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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Boy Scouts: Tenderfoot Squad, by Alan Douglas
+
+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: Boy Scouts: Tenderfoot Squad
+       or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge
+
+Author: Alan Douglas
+
+Release Date: December 14, 2011 [EBook #38300]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS: TENDERFOOT SQUAD ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Dave Morgan
+and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
+https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: _The tree had caught Jem Shock fairly in a trap_]
+
+
+
+
+Tenderfoot Squad; _or, Camping at Raccoon Lodge_
+
+BY CAPTAIN ALAN DOUGLAS SCOUT MASTER
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
+    CHICAGO   ::    NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+    Copyright, 1919, BY
+    NEW YORK BOOK COMPANY
+
+
+    Made in U. S. A.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAPTER                                 PAGE
+       I. SURVEYOR RUFUS AND HIS FRIENDS      11
+      II. THE GAME POACHER, JEM SHOCK         22
+     III. "HIT THE KNOT AND HIT IT HARD!"     33
+      IV. SHOWING THE GREENHORNS              46
+       V. THE SPIRAL OF BLUE SMOKE            55
+      VI. A LITTLE WOODS MINSTREL             66
+     VII. MAKING A BARGAIN WITH CONRAD        75
+    VIII. A PERIL THAT LAY IN WAIT            89
+      IX. THE STRANGE MESSAGE JEM LEFT       102
+       X. A CABIN IN THE CLEARING            111
+      XI. WHEN THE STORM BROKE               122
+     XII. SCOTCH BLOOD                       133
+    XIII. A CALL FOR HELP                    146
+     XIV. SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE               155
+      XV. RUFUS MAKES A STAND                166
+     XVI. "ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!"       177
+
+
+
+
+TENDERFOOT SQUAD
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+SURVEYOR RUFUS AND HIS FRIENDS
+
+
+"ALL aboard for Raccoon Bluff. Those who can't get aboard take the rail
+route! Hi! Elmer, squeeze in!"
+
+"On deck, Lil Artha; but do you expect me to climb on top of that
+mountain of camp duffle, and other luggage you've got piled up, so that
+your car looks like a tin peddler's outfit?"
+
+"Oh! we've reserved just one crack for you, Elmer. That's right!" sang
+out the khaki-clad boy at the wheel, "work your way in alongside George
+Robbins, who's holding down the rear seat with Lil Artha. I've got Alec
+McGregor beside me here. And after all, worse luck, I had to leave some
+things behind that I wanted to take the worst kind."
+
+"What's this sticking out--a gun? You ought to know that it's the off
+season for most kinds of game, Lil Artha," expostulated the latest
+passenger, as, following directions, he painfully forced his way into
+the heavily laden car.
+
+"Yes, I know, and I don't intend to do any great stunts at hunting,
+Elmer. I only thought it might be good policy to fetch my little
+reliable Marlin along, because sometimes it's mighty pleasant to know
+you've got some means of defense handy in case of trouble."
+
+"Hear! hear!" ejaculated the boy answering to the name of George
+Robbins, and who it may be said in passing--for the reader would soon
+find it out anyway--was a regular born "Doubting Thomas," who nearly
+always had to be shown, and seldom believed any statement unless it were
+backed up with abundant proof. "Sometimes there are other beasts abroad
+in the wild woods besides the common four-footed kind. I believe now
+we've all had our experiences with tramps and yeggmen of the Weary
+Willie species. For one, I'm glad you fetched your gun along, Lil
+Artha."
+
+Meanwhile the driver had once more started the car, and they were moving
+along the streets of the home town. Several groups of boys, some of whom
+also wore the well-known khaki of the scouts, called out to them in
+greeting, and even waved their hats with a salute. Envious eyes followed
+the car as it sped along in a cloud of dust; for it was pretty generally
+known that the lucky five were starting off on a week's camping trip;
+and those fellows of the Hickory Ridge group of Boy Scouts could
+anticipate a glorious time ahead for the favored ones.
+
+While the big old seven-passenger touring car, which the father of Rufus
+Snodgrass had loaned them for the occasion, is speeding along, doing
+very good time as long as the road is fair, a few words connected with
+these lively lads may not come in amiss.
+
+Elmer Chenowith was the leader of the well-known Wolf Patrol, and those
+boys who have had the good luck to own some of the previous stories in
+this series do not need to be told that he was a capable and resourceful
+lad, who through his merits as a first-class scout had received from
+Headquarters the privilege of acting as assistant scout-master, a role
+only filled by the most efficient in a troop.
+
+"Lil Artha" was really Arthur Stansbury. When he was very young he had
+been given this nickname, and even after he suddenly shot up like a
+mushroom, so that he now measured a full head taller than any of his
+mates, he could not shake off the ridiculous appellation. People always
+smiled when hearing it for the first time; but then Lil Artha treated
+the matter as a huge joke, and often joined in the laugh when the
+subject came up.
+
+George Robbins was a pretty good sort of a chap, only he did worry his
+chums by his continual fault finding, and that everlasting desire to
+have everything proved before he could "swallow" it. At one time he had
+been inclined to be thin, and a rather poor hand at meal times; but of
+late his folks seldom had to ring the dinner bell twice for George;
+indeed, as a rule he was keeping an ear to the ground listening for the
+welcome sound.
+
+The other two boys were new members of Hickory Ridge Troop, and had not
+as yet progressed beyond the greenhorn stage. Indeed, it was partly with
+the hope that various opportunities for teaching the "tenderfoot
+squad"--as Lil Artha persisted in calling the pair--all sorts of useful
+knowledge that scouts must sooner or later acquire, that had induced
+Elmer to give up another partly formed plan and consent to accompany the
+expedition into the woods.
+
+Rufus Snodgrass was a rather peculiar boy, taken in all. Elmer believed
+he had never up to that time come in contact with just such an odd
+fellow. He had been somewhat spoiled by a doting mamma, though Elmer
+believed he possessed many good qualities about him, if only some
+revolution could only bring them forward.
+
+In the first place Rufus lacked self-reliance to a remarkable extent. He
+could not seem to feel confidence in himself when some sudden or
+alarming emergency arose. On this account he turned out to be somewhat
+of a failure as a baseball player, for when he saw a high ball driven to
+his outfield his heart always sank "to his shoes," as he told himself he
+never could get that fly in the wide world; and lacking confidence he
+seldom did hang on to it.
+
+Elmer had faith to believe he could cure Rufus of this grievous fault if
+only he associated with him in camp for a time. He would show him a
+score of things such as go to make good scouts, and teach him how to
+"hit the knot squarely in the centre," when chopping wood, to begin
+with.
+
+Alec McGregor was a boy who had not been a great while in America. His
+folks, needless to say, hailed from Scotland, and freckle-faced and
+red-headed Alec had a delightful little "burr" to his tones when
+talking. Like so many of his kind he was inclined to be a bit
+pugnacious, and hot-tempered; still Elmer believed him to be both
+warm-hearted, and as true as steel. After he had been with the scouts a
+while, and picked up a few lessons in the broad principles of the craft,
+the patrol leader fancied that Alec would prove one of the smartest
+members of the troop.
+
+He had a little sister named Jessie at home, a pretty rosy-cheeked
+Scotch lassie, who was the pride of his heart. The boy never tired of
+chanting her praises, and often sang ballads, in which "Sweet Jessie,
+the Flower of Dumblane," occupied the leading part. And Alec had a
+robust tenor voice in the bargain, which his mates always liked to hear
+when seated about the camp fire.
+
+Now as to their reason for taking this thirty-mile trip, laden down with
+tent, camp duffle, edibles enough for a regiment, and all sorts of traps
+in the bargain, so that the car did resemble a moving van, just as Elmer
+had remarked when it stopped at his gate for him to work his way aboard.
+
+Mr. Snodgrass was a rich man who had latterly taken up his residence in
+the town. He had come into possession of a large tract of land, partly
+heavily wooded, and lying up along Raccoon Bluff, a place the boys had
+often heard of, but none of them ever visited.
+
+Now, it seemed that Rufus had just one great ambition, which was to
+become a civil engineer when he grew up. His mother had supplied him
+with all the necessary instruments for the calling of a surveyor, and
+for several years now Rufus had associated himself at odd times with
+some people engaged in the business, doing very hard work for a boy of
+his customary easy habits, simply because his heart was enlisted in the
+game.
+
+He now believed that he could carry out the lines about a tract of
+ground as well as the next one; and upon hearing his father say that he
+distrusted the accuracy of a recent survey that had been given him of
+the new territory purchased, Rufus became possessed of an idea which he
+was now engaged in carrying out.
+
+His folks had readily given their consent that he should get several of
+his scout chums to accompany him up to Raccoon Ridge, and assist him to
+re-survey the ground. Indeed, Mr. Snodgrass, who was not blind to the
+failings of his only son and heir, insisted that he coax Elmer Chenowith
+to go along, as a necessary preliminary to his loaning the big car and
+also paying all the expense in the way of provisions.
+
+The real-estate man was a good reader of human nature, and after hearing
+all the fine things that were being said about the Chenowith boy he took
+occasion to have a heart-to-heart talk with Elmer, in which he told the
+patrol leader how much he hoped association with a fellow like him would
+be worth to Rufus, and actually begged him to consent to be a member of
+the little company.
+
+So that was the way things stood. Rufus, of course, did not know about
+this secret understanding between his father and Elmer; had he done so
+he might have rebelled, for he was exceedingly high-spirited. As it was
+he felt that all these good fellows were only keeping him company
+because of their love for outdoor life.
+
+It was that sly rascal, George, who had managed to get possession of the
+ear of Rufus, and gain his consent to make out the list of edibles they
+would likely want while away. Which fact accounted for the "young
+grocery store," as Lil Artha termed it, that was taken along. But then,
+no healthy boy has ever been known to be dismayed at a superabundance of
+good things to eat; and as Rufus's father did not object to the size of
+the bill, none of them felt he really ought to say a single word.
+
+They made no attempt to speed, for what did thirty-odd miles amount to
+when in a car, with an abundance of gasolene to take one through? An
+hour saw them well on their way. Farmhouses were now becoming "as scarce
+as hens' teeth," to quote Lil Artha. As they had not started until
+nearly ten in the morning, owing to various causes, it was now getting
+well on toward noon.
+
+"What say we pull up at the next farm-house we strike, and get dinner,
+if the good woman of the place will agree?" asked the driver of the
+expedition, who had in the beginning laid down the law that no one was
+going to spend one cent except himself, for his father had insisted on
+this.
+
+"Suits me, all right," said George, with alacrity. "You see, I had
+breakfast pretty early this morning, and right now I'm feeling about as
+empty as Si Hunker's hen-coop was that morning after the gypsies camped
+near his place."
+
+Some ten minutes afterwards they found a wayside farm-house, and the
+woman, for a consideration, agreed to cook dinner for the crowd. Elmer
+on his part took occasion to pick up considerable useful information
+concerning the region which generally went under the name of Raccoon
+Bluff, possibly because there chanced to be an unusually large number of
+those "ring-tailed varmints" so destructive to corn fields, and poultry
+flocks, making their dens in hollow trees around that vicinity.
+
+Among other things the farmer warned Elmer to keep an eye out for Jem
+Shock. The oddity of the name impressed the boy, and he asked what there
+might be about the said Jem to give them any cause for uneasiness.
+
+"Well, Jem has been a thorn in the flesh of folks up in this neck of the
+woods for nigh ten years now, I guess," was what the tiller of the soil
+told him. "He c'n work when he wants to, but he'd a heap rather loaf,
+with a gun over his shoulder. He fishes and hunts out of season. I've
+seen him spearing trout, and more'n once heard how he was known to be
+taking meat home in the close season, that couldn't have been sheep or
+veal. Besides that, he's a quarrelsome man, and a desperate character. I
+wouldn't trust him out of my sight, for I believe he'd steal from a camp
+as quick as anything. But I hope you don't have any trouble with Jem."
+
+Elmer hoped so, too. At the same time he found himself wondering
+whether, after all, some of those country people might not be judging
+the man harshly. Perhaps Jem Shock might not be such a bad character, on
+better acquaintance. And Elmer decided that if the opportunity should
+come to him he would take occasion to know the old poacher at close
+range, so as to study him well.
+
+Once more they were on the move, and as this farm-house would be the
+last they expected to run across, all of them were keenly on the lookout
+for signs of the ridge which would mark their arrival at Raccoon Bluff.
+
+They had possibly gone six or seven miles since eating that glorious
+farm dinner, when suddenly as they were passing slowly through a piece
+of woodland where the road was a bit soft and wet, there rang out the
+nearby report of a rifle, startling them all, and causing George Robbins
+to involuntarily duck his head, as though his first suspicion was that
+some one had fired at them.
+
+Then came a crashing in the bushes, and across the road sprang a buck,
+whose antlers were just reaching their full growth after the late
+rutting season.
+
+Never had the boys seen a prettier picture than when that buck bounded
+lightly across the road. Lil Artha mechanically reached out a hand
+toward his gun, though, of course, he never would have thought of using
+the same while the law protected the game. Then the frightened animal
+plunged into the thick copse on the opposite side of the woodland road,
+and could be heard bounding swiftly away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+THE GAME POACHER, JEM SHOCK
+
+
+RUFUS had involuntarily halted the car at the very instant the shot was
+heard, so that the boys were stationary at the time the deer leaped past
+them.
+
+"Oh! what a beaut!" exclaimed George Robbins.
+
+"The equal of any Scotch stag I ever saw in the preserves!" echoed Alec,
+who had stared with eyes that were round with wonder.
+
+"But somebody shot at him, all the same, don't you know, and the close
+season on in the bargain," Lil Artha hastened to say, indignantly.
+
+"Hush! here he comes!" observed Elmer.
+
+They all heard a hasty trampling sound, as though someone might be
+hurrying through the bushes close by. It came from exactly the same
+quarter from which the alarmed buck had appeared.
+
+Then a moving figure caught the gaze of the five scouts. A burly man,
+roughly dressed, strode into view. He stared at the car and its
+occupants, as though he considered the boys to be mostly responsible for
+his recent ill-luck.
+
+"Howdye, mister," sang out Lil Artha, not to be cowed by angry looks;
+"are we on the right road for Raccoon Bluff, would you mind telling us?"
+
+Suspicion lay in the look which the man was now bending on them. He
+acted as if he imagined they might be more than they seemed; for a
+guilty conscience can discover a game warden in every inoffensive
+traveler, especially when the culprit is suddenly caught in the very act
+of trying to kill a deer out of season.
+
+"Raccoon Bluff ain't far ahead o' ye, if that's whar ye happen tuh be
+headin' fur," he told them grumblingly; "but might I arsk what yuh
+a-doin' away up here in this forsaken kentry?"
+
+"Oh!" Lil Artha told him blithely, "we're off on a little trip, and mean
+to spend a week or so under canvas around this section. You see, the
+father of the young fellow at the wheel here, Rufus Snodgrass, of
+Hickory Ridge, has lately come into possession of some property up this
+way, and we're going to find out if it's been surveyed right and proper.
+If you see our smoke some time or other, drop in and have a little chin
+with us, stranger. We nearly always have the coffeepot on the fire, and
+the latch-string is out."
+
+Perhaps the man may have understood this sort of a genial invitation,
+but all the same he gave no indication of being pleased because of it.
+The look of suspicion could still be noticed about his dark face, and he
+twisted his rifle about in his hands kind of nervously, as though he
+wished he could keep it from being seen.
+
+"I reckon I ain't a-goin' tuh bother ye much, strangers," he mumbled. "I
+got my own business tuh look arter. Yuh see, I'm the assistant game
+warden o' this region, an' it takes a heap o' trampin' tuh kiver my
+territory."
+
+With an odd sort of chuckle and grin he nodded his head toward them, and
+then whirling on his heel vanished amidst the scrub. They soon lost
+track of his retreating footsteps.
+
+Lil Artha laughed in his peculiar way.
+
+"Huh! smoked the coon out, didn't I? Game warden, did he call himself?
+Whoo! to think of his colossal nerve! I bet you any warden in the State
+would give a month's salary to have been here, and caught him in the act
+of shooting at a deer when the law is on."
+
+"Then he was a braw poacher, was he?" burst from Alec. "Aweel, I can
+feel for him in a way, because, to tell you the truth, lads, I've snared
+my hare more than a few times across the big water. But then it's
+different there, because all the game country is owned by rich dukes and
+lords, and the poor man hasn't any show; while over here all he has to
+do is to tramp off into the wild woods for a couple of days, and take
+his chances.
+
+"Elmer, do you think that could have been Jem Shock?" asked Rufus just
+then.
+
+The patrol leader showed his surprise, for up to then he did not know
+that Rufus had ever heard that name; at least, the other had kept his
+knowledge to himself, for some reason or other.
+
+"I'm pretty sure that's who he is," he told the boy at the wheel; "but
+how did you know about him and his ways; when the farmer only told Lil
+Artha and myself?"
+
+Rufus chuckled, and looked wise.
+
+"Oh! I plead guilty," he acknowledged. "I heard stories about Jem Shock
+before I left home, but I wasn't silly enough to pass them along to the
+rest of the party, because some of you might have changed your minds,
+and found an excuse for not coming on the trip."
+
+Lil Artha snorted indignantly.
+
+"Now, don't get mad, Lil Artha," said Rufus, promptly.
+
+"Oh! I'm not riled so much because you kept your knowledge to yourself,
+Rufus," the tall scout told him; "but on account of you thinking Elmer,
+George and myself could be shooed off by such a little thing as that. If
+you looked back at the history of the Wolf Patrol you'd find that the
+boys belonging to it have all been through a heap of excitement. We've
+exposed so-called ghosts, had adventures with ugly hobo bands, been in
+forest fires, fought floods and--well, time wouldn't allow me to
+enumerate one-half of the things that have befallen us."
+
+"That's enough, Lil Artha," said Elmer, seeking to soothe the
+long-legged scout, and pour oil on the troubled waters. "Rufus will come
+to know us better after he's graduated from the tenderfoot class. But
+suppose we start on again. That incident is closed. We may and we may
+not see more of Jem Shock. For myself, I'm half hoping I do, because
+he's something of a character, and opens up a new type for a fellow to
+study."
+
+"So far as I'm concerned," observed Rufus, scornfully, "I hope we never
+run across him again. He looked like a bad egg to me, and his eyes had a
+wicked stare in them, that I didn't like."
+
+"Oh! that can be easily accounted for," said Elmer, as the car once more
+commenced to glide along the rough woods-road. "You see, in the first
+place he had that feeling of guilt that makes a rascal look at all the
+rest of the world as his enemies. Then again I half imagine Jem thinks
+the game wardens are back of our coming up to this neck of the woods."
+
+"Game wardens, Elmer!" exclaimed Alec; "how could that be, and what
+would scouts have to do with the officers of the State?"
+
+"Well, scouts seem to have a hand in a good many things that are
+connected with keeping the laws, and making communities live on a higher
+standard," the patrol leader explained. "I could tell you of dozens of
+things our troop has been connected with along those lines. And why
+shouldn't they enter into an arrangement with the head warden to get
+evidence against some of these guides who kill deer out of season, and
+hotel proprietors who offer it to their guests as 'mountain sheep'?"
+
+Alec apparently was a bit puzzled to understand all this, and so Lil
+Artha, leaning forward, took occasion to explain it more fully as they
+continued on.
+
+They were passing into an even wilder section of country than any thus
+far encountered. Not a sign of the white man's presence could they see
+except in some sections where the original timber had been cut away
+years back, and a second growth now covered the land; with here and
+there an old forest monarch left to overtop its neighbors like a giant
+looking down on a pigmy host.
+
+"This just suits me to a fraction," Lil Artha was saying, as they began
+to ascend what seemed to be another rise of land. "Why, it's as free
+from the restraints of civilization as that Adirondack region where we
+went with Toby Jones last winter, to visit his hermit uncle, Caleb, who
+was living all by himself in the heart of the wilderness. My lands! if
+only I thought we'd have half as much fun on this trip as we ran across
+then, I'd be happy as a clam at high tide."
+
+"Perhaps we will," Elmer told him. "You never can tell what's ahead of
+you when starting out on one of these trips."
+
+He was thinking at the time of Jem Shock, and wondering whether the
+poacher might not take it into his head to make things interesting for
+them during their stay along Raccoon Ridge. Secretly Elmer was almost
+hoping he _would_ see something more of the strange man. He wondered how
+Jem lived; what his ambition, providing he had any, might be; whether he
+cared for a single human creature besides himself in all the wide
+world--these and many more thoughts were gripping Elmer's mind, and he
+could not shake them off.
+
+Although, of course, he did not know it at the time, still it was fated
+that the golden opportunity he so eagerly sought was destined to come
+his way under conditions of a peculiar nature. But of that more anon,
+since it would be hardly fair to lift the curtain now, and disclose the
+presence of coming events long before they were due to arrive.
+
+"Don't you think this must be the place they call Raccoon Bluff, Elmer?"
+asked George just then, as they continued to climb the rise by means of
+the winding road, so seldom used that Rufus had the greatest difficulty
+in forcing the car over exposed roots and outcropping rocks.
+
+"I've been looking around," explained the scout leader, "and according
+to what that farmer told me, I'm sure this is our destination. We can
+keep our eyes on the lookout for a suitable camp site right along now.
+There'll be plenty of time for us to get our tent fixed, and a lot of
+other things done, before sunset comes."
+
+"Well, we seem to have mounted to the crest of the bluff, if that's what
+this rough piece of ground turns out to be," said Rufus, with a sigh of
+relief, for at times he had found it hard work navigating the rough
+road, and occasionally he almost feared they would have to get out and
+walk the balance of the way.
+
+A couple of minutes later and Elmer called out to him to stop the car.
