear you deny it.” + +“Tell that to Pee-wee,” he said, kind of laughing. + +“Look out, you’ll crack your face laughing,” I told him. + +He said, “When I go outside my house I just have to sit in the gutter. +There used to be a lot but they’re building on it.” + +“When I go outside of my house there’s a big lawn I have to mow,” I told +him. “Jiminies, you’re lucky--you don’t have to cut the sidewalk.” + +He said, “You crazy Indian, you make me laugh.” + +“Sure, why not?” I said to him. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +SOUNDS IN THE NIGHT + + +He was talking like that all the way round to the other side of the +lake. Over there the woods are thick. We stood looking across the water +at the camp--all we could see were the lights and the camp-fire blazing. +We could see it upside down in the water. + +I said, “That big light is the cooking shack. Now you just look to the +left of that. Do you see a little bit of a light? That’s outside my +patrol cabin. The three cabins of our troop are there. They’re just a +little way up the hill from the camp. They’re just outside the inside. +You never came up there like we asked you to.” + +Dub said, “You fellows are lucky all right. Those cabins belong to your +troop, don’t they?” + +“Sure they do,” I said, “and there’s a tent there too, because we have +four patrols now. Pee-wee used to be a Raven but he started a +declaration of independence and now we’ve got the Chipmunks. We’re more +to be pitied than blamed. We keep a lantern out so on very dark nights +we can find our way. They’re all at camp-fire to-night, my troop.” + +“I bet you wish you were there,” Dub said. + +“Believe me, I’m glad to get rid of them,” I told him. “There’s an old +Scout there to-night who’s telling yarns about the Northern Pacific +Trail. The Atlantic and Pacific Trail is good enough for me--gee, I’m +always chasing to that store when I’m home. You think _we’re_ lucky! +Good night, I wish we had an Eagle Scout in my patrol.” + +Dub said, “You’re all right coming away with me alone to-night. I don’t +know, I just wanted to get away from the crowd.” + +“The pleasure is mine,” I told him. “I should worry about the crowd. But +you’re a funny kind of a gazzink. You want to get away from the crowd +and all the while you want to stay at camp.” + +He said, “I guess that’s just it, it makes me sore to be there and think +how I can’t stay.” + +I said, “Well, if I were you, Dub, I’d take that one last test and go +home an Eagle Scout. That’s what I’d do if you’re asking me. I know that +wouldn’t fix it for you so you could stay, and even the Gold Medal +wouldn’t, but just the same an Eagle Scout is an Eagle Scout, I don’t +care where he is. Gee, _I’m_ sorry you didn’t get the Burnside money. +But what’s the good crying over spilled milk--there’s water enough in it +already. _Boy_, if you were in my patrol you’d be an Eagle in one day. +Twenty badges and then you flop! _Good night!_” + +“I think I’ll flop out of the Scouts altogether,” he said, kind of +gloomy. + +“Sure, and be a quitter,” I told him. “Why, look at Will Dawson in my +patrol--you know, that tall fellow? He’s got eight merit badges--first +aid, athletics, both health badges, and pioneering. Those are the five +you have to have for Star Scout. You know you don’t have to have the +life-saving badge on that. He’s got the other five picked out--I have to +laugh, he picked out easy ones. Angling! Jiminies, he was always doing +that--all the fishes call him by his first name. Archery, that’s a +cinch. And _bugling_! Oh boy, all you have to do is blow on a trumpet. +Carpentry and bird study, those are the only ones he has to get. I had +to laugh when he was practising hammering a nail. He got a blood blister +and he put some iodine on it and he wanted the first aid badge. First +aid to himself. Bird study isn’t so easy. By the time we have the +closing events he’ll be a Star Scout and we’re going to make a big fuss +about it and have a corn-roast and everything. And, gee whiz, that’s +only half as good as an Eagle Scout.” + +Dub said, “Yes, but where will he be? And where will I be?” + +“Awh, come out of it,” I told him. + +He didn’t say anything, only just walked behind me along through the +woods close to the lake. On that opposite side from camp the trail is +good and plain because it’s a little way up a hill kind of. There aren’t +any swampy places over there. But you have to go single file till you +get where the woods are thinner. + +Dub said, “I’d like to be at that corn-roast.” + +“Maybe you’re lucky not to,” I said. “Maybe there won’t be any. Maybe it +will be like old man Bagley’s will and the reward for the bandits. Gee, +will you ever forget that?” + +“Don’t be talking about it,” he said. + +“Maybe Will Dawson won’t even get by with bird study--believe me, the +birds have got something to say about it.” + +Dub said, “I guess he’ll get it all right.” + +“He will or I’ll jump down his throat,” I told him. “Believe me, you’ve +got something to be thankful for that you’re not leader of the Silver +Foxes. That’s the only way you can get them together--with a corn-roast. +They haven’t got any discipline and it’s good they haven’t, because if +they did have, they’d all be trying to get it away from each other. +Councilor Trent says we’re more than a patrol, we’re an institution, +but, _gee_, who wants to be in an institution?” + +All of a sudden I looked behind me and Dub wasn’t there. He was standing +still maybe about twenty feet in back of me. I could just see him +beckoning to me. I asked him what was the matter but he only beckoned. + +I went back to where he was and he said, “Did you hear a sound?” + +“A kind of a rustling up in the trees?” I asked him. “Maybe it was an +eagle--you ought to be ashamed to look him in the face.” + +“No--_listen_,” he said. “Doesn’t it sound like oar-locks?” + +“Jiminies, it does,” I said. “It’s over there, about where the shore +turns. Wait a second--listen--let’s make sure.” + +“Somebody breaking the rule?” Dub said. + +“Sure, that’s likely,” I said. “You know what Hervey Willetts said. +‘What’s the good of having rules if you don’t break them.’ Boy oh boy, +I’d just like to know who it is. Shall we shout and tell him the outside +of his boat is all wet?” + +“No, don’t call,” Dub said. + +“It’s oar-locks all right,” I said. “Listen--_shh_. Did you hear a kind +of a splash? I’d like to make my voice kind of deep like Councilor Trent +and call out and ask what they’re doing here, hey?” + +Dub said, “No, don’t. We don’t have to tell on them, do we?” + +“Nope,” I said. “That’s one thing Scouts up here are never asked to do. +But I’d like to have some fun with them.” + +He said, “_Shhh_--listen.” + +“I bet it’s that Hervey Willetts,” I said in a whisper. “If it is, +bye-bye, Hervey. There’ll be somebody waiting at the float all right.” + +Dub grabbed me by the shoulder so I wouldn’t speak too loud. Then he +said, “I don’t see why any one goes out like that if they know there’ll +be somebody waiting at the float. The management sure knows if there’s a +boat out. Why don’t they lock the boats?” + +“They don’t believe in that,” I whispered. “They go by rule one--a +Scout’s honor is to be trusted--this time it’s going to be busted. Maybe +not, at that. Some scoutmasters up here are sheiks--leave it to them. +It’s all right for them to take girls out rowing, yes, yes, yes. I bet +it’s that one from Ohio with that girl that’s staying at Sunset Farm. +Just for the fun of it I’ll stump you to shout _I’m a bear, woof, woof_! +and then run.” + +“No, wait a second,” Dub said. “If it’s a couple of Scouts it’s just as +well for us to not know anything about it.” + +I said, “I don’t hear any voices, do you?” + +All of a sudden there was a sound like something dropping on wood--like +something heavy. + +“Would it be robbers, maybe?” Dub asked me. + +“Now you’re making a noise like Pee-wee,” I said. “Sure, it’s pirates +grappling for buried treasure.” + +“Well what was that sound?” Dub asked me. + +“Sounded to me like an anchor,” I told him. “Maybe they heard us and +pulled it up. It sounded as if they dropped it on the floor of the boat. +There are only two boats that have anchors--that’s that big red one, and +the one that’s named Mary Temple. Listen for the oar-locks. I bet they +row away.” + +Just then we heard a splash, then in a few seconds a louder splash. I +just grabbed Dub’s arm and we stood there, neither of us speaking. In +about ten seconds there was more splashing and a voice called, “Help!” +There was another word, too, but I didn’t know what it was. It sounded +like _hope_ or _rope_. There was a voice from way up the hill, too, and +it called, “_Hel-ope, hlope!