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diff --git a/old/10552.txt b/old/10552.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9dd0cfc --- /dev/null +++ b/old/10552.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5369 @@ +The Project Gutenberg eBook, Roy Blakeley, by Percy Keese Fitzhugh, +Illustrated by Howard L. Hastings + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + + + + + + + +Title: Roy Blakeley + +Author: Percy Keese Fitzhugh + +Release Date: December 31, 2003 [eBook #10552] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: US-ASCII + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROY BLAKELEY*** + + +E-text prepared by James Eager + + + +Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this + file which includes the original illustrations. + See 10552-h.htm or 10552-h.zip: + (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/0/5/5/10552/10552-h/10552-h.htm) + or + (http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/1/0/5/5/10552/10552-h.zip) + + + + + +Transcriber's notes: + + 1. The disease "consumption" as used in this book has been renamed + in modern times. Today we call this disease "tuberculosis." + (The term "consumption" might also have been applied to other + wasting diseases such as cancer.) Of course, tuberculosis in + one as young as the character of "Skinny" is pretty serious. + + 2. The first 3 books in the Roy Blakeley series are pretty much + one story. + + + + + +ROY BLAKELEY +HIS STORY + +Being the true narrative of his adventures and those of his troop on +land and sea and in the mud--particularly in the mud. Taken from the +Troop Book of the 1st Bridgeboro Troop B. S. A. and arranged by himself +with the assistance of Pee-wee Harris and + + +PERCY KEESE FITZHUGH + +AUTHOR OF + +TOM SLADE, BOY SCOUT, TOM SLADE AT TEMPLE CAMP, ETC. + + +ILLUSTRATED BY HOWARD L. HASTINGS + + + + +PUBLISHED WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA + +1920 + + + + +Illustration #1 + +"I began sinking as low as my waist" + + + + +TABLE OF CONTENTS + + I. TROUBLES OF MY OWN--THE BIG CONCLAVE + II. SWATTING THE SPY + III. SWATTING THE SPY--CONTINUED + IV. THE PLOT GROWS THINNER--OR ELSE THICKER + V. LOST + VI. THE TIGHT PLACE + VII. WEETONKA, THE TERRIBLE CHIEF + VIII. RESOPEKITWAFTENLY + IX. THE LOST LETTER + X. THE RAVENS + XI. LOST + XII. ARTIE'S ADVENTURE + XIII. TRACKING + XIV. THE SLACKER + XV. DURING NOON HOUR + XVI. NOBLE RAGS + XVII. THE TWO CROSSES + XVIII. SCOUT LAW NUMBER THREE + XIX. THE END OF THE MEETING + XX. MOSTLY ABOUT SKINNY + XXI. SOMETHING MISSING + XXII. SHOWS YOU WHERE I DO THE TALKING + XXIII. IN THE WOODS + XXIV. TREASURE ISLAND + XXV. THE SHORT CUT + XXVI. IN MY OWN CAMP + XXVII. THE GENTLE BREEZE +XXVIII. JOLLYING PEE-WEE + XXIX. JIMMY, THE BRIDGE-TENDER + XXX. GONE + XXXI. THE CAPTAIN'S ORDERS + XXXII. I MAKE A DANDY FRIEND +XXXIII. SO LONG--SEE YOU LATER + + + + + + +CHAPTER I + +TROUBLES OF MY OWN--THE BIG CONCLAVE + +Well, here I am at last, ready to tell you the adventures of our young +lives. Right away I have trouble with Pee-wee Harris. He's about as easy +to keep down as a balloon full of gas. We call him the young dirigible +because he's always going up in the air. Even at the start he must stick +in his chapter heading about a conclave. + +Hanged if I know what a conclave is. It's some kind of a meeting I guess. +He said it was something like a peace conference, but believe me, the +meeting I'm going to tell you about wasn't much like a peace conference. +I told him I'd use my own heading and his too, just to keep him quiet. +I think he's got his pockets stuffed full of chapter headings and that +he'll be shooting them at me all the way through--like a machine--gun. + +I guess I might as well tell you about Pee-wee before I tell you about +the conclave or whatever you call it He's Doctor Harris's son and he's +a member of the Raven Patrol. He's a member in good standing, only he +doesn't stand very high. Honest, you can hardly see him without a +magnifying glass. But for voice--good night! + +He sings in the Methodist Church choir and they say he can throw his +voice anywhere. I wish he'd throw it in the ash barrel, I know that. +He always wears his belt-axe to troop meetings, in case the Germans +should invade Bridgeboro, I suppose. He's the troop mascot and if you +walk around him three times and ruffle up his beautiful curly hair, +you can change your luck. + +Well, now I'll tell you about the meeting. We had a big special meeting +to decide about two things, and believe me, those two things had +momentous consequences. Momentous--that's a good word, hey? + +One thing, we wanted to decide about our campaign for collecting books +for soldiers, and another thing, we wanted to decide how we could all +go up to Temple Camp in our cabin launch, the Good Turn. + +This large arid what--do--you--call--it launch--I mean commodious +launch--is a dandy boat, except for one thing--the bow is too near the +stern. If we were sardines instead of boy scouts, it would be all right, +but you see there's twenty-four of us altogether, not counting Captain +Kidd, our mascot--he's a parrot. + +So I got up and said, "How are we going to crowd twenty--four growing +boys and a parrot into a twenty foot launch?" + +"It can't be did," Doc Carson shouted. "Then some of us will have to +hike it on our dear little feet," I said. + +"Or else we'll have to get a barge or something or other and tow it," +Artie Van Arlen said. + +"What, with a three horse-power engine?" somebody else shouted. + +"You can bet I won't be one of the ones to hike it," Pee-wee yelled; +"I'll dope out some scheme or other." + +And believe me, he did. + +Well, after we'd been talking about an hour or so on how we'd manage it, +Mr. Ellsworth, our scoutmaster, up and said there was plenty of time for +that as long as we were not going to camp for a couple of weeks anyway, +and that we'd better begin thinking of how we were going to start about +collecting books for soldiers. + +All the while I had something very important to or say, and I was kind of +trembling, as you might say, "for I thought maybe Mr. Ellsworth wouldn't +like the idea. Anyway I got up and began: + +"The author that wrote all about 'Tom Slade's adventures in the World +War'," I said, "told me it would be a good idea for one to write up our +troop's adventures and he'd help me to get them published." + +Then up jumped Pee-wee Harris like a jack--in--the--box. + +"What are you talking about?" he shouted; "don't you know you have to +have a command of language to write books? You're crazy!" + +"I should worry about a command of language," I told him. "Haven't I +got command of the Silver Fox Patrol? Anybody who can command the Silver +Fox Patrol ought to be able to command a few languages and things. I +could command a whole regiment even," I kept up, for I saw that Pee-wee +was getting worked up, as usual, and all the fellows were laughing, +even Mr. Ellsworth. + +"If you could command a division," Westy Martin said, in that sober +way of his, "you ought to be able to command English all right." + +"I can command any kind of a division," I shouted, all the while +winking at Westy, "I can command a long division or a short division or +a multiplication or a subtraction or a plain addition." + +"What are you talking about?" Pee-wee yelled. + +"You're crazy!" + +"I can command anything except Pee-wee Harris's temper," I said. + +Well, you ought to have seen Pee-wee. Even Mr. Ellsworth had to laugh. + +"How can a fellow your age write books?" he fairly screamed. "You have +to have sunsets and twilights and gurgling brooks and--" + +"You leave the gurgling brooks to me," I said; "I'll make them gurgle +all right. There's going to be plenty of action in these books. And +Pee-wee Harris is going to be the village cut-up." "Are you going to +have girls?" he shouted. + +"Sure I'm going to have girls--gold haired girls--all kinds--take your +pick." + +"Good night!" Pee-wee shouted, "I see your finish." + +Well, pretty soon everybody was shouting at the same time and Pee-wee +was dancing around, saying we were all crazy. Most of the Raven Patrol +were with him and they ought to be called the Raving Patrol, believe me. +Then Mr. Ellsworth held up his hand in that quiet way he has. "This +sounds like the Western Front or a Bolshevik meeting," he said, "and +I'm afraid our young Raven, Mr. Pee-wee Harris, will presently explode +and that would be an unpleasant episode for any book." + +"Good night!" I said. "Don't want any of my books to end with an +explosion." + +Then he said how it would be a good idea for me to write up our +adventures and how he'd help me whenever I got stuck and how he +guessed the author of Tom Slade would put in fancy touches for me, +because he lives in our town and he's a whole lot interested in our +troop. He said that breezes and distant views and twilights and +things aren't so hard when you get used to them and even storms and +hurricanes are easy if you only know how. He said girls aren't so easy +to manage though. + +"I'll help you out with the girls," Pee-wee said; "I know all about +girls. And I'll help you with the names of the chapters, too." + +"All right," Mr. Ellsworth said, "I think Pee-wee will prove a +valuable collaborator." + +"A which?" Pee-wee said, kind of frightened. + +So then we all laughed and Mr. Ellsworth said it was getting late and +we'd better settle about collecting books for the soldiers. + +We decided that after we got to camp I'd begin writing up our +adventures on the trip, but we couldn't decide how we'd all go in our +boat, and that was the thing that troubled us a lot, because the fellows +in our troop always hang together and we didn't like the idea of being +separated. + +Well, I guess that's all there is to tell you about the meeting, and in +the next chapter I'm going to tell you all about how we collected the +books for the fellows in camp, and how the mystery about the boat was +solved. Those are Pee-wee's words about the mystery of the boat. I can't +see that there was any mystery about it, but there was another kind of a +mystery, believe me, and that kid was the cause of it. I guess maybe +you'll like the next chapter better than this one. + +So long. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +SWATTING THE SPY + +Now I'm going to tell you about how we collected books for soldiers +and especially about Pee-wee's big stunt. + +The next morning we started out and by night we had over five hundred +books. Mr. Ellsworth said they were mostly light literature, but if +he had only had to carry fifty of them on his shoulder like I did, he'd +have thought they were pretty heavy literature, believe me. + +This is the way we fixed it. The Raving Patrol, (that's Pee-wee's +patrol, you know) used Doctor Harris's five-passenger Fraud car. It +didn't go very good and Pumpkin Odell (Raven) said he guessed it was +because the wheels were tired--that's a joke. They held up all the +houses in Little Valley. That's about sumpty--seven miles or so from +Bridgeboro. They've got two stores there and a sign that says "Welcome +to Automobilists" and how they'll be arrested if they don't obey the +speed laws. Welcome to jail--good night! + +The Elk Patrol (that's our new patrol, you know) went over to East +Bridgeboro with Pinky Dawson's express wagon (one horse power) and some +horse--I wish you could see him. The Elks were a pretty lively bunch, +I'll say that, and they cleaned out all the private libraries in East +Bridgeboro. They even got cook-books and arithmetics and books about +geometry--pity the poor soldiers. + +The Silver Fox Patrol took care of Bridgeboro. That's the best patrol +of the whole three. I'm leader of the Silver Foxes. The Ravens call us +the Silver-plated Foxes, but that's because we can them the Raving +Patrol and the reason we call them the Raving Patrol is on account of +Pee-wee. + +Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, the Silver Foxes took care of Bridgeboro. +Brick Warner (He's red-headed) has a Complex car or a Simplex, or +whatever you call it--I should worry. I mean his father has it. He's got +a dandy father; he gave Brick five dollars so that we could have a +blow--out at lunch time. Oh, boy, we had two blow--outs and a puncture. + +We got over two hundred books that day--light literature, dark +literature, all colors. I could tell you a lot of things that happened +that day, because we did a lot of good turns, and one bad turn, when +we grazed a telegraph pole. What cared we? But you'll care more about +hearing of Pee-wee and the raving Ravens and how they made out. ... + +Anyway, I guess I might as well tell you now about the scouts in my +patrol. Don't ever borrow trouble, but get to be a patrol leader, and +you'll have troubles of your own. Then you can pick out the one you +want and I'll drown the rest. After that I'll tell you about the grand +drive in Little Valley. + +First in the Silver Fox Patrol comes Roy Blakeley--that's me. I'm +patrol leader and I've got eleven merit badges. I've got two sisters too. +One of them is crazy about the movies. + +I've got seven scouts to look after and Captain Kidd, the parrot--he's +our mascot. Our patrol color is green and he's green with a yellow neck. +He's got one merit badge-for music. Good night! Then comes Westy Martin, +and Dorry Benton and Huntley Manners and Sleuth Seabury, because he's a +good detective, and Will Dawson and Brick Warner and Slick Warner and +that's all. + +Now I'll tell you about the raving Ravens. Of course, I can't tell you +all that happened in Little Valley that day, because I wasn't there. Doc +Carson said they had trouble with the motor and Pee-wee. He said that +Pee-wee kept running wild an day. But anyway they brought back a lot of +books with them, I'll say that much. + +Well, when the day's drive was over, we all took our books to the troop +room and piled them up on the table, and waited for Mr. Ellsworth to +come. He usually comes home from the city on the Woolworth Special. We +call it the Woolworth Special because it gets to Bridgeboro at five ten. +Along about six o'clock he showed up, and we began sorting out the +books. The biggest pile was brought in by the Ravens, and when he +noticed a pile of about twenty or thirty books tied with a brown cord, +he asked where those came from. Then up jumped Pee-wee, very excited, +and said: "I'll tell you about those." + +"Do tell," said Elmer Sawyer, winking at me. + +"Good night! Pee-wee's got the floor," shouted Westy. + +"Floor!" shouted Dorry Benton. "He's got the walls and the ceiling and +the mantelpiece and everything." + +"Will you pay a little attention?" Pee-wee screamed. + +"We're paying as little as possible," I told him. + +"You're the worst of the lot," he yelled; "that pile of books, the ones +with the brown cord, were given to us by a kindly old gentleman; he--. + +"A which?" Doc Carson said. + +"Don't you know a kindly old gentleman when you see one?" Pee-wee +fairly screamed. + +"Let's see one," Artie shouted. + +And that's the way it went on till Mr. Ellsworth came to Pee-wee's +rescue like he always does. He said we should let Pee-wee have the +chair. + +"Here's a couple of chairs for him," we shouted. + +"He can have the table too, if he wants it," I said; anything to keep +him quiet. + +"I don't want to be quiet," Pee-wee screamed. + +Good night, that was some meeting. Well, pretty soon Mr. Ellsworth got +us all throttled down and Pee-wee started to tell us about his visit +to the kindly old gentleman. It seemed that was one of the houses that +Pee-wee called at alone and the kindly old gentleman fell for him like +grown up people mostly do. I don't know what it is but everybody seems +to like Pee-wee. You know just because you jolly a fellow, it's not a +sign you don't like him. Pee-wee is one bully little scout, I'll say +that much. + +"Do you want to hear about it?" he said. + +"Proceed with your narrative," I told him; "begin at the beginning, go +on till you come to the end, then stop." + +"Be sure to stop," Westy said. + +Well, then Pee-wee went on to tell us about the kindly old gentleman. He +lived in a big white house, he said, with grounds around it and a big +flag pole on the lawn, with a flag flying from it. He said that the old +gentleman didn't talk very good English and he thought maybe he was a +German or French or something or other. He guessed maybe he was a +professor or something like that. Anyway, he took Pee-wee through his +library, picking out the books he didn't want, till be had given him +about twenty or thirty. Then they tied them up in a brown cord and +Pee-wee took them out to the Fraud car. + +Well that's about all there was to it, and I guess nothing more would +have happened, if I hadn't untied the cord and picked up the book that +lay on top. It was a book about German history, princes and all that +stuff, and I guess it wouldn't interest soldiers much. Just as I was +running through it, I happened to notice a piece of paper between the +leaves, which I guess the old gentleman put there for a book-mark. As +soon as I picked it up and read it, I said, "Good night! Look at this," +and I handed it to Mr. Ellsworth. + +It said something about getting information to Hindenburg, and about +how a certain German spy was in one of the American camps in France. + +Mr. Ellsworth read it through two or three times, and then said, "Boys, +this looks like a very serious matter. You said the old gentleman spoke +broken English, Walter?" + +That's the name he always called Pee-wee. + +"Cracky," I said, "Pee-wee's kindly old gentleman is a German spy." + +"Sure he is," said Westy Martin, "and he's only flying the American +flag for a bluff, he's a deep dyed villain." + +"He can't be dyed very deep," said Doc Carson, in that sober way of +his; "because we haven't any German dyes to dye him with." + +I was just going to say something to kid Pee-wee along, when I noticed +that Mr. Ellsworth was very serious, and Pee-wee was staring like a +ghost. + +"Boys," Mr. Ellsworth said, "I have no idea of the full meaning of +this paper." Then he said how maybe in collecting books we had caught a +spy in our net. He said that he was going to take the paper anyway and +show it to the Federal Commissioner, down in the Post Office Building. + +"If he's a spy, we'll swat him all right," I said. + +"We'll more than swat him," Mr. Ellsworth said, and I could see by the +look in his eye that he meant business. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +SWATTING THE SPY--CONTINUED + +We didn't swat him in that chapter because I had to go to supper, but +we'll surely swat him in this one. Positively guaranteed. + +Pee-wee was proud that he made such a hit with the old gentleman and +especially because he got so many books from him. But when he realized +that the paper I found in one of the books had something to do with +spying, it was all Mr. Ellsworth could do to keep him quiet. He told us +all not to say anything, because maybe, the old man might find out that +he was going to be nabbed and go away. I guess Pee-wee felt pretty +important. Anyway I know he was frightened, because all the next +morning he kept asking me if he'd have to go to court and things like +that. + +"The only court you'll go to, is the tennis court," I told him; so we +made up a set with my two sisters, Ruth and Marjorie, and the girls beat +us three games. While we were playing, along came Mr Ellsworth and +Commissioner Terry with two strange men, and I could see Pee-wee was +very nervous. They sent the girls away and then began to ask Pee-wee +questions. I could see that they thought the discovery we made was +pretty serious. + +"Are you the boy that found the paper in the book?" they asked me. Then +they wanted to know what kind of a book it was, and I told them it was a +book about German history and they screwed up their faces and looked +very suspicious. + +"You say that the man spoke broken English?" one of them asked Pee-wee. + +Pee-wee was kind of nervous, I could see. "It--it--well it wasn't +exactly broken," he said. + +"Just a little bent," I said, and oh, you ought to have seen the frown +Mr. Ellsworth gave me. + +"It was kind of--just a little--" Pee-wee began. + +"We understand," one of the men said. Then the other one spoke to us. +He said, "Boys, we want you to go over with us and we want this +youngster to identify the man. You needn't be afraid, Uncle Sam is with +you." + +But, cracky, I didn't like it and I guess Pee-wee didn't either. I've +read stories about boys that had men arrested and all that, and I always +thought I'd like to be one of those regular heroes. But when it came to +really doing it, I knew then that I didn't like to help arrest anybody, +and I bet most real fellows feel the same way. I felt funny, kind of. +That's why I have no use for young detectives in stories, because I know +you've got to be a grown-up man to feel that way and do things like that. + +They had an automobile right near the tennis courts and we all got in +and Pee-wee and I sat in back with our scoutmaster. Cracky, I was glad +our scoutmaster was along, that's one sure thing. Pretty soon we got to +Little Valley and Pee-wee pointed out the big white house with the lawn +and the flag flying there. Jiminy, but it looked good and I wished we +were up at Temple Camp, raising our colors near the boat landing. + +While we were going up the gravel path; the old gentleman came out on +his porch and looked at us and I felt kind of ashamed and I could see +Pee-wee did too. But, cracky, I've got no use for spies, that's one sure +thing. Pee-wee and I kind of hung behind and I guess he felt funny, sort +of, when the old gentleman waved his hand to him, as if they were old +friends. + +I can't remember all they said but the two men who I knew were +detectives showed the old gentleman the paper and asked him what it +meant. First he seemed kind of flustered and angry and I know Pee-wee's +heart was thumping-anyway it would have been thumping, except that it +was up in his throat. + +Then the men said that they'd have to search the house to see if there +was a wireless and then the old gentleman got angry; then all of a +sudden he sat down in one of the wicker chairs on the porch and began +to laugh and laugh and laugh. Then he looked at Pee-wee and said, "I +suppose this is the young gentleman who succeeded in trapping me. I +must take off my hat to the Boy Scouts," and he smiled with an awful +pleasant kind of a smile and held out his hand to Pee-wee. + +Well, you should have seen Pee-wee. It was as good as a three-ringed +circus. He stood there as if he was posing for animal crackers. And +even the detectives looked kind of puzzled, but all the while +suspicious. + +"Are you the spy-catcher?" the old gentleman said to Pee-wee, but +Pee-wee looked all flabbergasted and only shifted from one foot +to the other. + +"I hope you don't mean to kill me with that belt. +axe?" the old gentleman asked. But Pee-wee just couldn't speak. + +"He must be a telephone girl--'he doesn't answer," I blurted out, +and even the detectives had to laugh. + +"Gentlemen, if you will step inside, I'll make full confession and +then give myself up," the old man said; "for I see there is no use +in trying to escape the Boy Scouts. It was I who wrote that +treasonable memorandum and I may as well tell you that I have a +wireless. I will give you my whole history. I see that my young +friend here is a most capable secret service agent." + +"We're only small boys--we belong to the infantry," I said, for I +just couldn't help blurting it out. + +Well, we all went inside and I could see that the Commissioner and +the detectives kept very near the old gentleman as if they didn't +have much use for his laughing and his pleasant talk. I guess maybe +they were used to that kind of thing, and he couldn't fool them. + +When we got into his library I saw books all around on the shelves, +hundreds of them I guess, and the desk was covered with papers and +there was a picture of Mark Twain with "Best regards to Mr. Donnelle," +written on it. Gee whit taker, I thought when I looked around; maybe +Mr. Donnelle is a deep-dyed spy all right, but he's sure a high-brow. + +"You'd have to take an elevator to get up to him," I whispered to +Pee-wee. + +"Shhh," Pee-wee said, "maybe he isn't dyed so very deep--there's +different shades of dyes." + +"Maybe he's only dyed a light gray or a pale blue," I said. + +Then Mr. Donnelle got out a big fat red book that said on it "Who's +Who in America" and, jiminy, I'm glad I never had to study it, because +it had about a million pages. I hate biography anyway--biography and +arithmetic. Then he turned to a certain page. + +"Now, gentlemen," he said, "if you will just read this I will then +consent to go with you," and he smiled all over his face. + +The four men leaned over and began reading, but Pee-wee and I didn't +because they didn't ask us and Boy Scouts don't butt in. + +"I bet it tells all about German spies and everything, and now he's +going to make a full confession," Pee-wee said; "maybe our names will +be in the New York papers, hey?" + +"They'll be more likely to be in the fly-paper," I said; "there's +something funny about this." + +"I bet he was going to blow up some ships," Pee-wee said. + +"I bet he'll blow us up in a minute," I told him; because I could see +that he was saying something to the men while they all looked at the +book, and that the whole four of them were laughing--especially +Mr. Ellsworth. + +"It was the elder boy who discovered it," I heard him say, smiling all +the while. + +"Good night!" I said to Pee-wee, "I thought we had a German in custody, +but instead of that. We're in Dutch!" + +"Will they send us to jail?" he whispered. + +"I think we'll get about ten merit badges for this--not," I said; "he's +no spy." + +Well, the men didn't pay much attention to us, only strolled over to one +side of the room and began chatting together, and Mr. Donnelle got a box +of cigars and they each took one. + +"I wouldn't smoke one of those cigars," Pee-wee said, "they might be +bombs. The Germans are pretty tricky--safety first." + +Then Mr. Ellsworth came over to us, smiling all over his face. "Well, +boys," he said, "I'm glad to say that our spy quest has gone up in +smoke. Mr. Donnelle is one of the best known authors of America. He is +writing a story of the war and our dark memorandum is just a little +literary note of his about a spy among the American forces. I think +we shall find it a most interesting story when it is finished. It is +full of German intrigue and you will be glad to know that the imaginary +spy is caught and court-martialled. You have done a fine thing by your +discovery, for Mr. Donnelle has become greatly interested in the Scouts, +and especially in our young scout author." Then he gave me a funny look. +"So you see our dark memorandum was not so dark after all." + +"G--o--o--d night!" I said; "it was a kind of a pale white." + +"And I dare say," Mr. Ellsworth said, all the while slapping me on the +shoulder, "that our deep-dyed villain is going to prove a very good +friend." + +"Even if you're deep-dyed," said Pee-wee, "sometimes the colors will +run and you won't be so deep-dyed after all. My sister had a skirt and +she dyed it a deep--" + +Honest, that kid is a scream. + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +THE PLOT GROWS THINNER--OR ELSE THICKER + +Pee-wee says it grows thicker and I say it grows thinner, so I put it +both ways. I told him things would begin to stir up in this chapter +and he said a thing always gets thicker when you stir it. I should +worry. + +"Suppose we should go boating or something like that where there's a +lot of water," I told him; "that would thin it some if you added water +wouldn't it?" + +"You're crazy," he shouted. + +Westy Martin wanted to name it The Deep Dyed Villain--so you can call +it that if you want to--I don't care. + +Now I'll start off. You remember about Mr. Donnelle saying that he had +a wireless. Well, pretty soon after what I've been telling you about, +the men went away and they were all laughing and good natured about it. +I heard one of them say that the Boy Scouts were a wide--awake lot. +Believe me, they wouldn't say that if they saw us sleeping after a day's +hike at Temple Camp. If you heard Vic Norris snore, you'd think it was +the West Front in France. + +Well anyway, Mr. Donnelle wanted Pee-wee and me to stay at his house a +little while, because he said he was