+
+"I think I glimpse a dandy place for a camp over yonder!" was what the
+patrol leader remarked to the others, pointing as he spoke. "And see
+what a glorious view we'll have all the time we're here."
+
+They faced the west, where the sun was heading toward the horizon,
+though a good two hours must elapse before he sank from view. Through
+openings in the dense forest they could obtain fine glimpses of distant
+parts. It was really as delightful an outlook as any of the scouts had
+ever gazed upon. Alec McGregor, accustomed to those Scotch mountain
+views, was loud in his admiration.
+
+So Rufus brought the car as near the camp site as was possible, and then
+all of them leaped out. Filled with a burning desire to get things
+started they proceeded to carry the cargo of the big touring car across
+the intervening ground.
+
+Lil Artha, George and the leader held a brief discussion as to the exact
+spot that was most suitable for erecting their waterproof tent, rendered
+so through a process of tanning that changed its color to correspond
+with their own khaki-hued garments.
+
+This important detail being finally settled they began work. Alec and
+Rufus, being tenderfeet, of course had to be told about everything they
+attempted; but as the spirit of willingness was strong upon them in the
+beginning, they carried out orders cheerfully enough.
+
+Elmer was looking for that inherent weakness on the part of Rufus to
+crop out, and sure enough it came to the surface before they had been a
+full hour on the ground. The tent having been properly set, and a
+fireplace built after the most approved scout fashion by Lil Artha, with
+the two new fellows taking accurate notes so they could in turn carry
+out a similar task, Rufus was set to work chopping firewood, while Alec
+had been given another job connected with making a drain on the upper
+side of the tent.
+
+"That is so the water will run aside, and not flood us out," explained
+George, who was directing operations in this quarter. "You see, we may
+have a whopping big storm while we're up here, and again not a drop of
+rain may fall; but all the same a true scout gets things ready to meet
+an emergency. That's what our motto 'Be Prepared' stands for. It's a
+sort of insurance against possible loss by fire. Your house may never
+burn down; in fact, you don't expect it ever will, but you take out a
+fire policy all the same, if you're a wise dicky."
+
+"I get what you are telling me, George," admitted the shrewd Scotch lad,
+"and all the while I'm understanding this scout business better. There's
+a muckle mair in it that I used to ken, but I like the way it turns out;
+and I'm o'er glad now I joined the ranks o' the scouts."
+
+Meanwhile Rufus was having his troubles a-plenty. Evidently he was not
+very well posted as to the best way of handling an ax, though he swung
+the tool with quite a lusty stroke, Elmer noticed. For some little time
+he managed to smash a certain amount of wood, but finally he seemed to
+have run across a section of hard oak that was giving him a lot of
+trouble.
+
+He stopped several times to wipe his reeking forehead with his big red
+bandanna. Elmer could see him shake his head as though he felt that he
+was up against a hard proposition. For some time the scout leader did
+not interfere. When, however, he saw Rufus throw the ax down petulantly,
+as though determined to give the job up as a bad bargain, Elmer
+concluded the moment had come for him to take a hand in the game and
+pilot the tenderfoot through his initial troubles.
+
+As a greenhorn in camp, Rufus must be expected to do considerable of the
+fuel getting; and in order to meet his duties with the least possible
+friction and trouble, the sooner he learned how to handle an ax
+properly, the better for his peace of mind. Besides, Elmer did not like
+to see that "white flag" business. He disliked a quitter above all
+things; and was grimly determined that before that camp broke up the
+said Rufus would have learned a lesson or two that would be profitable
+to him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+"HIT THE KNOT AND HIT IT HARD!"
+
+
+"HOW are you coming on, Rufus?" asked Elmer, pleasantly, as he dropped
+down on the log alongside the perspiring chopper.
+
+Rufus laughed, a little unpleasantly, Elmer thought.
+
+"Oh! I guess I was never cut out for a hewer of firewood, Elmer," he
+remarked indifferently. "Some fellows may take to that sort of thing,
+but I incline in the direction of less strenuous employment. I can
+fiddle with a surveyor's outfit all day long, tramp through the woods
+and the brush, cut a path, and enjoy it all; but swinging an ax doesn't
+seem to be my forte."
+
+"Then if I were you, Rufus," the other told him, quietly, "I'd shut my
+teeth together and make it my forte. I never would let a little thing
+like that get the better of me. Why, I couldn't sleep easy at night if I
+did."
+
+Rufus moved a little uneasily at that. He undoubtedly must have guessed
+that the scout-master meant to reprove him for giving up so soon. Then
+he shook his head and frowned.
+
+"Oh! there'll be heaps of other things I _can_ tackle around the camp,
+besides playing wood-chopper, Elmer, that's sure. I've given it a fair
+trial, and don't seem to get the hang of the old thing. Why, it's lucky,
+I reckon, I didn't smash my foot. My hands don't seem to tackle the ax
+properly. Alec may be better suited to it."
+
+"It isn't hard, once you learn," said Elmer.
+
+"Well, I've given it a try, and I'm ready to call it off, though I know
+you don't like to hear that kind of talk," grumbled Rufus, actually
+turning redder than ever with confusion as he felt the eyes of the other
+fastened upon his face.
+
+"That's not the spirit in which a scout who has any respect for himself
+should act," Elmer told him, slowly and with a friendly slap on the
+shoulder. "Deep down in your heart, Rufus, you just know that you _can_
+master such a little job as learning how to handle an ax, if only you
+keep persistently at it, and never give up. A scout on being baffled
+once or twice just sets his teeth together, takes a fresh grip on
+himself, and says he's going to do that thing, no matter if it means
+trying sixty-seven times. It's the old maxim of 'Pike's Peak, or Bust,'
+which the emigrants across the great plains years ago used to paint on
+their wagon-tops. And generally they got there, too, remember, Rufus."
+
+Then Elmer got up and took hold of the offending ax.
+
+"Now, if you watch me you'll see just how I swing it, and bring it down
+in the exact spot I want to strike," he went on to say, after which he
+made several strokes and the stubborn piece of oak that had resisted all
+the efforts of Rufus to split it fell into two slabs.
+
+"Well, that was certainly fine," admitted the boy, wonderingly; "but
+you're an old hand at it, Elmer. I'd never be able to do that sort of
+work."
+
+"Get that notion out of your head in the beginning, Rufus," he was told,
+sharply. "There's no reason in the wide world why you shouldn't make a
+good axman, perhaps even better than any of us. You're strongly built,
+and can put a heap of muscle in the work. At first you'll strike poorly,
+until you grow accustomed to landing on a given spot. Practice makes
+perfect in that particular. And now, there's one great lesson for you in
+chopping wood, just as there is for every beginner. Take a look at the
+stick, see which way it will split easiest; and then if there's a nasty
+knot in it, as there was in the one you tackled, strike the blade of
+your ax straight into the centre of that knot _again and again_, until
+you succeed in making it give up the ghost. Hit the knot, Rufus, and hit
+hard! That ought to be a maxim you'd find ringing in your ears every
+time you feel tempted to be a quitter!"
+
+That last word stung, just as Elmer meant it should. Rufus flushed, and
+jumped to his feet almost half angrily.
+
+"Here, give me that ax again, Elmer," he said between his set teeth;
+"and pick out for me the toughest old chunk of oak you can find. We'll
+see if I'm a _quitter_. I'll hit the knot, and hit her hard, to boot;
+you watch me!"
+
+Elmer hastened to accommodate him. He was secretly congratulating
+himself on his success so early in the game. It chanced that a second
+fragment of oak lay near by, and offered a fairly good test, as it, too,
+had a difficult knot in its heart. He showed Rufus just how to take the
+right sort of grip on the ax, and several times corrected him when he
+struck violently. Of course the blows lacked much of the accuracy that
+long practice gives, and thus considerable energy was wasted; but after
+he had been working away for five minutes, a lucky stroke caused the
+thick bit of oak to fall apart. It had been done by keeping up a
+constant pounding at the centre of resistance, which in this case was
+that tough knot.
+
+Rufus was perspiring, and short of breath after his exertion, but there
+was a look of extreme pride on his flushed face, and his eyes kindled
+also. Indeed, there was good reason for his self-congratulation; he had
+proven to himself that "where there is a will there is a way"; and
+possibly for the first time in his life Rufus realized the power that
+one may command when determined not to give in.
+
+"Well, I did do it, didn't I, Elmer?" he chuckled, visibly pleased. "And
+next time I won't be so ready to throw up the sponge. I was a little bit
+huffed because you spoke the way you did, Elmer, but now I thank you. I
+wouldn't be surprised but that I'd have caught that big fly last summer
+instead of muffing it, and losing the game for our side, if only I'd
+made up my mind I _could_ hold it, and must."
+
+"That's the ticket, Rufus," the other told him. "Confidence is half the
+battle, and the rest is in doing it. But you've chopped enough for a
+while; better change work and give some other set of muscles a chance to
+get busy."
+
+"Now, that isn't a bad idea, either, Elmer," Rufus went on to say. "I'd
+like to take a little turn out of camp before evening comes on, because
+somehow I seem to have a sneaking notion we'll run across one of the
+survey lines close by here. You see, they run down from the bluff across
+that wide stretch of country toward the setting sun; and by pushing
+along the ridge we ought to find a slashing."
+
+"Well, if you can coax George, here, to go with you, Rufus," the patrol
+leader remarked, "I've no objections. I can understand how eager you
+must be to get your location fixed in the start; and I expect you'll
+sleep easier tonight if you learn that our camp happens to be near one
+of the survey lines."
+
+George upon being appealed to readily agreed to go with the greenhorn.
+He knew why Elmer had made this arrangement; for as Rufus was quite a
+novice in most things pertaining to woodcraft, the chances were he would
+get lost the first thing. If given an opportunity, George, as a
+first-class scout, could begin the education of the tenderfoot thus
+placed in his charge; and the first lesson would be upon various methods
+of learning how to make his way through the densest forest when caught
+without a compass, and unable even to see the sun so as to know east
+from the west, the north from the south.
+
+So George took great pride in explaining how the moss on the trees would
+serve as an almost infallible guide, all else failing.
+
+"You see, in this section of country nearly all the big storms come from
+the southwest," he told Rufus as they walked on. "The moss is almost
+always on the north side of the trees, veering just a little toward
+northeast. Notice that fact well, Rufus, and never forget it. Some time
+it may save you heaps of trouble; I know it has me, and lots of other
+scouts in the bargain."
+
+Finding that the tenderfoot seemed to show considerable interest, George
+went on to tell of other facts connected with the important subject.
+
+"Now," he observed, soberly, "you may think I'm going to a lot of
+trouble telling you all this, Rufus; but if ever you do get lost in the
+woods, and keep wandering around for hours, and then have to make a
+lonely camp, and sit up most of the night listening to the owls and
+foxes and such things, why, you'll understand why it's so important a
+thing in the education of a scout."
+
+Meanwhile Lil Artha and Alec were trying their hands at the woodpile;
+for as the elongated scout explained to the Scotch lad, they would have
+need of considerable fuel during the long evening, as they sat by their
+fire and talked.
+
+Alec proved to have enough stamina, at least; there was a stubborn
+streak in his Scotch blood that would never allow him to give up easily.
+Nevertheless, Lil Artha knew Alec had faults that must be corrected
+before he could reach that condition of excellence that all true scouts
+aspire to attain.
+
+He had a hasty temper, like most red-haired, impulsive boys, and was,
+moreover, a little inclined to be cruel, especially toward dumb animals.
+Lil Artha, himself, had once been the same sort of a chap, and could
+readily sympathize with Alec; but at that he meant the other should see
+the error of his ways, and reform. So the tall member of the Wolf Patrol
+took it upon himself to be a mentor; and who so well fitted for the task
+as a boy who had had personal experience? No one can preach temperance
+so splendidly as the man who, himself, has passed through the fire of
+unbridled passions, and learned the folly of giving way to them.
+
+Alec was particularly interested in the subject of the reversal of his
+badge. He had, of course, followed the customary habit of all scouts by
+fastening this to his coat in the morning in an upside-down position,
+until he found some opportunity for doing a good deed toward some one,
+which act allowed him to change its position.
+
+"That was easy enough at home, d'ye mind, Lil Artha," he was saying, as
+he rested upon his ax, and recovered his breath, "because a fellow would
+be a gillie if he couldnae find mony a chance to do something for sae
+sweet a bairn as our little Jessie. But it's going to be a harder task
+away up here in the wilderness, I trow."
+
+"Oh! I don't know about that, Alec," the other told him, encouragingly.
+"All you have to do is to keep your eyes about you. There are four chums
+around, and if at any time, for instance, you took a notion to do my
+stint of wood-chopping, that ought to entitle you to turn your badge
+over, because it would be a good deed, you see."
+
+Alec looked queerly at him, and then laughed.
+
+"But it would be depriving you of your necessary exercise, Lil Artha,"
+he hastened to say, "and that I'd hate to do."
+
+"Well, seriously speaking then, Alec, there are endless ways of doing
+good. You needn't be confined to lending a helping hand to human
+beings; a boy who takes a stone out of the shoe of a limping mule is
+just as much a benefactor as the one who helps a poor old woman across a
+crowded street, or carries her heavy basket part of the way home from
+market. I've bound up the broken wing of a crow; yes, and I knew a scout
+who even helped one of those queer little tumble-bugs get his ball up a
+little rise, after he'd watched him fall back a dozen times, and then
+claim the right to alter his badge. The rest of the troop laughed at
+him, but the scout-master hushed them up, and said the boy was right;
+and that not only had he done a good deed toward one of the humblest of
+created things, but he had learned a practical lesson in pertinacity and
+never-give-upitiveness that would be of great value to him all the rest
+of his life."
+
+"Nae doot, nae doot," muttered the Scotch lad, reflectively, as though
+Lil Artha's interesting words had found a firm lodgment in his heart. "I
+can see where it is a verra interesting subject, this scoutcraft, Lil
+Artha. And ye ken I'm mair than glad now I took up with it."
+
+"And as you get to be more intimate with the little animals of the
+woods," continued the experienced scout, "you come to like them as
+brothers. We usually have a pet squirrel ducking about the camp, picking
+up the crumbs; and birds will come, too, if you're kind to them. All
+those little things help to make an outing more enjoyable, you'll find,
+Alec, the deeper you dip into them."
+
+Alec scratched his head as though he found it just a little difficult to
+understand; he had been raised under such vastly different conditions
+that it would take some time to change his habits, Lil Artha realized.
+Still, he liked the tenderfoot very much, and meant to do all he could
+to make him see things through another pair of spectacles than those he
+had used in the past.
+
+Already his lessons in handling the ax had borne fruit, and Alec gave
+promise of soon becoming an expert at the job. His success also gave the
+greenhorn a new-born ambition to excel in other branches of scout
+education. Lil Artha did not believe he would have much trouble in
+posting Alec; getting him to govern his temper, and be kind to
+everything that had life, would be another proposition; but constant
+association with such a fellow as Elmer Chenowith was bound to work a
+change little short of miraculous, Lil Artha had faith to believe; for
+he knew personally what the patrol leader was able to accomplish in his
+quiet, persistent way.
+
+"After you've finished with that log, Alec," he told the other, "we'll
+start our fire. I want to show you just how to go about that task,
+because there are a hundred things connected with making a fire that
+you'll find mighty interesting."
+
+"Ye don't say, Lil Artha? I didna ken that there was more than one way
+to start a blaze, which was to sticket a match to the paper, and let it
+go at that."
+
+The tall scout laughed delightedly. Really, he would find great pleasure
+in showing this greenhorn how many curious ways there were of starting a
+fire. Lil Artha had made this a sort of fad for some time past; and
+while several tricks were still beyond his comprehension, he had
+mastered a number of others; so that he could start into the woods minus
+a single match, or even a burning sun glass, and make a fire in any one
+of five different ways.
+
+"Oh! I can see where you've got a whole lot to learn, Alec," he told the
+other. "I'll promise to show you some interesting things while we're up
+here in the Raccoon Bluff camp. For instance, I'll make a blaze by
+rubbing flint and steel together, like the old Indians used to do
+centuries back on this continent. Then I've a little trick with a couple
+of sticks and some dry tinder to catch the spark."
+
+"Ye maun show me that, for a certainty!" cried the other, "because I've
+read of it in Robinson Crusoe, or some ither book of travel and
+adventure amang the islands of the sea."
+
+"Oh! there are lots of other ways for doing it in the bargain," pursued
+Lil Artha, now upon his most favored subject. "You'll think it a most
+fascinating thing, Alec, I promise you. And once you wake up to the
+fact that a scout can learn a thousand facts, if only he uses his eyes
+and his head, you'll be more than glad you joined the troop. Why, we
+live in a world of our own, and the poor ninnies outside don't have
+one-tenth of the fun that falls to us."
+
+"There come Rufus and George," remarked Alec. "They look unco' pleased,
+as if they had discovered the slashing they went to look for. I'm a
+little interested in survey work mysel'. Rufus is clean crazy over it,
+too, and sometimes his fash is all aboot theodolites and chains and
+compasses and the like. They told me he was lazy, but if ye seed him
+workin' at the business he loved, ye'd know they leed, they leed."
+
+Alec turned back to his work of splitting the log he had attacked.
+Already he had a wedge well driven into its heart. A few more lusty
+blows of the ax and he had opened another cleft further along, into
+which he was able, with Lil Artha's directions, to place a second wedge.
+After that it was easy to continue lengthening the split until with a
+doleful crack the log fell apart, having been cleft in twain.
+
+"That will do for now, Alec," said Lil Artha. "You have done splendidly
+for your first real lesson in wood-chopping, and I can see with half an
+eye that you bid fair to beat us all at the game, given a little time,
+and more experience. You've got a great swing, and seem able to hit a
+space the size of a dime, every time you let fall. That's half of the
+battle in chopping, to be able to drive true to the mark; because
+there's energy wasted in false blows."
+
+Alec looked pleased. A little praise judiciously bestowed is always a
+great accelerator in coaxing reluctant boys to take up their tasks
+cheerfully; and wise Lil Artha knew it.
+
+Just then Alec happened to catch a glimpse of something moving amidst
+the branches of the tree over his head. Lil Artha had turned aside, and
+did not chance to notice what the other was doing, as the Scotch lad,
+stooping down, snatched up a stout cudgel, and hastily threw it aloft.
+
+His aim must have been excellent, judging from the immediate results.
+Lil Artha heard him give a satisfied cry, which, however, almost
+immediately changed to a howl of alarm. Whirling around, the tall scout
+saw something that might have amused him at another time, for it
+possessed the elements of comedy rather than tragedy.
+
+Alec in hurling that stick aloft must have succeeded in dislodging some
+animal from its hold on the limb. The beast in falling had alighted
+fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the astonished Scotch boy, and
+given him a severe case of fright. Lil Artha saw that it possessed a
+long ringed tail, and hence he knew instantly that it was only a
+harmless raccoon, and not a fierce wildcat, as he had at first feared.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+SHOWING THE GREENHORNS
+
+
+"WHOO! tak' him off, Lil Artha! It's a mad cat, it is, I'm thinkin'!"
+
+The 'coon being presently dislodged, after having only given Alec a few
+trifling scratches, proceeded to retreat in hot haste. The angry Scotch
+lad, snatching up another billet of wood, was about to rush after the
+frightened animal as though to vent his fury upon it, when Lil Artha
+barred the way.
+
+"Don't do it, Alec!" he called out, holding up a restraining hand; "let
+the poor thing trot along. He's more scared than you were, take it from
+me."
+
+"But he _bit_ me, ye ken; and I don't let any fearsome wild beastie do
+that with impunity, I tell ye!" snapped Alec.
+
+"Well, who's really to blame, Alec?" said Lil Artha, promptly. "That's
+only a harmless raccoon. He must have his nest in a hollow limb of this
+tree we're under. Hearing all the talk going on below here, can you
+blame him for peeking, and trying to pick up a few points about eating,
+and the like? He was within his rights, and you had no business to knock
+him down with that chunk of wood. He happened to fall on your shoulders,
+and commenced scratching and clawing when you jabbed at him so with your
+hands. He only scratched you a little, and drew the blood. Elmer has the
+stuff to put on that, and prevent any chance of blood poisoning setting
+in. But surely you wouldn't kill that inoffensive little runt because he
+allowed you to knock him out of the tree."
+
+Alec hung his head.
+
+"Aweel, it may be you're right, Lil Artha," he muttered, being conquered
+by the arguments advanced by the other. "Anyway, it's too late now to
+chase after him, for the beastie is lang out of sight. Perhaps I was
+o'er hasty to throw. Next time I'll try to hold my hand."
+
+"It pays not to be too fast while in the woods," he was assured. "If now
+that had happened to be a bobcat, you'd have been in a nice pickle, let
+me tell you; and he might have scratched out both your eyes before the
+rest of us could lift a hand to save you. Better go slow but sure, Alec.
+And try to look at things once in a while from the standpoint of the
+woods animal. You'll find it mighty interesting to put yourself in their
+place, and figure just what you would do."
+
+Again Alec scratched that tousled red head of his. Plainly he was
+puzzled to exactly grasp what Lil Artha meant; but then, as time passed
+and he became more accustomed to this strange camp life, now so new to
+him, the boy would doubtless understand many things that in the
+beginning looked very mysterious.
+
+When, a short time later, Lil Artha began to initiate him into the
+mysteries of fire-making, Alec displayed more or less fresh interest. He
+knew he was going to like that sort of thing first-rate, he told the
+other; which acknowledgment caused the tall scout to grin with pleasure,
+since it repaid him tenfold for all the trouble he had taken thus far.
+
+The fire was soon burning cheerily. Somehow it seemed a great source of
+joy to everyone, especially Elmer, Lil Artha and George. As veteran
+scouts the crackle of a blaze instantly called up fond memories of
+numerous former occasions when in the woods, and camping amidst the
+solitudes they had met with all sorts of interesting and even thrilling
+adventures, never to be utterly forgotten, even when they had grown to
+manhood, and gone forth into the world upon their appointed life
+missions.