_” + +It was the echo from up in those woods. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +THE OTHER FELLOW + + +The next thing I knew Dub threw off his coat and just ripped his +shoe-laces open and tore his shoes off. He didn’t wear sneaks like all +the Scouts at camp, but regular shoes. It always made him look kind of +funny. I didn’t have a chance to do anything--before I knew it he was in +the water, swimming. He never went in much at camp, he just liked to +hike around with us, so I never thought about how he could swim. But, oh +boy, did he get through the water! I knew maybe it was his chance for +the Gold Medal and I was glad. All I can say is, if that’s how a fellow +swims that lives over a bakery store, I wouldn’t want to go into a race +with one that lives over a delicatessen store--he might be even better. +I guess Dub was born in a fish market. + +He could tell where the trouble was because by that time the splashing +was good and loud and the voice kept calling help. I thought it was +funny because all the Scouts know how to swim. Maybe it was some crazy +tenderfoot, that’s what I thought. I said to myself, “I hope he knows +how to grab him.” Pretty soon I heard him speak--I mean Dub--and I heard +the other voice, too. Dub called out, “All right.” + +Then next I heard sounds of the boat and I called out and asked if +everything was all right, but nobody answered. I guess they were too +busy or excited or something. In about a minute I could see the boat +coming toward me. It looked black and spooky. I called out, “Who is it? +Is everything all right?” + +“Sure,” Dub called out. “You don’t think they heard us over at camp, do +you?” + +“Sure not,” I said. Gee, I thought that was a funny thing to ask. He +must have thought we had a broadcasting station. + +Dub was sitting in the stern of the boat sculling it. The other fellow +was sitting on the middle seat. When the boat came close Dub said kind +of careless like, “Well, I went and did it, didn’t I?” + +“Who is it?” I asked. All the while I was pulling up the boat. + +Dub said, “Pull her up easy, look out you don’t tip her. How do I know +who it is? Do you think I can see under water? He’s all in, I know that. +The anchor rope was all tangled up with his leg. I ought to get the +prize for untying knots under water.” + +“Don’t worry, you’ll get it,” I said. + +As soon as I had hauled the boat up far enough I got into it. The fellow +on the middle seat was sitting all hunched over. I grabbed hold of him +and said, “Are you all right?” + +“Sure, he’s all right,” Dub said, “except he’s wet.” + +I took hold of the fellow to help him up and then he looked at me and I +just stood there gaping at him. It was Will Dawson. + +“What--the--” I just started blurting out. “I thought you were at +camp-fire. What are you doing here--for--the--love--of--_Go-o-d night_! +And you’re one of the best swimmers in the troop!” + +He said, “A lot of good that does you when you’re all tangled up in a +rope. If you want to know what I was doing, I was bobbing for eels. I +stood up to throw the anchor out in another spot and my foot got caught +in the rope and in I went.” + +“You’re in all right,” I said. “You’re in bad. Do you know who you +saved, Dub? It’s Will Dawson--that’s the one I was telling you about.” + +“How’s he in bad?” Dub asked. + +“Oh no! He’s not in bad,” I said. “He’ll go home to Bridgeboro to-morrow +morning, that’s how bad he’s in. He’ll get his all right--and you’ll get +yours.” + +“He’ll get the Gold Medal I suppose,” Will said. + +“You _suppose_!” I shot back at him. “You know blamed well he will--he +won it with bells on. Didn’t he go down under the water after you and +untangle a lot of rope? The Gold Medal? It’s lucky for you he was here. +He’s got twenty merits besides and I bet you they’ll give him his Eagle +badge too without going through the test. Jiminy crinkums, wasn’t this +test enough? So now you know who you were saved by while you were +breaking the rules and getting the whole patrol in Dutch after we made a +lot of plans for the end of the season. You were saved by an _Eagle +Scout_ that gets the _Gold Medal_ for risking his life on account of +_you_. _You suppose!_ Go-o-d _night_! You ought to be proud to be saved +by a Scout like that!” + +“Here you go, Dub,” I said, “here’s one of your shoes. I’ll look for the +other. Come ahead into the woods and we’ll start a fire and get dry.” +Even while I was holding his shoe I could feel how it was all kind of +worn through on the sole. My finger went all the way through it. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +SAFE + + +We went up the hill a little ways into the woods and then down into a +hollow. I knew about it because I had been there before. It was lucky I +had some matches because those two fellows were soaking. + +“What’s the idea?” Will Dawson asked me. + +“Any fool would know that,” I told him. “It’s so we can start a fire +where they can’t see it from camp. Do you think I want the whole camp +coming over here?” + +“He’ll be found out anyway,” Dub said to me. + +“Sure he will, he’s a fool,” I said. “But you fellows have got to get +dry, haven’t you?” Will Dawson he didn’t say a word, he just stood +there. “A fine kind of a Star Scout you’ll make,” I said to him. “All +but two badges and then you have to go spoil it all! After Westy and +Dorry and all of us were counting on being a Star Patrol--_good night_! +Warde Hollister, he wouldn’t even take a tenderfoot stalking for fear +he’d get a black mark, he was so anxious on account of our record. Now +look what _you_ go and do.” + +“A lot you care that I didn’t get drowned,” Will said. + +“Sure I care,” I told him. “But if you had got drowned it would have +been your own fault.” + +“Oh, cut it out,” Dub said. “What’s over is over.” + +“Sure,” I said, “our being a Star Patrol is over--you said it. He’s as +good as Pee-wee for fixing things.” + +“How about you?” Will said. “Didn’t you go off on a three day leave with +other Scouts? Do you call that being a patrol leader?” + +Gee, but I was good and mad. I said, “Listen here, Will. If I hadn’t +gone off like that and got in with those fellows, Dub and I wouldn’t +have been here to-night, if it comes to that. And where would _you_ be +now. I’d like to know?” + +Dub said, trying to smooth things over, “That’s what Pee-wee would call +a dandy argument.” + +“Please don’t talk to me at all,” I said to Will. “As long as you’ll get +chased home to-morrow morning what’s the use of scrapping? All you had +to get was bird study and carpentry to be a Star Scout, and you know as +well as I do that a Star Scout means a Star Patrol. You had to go and +throw mud on the parade. Jiminies, nobody ever heard me shouting about +the rules--I’ve broken some of them and I’ve bent a few others--but when +you know blamed well that you can’t take a boat back at night without +being nailed, _jimmy Christmas_, what’s the idea of doing that?” + +Will said, “Oh I could have pulled it up in the bushes before I got to +the float, couldn’t I?” + +“Couldn’t you?” I shouted at him. “No you _couldn’t you_! Do you want to +gather up some sticks or don’t you? It’s all the same to me.” + +We all started picking up sticks for the fire and none of us spoke to +each other--some merry party. Dub was kind of funny the way he went +around picking up sticks not saying anything. I guess he was surprised +because he never saw me like that before. Once, after we got the fire +started, I saw how he winked and made a funny face at Will. A lot I +cared, I was so good and mad. The more Dub saw how mad I was, the more +he kept kidding me about it, winking at Will and acting--you know how. +He said, “As long as you feel so much like roasting I wish we had some +potatoes and we’d roast them.” + +“Do you blame me?” I said. “You’re all alone up here, so you don’t have +to be thinking about your patrol. But if you knew more about Temple Camp +you’d know that a scout honor is a patrol honor. And a scout black eye +is a patrol black eye--you ask any Scout up here.” Dub said, “As Pee-wee +would say, it shows how much I don’t know. All I can say is that if +Temple Camp wants to teach me anything it better be quick about it. It +will have to do it by Saturday.” + +“Temple Camp will take care of him first,” I said, looking at Will. + +By that time the two of them were standing close to the fire, turning +round and round so as to get dry. I kept putting sticks on it. I +couldn’t help it, I had to smile at Dub, the funny way he kept turning +around. He wouldn’t let on that he was trying to make me laugh. He said, +“When I go home I can tell my mother I went around a lot up at Temple +Camp.” + +“Yes, and you didn’t have to go breaking the rules to do it,” I said. + +“I didn’t see any good enough to break,” he said. + +I said, “Well there’s one thing, I’m going to make a report to Slady[1] +about what you did, about the rope and all, and I bet you won’t even have +to take your life saving tests on the Eagle award--I bet the Gold Medal will +cover that. You’ll have the hero medal and you’ll be an Eagle Scout both.” + +“That shows Will Dawson did me a good turn,” Dub said. “I’d treat him to +an ice cream soda if I was only going to stay up here, if I only had a +dime.” + +“Now you’re starting kidding about it,” I said. + +Dub said, “All right, if you want me to be serious, listen here. You’re +not going to tell Tom Slade anything--you’re going to keep your mouth +shut. Nobody has to know anything about this. I did my part, now you +have to do yours.” + +“_And you not get the Gold Medal?