kind of interested in us. He would +listen to Pee-wee very sober like and then begin to laugh. And whenever +Pee-wee tried to explain, it only made him laugh more. + +"Anyway, I could see you weren't a very bad kind of a spy," Pee-wee said. +Jiminetty, I had to laugh. + +Well, Mr. Donnelle asked us all about the Scouts and we told him all +about them--Pee-wee mostly did that. He's a scout propagander let-- +that's a small sized propagandist. We told him, how we didn't know how +we are going to manage to get up to Temple Camp in our launch, because +it would only hold about seven or eight boys and we had twenty-four, +not counting Captain Kidd, the parrot. + +"Well, now I have a little scheme," he said, smiling all the while, +"and perhaps we can hit some sort of a plan. If I can only get you boys +out of the way, away up at camp, I'll be able to carry on my German +propaganda work." Then he winked at me and I knew he was kidding Pee-wee. +Well, believe me, we hit a plan all right; we more than hit it, we gave +it a knockout blow. All the while we were talking, he was taking us +across the lawn till pretty soon we came to a little patch of woods and +as soon as I got a whiff of those trees, good night, I felt as if I was +up at Temple Camp already. That's a funny thing about trees--you get to +know them and like them sort of. + +Then pretty soon we came to a creek that ran through the woods and I +could see it was deep and all shaded by the trees. Oh, jiminy, it was +fine. And you could hear it ripple too, just like the water of Black +Lake up near Temple Camp. If I was a grown-up author I could write +some dandy stuff about it, because it was all dark and spooky as you +might say, and you could see the trees reflected in it and casting +their something or other--you know what I mean. + +"Can you follow a trail?", Mr. Donnelle asked us. + +"Trails are our middle names;" I told him, "and I can follow one--" + +"Whitherso'er--" Pee-wee began. + +"Whither so which?" I said. Because he was trying to talk high brow +just because he knew Mr. Donnelle was an author. + +So he led us along a trail that ran along the shore all in and out +through trees, and he said it was all his property. Pretty soon I +could see part of a house through the trees and I thought I'd like to +live there, it was so lonely. + +"You mean secluded," Pee-wee said. Mr. Donnelle smiled and I told him +Pee-wee was a young dictionary--pocket size. + +Pretty soon we reached the house and, good night, it wasn't any house +at all; it was a house boat. And I could see the fixtures for a wireless +on it, only the wires had been taken down. + +Then Mr. Donnelle said, "Boys," he said, "this is my old workshop and I +have spent many happy hours in it. But I don't use it any more and if +you boys think you could all pile into it, why you are welcome to it for +the summer. It has no power, but perhaps you could tow it behind your +launch. Anyway you may charter it for the large sum of nothing at all, +as a reward for foiling a spy." + +"I--I kind of knew you were not a spy all the time," said Pee-wee. + +Well, I was so flabbergasted that I just couldn't speak and even Pee-wee +was struck dumb. We just gaped like a couple of idiots, and after a while +I said, "Cracky, it's too good to be true." + +"So you see what comes from collecting books for soldiers and for keeping +your eyes open," Mr. Donnelle said; "you have caught a bigger fish than +you thought. N ow suppose I show you through the inside." + +Now here is the place where the plot begins to get thicker and, believe +me, in four or five chapters it will be as thick as mud. We were just +coming up to the house-boat to go aboard it, when suddenly the door flew +open and a fellow scampered across the deck and ran away. + +I could see that he had pretty shabby clothes and a peaked cap and I +guess he was startled to hear us coming. In just a few seconds he was +gone in the woods and we all stood gaping there while the boat bobbed +up and down, on account of him jumping from it. But I got a squint at +his face all right, and I noticed the color of his cap and how he ran, +and I'm mighty glad I did, because that fellow was going to come into +our young lives again and cause us a lot of trouble, you can bet. + +Mr. Donnelle said he was probably just a tramp that had been sleeping +in the boat and he didn't seem to mind much, only he said it would be +better to keep the door locked. + +"Maybe he might have been a--" Pee-wee began. + +"No siree," I said. "We've had enough of deep-dyed villains for one day, +if that's what you were going to say." + +"Maybe we'd better track him," said Pee-wee, very serious. + +"Nix on the tracking," I said, "I've retired from the 'detective +business, and now I'm going to be cook on a house-boat." + +"We'll have a good anchor anyway if you make biscuits," Pee-wee said. + +"They'll weigh more than you do anyway," I fired back. + +And Mr. Donnelle began to laugh. + +Well, we didn't bother our heads any more about the tramp, but I could +see that Pee-wee would have been happier if we'd have thought it was the +Kaiser or Villa, instead of just a plain ordinary tramp, looking for a +place to sleep. But oh, crinkums, you'll be surprised when you hear all +about that fellow and who he was and I suppose you'd like me to tell you +now, wouldn't you? But I won't. + +I've got to go to camp meeting now, so goodbye, see you later-- + + + + +CHAPTER V + +LOST + +Now I'm going to write until my sister begins playing the piano. Music +and literature don't mix--believe me. There are two cruises in this +book--a big one and a little one. You can take your pick. The little +one is full of mud and the big one is full of pep. Anyway you get your +money's worth, that's one sure thing. + +This chapter is about the little cruise. But first I have to tell you +about the house-boat, because it turned out to be our home sweet home +for a couple of weeks. It didn't only turn out, but it turned in and +it turned sideways and every which way. But I'm not going to knock it. +It got knocks enough going through the creek and up Bridgeboro River. +It knocked into two bridges, and goodness knows what all. But what cared +we, yo ho? We cared not--I mean naught. + +First Mr. Donnelle showed us through it and it was dandy, only in very +poor shape. It's shape was square. But I wouldn't laugh at it because we +had a lot of fun on it. Inside it had two rooms and a little kitchen and +the roof had a railing around it and there was lots of room there. There +was lots of room on the deck too. And there was a kind of little +guard-house, too, to put Pee-wee in if he didn't behave. Some of the +windows were broken, but I knew we could fix them easily. All we needed +to do was eat some green apples and then we'd have plenty of panes. There +were some lockers too, only one of them was locked and we couldn't get +into it. + +I guess the tramp didn't take anything, because there was nothing +missing. I guess all he took was a look around. There were some cushions +piled on one of the lockers and they looked as if someone had been +sleeping on them. + +Pee-wee said he could see the oil stove had been used by the smell--he's +got such sharp eyes that be can see a smell. I told him he had a classy +eye because there was a pupil in it, and you ought to have seen Mr. +Donnelle laugh. I guess he thought we were crazy. + +"Well we should worry about the tramp," I said, "especially now that we +have a boat like this. The next thing to do is to bring the whole troop +and get her fixed up." + +One thing was easy anyway. Just below Bridgeboro, where we live, there +is a kind of a branch flowing into the Bridgeboro River. We always +called it the creek. Now we found out from Mr. Donnelle that it started +along up above Little Valley. Over there they call it Dutch Creek. He +said that at high tide we could float the houseboat right down into +Bridgeboro River and then wait for the up tide or else tow it up to +Bridgeboro. Cracky, I could see it would be a cinch ark! I was glad +because we fellows didn't have money enough to have the boat carted by +land. But, good night, this way was easy. + +The next morning I sent a birch bark call to an the fellows in our +troop. I sent them each a little piece of birch bark by courier. Connie +Bennett, he's our courier. And that meant come to Special Meeting--W. S. +W. S. means without scoutmaster. So pretty soon they began coming up to +Camp Solitaire. That's the name I gave the tent I have on our lawn. When +they were all there, I told them about Mr. Donnelle and the houseboat, +and we decided that we'd hike over to Little Valley and pile right in +and get it ready instead of bringing it to Bridgeboro first. We decided +that if we worked on it for about three days, it would be ready. + +So we all started to hike it along the road to Little Valley. We had an +adventure before we got there, and I guess I'd better ten you about it. +I made a map too, so you can see the way everything was. It's about five +miles to Little Valley by the road. + +Well, we were an hiking it along, sometimes going scout-pace and most of +the time jollying Pee-wee, when all of a sudden I noticed a mark on a +rock that I was sure was a scout mark. It was an arrow and it was marked +with a piece of slate. Underneath the arrow was another mark like a pail, +so I knew the sign meant that there was water in that direction. + +I didn't know any scouts around our way that could be camping there, but +whenever a scout sees a scout sign he usually likes to follow it up. So +I told the fellows I was going to follow if there was any time. They said +it was an old last year's mark, but go ahead if I wanted to, and I told +them I'd meet them at Little Valley later. So now comes the adventure. +As soon as I left the fellows, I hit the trail into the woods just like +you'll see on the map I made. It wasn't much of trail and I guess a +fellow couldn't follow it if he wasn't a scout. It was all thick woods +like a jungle kind of, and I could see where branches had been broken +by somebody that passed there. Pretty soon it began to get swampy and +there wasn't any more trail at all. + +Illustration #2 + +"A map" + +As long as there's any sign of a trail you can't get me rattled, but +cracky, I don't like marshes. You can get lost in a marsh easier than +in any other place. Pretty soon I was plodding around deeper than my +knees and it gave me a strain every time I dragged my leg out of the +swamp. Maybe you'll wonder why I didn't go back, but if you do, that's +because you don't know much about marshes. All of a sudden I was right +in the middle of it, as you might say, and there were no landmarks at +all. + +Pretty soon I was in waist deep and then I was scared, you can bet. If +there's one thing that gets me scared it's quicksand. As long as I could +get my legs out I was all right, but when I began sinking as low as my +waist and had to drag myself out by squirming and catching hold of bushes +and things, then I lost my nerve--I have to admit it. + +I saw I was a fool ever to go into that pesky place, but it was too late +and I knew that pretty soon I'd be in too deep to get out. Oh, jiminies, +I was scared. Once, after I scrambled out I tried lying flat on the marsh +with the reeds laid over sideways underneath me. But they didn't hold me +up and anyway I knew I couldn't lie that way forever. I wondered how a +scout had ever gone through here. + +Before I knew how to swim I came mighty near to getting drowned and I +got lost in the woods, too, when I was a tenderfoot. But this was worse +than anything I ever knew before. Once I sank down almost to my +shoulders and I guess I would have been a goner, only my feet struck +something hard and flat and I stood on that until I got rested a +little. + +All the while I looked around to see if I could decide where the land +might be a little harder, but I guess I must have been in the worst +part of it. I decided that the safest thing I could do was to stand +just where I was. I didn't know what it was I was standing on, but +anyway it didn't seem to sink any, so I was kind of safe there, as you +might say. But I knew I could never raise myself out of that place and +I'd have to just stand there till I got so tired and hungry, that I'd +drop down and be sucked into the marsh. + +So anyway, I'd have to die, I was sure of that only I didn't want to die +any sooner than I had to. Two or three times I shouted as loud as I +could, but I knew it wasn't any use, because I was two or three miles +away from any house. Even if anybody knew, I didn't see how they could +get to me and it was only by good luck that I wasn't dead already on +account of the hard thing I was standing on. Every once in a while +bubbles would come up and I thought it was because that thing I was +standing on was sinking lower. The marsh was just about even with my +shoulders and I kept looking sideways at my shoulders all the time, so +as to see if I was going down any and sometimes I thought I was. But I +guess I wasn't. + +The weeds stood up all around me so I couldn't see, except up in the air +and it was like being in a grave with just my head out. Gee, I thought +about the fellows hiking it to Little Valley and beginning work on the +house-boat and waiting for me to come, and I could just kind of hear +them jollying Pee-wee, and oh, I wished I was there. I was wondering who +the Silver Foxes would elect for their patrol leader and then I got to +thinking how nobody, not even my mother and father, would ever know what +became of me, because you can't drag a marsh like you can a river. And it +seemed kind of funny like, to die without anybody ever knowing what +became of you. + +Pretty soon my legs began getting very tired like a fellow's legs always +do when he keeps standing in water. Only this was worse than water. I +wondered how it would feel when my knees gave out and I sank down. + +Then I happened to think about having my hikebook with me. It was all +wet and the pencil was wet too, but I held it up high out of the marsh +and wrote this on one of the pages. After I wrote it I stuck it up high +on one of the marsh weeds. + +This is where Roy Blakeley, patrol leader, Silver Fox Patrol, Bridgeboro +Troop, B. S. A., was sucked down into the marsh, after he couldn't stand +up any more. I was standing on something that was hard and maybe you'll +find my body lying on that. In my desk is something I was going to give +my mother for a birthday present. I send her a lot of love too. My father +too. And I hope my Patrol gets along all right and that the troop has a +lot of fun this summer. I hope somebody will find this. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +THE TIGHT PLACE + +After that I made up my mind I wouldn't think any more about living and +then I was satisfied, kind of. 'Cause as long as you know you've got to +die, what's the difference. They could get another fellow to lead the +patrol, that's one sure thing. Mostly I cared about my mother on +account of not being able to say good-bye to her. All of a sudden it +seemed as if there was more water around me than before. Up to that +time it was mushy, kind of, but not much water. But now it was more +like water all around me and I noticed a little bunch of net moss near +me. Maybe you don't know what net moss is. It's moss that grows in +swamps. Well, what do you think I saw lying on that clump of net moss? +Cracky, you'd hardly believe it, but it was a spark plug. And it looked +funny to see it there. + +If you're not a scout maybe you don't know anything about camping, but +it's one of our rules not to defile the woods with rubbish and Mr. +Ellsworth always told us a tomato can didn't look right in the woods. +Well, jiminety, that spark plug sure did look funny lying on that +piece of net moss. It floated right near my shoulder and I lifted it +off and, oh, crinkums, but it made me 'think of Bridgeboro. + +It was almost the same as if it was a fellow come to rescue me, as you +might say. It was just because it didn't belong there, I guess. Of +course, I knew it couldn't rescue me, but it reminded me of people and +that kind of cheered me up a little. Then I began to think about it. I +remembered what our scoutmaster said about a fellow that's drowning--that +he can think as long as his head is out of water. And this was like +drowning, only slower. I was wondering how that spark plug got there. +It's funny how you'll think about little things like that even when +you're dying. + +One thing sure, no automobile ever went through there, and no motorcycle +either. Maybe a fellow in an airplane might have dropped it, or maybe-- + +Then, all of a sudden I began to laugh. And while I was laughing some +water flowed into my mouth. But I didn't care, I was feeling so good. +I knew all about the whole thing now, and I felt like kicking myself +only my feet were down in all that tangle of marsh. But what cared I, +yo ho--and a couple of yee hees. + +Oh, I was some wise little boy scout then, and I had a scout smile long +enough to tie in a couple of bow knots. That spark plug was thrown out +of a motor boat. I could see that the spark points were bad and somebody +threw it away because it wouldn't work and then put in a new one. And +I knew that already the tide was beginning to come up and that pretty +soon there would be a creek here and that I could swim in it. + +Cracky, you can't scare me when it's a question of swimming, for I +wasn't brought up in a bath tub. Many's the time I swam across Black +Lake. Water's all right, but swamps--good night! Maybe if you don't +live near meadow lands you won't understand how it was. But when the +tide rises twice every twenty--four hours (you learn that in the +Fourth Grade), it makes creeks through the meadows and marshes. Some +of them are deep enough for small motor boats even, only you've got +to be careful not to stay up one of them too long or you'll get stuck +till the next day. One time that happened to Ed Sanders that owned +we Rascal and he was there all night, and he almost died from poison +of the mosquitoes. Anyway I would have been dead before night when the +mosquitoes come out--that's one good thing. I don't mean it's one good +thing, but anyway you know what I mean. + +Pretty soon I could push the swamp grass out of the way and swim a +little. Oh, cracky, I was thankful for that tide I I knew it would keep +on coming when it once started 'cause the tide never goes back on you. +Of course it goes back, but you know what I mean. Sometimes if you're +on a hike and telling time by the sun it'll go under a cloud. Or +sometimes if you're lost and following the stars, it'll cloud up and +you can't see them any more. And crinkums, a trail will go back on you +sometimes. But the tide is sure. It's got to come up, and so I knew it +was coming up to rescue me and I knew I was all right as soon as I saw +that spark plug. + +Pee-wee wanted to name this chapter "Saved By A Spark Plug" or +"The Hero Plug," but I said it sounded silly. Any way I'll never say +another word against the tide. Often when I saw motor boats stuck on +the flats I could hear the men in them saying things about the tide--oh, +gee, you ought to have heard some of the things they said. + +But I'll never say anything, anyway. It seemed kind of, you know, like an +army coming to rescue me, slow but sure, and pretty soon I was swimming +around, and oh, didn't I feel good! + +All of a sudden like, there was a little river there and it kept getting +deeper and wider and I knew it began away out in the ocean and it seemed +as if it was picking its way all the way up into these marshes, to give +me a chance to do what every scout knows how to do--swim. + +Of course I was saved, but I didn't know how far I'd have to swim, only +I was pretty sure I wouldn't have to die now. + +I guess now you'd better look at the map I made, and then you'll see how +the creek came in the marshes and about where I was, when it began, to +rise. + +Of course I didn't know where it came from or where it went, but I decided +to swim against the tide for two reasons. First I was afraid to go the +other way because it might just peter out, like most of those meadow +creeks do, and then I'd be in the marsh again. Oh, boy, safety first. +I'd had enough of marshes. Besides if I swam the other way it would be +deeper and wider and I'd be more likely to find a board or a log or +something and pretty soon I might come to solid shores. + +But before I started I had another adventure. I took off my shoes and +stockings and everything except my underclothes. But of course, that +wasn't the adventure. It was a dandy adventure, but you have to wait, +and if it rains to-morrow so we can't go trailing, I'll write some more. +I think it'll rain to-morrow. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +WEETONKA, THE TERRIBLE CHIEF + +OF course you can tell when you look at the map where the creek came +from. It came from Dutch Creek and Dutch Creek flows into the +Bridgeboro River, and Bridgeboro River rises in the northern part of +some place or other and takes a--some kind of a course--and flows into +New York Bay. Once I got kept in, in school, for not knowing that. But +how should I know where this creek went? It came-that was enough for +me. I should worry where it went. + +Before I started to swim I decided I'd go under and try to find out what +it was that I'd been standing on. Because I had to thank it. A boy +scout is supposed to be grateful. So I ducked and groped around in the +marshy bottom and I felt something hard with a point to it. I had to come +up for air, then I ducked again and felt around over it and under it. I +joggled it with both my hands and it budged-not much but a little. Then +I came up for air and went down and gave a good tug at it. + +I guess it was just kind of caught in the mud and weeds for after I +pulled some of these away a lot of bubbles came up, and then I got +hold of one end of the thing and it stuck up slantingways out of the +water like an alligator's mouth. Oh, gee, it was all slimy and had +moss growing to it and it was black and hard. I was crazy to find out +what it was and I swam around the end of it, bobbing it up and down. +Then I sat on it and rocked it and it joggled. When I straddled it, +it went down with me and when I jerked it, it seemed to get loose a +little. The end that was sticking up wasn't very big around, only it +was terribly slippery. Anyway, I sat on it and tightened my legs around +it just like a fellow does with a balky horse, and then I began jouncing +up and down like on a seesaw. + +Pretty soon the other end came up and, oh, boy, didn't I get dumped off +into the water. It looked like a slimy old log floating. I gave it a +turn and then--g--o--o--d night--what do you think it was? It was a +regular Indian dug-out. + +I guess maybe it was a hundred years old and you can see it now, if you +ever come to Bridgeboro, because it's in the Museum of our Public +Library and you'll know it because it's got "Presented by 1st +Bridgeboro Troop, B. S. A.," on it. I guess maybe it was about fifteen +feet long and as soon as I cut into it with my scout knife, I saw that +it was made of cedar and it wasn't rotten--not so much, anyway. +Jiminies, that's one good thing about cedar; it lasts forever under +water. + +Oh, boy, wasn't I excited. I swam around it washing it off with my +scout jacket, then I bailed the little dug out part out with my scout +hat. It wasn't so black when I got it all cleaned off. It was kind of +chocolate color and I knew it must be very old, because cedar turns +that color after a long time. You learn that in Woodcraft. It was all +made out of one piece and the place where you sit was just hollowed +out--about big enough for one person. + +Then I got inside and it was crankier than a racing shell. You had to +sit up straight like a little tin soldier to keep it from tipping--it +was one tippicanoe, you can bet. I fell out and had to roll it over +and bail it out two or three times. At last I got the hang of it and +I pushed it in the marshes a little way so it wouldn't drift up stream. +There was a regular creek there now, good and wide and deep, and the +water was coming up like a parade. + +Then I pulled a lot of reeds and bound them together with swamp grass. +That was a funny kind of a paddle I guess, but it was better than +nothing and anyway I decided to wait till the tide was at flood and +then paddle back with it. That would be a cinch. + +So then I sat in the dug-out and just waited for the tide to come up. +The dug-out stayed where it was on account of being pushed in among the +reeds and oh, jiminety, it was nice sitting there. I thought maybe the +creek would empty out again into Bridgeboro River and I could tie up +there and, go home. But I had a big surprise waiting for me, you can bet. + +It was about nine o'clock in the morning when I started on that crazy +trail and it was about five o'clock in the afternoon when the tide began +to turn and go back. All the while I was sitting there waiting I thought +about the Indian that owned that canoe. Maybe his bones were down +underneath there, I thought. Ugh, I'd like to see them. No, I wouldn't. +Maybe he was on his way to a pow-wow, hey? + +Well, after a while when the tide turned I started paddling down. A +little water came through a couple of deep cracks, but not much and I +sopped it up with my hat. But oh, jingoes, I never had to sit up so +straight in school (not even when the principal came through the +class-room) as I did in that cranky old log with a hole in it. And oh, +you would have chucked a couple of chuckles if you'd seen me guiding +my Indian bark with a bunch of reeds. Honest, they looked like, a +street sweeper's broom. + +After a while the creek began to get wider and then I could see far +ahead of me the roof of a house. Then, all of a sudden, I heard somebody +shout. + +"Don't bother to plug the hole up, leave it the way it is, so if the +water comes in, it can get out again." + +Then I heard a voice shout, "You're crazy!" and I knew it was the +fellows jollying Pee-wee Harris and they were talking about a hole in +the boat, because that was the roof I saw. So then I knew I was coming +out into Dutch Creek right where it passes Little Valley. + +Oh, boy! Wasn't I excited? Pretty soon I could see the boat and some of +the fellows on it working away, sawing and hammering and jollying each +other, the way the fellows in our troop are always doing. You can see +by the map just how I got to where they were. I guess I must have been +as near as fifty feet before Connie Bennett threw down his hammer and +shouted. "Look who's here!" + +Westy Martin was sitting on the edge of the deck dangling his feet and +eating a sandwich. Well, you ought to have seen them all stare. + +"What in the dickens do you call this?" Wig Weigand hollered. + +But I didn't say a word till I got right close to them, then I gave +Westy a good swat with my reed paddle. + +"I am Weetonka, the famous Indian chief!", I shouted, "and I haven't +had anything to eat since eight o'clock. Give me that sandwich or I'll +scalp you!" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +RESOPEKITWAFTENLY + +This chapter and the next one are mostly about Wigley Weigand, but we +usually call him Wig-Wag Weigand, because he's a cracker-jack on +wig-wag signalling. He's good on all the different kinds of +signalling. He's a Raven, but he can't help that, because there wasn't +any Silver Fox Patrol when the Raving Ravens started. + +The Ravens were the--what do you call it--you know what I mean--nucleus +of the troop. That's how it started. There are about half a million +scouts in America and all of them can't be Silver Foxes, even if they'd +like to. + +Wig has the crossed flags--that's the signalling badge, and the fellows +say he can make the sky talk. Believe me, he can make it shout. He isn't +so bad considering that he's a Raven and there's one good thing about +him anyway--and that's that his mother always gives us cookies and things +when we go on a hike. I got a dandy mother, too, and maybe you'll see how +much I think about her, kind of, in the next chapter. Anyway I have to +thank Wig Weigand, that's one sure thing. + +Now maybe you think I did a good stunt in that marsh, but a scout +doesn't get credit unless he uses his brains and does everything all +right. And that's where I fell down, and it came near making a lot of +trouble, believe me. + +Many's the time Tom Slade (he's in the war now) told me never to leave +a scout sign after it wasn't any more use. "Scratch 'em out," he said, +"because even if it means something now, it might not mean anything six +months from now." Jiminy, that fellow has some brains. He said, "Never +forget to take down a sign when it's no use anymore." Well, when I +found I wasn't going to die a terrible death (that's what Pee-wee +called it) I didn't have sense enough to take away that note that I +stuck on the reeds. When I stuck it there I reached up as high as I +could, So even when the tide was high up there, I guess it didn't +reach it. I was so excited to find I could get away that I never thought +anything about it. And when I sailed into Little Valley in my Indian +canoe, gee, I had forgotten all about it. + +I found that the troop had done a good day's +work caulking the hull up and slapping a couple of coats of copper +paint on it, while the tide was out. So then we decided that as long +as the tide was going down, we'd float her down with it to the Bridgeboro +River and then wait for the up tide to float her upstream to Bridgeboro. +We decided that we'd rather fix her up in Bridgeboro. So you see that +this chapter is about the tide, too. Mr. Ellsworth and Mr. Donnelle both +told me that I must have plenty of movement in my story, so I guess the +tide's a good character for a story, because it's always moving. + +Well, you ought to have seen those fellows when I sailed in shouting +that I was Weetonka, the famous Indian chief. Doc Carson dropped his +paint brush on Connie Bennett and he was splashed all over with copper +paint--good night! + +"Where did you get that thing," Pee-wee shouted, "it looks like a +horse's trough." + +"You have to part your hair in the middle to ride in it, I can tell you +that," I told him. + +"Where were you all the time?" he said. + +"I was captured by a band of Apaches," I said. + +"What kind of a band?" Pee-wee yelled. + +"A brass band," I told him; "a brass band of +Apaches." + +"You make me sick!" he said, kind of disgusted. + +"They took me to their village and were going to burn me at the stake, +only the butcher didn't bring it, then they decided they'd chop me to +pieces only the butcher didn't bring the chops--" + +Oh, boy! you should have seen that kid. He fired a wet bailing sponge +at me and I dodged it and it hit one of his own patrol--kerflop! I guess +you'll think all us fellows are crazy, especially me. I should worry. +I told them I escaped in the canoe and all that kind of stuff, but at +last I told them the real story and you can bet they were glad I was +saved. They all said I had a narrow escape, and I admit it was only +about an inch wide. + +Now, I have to tell you about how we floated the house-boat down to +Bridgeboro River, and maybe you'd better look at the map, hey? Oh, but +first I want to tell you about the name we gave it. Some name! We +christened it with a bottle of mosquito dope. It's regular name was all +rubbed off, so we decided we'd vote on a new name. + +This is the way we fixed it. Each patrol thought of a name and then we +mixed the three names up and made one name out of them. Then you just +add a little sugar and serve. + +The Ravens voted the name Sprite, the Elks voted the name Fly and the +Silver Foxes voted the name Weetonka, on account of me. Then we wrote +all these letters down and mixed them all up and arranged them every +which way, till we got this name: + + RESOPEKITWAFTENLY + +Oh, boy, some laugh we had over that name. We were all sitting around in +the two cabin rooms and believe me, it was some giggling match. + +"It sounds like a Bolshevik name," Westy Martin said. + +"You wait till the infernal revenue people get that name," I said, "it'll +knock'em out." Because, of course, I knew we'd have to send the name to +the infernal revenue people--I mean internal or eternal or whatever you +call it--because you have to do that to get your license number. + +"It's a good name," I said, "you don't see it every day." + +"Thank goodness for that," Doc Carson said, It's as long as a spelling +lesson or Pee-wee's tongue." + +"It'll be a pretty expensive name; it'll take a lot of paint," Brick +Warner said. + +"We should worry," I said. + +So then I made some coffee, because I'm the troop cook, and we thought +it was best to eat before we started. That bunch is always hungry. + +They said it was punk coffee, but that was because they didn't bring +enough to go around. + +"Don't laugh at the coffee," I told them, "you may be old and weak +yourselves some day." I made some flapjacks, too, and then we started. + +We didn't have to do much work because the ebb was running good and +strong, and we just sat around the deck with our feet dangling over, +and pushed her off with our scout staffs whenever she ran against the +shores. She didn't keep head on, but that was no matter as long as she +went, and pretty soon (I guess it must have been about seven o'clock) +we went waltzing into Bridgeboro River. + +And then was when we made a crazy mistake. + +Just for a minute we forgot that the tide would be running down the +river instead of up. If we had only remembered that, three or four of +us could have gone ashore with a rope and tied her in the channel, +which ran along the near shore. Then all we would have had to do would +have been to sit around and wait for it to turn, so we could drift up +to Bridgeboro with it. + +But just when we were floating out of the creek, we forgot all about +what the tide would do to us, unless we were on the job and sure enough +it caught us and sent us whirling around and away over on to the flats. + +"Good night!" I said when I heard her scrape. + +"We should have had sense enough to know the tide is stronger here than +in the creek," they all said. + +"What's the difference?" Dorry Benton said, + +"We're stuck on the flats, that's all. Now we don't have to bother to +tie her. When the tide changes, we'll float off and go on upstream all +right. We're just as well off as if we were tied up in the channel." + +Well, I guess he was right except for what happened pretty soon. So we +settled down to wait for the tide to go down and change. After a while +we began to see the flats all around us and there wasn't any water near +us at all--only the water in the channel away over near the west shore. +We were high and dry and there wasn't any way for a fellow to get away +from where we were, because he couldn't swim and he'd only sink in the +mud, if he tried to walk it. + +Well, while we were sitting around trying to figure out how long it +would be before the water would go down and then come up enough to +carry us off, Doc Carson said, "Listen!" and we heard the chug of a +motor boat quite a long way off. + +It was getting dark good and fast now, and there was a pretty wide +stretch of flats between us and the channel. Pretty soon we could hear +voices--all thin, sort of, as if they came from a long way off. That's +the way it is on the water. + +"She's coming down Dutch Creek," one of the fellows said. After a while +another fellow said he thought it was Jake Holden. Then another one said +it wasn't. + +"Sure it is," Connie Bennett said, "listen." + +Then as plain as day I could hear the words "Crab running," and then in +a minute something about "bad news." Pretty soon, through the steady +chugging I could hear a voice say very plain, "I'm glad it doesn't have +to be me to tell her." + +We couldn't make them out because it was getting too dark, but it was +Jake Holden, the fisherman, all right. Pretty soon the engine began +chugging double, sort of, and I knew they were going around the corner +into Bridgeboro River, because there's a steep shore there, and it +makes an echo. + +I was a chump not to realize what they were talking about, but they had +chugged around into Bridgeboro River and were heading upstream before it +popped into my thick head. And even then it was on account of something +else they said, as the chugging grew fainter all the time. It seemed as +if I heard it while I was dreaming, as you might say. I knew they were +pretty far upstream by now, but the voice was awful clear, like voices +always sound across the water, especially in the night. + +"He was a nice little fellow," that's what I said, "but he had a right +to keep out of that place." + +Then, all of a sudden, I knew. They were talking about me. They must +have been up that creek fishing and found that note of mine. And they +were going to tell my people as soon as they got home. + +"Holler to them, fellows!" I said; "quick-all together." + +I guess the fellows must have thought I was crazy, but they hollered +for all they were worth. But it was no use, for nobody answered. I +guess the wind must have been blowing our way or something--anyway, they +didn't pay any attention. Then pretty soon I couldn't hear the chugging +any more at all. + +Oh, jiminies, but I felt bad. Maybe you think that as long as I escaped +and would get home all right I ought to be satisfied. But that's because +you don't know anything about my mother. When my brother died I saw how +she acted and the doctor said she had to stay in bed two or three days +on account of her heart being not just right. Maybe he thought it would +stop, I guess. And gee, I didn't want her to hear any bad news, even if +it wasn't true. 'Cause I knew just how she'd act--I could just see her, +sort of. I guess I was kind of thinking about it and how it would be +when Jake Holden went to the house, and how she'd have to wait five or +six hours, maybe till morning, before she saw me, when all of a sudden +I heard Will Dawson of my patrol say, "What's the matter, Blakey?"--he +always calls me Blakey. But I didn't pay any attention to him, because I +couldn't speak--exactly. I didn't seem to see any of the troop, I only +just saw my mother standing, maybe kind of unsteady like, and listening +to Jake Holden. + +Then all of a sudden I walked straight over to where the Ravens were all +sitting on the cabin roof. And I spoke to Wigley Wig-wag Weigand. + +I said--this is just what I said--I said, "Wig, I always claimed Ralph +Warner was the best signaler in the troop and maybe you'll remember I +was mad when you got the badge. But now I ain't mad, and I ain't +jealous, only I don't want those men to go and tell my mother I'm +dead--I--I don't. I forgot to take the note away and they're going to +tell her and she--she has--her heart isn't very strong like. There's +only one fellow in the troop can do it--it's you. You can do it. You can +do anything, signalling. I've got to admit it now, when I need you. +You're a Raven, but I want you to signal, quick. They'll see it in town. +You're the only fellow can do it--you are. I got to admit it." + +He didn't say much because he isn't much on talking. He's always +studying the Handbook. But he jumped down and he just said, "I'll fix +it." And I knew he would. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +THE LOST LETTER + +Then Elmer Sawyer (he's a Raven) came up to me and said, "He'll do it, +Roy; don't worry. And they'll get it too, because everybody in town is +out these nights looking at the searchlights down the Hudson." + +That was one lucky thing. A lot of cruisers and torpedo boats were down +in the harbor and up the Hudson, and we could see their searchlights +even in Bridgeboro. + +Wig looked all around the cabin as if he was hunting for something and +then he said, "No searchlight, I suppose." If we had only had a +searchlight it would have been easy, but there wasn't any on board. + +"Don't you care," Pee-wee said to me, "he'll think of a way." Oh, jiminy, +but he was proud of Wig. I could see that Wig was thinking and for just +a few seconds it seemed as if he couldn't make up his mind what to do. + +"Can you smudge it?" Connie Bennett asked. + +"Guess so," he said, "you fellows rip open the ends of these cushions, +but don't tear the covering any, and somebody get the stove cleared out; +see if there's a damper in the pipe, and see if there's any bilge under +the flooring. It'll take those fellows about twenty minutes to chug up +to Bridgeboro." + +Well, in two seconds he had us all Hying every which way, Elks, Silver +Foxes and all. We didn't have to open more than one of the seat cushions +and, lucky thing, we found it full of excelsior. That makes a good +smudge. + +"Only you've got to treat it," Wig said. + +"Treat it!" I said; "I'll treat it to all the ice cream it can eat, if +it'll only help you to send the message." I was feeling good now. + +"Take it down in the bilge and treat it," he said, very sober like, to +one of his patrol. + +"Don't let it spend a cent," I called after him. + +But I didn't go because I could see he would rather have Ravens help +him. You can't blame him for that. In about half a minute they came +upstairs and they had a lot of the excelsior all damp, but not exactly +wet, and I don't know how they got it that way, except I know there +was bilge water down under the flooring. They're a lot of crackerjacks +on signalling, I'll say that much for them. There was a stove in the +main cabin with a stovepipe going straight up through the roof like a +smoke stack and there was a damper in it right near the stove. + +"Get a handbook or a pocket code," somebody said, "so he'll have the +signs right near him." + +"He doesn't need any signs," Pee-wee shouted, disgusted like. + +Well, this is the way Wig did it, and after he got started, most of us +went up on the roof to see if we could read it. But that's mighty hard +to do when you're right underneath it. + +By the time the fellows came upstairs with the damp excelsior (that's +what they call the smudge) Wig had a good fire started in the stove. + +"Lay that stuff down here," he said; then he said to me, "What do you +want to say?" + +"Just say I'm safe, Wig," I told him. "Say for them not to pay any +attention to what they hear." + +I only waited long enough for him to get started, just so as to see +how he did it, then I went up on the roof and watched the long black +smoke column. Cracky, I was glad it was moonlight, that's one sure thing. + +As soon as he had a good fire started he stuffed some of the damp +excelsior in and shut the door, and told Artie Van Arlen (he's their +patrol leader) to hold a rag over the crack in the door, because the +black smoke was pouring out that way, especially because the damper in +the pipe was shut. + +I didn't stay there long, because the smoke was too thick for me and +when I saw Artie bind a wet rag over Wig's eyes and mouth, I knew then it +was going to be mighty bad in that little cabin. + +"Have another ready," I heard him say; "better have three or four of +them." + +Then he put his hand on the damper in the pipe and turned it and then +the smoke in the cabin wasn't so bad. He just turned it around quick and +kept turning it around and that let little puffs of smoke through, and I +heard the fellows up on the roof shouting, "Hurrah!" so I knew it was +working all right. He sent up a lot of little puffs like that, just so +as to draw attention, and he; kept doing it so long I got impatient. + +"No use talking till you know somebody's listening," he said, kind of +pleasant like to me. I guess maybe he never liked me very much, because +I didn't want that badge to get into their patrol and anyway he's kind +of sober, sort of, and maybe he thought I had too much nonsense. But, oh, +boy, I was strong for him now...and I could see how he began to cough +and I was worried. + +Then he groped around to get hold of the damper, for he was blindfolded +and the smoke in there was getting thicker and thicker. Then he gave it +a quick turn, then waited a few seconds, then held it lengthwise with +the pipe for about twenty seconds. + +"R," I said to myself. + +Then he opened the damper three times, each about twenty seconds, and I +could hear the fellows up on the roof shouting. + +"O! It's a good O! Bully for Wig Weigand!" + +"Give me another towel, quick," he said to Artie. "Is the window open? +you better go up, Kid." + +It was the first time he ever called me kid and he had to cough when he +said it. But I just couldn't move. There was something in my throat and +my eyes that wasn't smoke, and I said, "I can stand it if you can--Wig." + +"Go on up, kid," he said, "we've--got--got--her--talking--now," and he +coughed and choked. + +"Go on up, Roy," Artie Van Arlen said. + +Up on the roof all the fellows were sitting 'round the edge with their +legs over, watching the black column in the sky, and shouting when they +read the letters. But I was thinking about those fellows down in that +cabin filled with smoke and how they were doing that all on account of me. + +"Pretty smoky down there," one of the Elks said to me. + +"You said something," I told him. + +"He's marking up the sky all right, if he can only stick it out," +another fellow said. "Who's down there with him ?" + +"Artie," I said. + +"They'll stick it out, all right," Westy Martin said; "it's easier for +Artie, he can stay near the window ." + +"Bully for you, Wig, old boy!" somebody shouted, just as the E in SAFE +shot up. And I knew what it meant--it meant that the words Roy is safe +had been printed in great big black letters across the sky. + +Then it came faster and faster and it seemed as if he must be turning +that damper like a telegraph operator moves his key. "Don't worry!" +it said, "reports false," "Roy Blakeley safe," "Roy safe," "Blakeley +alive." He said it all kinds of different ways. + +Once Artie came up coughing and choking and watched a few seconds to +see if the wind was blowing the smoke away as fast as the signs were +made, because that was important. + +"It's lucky we have that wind," he said, and then went down again in +a hurry. + +Pretty soon we could see some searchlights far away and I guess they +were on the ships. But ours was different and nearer to Bridgeboro, +and people would be sure to see it, only maybe they wouldn't understand +it and that's what made me worry. I'm good on reading smudge signals, +even though I never sent many and I never have to have the handbook when +I read the code, that's one thing. And I didn't pay much attention to +all the talking and yelling, only kept my eyes up in the sky, watching +that long smoky column. It beat any searchlight you ever saw. "Roy +alive"--"Roy alive" it kept saying and sometimes "don't worry." + +I didn't see how any fellow could manage a smudge and send it so fast +and keep his spaces. The last word before it stopped was SAFE, or +that's what it was meant to be, only the short flash for E didn't +come. The fellows all began shouting when there wasn't any more, and I +heard Pee-wee shout downstairs, "Aren't you going to put the name of the +boat?" + +"Do you want him to crack the sky open?" I heard a fellow say, and they +all laughed. + +But I remembered how that last E didn't come and I started down the +ladder for all I was worth. I scrambled around the narrow part of the +deck to the window and called, but nobody answered. The smoke was +coming out thick. + +"Wig," I said, "are you there? Are you all right? Artie, where are you?" + +I had to turn away my face on account of the smoke. I pulled off my +scout scarf and tied it over my mouth, so that it covered my ears too. +Then I looked in and down low, because I knew that the smoke wouldn't be +so thick near the floor. And I saw Wig Weigand lying there right under +the stove pipe and his hand was reaching up holding the damper, and his +hand was all white like and his eyes were wide open and staring. Then I +shouted for all I was worth. + +"Doc! Come down--hurry! Send Doc Carson down, Wig Weigand is dead--he's +suffocated." + + + + +CHAPTER X + +THE RAVENS + +Doc Carson is a Raven and he's our First Aid Scout. He always has some +things with him, because that's our rule. But you can bet I didn't wait +for him. And I didn't care if I was killed or not, I didn't, if Wig +Weigand was killed. + +So I jumped right through the window and the smoke got into my eyes and +made my ears ring, but I didn't care. I could taste it all thick, too, +but I didn't care. That was the smoke that had to do what Wigley Weigand +told it to, and he scribbled all over the sky with it, that's what he +did, and now it had turned around and killed him. + +I knew that up to six or seven inches from the floor there is never much +smoke and I knew he must have lain down low when he was almost +unconscious and worked that damper. And those fellows up there had been +laughing and cheering all the while, when he was lying there like that. + +I didn't see Artie anywhere and there wasn't any sound. I lay down flat +and crawled over to Wig and you bet I worked quick. I tied his hands +together with my scout scarf--it was the Silver Fox scarf--and I tied +the scarf around my neck. + +"Wig," I said, but he didn't speak and his legs and his neck hung loose, +sort of, and it kind of scared me. Then I crawled to the window, because +I couldn't see the door, dragging him after me. Then I did something I +never thought I could do, but maybe you've noticed you can do most +anything when you have to. I just stood up, then fell down again, +coughing and choking, and my ears were buzzing all the time. But I +didn't care, I just stood up again with him hanging to me, and I grabbed +the window sill and dragged him half way across it and with his head +outside, and then I staggered and tried to grab something and my eyes +were stinging and, oh, I don't know, all of a sudden my head knocked +and I didn't know any more. + +Mr. Ellsworth says that Doc ought to write the rest of this chapter, but +he wouldn't, and it's just like him. The next thing I knew I was sitting +on the lowest step and Connie Bennet was holding my head. "You're all +right," he said, "but you got a good bump. You were only there a few +seconds." + +"Did you pull me out?" I said. "Where's, Wig?" + +"Doc brought him around," he said, "he got him breathing, then it was +easy. We couldn't find Artie." + +Maybe it was funny, but just then I didn't seem to be thinking about +Artie. I felt my head and found I had a big bump on it. + +"I should worry about that," I said. "Where's Wig?" + +Then I got up and went around the cabin to the forward deck and there +were all the fellows and Wig sitting up and Doc Carson holding him +and moving: him, so as to keep him breathing--scout fashion. + +"All righto, kid," Doc said, kind of pleasant, "you're a brick." + +I always thought; that I was as big as he was, but he called me kid, +and I didn't care. Anyways I couldn't see him very good, I admit that. +Because--oh, well, maybe you can understand. + +"Artie's missing," he said. "You didn't see anything of him in there?" + +"I couldn't see at all, hardly," I told him. + +Then Wig turned his head and looked at me and he was all white and weak +looking, especially when he smiled. And he had the remains of my Silver +Fox scarf, all torn, around his neck. + +"All right?" he said very low. + +But I just couldn't speak to him. I don't know what made me do it, but +I went up to him and he looked at the bump on my forehead and said, +"Hurt?" + +"You should worry about that," I told him. + +Then I kind of fixed the Silver Fox scarf better, so that it was around +his neck and I tied it in the Silver Fox knot. "Your fellows won't mind +if you wear it a little while," I said, and then I unfastened his own +scarf, yellow and brown, and tied it around my neck. "There's no fellow +can get this away from me to-night," I said, "I'm going to wear the +Raven scarf--I am." + +Then, all of a sudden, I noticed that Doc had gone away and I was holding +his head up alone. So I let it down on the cushion very easy and I saw we +were all alone. Maybe you won't understand and it's hard to tell you. But +I didn't say anything; I just stayed there and rubbed his forehead. + +"We told her," he said, kind of as if he was weak and tired. + +"Yup," I said, "you told her" + +"Somebody'll get it--maybe," he said. + +"I ain't thinking about that," I said, "I'm only thinking about how you +did it, I--I don't want the signalling badge in my patrol now, honest I +don't, Wig. I want it to stay where it belongs. And I want there to be +only just the one in the troop. I got mad first. That's because I'm +always getting mad, I guess. But there will never be any signalling badge +in my patrol, Wig. That's going to be the rule." + +"There'll be a Gold Cross though," he said. And then he shut his eyes. + +But I stayed right there--just because--oh, I don't know, just because +I wanted to stay right there. You can't always tell why you want to do +a thing. + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +LOST + +Now when Wig said that about the Gold Cross I thought it was just +because he was weak and didn't know what he was saying. Because, maybe +you know as well as I do, that the Gold Cross isn't so easy to get. +Only one fellow in our troop ever got it, and that was Tom Slade. Maybe +I took a chance when I went into all that smoke, I'm not saying I +didn't, but if I got anything at all, it would be the Bronze Medal, I +guess, but nix on the Gold Cross. You don't find gold crosses growing +around on every bush, you can bet. Anyway, I didn't want any honor medal +because I knew Wig wouldn't get one (because they're only for +lifesaving) and gee, if he didn't deserve one, I'm sure I didn't. + +Anyway this wasn't any time to be thinking about medals, because Artie +Van Arlan was missing and that was the principal thing we had to think +about. He wasn't on the house--boat, that was one sure thing, because +we looked everywhere and couldn't find him. Wig said he remembered +somebody speaking to him when he was lying there, and he guessed it +must have been Artie. He didn't know what he said though. + +The fellows were all excited about it, especially because the boat was +just beginning to float, and we didn't know whether we'd better anchor +there and wait to see if he turned up. Two of the fellows climbed down +and swam around and the rest kept caning. It wasn't very deep yet and +they could even feel around the flats, but they couldn't find him +anywhere. + +I went around and looked at the window and even then the cabin was +filled with smoke, but not so thick. Believe me, I wished that Tom +Slade was there then, because he's great on deducing and finding +clues and all like that. That's why we always called him Sherlock +Nobody Holmes. Anyway, I couldn't make out what happened. Artie might +have staggered up against the window to get air, but I didn't see how +he could fall out, and if he was able to climb out then why didn't he +come up where the rest of us were? + +I couldn't make anything out of it; all I knew was he was gone. I knew +he must have been drowned and his body been carried up by the tide, +which was running up strong now. + +Well, you can bet we didn't have any fun drifting up. Nobody said +anything much; we just sat around the edge of the deck with our staffs +and pushed her off, whenever she ran against the shore. + +Charlie Seabury sat next to me and after a while he said, "Who's going +to tell his people?" + +"I am," I told him, "because I'm to blame for the whole business." + +"Nobody's to blame," he said. + +"Yes, I am," I said, "they just did it on account of me." + +"That's because all the fellows like you," he said, "and they like to +do anything for you." + +Anyway, it wasn't so necessary, I see that now, and it's just the same +as if I killed him. Gee, I wish it was I that got killed, I know that. +Cracky, I deserved to after being such a fool. + +After that, nobody spoke for a long time, then Hunt Ward, who's in the +Elk Patrol, said, "It's the first fellow in our troop that died. I +guess we won't go up to camp now." + +"Not in this boat, anyway," I said. + +Then after a while I said, "We'll send his name in and they'll print it +in Boys' Life." + +"I know," Hunt said, "with a black line around it." + +Yet we kind of kept hoping all the time, even though we knew there +wasn't any sense in it. "You thought you were a goner," Hunt said, +"and you came back all right." + +Now I was a big fool that it didn't put a certain idea in my head when +he said that, but I only said, "Yes, but that was different." + +Then Dorry Benton, who was two or three fellows away from me, said, +"One thing is sure, he went through the window and into the water. +Maybe he was half conscious and didn't remember there was only a +narrow strip of deck there. And he must have tumbled right off it." + +"I don't know," I said, "only if he isn't in the boat then he must be in +the water and if he fell in the water and couldn't swim or shout either, +then he must be drowned." + +Then nobody said anything and we just sat there keeping her off shore +and watching her drift up. When we got around Bentley's turn we could +see the lights in Bridgeboro and then was when I began to realize and +I hated to get home. I wished the tide wouldn't take us so fast. Some +of the fellows walked around on the roof, but none of them said +anything. I wished it was me instead of Artie, I know that. I ought to +have been satisfied to escape without getting the Ravens to do that--I +mean send that message for me. Anyway, I made up my mind I'd be the one +to tell Mr. Ellsworth about it, and Artie's people too, and I'd take all +the blame. + +I guess nobody said anything more all the way up, until we came near the +Field Club landing. The shore is like low cliffs here and after we got +her over against it, a couple of the fellows got out and towed her along +with ropes, till we came to the long float. + +"Are we going to tie her at the float?" Connie Bennett asked, very sober +like. Gee, it sounded funny to hear someone speak. Doc Carson said, +"Yes." He was kind of like head of the three patrols now, because he +has the most sense of all of us, I guess, and Tom Slade, who is head +of the Elks, is away and I decided, all of a sudden, that I wasn't much +of a patrol leader, and Artie--he was--he wasn't there. + +"Look out for that canoe," somebody said, just as we were coming +alongside the float. "They shouldn't have left it there," Connie said; +"that's no place for a canoe." I guess we were all kind of nervous and +cranky like. Then I saw that there was a black figure sitting on the +lowest step of the boathouse. I was just going to call "Who's there?" +when Doc said, "Pull that canoe out of the way before we smash it in." + +So I jumped off onto the float and grabbed the canoe, and g-o-o-d night! +it was my Indian dugout. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +ARTIE'S ADVENTURE + +Then I heard one of the fellows shouting "Look who's here!" and I saw +the fellow who had been sitting on the steps coming toward the float +and I could tell it was Artie Van Arlen. Then I could hear Pee-wee +dancing on the cabin roof and screaming, "The plot grows thicker! The +plot grows thicker!"--good night, the kid was almost having a fit. + +"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," I said to Artie, "would you +please relate your adventures, I see that you're not dead." + +"Well, not so you'd notice it," he said, "but I guess I came pretty +near it." + +Then I could see he was all in and must have had a pretty hard time of +it, but I couldn't help kidding him, because I was feeling so good to +know he was safe. Believe me, that fellow had some adventure. + +"It was lucky for me," he said, "that you tied this crazy canoe or +whatever you call it-" + +"That is an Indian dugout, if anyone should ask you," I said, "and if I +wanted to sell it to an antiquary--" + +"A what?" Pee-wee shouted down from the cabin roof. + +"An antiquary," I said; "comes from the Latin word aunt and the Chinese +word query, meaning to ask questions--otherwise the same as Pee-wee. As I +was saying, if I wanted to sell it to an antiquary I could get a large +check for it." + +"How large?" Pee-wee shouted. + +"About eight inches by two and a half inches; now, shut up!" I said. + +Cracky, you should have heard those fellows laugh. + +"Well, whatever it is," said Artie, "it's lucky for me that you tied it +just under the cabin window, because I fell into it--I fell in good and +hard." + +"I think you fell in soft," I said; "it shows how thoughtful I am. A +scout is foresighted--" + +"You make me sick!" Pee-wee shouted. + +"Tell Doc Carson to give you some medicine," I answered. + +Laugh! Because, you see, we were all feeling so good about Artie being +saved that we'd laugh at nothing, like a lot of girls. But girls are +all right, I have to admit that. + +Let's see, where was I? Oh, yes, I was telling you about Artie. You see +when I first arrived with that canoe I tied it just under the cabin +window and then scrambled up through the window. So there it was all +the time. Lucky thing, too. Only the funny thing was we never missed +it--we were punk scouts, that's sure. + +Then Artie told us how it was. "After the smoke got so thick that I +was dizzy and couldn't see, I got scared and groped around for Wig. I +couldn't find him anywhere and he didn't answer. I didn't know whether +all of the signal had been sent or not, but anyway I knew I couldn't +stand it in there any longer. I thought Wig must have climbed out of +the window. So I decided I would do the same thing. Oh, but didn't I +have some job finding it! I lay down flat, I knew enough to do that +anyway, and then I crawled around with one hand up feeling for the +window sill. When I found it I was so dizzy I just hung to it and I +thought I was a goner sure." + +"I know how you felt," I said, "because I was in the same trouble +myself." + +Then he said how he dragged himself up to the window sill and tried +to shout, but couldn't. Then he fell across it and kind of wriggled +out. He didn't have his senses, but he knew enough to know that +there was a narrow part of the deck, just a passageway sort of, +outside, and he thought he'd fall on that. But it was lucky he +didn't. He fell past it right into the water and that brought him +to his senses, kind of. So he sputtered and groped around till he +happened to clutch the Indian dugout and it rolled over with him +and the anchor that we had laid in it with a rope to hold it fast +to the houseboat, the anchor rolled out, and the first thing he knew +he was drifting up the river, hanging onto the dugout for dear life. + +He was feeling so weak and sputtering so on account of his lungs being +all filled with smoke, that he couldn't shout and after a while he +drifted up on the bar near Second Bend. Then he got the dugout set +right side up on the mud while he bailed it out by splashing in it +with his hands and afterwards making them into a cup. + +After that it was easy drifting up stream and when he got to about a +quarter of a mile below the boathouse, he managed to paddle over to the +shore and then he pulled himself along by holding on to the weeds and +things. + +"You had a pretty narrow escape," Pee-wee said. + +"It was a narrow boat, why shouldn't he have a narrow escape," I said; +"I had a good wide escape, anyway." + +"Didn't you have your hat with you to bail with?" somebody asked Artie. + +"All I had was my copy of Initiation Drill," he said. + +"Why didn't you drill a hole in the boat then," I said. + +"What for?", Pee-wee shouted. + +"So the water could get out as fast as it came in". + +"What are you talking about? You're crazy!" he yelled. + +"There should be two holes in every boat," Connie Bennet said, in that +slow way he has; "one for the water to come in and the other so it can +get out." + +Gee-williger! You should have seen Pee-wee. + +Anyway, I suppose you think by this time that we're all crazy. I should +worry. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII + +TRACKING + +Anyway, you can bet I didn't stay there long, because I wanted to find +out if Wig's signal had been received. Maybe you won't understand, but +down the river it seemed all right and I was sure somebody must have +caught it. But after we landed and I started up home, it seemed as if +it was just kind of playing, after all, because that's the way some +people think about the scouts, so I hurried as fast as I could so that +my mother and father wouldn't be worrying. I felt awfully funny, kind +of, as I went up the lawn because I knew that if no one had come and +told them about the signal, they'd think I was dead. + +They were sitting on the porch waiting for me and I knew from the way +my mother put her arms around me that they had been worrying. She asked +we what had kept me so late and my father said that I ought to send +them some word when I was going to stay out as late as midnight. I have +to admit he was right, too. + +But anyway, I knew that they hadn't received any word about me from +anybody, and I was all up in the air about that. I could see that Jake +Holden hadn't been there at all and that nobody had come and told them +about the signal, either. I didn't exactly ask them, but I could tell +it all the same. So I told them all about everything that happened, +about how I got caught in the marsh and all that, and especially about +Wig being such a hero. Then she cried a little, kind of, and I said +there was no use crying because I was home all right. But anyway, she +cried just the same, and hugged me awful tight just as if everything +hadn't ended all right. That's a funny thing about mothers. + +So then I went to bed and I lay awake thinking about everything that +happened. What I thought about most was why Jake Holden hadn't come +and told my mother and father like I heard him say he was going to +do. You remember how I heard him say that. So that was a mystery--that's +what Pee-wee would call it. And I was wondering why he hadn't come to +the house to give them that note he had found. Because I knew Jake Holden +(he always called me "Scouty") and he liked me, too, and I knew he +would sure have come to the house if something hadn't happened. + +Now that I was all calmed down, as you might say, I wasn't surprised +any more about no one reading the signal, because maybe it didn't show +very plain in Bridgeboro and anyway, most grown people seem to think +that signalling and all that kind of thing are lots of fun for scouts, +but not much use except when grown people, and especially the navy, do +it. + +Anyway, I should worry about grown people, because we have plenty of +fun. + +Oh, boy, didn't I sleep that night! When I got up I made up my mind +that I'd go to Jake Holden's shanty, just for the fun of it, and find +out why he didn't come and tell my family that I was dead. Because, if I +was dead, he sure ought to have come and told them. Of course, I knew I +wasn't dead, but anyway, how did he know that? After breakfast I did my +good turn--I turned my sister Ruth's bed around for her so as it faced +the bay window. I was going to turn it twice and tall it two good turns, +but she said that wouldn't be fair--that that wouldn't be two good +turns. I said it would be just as fair as Pee-wee turning the ice-cream +freezer till the cream was all frozen and then saying he did a hundred +good turns. Then she threw a tennis ball at me, but it missed me. That's +one thing about girls, they can't throw a ball. They can't whistle, +either. + +Now comes another adventure. After breakfast I went to Marshtown +(that's a few houses down near the river) to Jake Holden's shanty. + +It's a funny kind of a place made out of barrel staves and part of a +boat all jumbled up together, and it looks kind of like a chicken coop. +He lives all alone and kind of camps out. He's a nice man, you can bet, +only you have to get on the right side of him. If you can't get on the +right side of him the safest place is behind him. He catches fish and +crabs and goes around town selling them. + +He taught me how to cook. + +When I got to his shanty I saw it was locked up and he wasn't anywhere +around. I guess he event down the bay crabbing. Anyway, I ran as fast +as I could to Marshtown landing to see if he had gone yet, but there +wasn't any sign of his boat there. Maybe you think I wasn't +disappointed. Anyway, I began looking around like a scout is supposed +to do, to see if there were any signs to show me whether he'd be back +soon, because maybe he only went up to the club landing for gasoline. +But there weren't any signs and he didn't show up. + +Now, if I hadn't been a scout I would have gone home and played tennis +or followed the shore up to the club landing and waited for the troop +to come and go to work on the houseboat. But instead of that, I kept +looking around and pretty soon what do you think I saw? I saw a +footprint. Some Robinson Crusoe, hey? + +It was a funny kind of a footprint. It wasn't Jake's, I knew that, +because he always wore fisherman's boots. It was in the soft earth near +the landing and I could see it plain. I guess maybe it was made by a +good shoe, because it was pointed, but it was all worn out, that was +one sure thing, because there was a place that was made by a stocking +or a bare foot, where there wasn't any sole at all. + +Maybe you don't know much about deduction, but that's one thing scouts +learn about, and I tried to make out what it meant, but it had me +guessing. Because the shoe was pointed and had the remains of a rubber +heel--I could tell that by the big screw holes. And that meant good +shoes. And I thought it was funny anybody who could wear good shoes +would let them wear out like that. + +Anyway, it was none of my business, only there was one mighty funny thing +about that footprint. There was an Indian's head stamped right in the +mud. It wasn't very plain, but I could see it was an Indian's head all +right. It was something like the Indian's head on a cent. + +Oh, boy, I was all up in the air then, because I didn't understand how +that could be there, Maybe you'll say that it was stamped there to show +what make of shoes they were, but that's where you're wrong, because +most of the sole was all worn away and the mark would be worn away, so +somebody must have cut it there lately, that was one sure thing, and I +couldn't understand why any body would want to cut that on an old +worn-out shoe. + +So I sat down on the edge of the float to think about it and then I saw +two or three more just like it, and even more, too, only not all of them +were so plain. Believe me, I didn't know what to think. Then all of a +sudden I happened to remember that the Indian's head is the design of +the scout pathfinder badge. + +Jiminetty, but didn't I get down on my knees and study those some +more. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the scouts, but maybe +it did. + +And even if it did I couldn't make out what it meant, because that shoe +was no scout shoe. I know a scout shoe when I see one, you can bet. + +Anyway, I made up my mind I was going to follow that track as far as I +could. Maybe it would peter out on a street or something and then--good +night! + +You'll see what happened in the next chapter. Oh boy, it's going to be +a peacherino! + + + + +CHAPTER XIV + +THE SLACKER + +One thing, I wished Tom Slade was there, because he was the best tracker +we ever had. He could track an airplane--that's what the fellows used to +say. But he was over in France and the only other fellow in our troop +who is a crackerjack at tracking, is Westy Martin. I don't say that +just because he's a Silver Fox, because I have to admit that Artie Van +Arlen and Wig Weigand are heroes, and they're not Silver Foxes. But, +honest, Westy is a winner when it comes to tracking, and you've got to +remember that, because now I'm going to tell you some other things +about him and maybe you won't know just what to think. But I'm going +to tell you straight just what happened. + +Well, I decided that I'd rather have another fellow with me, because +that's a good rule in tracking and anyway two fellows are better than +one. And anyway, I knew he could hold a track longer than I could. He +got the pathfinder's badge for one of the best tracking stunts that was +ever done up at Temple Camp and he's done enough tracking stunts to win +it two or three times over. He's a fiend on tracking. + +By now I knew that the fellows would all be coming down to the boat club +landing to work on the houseboat, because we had it fixed that they would +all be there by nine o'clock. I wasn't going to flunk on that, you can +bet, but I thought if I told them about the footprint they'd let Westy +and me off for a little while, because if a scout is after a merit badge +he can usually get leave all right. Anyway, that's the way it is in our +troop. And all the fellows knew I had the tracking bee, all right. Gee, +I hate to tell you about this, but I have to. Now, the way you get from +Marshtown landing up to the boat club landing is to follow the shore and +its only about a quarter of a mile. After I'd hiked it a little way, I +could hear the fellows talking and sawing and hammering, and I knew they +were all busy working. + +When I got there they were all over the houseboat like flies, painting +and varnishing and fixing up the flagpole, and I could hear Pee-wee as +usual, shouting away. Jiminy, but it sounded good. + +Then I could hear somebody say, "Well, well better late than never," and +I saw it was our scoutmaster, Mr. Ellsworth. He took a day off to help +the fellows. + +"I'm only six minutes late," I said; "Silver Foxes always show up." + +"Well, let us hope so," Mr. Ellsworth said + +And I kind of saw that something was wrong. "Westy isn't here," somebody +shouted. + +"He'll be here in a minute," I said; "get to work; you should worry about +Westy." + +But just the same I felt sort of uncomfortable because one thing Mr. +Ellsworth is a stickler about is us being on time. Whenever a scout comes +late for campfire up at Temple Camp or at a troop meeting either, he +always gets a look from T. E. At camp we have breakfast at 7:42 and +lunch at 1:23 and supper at 7:13, just to teach the fellows to go by +minutes. + +Anyway, I started working with my patrol, who were painting the deck. I +stuck right to it, but all the time I was wishing that Westy would show +up. Every time I heard a sound I looked up. Because maybe you don't know +that a patrol leader is responsible for his patrol and if one of them +falls down, it's just the same as if he fell down. First the fellows +kidded us about it, especially me, and spoke about the Tardy Foxes, and +the Sleepy Foxes, but pretty soon Mr. Ellsworth came to me and said he +guessed I'd better go into the club house and telephone to Westy and +find out what was the matter. + +"Find out if he's awake yet," somebody said. + +"Maybe we'd better send a taxi for him," another fellow shouted. + +"You think you're very funny, don't you?" I said, "Maybe you raving +Ravens won't rave so much when you find out he's sick in bed." So I went +in and telephoned, and oh, jiminy, that was the first time in my life +that I ever really wished a fellow was sick. But his mother told me he +hadn't been home since about half-past seven and that when he went out +he had a catching-mitt and a baseball with him. + +Jiminies, I don't often get scared, but I could feel my heart up in my +mouth, kind of, and I didn't know what to tell the fellows and Mr. +Ellsworth. It was like a disgrace to my patrol and it disgraced me, too, +you can bet. He would go off and play ball and let us fellows do all the +work on the boat and then he'd go in it up to Temple Camp. Gee, that's +one thing a scout never is-mean. We had it all fixed up to work and then +he flunked and let us do it all. + +First I thought maybe I'd kind of not tell Mr. Ellsworth all about that +phone call and say I couldn't hear very plain, and all like that. But I +saw if I did that, I'd be worse than Westy. It was bad enough having a +slacker in my patrol without having a liar. + +No, siree! + +So I just went up to him and I said, "Mr. Ellsworth, he's out playing +ball somewheres and I guess he didn't intend to come. I admit it +disgraces my patrol and it disgraces the whole troop. I was going to ask +you if you thought maybe I could go away for an hour or so to follow a +track I found, but I won't now; I'll just stay here and work twice as +hard so as to make up for him. And the other fellows in my patrol will +too. Maybe that will make it seem not quite so bad." + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +DURING NOON HOUR + +One of the things that made me feel especially bad was that Wig Weigand +and Artie Van Arlen were there working, even after being nearly +killed the night before, and Artie was kind of lame, too, from straining +his ankle when he fell. Gee, I had to hand it to those fellows. And even +Pee-wee was working away with the rest of the Ravens and running to buy +nails and everything. + +Both of the other patrols were all there except Tom Slade in the Elks, +but they kept his place open for memory, sort of. + +After a little while Mr. Ellsworth strolled over to where I was working +and said to me--gee, he was awful nice the way he said it--he said, +"Roy, if you want to follow up that trail you may as well go ahead and +come back after lunch. We're going to hit the eats pretty soon now." +That's the way he always says it, "hit the eats." + +"I was expecting Westy to go with me," I told him. + +"Well, no matter," he said; "Go alone and don't worry any more about +Westy. It wasn't because Westy or any other single scout was needed +here for we have plenty of scouts on the job, but it was just that he +didn't show up when we all planned to be here, that's all. I don't +like to think of any; of my scouts falling down." + +"It's the same about my patrol," I said, "and I'm ashamed, that's one +sure thing." + +He said I shouldn't feel that way and that he guessed playing baseball +was good exercise anyway. But he only said that so I wouldn't feel bad. +Anyway as long as they were going to eat I thought I might as well go +ahead and see if I could do that tracking if it didn't take me too far. +On the way down to the other landing I thought what I'd say to Westy. +I knew he'd get a troop reprimand, but I decided he'd get a patrol +reprimand too, you bet. And I was feeling pretty bad about it too, +because none of the Silver Foxes ever got a troop reprimand. They got +patrol reprimands but not troop reprimands. And Westy had gone and +spoiled it all and, gee, that's one word I don't like--slacker. + +When I got to the other landing I started following that trail. If you +think Westy had anything to do with it, you're mighty mistaken, because +he didn't. He always wore scout shoes, I knew that. + +Well, believe me, that trail was a cinch and I could follow it as easy +as a clothes line. It went right up through River Lane where there +isn't any pavement and every footprint was plain. I was afraid it would +go through Daws Place, because that's the easiest way to get to Main +Street, and I'd lose it there on account of the pavement. But it didn't, +and, oh, boy, wasn't I glad! Instead of going that way the tracks went +right up across the ball field, just as plain as print. That's another +way to get to Main Street, and it brings you out at Harvey's candy +store, but don't ever go there for ice cream cones, because you get +bigger ones down at Jack's. + +Then I lost the trail on account of the pavements. Gee, that's one thing +I don't like about pavements. So there's where I did some deducing. Maybe +you don't know what bridging a trail-gap means. You have only yourselves +to blame for not being scouts. Bridging a trail-gap means stopping to +think when you lose a trail. You have to decide where it most likely +starts again. That's what grown-up scouts call mental tracking. +So I sat down on Ridgeway's carriage step and thinked a couple of +thinks. That's right on Main Street, you know, and I had to decide +if that person went up or down Main Street or across the street. +Right across the street is the big bank building. I've got forty-two +dollars and eighteen cents interest in that bank. Mr. Temple is the +head of it, and he's awful rich--he owns railroads and things. He +started Temple Camp. He calls me "Curly" because my hair curls. I +should worry. + +Right down alongside of the bank runs Barrel Alley. It reminds you of +Fifth Avenue, it's so different. That's where Tom Slade was born, down +there. Most every day somebody dies down there, but anyway there are +paving--stones there now, that's one good thing. Except for tracking. So +you see how it was that person, who ever he was, could have gone up Main +Street or down Main Street, or over the stone crossing into Barrel Alley. + +I decided that he went across into Barrel Alley for several reasons. One +was that he went across the ball field, and that meant that he'd have to +get down and crawl under the fence, so I decided it was not a grown-up +person, because most of them have stiff backs and they'd rather walk a +mile than crawl under a fence. They're all the time saying they're not +as young as they used to be. And if it was a boy he'd be most likely to +go into Barrel Alley because, believe me, they have boys down there by +the dozens, especially the kind that wear worn-out shoes that rich people +give them. So that accounts for the good shoes all worn out. Smart boy, +hey? + +So you see that's the way I bridged that trail, though I couldn't be +sure I was right, I have to admit that. Anyway I went across the street +and I saw by the clock in the bank that it was half past twelve. I knew +I couldn't go much farther because I wanted to get back to the +house-boat by one. + +I started down Barrel Alley, watching the mud along the edge of the +sidewalk, so I could tell if the fellow left the sidewalk to go into +one of the houses. Barrel Alley is a blind alley-that means it has an +end to it and you can't go any further. It runs plunk into the end of +Shad Row. Norris Row is the right name, but old man Norris is named +Shadley Norris, so us fellows call it Shad Row. You can get through +the end of Barrel Alley if you climb over old man Norris back fence, so +it isn't exactly a blind alley. It's just a little near-sighted, kind of. + +Anyway I started through it and I knew if my quarry (that means the +fellow you're tracking) went down there, he most likely went into +one of the tenement houses and I'd see that footprint as soon as he +turned off from the sidewalk. + +Well, pretty soon I did see it right alongside the sidewalk just where +he started to go into one of the houses. And oh, wasn't I tickled! If it +hadn't been for Westy Martin and the way he'd acted I would have felt +as grand as the Grand Central Station. But that was the thing I was +thinking most about and when you're thinking about something like that, +you don't have as much fun--I know I don't anyway. + +But as long as I was there, I might as well find out who it was I had +tracked and solve the mystery about the Indian head. That's the way +Pee-wee would have said it, "Solve the mystery!" He gets that kind of +talk out of books. The next-chapter is going to be a dandy and I +promised to let him give it a name, so don't blame me whatever it is. + +So long. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI + +NOBLE RAGS + +"Good night!" I said to Pee-wee, "what kind of rags do you call those?" + +"Didn't you ever hear of noble rags?" he yelled; "that shows how much +you know about story writing." + +"Are they any relation to a dish rag?", I asked him. + +"You think you're smart, don't you," he said; "do you know what a hero +is--a ragged hero?" + +"Sure, a hero is a male shero," I told him; "you learn that in the +third grade. Just the same as a cowardice is a female coward." + +"You make me sick!" he yelled. + +"I've heard of gasoline rags and dish rags and wash rags," I kept up, +"but I never saw any noble ones. Have your own way. I should worry." + +"It's a good name for a chapter," he said. + +"I wouldn't know a noble rag if I met one in the street," I told him. +So that's how this chapter got it's name, and I don't know what it means +any more than you do. I suppose the next one will be called "Trash +Paper," or something like that. + +Well, anyway, I stood on that doorstep for a few minutes, because I +didn't know what to do next. I was sure the fellow went in there, but +I didn't know where he went and anyway, I didn't, have any excuse to +hunt him out because I was only tracking him for a stunt. Anyway I +went in and when I got upstairs one flight I saw just a sign of that +print in the ball just in front of a door. The hall was all dirty and +greasy like. So by that I was pretty sure he had gone in there and you +see how I tracked him all the way from Marshtown landing. Then I made up +my mind that he sure wouldn't be mad if he knew I did it just for a stunt +and I'd tell him I was scouting. For just a minute I was scared, then I +gave a rap on the door. + +Oh, but it was dark and it smelled bad in that hall. I guess they ought +to tear down that row of tenements. Pretty soon I rapped again, and I +felt kind of funny, because I didn't know what I ought to +say--especially if a woman opened it. All of a sudden it opened very +soft, and, good night I who should be standing there but--who do you +think? + +Westy Martin. + +Jiminetty, but wasn't I flabbergasted! Even as surprised as I was, I +looked down at his feet and sure enough he had on scout shoes, almost +new. Talk about plots growing thicker! This one was getting so thick +you couldn't drive a nail into it. + +"Well--what--are--you--doing--here?" I gasped out just like that. + +"Shh," he said, "keep quiet; come in, but keep quiet." + +So I went in, all flabbergasted and there was a room with the paper +all falling off the walls and no carpet On the floor, but anyway the +windows were wide open, that was one good thing. And over in the corner +was an old cot without any sheets or anything and, oh, gee, it looked +bad because I've got a dandy bed up in my den--all brass and filigree +work--you know. + +But, crinkums, I didn't notice the cot much because there was a fellow +on it and as soon as I looked at him I knew who it was, even though he +looked worse than he most always did. It was Skinny McCord. + +"You waked him up by knocking," Westy said + +"It isn't the first knocking I did to--day," I said "but I guess I can +see how it is now--I guess I can." + +"It's only a good turn," he said; "he did you a good turn, and so I had +to do one for him, that's all. It's for the scouts too, and I don't +care what they say." + +Then I happened to notice a catching mitt and a baseball over on a table +near Skinny, where there was some medicine too. And then, all of a +sudden, everything seemed to glisten like, especially when I blinked +my eyes. Gee, I know how easy it is for girls to cry, but a +fellow--anyway--when I saw Westy sit down on the edge of that cot and +not pay any attention to me, only to Skinny, I couldn't speak at all. +I only just happened to think to do something and I'm glad I thought +about it. I just raised my hand and made Westy Martin the full scout +salute. Patrol leaders don't do that mostly to the fellows in their +patrols, but I should worry about rules and things like that. + +"You're taking care of him?", I said as soon as I could, and I felt all +foolish sort of. "I tracked him, but I never thought"--and I just +couldn't say any more. + +But even still Westy didn't speak to me, only he said to Skinny, "Here's +a real patrol leader come to see you--that's a big honor, that is, and +he just made you the full salute. You remember it in the Scout Handbook?" + +"I made that salute to you," I said to Westy, all choking, I have to +admit it, "and I meant it too." + +"You're a great tracker," he said; "wouldn't you like to be as good a +tracker as he is, Skinny?" And I could see that all he cared about was +amusing Skinny. + +"Don't talk about me," I said; "I'm a big fool, that's what I am, but +tell me all about it." + +"There isn't anything to tell," said Westy, "except that Skinny always +wanted to be a scout, but he didn't have any money and all like that. +But anyway, he got the Handbook and studied it all up and it got him." + +"Same as it gets any fellow that looks inside of it," I said. + +"And the part that interested him most of all was tracking and +signalling. You see how he carved the tracking emblem on one of his +shoes--" + +"You needn't show it to me," I said, "I saw it." + +"Last night," Westy said, "he read that smudge signal, because he +learned the Morse Code out of the Handbook, and he knew that somebody +might be coming up the river with the false report. He didn't know just +what he ought to do and I guess he was scared to go up to your house +because he didn't have any good clothes. So he ran down through the +marshes and waited at the landing, because he knew Jake Holden would be +coming up stream. Jake's one good friend to him, and he often took him +out and he wasn't afraid of Jake. + +"Pretty soon he heard Jake's boat coming up the river and saw the light +and he just waited there and when Jake come up alongside the float, the +first thing Skinny heard him say was, Roy Blakeley is dead--didn't you, +Skinny?" + +But I could see that Skinny's eyes were shut now and he didn't +hear. + +"Go on," I said. "So Skinny told him it wasn't true, and told him +about the signal. Jake didn't pay much attention because he thought +Skinny was just a little crazy on account of being so poor and hungry +and all that and not having a good home. So he was going up to your +house anyway and Skinny cried and hung onto him, and begged him not to. +I guess he went on kind of crazy, but he said he was sure because he knew +the Morse Code. Anyway, just to humor him, I guess, Jake promised him +he'd wait till early in the morning, and meanwhile you came home. Do +you see?" + +Honest, I couldn't answer him. + +"Skinny was the one who did it," he said. "That accounts for his tracks, +don't you see?" + +I shook my head to show him I understood. But I couldn't say it. + +"And that's how tracking and signalling have brought the three of us +together--see?" Westy said. "It's funny, isn't it, how it brings the +three of us together here in this tenement house." + +"How did you come here?" I said. + +"I was just starting for the house-boat this morning early, when I met +Skinny's mother. She was going to do her day's washing. And she told me +how she had to leave him sick in bed, and she asked me if I'd go and +stay with him till she got back. I went back and got the ball and mitt +because I thought maybe he'd like them. She said he got a bad cold in +the marshes and he was all excited and kind of crazy from the way he'd +hung onto Jake and begged him not to go up to your house--what did the +fellows think when I didn't show up?" + +"You--you should worry," I just blurted out. + +"Anyway I don't care so much about the troop +or Mr. Ellsworth either," he said, "and even if I cared about Skinny it +wouldn't do much good, because he's going to die--the doctor says so. But +I care a lot about you and he did you a good turn. I was afraid he might +die before you had a chance to pay him back. So I just sort of tried to +pay him back for you--" + +All the while he was talking I could hardly hear what he was saying and +there was one word ringing through my head. + +It was the word slacker. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII + +THE TWO CROSSES + +I guess maybe I'd better tell you about Skinny now, so you'll know all +about who he is. Before I was a scout I used to call him Wash-board, +because he was so skinny you could have used his ribs for a wash-board. +I guess I used to think that was funny, but, gee, when you get to be a +scout you find out what real fun is and you don't call names like that. + +He always lived down in Barrel Alley and his mother goes out washing. +Once Skinny's father hit him on the head and it made him queer like. But +he got better mostly. Only he was always afraid of people after that. His +father went away and got killed. Sometimes Skinny sold papers at the +station, but he was always scared of people, especially rich fellows. +How should I know he was interested in Scouts? He didn't have much to +eat, I guess. Anyway Jake Holden was a good friend to him and he wasn't +scared of Jake. I guess maybe he had consumption. + +He didn't wake up again then, anyway he didn't open his eyes, and as soon +as his mother came home from her work Westy and I went home. I wasn't +thinking anything about the house-boat now. I was only thinking about +Skinny and I had my mind all made up, too. I didn't say anything to +Westy, but on the way home I decided what I was going to do. + +It was the scout trail that took me to that tenement house and if you +follow a scout trail you're safe. That scout trail knew what it was +doing all right. There wasn't any trail leading to the house-boat. +Stick to your trail. That's the rule. And you can bet your life I was +going to stick to that trail now. If that trail was going to lead to +the cemetery, all right--that's what I said. But I had picked up Skinny +McCord's trail and I made up my little old mind that I was going to hang +on to it and follow it like a blood-hound. + +That night we were going to have a special troop meeting to decide about +chipping in money for our cruise up to camp, because we didn't have much +left on account of spending so much for paint and lumber and different +things. + +I knew how the fellows and Mr. Ellsworth would be feeling about me not +coming back and Westy not showing up, and I knew how the Silver Foxes +would feel, especially. But anyway, I had my mind all made up. After +supper my sister Ruth played a game of tennis with Westy. While they +were playing I went up to my room and got out the Scout Handbook. Then +I read the scout laws over, but anyway I knew them. I had read them all +and I made two crosses with a pencil, one alongside of one law and one +alongside another. Then I put the Handbook in my pocket and went +downstairs. + +It was time to go to the meeting now and so we started off. + +"You seem awful funny," Westy said; "what's the matter?" + +"It's patrol business," I said; "it's about--" + +"Is it about me ?" he asked me. + +"It's about my patrol," I said; "it's about the Silver Foxes. Did you ever +hear that a Silver Fox never makes a mistake about a trail?" + +"No," he said, kind of puzzled. + +"You want to read up natural history," I said to him. "A silver fox knows +the tracks of all the different kinds of animals and if he could talk he +could tell you about them." + +"Too bad he can't talk," Westy said, sort of jollying me. + +"I can talk," I said. Then after a minute I laid, "It's about the Elk +patrol, too." + +He didn't say any more and pretty soon we got to the troop-room--that's +in the Public Library. We were a little late, but I wanted it that way, +so we wouldn't have any talk with anyone before the meeting started. +Everyone said "hello" to us, but they were the coldest "helloes" you ever +saw. "If I'd known it was going to be as cold as this. I'd have worn my +sweater," I told Westy. Even my own patrol didn't say anything to us, +and they all looked kind of glum. I heard Will Dawson say something +about our patrol being "in bad," but I didn't pay any attention--I +should worry. + +Now the way we sit at the beginning of troop meetings is in three rows +and each patrol is one row. The patrol leader always sits at the right +hand end of the row and Mr. Ellsworth sits in front. If there are any +local councilmen they sit in front with him. But it doesn't look much +like that after things get started, I can tell you that, That night Mr. +Bennett was there, too. He's on the Local Council. + +When Westy and I went up to our row to sit down, nobody said anything to +us at all, not even the fellows in our own patrol. Ralph Warner was +sitting in my seat at the end, and he said, kind of cold like, "Do you +want to sit down here?" + +"Of course I want to sit down there," I told him; "I'm the leader of this +patrol. Where should I sit?" So he moved over kind of glum and I sat down +in my chair at the end, right beside the Silver Fox emblem that stands in +a rack on the floor. Maybe they had an idea of electing a new patrol +leader, hey? I should Worry. + +As soon as we were all ready Mr. Ellsworth. called the roll and Westy +and I were marked late. Then Mr. Ellsworth read a couple of notices and +said the special meeting was called for several purposes. He said one +was to draft a letter of gratitude to Mr. Donnelle for loaning us the +boat, and one was to decide (he always says determine, but decide is +easier) how much each scout could chip in for the expenses of our cruise +up the Hudson to Catskill Landing. + +Then he looked very serious and said one of the patrols had all signed +a petition (all except two absentees, he said) asking him to order an +election in that patrol for a new patrol leader. + +"I have been asked," that's just what he said. + +"I have been asked to administer a troop reprimand to a member of the +patrol of the Silver Foxes for absenting himself throughout the day from +urgent troop duties with no better excuse than a desire to play baseball. +This I shall have to do. The new election is asked for in order that a +patrol leader may be found who will not leave his patrol and his duties +on a mere pretext and not return. I authorize this election. Meanwhile +Wesleigh Martin will please stand up." + +I could see that Westy's face was kind of white and his lips were tight +together and I knew be didn't intend to say anything. + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII + +SCOUT LAW NUMBER THREE + +Now, I can tell you just exactly what Mr. Ellsworth said, because I +remembered it and I wrote it down right afterwards. First I was afraid +Westy would say something and I didn't want him to, because--well, +you'll see. So now I'll copy what Mr. Ellsworth said. Oh, jiminy, you +could hear a pin drop, everyone was so quiet. He said, "Wesleigh +(that's Westy, you know), I have been asked by your own patrol to give +you this public reproof, and I speak for the whole troop as well, when +I remind you that your action today in absenting yourself and thereby +avoiding your share of the work we had undertaken to do, was +unscoutlike and unworthy of you, and unworthy of the patrol whose fine +traditions you were bound to guard and support. You knew that to be +entitled to your share of the pleasure of this purposed cruise, you +would have to do your share of the work. You knew that to--day was set +apart for concerted effort by the whole troop to make this boat ready for +starting next Saturday. You knew that at the urgent request of some of +you boys I arranged to spend the day helping you. You were one of the +boys who asked me to do this. You remember?" + +"We meet here to-night after a hard day's work, pleasant as work always +is, but hard nevertheless. You will have the satisfaction of knowing +that you will occupy a bunk which your companions have made ready for +you, and that you did not yourself hammer so much as a single nail. +Arthur Ivan Arlen and Wigley Weigand, both weary and one lame, after +a frightful experience, were here and helped to make the boat safe and +comfortable for you. They were loyal to the Raven Patrol. I hope you may +be moved to appreciate the interest and spirit which they displayed while +you were playing ball. + +"When you have an opportunity, Wesleigh, I would like to have you read +the scout laws again and bear in mind particularly your obligation of +loyalty to your scoutmaster, which of course, means to your scout +duties--your troop and your patrol. I kept my word with you to--day and +you did not keep your word with me. The house-boat is ready for our +cruise, and I hope that you, along with all the members of the troop will +find the trip enjoyable. That is all, Wesleigh, unless you have something +to say." + +Oh, gee, you should have heard the silence--I don't mean heard it--but +there wasn't a sound. Then Westy said, "I haven't got anything to say." +And then he sat down. + +I knew that it was time then for me to do what I wanted to do, but I +couldn't get up because I felt all shaky. I was holding to the pole of +the Silver Fox emblem that was right beside me, and, oh cracky, I felt +funny. All of a sudden I heard Mr. Ellsworth say that he wouldn't say +anything to Roy Blakeley because the patrol was going to have an +election and then I heard Will Dawson, of my patrol, say under his +breath, sort of, that there'd be only one fellow to vote for me, and +I knew he meant Westy Martin. Gee, I'm glad I heard him say that +because it gave me a kind of an idea what to say and it made me mad, +and when you're mad you have courage--you know what I mean, you can get +up and talk. Jiminy, I knew I couldn't make a speech like Mr. Ellsworth +with all long words, and besides I had to be careful that it didn't +seem as if I was just answering him back. + +So then I grabbed tight hold of the emblem pole because, I don't know, +it seemed to give me courage kind of, and it was my emblem and my patrol +for a few minutes yet, anyway. But oh, didn't my hand tremble. Anyway I +could see that Mr. Bennett was sort of listening and I wasn't so much +scared after I got up. + +This is what I said, only I didn't say it as well as it sounds here on +account of being nervous, but I should worry as long as I knew I was +right, hey? "I heard a fellow in my patrol say just now" that's the way +I began, "that there is only one Silver Fox would vote for me because I +went away and didn't come back. I know he meant Westy and he's the one +fellow I'd want to vote for me, anyway, you can bet. I don't care what +happens, I don't, if Westy will only vote for me. Because he's one real +scout and none of the rest of you know anything about scouting alongside +of him--You don't. And anyway I don't care so much if I'm not leader any +more, if I could only be sure you'd elect him leader--" + +"He stands a tall chance," I heard a fellow say. + +"About as tall as Pee-wee," another fellow said. + +He was trying to be smart. + +"Maybe he'll have a tall chance, as tall as the Woolworth Building," I +said; "you'd better keep still. I want to ask Mr. Ellsworth if I can say +something--while I'm still Silver Fox leader, that's all." + +"Surely you may, Roy," he said, kind of pleasant. + +"Because there's one more thing I'm going to say for my patrol. I--I +started that patrol and--" + +Oh, gee, then I broke right down, not exactly crying, but you know, +there was something in my throat and I just couldn't talk for a minute. +"Go on, Roy," Mr. Ellsworth said, and he was awfully nice, I have to +admit that. + +So I said how I started that patrol and did the best I could and always +told the fellows to be loyal and how disgrace spills all over just like +Mr. Ellsworth himself told us. + +"Anyway, Mr. Ellsworth," I said, "I can't say it as good as I'd like to, +because--you know--" + +"Take your time, Roy," he said. + +"Anyway, you remember how you spoke about the laws." I was holding tight +to the Silver Fox standard and it kind of helped me to speak, and I guess +pretty soon my voice didn't shake. "I know all the laws," I said, "and I +think more about them than I do about stunts and adventures and things--" + +"How about baseball?" a fellow said, but I didn't pay any attention +to him, and Mr. Ellsworth frowned at him. + +"And only to-night I looked at them," I said, "and I made marks next to +two of them." Then I fumbled in my pocket and got out the Handbook, and +I reminded myself of a lawyer. Anyway I could see Mr. Bennett smile at +Mr. Ellsworth. "Gee, I wouldn't say anything against the laws, that's +one sure thing," I said, "because they're all dandy laws, you can bet. +But maybe a fellow might not know which one to obey because he can't +obey them all at once, can he?" + +Mr. Ellsworth said he didn't know about that and he looked kind of +surprised. I should worry, I wasn't scared now. "Suppose he's on his +way to obey Law 8 and keep his word and be loyal to his troop and his +scoutmaster," I said. "That's Law 8, isn't it?" + +Mr. Ellsworth looked surprised and said, "yes." And Mr. Bennett was +smiling with and awful funny kind of a smile. + +"And suppose while he's on his way he runs plunk into another law. +Goodnight! What's he going to do? Maybe you don't know which law I mean +by another one. It's number 3, and I can say it without even looking at +the book. Even if they elect--" + +I guess Mr. Ellsworth could see my voice was I trembling, because he +said, "Take your time, Roy, you have us interested." + +I have to admit I was feeling bad, but anyway I said the law right off +without looking at the book. + +3. A SCOUT IS HELPFUL. + +He must be prepared at any time to save life, help injured persons, +and share the home duties. He must do at least one good turn to +somebody everyday. + +"Maybe you never noticed that the part about good turns is printed in +italics. You know what italics mean--you learn that in the Second Grade. +It means that that special thing IS emphasized, see?" + +Mr. Ellsworth was smiling a little, but anyway he was listening and so +was Mr. Bennett. Gee, I didn't see anything to smile at. + +Now I have to admit that I got kind of excited and I didn't know much +what I was saying. + +Sometimes I had to stop on account of that lump being in my throat. But +anyway, I kept on and I held on tight to my emblem--the Silver Fox +emblem. + +"So that's what I mean," I said, "and, this morning Westy was on his way +to help on the house-boat and he met" (oh, jiminies, I guess I didn't +know how I was talking now, I was so excited) "and he met Skinny +McCord's mother and she told him about Skinny being sick on account of +a good turn he did for me--keeping Jake Holden from going to my +house--and she asked him to go up and stay with him and he didn't think +any more about the house-boat, and I'm glad he didn't, and I told him +that, and I'm his patrol leader yet, anyway. I tell him that, I do! And +he went home and got his baseball and his catching mitt and it cost a +dollar and seventy-five cents, and he took them to Skinny just so as +he'd kind of forgot being sick. Westy saved up to get that mitt and I +know all about it. And he stayed all day with Skinny and the doctor +says, he says Skinny has got to die, but anyway Westy stayed all day +with him--that's what he did. And I'm glad you fellows are going to +elect a new leader if you want him to reprimand Westy, be cause you'd +never get me to do it, I can tell you that!" + +Oh, crinkums, there wasn't a sound. It had to stop because I was +gulping and all excited, but I started again, you can bet. + +"And there's only one thing more I've got to say," I told them. "I got +on the trail--I mean Skinny's trail. And it took me to his house in +Barrel Alley. I picked up his trail down at Little Landing and it had +the scout's pathfinder sign printed in the mud. And I--I'm--I'm a scout, +I am, I don't care what you say, and I followed it. And maybe, for all +you know, it was put there, for me to follow-maybe. It took me to where +a fellow was sick, it did, and it showed me one of my own--one of the +Silver Foxes, doing a good turn to pay Skinny back for the good turn +he did for me. And I stayed there to help and I forgot all about the +house-boat, and I'm glad I did. And I hope that whoever these fellows +elect, he won't let them chip in for the cruise, but I hope he'll have +them chip in to send Skinny up to the country--I don't care what the +doctor says. Once a doctor said that--he said that my father--" + +And that's all I had a chance to say. Gee, I couldn't tell you what +happened next. All I know is, I heard my Scout Handbook go kerflop on +the floor and Vic Norris of the Ravens grabbed the Silver Fox emblem +right out of my hand and began waving it. All of a sudden I saw Westy +and he didn't say anything only put his arm around my shoulder and he +started to say something and, oh, I don't know, he just couldn't. Then +I heard a fellow asking him what was the matter, because he was husky, +kind of, and his eyes shiny-you know. And he said he had a cold. Oh, boy! + +"He caught cold from drinking out of a damp glass," Doc Carson shouted. +Honest, you couldn't hear yourself think. And Pee-wee--g--o--o--d night! +Then Mr. Ellsworth held up his hand and we all quieted down. + +"Before we go any further," he said, "and while our lungs are working +overtime I want every member of the Raven Patrol and every member of +the Elk Patrol to give three cheers for the Silver Foxes, scouts, real +scouts, everyone of them, and for their leader, Roy Blakeley. After +that you can hold your election." + + + + +CHAPTER XIX + +THE END OF THE MEETING + +Oh, boy, some excitement! "Excuse me while I blush," I said. For they +were all shouting and Pee-wee was on top of the table dancing and +yelling, "Hurrah for the Solid Silver Foxes! Three cheers for the +Sterling Silver Foxes!" Believe me, that kid is self-starting, but +he isn't self stopping. + +Then I told them that I had something more to say, and they shouted it +was their turn to do the saying, and believe me, they did--with something +left over. At last Mr. Ellsworth got us throttled down and he told me to +say what I had to say, because Mr. Bennett had a word or two for us. + +So I told them my idea that I'd had in my head all the time, and you +just wait and see how many adventures it led to. That's one good thing +about good turns; they most always start something. Already Pee-wee +was started. + +I told them I thought instead of keeping Tom Slade's place open, kind of +in memory of him, it would be better to put Skinny McCord in that vacant +place and take him up to Temple Camp and help him to get well. Then I +told them how he read the Handbook, and how he was crazy about scouting, +only he was scared of the fellows because he was so poor. And then I said +that findings is keepings and that Skinny belonged to the Silver Foxes, +and they would make a present of him to the Elks on account of Tom +Slade. + +"Anyway," I said, "when Tom gets back he'll be old enough for +assistant scoutmaster, so it's all right." + +Then Mr. Ellsworth said, "Very good," and that Councilman Bennett had +something to say. This is what he said, because Mr. Ellsworth wrote it +out for me, and he remembered almost just how it was. Oh, but he's one +fine man--Mr. Bennett--he's on some kind of a board and he helped build +the hospital and he likes the scouts and he wishes he could shin up a +tree--he said so. So this is what he said. + +"My young friends, I have listened with a good deal of something or +other (it's too much bother to spell it out) to our young leader of the +Silver Foxes, and I must say that the Silver Foxes are solid fourteen +karat gold. I am a lawyer myself and I wish to express my professional +admiration of the way Leader Blakeley presented his case." + +"The pleasure is mine," I said under my breath, because I just couldn't +help it. + +Then he said like this--he said, "If Skinny McCord wishes to cast his +lot with such boys as these, he shall not find the means lacking. I +will furnish his suit and such sundries as he needs. I agree with +Leader Blakeley that doctors are sometimes mistaken. Let us hope it +may be the case in this instance. The cruise to camp must be made; +let nothing interfere with that. If some of you boys wish to go into +the city in the morning you may have the pleasure of purchasing +Skinny's outfit. I would suggest that the Silver Foxes do this in +order that their gift may go complete to their comrades of the Elks. +I think I have your scoutmaster's permission to do this." + +"Sure you have!" Pee-wee shouted. + +"We'll go in on the 9 A. M. train," Westy said. + +"What time does the 9 A. M. train leave?", Pee-wee shouted. "Oh, but +it's great!" He was half crazy. + +"The nine o'clock train leave at 8.60," I told him, "and you have to +get a transfer--" + +"To what line?" he shouted. + +"To the clothesline," I said. + +"You make me sick!" he yelled, "You haven't got any +what--do--you--call--it--hero--something or other--" + +"That talk will have to be strained through a sieve," I said. "Don't +mind him, Mr. Bennett, somebody's been feeding him meat. He goes to +the movies too much. He's known as the human megaphone. All step up +and listen to the Raving Raven rave--only a dime, ten cents, ladies +and gentlemen!" + +Even Mr. Bennett had to laugh. + +"Now all we've got to have is a girl," Pee-wee shouted, "because we've +got a poor lad--I mean--you know what I mean--noble poverty and a boat +and heroes doing good turns--" + +"And Ravens turning somersaults," I said. + +"And all that," he kept up, "and Roy foiled his prosecuters--I mean +persecuters--" + +"You mean executers," Doc said. + +"And all we need now is a heroine," Pee-wee said, while he danced up +and down. "A poor girl--I mean a maiden--with gold hair--if we could +only rescue one--oh, wouldn't it be great." + +"Even if her hair was only gold-filled it would be something," Connie +Bennett said. + +"You're crazy!", Pee-wee shouted, "it shows none of you know anything +about stories." + +Oh, jiminy, I can't tell all the stuff we shouted. You see, it was just +because we were feeling so good. And Mr. Ellsworth didn't try to stop +us. The next chapter is about two dollars. I don't mean it's worth that +much. I don't know what I'll name it yet. + +Olive oil*--that's the French way to say, "So long." Anyway, it's +something like that. I should worry. + + [*Au revoir is probably what he meant.] + + + + +CHAPTER