+
+Next in order came the preparations for cooking the camp supper. Here
+Lil Artha had fresh and glorious opportunities to show the tenderfoot
+squad all sorts of things that it was of prime importance they should
+early manage to acquire, if they expected to make good scouts.
+
+And when the ham had been nicely browned in the skillet; the potatoes
+and onions thoroughly cooked; the coffee allowed to settle, after being
+brought to a boil; and the rudely-built table set with all sorts of good
+things besides, from cookies, jam, home-made pies, pickles, and such
+articles as the crafty George had prevailed upon his dupe, Rufus, to
+include in the bulky stores, it seemed as though there was hardly room
+to allow their plates a chance to find crevices for lodgment.
+
+By this time the sun had set in a blaze of glory that called forth loud
+words of sincere admiration from the entire party. Twilight was upon the
+land as they sat down to enjoy that glorious spread; and both Rufus and
+Alec vowed they had never in all their lives felt one-half so hungry as
+right then and there.
+
+That supper would never be forgotten by those tenderfoot scouts. Every
+fellow once new to the woods can look back to the first meal under such
+conditions, and remember how wonderfully good everything did taste. The
+food at home never had such tempting qualities, and his one great fear
+was that the supply would not be equal to the _enormous_ demand.
+
+After supper came the dish washing. That was not quite so fine,
+especially since Rufus and Alec had fairly gorged themselves. But Elmer
+knew that it was good to start out right.
+
+"Oh! what's the use bothering with the old dishes tonight?" complained
+Rufus, spoiled at home by a doting mother; "I'm feeling too fine to be
+disturbed. Please don't spoil it all by doing anything disagreeable,
+Elmer."
+
+His wheedling tone had no effect. The scout-master was determined that
+these two new recruits must learn that duty always precedes pleasure
+with a scout. After all work has been finished is the proper time to
+"loaf," and take things easy.
+
+"We have a rule in camp that is as unbending as that of the Medes and
+the Persians, Rufus," Elmer went on to say, positively. "That is, the
+dishes must be cleaned up immediately after supper, by those who are
+delegated with the task. I'll be only too glad to show you and Alec how
+to go about it, in case you haven't had any experience; but the pot of
+hot water is waiting, and none of us can settle down to an evening's
+enjoyment until things are cleared away. All of us mean to take our
+turns at the job, remember, but we thought the new beginners ought to be
+the ones to start first."
+
+Rufus looked as though inclined to rebel. Just then Alec jumped up,
+being more ready to give in than the boy who had always had his own way.
+
+"Coom alang, Rufus, and we'll wrestle with the pots and pans!" he called
+out. "Between the baith of us we should be able to manage, I ken. And
+then for a lang evenin' listenin' to the stories Lil Artha, here, has
+promised to spin, that will, nae doot, mak' Robert Louie Stevenson's
+wildest tales tak' a back seat."
+
+Well, after that Rufus could not hold out. He even grinned sheepishly a
+bit as he got up from his comfortable position, and followed the Scotch
+lad and Elmer over to where the dishpan was hung on a convenient nail,
+together with a supply of towels, and several dish cloths, all seen to
+by Lil Artha, who knew by long experience how necessary such things are
+in a well conducted camp.
+
+So by slow degrees Elmer and his mates might make progress in educating
+the tenderfoot squad along the lines that every well drilled scout has
+to follow. Of course they would meet with many discouragements, and
+sometimes feel that the task was beyond their strength, especially in
+connection with Rufus, who had allowed such a multitude of tares to grow
+amidst the good seed that would have to be rooted out; but it is
+astonishing how much persistence and patience will accomplish, and in
+the end surprising results might reward the laborers in the vineyard.
+
+They sat up late that night and the fire continued to crackle merrily as
+fresh fuel was applied from time to time. How wonderful it all seemed to
+Rufus and Alec, experiencing their very first night in camp. The moon
+had already set, being young, and darkness hung over the scene. Strange
+sounds, too, welled up out of that gloom to thrill the greenhorns as
+they listened. Again and again did one of them interrupt the
+conversation or the story-telling to demand that some fellow tell what
+manner of queer creature could be making such and such a noise.
+
+Now it was some night bird giving a hoarse cry; again a distant loon,
+doubtless out upon some lake, the presence of which they had not even
+suspected, sent forth a fiendish sound like the laugh of an evil sprite
+and which chilled the blood in the veins of the tenderfoot scouts; later
+on they heard tree frogs commence their weird chorus, and were relieved
+to learn the nature of the noisy sounds, for they half suspected a
+circle of ravenous wolves might be closing in around the camp.
+
+And so it went on, one thing after another. Perhaps the most singular
+effect of all was produced by the hooting of a big owl, doubtless
+squatted in some dead treetop within a few hundred yards of the fire.
+The two greenhorns really believed some man was calling out and making
+fun of them. Rufus, on his part, jumped to the conclusion that the
+poacher, possibly under the influence of liquor, was daring them to come
+out and have a fight with him, for that tantalizing "whoo! whoo!" seemed
+to breathe defiance and scorn. Alec, too, showed symptoms of "firing
+up," much to the secret amusement of Lil Artha and George.
+
+They both quieted down after being told what sort of a big-eyed bird was
+responsible for the weird noise; though from time to time as the hoots
+continued to be wafted to them on the night air, the tenderfoot scouts
+would move uneasily, and exhibit fresh traces of interest bordering on
+rank incredulity, since it was difficult for them to really believe any
+feathered creature could indulge in such a mocking monologue.
+
+And later still, after they had crept into their warm blankets, and
+sought to go to sleep, while the three veterans after a while managed to
+find forgetfulness in honest slumber, the other pair tossed back and
+forth, changed their hemlock-filled pillows into new positions, sighed
+dismally, and put in one of the most trying nights they had ever known.
+
+But then it would not be so bad on the next occasion; and before many
+nights passed they, too, would be "dead to the world a short time after
+hitting the hay," as Lil Artha expressed it. Every fellow has to be
+broken in before he can sleep, when camping out for the first time; the
+great wilderness around seems peopled with countless unseen, but
+nevertheless present, creatures, which his lively imagination pictures
+as seeking to steal a march upon the camp, and either to purloin all
+their possessions or else eat them alive.
+
+Why, even experienced campers usually have a poor first night of it,
+until they can again grow accustomed to the difference between their own
+soft beds within the four walls of home, and this canvas covering, or
+perhaps only the starry heavens above for a canopy.
+
+That long night seemed never to reach an end, to Rufus at least; for
+even after the Scotch lad had passed into slumberland the other squirmed
+about uneasily, sat up and looked around him many times; and even crept
+out twice to throw additional fuel on the fire, because he hated to see
+it getting so dismally dark around, with all those queer sounds welling
+up in chorus--the said chorus being produced in part, if Rufus only knew
+it, which he didn't, by katydids, crickets, tree-frogs, and such
+harmless little creatures.
+
+But even the longest night must come to an end at last. Rufus, having
+finally fallen into a doze, found himself aroused by some one talking,
+and opening his eyes discovered to his surprise that it was broad
+daylight, with breakfast cooking near by.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE SPIRAL OF BLUE SMOKE
+
+
+ONE thing, at least, pleased Rufus when he crawled forth and stretched
+himself, giving a yawn at the same time--it promised to be a fine day.
+To a fellow who expected to do considerable prowling around in the
+vicinity of Raccoon Bluff this was a matter of material importance; for
+a heavy rain must have put a damper on his cherished plans.
+
+By the time the latest up had finished dressing the welcome call to
+breakfast was sounding. Lil Artha performed this sacred rite, and in the
+customary camp way, wishing to initiate the two tenderfoot chums in all
+the mysteries that went with the ceremony. Taking the biggest frying-pan
+they had fetched along, he rattled a lively tattoo upon it with a heavy
+cooking spoon. And during the course of their stay it may be said in
+passing that never was there a more eagerly anticipated racket, in the
+opinion of Rufus and Alec, when their camp appetites developed, than
+that same summons to the "festive board," as Lil Artha dubbed the rude
+makeshift table.
+
+While they enjoyed the fruits of the cook's skill in wrestling with the
+culinary outfit, and made the bacon and fried eggs vanish in a most
+remarkably swift fashion, the boys also laid out their plans for the
+first day.
+
+Of course Rufus was eager to get busy looking up the lines of the
+survey; and he had already bound Alec to the task of being his helper.
+The latter did not object in the least, though after a day or two had
+elapsed, and the fever calmed down somewhat with Rufus, the Scotch lad
+anticipated having his time more to himself; for he was eager to learn a
+great many scout secrets which the accommodating lanky Lil Artha had
+promised to impart to the new fellows.
+
+Elmer, however, had no intention of allowing those two greenhorns free
+swing for a whole day. The chances were ten to one they would get lost
+the first thing; and it would be too bad if a good part of their limited
+stay at Raccoon Bluff was taken up in hunting missing comrades.
+
+"I appoint you, Lil Artha, as supervisor," he went on to say, with a
+smile; "and your duties today will be to stick to Rufus and Alec like a
+porous plaster. Don't let one of them get out of your sight for a
+minute. You can lend a hand as much as you please; and fetch them back
+to camp at midday, when we'll have lunch, leaving the big meal until the
+day's work is all done."
+
+Rufus looked as though about to rebel. He was so accustomed to having
+his own way that it came hard with him to be ordered to do anything.
+Then he suddenly remembered his scout vow, and that he had solemnly
+promised to bow to superior authority. Elmer was the "boss," and his
+word was law while they were away from home; so, making a virtue of
+necessity, Rufus shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
+
+"Just as you say, Elmer," he observed, a bit ungraciously, "but I never
+was lost in all my life."
+
+"That's nothing to boast of, Rufus," remarked Lil Artha. "It only goes
+to prove how many splendid opportunities you've missed. On my part I was
+just as proud of my ability to look after myself as you are; and yet I
+used to get twisted in my bearings a heap until I got the hang of
+things. I can remember several times when I walked straight away from
+camp, under the belief that I was heading for it. You see, while I could
+easily tell which was north and east, I didn't know _which way the camp
+lay_; because my faculty for observation hadn't yet been developed to
+any great extent. It'll all come to you by degrees, if you really want
+to learn."
+
+"Well, what am I to do this morning, Elmer?" asked George.
+
+"That's an easy one," chuckled the leader. "As you're such a stickler
+for having everything so neat about the camp, George, with things handy
+to the reach, I'll appoint you camp warden for today. You can fuss
+around all you please, and by night I expect we'll find that Camp
+Comfort well deserves its name."
+
+George looked pleased. His good qualities often more than
+counterbalanced his poor ones; and being neat is something no scout
+should ever feel ashamed of.
+
+Elmer did not mention what he meant to do himself. In fact, he had not
+wholly determined that point, though he fancied that he might take a
+wide turn around, and see what the country about Raccoon Bluff looked
+like.
+
+Although Elmer had not said anything about it to the others, the fact is
+he had made a little discovery that aroused his interest considerably.
+Just before they sat down to breakfast he had chanced to step over to a
+point where the best view was to be had, and using a pair of
+field-glasses which had been brought along, took a casual survey of the
+country.
+
+In one particular spot he believed he could see a faint column of pale
+blue smoke climbing straight skyward from amidst the thick growth. Elmer
+was a pretty good woodsman, and he did not have to be told that such
+smoke always comes from well seasoned wood, while black smoke springs
+from greener stuff.
+
+Some one had a fire over there, that was evident, and knew what sort of
+fuel to select in the bargain; which fact made it patent that he was
+educated in the ways of the woods. Elmer's curiosity was excited. He
+wondered who their neighbor could be. Was it some fishing party, perhaps
+camped on the shore of the unseen lake on the bosom of which that loon
+they had heard cry had been swimming at the time?
+
+Of course there might be numerous answers to the question Elmer was
+asking himself. Perhaps lumbermen were looking over the property which
+had lately come into the possession of Mr. Snodgrass, with an idea of
+making him a proposition for the right to cut off the big timber. Then
+again, charcoal-burners sometimes worked in the season; or it might be
+game wardens were abroad, with the idea of catching detested poachers at
+their work.
+
+Then last of all Elmer thought of Jem Shock, the slippery customer whom
+no warden had thus far been able to catch red-handed, breaking the game
+laws; and who, it seemed, had gained an unenviable reputation for
+boldness as well as knavery, so that his name, bandied about from lip to
+lip, had gradually become a synonym for everything that was bad, whether
+the fellow deserved it or not.
+
+Well, they knew that this same Jem lived somewhere in the wilderness,
+since he seldom appeared in any town; and what more likely than that his
+camp lay over yonder, where the blue trail of smoke lifted toward the
+sky?
+
+Elmer felt an enticing temptation beginning to assail him. It has been
+said before that he had found himself attracted toward Jem Shock, simply
+because of a curiosity to know what the _real_ man might be like; for
+Elmer was loath to believe all he heard about any one, knowing how
+stories are magnified in the telling.
+
+And by the time breakfast was over with, the scout leader had decided
+that he would take a little stroll, which might, there was no telling,
+carry him in the direction of the blue column of smoke.
+
+It happened that Rufus was so busy getting ready to start out with his
+surveying instruments that he had given no thought to looking around.
+Lil Artha on his part would, of course, take note of the general lay of
+the land; but with the ridge to serve as a guide he believed he could
+always make a bee-line back to camp whenever the necessity arose.
+
+All was soon ready, and Alec, laden with the heavier material, called
+out a cheery goodbye to the two who were being left behind.
+
+"I'm glad this day that I've got on the braw khaki breeks," he was
+saying, "for if they were woollen ye maun rest assured it would tak all
+my time picking off the beggars' lice, as ye call these little burrs.
+We'll be back the noo and expectin' lunch to be served, George,
+remember, lad."
+
+"Well, stick by Lil Artha then, if you know what's good for you,
+Scotchy," called out the keeper of the camp. "And I'm glad Elmer made
+each one of you put a little snack of cheese and crackers in his pocket.
+If you have the misfortune to get lost that will be the only thing to
+stand between you and starvation."
+
+Rufus sniffed in disdain.
+
+"Talk away, George," he told the other, "we all know that you're one of
+these pessimists, and always seeing the black side of things. Who
+expects to get lost? Certainly neither of us. And besides, what do we
+have a guardian angel like Lil Artha along with us for? Not because of
+his good looks, that's sure."
+
+"Oh! come along, and don't talk so much, Rufus!" the said "guardian
+angel" called out, though smiling broadly at being so highly
+complimented.
+
+"Just see Lil Artha feeling of his shoulders, will you?" George jeered.
+"Now you've gone and spoiled him for any decent sort of work, Rufus;
+after this he'll be spending most of his time looking for his angel
+wings to sprout. But goodbye, and good luck, fellows. Look for you about
+noon, remember."
+
+So they went off, seemingly as happy as boys could well be; for Rufus
+was about to test his superior knowledge of survey work. Alec saw a
+chance of having many little talks between whiles with the tall guide,
+upon whom he was leaning more and more as an exponent of the jolly
+times to be had in the open; while Lil Artha, himself, was always
+supremely happy when he could shoulder his Marlin gun, and stalk abroad,
+no matter whether he meant to do any hunting or not.
+
+Elmer knew very well that nothing would tempt Lil Artha to fire his gun
+with the intention of breaking the law. The only reasons he insisted on
+taking it along were that it might come in handy in case they met a
+wildcat, always a possibility, of course; and that he loved to feel its
+familiar touch upon his shoulder, where his khaki coat was well worn
+from contact with it.
+
+For some little time afterwards Elmer busied himself in fixing certain
+things of his own. George had already cleaned up the mess of breakfast
+pans and dishes, so that he could devote himself to other matters. He
+had already sized things up, and made a list of certain improvements
+that were calculated to add to the comfort and peace of mind of the
+campers.
+
+"While we're only going to be up here at Raccoon Bluff for a matter of
+seven days or so," he had remarked in the hearing of the tenderfoot
+squad, "that's no reason we ought to let things run along in a slipshod
+fashion. It's a pleasure to me to have the camp look spic and span to
+begin with, no matter if it does get littered up somewhat as the days go
+by."
+
+That is just the way with scouts, as a rule. No one of them unites all
+the virtues in his single person; but while owning up to certain faults,
+at the same time he will be found to possess a number of splendid
+qualities that add to the comfort and health of his comrades. George
+could make himself one of the most disagreeable chaps going, when his
+argumentative and unbelieving mood was upon him; then again, he would
+suddenly blossom out in another phase, and cause all his chums to bless
+him as a real public benefactor.
+
+Finally Elmer strode forth from the tent.
+
+"I'm going to take a little turn around, George," he remarked casually,
+"and see what this part of the country looks like."
+
+"All right, Elmer," the busy one told him, "I can manage alone, I guess,
+because I've got a heap to do before I'm satisfied with the way things
+look. No use telling _you_ to not get lost; because that'd be next to
+impossible."
+
+"Nevertheless," the scout-master assured him, "I mean to keep on the
+alert, for when you're in the woods constant vigilance is the price of
+safety. I always take observations as I go along; and notice many
+queer-shaped trees, so that I'll know them again when I see them. I also
+look back considerably, too, because it pays to notice how things appear
+from the other side."
+
+"It certainly does," agreed George, very amiably; "I've had that
+experience myself more than once. Thought I had taken stock of
+bent-over trees and rock formations, yet on trying to follow the trail
+back, they all looked vastly different from what they had before. Taught
+me a lesson I've never forgotten either. Well, so-long, Elmer. I'll
+expect you when you turn up. I hope though you don't happen to run foul
+of that ugly poacher chap, Jem Shock. I didn't much fancy the cut of his
+jib when we met him on the road; and I reckon he'd be a bad one to rile
+up."
+
+Elmer only laughed lightly and walked off. He had cut a stout cane, and
+this was the only kind of weapon he cared to carry along. It would serve
+him in good stead should he happen to come across a rattlesnake, for
+this was likely to happen at any time, since they had been warned by the
+friendly farmer that such venomous reptiles abounded along Raccoon
+Bluff. And in case a bobcat should turn up, Elmer fancied he could
+defend himself against attack with that choice staff. Besides, it was
+not often that a cat was to be met with in broad daylight, since they
+prefer to do most of their wandering about in search of food after
+nightfall comes.
+
+He stopped and looked back at the camp. It had a very picturesque
+appearance just at that time, with the fire casting up a spiral of smoke
+toward the clear heavens, George bustling around in the capacity of
+campkeeper; and the whole overhung by those magnificent trees.
+
+Elmer dearly loved this sort of thing. Something implanted in his
+nature, coming down possibly from far-back ancestors who used to hunt
+game for a living, caused the boy to possess an earnest yearning to
+spend a season every year in the primeval wilderness, close to Nature's
+heart. It was as near the "call of the wild" as the ordinary boy ever
+gets, since school duties, as well as home ties, have dominion over him
+most of the year.
+
+Elmer prepared to enjoy himself to the full. The air was certainly
+delicious at this time in the morning, though growing rapidly warmer as
+the sun climbed higher. All outdoors seemed to be rejoicing with him. He
+could hear the merry voices of insects all around; the croaking of frogs
+in a nearby marshy spot he passed; and the constant cawing of crows in
+the treetops, as they prepared to sally forth bent on finding a late
+breakfast, or possibly teaching their young how to use their wings in
+short flights around the home nests.
+
+"This is the life!" said Elmer, exultingly, as he walked along with a
+brisk step, and used his eyes to notice a thousand and one things around
+him, most of which would of a certainty never be seen at all by an
+ordinary boy, until his senses had been sharpened, brought about through
+practical scout activities.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+A LITTLE WOODS MINSTREL
+
+
+NOTHING seemed to escape the trained eyes of the scout-master, as he
+walked on through the woods, across open glades, and sometimes crossing
+ravines where little brooks gurgled along in a happy care-free fashion,
+after the habit of wandering streamlets in general.
+
+One of the first things that came to his attention was the unusual
+number of wild bees that seemed to be working in the flowers that dotted
+some of these open places. This interested Elmer very much; and as he
+stopped to watch them going in and out of the flowers, busily adding to
+their stores of sweets or pollen, he was rubbing his chin reflectively
+while saying to himself:
+
+"It looks as if there might be a hive or so around this region, away up
+in some hollow tree. I'd like mighty well to spend a morning trying to
+locate it, and if nothing hinders I'll get one of the boys to help me
+track these little chaps to their hiding-place. I've done it before, and
+ought to be able to again, if I haven't forgotten the trick that old
+woodsman showed me. And I should think Alec, perhaps Rufus in the
+bargain, would be pleased to see how the thing is done."
+
+Then as he went on a little further he discovered small tracks, plainly
+outlined in the hardening mud alongside one of the streams that trickled
+down toward the lower levels.
+
+"Hello! good morning, Mr. Mink!" said Elmer, as he bent over to examine
+the tracks which he easily guessed were made by the fur-bearing animal
+he had mentioned. "Been out late for a stroll, haven't you? Visiting
+around, perhaps, to see how your relatives are getting on; and dodging
+in and out of all these holes along the bank. Well, all I can hope is
+that no bad trapper covets your sleek coat, and lies in wait for you
+next winter with his sharp-edged steel trap."
+
+Next he discovered another track quite different in design.
+
+"Why, how do you do, Brother Fox?" Elmer chattered, amusing himself by
+this manner of monologue, just as though the animal might be within
+sound of his voice. "You were also abroad during the night, I see, and
+carrying home some sort of game in the bargain, for the little foxes in
+the den, judging from the scratches alongside your own tracks. Let's see
+if I can find out what it was you managed to grab."
+
+He followed the trail fully fifty yards before making any discovery.
+Then the observant boy triumphantly snatched something up from the
+ground.