_” I just shouted at him. “And how +about--gee, don’t you want to go home an Eagle Scout?” + +“I don’t want to go home at all,” he said. + +I said, “If I was an Eagle Scout and had the Gold Medal, I wouldn’t mind +going home, you can bet.” + +He said, “Well, are we dry?” + +Will said, “Wait till I get my shoes dried out a little.” + +“Yes, and you row straight across,” I told him. + +“Are you going to walk?” he asked me. + +“Didn’t I start walking?” I said. “Dub and I are going to finish the way +we began. Do you want to get the whole three of us in Dutch? You better +put some more wood on if you want to dry your shoes.” + +“I’ll get a chunk of wood,” Dub said. “You keep drying your shoes,” he +said to Will. + +“You don’t need a very big piece,” I called after him. + +Dub went running up out of the hollow and away toward the shore. Will +was holding his shoes close to the fire. I just sat there on a rock, +waiting. Will didn’t say anything to me, and I didn’t say anything to +him. I guess we waited about ten minutes. Then I called but I didn’t get +any answer. I got up and walked up out of the hollow but I didn’t see +Dub anywhere. So I went down to the shore. I could see the camp-fire +burning away over at camp. + +I kept calling Dub but he didn’t answer. It was so dark I took out my +flash-light. Because as long as we had gone so far after wood, I thought +maybe he remembered seeing a good piece near where I pulled the boat up. +But I couldn’t even find the boat. All of a sudden I saw something white +on a tree. It was a piece of paper. Then I knew that was just where the +boat had been. The paper was held to the trunk by a long, thin switch +from a tree that was tied around the trunk. I held my flash-light up to +the paper and read it. After I read it I took it down and put it in my +pocket, so you can tell that the way I write it out now is just the same +as it was on that paper. This is what it said, because I’m copying it. +It was all sprawly like. + + Please you and Will Dawson hike around to camp and don’t be + scrapping. When you get there you don’t need to say you saw me. + Nobody knows who started out with you and what they don’t know + won’t hurt them. Tell Will Dawson he better go ahead and get to + be a Star Scout. I’d like to see Pee-wee at that corn-roast. + Like you said he’ll eat two at once. It’s no matter if I get + pinched for being out in the boat because I’m going home day + after to-morrow anyway and I’ll only lose one day. You shout so + much about badges and things, now see if you can be loyal to a + Scout in your own patrol. + Dub Smedley. + + P.S. You keep still about me, do you hear. + +That’s just what he wrote. After I read it I looked out on the lake but +I couldn’t see anything and I couldn’t even hear a sound--not even the +oar-locks clinking. I shouted, “_Dub._” But there wasn’t any answer. I +didn’t shout again because I knew he must have heard me. I was afraid +they might hear my voice, far away like, over at camp. So I just stood +there on the shore trying to see out on the lake. I couldn’t even hear +an oar dipping, I thought he must be pretty far out. + +I guess he was sculling, because you can hear oar-locks even far off on +the water. There was a little kind of a narrow bright path on the water, +made by the camp-fire across the lake. Way over there it was wide, but +past the middle of the lake, over toward the side where I was, it was +just kind of like a bright line--all used up, sort of. I saw something +black go across that and I called out again. + +But there wasn’t any answer. It was good and dark around there. + +----- +[1] Slady. Nickname for Tom Slade, the young camp assistant and + leader of camp activities. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +BEING A SCOUT + + +When I got back to the hollow Will was just standing there holding his +shoes to the fire. I said, “Dub took the boat and he’s gone over to +camp--here’s a paper he left on a tree. He’s going to take the blame. +Will you let him do that?” I admit I was all--I don’t know, I could +hardly speak. I just said over again, “Will you let him do that? You see +how he says we shouldn’t scrap--and I’m not going to scrap--no more. We +never had any scraps in our patrol. But before I say if I’ll ever speak +to you again you’ve got to say if you’ll let Dub Smedley do that.” + +All of a sudden Will turned and opened up on me. By the fire I could see +his eyes were all shiny like. Up to that time he took all I said. Now he +just opened up on me. “Before I ever speak to you again,” he said, “you +have to say if you really want me to answer that? I took all you said, +even in front of him--I did--but now you say--you want me to tell you if +I’m a yellow dog--one of your own patrol! Well I’m a Silver Fox, that’s +what I am if you want to know--if you’re talking about animals!” + +I just went up to him and I made my fingers into the salute, only I +didn’t hold my hand up. I just grabbed his hand. I guess I didn’t know +what I was doing but just the same he could feel how my fingers were. + +“Listen Will,” I said to him. “Sure we’re Silver Foxes--only listen. I +was sore--I admit I was sore--but maybe it isn’t so bad. Look at Hervey +Willetts, the crazy Indian, he’s always breaking rules, and everybody +likes him. Listen--will you please listen?” + +“Do you take it back--that question?” Will said. Jiminies, he could +hardly speak either. + +“I do, sure I do,” I told him, “only yellow, that’s one color I don’t +like except on bananas----” + +“Now I know it’s you,” Will said. + +“Listen Will,” I said to him. “Listen--we have to be starting back, but +listen before we start. Will you cut that out! You’re _not yellow_, +you’re the color of vanilla ice, that’s a kind of a silver color--now +listen. If I said anything I’m sorry for I’m glad of it. Come on, let’s +start back. Shall we hike around north, or go back the way Dub and I +came--or both?” Will just sort of laughed, he said I sounded like +myself--crazy he meant--I should worry. + +So then we started for camp around north, because the trail is better +that way. + +“I was just bobbing for eels,” Will said. “I didn’t want to hear that +Arizona Scout. It looks as if you didn’t want to hear him yourself.” + +“Right in the eye,” I said. “See if you can hit me again.” + +He said, “I suppose I’ll get sent home.” + +“That’s the trouble--can’t be helped,” I told him. “Dub, he has to go +day after to-morrow. If he got himself blamed for taking the boat, he’d +have to go to-morrow morning----” + +“Like I will,” Will said. + +“Well, don’t you care,” I told him. “Maybe you’ll be in time to go away +with your folks, hey? The sea shore--oh boy!” + +“Shall I go to the office as soon as we get to camp?” he asked me. + +“Sure,” I said, “and I’ll go with you and we’ll report how Dub saved +your life. When he goes home day after to-morrow he’ll be an Eagle Scout +and he’ll be down for the Gold Medal. Gee, Will, he’s a mighty nice +fellow--I saw him a lot.” + +“Why doesn’t he stay?” Will asked me. + +“Because he’s just an _in-and-outer_,” I said. “He’s only up for two +weeks. I think his folks are pretty poor, that’s what I think. If he’s +got to go, he’s got to go. But, jiminies, we don’t want him going with a +black eye.” + +“I’ll say we don’t,” Will said. “I’ll take the black eye--black’s better +than yellow.” + +“You said it,” I told him. + +When we got to camp, there wasn’t anybody around. We counted the coats +and they were all in. Up on Powwow Hill the camp-fire was still going. I +guess that old Scout from out west was talking everybody deaf, dumb and +blind. We could see dark forms sitting all around. Even Cooking Shack +was closed up, so I guess even Chocolate Drop was up there. + +I said to Will, “They’re still breadcrusting bedtime stories. I’d like +to have a hunk of pie, I know that.” + +All of a sudden, there was Dub. I guess he was waiting for us. He just +kind of appeared. + +I said, “You’re all right, Dub, only you’re not going to get away with +it. Whatever you said, we’re going into the office and tell the whole +thing, just how it was. We happen to be a couple of solid silver-plated +foxes and we congratulate you because you’re an honor hero. I dare you +to sneak up to camp-fire and get the key of Cooking Shack from Chocolate +Drop. We want to get some pie.” + +Dub said, “Listen, you fellows, we’re in luck. Nobody has to go home +to-morrow. Even Pee-wee Harris couldn’t have fixed it any better. Nobody +saw me come in. The whole blooming outfit is up there listening to +yarns--scoutmasters, councilors, everybody.” + +“Hurrah for Arizona,” I said. + +“You could steal the pavilion and nobody’d know it,” Dub said. + +“Let’s steal Cooking Shack,” I especially most hungrily suggested. + +“How about your life saving medal?” Will asked Dub. + +“Sure, explain all that,” I said. “Do you think we’re yellow just +because we eat lemon cake?” + +“Have a little sense,” Dub said. “I don’t have to be sent home in +disgrace at all, because nobody saw me bring the boat in. And Will +doesn’t have to be sent home in disgrace because nobody knows he had the +boat out. That leaves the life saving medal. All right, I don’t want it. +If I could have been the first to win it and get that hundred dollars +too, you can bet I’d have scooped up both awards because I want to stay +here. I never said I didn’t. That’s what I wanted most of all, and +that’s all I did want. Just because I have to go home day after +to-morrow, is that any reason why Will should get sent home and all your +plans busted up? I can get my Eagle badge any time I want to. The other +one I don’t want. And what I want I can’t get. Listen here, Roy +Blakeley, I don’t give you the right to go telling on me--what I did. +That’s _my_ business and not yours. You take care of your own patrol and +you’ll have your hands full.” + +“Good night, you said it,” I told him. + +He said, “All right. If I was getting sent home in disgrace it might be +different. But I’m not. I’d rather do Will Dawson a good turn than get +the Gold Medal, and that’s my business, isn’t it? You can be a Scout in +your way and I’ll be a Scout in my way. About two thousand, eight +million and three-quarter times I heard Pee-wee Harris tell you to keep +your mouth shut. That’s what I tell you now. Take Pee-wee’s advice and +keep your mouths shut about what happened to-night. Let’s see how much +you don’t know about scouting.” + +Will just started to laugh. He said, “It’s easy to see Dub has been +going around with you and Pee-wee! He talks like the two of you put +together.” + +“Sure--separated together,” Dub said. “Does that remind you of yourself? +Or are you too busy thinking about my business?” + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +THE DAY BEFORE + + +So now you know why Dub Smedley didn’t get the Gold Medal for saving +Will Dawson’s life. That was twice he didn’t get it. And you needn’t +think Will and I let it go like that just on account of ourselves. If a +Scout would rather do a good turn than get the Gold Medal, that’s up to +him. As long as Dub put it that way, that it wasn’t any of our business, +we decided to do like he wanted and not say anything. Maybe I was wrong, +I don’t know. As long as Dub said it was none of our business what he +did, we decided to mind our own business. I knew that what he really did +want was to stay at camp. And we couldn’t help him that way, that was +what I said. So Will Dawson stayed all season. If I told you about the +corn-roast we had on Labor Day night this would be a Pee-wee Harris +story--I wish to the dickens he’d keep out of my stories anyway. He +comes into my stories and he eats my patrol’s corn, a lot he cares. + +The next morning after that hike around the lake I helped Dub pack up +his things. He didn’t have any duffle bag, he had an old oilcloth +suitcase. He bunked in the big dormitory where all the Scouts bunk who +don’t come with troops or patrols. Gee whiz, I don’t often go in there. +They’re coming and going all the time in there. I felt good and sorry +for him because he was going--jiminy, the season was only just getting +started. + +I was sitting on his cot looking over the snapshots he had taken. He was +always taking snapshots to take home and show his mother and his little +sister. I guess neither of them knew what a scout camp was like. Dub +didn’t either, before he came to Temple Camp. Oh boy, it was a big thing +for him all right. + +I said, “Dub, if your mother and your little sister are as interested as +all that--that they want to see pictures and all--are you sure you won’t +let me tell how you saved Will, so you’ll get the Gold Medal? It isn’t +too late,” I said. “Will’s folks have got lots of money and he can go to +the seashore with them. His father’s one peach of a father, I’ll say +that, and he won’t be sore because Will gets sent home. Listen Dub, +maybe Will wouldn’t get sent home, you can’t tell.” + +“That wouldn’t fix it for me to stay, would it?” he said. He just gave +me a push in the face and he said, “Didn’t I tell you I don’t want the +medal? You go read that bulletin-board. I don’t like the sound of that +word _summary_. _Summary dismissal from camp._” + +“Will you come to Bridgeboro and see me when my troop goes home?” I +asked him. + +“Sure I will,” he said. + +“Most always Scouts up here in camp don’t see each other when they go +home,” I said, “But I want to see you. Will you come, and we’ll go round +to Pee-wee’s house. He lives in a great big house. You wouldn’t think +so, would you?” + +“I’d like to see Will, too,” he said. + +“Sure, you’ll see him,” I said. “He lives right near me. I’d have Sandy +too, only he lives so far. Rye bread, or Rye Beach, or whatever you call +it. But, oh boy, if you came, being an Eagle Scout! And if you had the +life saving medal besides! Gee, it would be in the Bridgeboro paper.” + +“Maybe I have got it,” he said. + +I said, “What do you mean, Dub?” + +“If you do a thing, you do it, don’t you?” he said. + +“Sure,” I said, “but you want the proof of it, don’t you?” + +“If I know I did it why do I want any proof?” he said. “That’s what +Pee-wee calls a dandy argument.” + +“You’re a funny fellow, Dub,” I said. + +He just gave me a shove and he said, “Maybe when I come to see you I +_will_ be an Eagle Scout. Now let’s talk about something else. You come +in here to see my snapshots and all you do is razz me. Where’s Will +to-day?” he wanted to know. + +“Oh, he’s off after his bird study badge,” I said. “He’s only got that +and the carpentry badge to get. Then he’s a Star Scout. Jiminies, he’s +pulling shingles off and nailing them on again up at the old burned +storehouse. Every time he sees a piece of wood he wants to saw it in +half. To-day he’s got a date with a couple of blue jays or something. +He’s got his little kodak with him.” + +Dub said, “Do you know there is one thing I’d like?” + +“Name it,” I said, “and I’ll give it to you twice.” + +He said, “Do you remember when I first got in with you fellows, we +started out on a hike, didn’t we?” + +“Sure, whichever way the wind stopped blowing,” I said. “We went after +wills and robbers and everything.” + +Dub said, “I’d like you and Pee-wee and Sandy and Will Dawson to hike +down to the train with me to-morrow. Catskill isn’t so much of a hike is +it?” + +“Sure not,” I said, “but it will seem funny coming back without you.” + +“Let’s finish up with a hike,” he said. “We had a lot of fun hiking +together--I did anyway. I’d kind of like to start home that way. Will +you? Just you and Sandy and Pee-wee and Will Dawson and I, hey? I can +send this old grip down on the bus, can’t I?” + +“Sure you can,” I said. “But, gee, I don’t want you to go, Dub.” + +“I’d treat you all to ice cream in Catskill if I wasn’t so blamed hard +up,” he said. “But will you fellows hike down with me? We’ll start good +and early and just sort of mope along like that day we hiked to Beaver +Chasm, and you and Pee-wee can have one of those mortal comebacks. Will +you? We’ll make it crazy, hey?” + +“Sure, Dub,” I said. “You bet we will, only----” + +I don’t know, I couldn’t say anything, I just started looking at the +snapshots. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +THE LAST HIKE + + +So that’s the way he did, we all hiked down to Catskill to see Dub off. +The Scouts that went were the Big Four and Will Dawson. All my patrol +wanted to go but I wouldn’t let them because I was going to do just the +way Dub wanted. I told Pee-wee we were all going to be good and crazy, +so as to make Dub feel good. The kid said, “I knew it before you told +me.” + +I told him, “If you want to stay behind the pleasure is ours. We’ll be +able to have fifty-two more ice cream cones each.” + +There are four ways to hike from Temple Camp to Catskill and each one is +better than the other. But the best way is through Leeds because you +pass Merrill’s farm and there’s an apple tree that sticks out over the +stone wall. But anyway it was too early for apples. You go up the hill +in back of the camp till you get to the road, then you turn left and go +till you come to a cross-road with a sign that says TEMPLE CAMP +COMMUNITY and an arrow pointing toward the camp. That’s where you turn +left again and you go till you come to a noise--it’s a waterfall. At +night you have to listen for that noise so as to know where to cut +across fields. Then you come to the main road and that takes you to +Catskill. If you go to Catskill most always you’ll see Scouts from +Temple Camp there. If you don’t see them anywhere else look in Benny’s, +that’s where you get hot dogs. + +Dub was going down on the three-ten train so Chocolate Drop gave us our +dinner early because we wanted to have plenty of time to take it easy. +The way the Handbook says you should do is to set a nice easy pace. It +says about hiking that you should never walk over anything that you can +walk around. And you should never step on anything if you can step over +it because you have to lift the weight of your body. And besides that, +the Silver Fox Patrol has a rule that you must never walk more than one +mile at a time, then you don’t get tired. + +While we were moping along--you know how we go, just kind of fooling and +everything--Sandy said, “The Handbook is crazy. If you should never walk +over anything that you can walk around how can anybody expect to get +anywhere? Suppose we come to a block and start walking around the block. +Where would we get to, I’d like to know?” + +I said, “That’s a dandy argument.” + +“Do you mean the Handbook doesn’t know what it’s talking about?” Pee-wee +shot out. “I know where it says that.” + +“Sure, it’s crazy,” I said. “It says about hiking that you shouldn’t +step on anything, but over it. How are you going to hike if you can’t +step on the ground? I’ll leave it to Dub.” + +Dub was just laughing. He said, “This is sure some bunch to hike with.” + +“I’m glad you like us,” I told him. “We aim to please. One thing, we +have plenty of sense only we don’t take it around with us while hiking. +Walk briskly, throw the chest out but look out where you throw it, take +deep breaths, also take apples if you can find any.” + +Pee-wee said, “We ought to have asked Bobby Easton to come with us +because he’s kind of in our crowd on account of me giving him the chance +to get the Gold Life Saving Medal. He’s got his hundred dollars too, +now, and I bet he’d treat to ice cream. He says he’s going to buy a +canoe for the races on Labor Day and I told him I’d fix it for him so he +could keep it in one of the lockers.” + +“You’ll get killed one of these days fixing something,” Sandy told him. + +“Sure, in the end he’ll have to get his jaw fixed,” I said. + +Dub said, “I don’t think his jaw will ever need to be fixed, it seems to +be in pretty good shape.” + +“Did you see Bobby’s Gold Medal?” the kid piped up. “It’s a new kind of +a one, it’s got all filigree around it, and it says FOR LIFE SAVING. I +had to be a witness to prove I got saved. I had to prove it that I’m +alive.” + +“You don’t have to prove that,” I said. + +Sandy said, “I’m going to get a new kind of award started. It’s going to +be made out of fourteen carat gold----” + +“Fourteen carrots are nothing for Pee-wee,” I said. “If I was making a +medal for him I’d have fourteen carrots, nineteen turnips, a lot of +mashed potatoes and three helpings of blackberry pudding. I’d have the +medal in the shape of a pancake, hey Dub?” + +Sandy said, “My new medal would be all studded with diamonds and it +would be given to any Scout who failed to save Pee-wee’s life.” + +“That’s a fine idea,” I said. + +“If it wasn’t for me Bobby Easton wouldn’t have that medal or the +hundred dollars either,” Pee-wee shouted. “He’s going to save fifty +dollars of it for when he comes up next summer and the two of us are +going to build a cabin and there ain’t going to be any Silver Foxes +allowed to come to it.” + +“The pleasure is ours,” I told him. + +“A Gold Medal Scout has to kind of live by himself kind of away from +other fellows,” the kid said. + +“I wish you were one then,” I told him. “The further off the better. The +North Pole would be a good place, you could get plenty of pineapple ice +up there.” + +“Did you see the bulletin-board to-day?” the kid piped up. + +“No, did you fix that?” I asked him. + +He said, “There’s an announcement that I wrote that to-morrow night +there’s going to be a show that I’m going to give in the Pavilion, it’s +two cents to get in. It’s going to be an exhibition of beetles and +caterpillars and special kinds of spiders, and there are going to be +some lizards too, and I’m going to give a lecture about them.” + +“Now at last I realize how lucky I am,” Dub said. + +“Be thankful there’s a place called Jersey City,” I told him. + +Maybe I never told you that Pee-wee has a Bronx Park zoo in a cigar box. + +I didn’t want him to keep talking about what the Scouts would be doing +at camp all summer, because I was thinking about Dub, so I said, “Come +on, let’s play _Follow Your Leader_, only we have to keep going in the +right direction. The idea is to advance by easy stages, merrily, +merrily, toward Catskill Landing. We’ve got to be there by ten-three.” + +“You mean three-ten!” Pee-wee shouted. + +“It’s the same only different,” I told him. + +“We have to be there in time to get sodas before the train comes,” the +kid said. “Didn’t you say you were going to treat us all on account of +Dub?” + +“Come on,” I said, “follow your leader.” + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +FOLLOW YOUR LEADER + + +That’s some crazy game all right, I learned it from Hervey Willetts. I +jumped up on the stone wall alongside the road and started along on it +with the four of them after me. “Follow your leader wherever he goes,” I +shouted. + + “Don’t ask where you’re headed for nobody knows, + Just keep your eyes open and follow your nose; + Be careful, don’t trip and go stubbing your toes, + And follow your leader wherever he goes.” + +Oh boy, when we get started on that, _good night_! There’s a big sign in +the field and it said. + + TRESPASSING FORBIDDEN + TRESPASSERS WILL BE PUNISHED TO + THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW. + TAKE WARNING. + +“You better look out you don’t go kerflop down in the field,” Pee-wee +shouted at me. + +“Follow your leader,” I said. + +Pretty soon I started hopping on one foot and it’s pretty hard to do +that on a stone wall. + +“Have a heart!” one of them shouted at me. A lot I cared. + +There was a man with a big straw hat on in the field and he came over +toward us. I guess he thought we’d fall down in his cabbages. I kept +hopping on one foot and kind of bending over toward the field and once I +leaned away over and made believe to lose my balance and so the other +fellows had to do the same. We were all kind of staggering on the stone +wall. + +The man said, “Look out whar yer fall if yer know what’s well fer yer. +Did yer see that thar sign yonder?” + +“If I turn to look at it I’ll fall,” I said. All the while we were +trying to stand still, each of us on one foot. Gee, I bet we looked +crazy. + +The man said, “I’m givin’ yer warning, yer set a foot in this field uv +cabbage and I’ll hev the law onter yer.” + +“I can’t stand on one leg any longer!” Pee-wee shouted. + +I kept hopping on one leg and I said, “Follow your leader whatever he +does.” + +“If we fall in the field