XX + +MOSTLY ABOUT SKINNY + +This chapter I am going to fill with some stuff about a two dollar bill. + +That isn't so bad for poetry, is it? I got that idea out of a story by +Sir Walter Scott--putting poetry at the top of the chapters. Mr. +Ellsworth says sometimes a fellow might get killed for writing poetry. +I should worry--a scout is brave. + +You can bet that if Pee-wee had his way we'd have all gone into the city +that very night and broken into a store to get Skinny's outfit. But nix +on that hurry up business when it comes to Mr. Ellsworth. "Scouts are not +made in a day," he said to Pee-wee, "and the outfit doesn't make the +scout anyway, remember that." + +"Any more than a merry-go-round makes a good turn," I said. + +So Mr. Ellsworth went to see Skinny and his mother, and then he went to +see the doctor, and he found out that Skinny wasn't going to die right +then, but that something was the matter with his lungs, and that he'd +keep getting sick all the time probably and wouldn't grow up. Oh, boy, +when Mr. Ellsworth once gets on your trail, good night! That's just +the way he hauled Tom Slade into the troop, head over heels. And look at +Connie Bennett, too. Mr. Ellsworth had to hypnotize Connie's mother +and now Connie's a first class scout. After two or three nights he +brought Skinny to meeting, and oh, cracky, but that kid looked bad. +He just sat and watched us do our stunts and he was scared when +anybody spoke to him, except Mr. Ellsworth. And he was coughing +a lot, too. + +After the meeting Westy and I and Mr. Ellsworth took him home, and just +when we left him he asked us if maybe he'd live long enough to get the +pathfinder's badge. And oh, gee, it made me feel good the way Mr. +Ellsworth answered him. + +He said, "Well, I can't exactly promise that because I don't know how +long it will take you to win that badge, but if you think you can win +it inside of forty or fifty years, I think you'll be there to grab it +when it comes." Oh, jingoes, but we've got one dandy scoutmaster. I +don't care what you say, he's the best one in America. And when he said +that, Skinny kind of smiled and then you could see how thin he was, +because the wrinkles came all around his mouth. + +Well, on Saturday Westy and Dorry Benton and Ralph Warner (they're all +in my patrol) went into the city to get Skinny's outfit, so we could +give him a surprise at the meeting on Monday night. I didn't go because +I wanted Westy to have the say, and I didn't want him to think I was +butting in, because Skinny belonged to him, as you might say. Besides +I had to cut the grass to my sisters could play tennis with Johnny +Wade--honest, that fellow is there all the time. He's got a machine, +but I never saw it. I guess maybe it's a sewing machine, hey? + +Now I didn't know how much money Mr. Bennett gave Mr. Ellsworth. All I +know is that when the fellows came back they had everything for Skinny, +or most everything. Because they came up to Camp Solitaire (that's the +tent I have on our lawn) and we opened the whole business. Pee-wee was +there and the first thing we knew he Was shouting that there wasn't any +beltaxe. + +"We used all the money we had," Westy said "and it isn't worth while +asking Mr. Bennett for any more, even if there's one or two things +missing." + +Oh, jiminy, Pee-wee went up in the air. "Why didn't you get a belt-axe," +he shouted; "don't you know a belt-axe is the most important thing of +all? It's the sign of the scout! It's more important than the uniform." + +"He'd look nice going down Main Street with a belt-axe and no uniform," +I said; "you're crazy on the subject of belt-axes. What's the matter, +are you afraid Hindenberg is going to invade Bridgeboro? You should +worry about a belt-axe. Wait till he's a tenderfoot." + +"That shows how much you know about scouting," he yelled; "the belt-axe +is the emblem of the woods." + +"The which?', Westy said. + +"The emblem of the woods," he hollered at the top of his voice. "You have +to have a belt-axe first of all. It's more important than the Handbook. +It means woodcraft and--and--and all that sort of stuff!" + +Well, first I just laughed at him and jollied him along, because I know +how crazy he is about things like that--he'd wear every badge in the Hand. +book on his chest if he had the chance. And he's always getting new suits +and things, because his father is rich. Pee-wee's all right only he's +daffy about all the scout stuff that you see in the pictures and he +always has his belt-axe dragging on his belt, even when he's home, as +if he expected to chop down all the telegraph poles on Main Street. + +"You have belt-axes on the brain," Westy told him. + +"He's got them on the belt anyway," I said. + +"You ask Mr. Ellsworth about it and see what he says," Ralph Warner +said. "He'll tell you it's better for Skinny to wait till he can earn +a little money and then buy a belt-axe. There's time enough." + +"Sure he would," I said, because I know just how Mr. Ellsworth feels +about things like that. And for all I know, maybe he didn't want +Skinny to have everything at the start, just so as he would be able +to get some things all by himself later. Because Mr. Ellsworth thinks +that's the best way. Of course, we always jollied Pee-wee about his +belt-axe and about wearing his scout-knife and his drinking cup +hanging from his belt right home in Bridgeboro, as if he was in South +Africa, and Mr. Ellsworth always said he was the typical scout--that's +the word he used--typical. + +But now I began to think maybe it would cause some trouble and I hoped +he wouldn't be giving Skinny any of that kind of talk. But he did just +the same, and it made a lot of trouble. Pee-wee's all right, but I +don't care if he knows what I said, because it's true. + +On Monday we had it fixed for Skinny to come up to Camp Solitaire, +and Westy and I would teach him some stuff out of the Handbook. Then +we were going to give him the new stuff so he could put it on, +because we wanted him to feel good--you know what I mean--when he went +to meeting. We didn't want him to feel different from the other +fellows. But usually we don't do that until a fellow takes the +oath first. + +Oh, boy, but wasn't he proud when we put the khaki suit on him, and +fixed the hat on his head. He smiled in that funny way he had that +always made me feel kind of bad, because it made his face look all +thin. And he was awful bashful and scared, but anyway, he was proud, +I could see that. + +So then I opened the Handbook to page 59, where there's a picture of +a scout standing straight, making the full salute, and I told him he +should stand straight and try to look just like that. He said, "I ain't +fat enough," but I told him not to mind, but just to look at that picture +and he'd know how he looked as a boy scout. + +"How soon will I be one?" he said. And I told him pretty soon. + +Now I thought about that picture early in the morning and I made up my +mind I would show it to him when he got dressed up. You can bet he +didn't look very much like it but a lot I cared about that, as long +as it made him feel good. So early in the morning before he came, I +took my two dollar bill (that's my allowance my father always gives +me Monday morning) and put it in the Handbook at page 59, so that I +could find the place all right. + +After I showed the picture to Skinny I shut the Handbook because I +wouldn't need it any more and I laid the two dollar bill down on the +table in a hurry, because I wanted to straighten Skinny's belt and fix +his collar right and make him look as good as I could. Anyway I laid +an oar-lock on the bill so it wouldn't blow away. I've got two +nickel-plated oar-locks that my patrol gave me on troop birthday, and +I keep them in my tent except when I go to camp. + +Westy was telling Skinny how fine he looked and, oh, gee, Skinny was +happy, you could see that. Of course, he didn't look very good, I have +to admit it, but he had a smile a mile long. + +"You're all right," I told him, "all you have to do is to stand up +straight and think about scouting and the oath and the laws, and then +you'll look like one." + +Then he said, "I have to have one of those axes, don't I?" + +"You should worry about an axe," I said! "You didn't see one in the +picture did you?" + +"Wasn't it because the boy in the picture was facing me, and you wear +the axe in back, don't you?" + +"Don't you worry," I told him, "I know that fellow in the picture and +he hasn't got one on." + +"One of your scout fellows says you have to have one," he said, kind +of timid. + +"Good night!" I said to Westy, "Pee-wee's been at it." + +"He knows, too," Skinny said. + +"You mean that little fellow?" I said. "Has he been talking to you?" + +"Yes," he said. + +"Forget it," I told him! "If that kid had his picture taken he'd stand +with his back to the camera so as to show his belt-axe. If he had the +Gold Cross he'd pin it on the end of his nose so everybody'd see it. +The principal thing to wear is the scout smile, you take it from me. +When you see Mr. Ellsworth to-night you ask him about the belt-axe and +go by what he says. That's the one to go to--your scoutmaster." + +"But anyway it's in the book about the axe," he said, and oh, gee, I +could see how he fell for that axe. I don't know, it was something +about it, I supposen "It's all right for a tree to fall for an axe, +but don't you," I said. That was a joke. + +"You got to have one when you go chopping trees, haven't you?" he asked +me. + +"You forget it," I said, and I decided I'd give Pee-wee a good bawling +out after the meeting. Then I started straightening Skinny's suit and +telling him how swell he looked and how he must always take off his hat +to ladies. He was interested all right, but I could see how the belt-axe +kind of had him, and I suppose it was because it was bright and shiny +and a weapon, sort of. That's the way it is with lots of fellows when +they start being scouts. + +We tried to get him to go in the house to supper with us and then go to +the meeting, but he was kind of scared and wouldn't. I guess it was +because I live in a big house and because my father is rich--but anyway, +he never acts that way, that's one sure thing. And, gee, nobody can say +Ruth and Marjorie wouldn't have been nice to him too. So we left him in +the tent and told him to read the Handbook, but to be sure to go home +and get his supper in time to be at the meeting that evening. We made him +the full salute just for fun, and oh, didn't he smile and look proud. I +bet he was proud going up Main Street too. + +"I'd like to get my hands on that kid," I said to Westy, as we went +across the lawn; "he makes me sick with his heroes and his noble rags +and his belt-axes. He's got that poor kid's brain full of fancy stuff +before he's even a scout." + +"That's just like him," Westy said, "but he'll get over it." + +"Emblem of the woods!" I said. "Did you hear that?" + +"I guess he told Skinny we were going to chop down some saplings +to-morrow for stanchions on the boat," Westy said. + +"Goodness knows what he didn't tell him." I +said, "Skinny will be chopping down all the fence rails in Barrel Alley +if Pee-wee has his way." + +Oh, boy, we had huckleberry pie for supper, and didn't Westy and I have +two helpings! + +"There's only one thing scouts like about huckleberry pie," my father +said, "and that's the taste of it." + + + + +CHAPTER XXI + +SOMETHING MISSING + +After supper Westy and I started for troop meeting. It was getting dark +fast and we went scout-pace down the hill, because after all that had +happened you bet we didn't want to be late. No, siree. + +All the while we were talking about just what I ought to say when I +presented Skinny to the Elks, because that's what we were going to do +that night. And I was the one to do it, because I was patrol leader. +Westy had a blue ribbon, because that's the Elks' color, and he was +going to pin it on Skinny with an express tag that he got that day. +He had it all written nice and neat on the tag. + + From the Silver Foxes to the Elks. + Handle with Care. + +I told him to put prepaid on it, too, and then he said it would be a +good idea to put some thrift stamps on Skinny's face. Jiminy, that +fellow Westy has some crazy ideas. + +"Believe me, it'll be great," he said. + +"The Elks will have some training to do, that's one thing," I said. + +"He'll learn soon enough, all right," Westy answered. + +"I guess it would be a good stunt to have a flag sticking up out of his +collar," I said; "he won't mind, he'll just smile. He doesn't get mad, +that's one good thing about him." + +"I like to see that smile, don't you?" Westy said, "it's kind of bashful +like." + +"He's going to pan out all right," I said, "you take it from me." + +Then we said how it might be good to put him in a barrel and mark it "A +gift from Barrel Alley," but we decided not to because it might make him +feel so kind of bashful and scared--you know what I mean. + +All the while I knew what I was going to say, and this was it: + + Scouts of the Elk Patrol, we present you with this + testimonial (my sister said that was a good word to + use) of our steam--I mean esteem. You get fifty green + trading stamps besides. This youth is positively + guaranteed to grow, if kept in the sun and to win the + pathfinder's badge before the summer is out. He is made + of fast colors and will not run--except when he's + tracking. He should be kept away from explosives such + as Pee-wee Harris. + + With love and kisses from the Silver Foxes. + +"Oh, it will be great!" Westy said, "we'll do it before Mr, Ellsworth +takes up the collection for the cruise, hey?" + +"G--o--o--d night!" I said and I stopped short. + +"What's the matter ?" Westy said. + +"I'm glad you said that," I told him; "I forgot my two bucks." + +"I'll go back," Westy said; "you wait here." There wasn't any time to +stop him and anyway, he can beat me running, I have to admit that. + +"Where did you leave it?" he called back. + +"I laid it right on the table," I shouted, "and I laid an oar-lock on it +to keep it from blowing away. Feel around and you'll get It. Hurry up." + +I saw him going back up the hill for all he was worth and then I sat down +beside the road to wait for him. I got to thinking about the house-boat +and the fun we'd have cruising up the Hudson and how Skinny would get +fat and eat a lot, and especially how he'd stare when he saw Jeb +Rushmore. He's our camp manager, and just wait till you see him, that's +all I say. + +But mostly I was thinking about the fun we'd have presenting Skinny to +the Elks, and, oh, boy, I could just see Mr. Ellsworth laugh with that +funny laugh he has--trying not to. And you can bet I was glad we had +Skinny started. Because when a fellow once gets on the trail, he's a +goner. Oh, bibbie, that was going to be some meeting! Pretty soon Westy +came running back down the hill. + +"Did you get it?" I asked him, but, of course, I knew he did. He was so +much out of breath that he couldn't answer and even after he stopped he +had to pant it out, kind of. + +"It wasn't there," he said. + +"Wasn't there!" I said; "you're crazy. Sure it was there. Where did you +look?" + +"I looked just where you said," Westy panted, "and all around besides. +First, I felt all around with my hand and I lifted the oar-lock and it +wasn't underneath it." + +"Maybe you got the wrong oar-lock," I said, all excited; "there are two +of them." + +"The other one was hanging up," he said; "I found your flashlight on the +duffel-bag and poked the light all around and I saw the other oar-lock +hanging up. I threw the light on the ground, too, because there's a +pretty strong breeze up there." + +"How could the breeze blow it away when it was under the oar-lock?" I +said. "It was a new two dollar bill." + +"Well, it wasn't there, anyway," he said. + +Then for a minute we both stood there and neither one of us said +anything. I know what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it. I +guess Westy was thinking the same thing, too. We both sat down beside +the road and after a couple of minutes, he said, "Maybe a tramp took +it, hey?" + +"Jerry wouldn't let anyone on the grounds," I said. Jerry's our gardener. +"And besides Don wouldn't, either." He's our dog--he's a collie. "Well, it +isn't there, anyway," + +Westy said; "I lifted the oar-lock and felt underneath and I laid it down +again, right where it was--on a book or something. When I flashed the +light it wasn't there. Come on, we'll be late. I'd let you have two +bucks if I had that much extra, but I've only got two myself. You can +chip in yours to-morrow, it'll be all right." + +I got up and I felt awful funny. + +"Anyway, there's no use being late,"' he sald, because I kind of just +couldn't start. + +"It isn't that I'm thinking about," I told him, "It's--" + +"I know," he said, "I thought about that, too, but we've got to hustle." + +So we started down the hill and neither of us said anything. Of course, +we were both thinking about Skinny, but neither one of us would say it. + +"Pee-wee's to blame in a way," Westy said, after a while; it's the +belt-axe the poor kid was thinking about." + +"No, he isn't to blame, either," I said; "he didn't mean anything--he +didn't mean for Skinny to do anything like that." + +"He should have kept his mouth shut," Westy said. + +"Anyway," I said, "I'm not going to make that speech; I just can't. I'm +not going to say anything to Skinny about it. Maybe I'll tell Mr. +Ellsworth sometime--I don't know. But anyway, I can't present him to the +Elks that way, I can't. I just can't. Poor kid, I don't suppose he ever +saw as much as two dollars before." + +"You shouldn't have left it out like that," Westy said. + +After that I guess neither of us said anything. Gee, I can't tell you how +I felt. I know if a fellow is low down and fires stones and calls names +and all like that, even still he can get to be a scout. + +But if he steals-jiminy, I've got no use for a fellow that steals. A +plaguy lot I care about two bucks, but, oh, boy, I was looking forward +to that meeting and how we were going to have Skinny all decorated and +present him to the Elks. And now we couldn't do it, Honest, I didn't even +want to see him, I didn't feel sore at him, but I didn't want to see him. +Because he'd spoiled all the fun for me, that's all. + + + + +CHAPTER XXII + +SHOWS YOU WHERE I DO THE TALKING + +Westy said we shouldn't say anything to Mr. Ellsworth, but wait until +Skinny had taken the oath and knew all the laws and all about scouting, +and then maybe say something to him, how we thought maybe he had made a +mistake sometime and would like to fix it right. Westy said we'd call it +just getting off the trail. Westy's a mighty nice fellow, you bet, and +he's a good scout. But anyway, it knocked all the fun out of that meeting +for us, and I don't know what the other fellows thought. + +Skinny was there in his new suit and he showed how proud he was to have +it. He was always smiling in that bashful kind of a way, as if he was +kind of scared but happy at the same time. Mr. Ellsworth told him to sit +with us and he came over and sat in an extra chair right next to me. I +guess he kind of liked to be near me--anyway, it seemed like that. I was +nice to him all right, but I don't know, it didn't seem like it did +before. But no fellow could get mad at him--he looked so poor, and his +suit didn't fit him very good and he looked all strange and nervous. + +Pretty soon I said to him, kind of half interested, you know, I said, +"That's where you're going to sit, in that vacant chair where the Elks +are. They're a good patrol, the Elks, and the fellow who used to sit +there with them was Tom Slade. You have to try to be a good scout just +like he was." + +"I know all the laws, everyone," he said in a whisper. + +"Do you know law one?" I asked him. + +"Yup, it's the best of the lot," he said; "it teaches you about honor. +Do you know the two things about scouts I like best?" he asked me. + +"No, I don't," I said. + +"It's that first law and the belt-axe that they wear." + +"Never you mind about the belt-axe," I said. + +"Yes, but you want me to tell you honest, don't you?" he blurted out. +And he looked straight at me and his eyes were all kind of hollow and +excited like. Gee, he was a queer kid. "You can make fun of me all you +want," he said, "I don't care. Will I be a scout to-night?" +"Not to-night," I told him, "we're going to turn you over to the Elks +to-night. And then they'll teach you things and get you ready." + +Pretty soon it came time to present him, but I didn't feel like making +any fun about it. Gee! I don't know what my patrol thought about me. But +anyway, Westy knew. So I just said how we found Alfred McCord and how he +wanted to be a scout and we thought it was a good idea to give him to +the Elk Patrol, to fill the place of Tom Slade. Cracky, there wasn't any +pep to it at all. + +Then afterwards Mr. Ellsworth took up the collection of one dollar and +seventy cents from each fellow, to buy the eats and pay the expenses of +the cruise. I had to say that I wasn't ready with it, and I guess he +was surprised, because I never miss a chipping in, but anyway, I said +I'd have it next day. I should worry about that. + +On the way out I met Pee-wee shouting away like a machine gun. "Come on +up the street with me," I said; "I want to tell you something." + +When we were about a block off I said, "You listen here, kiddo. I don't +want you to be shouting about belt-axes and jack-knives and things like +that in front of Skinny McCord. I'm telling you that and I want you to +remember it. And I've got good reasons, too. Scouts aren't made out of +belt-axes and jack-knives and badges. They're made out of ideas, as you +might say. You just remember what I tell you and don't be springing this +stuff about the emblem of the woods and all that. A belt-axe costs two +dollars--haven't you got sense enough to know that. And do you know how +much it costs to take the scout oath? Not one blooming cent!" + +Jiminy crinkums, he just listened and didn't say a single word. For two +blocks he didn't say a word. + +It was the biggest stunt he ever did. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII + +IN THE WOODS + +Now I have to go backward--that's one good thing about this story, it +has a reverse gear; you can go backward. + +The first night we had the house-boat, Mr. Ellsworth went to see Mr. +Darren, who is superintendent of Northside Woods (that's owned by the +Northside estate) and he asked Mr. Darren if we could chop down some +saplings to use on the boat. Because we wanted to make some stanchions +for the awning, and another flagpole, and some bumper sticks. He +thought that was a good idea, because lumber costs so much. Connie said +the reason it was high is because they're building tall houses. So Mr. +Darren marked some saplings with chalk and said we could take those. + +The next afternoon after that last meeting, we all hiked over to +Northside Woods to chop down the saplings. You have to go across the +bridge to get to Northside Woods and then you go up the road toward +Little Valley. + +Westy didn't go with the rest of us because he wanted to get a book out +of the library, for he thought the library might be closed when we got +back. + +"Have a heart," I said, "and don't be late whatever you do, because +there's been enough of that kind of thing in our patrol lately." + +"I'll be Johnny--on--the--spot, don't you fear," he said. And I knew he +would, only he's one of those fellows that's always trying to do too +much. He isn't late much, I'll say that for him, but he always comes +running in at the last minute. + +"Well, don't get us in Dutch," I told him, "that's all I care about." + +We had a Dandy hike over to the woods. My patrol got there first and +pretty soon the Ravens came along and Doc Carson had his First Aid +kit--you'd think somebody was going to fight a duel, honest. "Why don't +you start a base hospital and be done with it?", I said. + +Pretty soon the Elks came along and Skinny was with them. As soon as I +looked at him I felt kind of bad like, for I saw I was right about the +two dollars. I knew I was right all the time, but now I saw it and +jingoes, it spoiled all my fun. Because he had a belt-axe on and I +could see he was very proud of it. He came up to me and smiled that +funny kind of a smile he had, and he said, "I got one; see, I got one." + +It was a new one all right, but not a regular scout-axe, and I guessed +he must have bought it in the hardware store. It was what they call a +camp axe--just the same only different. His belt was loose anyway, on +account of him being so thin, but the axe dragged it way down and made +him look awful funny, but he had on the scout smile and that's the +principal thing. + +"It's a good one, ain't it?" he asked me. + +"It's all right," I said, but I just couldn't take it and look at it. + +"It'll cut, too," he said; "and I'm going to chop down a lot of trees. +And it's my very own, isn't it?" + +Jiminy, I didn't know how to answer that, so I didn't say anything, only +I told him not to chop down many because he wasn't strong yet. And I +told him not to chop any that didn't have chalk marks. I told him to ask +Connie Bennett, and to stay near him, because Connie is the Elks' leader +ever since Tom Slade went away. "You do what Connie tells you", I said. + +Well, the way that kid started you'd think he was going to chop the North +Pole in half. "He'd be able to chop through the equator in a couple of +hours at that rate," I told Connie. But anyway, he was getting fresh air +and a whole lot of fun. Some of the fellows chopped and some of them cut +off the branches and tied the saplings together, three or four each, +because we were going to haul them as far as the bridge and then float +them down to the landing. + +Every little while I looked at Skinny and he was chopping away at one +sapling for dear life. He had it all full of nicks and every nick had +a place all to itself. + +"That isn't chopping, it's what you call woodcarving," Dorry Benton said. + +"He's a good butcher, anyway," Artie said. + +Every time Skinny hit, he hit in a different place and he would never get +the sapling down, I saw that, but he was having the time of his life, +just the same. + +"Some Daniel Boone," Will Dawson said. But I told them not to make fun of +him. + +All the while I kept wondering if Skinny really thought that axe was his +very own like he said. And it seemed sort of funny that he could be +getting so much fun out of it. Oftentimes he would get tired and begin to +cough and Connie would make him sit down and rest. Then he would show his +axe to the fellows and match it to theirs and say he liked his best. I +don't know, maybe there was something wrong about Skinny. Maybe he was +more crazy about weapons than he was about scouting. He didn't seem to +think ahoot anything except cutting down that sapling, and the more of a +botch he made out of it, the harder he worked. I remembered something Mr. +Ellsworth said to Tom Slade about not caring more for his gun than he did +for his country. But, gee, when I thought about what Skinny said about +the two things he liked most, the axe and the law about honor, good +night, I couldn't understand him at all. + +Illustration #3 + +"Every time Skinny hit, he hit in a different place" + + +Pretty soon I began worrying about Westy, because something is always +delaying that fellow, and I even hoped that he wouldn't stumble over +any more good turns, until this day's work was over. If Westy fell out +of a ten-story building, he'd do a good turn on the way down--that's the +way he is. + +Well, pretty soon I heard him coming through the woods on the dead run. +We all stopped working and laughed, because he was coming along like +a marathon runner. All except Skinny-he went right on chopping away and +the sapling looked as if a cow had been chewing it. + +I don't know, but something or other made me feel kind of mad at him all +of a sudden, and I didn't laugh at him. + +Then he called over to me and he said, "Look how I'm chopping it down +with my axe! See?" "Who's axe?" I said, because I just couldn't help it. + +"Look! See?" he shouted, all excited; "ain't I a good chopper--ain't I?" + +Maybe you won't understand how it was, because, gee, I can't tell things +so you'll see them just right. Anyway, I'm not excusing myself, that's +one thing. But I just looked over at Skinny and I said: + +"I don't want to look at your axe! Shut up you little--" I was going to +call him a little thief, but I'm mighty glad I didn't. "Can't you see +I'm looking at something else?" I said, kind of mad. "You'd be better +off if you never thought about the axe; you're a--" + +Just then I heard somebody yell, "Look out, Westy, the boards are gone! +You'll have to climb!" + +After that, everything seemed to be all jumbled up. I saw Skinny standing +near his sapling just staring at me and he looked as if I had just hit +him and he didn't understand at all. He didn't even notice all the other +fellows who were running. Then I looked and I didn't see Westy, but all +the fellows were heading for the ditch and I knew right away what had +happened. Somebody hollered, "Get your kit, Doc, and hurry up." + +There was a ditch near where the saplings grew and usually there were a +couple of boards across it. But they weren't there when all of us fellows +went across and we had to go down into the ditch and climb up the other +side. I guess the woodsmen had taken them, maybe. + +Anyway, when Westy came along the path he was running so hard he didn't +notice in time that the boards weren't there, and he went head over +heels into the ditch. I guess I was the last one to get there, and all +the fellows were standing around and Doc was kneeling over Westy, and +feeling his pulse. Westy's face was all white and there was blood +coming down from his eye and he looked straight up and didn't notice +anybody. All the fellows were quiet and scared, kind of, and waiting +for Doc to speak. But he wasn't excited, only he said we'd better get a +doctor. "It isn't a fracture," he said; "it's only a cut, but anyway, +we'd better get the doctor." + +Then I saw some blood on the front of Westy's khaki shirt. But Doc saw it +first and he said, "Open his shirt, maybe he has something hanging from +his neck that cut him. Feel and see if he has a knife in his breast +pocket. Open his shirt first. Give me the iodine and some bandage, one of +you fellows." + +I thought I ought to be the one to open his shirt, because he was in my +patrol and besides we were special friends, as you might say. So I +pushed through past the others and just as I was kneeling down I saw +Skinny standing up on the edge of the ditch and his eyes looked big and +he was all trembling and excited. There were big red spots on his cheeks +and I knew that was the consumption that showed whenever he got excited. +He was all by himself up there and he looked kind of wild--I can't +exactly tell you.. + +Then I opened Westy's shirt and I saw he had a ring with two keys hanging +there and they must have pressed into his chest and cut him. It kind of +scared me, because there was so much blood, but Doc said, "Give me the +iodine--that's nothing." + +And I knew he knew what he was talking about. + +While he was putting iodine in the cut I felt in Westy's pocket like Doc +told me to do, but there wasn't any knife there. But there was something +else there and I pulled it out. Oh, gee, I hate to tell you about it. It +was my two dollar bill. I could tell because it was new and because it +had a stain on it in the shape of a half circle. + +I always kept oil on those oar-locks, so they wouldn't get rusty. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV + +TREASURE ISLAND + +Nobody noticed me, I guess, and I just scrambled up the ditch and went +away behind a tree and looked at the two dollar bill again. I guess you +sure know the shape of an oar-lock all right--kind of round, but open at +the top. And that was just the shape of the stain on the bill. I could +have laid one of my oar-locks right on that bill and covered up the +stain. + +Maybe you think I was glad to get the bill back but I wasn't. What did I +care about that bill? Gee, a two dollar bill isn't anything, compared to +a friend, it isn't. I could have another bill right away if I wanted it, +and anyway, I'd be sure to get one on Monday. It was Westy I was thinking +about, because you know how you heard me say we were special friends, +sort of, Jiminy Christopher! I didn't care about anything now. + +Even once when I lost my bronze medal I didn't feel so bad. Then I said +I guessed Westy just put it in his pocket to fool me and that he was +going to give it to me. But cracky, there's no use trying to kid +yourself. Then, all of a sudden I thought how he wanted me to hurry +and run and how he didn't want to stop and talk much about it. + +Jiminy, I didn't know what to do and I just felt like going home and +going up to my room and locking the door. I knew if I ever told +anybody it would be either Ruth or Marjorie. It's funny how when a +fellow really has a lot of trouble he'd rather tell a girl than +anybody else. You can laugh at girls, but that's true. Maybe they +can't run and all that, but they kind of know all about it when you +have a lot of trouble. Maybe I'd tell them, tool because they'd wonder +if Westy didn't come to the house any more. + +Anyway, I was glad it was me to find the two dollars and none of the +other fellows. I decided that as long as it wasn't any good to me I'd +put it back in his pocket if I could get a chance. Then maybe it would +be kind of like a memorandum to him and he'd come and give it back when +he had plenty of money sometime, maybe. + +But when I went back there wasn't any chance to do that, because all +the fellows were still crowding around. I stood up on the edge of the +ditch and I heard somebody say that El Sawyer had gone to Bridgeboro. +Doc looked up at me and he said, "It isn't bad, kiddo, don't worry." And +I knew he was right and it made me feel good. + +Anyway, I don't know why he called me kiddo sometimes. Because I'm leader +of the Silver Fox patrol, why should he call me kiddo. But I guess he +felt sorry for me, as you might say. + +It was funny, but as soon as I knew Westy was going to get better, I +didn't want to stay there. I was afraid he might look at me and see that +everything wasn't all right. I was afraid he might see something in my +eyes--you know. So I walked away, and besides, anyway, I wanted to think +and I just felt I wanted to be alone by myself. + +Just as I was going away one of the fellows said, "Here you go, kiddo," +and chucked a book up at me. "You take care of it; it was in his pocket," +he said. I guessed it was the book Westy had got out of the library and I +was pretty glad because when you're all alone and haven't got any friends +and everybody goes back on you, kind of, it's dandy to read a book. +Because, anyway, books never go back on you, that's one sure thing, and +they don't take--anyway they're good friends. When I looked at this one, +I saw it was "Treasure Island" and I was glad because I always liked that +one. + +That fellow, Jim Hawkins, he was a fine fellow anyway. Gee, I said to +myself, I'd like to have him for a friend, that's sure. Because a fellow +in a book can be a friend to you just like a real one. Even better, +sometimes. + + + + +CHAPTER XXV + +THE SHORT CUT + +One thing, I hoped they'd all go home soon so I could sit down on a log +and read some more in that book. Only lately I read it, but cracky, that +doesn't make any difference when it's a good book. I thought I'd go back +to the ditch pretty soon--as soon as Ed Sawyer came with the doctor. But +anyway, I wanted to be alone now. + +So I stuffed the book in my pocket and strolled over to where we had been +cutting the saplings. Then I went over close and looked at the one Skinny +had been chopping. I guess I didn't know what I was doing and thinking +about. Anyway, now that I looked at it, I was sorry I made fun of him and +got mad at him. It wasn't only because I knew he didn't take the two +dollars, but anyway, I felt sorry for him. + +I couldn't see him anywhere around and he wasn't in the ditch, I knew +that If he had been there then, you bet I'd have been all right with him. +It made me feel bad when I looked at that sapling an hacked and standing +up just as strong as ever. He must have chopped away on it for half an +hour and about all the poor little kid did was to get the bark off. Right +close by, I saw his belt axe lying just where he left it. It had Skinny +marked on it, and I guess he did it himself. It made me feel kind of +sorry for him that he called himself Skinny. It was his axe, anyway. And +I felt like kicking myself. And I saw how he had been trying to be a +scout just like the other fellows, poor little kid. It wasn't any of my +business where he got the money. It was his, anyway. + +Then I began kicking the chips around with my foot and saying, +"Poor kid." And I said I guessed he'd die before he could ever chop down +a tree. Because, now since I had seen those red spots on his cheeks I +knew how bad he was. I knew he didn't have any strength at all, and all +the time something he had said kept running in my mind. "I like the one +about honor." "Poor little Skinny," I said. I was feeling bad, anyway. + +An of a sudden I heard a sound and saw three or four fellows scrambling +up out of the ditch. So I went over there and just as I got there, I saw +something that I'll never forget, you can bet. + +First I thought it was a ghost, and all the fellows were flabbergasted. +It was Skinny standing right near and clutching hold of a tree, and he +was all trembling and I thought he was going to fall down. Honest, I +never saw anything like the way he looked. His hair was all flying loose +and it made him look wild, because it wasn't cut. And his eyes were all +like as if they were on fire. + +"I got him," he said, "I got him--he's coming. He's getting--out of--out +of his automobile. I got him because I'm--I'm a swamp-rat!" Thats just +the way he said it, and he hung onto the tree and his fingers were all +thin like an old man's and the spots were in his cheeks. "He's coming!" +he panted out. + +Just then I could see Doctor Winters coming through the trees with a +little black bag. He must have left his machine out on the road about +a hundred yards away. And I guess Skinny must have jumped out and run +in ahead to show him the way and he just kept saying, "I got him, I got +him! Because I'm a swamp--rat--everybody says so--and I know the short +cut--now can I have a badge--maybe--sometime? Maybe am I a scout now?", + +I just looked at him and it gave me the creeps, because I knew what he +had done. And I remembered now how people called him a dirty swamp-rat. +Many a time I'd heard them call him that. Just a dirty little swamp-rat. +And now, he was sort of proud of it. + +First, I couldn't move and I just couldn't speak. Then I went up to him +and I said--I didn't care for the doctor or anybody--I said, "Skinny, +there's one fellow here who knows what the marshes are and that's me. +Because I came near getting swallowed up by them." + +"It's--it's--short-cut," he just panted out. "All I want to tell you is," +I said, "there's not another scout in the whole troop could do it--do you +hear! You're not a swamp-rat, you're a swamp-scout," I said. + +Then I was going to say more, only Skinny seemed as if he was going to +fall and the doctor kind of seemed to want me to move away. Anyway, I +went over and got Skinny's belt-axe to carry it home for him. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI + +IN MY OWN CAMP + +As soon as the fellows knew for sure that there was nothing much the +matter with Westy, they scrambled out of the ditch and all stood +around Skinny, praising him up and he was so excited that he didn't +talk straight, but sort of yelled at them. The only ones with Westy +were the real doctor and Doc Carson, and Doc was helping him fix the +bandages better. + +When I saw them down there it made me feel as if I'd like to go down and +say something to Westy. His face was all white and the bandage on his +head made him look--oh, I don't know--sort of as if he might die. And +then I'd be sorry I hadn't said something to him. Because I had known +Westy an awful long time. + +So I went down and pretty soon the doctor went up to see Skinny and Doc +Carson went too. So I was alone with him down there, but his eyes were +shut on account of his being weak from losing so much blood, and he +didn't notice me. + +Anyway, I slipped that two dollars into his shirt pocket because I didn't +want it anyway, and I thought maybe it would be a memorandum to him, +like I said. Besides I didn't have a right to keep money I got out of +another fellow's pocket. + +I said, "It's me, Westy; the reason I didn't come around was because all +the other fellows were here. But now you're alone I want to tell you that +I'm glad you're not hurt bad." + +He just looked at me and he said, "I went--I did it." + +First I didn't know what to say, and then I said, "Never you mind, I +guess you were kind of crazy. We all get crazy sometimes. I was crazy +when I thought Tom Slade was lying once. Never you mind." + +"I guess I was crazy," he just said, and then he shut his eyes and I +didn't bother him any more--only just sat there. I don't know what made +him tell me, but anyway, I was glad. + +Pretty soon I helped him to Dr. Winters' automobile because he limped +pretty bad. Skinny went in the automobile, too, and Doc Carson, but they +didn't ask me. All the fellows went along the road, too, because +nobody felt like hauling the saplings that day, and I didn't, that's +sure. I said I was going back to get Skinny's axe, and I was glad when I +was all alone in the woods. That's the best place to be if you've got any +troubles and you want to think. + +And I kind of didn't want to think about Westy, so I thought about Skinny +just to keep everything else out of my head. Because I knew it wouldn't +ever be just the same again with Westy and I didn't want to think about +it. In the troop it would be all right, and maybe in the patrol too, but +it wouldn't ever be just the same again with Westy and me. + +I was glad that I'd be interested in Skinny and now I could see he was +different from all of us kind of wonderful-I don't know how to tell you. +His eyes were so big, and wild, and starey. And he said things in such a +funny way and he got so excited. Up at Temple Camp, afterwards, Mr. +Ellsworth told Jeb Rushmore that Skinny was inspired, but I don't know +just what he meant. An I knew is we were even scared of him sometimes. +He never called any of us by our names--that was funny. + +Pretty soon I went home. It was all dark in the woods and dandy for +thinking, and I was glad I had one friend, anyway, and that was Jim +Hawkins in the book. I guessed maybe that was the reason that Westy got +the book, because only lately I had read it, and I had told him so much +about it. All the way home I kept thinking about Westy and I wished I had +never found that out. + +Mostly at night I sit on the porch with my mother and father, but that +night I went to my tent and lit the lantern and sat there. I like a +lantern because it reminds you of camping. Nix on electric lights up at +Temple Camp, that's what Jeb Rushmore says. Gee, he has no use for +electric lights--electric lights and umbrellas. But, anyway, I've got a +wire from our garage to Camp Solitaire (that's my tent) and a bulb for +when I want to read. Jerry says I ought to pay for tapping the garage +current. I should worry. + +I sat down and began reading 'Treasure Island' all over again. I skipped +a lot because I had only just lately read it, and pretty soon I was +reading about in the middle of it, where they start off in the ship. +That's the part I like best. All of a sudden I couldn't see the reading +very good and I noticed there was a stain on the page. + +Here's where I wish that I knew all about writing books like a regular +grown up author, because I have to explain something to you and, cracky, +I wish you could see that book, because then it would be easier. First, I +didn't think anything about it at all, only I noticed that the stain was +on the left hand page. Then, all of a sudden I noticed something about +that stain that got me all excited. It was in the shape of a ring, +kind of. + +Right away I knew what it meant. I picked up one of my oar-locks and laid +it on the stain and it just covered it. So I saw I had damaged the book +when I had it before. That's one thing you're not supposed to do--damage +books out of the library. If you keep a book till its overdue, that isn't +so bad, because then you just pay a fine. Connie says that's being a good +bookkeeper. + +But to damage a book--g--o--o--d night! + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII + +THE GENTLE BREEZE + +I was just thinking how funny it was that Westy got this very same book +that I had, but maybe it wasn't so funny, because that was what put it +into his head to get it--seeing it in my tent. Anyway, I was glad it came +back to me, because now I saw what I had done and I made up my mind that +I'd buy a new book for the library. + +Then I was thinking how I'd have to tell Westy about it, and, oh, I don't +know, I just didn't know how to go and speak to him. I wasn't mad at him, +but anyway, I felt as if I didn't want to see him--yet. Anyway, I didn't +have any money yet and books like that cost a lot. + +All of a sudden I heard Don start barking and then he stopped. So I knew +somebody was coming that he knew. Then I heard somebody say, "You're +always suspicious, ain't you," and oh, I felt awful funny, because I +knew it was Westy. It seemed as if he might be saying that to me, but +I knew he was saying it to Don--just kind of jollying him. Maybe you +think you can't jolly a dog but you can. You can Don, anyway. + +I didn't know what I would say to him, because I thought probably he'd +come to give me my two dollars and say he was sorry and must have been +crazy or in a hurry. Jiminy, any excuse would be good enough for me, as +long as he told me straight out about it, like he did in the ditch. And +maybe things would get to be all right after a while. But I couldn't +understand how he could come up the lawn whistling and jollying Don and +feeling so good. I don't mean because he was hurt, because I knew that +wasn't so bad, but I didn't set how he could be feeling so happy. + +Pretty soon he came in and Don was jumping up all around him and wagging +his tail. "I'm glad you're well enough to come out," I said. + +"You should worry about me," he said; "I just have to limp a little, +that's all. I'm a swell looking Silver Fox, hey?" And then he gave me +a push and rumpled my hair all up and said, "You won't be ashamed of me +on account of my honorable wounds, will you? I was a punk scout to go +and do that." + +Gee, I didn't know what to think, because it wasn't anything to be +laughing at, that's sure. + +"Do what?" I said. + +"Run right into that ditch." + +"Is that what you meant you did--when you told me?" I said, kind of +disappointed. + +"Sure it is," he said, "I'm a swell scout, hey? Going headlong into a +ditch!" + +I just listened to him and I felt pretty bad, because now I saw that was +what he meant. + +Then he gave me another shove and he said all happy like, "But I'm the +champion boy sleuth all right. Look at this--here's your two bucks and +Skinny never took it at all"? + +"I--I know he didn't," I said. + +"How did you know," he shot right at me. + +"Because," I started to say and then he rumpled my hair up some more +and began talking and never gave me a chance. + +"Because it was right in that copy of Treasure Island that's laying +there," he shouted, "and I'm one big gump, that's what I am! I got that +copy of Treasure Island out of the library this morning, because you +were telling me about it, and right there in the middle of it was your +plaguy old two buckarinos!" + +Just for a minute I looked at him and I knew it was just like he said, +because he was laughing--he was so blamed happy about it. + +Oh, boy, didn't I feel good! + +"How in the dickens did it get there?" he said. + +"That's one puzzle," I answered him. + +"Anyway, you've got your two bucks back." + +"A lot I care about that," I said; "jiminy, I've got something better +than two dollars, and that's friends, you can bet." + +Then I showed him the stain on the page of the book and we both sat +there gaping at it and thinking. + +"I'm hanged if I know," Westy said; "it would take Tom Slade to dope +that out." + +"Maybe Skinny was looking at the book and shut it with the two dollar +bill inside," I said. + +"How about the stain?" Westy asked me. + +"Jingoes, it's a puzzle," I said. + +All of a sudden he laid the book down open and laid the bill on it and +then he laid the oar-lock on the bill. Then he just sat there like as +if he was studying. Pretty soon he said, "We have to get a new copy for +the library, anyway. Do you mind if I make another stain on this one? +I've got a sort of an idea." + +"Go ahead," I said. + +So now I'll tell you just what he did and you'll see how it solved the +puzzle. And, believe me, you'll have to admit that Westy's a pretty +smart fellow. If you have an old book you don't care anything about, you +can even try it and you don't even need an oar-lock. Westy turned to a +new place in the book and then he laid the bill down on the right hand +page. Then he laid the oar-lock on the bill. "That's just exactly what +you did when you laid the bill down in such a hurry that night you were +fixing Skinny up. You laid it on the open book just like that--see?" + +"Maybe I did." I said, "but what's the big idea, kind sir?" + +"Well, then," he said, "I came up here to get your two bucks for you, +didn't I? And you remember I told you there was a breeze blowing? Now +what did I do--in the dark?" + +"Search me," I said. + +"Why, you big galook, I felt around in the dark and lifted the oar-lock +off the bill and then felt there for it, but the breeze was too quick +for me. It blew the page over and I slapped my hand down on--what?" + +"Another page," I said; "good night!" + +"Good-bye two dollar bill," he said, "it was between those two other +pages. That's why there was a stain on the right page in the book. +There was a stain on the bill made by the oar-lock and when the page +and the bill blew over, the fresh oil on the bill kind of stamped +itself on the left hand page. You didn't damage the book. You only +damaged the bill. It was the breeze that damaged the book--see?" + +"Believe me! I'll be responsible," I told him. + +"That breeze was a thief," he said. + +"It'll come to grief some day," I told him. Then we both began to laugh. + +"And it's lucky I got that book out of the library," he said. "There +was your two bucks tucked away all nice and neat between the pages. +It was just where Jim Hawkins was starting awake on the ship." + +"Narrow escape," I said, "hey? If you hadn't taken the book out just +when you did, good night, the ship might have started and good-bye to +my two dollars." + +"You crazy Indian," he said. + +"And all the time I was saying Jim Hawking was honest and a good friend +and all that, and all the time he had my two bucks." + +"Believe me I wouldn't trust that fellow with a postage stamp," Westy +said. + +Laugh! Oh, boy, I thought I'd die laughing--and Westy, too. + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII + +JOLLYING PEE-WEE + +That's the reason I'll never trust a gentle breeze. In books you find +all kinds of nice things about gentle breezes, but look out for them, +that's what I say. Whenever I leave my bathing suit on the grass to dry, +I lay a good big rock on it, you can bet. I'd trust Skinny with a +hundred dollars, I would, and Westy too, but gentle breezes--Nix. They're +so plaguy sly and sneaky like. + +Westy and I went and bought a dandy copy of Treasure Island for the +library. It cost us a quarter more than my two dollars, but we should +worry. + +Now I have to tell you one other thing that happened before we got +started on our cruise, especially because it has a lot to do with our +cruise. + +The next morning we all went back to Northside Woods to tie up the +saplings and drag them over to the river. Then we were going to use +a rowboat and tow them down and maybe float some of them down. I told +you about our old launch, but it's too shallow to use a launch up as +far as Northside Woods. + +Illustration #4 + +"We towed the saplings and started down stream" + +All the fellows were there except Skinny, because the doctor made him +stay home on account of being all played out. I bet that doctor had some +scrap with him. One thing sure, Westy and I stuck together. By noontime +we had all the stuff hauled over to the river and some odds and ends of +kindling wood besides, to take in the house-boat. We filled the rowboat +with the small stuff and towed the saplings and started downstream that +way. The tide was running up and it was almost full and we had some job +bucking it. Some of the fellows wanted to wait till it turned and come +down with it. But I said that would be an hour maybe and that if the +tide didn't want to turn and go with us, we should worry. + +Now that there wasn't anything left to do, but tow the stuff down, all +the fellows except Westy and I and Pee-wee started to hike it home. We +said we'd take him with us in the boat so that he could bail, because +that boat is built like a sieve. + +"If it keeps on leaking like that," I said, "there won't be any water +left in the river-it'll all be in the boat." + +"It's pretty hard bucking the tide," Westy said. + +"And we're going up hill besides, too," I told him; "remember that." + +Well, you should have seen Pee-wee. "What are you talking about-up +hill!" he shouted. "When we begin going down hill," I said, all the +while winking at Westy, "she'll go easier, thank goodness." + +"We'll have to put on the brakes," Westy said. + +"Do you know why they talk about towing lumber?" I asked Pee-wee; +"because it's measured by the foot." + +"You're crazy!" he shouted. + +"Just the same as when they use it for back fences, it's measured by the +yard," Westy said, all sober like. + +"Sure--back--yard," I said. + +"You think you can jolly me, don't you?" Pee-wee shouted. + +"You just keep on bailing," I said, "and don't stop. When the tide begins +turning you won't have to bail so fast." + +Jiminy, Pee-wee didn't know what to think--whether I was kidding him or +not. "Why won't I?" he wanted to know. + +"Because it will be going the other way," I said, "see? It'll be flowing +away from the boat." + +Oh, boy! Pee-wee just emptied the bailing can down my neck. + +And that's the way it was all the way down. Cracky, but we had Pee-wee +so crazy that he'd bail up a can of water out of one end of the boat +and empty it in the other end. + +"What's the difference whether it's inside or outside?" Westy said, "as +long as it's there. I bet there's a lot of canned salmon in this river." + +"Canned what? Pee-wee shouted. + +"Keep on bailing," I said; "canned salmon is what he said, but I think +there are more pickled herrings. There's lots of pickled herrings in +the Hudson, I know that." + +"You mean smoked herring," Westy said, all the while rowing and looking +around very sober like at me. + +Oh, boy, didn't Pee-wee open his eyes and stare! He didn't know whether +to take it for a joke or not--we were so serious. + +"I suppose it's on account of the smoke from the big Hudson River +boats," I said, "just the same as Oyster Bay." + +"What about Oyster Bay?" Pee-wee shouted. + +"When the water gets all stewed up in rough weather, they get stewed +oysters." + +"Not always," Westy said. + +"No, but most of the time," I said. + +"Oh, sure," Westy said, "but I've seen lots of red lobsters that didn't +come from Red Bank--" + +"It's boiling makes them red; you big galook!" Pee-wee yelled. + +"Oh, sure," I said, not paying any attention to him, but all the while +rowing hard and looking around very sober like at Westy, "because I +know there are lots of bluefish caught near Greenland and you'd think +by rights they ought to be green." + +"Sure," Westy said, "just the same as the fish caught in American +River out west, are red, white and blue." + +"And stars," I said. + +"Sure the river's full of starfish and striped mackerel--stars and +stripes. That's why you have to stand up in the boat if you're +rowing on that river ." + +"Oh, sure," Westy said, "that's why so many boats get upset." + +Good night! you should have seen Pee-wee. + +"Keep on bailing, kiddo," I said, "keep plenty of water in the river." + +"Maybe it would be better to let a little more come into the boat," Westy +said, "so as to lower the water in the river, so we can get under the +bridge." + +"The both of you