+
+"A fine, fat young partridge, I wager, you caught, old lady," he
+chuckled, as he twirled the feather between forefinger and thumb, and
+then stuck it in the band of his campaign hat. "Well, it was a sorry
+night for the poor bird; but those little foxes just had to have
+something to devour ever so often. Now, I'd like to find out whether
+this was a red fox; one of those dandy blacks like we took out of the
+trap when we were up at Uncle Caleb's woods cabin;[A] or a gray rascal.
+I'll see if I can settle that part of it and satisfy my curiosity."
+
+It did not take long for a boy of such wide experience as Elmer to find
+a clue on which to build his theory. Inside of three minutes he came to
+a place where the returning four-footed hunter had to pass through close
+quarters, in pushing under some brush. Elmer knew just where to look,
+and was speedily laughing as he held up several hairs he had found
+caught on a thorn.
+
+"As red as any fox that ever crept up on a sleeping partridge, and
+snatched her from her nest in the thicket!" Elmer declared, also placing
+the evidence away, for he would want to show it to the tenderfoot squad,
+when telling the simple story of the wonderful things he had come
+across while just taking a little ramble through the woods.
+
+And so it went on. One thing followed another in endless procession. The
+red-headed woodpecker tapping the rotten top of a tree; the bluejay
+hunting worms or seeds amidst the dead grass; the chipmunk that switched
+around to the other side of a stump and then with sharp eyes watched the
+two-legged intruder on its haunts curiously; the harmless garter-snake
+that glided from under his foot, though _giving_ him a certain thrill as
+he remembered the stories about these deadly rattlers--all these, and
+many other things arrested the attention of the boy who long ago had
+become possessed of the magical key that unlocks the storehouse of
+knowledge in Nature's own kingdom.
+
+And yet Elmer did not forget to always pay attention to the course he
+was taking. He placed numerous landmarks down in his memory, so that he
+would know them again later on. Now it might be an odd freak in the way
+of a bent-over tree, that had the appearance of a drawn bow, with some
+unseen giant of the woods standing back of it, drawing the cord taut;
+then again a cluster of white birches would be impressed on his mind, to
+be readily recognized again in case the necessity arose.
+
+All this time he was heading in a direct line toward that region where
+the blue spiral of smoke had been noticed in the still morning air.
+Elmer, too, fancied, when an hour had passed, that he must by now be
+drawing well along toward the origin of the smoke column.
+
+Possibly he may have questioned whether he was exactly wise in thinking
+of invading the precincts of the camp, that might prove to be the home
+of the man who possessed the evil reputation.
+
+"But my motives are all right," Elmer told himself, when this arose to
+annoy him; "and I mean no harm to Jem or his people, if so be he _has_
+any family, which somehow no one ever bothered to tell me, even if they
+knew. I guess Jem's been something of a mystery to the people up here.
+He seems to have no friends, and it may be nobody ever did penetrate to
+his camp. Well, then, I'll be the pioneer in the game. I'm not afraid of
+Jem, for all his black looks. I'd just like to get to _know_ him, and
+find out if he's as tough as they say."
+
+And accordingly Elmer, instead of taking warning from his fears and
+turning back, continued resolutely along the course he had marked out
+for himself. He would beard the lion in its den, and try to convince
+this same poacher Jem that he had nothing to fear from a party of boys
+out on a holiday. Perhaps Elmer may have also had some little scheme in
+mind whereby they could do more or less good by utilizing some of those
+superabundant stores which George had cleverly advised Rufus to lay in,
+under the possibility of their being storm-bound up in the woods, with a
+great need for much provisions. A little present of excellent tea might
+quite win the heart of Jem's wife, provided he had one; and Elmer had
+even known of a case where the fragrant odor of coffee had entirely
+disarmed a woods bully, who had been half inclined to clean out the camp
+previous to his inhaling that delicious perfume.
+
+Now and then the boy would pause and commence sniffing the air. He knew
+that he had been walking directly up the wind for quite a while now, and
+hence more than half expected that he might catch the whiff of hard-wood
+smoke, telling of the presence of a fire not far distant, and dead
+ahead.
+
+It was when Elmer was standing still and looking about him that he
+suddenly heard a sound that sent a peculiar thrill through his whole
+person. There was nothing so strange about the sound in itself, only the
+oddity of hearing it under such peculiar conditions.
+
+"Why, upon my soul, I do believe that's a violin being tuned up!" he
+whispered, straining his ears still more while speaking. "Yes, it is,
+for I can hear the plain chords now. Perhaps some fiddler who plays at
+country barn dances is passing through the woods, and has stopped over
+night at Jem's shack. Why, he seems to have a knack for striking
+wonderfully fine chords, it seems to me. I'll just push on and see what
+it means."
+
+This he accordingly did, and as he began to catch the sound of music
+more plainly as he kept advancing, Elmer found his curiosity rising to
+fever heat. Now the notes of the weird music came floating to him on the
+soft air, more and more distinctly. It seemed to the boy as though the
+violin fairly sobbed with the spirit of the one whose fingers trailed
+the bow across those taut strings.
+
+"It's wonderful, that's what!" Elmer was telling himself for the tenth
+time as he kept on walking, and straining his hearing more and more.
+"Why, I've heard some pretty fine players, but never anything like that!
+Whoever can it be! I'd wager a heap that the gift of inherited genius is
+back of that playing. I can see that he isn't an educated violinist at
+all; but the notes are meant to express the language of the soul within.
+Oh, I'm glad now I decided to start out; because I wouldn't have missed
+this for anything!"
+
+He knew that he was by now close to the spot, for the sounds came very
+distinctly. As he continued to advance, Elmer kept watching, wondering
+what manner of person he was going to see. Could some professional
+violinist have taken a notion to spend his summer up here amidst the
+solitudes, communing with Nature, so as to secure new inspiration for
+his work? It would not be improbable, though there was that about the
+playing to suggest an utter lack of training.
+
+Now only a screen of bushes seemed to intervene. Once he had crept to
+the further edge of these and Elmer would be able to see the one who
+handled that bow so eloquently.
+
+Three minutes later and he found himself looking eagerly out of his
+leafy screen, to receive a fresh shock. Instead of a man with the looks
+of a professor, or even a lady performer, he discovered that the party
+responsible for those sweet chords and sad strains that pierced his
+heart, was only a flaxen-haired boy not over ten years of age!
+
+He sat there with his slender legs coiled up on a stump, and drew the
+wonderful notes from his fiddle without any apparent effort, just as
+though the music was in him, and had to find an outlet somehow. He was
+barefooted, and dressed shabbily. Yet, despite these evidences of
+poverty, Elmer could note what seemed to be a distinguished air about
+the lad that fairly stunned him. He thought at once of Mark Twain's "The
+Prince and the Pauper." Was this a real prince masquerading in dingy
+apparel?
+
+He lay there and drank in the wonderful harmony for a full quarter of an
+hour, hardly daring to move lest his actions frighten the little chap,
+and cause that flood of music to cease. All the while Elmer was trying
+to figure out what it could mean. Was this boy Jem Shock's child; and,
+if so, how in the wide world could the child have come into such an
+amazing musical inheritance? Who was his mother, and had she sprung from
+some genius known to the world of melody?
+
+"No matter what the answer is," Elmer told himself, "that child has
+genius deeply planted in his soul; and it will be a burning shame if he
+never has a chance to be educated along the right channel. I'm bound to
+bring this up before some of the good people at home, and see what can
+be done. Oh! if only they could hear him as I am doing right now, it
+would be easy to collect a sum of money to start him on the road to
+becoming the most famous of American violinists. I never heard such
+wonderful music in all my life. He mustn't get away from me now."
+
+Elmer said this last because he saw that the boy was apparently about to
+cease playing. He had tucked his violin away in a much-soiled bag of
+once green baize, and was climbing down from the stump, as though to
+depart from the theatre he apparently liked above all other places for
+his daily concert.
+
+So Elmer stepped forth and swiftly approached. The boy did not hear his
+footsteps at first, for Elmer knew how to tread softly; but presently he
+looked around and for a moment the scout leader feared he meant to dart
+away.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[Footnote A: See "The Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts Storm-Bound."]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+MAKING A BARGAIN WITH CONRAD
+
+
+"HOLD on, please, don't go away; I'd like to talk with you, and tell you
+how much I've enjoyed listening to your playing."
+
+Upon hearing the stranger say these kind words, the boy apparently
+reconsidered his intention of running off. He drew himself up proudly,
+and waited. Elmer saw that while he was a very handsome little fellow,
+there was no trace of weakness about his face; he had just as resolute a
+chin as Jem Shock himself; and his blue eyes could evidently flash fire
+if his spirit were aroused.
+
+So Elmer walked forward and joined the other. Standing there barefooted,
+and with his clothing well worn, though neatly patched, the boy
+presented a strange appearance, hugging his cherished violin in its
+faded case close under his arm. Elmer would never forget the picture he
+had made as he sat there drawing all those remarkable sounds from the
+wooden case; he would have labeled such a painting simply "Genius," and
+let people catch the idea according to their bent.
+
+"You play very sweetly, my boy," he told the other. "I have been
+listening for a long time. Where did you learn how to handle the bow?
+Who taught you to make a violin talk, and tell all the things that you
+have been hearing the birds and the little woods folks saying?"
+
+"My mother showed me how to hold the bow, and the rest I just picked up
+like, mister," the boy replied.
+
+Elmer was further astonished. He had expected to hear this woods boy
+speak most ungrammatically; but few lads of his age, who had gone to
+school for five years or over, could have expressed themselves one-half
+as well. But then the same mother who had shown him how to grasp the bow
+must have taken pains to teach him other things that went with the
+education of a growing boy. His observation had done the rest; for just
+as Elmer himself was accustomed to doing, this boy had ever heard a
+thousand voices in the solitudes where he dwelt; and these elements he
+was weaving into music as he dreamily drew his bow again and again
+across the responsive strings.
+
+"Do you live near here?" next asked Elmer, who saw that the boy was
+curiously looking him over, and seemed to be visibly impressed with his
+khaki suit, as well as his leggings and his campaign hat.
+
+He noticed the glint of suspicion suddenly shoot into the blue eyes.
+
+"What do you want to know that for?" he asked sharply. "Are you a
+warden, or a revenue officer?"
+
+Elmer laughed in his customary cheery way that usually proved so
+catching, and made him so many friends.
+
+"Well, I should say not, my friend," he hastened to assure the other.
+"This is the regular uniform of the Boy Scouts. Have you ever heard of
+the scouts, and would you like me to tell you some interesting things
+about them?"
+
+The boy looked him all over again, and when he saw what a frank and
+engaging face Elmer had, he seemed to make up his mind that really he
+ought to have no fear from so friendly a boy.
+
+"Yes, I would, if you didn't mind telling me," he went on to say. "Once,
+a year or so ago, mother took me to a town to have my teeth looked
+over--I've got better clothes than these at the cabin, you know--and
+while we were there I saw a boy dressed like you are. He had a drum, and
+was beating it ever so hard, making music that nearly killed me, it was
+so terrible. But I didn't know he was a scout. So I'd like to hear about
+them, if you don't mind."
+
+Accordingly, Elmer sat down on a convenient log, it being a part of the
+very same tree the stump of which the boy had utilized as his rostrum,
+when playing his sad airs to an imaginary audience.
+
+"Come and sit beside me, please," he went on to say, encouragingly; "and
+first, before I start talking, I ought to introduce myself. My name is
+Elmer Chenowith, and I live in the town of Hickory Ridge. Would you mind
+telling me your name, because, you see, it's rather awkward for two boys
+to chat without knowing how to speak to each other."
+
+"I'm Conrad!" the boy said simply, as he took the designated seat, and
+carefully placed his precious violin on the ground beside him.
+
+"Conrad Shock?" continued Elmer, at which the boy shut his teeth hard,
+and then almost defiantly said:
+
+"Yes, and Jem Shock is my father, too, if you want to know it!"
+
+"That's all right, Conrad," the other told him. "I have heard a lot
+about Jem, but I don't believe much of what is told me. Besides, it's
+none of my business, and I don't mean to meddle with anybody else's
+affairs. Now I want to be friends with you. I must hear about your gift
+of playing, because you have got it without a question. After I've told
+you all about scouts, and what they aim to do in the world, I hope
+you'll tell me about yourself, Conrad."
+
+"Perhaps I will, Elmer," the other replied, calmly.
+
+So once again the story of scout craft was told in simple language. The
+boy hung upon every word as though he felt the keenest interest in all
+he heard. And never could there have been a more zealous narrator than
+the leader of the Wolf Patrol; for Elmer's heart was wrapped up in his
+present calling as typified in the khaki, and he fairly fascinated his
+young auditor by relating how the scouts took upon themselves so many
+uplifting resolutions; how they learned new things every day by
+observing, and remembering what they saw and heard; also how the
+movement was widening in its scope continually until even the Government
+at Washington had taken notice of its beneficial effect upon the youth
+of the land, and was at last legislating in behalf of the organization.
+
+"And now," he said in conclusion, "you understand who and what we are. I
+have four chums along with me, two of them new beginners whom we call
+tenderfeet, because they know so little about the great book of Nature,
+and have so much to learn. We came up here, partly to camp out and enjoy
+ourselves as scouts always do when they get the chance. Then it happens
+that the father of one of the boys has bought a big tract of land around
+Raccoon Bluff, and his son wanted to survey it over, not being satisfied
+with the original work. We chanced to see your father while we were on
+the road, and told him this, but I'm afraid he didn't wholly believe us;
+but, Conrad, I give you my word of honor as a scout that we haven't the
+least idea of spying on him, or doing him any harm. Do you believe me?"
+
+The boy looked him in the eye, and doubtless soul spoke to soul in that
+exchange of looks, for he presently said, slowly but positively:
+
+"Yes, you could never tell a lie if you wanted to, Elmer. And I'm going
+to tell you that my father has been acting queer ever since he met you
+boys on the road. I don't know what ails him, but I heard him saying a
+name over and over again, and looking ever so black."
+
+"What was the name; can you tell me, Conrad?"
+
+"It was a funny one--Snodgrass," the boy replied, and Elmer shivered
+when he heard him say this, for it came to him like a flash that
+possibly Jem Shock might have some reason to think of that name with
+anything but pleasant memories.
+
+"That is the name of the new boy whose father owns this property up
+here," he admitted; "but he came from some other section of the country,
+and has only been in our town a few months. Tell me about your mother,
+for you say she showed you how to hold the bow. Did she used to play the
+violin herself long ago?"
+
+"Oh! no, it was her father, the celebrated player, Ovid Anderson. He is
+long since dead, you know. And this was his violin, too, with which he
+used to charm so many thousands of people. My mother has often told me
+how they would take him on their shoulders and march up the street
+shouting that he was the greatest player in all the wide world. And some
+day I mean to be his equal; I feel it in here," and as the boy said this
+most solemnly, he placed a hand on his bosom, where his heart beat most
+tumultuously, and called upon him for deeds worthy of the name his
+ancestor had made famous.
+
+For Elmer had himself heard that name of Ovid Anderson. He remembered
+that the player, long since dead, had been a Swedish violinist of
+international reputation. How it came that his daughter should ever mate
+with a man like Jem Shock, and be lost to the world in this wilderness,
+was a puzzle too much for Elmer to understand.
+
+But he hoped that all in good time he might find the explanation; for
+now that he had made the acquaintance of Conrad he was more determined
+than ever to meet that mother, even if in doing so he had to run the
+gauntlet of Jem Shock's anger.
+
+But Conrad was showing evidences now of a desire to depart. Elmer would
+have liked to ask to accompany him to his cabin home, but he hesitated.
+Still he meant to pave the way to a future meeting, and then it might be
+time to ask to meet the boy's mother.
+
+"Our camp is up on the bluff, where the road runs. You can see the smoke
+of our fire, and perhaps the tent under the trees, if you look that way.
+And we'd be glad to have you and your mother, yes, and Jem Shock, too,
+visit us any time, Conrad, if you felt inclined that way. Do you often
+come here to play the things that you feel in your soul?"
+
+"Every morning when it isn't raining, and then the day is very long to
+me, for I believe I would die if it wasn't for the music," the boy
+hurriedly replied. "But I want to thank you for saying what you did
+about my father. I know people all say he is a terribly bad man, that he
+gets drunk, and beats us; but it's a whole pack of lies, that's what it
+is. He never drinks a drop. He seems to hold a grudge against the whole
+world for something that happened a while ago, but he is good to my
+mother, and he loves me, he says, like the apple of his eye."
+
+"I'm mighty glad to hear that, Conrad, sure I am!" exclaimed Elmer.
+"Lots of times people are given bad names when they don't deserve them
+one whit. I made up my mind that I wanted to know your father, and some
+day I mean to drop in at your cabin and introduce myself. Yes, and
+tomorrow I'll be coming over here again as sure as anything, to listen
+to you play some more. Some day you will get your chance to take lessons
+from some big professor, who will fit you for taking the place your
+famous grandfather filled. And perhaps I may be able to start the ball
+rolling; you wait and see."
+
+Conrad turned white with the wild hope that surged through his ambitious
+young heart. He wrung Elmer's hand eagerly as he said goodbye. The
+scout leader watched him going on through the aisles of the forest, and
+noticed that his course took him directly toward the place where the
+smoke came from.
+
+Fully satisfied with the adventure of the morning, and filled with a
+growing ambition to be the one to interest music-loving friends in the
+wonderful genius of the great Ovid Anderson's grandson, Elmer turned in
+his tracks, and commenced to head for the camp.
+
+"I never dreamed of such a thing happening to me, when I consented to
+come up here and help Rufus make his new survey," he was telling
+himself, as he walked on, never forgetting to note his surroundings, as
+a true woodsman always must, no matter what his mind may be occupied
+with. "And wouldn't it be a great thing, though, if we did manage to get
+that boy's mother to bring him down to town, so the folks who love music
+could only hear him play. Why, they'd go crazy over him, I'm sure, and
+the rest would be as easy as falling off a log."
+
+Somehow Elmer failed to pay as much attention to animated nature around
+him on his return trip as he had when going out; but then that was not
+to be wondered at. He had really run across a most remarkable thing; and
+it crowded most other matters out of his mind.
+
+When he reached camp, he found George still "up to his eyes" in work,
+and enjoying every minute of the morning. The fixing up of camp was such
+a pleasure to him that for the time being he seemed transformed into a
+real sociable fellow, quite different from his usual complaining self.
+
+Elmer told him of his adventure, and George was mildly interested. He
+did not happen to be much of a lover of music himself, and perhaps
+thought Elmer might be overestimating the ability of a boy player.
+
+"Oh! there are plenty such cropping up from time to time, I reckon," he
+remarked, scornfully; "but they seldom amount to a row of beans. You
+thought this little chap was some punkins just because you happened to
+hear him amidst peculiar surroundings. Now, the chances are when you
+listen to him in a concert hall you'll be bitterly disappointed in his
+genius, as you like to call it."
+
+"You're jumping at conclusions too fast, as usual, George," the scout
+leader told the objector. "In the first place, Conrad will never be
+heard on the concert stage while he is as green as he is along the lines
+of musical culture. He will show what is in him to genuine critics, and
+then if they prove as wild over him as I believe they are bound to be,
+he'll be put under the charge of the best teacher in New York City, to
+begin along the proper lines."
+
+As George was so busily employed, and Elmer had nothing else to do, he
+started getting lunch ready later on. There was an abundance of material
+to choose from, and it was really a pleasure to make the selection. So
+presently savory odors began to arise in the vicinity, that, when wafted
+to the olfactories of the three boys coming wearily back over their
+morning trail would be sure to hasten their footsteps.
+
+It was easy to see that Rufus had made more or less progress along the
+lines of carrying out his plans for checking up the previous survey.
+
+"Of course it's a whole lot too soon," he told Elmer, when he came into
+camp and threw himself down to rest, "to say that the job was pretty
+much of a bungle; but I'm beginning to believe that same. And before two
+suns have set I'll have the figures to prove it, too."
+
+"What object do you suppose those civil engineers could have had in
+rushing it all through, and doing a rotten job in the bargain?" demanded
+George. "Could it be possible there was some crooked work back of the
+survey, and that they took a money bribe to falsify the figures? In
+other words, has your respected dad been stung when buying some square
+miles of ground up here along Raccoon Bluff?"
+
+"Oh! I'm hardly prepared to go as far as that," said Rufus, hastily.
+"I'd be more inclined to believe that the men who came up here just
+slouched at their work and failed to do what they should. They made a
+slash three-quarters of the way back in one place, we found, and then
+probably guessed the rest. It's going to turn out a bad piece of work,
+and they'll hear from my dad, you can wager. The Snodgrass pluck and vim
+won't stand for such monkey shines one minute, as any person who knows
+my father can tell you."
+
+Elmer suddenly remembered how the lad with the flaxen hair had said that
+his father, Jem Shock, seemed to cherish a singular antipathy toward
+some one by the name of Snodgrass; and that ever since meeting them on
+the road, he had kept repeating it to himself, and frowning as though
+furious. He wondered again whether that rich father of Rufus could at
+some time in the past have wronged the same Jem in a real estate deal.
+It would be very unfortunate if such proved to be the case; and might
+spoil some of the plans he, Elmer, had been building up, connected with
+the wonderful boy musician.
+
+Later on, while they were discussing the lunch, he started in and told
+Lil Artha, Rufus and Alec what he had run across. All of them were
+greatly interested; but the scout-master, for reasons of his own, failed
+to mention that the man who was called a "poacher," and who had somehow
+gained the name of a bad man, seemed to hold hard feelings against a
+Snodgrass.
+
+Rufus was loud in his desire to help the "cause" along.