we’ll miss the train,” the kid shouted. + +“Our solemn honor is more important than a train,” I told him. + +All of a sudden I lost my balance almost and I had to stand on both legs +and wave my hands to keep from falling down into the field. Dub did the +same and he bunked against me, then Sandy went bunking against him and, +good night, we all went tumbling down in a bunch outside the stone wall. +Lucky for us, hey? + +“Follow your leader,” I said. + +So then I went hop, skip and jump down the road with that crazy bunch +after me. Gee, it was a picture no artist could paint. Anyway I guess +Dub was having a good time. He was laughing, I know that. Pretty soon we +came to the place where the road goes down to Shady Vale--it’s pretty +steep. There was a sign that said. + + STEEP HILL + USE YOUR EARS + +I said to them, “Here’s where we have to be careful--follow your leader. +Use your ears so you won’t go down too fast.” I grabbed hold of my two +ears and held them out so the wind would catch them and hold us +back--that’s what I told the other fellows. They all did just like I +did. Some parade! + +Down at the foot of the hill were a couple of girls sitting in a Ford +and they started laughing at us. One of them said, “What are you holding +your ears for? You look too silly!” + +“To go slow down the hill,” I said. “There’s a sign up there that says +we should use our ears.” + +“It means _gears_,” she said. “Somebody scratched out the G. You’re too +ridiculous!” + +“How did we know that?” Will asked her. “We’re Boy Scouts and we obey +the law. When we see a sign we obey it.” + +She said, “Well, Mr. Show-off, since you’re so obedient, there’s a sign +right across the road there that says STOP.” + +“Then we have to stop,” I told her. “Boy Scouts are supposed to obey the +law.” + +It was one of those things that had STOP and GO printed on it but I +guess the cop was never there except on Sundays. Anyway I don’t see why +they have that village there on week days. Nobody ever goes through it +except on Sundays. If they stood it off the road it would be out of the +way. + +“Follow your leader,” I said. So then I sat down alongside the road and +the other four fellows did just the same. We all sat in a row. We were +right opposite the car with the girls. + +One of the girls said to the other one, “Did you ever see anything so +_absurd_?” + +Sandy said, “Go ahead, laugh. We’re not ashamed to obey the law. The +sign says stop.” + +The girl said, “It isn’t for pedestrians, _silly_!” + +“Will you let her call you that?” I said to Pee-wee. + +“Do you call us pedestrians?” he shouted. + +“I call you lunatics,” she said. + +“Right the first time,” I told her. “And you needn’t make fun of us +because we won’t go. I’ve seen lots of Fords that won’t go, and I don’t +mean maybe, perhaps.” + +“He thinks pedestrian is an epithet,” one of the girls said. “Did you +ever know anything so _perfectly crushing_?” + +[Illustration: “HE THINKS PEDESTRIAN IS AN EPITHET,” ONE OF THE GIRLS SAID.] + +“Sure, didn’t you ever see a stone-crusher?” I said. + +She said, “I’d just like to know how long you’re going to stay there.” + +“We’re going to stay here till it says GO,” I told her. + +She said, “You must have _oceans_ of time to spare.” + +“Sure,” I said, “do you want some of it?” + +Sandy called over to them and said, “Will you please tell us how much +time we’ve got?” + +One of the girls said, “I hope you have more time than you have brains. +I don’t even know where you’re going. What town do you want?” + +“What ones have you got?” I asked her. + +“She’s handing out towns,” Will said. + +“And I’ll tell you another thing,” she said, “It was one of the boys +from that big camp who mutilated that sign, and he wears a funny hat.” + +“Hervey Willetts,” I whispered to Will. + +“And he’d better not show himself here again,” she said. “That’s all +_I’ve_ got to say.” + +I said, “Hey girls, will you please have somebody come and turn this +sign around so we can continue on our way? We have to catch a West Shore +train at Catskill Landing and it leaves at ten-three.” + +“Well then, you’ve missed it already,” one of them said. + +“He means three ten,” Pee-wee shouted. + +“Well you can just sit there and starve,” one of the girls said. Then +they started off in the Ford. + +I said, “I think this is serious. Maybe that sign won’t be turned around +till next Sunday. By that time the train will probably have gone.” + +“We’d better consider what we’re going to do,” Will said. + +So then we started making poetry--it wasn’t so good. I said, + + “Beyond we cannot roam, + And Dub he can’t go home.” + +Sandy said, + + “We’d like to hike some maw + But we cannot break the law.” + +Will Dawson said, + + “The sign up there says STOP, + And we’re waiting for the cop.” + +“Let’s start all over again,” I said. “As long as ten-three doesn’t come +till night we might as well take it easy. Maybe the cop will come here +in his sleep to-night. It’s nice and comfortable sitting here.” + +All of a sudden Pee-wee opened up. He said, “You’ll keep saying +ten-three so much that you’ll really get to think so and we’ll no +fooling miss the train for Dub and we won’t be able to get any ice +creams--if we keep fooling like this.” + +I said, “That’s quite a good argument.” + +Pee-wee said, “You’ll live to regret it with all your fooling and +wasting time here like this.” He was thinking about not having time for +ice cream. + +After we had a good rest I grabbed the apple that Pee-wee was eating and +I threw it at the word STOP and the thing turned around to the word GO. +“That shows you how much resourcefulness a Silver Fox has,” I told them. +“If I hadn’t thought about that we might have sat here till next Sunday. +That was my idea.” + +“It was _my_ apple!” Pee-wee shouted. + +“Follow your leader,” I said. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +THE DISTANT WHISTLE + + +So now you know the way we hike. Sometimes even it’s worse than that. +Tom Slade (he’s camp assistant) says it’s best to have a destination +when you start. But if you have a destination when you start, what’s the +use of going anywhere? What’s the use of going to a destination if +you’ve got one already? I should worry about the Handbook. But anyway +you needn’t write to me to ask if you can go on one of my special crazy +hikes next summer because already nine Scouts want to go. Even now I +could tell you what kind of a one it’s going to be, only I won’t. You +just wait. + +We got to Catskill half an hour before it was time for the train and we +went to the Polar Ice Cream Parlor and had ice cream. I treated them to +regular fifteen cent plates of ice cream, not cones. It says in there +_Get a Polar cone_. _It’s a bear._ Believe me, the fifteen cent plates +are elephants. That ice cream place is a branch of Temple Camp. + +While we were in there Will Dawson was kind of funny acting--he didn’t +say much. I thought maybe he was feeling mean because nobody knew how +Dub had saved his life. Will and Dub and I were the only ones that knew +anything about it. Nobody knew anything about Will taking the boat that +night. Once while we were eating Will went over and spoke to the man +that keeps the place. + +“What’s the matter?” I asked him when he came back. + +He said, “Nothing, I was just asking about the train.” + +“There’s plenty of time,” Dub said. “It doesn’t leave till three-ten.” + +“I bet you’re sorry to go, hey Dub?” I said. + +He said, “Sure I’m sorry, I never said I wasn’t.” + +“I bet you’d like to be Bobby Easton, hey?” the kid asked him. + +“Never mind about Bobby Easton,” I said. + +“_You mean never mind about an honor Scout?