make me tired!" Pee-wee yelled; "do you think I believe +all that stuff?" + +Good night, some circus! It's always that way when Westy and I get out +with Pee-wee. + +Pretty soon we 'heard a loud whistling and we wondered what it was, +because it didn't sound like a train and it sure wasn't on a motor-boat. + +Then Westy began asking what we were going to do about power after we +got our stanchions and bumper-sticks and all that fixed. I said we'd +have to get Jake Holden to tow us down around into the Hudson and then +get somebody to tow us up. Westy said Mr. Ellsworth thought it would be +cheaper to take our little three horse power engine out of our launch +and install it in the houseboat. + +I said, "That would be all right, only it would kick us along so slow +that we'd spend all our vacation on the trip and wouldn't have any time +at camp." Cracky; I didn't want to start back as soon as we got there. + +"Well, then, there's only one thing to do," Westy said, "and that's for +us to get towed and that costs a lot of money." + +All the while the whistling kept up and it was awful loud and shrill, +sort of, as if it was mad--YOU know how I mean. + +"I know what it is," I said; "it's somebody waiting for the bridge to be +opened." + +"Good night, they stand a tall chance," Westy said. + +"It's a tug, that's what it is," Pee-wee said; "I can see the smoke. It's +going up in a big column." + +"It's more than a column, its a whole volume," Westy said, looking around. +"There must be books on that boat; the smoke is coming out in volumes." + +All the while we were getting nearer to the bridge and it was easier +rowing, because the tide was on the turn. + +Now maybe if you fellows that read this don't live in the country where +there's a river, you won't understand about tides and bridges and all +that. So I'll tell you how it is, because, gee, we're used to all that, +us fellows. + +Jimmy Van Dorian, he lives right near the bridge in a little shanty and +he's lame and he's a bridge tender. You don't get much for being a bridge +tender and mostly old veterans are bridge tenders. Anyway, they don't get +much out our way, because big boats don't come up and they don't have to +open the bridge often. + +When we got down to the bridge we saw that the tide was right up so we +even had to duck our heads to get under, and right on the other side of +the bridge was a tugboat standing facing upstream and its whistle was +screeching and screeching just like a dog stands and barks when he's mad. +It seemed awful funny because it was a small tug and it made so much +noise. + +"It ought to be named the Pee-wee," Westy said. + +"Nobody's paying much attention to it," I told him. + +Just as we came under the bridge we could see a big fat man, oh, +Christopher, wasn't he fat, standing up in the pilot house pulling +and pulling the whistle rope, for the bridge to open. Sometimes he'd +pull it very fast, just like you do with the receiver on the telephone +when you're good and mad because Central don't answer. And it was +pretty near as bad as the telephone, too, because he went on tooting +and tooting and tooting and nobody paid any attention to him. + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX + +JIMMY, THE BRIDGE-TENDER + +Pretty soon the big fat man stuck his head out of the window and he +shouted, "What's the matter, is everybody deaf around here? Here, you +boys, where's the bridgeman?" Honest, you'd think I had the bridgeman +in my pocket. I told him I didn't know where the bridgeman was. Oh, but +he looked mad. He had an awful red face and white whiskers and I guess +he must have been used to ordering people around--anyway, he looked that +way. + +He said, "Here I am on the down tide, the water going out every minute +and got to run up to North Bridgeboro yet. It's a--" he said what kind +of an outrage it was, but I wouldn't tell you. Oh, he was hopping mad. +"I'll get stuck hard and fast in the consarned mud," he said, "if I +ain't back and past this here Sleepy Hollow in forty minutes--that's +what I will!" + +I hollered up to him that I'd row across to Jimmy's house and see if he +was asleep. + +"Asleep!" that's just the way he shouted. "Do bridgeman sleep on full +tide up this way? Don't he know the harbor and waterway laws? I'll make +it hot for 'im--I will." And then he began pulling the whistle faster +and faster. + +"Somebody must have been feeding him meat," Westy whispered to me. + +"He's good and mad, that's sure," I said. Even while we rowed across to +Jimmy's shanty I could hear him shouting between the whistlings and +saying he'd have the bridgeman up for deserting on flood tide and putting +him in the mud. And jiminy, I have to admit that he was up against it, +because the tide was running down and by the time he got up to North +Bridgeboro and back, it would maybe be too low in the channel. One thing, +Jimmy had a right to be there, especially at flood tide, I knew that. But +I guess the reason he wasn't was because nothing but little motor boats +ever came up our river and they can always crawl under. + +Jimmy lives all by himself on account of being old and his people are all +dead. I said to Westy that maybe he was just asleep, so we knocked and +knocked, but nobody came to the door. Then I knew he wasn't there at all +or else maybe he was dead. + +"Anyway, we'd better find out," I said, "because it's mighty funny him +not being there, seeing that he never goes away anywhere." + +All the time we could hear that old grouch shouting about Bridgeboro and +our river and saying it was Sleepy Hollow and Dopeville, and the river +was a mud hole. But it isn't and don't you believe it. + +"Anyway, I'm going to climb in through the shed window," I said, "and +see if maybe Jimmy is sick or dead." I could see that Pee-wee was not +exactly scared but sort of anxious, and I was too, I have to admit it. + +Westy and I got the shed window open, all right, because Jimmy wasn't +careful about it, on account of not having anything worth stealing, I +suppose. I was kind of shaky when we went into the first room, because +that was where he slept and I thought maybe he'd be lying there dead. + +But he wasn't there at all. Just the same we stood there looking at each +other, and we were both kind of nervous, because Jimmy's clothes were +lying all around on the bed and on the floor, and a chair was knocked +over, and it looked just as if somebody had been rummaging in the room +in a big hurry. The door into the other room was closed and, I have to +admit, I didn't feel like opening it. + +"I bet somebody's robbed him and killed him," Westy said, kind of low. + +"That's just what I'm thinking," I said, "and when we open that door +we'll see him lying on the floor dead, hey?" + +"Anyway, we have to open it," he said. + +"I'll open it if you don't want to," I told him. + +But, anyway, neither of us opened it. We just stood there and I felt +awful funny. It was all still and spooky and you could hear the clock +ticking, and I counted the ticks. It sounded spooky, going tick, tick, +tick. + +Then Westy said, "Shall I open it?" + +"Sure," I said, "we've got to sometime." + +So he opened it just a little bit and then, all of a sudden, he pushed +it wide open and we looked into that other room. + + + + +CHAPTER XXX + +GONE + +In the middle of the room was a table Jimmy always ate his meals at, and +on that table was a big square piece of paper and there was a big +envelope on the floor. But there wasn't any sign of Jimmy. Oh, boy, +didn't I feel good on account of that. Westy read the paper out loud +and it was something about a convention of the Grand Army, or something +like that. It said how all the members of some post or other were asked +to go to Saratoga on account of that big convention and it was addressed +to "Comrade James Van Dorian." Gee, I felt awful sorry for him, sort +of, because I knew how it was with him. + +"He just couldn't help it," Westy said, "he got ready in a hurry and +went. I guess he took all the money he had saved up-poor old Jimmy." + +"He'll lose his job, that's sure," I said. + +Even while we were standing there I could kind of see him getting dressed +up in a hurry in that old blue coat he had, with the buttons all falling +off it, and starting off with his crutch. Maybe he just got his pension +money, hey? + +All the while the whistle on the tug was blowing and I was afraid people +would come around and maybe they'd all be on the side of the tugboat man +and be mad at Uncle Jimmy. + +Jiminy, I wasn't mad at him, anyway. And I could hear that old man +shouting about all the things he was going to do and about the +bridgeman deserting and leaving him in the mud. + +"Hurry up," Westy said, "let's find the key-bar and we'll open it for +him, we can do it all right." + +So we looked all around in a hurry, but we couldn't find it anywhere. +The key-bar is what you open the bridge with, you know. It's kind of +like a crow-bar and you stick it in a certain place and walk around +pushing it. It isn't so hard when you get started on account of the +bridge being balanced right and it's geared up, too. But what's the +use if you can't find the key-bar? + +"It must be somewheres around," Westy said, all excited. + +Oh, didn't we turn things inside out! But it wasn't any use--we +couldn't find it. + +"Don't let's bother," I said, "I've got an idea, come ahead--quick!" +I didn't even stop to tell him what I was thinking about, but I hustled +back into the boat, with Pee-wee after us, wanting to know what we found +inside. + +"A couple of mysteries," I panted out. + +"How many?" he wanted to know. + +"And a couple of ghosts thrown in," I said, "Hurry up." + +On the way across I told the fellows to please let me talk to the old +man, because I had something particular to say to him. I was panting and +rowing so hard, that I couldn't tell the fellows then. Anyway, I guess +Pee-wee had that house haunted and filled with German spies and Uncle +Jimmy murdered and goodness knows what all. + +We pulled up right alongside the tug-boat and I called out to the old +man that I wanted to tell him something and to please let me come up. +I was all trembling, but anyway, I said it right out and I didn't wait +for him to say yes, because he was too busy saying other things to say +it. + +Westy and Pee-wee stayed in the rowboat and I went right up into the +little house where the old man was. Oh, boy, wasn't everything polished +all nice and shiny! Gee, it was nice up in there. The wheel looked +awfully big and the compass, you could just see your face in it. And it +smelled kind of oily and nice up there. Wouldn't I like to live in a +place like that! + +The old man was smoking a pipe and he blew out a lot of smoke--it was +kind of like a barrage. + +Then he said very stern and gruff, "Well, sir?" + +Oh, boy, wasn't I shaky! But I started right in, and when you once get +started it's easy, that's one sure thing. + +I said, "Maybe you'll only be more mad when I tell you but I heard you +say something about Uncle Jimmy deserting. Twice you said that. And I +thought maybe you might be a veteran, hey? Maybe that's a crazy thing to +think, hey?" + +All he said was, "Well, sir," and he blew a lot of tobacco smoke at me +and looked at me with a frown, all fierce, but I wasn't scared. + +"I only kind of deduced that," I said, "and anyway I've got to admit +you've got reason to be mad." + +Even still, all he said was, "Well, sir," and he held his pipe so I +thought maybe he was going to chuck it at me--good night! + +"Anyway, if you were a soldier, maybe you'll understand, that's all. +Uncle Jimmy, that's what we call him, he went away to the Grand Army +Convention--that's where he went. I'm not saying he had a right to go, +but one thing, big boats like yours never come up this way, so the bridge +doesn't have to be opened very often--sometimes not all summer. It's kind +of just bad luck for him, that's all. But, one thing sure, I know how it +is to be away when I ought not to be, I do. And I'm no better than he is, +that's one sure thing. I'm a boy scout," I told him, "and my scoutmaster +says you have no right to make bargains about things that are wrong. But +anyway, maybe you wouldn't think this would be trying to make a bargain +with you and sticking up for somebody that did wrong. So I thought I'd +ask you if you'll please promise not to write to the government people, +and I'll promise you to open the bridge for you in ten minutes. He's +lame, Uncle Jimmy is, and he got that way in some battle, and he has to +use a crutch. And that's the reason they gave him a job. I see your tug +is named General U. S. Grant, and maybe he was fighting with General +Grant, hey? You can't tell. + +"We can't find the key-bar, but about a month ago, the old key-bar fell +in the river, and I know where it is. Maybe you think I'm crazy, but I'm +dive and get it for you, if you'll only promise not to tell on Uncle +Jimmy, because he couldn't help going. Maybe you don't understand, but +he just couldn't. I've got the swimming badge and that's for diving +too. All you have to do is to give me some rope, so I can take one end +of it down and then you can haul it up and the key-bar will be tied to +it. You can be dead sure. Because what a fellow has to do, he can do. +Only you have to make me the promise first 'cause that'll help me to +do it." + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI + +THE CAPTAIN'S ORDERS + +Maybe it wasn't a very good speech, but anyway, he was nicer than he was +before and he had an awful funny twinkle in his eye. + +Then he said, "So you know how to dive, huh, sonny? Can you keep your +mouth shut?" + +"Sure, you have to keep your mouth shut when you dive," Pee-wee yelled +up from the rowboat, and then the old man just had to laugh. + +"I mean when you're on land, sonny," he said. + +"Sure I can," I told him. + +"Well, then" he said, "if any of you scout kids goes about sayin' as how +Uncle Jimmy went away to the convention, and I ever meet you in your old +skiff, by the Big Dipper I'll run you down and cut you in half, that's +what I'll do! Do you hear?" he shouted. "If you ever run afoul of the +General Grant in the bay or anywheres else, by thunder, I'm Cap'n +Savage, I am, and once upon a time I was Major Savage, and I should be +at that there convention myself, instead of standing here blowing away +at a better soldier than me!" + +"Don't you care, we'll forgive you," Pee-wee shouted up. + +"Keep him quiet, will you?" I called down to Westy. + +"Ask me something easy," Westy said. + +"And so you think you can dive," old Captain Savage said, "or is that +just boy scout talk? Do I stand a chance of getting upstream and down +again to-night, or not. Where do you say that key-bar is?" + +You can bet I knew just exactly where it was. It was under the east span +of the bridge and just underneath about the fifth or sixth plank from the +centre. I knew it was hard bottom down there, too. So Captain Savage and +the other man he had gave me a thin rope and we fastened one end on the +deck. I tied the other end of it around my waist in a loose French +sailor's knot, so I could pull it off without any trouble under water. + +Then I dived. I had to come up a couple of times without it, but the +third time I got hold of it lying on the rocks, and quick as a flash +I loosened the rope from my waist and tied it onto the keybar. Then I +came up, sputtering. + +"Pull," I sputtered, "you've got it; only pull easy." Then I scrambled +up on the deck. Believe me in less than a minute the tug-man and Westy +and Pee-wee were on the bridge and had the key-bar fixed in its socket. +Then we started to push and around she went--slow at first; then faster. + +Oh, boy, wasn't I glad to see old General Grant march through. Just as I +was going to get in the rowboat, Captain Savage stuck his head out of +the window and shouted, "Here you, youngster; you come in here. We have +to overhaul accounts." + +"Scouts don't accept anything for a service," Westy shouted. + +"I ain't a-talking to you," Captain Savage shouted; "you other feller, +scramble aboard and come up here! Don't they learn you nothin' about +obedience in them thar scouts--huh? you scramble up on board here like +I tell you!" Oh, boy, I knew he meant me. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXII + +I MAKE A DANDY FRIEND + +That was the first time I ever rode in a tug-boat, and believe me, it was +great. I stood right beside the wheel in that little house and pointed +out the channel to Captain Savage all the way up to North Bridgeboro. +That's one thing I sure know--the channel. Anyway, if you don't know it, +follow the abrupt shore. But with a tug-boat, good night, you have to be +careful because a tug 'draws so much water. He was going up there after a +lumber barge, he said. + +First, he didn't say anything, only smoked, and it was like a fog in +there. Pretty soon he said: "So you youngsters don't take nuthin' fer +services, huh?" + +"We have to do a good turn if we see a chance," I told him. + +Then he wanted to know all about the scouts, how they were divided into +troops and patrols and everything, and after I told him all that, we got +to talking about our vacation and about Temple Camp, and especially about +the house-boat. I asked him if he thought a three horsepower engine would +drive the house-boat up the Hudson, so we could get as far as Catskill +Landing in a couple of weeks. + +He said, "It would be more like a couple of years, I reckon." + +"Good night!" I said, "if it takes us two years to get there and we have +to be home inside of a month, I see our finish. I suppose it costs a lot +of money to get towed." + +He said, "Wall now, whin I bring in a Cunarder and back her into her +stall, it stands them in a few pennies." + +"You said something," I told him. + +"'N I don't suppose your troop has got as much money as the Cunard +Line," he said. + +"Gee, we've only got about four dollars now," I told him; "I suppose +we couldn't get towed as much as a mile for that, hey?" + +"Wall, four dollars don't go as far as it used ter," he said; "maybe +it would go a half a mile." + +Then he, didn't say anything, only puffed and puffed and puffed on his +pipe, and kept looking straight ahead of him, and turning the wheel +ever so little. After a while he said there wasn't water enough in our +river to drown a gold fish, and he didn't know why we called it a river +at all. He said he couldn't imagine what the tide was thinking about to +waste its time coming up such a river. He said if a bird took a drink in +the river while he was upstream, it would leave him on the flats. He was +awful funny, but he never smiled. + +Illustration #5 + +"Roy dived after the key-bar" + +When we got up to the mill at North Bridgeboro, he got the barge and +started downstream with the barge alongside. All the while he kept +asking me about the scouts, and I told him about Skinny, and how we +were going to take him up to Temple Camp with us, so he could get +better, maybe. + +Then for quite a while he didn't say anything, only puffed away and +pretty soon we could see the bridge and I knew we'd have to open it +again. + +But anyway, I could see a lot of fellows there and I knew they were all +from our troop and that they were waiting to open the bridge for General +Grant. + +Pretty soon Captain Savage took his pipe out of his mouth and began +speaking, only he didn't notice me only kept looking straight ahead. + +"You know how to port a helm?" he said. + +I told him no--not on a big boat like that anyway. + +Then he said, "Wall, there's lots o' things you got to learn, youngster. +And there's one thing about tug cap'ns that you got to learn, see?" + +I told him that was what I wanted to do--learn-- + +"Wall, then, I'll tell you," he said-this is just what he said--"I'll +tell you, you are in a mighty ticklish place 'n I don't just see how +you're going to get out of it." + +For a minute I was kind of scared. + +"I ain't sayin' you're not a brisk lot, you youngsters, because you are, +and no denyin'. All I'm sayin' is you're in a peck of trouble--that's +all." + +Then he didn't say anything only looked straight ahead out of the window +and kept on smoking. Gee, I felt awful funny. + +Then I said if we did anything that wasn't right, cracky, we didn't mean +it anyway, that was sure, and we'd do whatever he said. And I said I knew +it wasn't right for us to break into Uncle Jimmy's shanty, because I +couldn't think of anything else we'd done that was wrong. + +Then he said, "'Tain't so much wrong, as 'tis a conflict of rules, as the +feller says. Yer see, the trouble is tug-boat captains are a pretty +pesky, ugly lot, as yer can see from me, and when it comes ter services, +it's give or take. Now I was thinkin', that if you youngsters don't let +me tow you up as far as Poughkeepsie next week, I'll just have to write +and notify the authorities about Uncle Jimmy and make a complaint. I +kinder don't like to do it by reason of him being an old veteran, but +it's up to you youngsters. Either scratch out that rule of yours, or +else see Uncle Jimmy lose his job. Take your choice, it's all the same +to me." + +G--o--o--d night! Jiminy, I didn't know what to say to him. I guess I +just stood there staring and he looked straight ahead out of the window +and smoked his pipe, as if he didn't care either way. + +Pretty soon he said, "I'm going up to Poughkeepsie next Saturday with a +barge, and I'll give you youngsters till Friday to decide. You can send +me a line to the barge office or the Pilots' Association, or else you +can leave me and old Uncle Jimmy fight it out between our two selves +and Uncle Sam." + +The fellows opened the bridge for General Grant to go through and Captain +Savage let me out on one of the cross-beams, without even stopping. He +didn't even look at the fellows as the tug went through, only looked +straight ahead of him and puffed away on his pipe, as if he didn't even +know that there were such things as scouts. We just stood there watching +the tug churning up the water, as she went faster and faster until she +was gone around the bend. + +"He's a kind of an old grouch," Pee-wee said. + +"It's good you happened to think about how he used that word desert," +Doc said. + +Then Connie said he wouldn't want to be his son, and Artie said he +wouldn't want to be around the house with him on a rainy Sunday, and +I let them go on knocking him, until they got good and tired and then +I said, "Do you know what he wants to do?" + +"I bet he wants us to go and be witnesses against Uncle Jimmy," Pee-wee +said; "he'll never get me to be a witness, you can bet." + +"Wrong the first time, as usual," I said; "he wants to tow the +house-boat up as far as Poughkeepsie for us next week." + +Well, you should have seen those fellows. + +"What did you tell him?" Pee-wee yelled. + +"I told him that I was sorry, but that scouts couldn't accept anything +for a service--not even favors." + +"You're crazy!" Pee-wee shouted; "did you tell him that?" + +"Sure I did," I said, very sober, "and he got so mad he's going to have +old Uncle Jimmy sent to jail--just because I told him we couldn't let +him tow us to Poughkeepsie." + +"You make me tired!" Pee-wee screamed, "do you mean to say that if a +fellow does a good turn to another--an old man--and it turns out to be +a good turn on somebody else, and he says--the other one that has a +boat--that he'll make a lot of trouble for the other one we did a +service for--do you mean to tell me that the other one has a right to +say he'll make trouble for him, and if he does we haven't got a right +to let him do a good turn to us, so that the other one we did a good turn +for can get under a bridge--it's a good turn to let him do us a good +turn, isn't it? Let's hear you deny that?" + +"You're talking in chunks," Doc said; "pick up the words you spilled and +straighten 'em out." + +"Hold him or he'll fall off the bridge," Artie said. + +"Do you mean to tell me that we haven't got to let him pay us back so as +to save Uncle Jimmy?" Pee-wee fairly screeched. + +Oh, boy, you should have seen him. + +"There is yet time," I said, just like an actor, sort of. I said, "There +is yet time to fool him--I mean foil him. We have till Friday to accept +his offer." + +"Who's got a pencil?" Pee-wee shouted. + +Good night! You should have seen that kid. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXIII + +SO LONG-SEE YOU LATER + +So that's about all I can tell you now, but pretty soon I'll tell you +about our cruise up the Hudson and all about the fun we had on the +house-boat and on Captain Savage's tug. Oh, boy, he turned out to be +one fine man. And I'm going to tell you all about Skinny too, and about +the fix we got into about that tramp that slept in the house-boat. You +remember that fellow, don't you. Some scare we had, believe me. + +And you'll hear about Temple Camp and Jeb Rushmore, and you'll get to +know us fellows a lot better. Gee, I hope you'll like us. Mr. Ellsworth +says I'm a pretty good author, only I took such a long run there wasn't +any space left to jump in. I should worry. Some authors don't run at +all, they only walk. Believe me, you have to drag some of them with a +rope. + +Anyway, we've got acquainted now and that's something. In the next story +there's going to be some girls--and some snakes, too. Especially one +snake. Gee, but girls hate snakes--snakes and mice. Anyway, Mr. Ellsworth +told me to write just the same as I talked, so if it's no good, maybe +that's the reason. You should worry. Maybe you'll like the next one +better, hey? + +Anyway, you'll like Temple Camp, that's one sure thing. + +THE END + + + + +Other books by Percy Keese Fitzhugh (7 Sep 1876 - 5 Jul 1950). Note +that characters from each series crossover to or are mentioned in the +others. + + 1 - Pee-Wee Harris - 1922 + 2 - Pee-Wee Harris On The Trail - 1922 + 3 - Pee-Wee Harris In Camp - 1922 + 4 - Pee-Wee Harris In Luck - 1922 + 5 - Pee-Wee Harris Adrift - 1922 + 6 - Pee-Wee Harris F.O.B. Bridgeboro - 1923 + 7 - Pee-Wee Harris: Fixer - 1924 + 8 - Pee-Wee Harris As Good As His Word - 1925 + 9 - Pee-Wee Harris: Mayor for a Day - 1926 +10 - Pee-Wee Harris and The Sunken Treasure - 1927 +11 - Pee-Wee Harris On The Briny Deep - 1928 +12 - Pee-Wee Harris In Darkest Africa - 1929 +13 - Pee-Wee Harris Turns Detective - 1930 + + 1 - Roy Blakeley - 1920 + 2 - Roy Blakeley's Adventures in Camp - 1920 + 3 - Roy Blakeley Pathfinder - 1920 + 4 - Roy Blakeley's Camp On Wheels - 1920 + 5 - Roy Blakeley's Silver Fox Patrol - 1920 + 6 - Roy Blakeley's Motor Caravan - 1921 + 7 - Roy Blakeley Lost Strayed or Stolen - 1921 + 8 - Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike - 1922 + 9 - Roy Blakeley at The Haunted Camp - 1922 +10 - Roy Blakeley's Funny-Bone Hike - 1923 +11 - Roy Blakeley's Tangled Trail - 1924 +12 - Roy Blakeley on the Mohawk Trail - 1925 +13 - Roy Blakeley's Elastic Hike - 1926 +14 - Roy Blakeley's Roundabout Hike - 1927 +15 - Roy Blakeley's Happy-Go-Lucky Hike - 1928 +16 - Roy Blakeley's Go-As-You Please Hike - 1929 + + 1 - Tom Slade - Boy Scout - 1915 + 2 - Tom Slade At Temple Camp - 1917 + 3 - Tom Slade On The River - 1917 + 4 - Tom Slade With The Colors - 1918 + 5 - Tom Slade On A Transport - 1918 + 6 - Tom Slade With The Boys Over There - 1918 + 7 - Tom Slade' Motor-cycle Dispatch Bearer - 1918 + 8 - Tom Slade With The Flying Corps - 1919 + 9 - Tom Slade at Black Lake - 1920 +10 - Tom Slade On Mystery Trail - 1921 +11 - Tom Slade's Double Dare - 1922 +12 - Tom Slade On Overlook Mountain - 1923 +13 - Tom Slade Picks a Winner - 1924 +14 - Tom Slade At Bear Mountain - 1925 +15 - Tom Slade: Forest Ranger - 1926 +16 - Tom Slade At Shadow Isle - 1928 +17 - Tom Slade In The North Woods - 1927 +18 - Tom Slade in the Haunted Cavern - 1929 +19 - Tom Slade Parachute Jumper - 1930 + + 1 - Westy Martin - 1924 + 2 - Westy Martin In The Yellowstone - 1924 + 3 - Westy Martin In The Rockies - 1925 + 4 - Westy Martin On The Santa Fe Trail - 1926 + 5 - Westy Martin On The Old Indian Trail - 1928 + 6 - Westy Martin In The Land Of The Purple Sage - 1929 + 7 - Westy Martin On The Mississippi - 1930 + 8 - Westy Martin In The Sierras - 1931 + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ROY BLAKELEY*** + + +******* This file should be named 10552.txt or 10552.zip ******* + + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: +https://www.gutenberg.org/1/0/5/5/10552 + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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