+
+"If ever you can coax these woods people to let the boy come to town,
+Elmer," he went on to say loftily, though also with considerable
+feeling, "I'll promise to interest my folks in him. And my father thinks
+a lot of anybody who has musical talent. I know he took a heap of
+pleasure in helping to send one young lady to Europe to complete her
+voice culture; she's now singing in opera, and thinks she owes
+considerable of her dazzling success to what he did for her. She's often
+been at our house when we lived nearer New York."
+
+"That sounds good to me, Rufus," Elmer told him; "and if the opening
+comes I may call on you to redeem your promise."
+
+At the same time, Elmer wondered whether it might not be the irony of
+fate if the same man who had helped "down" the father, were to stretch
+out a helping hand to the son. He also figured that Jem Shock would
+indignantly refuse to accept any aid from that source. But then the
+whole thing was wrapped in mystery; and Elmer, like a wise boy, decided
+that it would be foolish to try to figure things out until he had a
+better grip on the conditions.
+
+After lunch, the surveying party, considerably refreshed by their meal,
+and the hour of loafing about the camp, went off again to take up the
+work where they had dropped it. George, too, had found some other things
+which he might as well do while his hand was in; and so Elmer had to
+cast around him for some means of passing the long afternoon away.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A PERIL THAT LAY IN WAIT
+
+
+IT was an hour and more after the surveying party had trooped forth,
+bearing their paraphernalia for a good afternoon's work, when Elmer
+happened to remember something. He was himself getting ready to take
+another tramp, though in a different direction than his morning stroll
+took him.
+
+"Seems to me, George," he remarked, casually, "I've heard you say you
+liked honey pretty well?"
+
+George stopped fretting over what he was doing, and licked his lips at
+the mere mention of the word "honey."
+
+"Finest stuff that ever was made; that is, when you get the real
+article, and none of that sugar-water imitation some bee-keepers put on
+the market nowadays, which tastes as insipid as mucilage. Yum! yum!
+makes my mouth water when I think of all the good times I used to have
+when we kept bees. But father had the misfortune to upset a hive, and
+got so badly stung that he bundled the lot off at a bargain price to an
+old farmer. But what makes you speak of it now, Elmer? Just to
+tantalize me, because that was one of the things I had Rufus put on his
+list and he forgot to get, worse luck."
+
+"Oh! I only wanted to say that perhaps we may find a chance while we're
+up here to lay in a store of luscious honey, if we have half-way good
+luck, George."
+
+"Does that farmer keep bees, and do you mean some of us can take a run
+back to his place to buy a bucket of comb?" asked George, eagerly.
+
+"Better than that," chuckled Elmer. "I've noticed a great many wild bees
+working in the flowers, and I think I can track them to their woods
+hive. Once we find where they hold out, it won't be hard to chop the
+tree down, and take our fill of the newest stores."
+
+"A splendid idea, Elmer, I give you my word if it isn't!" cried the
+other, looking greatly pleased. "It certainly takes you to think up fine
+things. And when you start to follow the honey-makers home, please let
+me go along. I've always wanted to see how that dodge is worked."
+
+"We'll all be on deck," the scout-master assured him; "for above
+everything else I want the tenderfoot squad to learn a practical lesson
+on how easy it is for an experienced woodsman to find his bread and
+butter and sweets by using his brains instead of hard cash. But we'll
+lay our plans tonight while we sit around the fire."
+
+"Off for another tramp now, are you, Elmer?" George continued, as he saw
+the other pick up his handy stick again.
+
+"Well, yes; I don't like to waste such a glorious day; and there's
+really nothing for me to do around camp, since you've taken the run of
+things in your hands."
+
+"Going off to see that wonderful child fiddler again. I suppose, Elmer?"
+
+"You guessed wrong that time, George, because I've laid out to follow
+after our civil engineering party, and see how Rufus is getting on with
+his work. He certainly is in love with it; and his father will be unwise
+if he doesn't encourage the boy in every way possible. I tell you, a
+host of fellows have made failures of their lives because their parents
+insisted on their taking up some profession they hated."
+
+"Just so, Elmer," chirped George, "a case of round pegs in square holes,
+so to speak. And when I get to the point of choosing what I want to be
+as a man, I hope my folks won't force me to go contrary to my liking."
+
+Knowing George's stubborn qualities, Elmer could easily guess that the
+Robbins tribe would have a pretty hard task of it bending _him_ to their
+will. However, he did not say this, not wishing to either offend George
+or arouse his argumentative powers, but started forth on his tramp.
+
+"'Course you'll just keep an eye on their trail, won't you, Elmer?" the
+camp-guardian called out after him.
+
+"It would be silly to try any other way, George," he was told.
+
+So Elmer went on. The tracks left by the three surveyors could hardly
+have been overlooked, even by the veriest greenhorn at trailing, for
+they had none of them made the least attempt to hide their footprints.
+So Elmer had an easy task of it, and indeed could employ his extra time
+in observing many things around him.
+
+He saw the mother rabbit start out of the bunch of grass where doubtless
+her offspring lay hidden, and with halting steps act as though badly
+injured. Elmer laughed, and clapped his hands as though in keen
+appreciation for her cleverness.
+
+"The same old trick birds and small animals always play when they want
+to lure a trespasser away from their nest," he told himself; "by
+endangering themselves in the desire to save their young. She coaxes me
+to rush after her, so as to wean me away from her brood. If I started
+she'd go off a little farther, and then stop once more to coax me on
+again. I've seen a hen partridge do the same thing, fluttering along the
+ground as if with a broken wing. Now just for fun let's see if I'm not
+right."
+
+He had carefully noted the exact spot where the mother rabbit first
+appeared, and stepping over that way parted the tall grass. Instantly
+there was a hurried scurrying, as a number of small but nimble
+half-grown rabbits darted this way and that, as if greatly frightened.
+
+"Don't kill yourselves trying to escape, little bunnies," said Elmer,
+greatly amused; "because I wouldn't harm a single hair of your pretty
+bodies. But I tell you the thousand-and-one lessons that a fellow can
+learn from Nature's big book ought to be enough to make every boy want
+to become a scout, and take up the study of outdoor life. There's
+something fresh and new every day one lives."
+
+By then the devoted mother rabbit had vanished, doubtless filled with
+consternation over the dispersal of her brood, which she would have to
+call together in some fashion of her own. So Elmer walked on, observing
+many other interesting things as he proceeded, for his eyes were ever on
+the alert when he went into the woods and cruised on the waters.
+
+He guessed that he must be gradually drawing up on his three chums, for
+occasionally he caught the sound of a halloo, as though there might be
+an exchange of signals between Rufus and his stakeman, who went on ahead
+to assist him. Lil Artha probably prowled along near by, seeing things
+for himself, and with not a great deal of interest in the prosaic
+operations of the surveyors.
+
+Suddenly Elmer heard loud excited voices. He believed be caught the
+voice of Lil Artha saying, "Steady, Rufus, don't move on your
+life--steady, boy!"
+
+Then came a loud report. Elmer knew that it was the discharge of the
+lanky scout's gun. He was already plunging forward as fast as he could
+go when this sound came to his startled ears. The others were close by,
+for he could now hear their excited voices.
+
+A minute later, and Elmer, still on the full run, burst through a
+thicket, and discovered the three boys. Lil Artha had his gun half
+raised to his shoulder, as if doubtful whether the newcomer would prove
+to be a friend or an enemy; and with true scout preparedness not meaning
+to be taken off his guard. But on sighting Elmer, of course he lowered
+his weapon.
+
+Rufus was standing there, looking as "white as a ghost," and trembling
+as if he had the ague. Alec grasped his small ax, and seemed quite ready
+to use the same. Something twisted and squirmed upon the ground, and as
+Elmer looked, his horrified gaze made out an enormous rattlesnake that
+seemed to have part of its head shot away. The chilling sound of its
+rattles was what Elmer had thought to be the "chill" of a buzzing locust
+upon some neighboring tree.
+
+In another moment Elmer was alongside Rufus.
+
+"Don't tell me the thing struck you, Rufus?" he ejaculated, himself pale
+with apprehension.
+
+"It's all right, Elmer," said Lil Artha, soothingly. "Nobody hurt the
+least mite, I give you my word. But if Rufus hadn't had the good sense
+to stand still when I called out, I really believe the critter would
+have struck at him. And it was close enough to make a hit, too."
+
+"I don't deserve any credit, fellows, indeed I don't!" said Rufus,
+truthfully. "I was so scared that I seemed frozen stiff. Why, I couldn't
+have moved hand or foot for all the money in the world. Guess that's
+what they mean when they say a rattler charms people."
+
+"It may be so," Lil Artha went on to say, "but I've known one to get
+birds to flutter within reach, just as if there was something magical in
+the whirr of that buzz rattle at the end of its tail. After all, I guess
+it was lucky that I _did_ conclude to fetch my gun along this afternoon.
+The boys were laughing at me in the morning for lugging it when I didn't
+mean to fire a shot at any game. But say, a measly rattler hasn't any
+close season; he's a fit object for business, summer or fall."
+
+"You made a cracking fine shot, Lil Artha," commented Elmer, after
+stepping closer to observe the result of the other's quick aim.
+
+"Oh! middling, middling, partner," chuckled the tall scout, modestly; "I
+oughtn't to be proud of it; but then I own up I was some rattled for
+fear Rufus would move, and make the snake shoot forward with that poised
+flat head of his. But I stopped his fun all right, which ought to be
+enough for me."
+
+"But how d'ye suppose I missed the fearsome de-il?" asked Alec,
+wonderingly.
+
+"Oh! I happened to step aside while getting my bearings for that last
+sight," explained the trembling Rufus, "and must have drawn too near
+where the viper was coiled up for defense. First thing I knew was
+hearing what I took to be the whirr of a locust. Then I looked down and
+saw it! After that I seemed to turn to ice. I heard Lil Artha coming,
+and afterwards he said something. When he fired I nearly fell over,
+thinking I had been shot. Oh! I'll never forget my sensations; and after
+this I'm going to keep on the lookout all the time for snakes."
+
+"It pays to be on the watch," assented Elmer. "The fellow who keeps his
+eyes about him in the woods is doubly armed. We must drag it back with
+us, and show George. He said he didn't believe there was any truth in
+that farmer's story about rattlesnakes up here. We'll have to show him."
+
+"But, Elmer, supposing it had given me a crack, would I have had to die?
+Is there any remedy for a rattlesnake's poison?" asked Rufus.
+
+"Oh! we'd have pulled you through all right, depend on it, Rufus," said
+Lil Artha, taking it upon himself to answer the question. "I'd have
+sucked the wound in the first place, making sure that I had no scratch
+or abrasion about my mouth so that I couldn't be infected by the poison
+that I ejected. Then Elmer here, who is a pretty good surgeon when it
+comes right down to brass tacks, would have cut into the wound, and
+afterwards, when it had bled freely, he'd apply some stuff he always
+carries with him to neutralize the poison. Some people give whiskey, and
+perhaps it does help; but science and medicine have found a better
+remedy."
+
+"Then why are there so many fatal cases of snake bites?" asked Rufus,
+determined to find out all he could on the subject.
+
+"Well, most of them are neglected too long," Elmer told him. "The person
+who has been struck may be alone at the time; or if he has companions,
+they become panic-stricken, and only think of hurrying the poor chap to
+the nearest doctor as fast as they can. That's nearly always the worst
+thing they could do, for in the time it takes, the deadly poison has had
+a chance to circulate through the blood, and all the doctors going
+couldn't save the patient."
+
+"That's where first aid to the injured comes in with the scouts," said
+Lil Artha, proudly. "All boys who wear the khaki are instructed how to
+act in order to save human life by prompt measures, whether it is in
+case of near-drowning, snake bite, injury by cutting an artery with an
+ax, swallowing some poisonous toadstool in place of delicious
+mushrooms, and a dozen other things too numerous to mention. You'll
+learn all about it in good time, Rufus."
+
+"I mean to, Lil Artha, depend on it," the other assured him earnestly.
+"I give you my solemn word here and now that I'll begin right away. I
+never want to be taken unawares again, so that I feel as helpless as a
+kitten. I'm going to be aimed and equipped with the book of knowledge. I
+can see that it pays compound interest for all your time and trouble."
+
+"Now I'm delighted to hear you say that, Rufus," Lil Artha told him;
+"and I promise to instruct you at the first opportunity; Alec, too, if
+he is so minded."
+
+"I am verra curious aboot it, and ye can count on me being a listener
+whenever ye begin the lessons. Aye! it would hae been peetiful if Rufus
+had been struck. I'd hae sucked his wound with ye, Lil Artha, or done
+anything else ye asked."
+
+Rufus laid a hand on the Scotch boy's shoulder fondly.
+
+"I'm sure you would, Sandy," he went on to say, for sometimes he used
+that name in speaking to his comrade, though always with affection. "But
+after that fright I guess I'm done working for today. Let's go back to
+camp."
+
+No one raised any objections, so they prepared to return. Lil Artha
+managed to fasten a strong cord to the tail of the rattlesnake, which
+Alec said he would drag after him. The long-legged scout had already
+shown the two tenderfeet the cruel looking curved fangs in the partly
+shattered head, as well as the sickly, green-hued poison that could be
+pressed from the sack by using a stick on a certain part of the said
+head. They had been greatly impressed, and likewise shocked to realize
+what a narrow escape both of them had had from near-death.
+
+All the way back the talk was of the hidden perils that lie in wait for
+unsuspecting passersby in the woods. This ranged from wildcats to
+rattlesnakes and adders and scorpions. Lil Artha seemed to be a "walking
+encyclopedia" of knowledge along these lines; part of this he had picked
+up through personal experience, and the rest came through extensive
+reading, or hearing others tell about it. A scout may find scores of
+ways for learning useful things, if only he cares to bother about doing
+it.
+
+Later on they approached the camp.
+
+George, who had managed to get through with his numerous odd jobs and
+was resting, seemed surprised, to have them come back so soon.
+
+"Huh! guess you got tired of the job quicker'n you expected, Rufus!" he
+called out lazily from his seat on the soft moss under a tree. "All work
+and no play makes Jack a dull boy, they say. But what in the dickens is
+that you're dragging along after you, Alec? Great Scott! a rattler!"
+
+George scrambled to his feet, filled with excitement. His eyes stared at
+the four-foot reptile, which still showed signs of life; and Lil Artha
+had assured Alec its tail would continue to jerk until sundown, even
+though its head be cut clean off.
+
+"I hope it didn't strike any of you fellows?" George went on to add with
+a vein of fright in his voice.
+
+The story was quickly told, and the convinced George had to measure the
+reptile with his tape line, finding it only an inch or two short of four
+feet.
+
+"As big a rattler as I ever saw," Elmer told them. "They have them five
+feet long down in Florida, I understand, those diamond-back fellows; but
+as I haven't been there I can't say anything about it. For a Northern
+snake this one is certainly a whopper."
+
+"Lil Artha has promised to get the rattle for me," remarked Alec. "Rufus
+had the first choice, but man, he said he'd never sleep easy nichts if
+he had it hangin' on the wall of his room at home, thinking about his
+narrow escape. But it's a verra curious thing to me, and I don't care a
+bawbee about the sound. It wasn't _my_ ox that was gored, ye ken."
+
+George was acting now in something of a mysterious manner. Elmer noticed
+this and was looking at the camp-keeper out of the tail of his eye, as
+though trying to guess what was in the wind. He felt certain that
+George had a secret of some kind or other, which he was holding back,
+just for the satisfaction it gave him.
+
+Lil Artha was an observing chap, as we happen to know; and before long
+he too noticed the same thing. This, however, was after he had seen
+Elmer observing George closely, with a line across his forehead that
+told of a puzzled mind.
+
+The tall scout was not the one to bother himself about trying to solve a
+thing when there was a short cut to the answer. He believed that the
+best way to get at the meat in a cocoanut was to smash the shell.
+
+"Here, what's brewing with you, George?" he suddenly demanded, facing
+the other.
+
+George grinned, and then hastened to say:
+
+"What makes you ask that, Lil Artha?"
+
+"Because I know right well you've got something of a surprise up your
+sleeve, and you're aching to spring it on us. What have you been doing
+since we left camp? Now don't you squirm, and try to keep us in the
+dark. Own up, George, and tell us."
+
+So George, seeing there was no escape, apparently, determined to let the
+"cat out of the bag."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE STRANGE MESSAGE JEM LEFT
+
+
+"WELL, we've had a visitor in camp since you fellows all went away!"
+George confessed.
+
+Of course every one was interested. Lil Artha seemed to immediately jump
+to the conclusion that the guest must have been a four-footed one.
+
+"Bet you now, it was a measly wildcat," he hastened to exclaim. "It's
+too bad a fellow with a gun can't be in two places at the same time. I
+was needed out with the tenderfoot squad; and seems like I could have
+been made useful here at home. Did the varmint get away with any of our
+grub, George?"
+
+The camp defender grinned as though amused.
+
+"Go a bit slow, Lil Artha, can't you?" he complained, petulantly. "Don't
+rush as if you knew it all. Nobody said the visitor was going on four
+feet, did they? Why, it happened to be a biped, a man!"
+
+"Then it was Jem Shock!" ventured Elmer, quickly, as though he had half
+guessed the answer before then.
+
+"Just who it was," agreed George, nodding his head in the affirmative,
+and looking very important.
+
+"What did he want?" demanded Lil Artha.
+
+"Hold your horses!" continued Elmer; "don't keep jumping at conclusions
+so fast. In the first place, remember that we invited Jem to drop in on
+us any time he was near our camp. The invitation didn't seem to give him
+much joy, but later on he may have concluded to make a call. Now tell us
+what he said, and how he looked, George."
+
+"Oh! he carried that gun of his just as we saw him before," the other
+explained. "And he certainly looked pretty savage, in the bargain."
+
+"Savage?" echoed Rufus, "why should he act that way? Possibly because my
+father owns about all this property up here. Perhaps Jem believes he may
+be dispossessed of his cabin. I've heard that squatters always do get to
+thinking they own the land they build on, as if possession gave them a
+quit claim deed."
+
+"Well," continued George, steadily, and keeping his eye fixed on Rufus,
+"to tell the honest truth, he seemed most of all interested about _you_,
+Rufus."
+
+"Oh! is that so?" sneered the other; "well, that's just about in line
+with what I was telling you. He knows the name of Snodgrass,
+apparently."
+
+"I guessed he did from the way he acted after I'd told him about your
+father," George went on to say.
+
+"Now, what could you have to say about my dad?" snapped the touchy
+Rufus.
+
+"Well, Jem asked me first of all if one of the boys in camp was a
+Snodgrass, and of course I told him yes," George explained. "Then he
+asked me if I knew what your father's first name was. I told him I had
+heard it, but just then, somehow, it seemed to have slipped my memory.
+At that he up and asked me if it was Hiram."
+
+Rufus gave a little cry at hearing this.
+
+"It might be this man knew my father once on a time, or they may have
+had some business deal together; though that's hardly likely, because
+Jem Shock, poacher and farm laborer, would hardly be the one _my_ father
+would be friendly with."
+
+"I don't know anything about that," said George, swiftly; "but when I
+told him I remembered, on his mentioning it, that Hiram was your
+father's name, he gritted those big white teeth of his like everything,
+and his eyes certainly looked wicked enough to give a fellow a shiver."
+
+"But didn't he say anything to explain why he had come to the camp?"
+asked Lil Artha, deeply interested in the story.
+
+"He asked no favor, neither would he sit down and have a cup of coffee
+when I offered to make him one," George went on; "but he asked me to
+give you a message which he wanted you to carry to your father when you
+went home. He said: 'Tell that Snodgrass boy to say to his father that
+Jem Shock never will forgive the rank treachery that handed him over to
+a gang of sharpers in the land speculating business. And tell Hiram
+Snodgrass, too,' he went on, 'that he ought to thank his stars his son
+wasn't treated by Jem Shock as he deserved. Only for the prayers of a
+good woman in his cabin, and the influence of a sweet child, Jem Shock'd
+be tempted to do something wicked to wipe out the debt he owed your
+father.'"
+
+Rufus went white on hearing this. Then the color surged back to his
+cheeks and his eyes sparkled like twin fires.
+
+"It's all wrong, I'm sure it must be!" he cried, angrily. "I know my
+father better than most people do, and I'm as certain as I breathe that
+he wouldn't deliberately betray anybody who trusted in his word. There
+must be some terrible mistake about it, don't you see, fellows? I'll
+bring you face to face with my dad when I'm telling him about this, and
+you'll hear for yourselves what he says. But nothing can shake my
+confidence in his integrity; I've seen it tested too many times to doubt
+him now, just because this poacher fellow dares accuse him of wrong
+doing."
+
+It sounded very fine, this defense on the part of a loyal son, and Elmer
+could only admire Rufus for showing himself so faithful. At the same
+time, he knew real-estate dealers often have a peculiar code of morals,
+and frequently do things that others may not exactly approve of, salving
+their own consciences in some way. Elmer was a little afraid that Hiram
+Snodgrass might have been tempted to turn a client over to some
+combination of operators, some of whom were not just as scrupulous as an
+honest man would like to have them in his dealings.
+
+"Was that all he said, George?" asked Lil Artha, out of pity for Rufus,
+who appeared to be suffering acutely from mental pain.
+
+"Yes, and after delivering the message, he whirled around and walked
+away with the grand air of a lord of the realm," George explained.
+"Somehow, poacher that he may be, because he believes like a good many
+persons that wild game isn't the property of the State, there's
+something about Jem Shock that tells me he isn't a common dickey. He
+hates all human kind because his nature has been soured by some wrong
+he's endured, that's all."
+
+"Well, I'm going to find out what it all means, and as soon as I get the
+chance," Rufus asserted, between his set teeth. "If it was a mistake, it
+shall be righted. I tell you my father is too big a man to play mean
+toward anybody. But while we're up here nothing can be done. I wish I
+had a chance to ask this fellow what it's all about, so I could get the
+hang of things."