_” the kid screamed at me. + +“Will you please keep your mouth shut about Bobby Easton,” I said. “Run +over to the post office and ask them how much two cent stamps are +to-day.” + +We started for the station and Pee-wee and Sandy walked ahead. Will and +Dub and I walked together. + +“Well, we’re pretty near at the end of the end,” Dub said. + +Jiminies, I felt terribly sorry for him, he was so nice about it. He was +the kind of a fellow you get to like more and more all the time. Believe +me, you see all kinds at Temple Camp. Some of them go up there as if +they were going to wrap up the place and take it home with them. Fresh. +Dub didn’t even look like a Scout because he didn’t have any Scout suit, +only the hat, and it made him look funny at camp. And I _was_ thinking +how he really had the Gold Medal for life saving, only he didn’t have +it, like you might say. Gee whiz, he didn’t have anything that _showed_ +he was a Scout. But he was one just the same, you can bet. I guess he +was as poor as any fellow that ever went up to Temple Camp. He only had +just the money for his board and he didn’t have any to spend. He didn’t +even have a troop or a patrol with him. He didn’t butt in much, but the +Scouts that knew him liked him. He wouldn’t say much when he was out +with us, he’d just laugh. + +I said, “How do you feel, Dub, now that you’re going?” + +“I feel full of ice cream,” he said. + +“Do you feel sore at us, even just a little bit?” I asked him. + +He started laughing and he said, “What for, I’d like to know?” + +“You know as well as I do,” I told him. “Because only for Will and I +keeping still you might have had the Gold Medal--even your Eagle badge +too, maybe? You’re so quiet, I thought maybe after all you were sore. +Are you?” + +“You have to be quiet when Pee-wee’s around,” he said. “A fellow doesn’t +get a chance to say anything.” + +I said, “Will you let me tell Pee-wee and Sandy so they’ll know what you +are before you go? They won’t let on at camp. Then all the four of us +will make you the full salute, Dub. Gee Dub, Will and I feel mean. I +know you’ve got to go and we can’t help you that way. But just the same +I want everybody at camp to know all about you--what you really are. It +makes us feel mean, doesn’t it Will?” + +Will said, “I’ve got nothing to say. I don’t feel so very mean.” + +Oh but I was good and mad. You never saw me when I was good and mad. I +said, “Well, if you don’t feel mean, _I do_. You’d be back in Bridgeboro +if it wasn’t for him. It’s just the same as if Dub gives you a present +of staying the rest of the season. It’s as good as the Burnside +award--what he does for you. _And you don’t feel mean!_ I’d like to know +how you do feel.” + +“I feel kind of worried,” Will said. + +“Yes, for fear they’ll find out at camp that Dub Smedley went home on +account of you. _I’m going to tell the whole camp anyway!_” + +“And go back on your promise,” Dub said. “I guess I will have to feel +sorry for myself if not even my best pals are good scouts.” + +“I didn’t mean it, I’ll keep my promise,” I said. + +“But I’ll tell you this, you’re a Gold Medal Scout and an Eagle Scout, +and the best scout that ever came to Temple Camp. And if you had what +was coming to you you’d be wearing the Gold Medal now.” + +“What, on this jacket?” he said. + +“Yes, on that jacket,” I said. “You can put a scout suit on a dummy in a +clothing store, can’t you? And does that make him a Scout?” + +“Some argument,” Dub said. “I kind of like you when you’re mad.” + +“Yes and you make me mad,” I said. “Because I have to feel mean. And +Will does too, I bet he does. And another thing, it spoils the whole +summer for me, your going home.” + +“I wish I was going to have the hike back with you,” he said. + +“There won’t be much fun in it,” I told him. + +There were a lot of people waiting over at the station. We just sat +there on a baggage truck waiting. Will went in the station and came out +again. He said he wanted to find out if the train was on time. I was +kind of sore at him because he said he didn’t feel mean, but I wasn’t +going to be scrapping with him and let Dub see it. He kept looking at +his watch all the time. I said, “What’s the idea? Are you in a hurry for +Dub to go?” + +Pee-wee said, “Let’s tell riddles while we’re waiting.” + +I said, “I don’t feel like telling riddles.” + +Sandy said, “Shall we play _Follow your leader_?” + +“I don’t feel like doing that either,” I said. + +So we just sat there on the baggage truck, swinging our legs. Pee-wee +was eating some milk chocolate that he bought in the station. All of a +sudden we heard a train whistling. + +“Here she comes,” I said. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +THE NORTH BOUND + + +“It’s ahead of time,” Sandy said. + +“It’s ten minutes early,” another one of them shouted. + +“You’re all wrong the first time as usual,” I said. “It’s a north bound +train. Such fine Scouts! You can’t even tell which direction a whistle +comes from.” + +“I kept still,” Pee-wee said. + +“Sure, that was the funniest part of all,” I told him. + +Dub said, “Well, I’ll have a few more minutes to stay.” + +“Golden minutes with Silver Foxes,” Sandy said. + +“Maybe we’ll have time to go and get some sodas,” Pee-wee said. + +“Go ahead,” I told him. “I’m going to sit here and see if any Scouts for +camp get off this train.” + +“Will you go with me?” the kid asked Will. + +“You go with him,” Will said to Sandy. + +“Come on, I’ll treat you,” the kid said. “I’ll bring back some +gumdrops.” + +“Don’t come back at all if you don’t want to, the pleasure is ours,” I +said. + +“We’ll hear the whistle,” Sandy said. + +“Go ahead,” I told him. + +Sandy’s a nice fellow, he’ll even drink sodas to help a friend. He’s +always doing good turns. Just as he and Pee-wee went away I noticed Will +wasn’t around anywhere. Then I saw him way up at the end of the +platform. + +“Mine will be along in a few minutes,” Dub said. Then he said, “I’m glad +to be here all alone with you these last few minutes.” He said I was the +one he was going to miss most. + +“You feel good and sorry now that the time has come, don’t you?” I said. +“You can’t fool me, I can see it.” + +“Sure I’m sorry,” he said. + +“Didn’t you ever go away in the country before, Dub?” I asked him. He +said only once when he went to Bronx Park. + +“That isn’t country,” I said. “You see, when you get back now, the +trolley cars and everything will sound awful loud. When I first get back +everything seems funny like. But it isn’t so bad because we go right to +school--not saying that isn’t bad enough. Are there fellows around where +you live?” + +“Yes, but most of them work,” he said. “If I hadn’t delivered groceries +on Saturdays I couldn’t have come up here. I tried to make it for three +weeks but I could only get money enough for two.” + +“How did you hear about Temple Camp, Dub?” I asked him. + +He said, “There’s a big house where I deliver groceries, and the fellow +that lives there told me about it. He was up here a couple of years ago. +Horace Baker, do you know him? His father’s president of a bank or +something.” + +“I don’t remember him,” I said. + +We just sat there on the baggage truck swinging our legs. He said, +“What’s Will doing, I wonder?” + +I said, “Oh he’s watching to see if any Scouts he knows get off the +train. They’re coming up every day now. Not many are going back this +time of year.” + +“I hold the prize on that,” Dub said. + +I said, “Will you please not talk that way, Dub. Don’t you think I feel +mean enough already. Gee, I don’t know what I ought to do.” + +“Yes you do,” Dub said. + +By that time the north bound train had stopped and people were getting +on and off and a trainman was calling, “_Train for Albany_.” All of a +sudden, _good-night magnolia_, along the platform came Will smiling all +over his face and on one side of him was Mr. Dawson and on the other +side of him was Mrs. Dawson. And Mabel Dawson (that’s Will’s sister) was +trying to get at Will and put her arm through his all the while he was +walking between his mother and father. + +“_Jiminy, Christopher, crinkums!_” I said. “Look who’s here.” And I just +jumped down and ran up to them. Dub stayed where he was. That’s just +like him--bashful. + +Mrs. Dawson started calling, “Why it’s _Roy_!” + +“Still out of the lunatic asylum,” Mr. Dawson said. He’s an awful nice +man, he just grabbed hold of my hand and he put his arm around my +shoulder and he said to Mabel, “Look out you don’t kiss the wrong boy by +mistake.” Then he said, “Well, tell us the worst, here we are as per +orders.” + +I could see Mrs. Dawson was kind of anxious but Will didn’t give her a +chance to be anxious very long. He said, “Did it scare you, the +telegram?” + +Mr. Dawson said, “It didn’t scare me but it put me financially in a +hole, paying for it collect. I was afraid we wouldn’t have the carfare +to come up here. It was as long as a spelling lesson. Your mother has +been a little anxious but I told her everything was O. K.” + +“What telegram?” I asked him. + +Mabel said, “Goodness, gracious--show Roy the telegram, Dad. I never saw +such a telegram in my life! Since Dad paid for it, he says I can’t have +a fur coat next winter.” + +“No new car now,” Mr. Dawson said. Then he gave me a kind of a wink--gee +he’s awful nice. He said, “Here Roy, you glance this telegram over +sometime when you have a couple of hours to spare.” + +Oh boy, this was the telegram. I hope nobody ever sends me one like +that, collect. + + Try to come to-morrow instead of next week. Important but don’t + worry am all right. Need you to help me but tell Mom don’t + worry. Train gets here two fifty-eight. Be sure don’t fail. + Will explain. Am well. Will expect you sure. + Will. + +Mr. Dawson said, “Do you see how he could be well after sending a wire +like that? I should think he’d be suffering from exhaustion.” + +“And think of the cost of the ink,” I said. “Anyway it was good exercise +for his wrist.” + +Mr. Dawson slapped me on the shoulder and he said, “Same old Roy.” Then +he said, “Well, Billy, what’s the matter?” + +I looked up the platform to where Dub was sitting all alone swinging his +legs from the baggage truck. He didn’t look like a Scout at all. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + +HELD + + +Will just put his arms around his father’s waist and stood in front of +him to prevent him from walking. He was all excited, he said, “Listen, +Dad, quick, because in a couple of minutes the south bound train will be +here and then it will be too late. You keep still, Roy.” _Jiminy +crinkums_, people are always telling me to keep still. Anyway Mr. Dawson +winked at me. + +Will just said--gee, but he was anxious and excited--“Listen Dad, I +broke the rule and took a boat out at night, and--do you see that fellow +up there? The one sitting on the truck? He’s a Scout----” + +Mabel Dawson said, “He doesn’t look like one.” + +“Never you mind, he is one,” Will said. He kept shaking his father so +he’d listen in a hurry. He said, “That Scout saved my life--I’ll tell +you all about it afterward how I got tangled up with a rope in the +water. Listen--_listen quick_! He ought to have the Gold Medal for that. +But he wouldn’t let us tell because then I would have been sent home for +breaking the rule--do you see? I had to promise him I wouldn’t tell +anybody at camp. But I could tell you because you weren’t at camp--that +isn’t breaking my word. Now he’s going home because he hasn’t got money +enough to stay any longer--his train--_listen_--his train is coming any +minute. _Listen_--you said maybe I’d get a big radio on Christmas and I +know what you mean when you say _maybe_----” + +“He don’t mean maybe,” I said. + +“Will you keep still!” Will shot at me. “Listen Dad,” he said. “Instead +of getting that radio I want that fel--Scout--I want him to stay up here +till the camp closes. So will you do that? You have to answer quick +because the train is whistling--I hear it--so will you do that? He saved +my life and kept still so I could stay up here. I’ll go home if I have +to but he’s _got_ to stay up here--he’s got to--listen, there’s the +train--will you answer me!” Gee, I never saw Will so excited in all his +life. He was right about the south bound train, it was whistling up the +line. The train the Dawsons came on started off. I could see the smoke +of the other one over the trees way up the river. + +“It’s--it’s coming,” Will said. He just kept pulling his father’s coat. +“I don’t want a new radio anyway,” he said. + +Jiminies, you can’t hurry Mr. Dawson. He took it easy walking over into +the station with Will and I after him. Then he went over to the news +stand and bought a cigar and lighted it. I thought maybe he was mad +about what Will did--breaking the rule like that, I mean. Then he went +over to the ticket window and asked the man about the down trains next +day. I guess Will and I didn’t know what to think. Will was terribly +excited. When Mr. Dawson came out on the platform again he said, + +“That the boy--the one sitting on the jigger? What’s his name?” + +“His name is Dorin Smedley,” I said, “but we call him Dub.” + +“No khaki huh?” Mr. Dawson said. + +Then, all in a hurry, Will told his father all about Dub--all that we +knew about him. The train was coming along but that didn’t seem to worry +Mr. Dawson. It worried Will and me though. Mr. Dawson just kind of +strolled over to the baggage truck and he screwed his cigar over into +one end of his mouth and he looked awful kind of shrewd like. He held +out his hand just like he would to a man and he said, “H’lo Dub.” + +Dub jumped down because the train was puffing all ready to start but Mr. +Dawson kind of smiling didn’t let go his hand, he just kept shaking it. +Mrs. Dawson and Mabel came up, but Mr. Dawson just kept on shaking Dub’s +hand. Poor Dub didn’t know what to make of it. All of a sudden the bell +on the engine rang and the train started to move. A lot Mr. Dawson cared +about the train! He travels around a lot and I guess he misses lots of +trains--he should worry. + +That’s the way he is, always fooling, kind of. He just kept hold of +Dub’s hand and Dub tried to get away, but he couldn’t. And so he missed +the train! “What’s all the hurry about, Dub?” Mr. Dawson asked him. + +Jiminy crinkums, that man should worry about trains! + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII + +BETTER THAN GOLD + + +Gee it was awful funny; Dub didn’t get a chance to have his way at all. +He didn’t know what was happening to him till it was all over. I guess +he thought he was being kidnapped. He just kept looking after the train. +Poor Dub, I was half laughing and half crying on account of him. + +“I didn’t break my promise, Dub,” Will said. “You ask Roy. I said we +wouldn’t tell anybody at camp. I could tell my father, couldn’t I?” + +“It’s as clear as mud,” I said. + +“Well then, you’ve got to go on keeping your promise,” Dub said. “If I +go back to camp, you won’t tell anybody about your taking the boat or +how I went in after you? Hurry up and answer,” he said, “because here +comes Pee-wee and Sandy.” + +Mr. Dawson said, “Well, breaking rules is bad business. But breaking +promises is bad business too. We can talk about that later. The main +thing now is how are we going to get to camp? Dub is going to stay all +summer if I have enough money left after that telegram. So there’s the +principal matter settled. He ought to be able to win his Eagle badge in +that time. As for the Gold Medal for saving Will’s life----” + +“_Shhh!_” I said. “Here’s Pee-wee. Nobody knows but just Will and Dub +and I.” + +“And Mabel and Mrs. D.,” Mr. Dawson said. “The only girls that know how +to keep a secret. How about that?” + +So that’s how it happened that Dub Smedley stayed at Temple Camp all +summer and didn’t get the Gold Medal. But he got to be an Eagle Scout +that summer. I guess the good turn that Will Dawson did him made up for +Will taking the boat. Mr. Dawson was awful funny, he said we ought to +tell about that. But he said we ought to keep our promise to Dub. So as +long as we couldn’t do both we kept our promise to Dub. I guess it +didn’t almost kill Mr. Dawson to pay for that telegram because he gave a +check to Temple Camp so Dub could stay till the end of the season, and +besides, he bought a scout suit for him. + +When Pee-wee and Sandy saw that Dub hadn’t gone on the train, they +wanted to know why. A couple of fine Scouts they were--_not_--missing +the train themselves like that. On account of drinking sodas! Pee-wee, +he even had to wipe his mouth off so Mrs. Dawson could kiss him. + +I said, “The reason Dub didn’t go was because you two flat tires weren’t +here to see him off. He wouldn’t go without saying good-bye to you and +now he’s got to stay all summer.” + +“Will you tell me the no fooling reason,” Pee-wee shouted. + +I said, “The no fooling reason is the evil of drink, how you go after +sodas just when the train is going to come and Dub is so polite he +wouldn’t go without saying good-by to you. He’s not like me, I’d be glad +to say good-by to you any time. Will you please go and find out how soon +the next bus goes up to Leeds? All our fine plans for Dub going home are +spoiled by ice cream sodas and they’ll be the cause of your downfall +yet.” + +“Are you going to talk some sense!” Pee-wee shouted. “What was the +honest and truly reason?” + +“Why should I talk sense just to please you,” I said. “Gee whiz, I +wouldn’t talk sense to please anybody--I’ll leave it to Will.” + +Oh boy, you should have seen the way Mr. and Mrs. Dawson laughed. Mabel +looked at Dub awful nice and friendly, kind of, and she said, “Aren’t +they perfectly idiotic, Dub?” + +“They’ve been doing just like that for the last two weeks,” Dub said, +kind of bashful like. + +“If you don’t like it, you can go my way and I’ll go yours,” I told him. +We should worry. + + THE END + + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 75164 *** |