+
+"H'm! if I were you, Rufus," suggested wise George, "I'd go slow about
+showing myself to Jem Shock. He hates the sound of your name, and if you
+gave him half an excuse, why he might forget his good resolutions, and
+hurt you, with the idea of revenging himself on your dad. How about
+that, Elmer; is my logic sound?"
+
+"Yes, there's no use taking unnecessary risks," admitted the
+scout-master, "and common prudence demands that Rufus should keep away
+from Jem. Later on, if he does find that a terrible mistake has been
+made, it would be easy to come back up here and square things up with
+the poacher. But it certainly pleases me to know that the home influence
+is working on Jem's revengeful mind. If the mother is anything like that
+splendid little clear-eyed chap I don't wonder at it, either."
+
+Secretly, Elmer was more determined than ever to try and make the
+personal acquaintance of Conrad's mother, the daughter of that once
+famous Swedish violinist whose bow had thrilled countless thousands, and
+drawn genuine tears from their eyes.
+
+The subject was by common consent dropped then and there, though, of
+course, it would remain to agitate the mind of Rufus long afterwards.
+Indeed, the boy seemed to be unusually quiet during the balance of that
+afternoon, and even while they sat around the crackling camp-fire after
+supper had been disposed of.
+
+Elmer could guess the reason why. The tenderfoot had, in the first
+place, been under a most severe strain when he experienced that peril
+with the deadly snake. It would have an effect upon his nervous system
+for some little time; and possibly he might even awaken from sleep
+occasionally with a half-suppressed cry of horror, as though in his
+dreams he again saw that horrid reptile with its great coils, its flat
+square head drawn back for striking, and its tail elevated so that the
+monotonous danger signal at the tip could continue to buzz angrily.
+
+Then again the boy had taken that accusation on the part of the poacher
+quite to heart. It could be easily seen that he had a great affection
+for his father, even though it was his fond mother who had always given
+in to his whims, and come near utterly spoiling Rufus by her favors.
+
+"It galls him to have heard any one accuse his father of being a
+trickster," was what Elmer told himself, as he noticed the soberness of
+Rufus, while the others in the circle about the fire chattered away, and
+seemed to be enjoying themselves hugely.
+
+He had not changed his own plans a particle on account of hearing about
+the visit paid to the camp by Jem Shock. If anything, his resolution was
+stronger than ever to see more of Conrad, and perhaps meet his mother.
+
+All of them were pretty tired, and, of course, as the tenderfoot pair
+had secured so little sleep on the first night, it was likely they
+would soon be "dead to the world" after letting their heads fall on
+their crude pillows. These were made out of a slip filled with sweet
+hemlock browse stripped by hand fresh from the tree, and fragrant as
+could be, with the incense of the woods. This bosky odor in itself is
+said to be conducive to sound slumber; at least all who spend their
+vacations close to Nature's heart so affirm, and they should know.
+
+The night passed without any sort of alarm. Indeed, Alec and Rufus, once
+they got to sleep, knew next to nothing up to the time Lil Artha aroused
+them by beating on his frying-pan gong, as "the first call to
+breakfast."
+
+They were glad to see that again the weather favored them, since there
+were all the signs of a pleasant day ahead. Elmer, however, warned the
+new recruits not to be too optimistic, because after the warmth of the
+last few days, it was likely that some sort of storm might develop.
+
+It was arranged that George should change places with Lil Artha on this
+day, and accompany the two surveyors as a guard. The tall scout insisted
+on his carrying the gun along with him.
+
+"Of course you won't need it to shoot any deer you happen to scare up,
+George," the owner went on to tell him, "but, as we saw yesterday, there
+may crop up conditions that make the having of a shooting-iron mighty
+handy. You may not need a gun at all, but if you do you want it right
+there."
+
+Lil Artha possibly had something in mind which he wanted to do while
+left behind. He kept his own counsel, however, and Elmer, knowing that
+the tall scout was to be thoroughly trusted, did not ask questions.
+
+So along about nine in the morning, when he thought it likely he would
+be apt to find Conrad seated in his favorite nook and playing some of
+his dreamy airs, all of them creations of his own brain, Elmer started
+forth. Lil Artha of course could easily surmise from the direction he
+took that he meant to look the boy up again, but immersed in his own
+affairs, he said nothing, only waved a cheery goodbye after the other.
+
+So Elmer strode along, and this time he paid a little less attention to
+the many interesting things that cropped up on this side or that, for
+his thoughts were mostly concerned with Conrad, and his quaint thrilling
+music, which he yearned to hear again.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A CABIN IN THE CLEARING
+
+
+AS the scout-master found himself drawing near the spot where he had had
+his former interesting meeting with little Conrad, he listened with
+eagerness to catch the first faint notes from the quavering strings of
+the wonderful violin that had once been in the possession of Ovid
+Anderson.
+
+"I'm no judge of such instruments myself," Elmer had told his chums when
+speaking of the matter, "but I expect that violin must be a valuable
+piece of polished wood. It certainly had an extra sweet singing tone to
+me, and seemed to just _talk_ as the boy drew his bow over the strings.
+I wouldn't be surprised now if it turned out to be a Stradivarius or a
+Cremona, which I understand represent the finest makes of violins known
+to the profession."
+
+When George seemed inclined to scoff at the idea, since such an
+instrument was likely to be worth thousands of dollars, and would have
+been sold long ago to get common necessities, Elmer had also told him
+that perhaps the daughter of the famous player would have parted with
+her soul before allowing that remembrance of her father leave her house.
+
+Then Elmer caught the first faint sound of music. It thrilled him as he
+continued to hurry forward, and the sounds became stronger. Yes, and
+sure enough, there was lacking now some of that sadness he had detected
+in the playing of Conrad on the preceding day. Doubtless hope filled the
+aspiring heart of the lad. His talk with his mother may have given him
+new zeal, and the rainbow of promise was arching his heaven even then as
+he played, and waited for his new friend to appear.
+
+"That sounds more like it," Elmer told himself, "and shows what a
+creature of circumstances a genius must always be. Even this child makes
+the music he finds in his own soul. But it's sweeter by far than what he
+played yesterday, for there is the breath of hope and promise in every
+note."
+
+He soon came in sight of the familiar stump, and found the lad curled up
+there as before, with his violin tucked under his chin; just as though
+he might be to the manner born, while his deft right hand wielded the
+bow so tenderly that the daintiest sort of sound came forth at his
+command.
+
+But he was watching at the same time, and no sooner did Elmer appear
+than the playing abruptly ceased, while the boy came running to meet
+him. Elmer then felt sorry that he had not remained in concealment a
+while longer, so that he might have enjoyed more of that crude but
+appealing music.
+
+"Oh! I'm glad to see you again, Elmer!" exclaimed the boy, as he held
+out his hand, which the other did not attempt to squeeze too roughly,
+for he remembered that those little digits had to retain their
+sensitiveness to a remarkable degree in order to coax persuasive notes
+to come forth.
+
+"But before we do any talking," said Elmer, "you must let me hear you
+play again. I notice that you are in a more joyous mood today, for it
+shows in your music. Please sit on your stump again, Conrad, and humor
+me for a while. Afterwards we can have a nice long chat; and I'm meaning
+to ask a great favor of you later."
+
+The boy's eyes flashed with genuine pleasure. It was evidently a treat
+for him to have an audience besides the squirrels and rabbits, with
+perhaps a curious old red fox that, prowling around in search of a
+dinner, may have stopped to investigate the origin of those queer
+squeaks and twirls, and those sobbing notes, so like a hen partridge
+clucking to her brood.
+
+For possibly ten minutes or so he played with scarcely any intermission.
+Elmer thought he could never tire of drinking in the sweet combinations
+of sounds which that deft little hand tempted from the five strings of
+the violin. It seemed as though the spirit of the old virtuoso must
+haunt the sacred instrument, and give forth some of his choicest chords
+through the medium of his descendant, heir to his undoubted genius.
+
+And it also seemed as though the lad's power to delineate the sounds
+that appealed to him from the woods and waters was unlimited, for he
+seldom repeated as he went on, making up astonishing strain after
+strain.
+
+Elmer was more than satisfied now his first impression had not been
+wrong. He felt doubly convinced that all this lad needed to develop into
+one of the greatest players the world had ever known was the directing
+hand of a master, who could guide him past the rocks on which his young
+talent might be wrecked if not taken in time.
+
+"Now, that is enough for today," said Conrad, suddenly allowing his hand
+holding the bow to drop; "I never try to play when something inside
+tells me to stop. And I'm eager to tell you something good. My mother
+wants to meet you, Elmer."
+
+This intelligence caused the scout-master to smile with pleasure.
+
+"Why," he exclaimed eagerly, "do you know, that was the favor I meant
+when I said I wanted to ask you something. I have been wishing I could
+meet the mother of my new little friend; for I am sure she must be a
+remarkable woman."
+
+"So she is," stoutly asserted Conrad, faithful little soul; "and the
+best mother there ever could be. All I know she has taught me, for, you
+see, she used to be a school teacher once, after grandfather died, and
+the money was lost."
+
+"You told her about me, then?" asked Elmer.
+
+"Why, of course; I tell her everything that happens to me!" Conrad
+declared, simply. "I couldn't have a secret from my mother, could I? And
+you ought to have seen how her eyes sparkled when she heard what you
+said about seeing I had a chance to learn the many things I ought to
+know about using a violin properly. Why, Elmer, I guess it must have
+been the wish of her heart, that some one would come along and say that;
+because she took me in her arms and hugged me, yes, and she cried some,
+too, I know she did, for I felt hot tears on my cheek; but then it must
+have been because she was so happy, for she laughed ever so hard right
+afterwards."
+
+Elmer himself was deeply affected. He could picture that loving mother,
+possessed of the knowledge that the fires of genius burned in the soul
+of her child, and each night praying that in due time the opportunity
+might come for that to be developed into a glorious flame; and how
+overcome she might be on realizing that the one great wish of her whole
+life seemed about to be realized.
+
+They talked on for quite a long while. Conrad with a child's natural
+curiosity asked many questions about the outside world, of which he had
+seen so little of recent years, since his father seemed to want to get
+away from all mankind. Elmer told him many things that excited his
+interest. Then finally he mentioned the fact that time was passing, and
+before a great while he would have to think of returning to his chums at
+the camp.
+
+"I'd like very much to meet your good mother before I go back, Conrad,"
+he suggested, at which the lad seized his hand and began to lead him
+off.
+
+"So you shall," he remarked, briskly, "and I know she's waiting for me
+to fetch you over, because she told me to be sure and do so. You'll like
+my mother, Elmer, I know you will."
+
+Elmer could understand why a mother should be anxious to meet one who
+had made such a vast promise to her boy, and which might mean so much in
+shaping his destiny.
+
+"She wants to size me up," he told himself, with a satisfied smile, as
+he walked along at the side of the chattering boy; "she wants to see if
+I look like a vain boaster, or one she could trust. Well, I hope I don't
+disappoint her, that's all."
+
+Any one who knew Elmer Chenowith well could have assured that anxious
+mother she could place the most implicit trust in a boy built after his
+type; his word was as good as his bond any day in his home town; and
+that is where they know a boy best of all.
+
+Pretty soon they sighted a cabin through the trees. Smoke was coming
+from the chimney, made of slabs, and hard mud that had gained the
+consistency of cement by the drying process. Elmer smiled when he saw
+that it was of the same blue consistency as the thin column that had
+caught his attention on the preceding morning, and caused him to stroll
+that way later on. Yes, and he could catch the incense of burning
+hickory, than which there cannot be anything more delicious in the
+nostrils of a real fire-worshipper such as Elmer.
+
+Their coming must have been noticed, for quickly a form appeared in the
+open doorway. It was that of a small woman, evidently Conrad's mother,
+for the boy quickly waved his violin toward her, and called out
+joyously:
+
+"Here he is, mother; I've brought Elmer home with me to meet you, just
+as I promised I would!"
+
+She greeted the scout warmly, and asked him inside where it was cool,
+out of the sun. Elmer felt rather than saw her eyes fixed eagerly on his
+face. Apparently Conrad's mother must have been more than satisfied with
+what she saw there, for she looked very contented, and even happy.
+
+They were soon chatting as though the best of friends. Elmer told her
+about his home, and how he felt positive there were several well-to-do
+people in the town, lovers of good music, who would, if only they could
+hear Conrad play, be delighted to make up a generous purse and see that
+the grandson of so famous a man as Ovid Anderson was placed under the
+proper teacher in New York.
+
+He also told about the father of one of his comrades having sent a girl
+abroad to have her voice cultivated, and how after she came to sing in
+opera, and turned out to be a great star, she had insisted on returning
+every cent he had expended on her, so that he might pass it along to
+some other poor girl or boy who had the gift of music, without the
+opportunity to accomplish results through lack of means.
+
+Elmer was too wise to mention that name of Snodgrass when telling this;
+he feared that it might be too much like flaunting a red flag before a
+bull; for if Mrs. Shock shared Jem's antipathy for the Snodgrass clan,
+she would likely decline to let Conrad profit by such generosity.
+
+It was plain to be seen that what he said interested her greatly. She
+told him more or less of her hopes and fears concerning the prodigy over
+whose future such clouds of uncertainty hung. Elmer sympathized with
+her, too, and quite won her heart by his manner; but then that was not
+an unusual thing with the scout leader, who by Nature had been gifted
+with a winning way that gained him hosts of loyal friends.
+
+A little to the boy's surprise, too, she even ventured to speak of
+herself. Naturally she must have guessed that his curiosity would be
+aroused on finding the daughter of a famous man mated with one whom
+people deigned to look down on, and even shun, though, for that matter,
+Jem Shock wanted none of their society.
+
+"They do not know him as Conrad and I do," she went on, hastily, after
+introducing the subject of her own accord. "I first met him away up in
+the mountains. After my father died, and the property was taken from me
+through an error in his will, I taught school for some years to gain a
+living. Then, one fall when I was in the Adirondacks, it chanced that a
+dreadful forest fire swept down from every side. I was caught in the
+midst of it, and I had given up all hope of surviving; when _he_ came
+and took me up in his arms. Somehow I seemed to feel that all would be
+well. Oh! how strong he was, and how he braved every sort of peril in
+order to carry me safely through. It was then and there that my heart
+went out to him. And afterwards we were married. He has always been the
+same to me, tender and kind; though latterly his life has been soured
+through the treachery of one whom he trusted."
+
+She stopped there, sighed, and looked sad. Elmer would have liked very
+much to know how they came to be there near Raccoon Bluff, which, by a
+strange twist of Fate, had recently come into the possession of the very
+man against whom Jem Shock believed he had such a grievance. It was too
+delicate a subject, however, for him to attempt to handle; she must tell
+him, if at all, through her own volition, Elmer concluded.
+
+But somehow it did him good to hear such fine things said of the rough
+Jem; for it coincided with his belief that one cannot always tell from
+the exterior what may be within the shell. If only now Rufus could
+discover that it had all been a grievous mistake, and that his father
+would give anything to make amends for the unfortunate past, how
+delightful things would be.
+
+So Elmer, as he continued to talk with the little lady--for she was that
+in every sense, although her dress may have been of the cheapest
+material, and there was a painful lack of many comforts in her modest
+cabin home--came to know her as well as if he had met her long before.
+Glimpses of her life, her hopes and fears were constantly passing before
+his mental observation; and he was more than glad now that he had taken
+that notion to walk in the direction of the blue smoke wreaths eddying
+upward in the lazy morning air several miles distant.
+
+Conrad had put his beloved violin carefully away. It could be seen that
+his whole heart was tied up in that precious instrument. Elmer,
+remembering the dispute he had had with unbelieving George, asked about
+the violin, and whether it was really the former possession of the lad's
+famous grandfather.
+
+"Yes, that is true," she told him, sighing again. "He used it all of his
+last years of playing. It shared some of his most wonderful triumphs,
+and he loved it as the apple of his eye. It is a genuine Stradivarius
+instrument. I could have sold it for thousands of dollars, since it had
+once been his means of fascinating untold myriads of music lovers; but
+that would have killed me. It is all I have left to remember him by; and
+besides, something told me when Conrad came that he was destined to
+inherit the talent."
+
+Just then Elmer saw the boy spring down from his seat close beside his
+mother. At the same time he heard the sound of a heavy footfall, and
+guessed what that meant. Jem Shock was coming home. How would he greet
+one of the boys from the camp where that son of the man he had such
+cause for hating held forth? Elmer stood up. If he felt the least tremor
+in the region of his heart, he certainly gave no sign of this, for his
+face was wreathed in one of his most genial smiles as he waited for the
+poacher to appear.
+
+Then a form darkened the open doorway, and with a shout Conrad rushed
+forward, to be gathered up in the arms of Jem Shock, and held tight to
+his breast. And seeing this Elmer somehow could not doubt but that it
+was all bound to come out right in the end, no matter what clouds might
+drift across the sky meanwhile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+WHEN THE STORM BROKE
+
+
+WHEN Jem Shock discovered that he and his wife and boy were not alone in
+the cabin his manner instantly changed. Elmer saw the heavy brow knit,
+as though in sudden suspicion. He remembered that this man distrusted
+all his fellows, and that he had even defied the majesty of the law with
+regard to shooting wild game out of season, as well as catching fish by
+methods called illegal.
+
+His manner of life would make him scan with suspicious eyes any stranger
+who came to his isolated cabin home, and who might just as well as not
+be some clever game warden, bent on securing evidence that would convict
+him.
+
+"This is Elmer, and he is the good friend who promised to see that I got
+a chance to play my violin the proper way," said Conrad, with a dignity
+that would well have become a grown man.
+
+As he spoke, he took the young scout-master by the hand and led him a
+pace or two forward. Elmer tried to be most cordial. He wanted to win
+the good will of this man, for many reasons. First, there was Conrad,
+and his possible brilliant future, if his amazing genius could be placed
+under the fostering care of a master. Then there was Elmer's belief that
+Jem had been badly treated by the whims of Fortune, and possibly the
+greed of some man; he needed a friend if ever any one did.
+
+So Elmer held out his hand as he advanced. He also smiled warmly, as if
+to chase away that look of distrust he could see gathering on Jem's
+strong face.
+
+"We have met before, Jem, on the road, while our party was on the way up
+here," he went on to say in as cordial a tone as he could muster. "You
+remember I said then I hoped to see something more of you, and invited
+you to stop in and have a cup of coffee with us, in case you happened to
+be passing our camp. And now that I have made the acquaintance of Conrad
+and your good wife, I hope we can be friends, Jem."
+
+The man still continued to frown. Under his heavy eyebrows he was
+looking keenly at the speaker. Elmer's manner was surely enough to
+disarm suspicion; and doubtless he would have quite won the man over
+then and there only for one thing. This was the presence of a boy in the
+party bearing that unfortunate name of Snodgrass; and which seemed to
+represent everything that was evil, in the estimation of the poacher.
+
+So Jem did not make the first move to take the extended hand. If he had
+suspected the other to be ready to suddenly snap a pair of handcuffs on
+his wrists, he could not have held more aloof.
+
+"I'm not making friends with anybody these days," he managed to mutter,
+"leastways when they are so thick with the son of the man who sold me
+out and left me high and dry on the bank."
+
+"But the rest of us never heard of you before, Jem; and even Rufus says
+it must be some terrible mistake, because his father would never do such
+a mean trick, even if he is a real-estate operator. But, Jem, I want to
+be friends with you just because of Conrad here. It would be a burning
+shame if he didn't get his chance to prove that his grandfather's talent
+is running in his blood. I am sure that I'll be able to interest some
+really good people, all of them lovers of the best music, in Conrad; and
+that arrangements can be made to put him under the charge of a leading
+teacher, who will see that he has a chance to thrill the world, when he
+grows older."
+
+The man's face lighted up for just a brief interval. Perhaps he had
+dreamed of some day seeing Conrad the centre of a madly applauding
+throng of well-dressed people, who would be ready to crown the lad as
+the greatest genius of the decade. Then the old doubts returned again,
+and he scowled darkly.
+
+"We may be poor," he said bitterly, "which isn't my fault, but my
+misfortune; yet we're not paupers; and even to see my boy snatch the
+prize he deserves I wouldn't beg money from any living man or woman.
+I'll die before I accept _charity_. If I had my just dues there would be
+plenty of money to fix Conrad out; as it is he must wait, and take his
+chance."
+
+"But, Jem, this wouldn't be charity," Elmer insisted, earnestly. "It
+could be done on strictly business principles, a bargain being made in
+black and white, so that a record of the expense might be kept; and
+after Conrad began to earn big money, he could gradually return the loan
+to those kind friends who had been so deeply interested in his fortunes.
+Don't shut him out from his only chance, Jem, just because one man may
+have injured you. There are other kinds of people in this world,
+kind-hearted people who are always looking for an opportunity to help
+struggling genius. Oh! please don't decide in a hurry. Think it over,
+talk it over with your wife here before you turn the offer down; because
+it is given in good faith, Jem."
+
+Mrs. Shock listened, and her eyes grew moist. She apparently did not
+think it wise to interfere while a stranger was present, but Elmer
+believed her influence was bound to be thrown in favor of the
+proposition. Therefore he did not quite despair, though the poacher
+continued to shake his head, and keep his teeth firmly clenched, after
+the manner of a stubborn man who has made up his mind, and against whom
+all power cannot prevail.
+
+You see, Elmer, young though he may have been, was somewhat of a
+philosopher. He knew that gentle influence may sometimes accomplish much
+more than the most sturdy strength. He had never forgotten the moral of
+that old story about the traveler who was trudging along a country road,
+when the two rival elements, the Sun and the Wind, entered into a heated
+argument as to which might be the more powerful, and determined to test
+their assertions upon the devoted head of the pilgrim. So the wind blew
+harder and harder, but only had the effect of making the traveler draw
+his cloak tighter about him. Then the sun has his turn, and began to
+warm up to his task, until the almost baked man was glad to throw off
+his cloak, which result gave the victory to the heavenly orb.
+
+And so perhaps the gentle but persuasive influence of Conrad's mother
+might in the end prevail against the wild gusts of the man's anger.
+Elmer at least would continue to hug that hope to his heart.
+
+He saw that his continued presence would do no further good. It were
+perhaps better that he took himself off, and allowed the seed he had
+sown to germinate. Time can often work wonders, and the look Mrs. Shock
+gave him somehow further aroused his confidence that all might yet be
+well.
+
+So he said he would be going, and the last he saw of them Conrad was
+waving his hand in farewell, while his mother nodded her head
+significantly. As for Jem, he continued to stand there looking glum, as
+though a riot of thoughts might be holding high carnival in his brain,
+the old suspicion and hatred for mankind engaged in a desperate conflict
+with newly awakened hopes.
+
+Elmer made his way back to camp, and arrived long before noon came, so
+that he had plenty of time to rest and think over the situation. He
+wondered whether he had succeeded in making any progress by his
+morning's expedition. He had met Jem, for one thing, and told him how
+much he was interested in Conrad's playing. Yes, Elmer concluded that
+the game he meant to play had been advanced more or less since the
+coming of another day.
+
+The surveyors came trooping into camp along about noon, heated and
+tired. Rufus was apparently getting quite enough of that hard work, for
+the time being. Besides, he admitted that he had gone sufficiently far
+by then to make sure that the previous survey had been a failure, and
+that the job would have to be done over again in order to get the right
+lines.
+
+Elmer was not sorry to hear him say that, and for several reasons. First
+of all, he wanted the tenderfeet to have further opportunities for
+picking up more or less useful knowledge of woodcraft, while in camp;
+and this could not be done if most of their time was spent in using
+those instruments, and worrying about backing new lines through the
+thickets and swamps that beset their course.
+
+Then again Elmer did not like the looks of the weather. It was beginning
+to act suspiciously, as though a big storm might be brewing. The sun
+still shone up there in the sky, and both Rufus and Alec only thought it
+insufferably hot; but to one more experienced in such things, there was
+a deeper meaning in the heavy atmosphere, the strange silence on the
+part of birds and smaller animals, and the peculiar bank of clouds that
+lay low along the distant southwestern horizon.
+
+Lil Artha sensed danger, too, for he spoke of it as they were eating
+lunch.
+
+"Perhaps, Elmer," was the way he put it, "we'd be sensible if we took an
+extra reef or two in our sail this afternoon, while we have the chance.
+An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, I always did
+believe; and scouts are taught that it's wise in time of peace to
+prepare for war."
+
+"Hey! what's all this talk mean?" demanded the bewildered Rufus. "To
+hear you, Lil Artha, a fellow would think we had something terrible
+hanging over our heads. It must be you're prognosticating a _storm_, but
+I don't see what makes you think that, when the sun never shone
+brighter. Do the birds carry the secret, and have you fellows found a
+way to understand their lingo?"
+
+"Well, in a way that's correct, too, Rufus," chuckled the lanky scout.
+"When you get on familiar terms with everything that lives in the woods,
+you can tell a heap. It does seem that insects, birds and animals are
+given instinct in place of reasoning powers. So the squirrel knows when
+it promises to be a severe winter, and he lays in an extra big store of
+nuts. And in the same way something warns these little creatures when a
+storm is coming, although human beings see no sign. Well, from the
+change that's taken place all around us we scouts can give a good guess
+that these same birds and insects are making ready for trouble; and it's
+bound to come from that quarter yonder, where you can see a bank of dark
+clouds hugging the horizon."
+
+"But, Lil Artha," protested Alec, strenuously, "I noticed yon bank o'
+clouds mair nor two hours back, and I gie ye my word it hasn't moved a
+wee bit in a' that time."
+
+"Oh! that's often the way a storm comes along," the other assured him,
+in a positive fashion, as though he had no doubt concerning the accuracy
+of his prediction. "Clouds will lie low for half a day, and then
+suddenly with a shift of the wind spread out over the whole heavens like
+magic. I promise you that before two hours have gone by you'll be
+stopping your ears with your fingers so's to shut out the crash of
+thunder."
+
+Of course, as both Elmer and George seemed to agree with what Lil Artha
+said--and it was really wonderful to have "Doubting George" let an
+opportunity to object pass him by, the greenhorns had to believe what
+they heard.
+
+When lunch had been disposed of, Elmer gave orders that set the whole
+five working to improve the security of the camp. Extra pegs were driven
+deep down so as to hold the tent more firmly; and some bits of strong
+rope were also brought into play with this same end in view.
+
+Rufus could not restrain his amusement, and finally burst out with:
+
+"Well, from the way you're carrying on, fellows, it must be you expect a
+regular old hurricane to break loose in this region. I guess it would
+take a whole lot of wind to tear that tent loose from its moorings now.
+Besides, we're sheltered somewhat by those trees over yonder."
+
+"Wait and see, that's all," warned Lil Artha, not one whit abashed.
+"You've never been caught in a big storm, and so you can't know how the
+wind tears at a tent as if it had a special spite against the canvas.
+I've seen more'n one tent carried away like a big balloon, and lodged
+far up in a tree. This is only following out the scout rule of
+preparedness. It's better to err on the side of safety, Rufus; just
+remember that as you pass along the road. It's no sign of timidity to
+get ready for trouble; the wisest of business men always insure their
+property, and when the storm comes they weather it, where the more
+reckless go to the wall."
+
+"That's sound logic, Lil Artha," commented Elmer, smiling to hear the
+other give such splendid advice; for, as a rule, the lengthy scout was a
+bit inclined toward that same recklessness himself.
+
+In many other ways did they prepare for the coming storm, particularly
+in seeing that a small stock of wood was placed so that it might be kept
+dry; since they might be glad of a fire later on. Their stock of
+provisions, too, had to be provided for; and Rufus also covered the old
+car with a tarpaulin which he had fetched along for that purpose.
+
+During the last half hour of work even the most skeptical found himself
+forced to admit that there was no longer any doubt about the approach of
+bad weather. As the dark bank of clouds advanced up the heavens the
+birds again made their appearance, and flew wildly about, uttering
+warning cries that impressed Rufus visibly.
+
+Then they began to hear distant muttering of heavy thunder that was soon
+causing a distinctly felt vibration of the earth under their feet. The
+wind had entirely ceased, and there seemed to be an ominous calm upon
+Nature. Rufus and Alec had an apprehensive expression on their faces as
+they waited for further developments.
+
+"Don't you think it might be safer over among the trees than here,
+Elmer?" asked Rufus at one time, after the thunder had temporarily died
+away.
+
+"Not on your life!" burst out Lil Artha, taking it on himself to answer.
+"If the gale gets half as severe as I expect, you'll hear trees crashing
+down like toothpicks. It'd be all your life was worth to be caught in
+the woods then. An experienced hand might manage to escape, but often
+the best of them get caught under a falling tree and killed outright.
+That's one reason why we built our camp away from all trees but this
+dwarf one that isn't apt to go down, and serves as a sort of wind-break,
+you see. But listen, everybody!"
+
+A distant but terrifying sound stole to their ears. The lack of a
+movement in the atmosphere had prevented them from catching it sooner.
+
+"Is that the storm coming?" asked Rufus, trying to keep his voice
+steady, though there was a distinct quaver to it, despite his efforts.
+
+"Yes, that's the wind, and back of it is the first burst of rain,"
+advised Elmer. "It will be on us in a jiffy now, so we'd better get
+inside, and lace the opening up. We faced the tent to the north
+purposely, you see, because we knew that any storm at this time of year
+was likely to jump out of the southwest."
+
+Hardly had they made the flap secure when the gale broke upon them.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+SCOTCH BLOOD
+
+
+AMONG other things, Lil Artha had seen to it that a pot of coffee was
+made ready just before he scattered the fire, and put out the last
+ember. This would keep warm for a long time, and they could manage to
+make out a supper with some of the things that would not need cooking.
+
+With a rush and a roar the storm burst upon them. Wildly did the stout
+tent sway as the wind broke against it. Rufus understood speedily enough
+why the scout comrades who had had experience went to so much extra
+pains to fasten it so securely. There were lots of times when, despite
+all the precautions, he feared the canvas could never hold out against
+that terrible wind that made playthings of forest monarchs, and seemed
+capable of sweeping everything from its path.
+
+Never, so long as they lived, would the two tenderfoot scouts forget
+that night; it would always be marked with a white stone in their minds,
+such were the tortures they endured. Often Rufus would half squirm to
+his knees, his face turned pale with apprehension, as he clutched the
+sleeve of Elmer or Lil Artha's coat, in deadly fear that the worst was
+about to happen.
+
+The rain descended in torrents, and the lightning flashed in a way to
+fairly cause them to shut their blinded eyes; while terrific bursts of
+thunder rocked the ground and made them think a salvo from the heaviest
+guns known to modern warfare was being fired.
+
+So the time dragged wearily along, hour after hour. No one dreamed of
+trying to snatch a wink of sleep while this din was going on. They sat
+there, glad to know that, thanks to the admirable way in which the heavy
+canvas had been waterproofed, and the addition of a fly over the tent,
+they were able to keep the rain out. Of course a small amount did seep
+under certain portions of the tent, despite all their precautions, and
+the drain that had been dug above to carry the flood off; but they were
+able to keep pretty dry, all things considered.
+
+With the storm came a cool air that chilled them to the bone. They had a
+couple of lanterns, one of which was kept lighted all the time, and this
+enabled them to see what was going on. Lil Artha set a good example,
+after night came on, by wrapping his warm blanket about his shoulders,
+as he sat there Indian fashion. Rufus was indeed glad to copy this
+example, and found it well worth while for the additional comfort he
+secured thereby; and in the end all of them did the same thing.
+
+Every now and then they heard awe-inspiring sounds that Lil Artha told
+the tenderfeet were produced by falling trees. Each crash gave Rufus
+cause for a fresh shiver; he could not help thinking of what he had
+proposed concerning their being likely to find more safety if they took
+up their station under the forest growth. He was glad now in every atom
+of his being that those more experienced scouts had frowned down upon
+such a silly proposition.
+
+Along about midnight, however, Elmer discovered positive signs that the
+worst was over. His announcement brought a feeling of relief to Rufus
+and Alec; indeed, even Lil Artha was heard to give expression to his
+gratitude. George, however, grumbled, as was his habit of old.
+
+"Tough luck, that's what I call it, fellows," he went on, as though
+wholly disgusted with the freaks of the weather. "Why couldn't this old
+storm have held off till we got back home again? What business did it
+have coming down on us right in the midst of our camping? Why, we
+haven't begun to enjoy ourselves much yet; it's been all work so far;
+and now everything's going to be soaking wet, the mud'll bother us, and
+like as not a second rain'll follow the first. Things pretty nearly
+always do happen in threes, you notice."
+
+"Oh! well, we're all alive, George, for one thing," Lil Artha told the
+grumbler. "And we've still got heaps and heaps of good stuff to eat
+along. Things might have been a whole lot worse than this, let me tell
+you."
+
+"Huh! I can't just see that," continued the other, though in a fainter
+tone, as if really half ashamed of his complaining manner; which had
+become second nature with George, so that he often spoke in that way
+without thinking how badly it sounded.
+
+"If only this terrible storm will stop, all would be forgiven," said
+Rufus. "We may get a few winks of sleep yet before dawn comes. And I
+guess the ground will dry up pretty well by noon. Besides, I'm done
+creeping through the woods and among the thickets, trying to follow
+those slashes made by the fake surveyors. We can lie around camp here,
+until it's fit to go abroad."
+
+"Spoken like a true scout, Rufus," Elmer told him, encouragingly.
+"That's what a fellow ought to learn the first thing after he dons the
+khaki--that things are never so bad but what they might be worse. George
+here never did learn his lesson in the right way, more's the pity. If
+you keep on, Rufus, you'll be a better specimen of a true scout than
+George is today, with all his experience."
+
+George did not say anything, but Elmer hoped the seed might have fallen
+on fallow ground, so that it would take root and grow; for there were
+times when, like most of the other fellows in the Hickory Ridge Troop,
+he did get mightily tired of hearing the remarks of a natural-born
+"croaker," as Lil Artha called the other.
+
+But Elmer was right when he said the backbone of the storm had been
+broken. Inside of another half hour even Rufus was fain to admit that
+the thunder had lost considerable of its fierceness, while even the
+flashes of lightning came less frequently, nor were they so vivid as
+before.
+
+"The rain has stopped, fellows!" announced Lil Artha, as he sidled along
+over to one side of the tent, and cautiously began to undo the securely
+fastened flap; after which he thrust his head out so as to take an
+observation.
+
+When he drew back again the others eagerly awaited his report.
+
+"Why, the clouds are breaking, and I even saw a star right overhead,"
+announced the tall member of the little party, enthusiastically; "which
+proves that the end of the concert is close by. That last thunder-clap
+was some distance away. Guess we may be getting a little snooze inside
+of another half hour. For one I'm going to hunt out a dry place and make
+ready."
+
+There was considerable of a scurry on the part of everybody, with this
+end in view. Rufus was heard to wish most ardently that he had still
+another blanket to huddle under, for that night air, after the violent
+battle of the elements, seemed to be very chilly and piercing, since
+they could not enjoy the luxury of a fire.
+
+Nevertheless, in spite of all this, when another hour had crept along
+all of the boys were sound asleep. No longer did the harsh voice of the
+thunder disturb them; and the fitful glow of lightning came from far
+off. The lantern had been extinguished, for they might need what small
+allowance of kerosene they had fetched along with them; and therefore
+darkness reigned within the sheltering tent.
+
+They had some hours of sleep before morning found them stirring. There
+was more or less disinclination to be the first out, but Lil Artha
+proved to be the martyr and presently the crackle of a fire tempted
+Rufus and Alec forth; while even that sly old fox, George, opened one
+eye, and began to sniff the air, as though he fancied he had gotten the
+first whiff of sweet bacon frying in the pan.
+
+Elmer had been close upon the heels of Lil Artha, of course, and between
+the two of them some of the ravages of the storm in the camp had been
+repaired long before the rest put in an appearance.
+
+A warm and bountiful breakfast seemed to put new animation in them all.
+Even that born grumbler, George, admitted the sun did shine "fairly
+well," and that coffee, bacon and flapjacks with syrup, all served
+lavishly as regarded quantity, made life worth living again.
+
+"I don't believe I was ever so hungry as this morning," Rufus candidly
+declared, as he gulped down his third cup of coffee, and eyed the last
+flapjack as if tempted to gorge himself, though already as full as
+prudence dictated.
+
+"That's because so far in life you've lived on Easy Street," Lil Artha
+told him, "and never have known what it meant to miss a single meal.
+Some of us have gone a day without a bite, and we know how it goes on an
+empty stomach. I warrant you right now some woods animals are feeling
+that way too, because they couldn't get around last night as usual."
+
+It was strange that this casual remark on the part of Lil Artha should
+be fully confirmed before a great while had passed, and in a most
+convincing fashion.
+
+Alec chanced to be the one fated to bring the thing about. None of them
+meant to wander away from camp until noon had come, and the warm sun had
+had a chance to dry things out; but being a little restless, and,
+moreover, inspired with a desire to ascertain if any of those ill-fated
+trees had fallen close to the camp, he picked up a heavy walking stick
+and stepped out.
+
+"Be sure you don't go farther than you can hear Lil Artha chopping with
+the ax," cautioned Elmer, seeing him about to take a stroll; "and if you
+fail to catch any sound, or need help, just give a whoop. We'll answer
+right away."
+
+"Hoot, mon," said the Scotch lad, a bit sarcastically, "d'ye ken I've
+cut me eye-teeth the while as a scout? I'm observing all aboot me, and
+I find it mair interesting than I ever believed could be possible. I'm
+o'er glad now I made up my mind to join the troop. Now I'll gang awa'
+and be verra careful. And if some fearsome beastie jumps up in front o'
+me ye'll hear me shout at the tap o' my voice."
+
+He went away, still laughing, as though he thought it a good joke. Lil
+Artha continued to ply his ax industriously, meaning to lay by a good
+store of firewood while at the job; though Elmer warned him that task
+should really fall to the greenhorns, since neither of them seemed to be
+much of a cook, and it was only fair the various duties about the camp
+should be impartially shared alike by all the party.
+
+Hardly had ten minutes passed when the four by the fire heard a shout.
+Elmer instantly answered it, thinking, of course, that as Lil Artha had
+dropped his ax Alec wanted some sound to serve as a guide to locating
+the camp. To the astonishment, and also consternation of the others,
+they heard the Scotch lad calling:
+
+"Here's a hungry cat facing me, and growling like everything. Aye, but
+he's wild to get at me, and I don't know just what a braw scout should
+do under the circumstances. Shall I gi'e the gillie a rap o'er the head
+wi' me stick; or beat a retreat like a wise general? I'm no' so taken
+wi' his looks I confess that I'm wishin' to make his further
+acquaintance. Hey; ye would bite me, eh? Tak' that, then, and learn
+better manners!"
+
+Elmer snatched up another stick, while Lil Artha darted over to the tent
+and immediately reappeared bearing his trusty Marlin. They knew what it
+meant to be attacked by an angry bobcat, even if it was far in the
+morning, and these animals usually hide during the better part of the
+day, preferring the shades of night for their prowling.
+
+Even as the pair started toward the spot, followed in turn by George and
+Rufus, as soon as the others could manage to find some sort of crude
+weapon, they heard a most terrific crashing going on. There were also
+short cries, now of pain and again of momentary triumph, to tell how
+Alec was progressing in his task of beating off the savage attack of the
+hungry wildcat.
+
+There was no trouble in locating the spot where all this disturbance was
+taking place; the scuffling of Alec's feet, his jerky cries, and now and
+then a plainly heard snarl from the enraged cat led them as truly as the
+magnetic needle of the mariner's compass points out the North Star.
+
+When they finally came in sight of the little woods drama they were
+thrilled to see how the brave Scotch lad managed to keep his four-footed
+enemy at bay by means of his clever strokes with his stick. Even as they
+looked he gave the beast a good blow upon the head that rolled it over;
+but instantly the cat was on its feet once more, and leaping at him.
+The performance was repeated, with the same result; but in case Alec
+failed in his stroke, he stood a good chance of having the animal land
+on his breast, when its claws and teeth would do terrible damage.
+
+"Get the beast, Lil Artha!" cried Elmer, seeing that even their bursting
+on the scene did not appear to intimidate the enraged feline adversary
+that Alec was battling with.
+
+He had hardly given the word than a report sounded. Lil Artha had once
+been quite a smart hunter, though of late his ambition to excel along
+those lines had waned. On this occasion his aim was particularly true,
+for the cat was seen to be writhing on the ground, as though fatally
+injured. Lil Artha immediately ran up and dispatched the dying beast
+with several blows from a stone; for although a hunter by instinct, Lil
+Artha could not be cruel and see anything needlessly suffer.
+
+"I sure hated to have to do it the worst kind," he told Elmer, as he
+looked down at the now quiet beast, ferocious even in death, "because I
+reckon now she's got kits somewhere near by, which was what made her act
+so savage like. She smelled the food in camp, and was sneaking around in
+hopes of stealing something, when Alec, he chanced to run across her,
+and I guess waved his stick in a way she didn't just like. But I had to
+shoot her, and you thought the same, Elmer, you know."
+
+"Yes, it couldn't be helped," the scout-master told him, "and besides, a
+fellow need hardly ever be ashamed of making way with a wildcat, because
+they are mighty destructive to all game. Why, this one beast would, in
+the course of a year, devour more young partridges, quail, rabbits and
+squirrels than half a dozen human hunters. And besides, I was afraid she
+might get inside Alec's guard, though he did swing that stick of his in
+great fashion."
+
+"A few scratches is all the beastie managed to gi'e me," admitted the
+still panting Alec, and then, as he looked down on his now quiet
+adversary, he shook his head, continuing: "faith I tauld ye to tak
+yersil' awa' and leave me alone, but ye knew best. I'm awfu' sorry ye
+had to be kilt, but it was no fault o' mine."
+
+Elmer and Lil Artha exchanged satisfied glances. They both felt that for
+a tenderfoot, Alec had proven a credit to the troop, and this was
+encouraging. After all, this outing seemed bound to be the making of a
+couple of embryo scouts; it would bring out whatever good qualities they
+possessed, and show what sort of foundation there might be for their
+immediate future.
+
+"Come back to camp with me right away, Alec," Elmer told the other, who
+was still curiously examining the dead cat, especially interested in
+its savage looking claws and the cruel teeth that were exposed in the
+snarl that death had set upon its face. "I want to take a look at those
+same little scratches you mention. They may appear harmless enough, but
+many a fine hunter has died from such simple things."
+
+Of course Alec was astounded. He stared hard at his hands, and shook his
+head in a skeptical way.
+
+"I ha'e nae doot but that ye knaw best, Elmer," he finally said, "but
+would ye tell me the noo how such a wee bit o' scratches could mean so
+much?"
+
+"Blood poisoning is apt to set in," explained the other, readily enough,
+as he locked arms with the Scotch lad and hurried him off toward the
+camp. "You see, carnivorous animals that live upon the flesh of their
+prey are apt to have their claws contaminated. Even a slight abrasion
+caused by those claws is impregnated with just so much danger. Nothing
+might come of it; but scouts believe in taking as little chances as
+possible. I've got a phial of permanganate of potash along for just such
+purposes, and we'll daub some of it on. You'll resemble a wild Indian
+with the splotches, for it stains a deep purple, but safety first before
+looks."
+
+Indeed, Alec did look rather odd after his several slight injuries had
+been duly attended to, for Elmer did not spare the "painting."
+
+"I wish me mither could see me the noo," chuckled the Scotch boy, after
+he had surveyed his mottled appearance in a tiny hand mirror one of them
+had been thoughtful enough to fetch along. "Ye ken, she's often tauld me
+aboot the Highland chiefs in their war-paint in the gude auld days of
+lang syne. I warran ye she'd think her son and heir had copied after the
+McGregor, Rob Roy, ye remimber, our outlaw ancestor."
+
+Lil Artha was to fetch along the defunct wildcat, for it was designed to
+save the skin, and present it, when properly tanned, to Alec, who could
+use it in his den at home for a small mat. Every time he looked down at
+it he must be forcibly reminded of his stirring adventure, and it would
+serve to encourage him in his endeavor to become a first-class scout.
+
+It was perhaps half an hour afterwards that Elmer heard voices, and
+looking toward the spot where Lil Artha had been working with the pelt
+of the bobcat, he was both surprised and thrilled to discover that the
+long-legged scout was talking with a small party in whom Elmer
+immediately recognized Conrad Shock!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A CALL FOR HELP
+
+
+"WHAT'S this mean?" Elmer heard George saying, which proved that the
+other had also discovered Conrad's presence. "I reckon that must be your
+Boy Wonder with the fiddle and the bow, Elmer. Now, whatever brought him
+away over here to visit us, do you think? Perhaps his folks don't know
+that scouts are at home in the woods, no matter what sort of gay storm
+crops up. Mebbe now they were afraid some of us had suffered. Well, it
+was nice of them to send a messenger, anyhow."
+
+But Elmer was disposed to view the matter differently. He could see that
+there was a look of considerable apprehension visible on the peaked face
+of Conrad. Elmer scented some kind of trouble at once. The boy had
+sought them out, possibly sent with a message by his mother.
+
+Lil Artha had entirely suspended operations with the pelt which he had
+been engaged in fastening to a crude but effective stretching board,
+fashioned after the directions he had received from the old scientist
+and trapper some of the boys had visited a while before.[B]
+
+Lil Artha loved good music, in which he differed from George. Hence he
+had felt considerable interest in all Elmer told them about Conrad being
+the direct descendant of the famous violinist, Ovid Anderson, of whom he
+had often heard. He was in truth quite eager himself to hear the child
+play, though ready to take Elmer's word for it that Conrad was the
+possessor of wonderful genius.
+
+As Elmer hastened toward the spot Lil Artha looked around and discovered
+him.
+
+"Hi! here's your young friend come to hunt you up, Elmer!" he called
+out. "He is just telling me that his mother sent him. I hope now there's
+nothing gone wrong over at their place. If we can do anything, of course
+we'd be only too willing."
+
+The boy shot him a look of gratitude at hearing Lil Artha say this. Then
+he turned eagerly toward Elmer.
+
+"Mother sent me over to see you," he went on to say in a voice that
+quivered a little despite his manly effort to control his feelings.
+
+"I hope she isn't sick, Conrad?" ventured the scout-master, anxiously.
+
+"No, it's father," the boy said after he had gulped several times. "You
+see, he hasn't come home; and we're so afraid something dreadful has
+happened to him."
+
+Elmer looked doubly concerned.
+
+"Do you mean he was away from home during that awful storm last night?"
+he went on to ask.
+
+The other nodded his head, and then managed to explain further. Even the
+proximity of Elmer seemed to have already done him much good; for there
+was a certain atmosphere connected with the resolute scout-leader that
+inspired the utmost confidence.
+
+"He started to go to the lake that is farthest away, for there are two
+small ones, you may not know," Conrad explained. "He had some set lines
+there that needed attention, and we wanted the fish for eating, too. But
+father backed out once, for he said he had wrenched his leg and felt a
+little lame. But in the end he decided to start, though mother didn't
+just like him to go."
+
+"About what time was that, Conrad?" asked Elmer, in his methodical way,
+eager to grasp the full details so he could figure out the answer.
+
+"Just about an hour before the storm came along," the boy told him.
+"Father said he believed it would hold off long enough for him to get
+there and back, but his leg must have kept him from walking as fast as
+he generally does. So the storm broke, and we kept watching through the
+window when we could see anything, for the rain and the flying leaves.
+But night came, and oh! what a night we had, mother and I. It never
+seemed to end. I did fall asleep somehow, but I don't believe she once
+shut her eyes--poor mother."
+
+Elmer was fearful of the worst. A sturdy man like Jem Shock, accustomed
+to buffeting the rough storms to be met with in the woods of a summer,
+was not likely to stay away from those he loved unless something
+terrible had happened to him. Elmer shivered as he remembered those
+dreadful crashes in the depth of the forest, each signaling the collapse
+of some mighty tree that had breasted the gales of a century, perhaps,
+only to meet its fate in the end.
+
+"And then your mother thought we might help find your father, did she?"
+asked the sympathetic Lil Artha; while the others crowded around,
+listening with white faces to the conversation; for even the two
+tenderfeet could realize how serious the conditions must prove to be.
+
+"Yes, that is why I am here," said the manly little fellow, whose
+correct manner of speech astonished Lil Artha, himself apt to be more or
+less "slangy," and even ungrammatical, in his careless boyish way. "She
+knew of no one else close by to turn to; and Elmer was so kind, she
+said. Oh! please come with me, and help find father. We are afraid that
+he was caught under one of the falling trees; or he may have tripped in
+the darkness, with that lame leg giving way under him, and fallen into
+some terrible hole."
+
+Elmer's mind was of course made up on the instant. Indeed, such an
+appeal never came to a scout camp without being immediately accepted;
+for every fellow who so proudly wears the khaki has it implanted in his
+heart that he must eagerly grasp such golden opportunities to prove his
+worth, and be of assistance to those who are in distress.
+
+Elmer knew, too, that he could depend on his comrades to back him up.
+Lil Artha, of course, must go along, for the tall scout's excellence as
+a tracker was well known, and this might come in very handy before their
+end was accomplished.
+
+Then it would be of more or less benefit to the tenderfeet to have a
+share in his rescue work; Elmer hailed the opportunity to increase their
+fund of woodcraft knowledge with eagerness. They could pick up more
+valuable points through practical experience than by means of any books
+or technical advice.
+
+As for George, he must stay by the camp. Elmer remembered just then that
+George had been limping, more or less, and complained of having stubbed
+his toe since breakfast. Then it would be best for him not to walk so
+far, or he might be lamed for the balance of their stay in camp.
+
+The scout-master quickly explained his plan of campaign. George, of
+course, frowned at first, and took on the look of a martyr; but then
+that was his customary way, and Elmer paid very little attention to it
+except to say that "a stitch in time saves nine"; and that George might
+thank his lucky stars he did not _have_ to go along, but could rest
+himself, and let that injured foot have a chance to get well again.
+
+Conrad was wild for them to get started, and so Elmer lost as little
+time as possible. Before he went, however, he made sure to carry along
+with him several things he thought might be needed in case they found
+Jem with a broken leg--he only hoped it would be no worse than that, for
+many a man had had his back broken by the fall of a tree.
+
+"Lil Artha, be sure not to forget the camp ax," he called out.
+
+Of course that excited the curiosity of the two greenhorns, and seeing
+the look of bewilderment which they exchanged, Elmer took occasion to
+explain just a little.
+
+"If Jem has been badly hurt in any way, and lies several miles away from
+home," Elmer told them, "we would want to make some sort of stretcher so
+as to carry him back to his cabin. A hatchet or an ax is indispensable
+under such conditions; and you may have a chance to see just how it's
+done."
+
+George saw them go away with a wry face, for he did not like to be
+cheated out of any pleasure; still, when he stepped around and found how
+his foot hurt if he made any unusual exertion, he must have realized on
+second thoughts that Elmer knew best.
+
+Elmer had an idea at first of getting Conrad to head toward home, when
+they were well upon the trail leading toward the lake, and which the boy
+had said he could show them. Upon suggesting such a thing, however, he
+immediately met with a prompt refusal.
+
+"No, mother told me to take you to the second lake, and I shall," Conrad
+said firmly. "Oh! I can stand much more than you would believe; I am
+stronger than I look. And I have been over the trail with father, many
+times. What does a few miles matter when father may be lying there, and
+suffering terribly? Besides, mother depends on me to take you there.
+What if you went alone and could not find it, for, you see, it is hidden
+in the woods, and not at all easy to see if you haven't been over the
+trail before. He might lie there for hours if that happened. So I must
+go."
+
+Of course that settled it. Elmer could not have the heart to deny the
+lad the privilege he demanded. Besides, he knew that on the whole it
+would be much better for them to have some one along who was acquainted
+with the lay of the land. They might go astray, experienced though two
+of them were in the secrets of woodcraft; for confusing trails might
+deceive them, especially after the storm had washed away Jem's late
+footprints.
+
+And so they hurried along. Little Conrad walked as though eager to even
+run; and more than once Elmer had to restrain the anxious lad. He saw
+that Conrad was worked up to a feverish pitch that was not good for him;
+and accordingly Elmer made it his business to try and reassure the
+little fellow.
+
+"Depend on it we'll find your father, Conrad," he went on to say in that
+steady tone of his that carried weight, and could soothe even the most
+troubled breast like "balm of Gilead," as Lil Artha slily told Rufus,
+trotting along at his side. "And the chances are a broken leg will be
+the extent of his injuries. Why, he may not even be so badly off as
+that, you know. Perhaps he was called on to help some other unfortunate
+family in that storm, and has been held up on that account."
+
+But Conrad sadly shook his wise little head. He knew Elmer only meant to
+encourage him; and that even he could have little hope such a strange
+thing had happened.
+
+"Oh! I'd like to believe that, Elmer," he said, with half a sob, "but
+there is no other family near enough for such a thing to happen. But I'm
+still hoping for the best. Mother told me to keep thinking that way. She
+will not believe he could be taken away from us while we need him so
+much. Yes, we must find him, poor, poor father!"
+
+All this while they were heading in a certain direction that Elmer knew
+would, in due time, unless they changed their course, take them to the
+cabin in the clearing, where he had met Conrad's father and mother.
+
+Just as he expected, however, eventually the boy brought them to a halt.
+
+"See," he called out, as he pointed ahead, "there is where the trail
+lies. One way is home, the other the first lake, with the second one
+farther away. Now we must keep right on, and listen as we go. I shall
+call out, too, ever so often, for if he hears my voice and can answer he
+will let us know where he lies."
+
+As they started to follow what was a plain trail, every one had his
+senses on the alert, expecting to make some sort of discovery sooner or
+later. Rufus and the other tenderfoot scout were very much excited. It
+was their first experience on missionary work, and it gripped their
+hearts with an intensity they may never have felt before.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote B: See "The Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts Storm-Bound."]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE
+
+
+EVERY step they took now was carrying them on toward the twin lakes that
+nestled amidst the woods and valleys, their presence really unsuspected
+by the vast majority of people living in towns within thirty miles of
+the place. Elmer himself was wild to try the fishing there, for he
+fancied that the bass must be enormous fellows, and as gamey as could be
+found anywhere. Lil Artha, too, would be sure to want to make more than
+one trip across country, and spend a few hours casting in the almost
+virgin waters in the solitudes where sportsmen had possibly seldom
+invaded.
+
+Conrad kept up amazingly, but then it was love that gave him additional
+strength, and Elmer knew full well what that could do for any one. Many
+times they heard some slight sound that gave them a start, for their
+nerves being on edge they imagined every such noise to be a feeble cry
+for help. The snappy bark of a red squirrel as he clung head downward to
+the lower trunk of a tree, and watched the intruders of his sacred
+realm; the sudden cawing of a startled crow; the rasping cry of a
+bluejay; or it might be the distant screech of an eagle poised above
+some fish-hawk that had darted down and secured its dinner which the
+bald-headed robber of the air would snatch away from him presently,
+after a swift pursuit upwards--all these they heard, and many times did
+one of the greenhorns ask to be told what it meant.
+
+Still nothing was seen or heard to indicate that Jem Shock had been
+overtaken by a falling tree while on his way from the first lake. They
+did come across several such overthrown monarchs of the forest that had
+fallen close to the trail; and once the way was really blocked by a mass
+of broken limbs, together with the heavy trunk of a tree that had come
+crashing down.
+
+Conrad darted hastily forward before Elmer could interfere, and was
+looking, oh, so eagerly, and with such an expression of anxiety, for any
+sign to indicate that the dear one he sought might be lying under the
+wreckage.
+
+"Father, father!" he called out, with such a plaintive ring to his voice
+that Rufus felt something rising in his throat; while Alec McGregor
+might have been seen to turn his head aside, and then violently blow his
+nose, as though he had taken cold.
+
+But there was no response. Elmer and Lil Artha went all around the
+fallen tree, and even crawled underneath the same to make positive that
+Jem was not there. Finally even Conrad became assured as to this, for he
+expressed an eagerness to once more go on.
+
+So they proceeded. From the lay of the land, and other signs that his
+quick eye caught, Elmer guessed that they could not be far away from the
+first lake. Perhaps he was guided somewhat in making this decision by
+the sight of that fish-hawk or osprey, which he knew would be apt to
+hover over a body of water, since it must obtain its whole sustenance
+from the lakes.
+
+"What's that glistening in the sunlight yonder, Elmer?" suddenly asked
+Alec, who, it seemed, possessed a pair of incredibly keen eyes.
+
+Lil Artha laughed.
+
+"That's one on us, Elmer," he remarked, "when a tenderfoot is the first
+to discover the presence of water. I reckon now, Alec, you've got the
+making of a pretty good scout in you, if you stick at it; and they do
+say the Scotch are the most persevering chaps going. That's the lake,
+the first one Conrad told us about, I should say."
+
+"Yes, that's the first one," hurriedly admitted the boy, "and we'll soon
+reach its border. You will say that it's a lovely little sheet of water,
+too. Father told me he had never set eyes on one that struck him as more
+beautiful. And I love to sit and look out over it when the wind dimples
+the surface, or it is so quiet that you can see a picture all along the
+shore, with the trees reflected in the water like a big looking-glass."
+
+"Then we'll have to call it Mirror Lake," said Lil Artha, struck by the
+wonderful poetic way in which the small boy described things, which may
+in part have come to him through his mother.
+
+"Yes, that is what my mother calls it," Conrad instantly told him; "for
+once she crossed over with me to see the water. We shall be there very
+soon now, in less than ten minutes I think."
+
+Nothing further occurred to startle them during the balance of the time
+that was consumed in covering the ground separating them from the shore
+of the lake. When Elmer and his three comrades found themselves staring
+out upon that wonderfully clear and altogether charming body of water,
+they felt that words must fail to describe it and do justice. Elmer had
+looked upon a good many pretty lakes, both large and small, but never
+one the equal of this.
+
+As for Lil Artha, he knew now what would be occupying considerable of
+his spare time during the balance of their stay in camp. Why, even as he
+looked he could see big bass "break" here and there, as though they
+might be feeding on flies, late though the season was. All the sporting
+blood Lil Artha possessed was on fire at the sight. He had resolved to
+give up much of his love for hunting, because of the change that had
+taken place of late in his ideas concerning the cruelty of such sport;
+but nothing would ever cause him to lose that eager desire to match his
+wits and a slender line with a fly attached to the leader against the
+strength and cunning of a bronze-backed black bass, and see which could
+win in the struggle for supremacy.
+
+"Oh! listen, please!" exclaimed the boy, anxiously, his very soul in his
+voice.
+
+"That was only a kingfisher calling," said Lil Artha, who knew all about
+such things; "see, there he flits across that little bayou, and perches
+on the limb that overhangs the water. He's after his dinner, I guess,
+and was calling to his mate. But lead the way, Conrad, and we'll keep
+along after you."
+
+They began to follow the uneven indentations of the shore. Elmer knew
+that this must be the favorite course taken by the fish poacher when
+going to see what his set lines held. A plain trail it was, and even
+Rufus or Alec might have followed it most of the way; though at times
+they would have hard work to pick it out, since the heavy rain had
+washed things pretty badly.
+
+But Conrad knew where he was going, and just at which point they were to
+turn their backs on Mirror Lake, heading for its mate near by.
+
+"We'll like as not run across the intake or outlet of this water," Lil
+Artha told the two new scouts, "because, of course, the lakes are
+connected by a little stream. And sure enough, there it is right now."
+
+Both tenderfeet were visibly impressed with this show of knowledge on
+the part of the elongated scout. Doubtless they mentally determined that
+eventually they too would be able to tell just such things by using the
+power of deduction that a scout's education puts into his head.
+
+Conrad turned sharply upon arriving at the small stream. Elmer noticed
+that it ran _from_ the lake they were just in the act of leaving; and
+this fact told him the other must set somewhat lower down, and have an
+outlet of its own.
+
+All these things were interesting enough to fellows who had made a habit
+of observing whatever took place around them; nevertheless, Elmer wished
+the main object of their coming might be attained without much further
+loss of time. He was himself beginning to grow exceedingly nervous from
+the long-continued strain; and could understand just how poor Conrad
+must feel.
+
+Lil Artha was more and more amazed to learn what a wild bit of scenery
+lay within thirty miles of the home town. He never would have believed
+it possible, had he been told about it by any one; but seeing is a
+convincing way of settling things, and Lil Artha certainly knew he could
+depend on his own eyes.
+
+Through small openings among the trees they quickly caught glimpses of
+the other sheet of water. The second lake was about the same in size as
+the first, but lacked of the wonderfully rugged surroundings that made
+the other so beautiful. Still, had they not set eyes on Mirror Lake, the
+boys would have quickly called this one a spot well worth a long tramp
+just to see, not to mention its potentialities along the line of
+fishing.
+
+Once again they had come across a fallen tree that lay close to the
+trail, even bridging the little stream with its trunk, and forming a
+picture that Elmer immediately resolved to take with his snapshot camera
+before leaving the region.
+
+"Looks to me," remarked Rufus shrewdly, "as if the old storm must have
+hit this particular section a whole lot more violently than any place
+we've struck so far. Right from where we stand I can see three, yes,
+four trees that have been uprooted, and tumbled over, all lying in the
+same direction, too, which is odd, I should think."
+
+"Oh! that's a common occurrence," said Lil Artha, "I've seen hundreds of
+fallen trees in a place where a hurricane passed through the timber, and
+they lay like a sheaf of matches, all in the same identical direction.
+You see, the same wind took them down, as it did here. But so far as I
+can notice, there's no sign of anybody under this tree; how about it,
+Elmer?"
+
+"No, he wasn't here when this fellow crashed down," admitted the other,
+in a satisfied tone. "He had either passed farther along, or else had
+not reached this place."
+
+"Then let's go on farther," pleaded Conrad.
+
+Lil Artha knew that their chances of finding Jem were gradually getting
+less and less, as they covered more of the ground he must have passed
+over. He wondered what they should do if after all their efforts they
+could manage to obtain no trace of the missing man. Perhaps it would be
+good policy to head for the cabin, in the hope that since Conrad had
+left, his father might have managed to make his way home, and
+consequently they would find him there, too weak and exhausted to start
+out again.
+
+"We must go around the lake, to make sure," the boy was saying in a
+strained tone that cut Elmer to the heart, because he could understand
+how Conrad must be beginning to fear that his father was dead, since he
+did not answer any of his cries.
+
+As they began to circle the new sheet of water, Conrad again lifted his
+childish treble and kept calling that one word: "father!" He seemed to
+have faith to believe that if only he could reach the ears of Jem Shock,
+an answer of some kind would be immediately forthcoming.
+
+Again his appeals were mocked by some of the startled birds,
+unaccustomed to having their solitary haunts invaded by two-legged
+creatures that gave forth such doleful sounds. Step by step the little
+party persevered along their course, following the shore of the second
+lake. It was harder going than before, because of the density of the
+growth surrounding this body of water; but Conrad kept along, always on
+the lookout for signs or sounds that would assure him success was near
+at hand.
+
+After all, it was Lil Artha who gave the word, and he thrilled them when
+he went on to say:
+
+"I think I heard a voice just then, fellows, and it seemed to come from
+over on the other side of that little bayou just ahead of us. Get a good
+grip on yourself, Conrad, because mebbe we're going to find him right
+away."
+
+The boy was really beyond the power of making any verbal reply, but the
+look he threw Lil Artha, because of those cheering words, was full of
+gratitude. To gain the other side of the indentation, they must go
+around for quite some distance. Conrad, too, had by now managed to
+remember something; and finding his voice he weakly remarked:
+
+"Oh, yes! I know now where we are. Father told me he always had the best
+luck with a line set from that point over there. The fish seem to be
+larger than anywhere else about the lake, too. Oh! and I can see that
+there is another big tree down, right in sight!"
+
+Elmer knew that this was so, for he himself had already made the same
+significant discovery. He raised his voice and gave a lusty shout.
+
+"Jem--Jem Shock, are you there?" was what he called.
+
+Then they all listened eagerly. A woodpecker tapped noisily on a dead
+stump; but even the breeze seemed to temporarily stop rustling through
+the tops of the tall trees, as though sympathizing with their anxiety,
+and bent on giving all possible chances for their hearing any reply to
+this hail.
+
+"There, somebody answered you, Elmer," snapped Rufus, delightedly.
+
+"We've found him," said Elmer, gravely. "Be brave now, my boy," as he
+laid a hand affectionately on the shoulders of poor trembling Conrad.
+"For one thing, he's alive, and that's enough to be thankful for."
+
+"Yes, oh! yes, I _am_ thankful!" cried the boy, "but please hurry,
+Elmer. Oh! what he must have suffered; but he _did_ answer you, didn't
+he, and so he must be alive! Poor father. We're coming!" he tried to
+call aloud, though the effort only resulted in a screech; "I'm here,
+father, your own Conrad! Mother sent me to find you. Just be patient,
+and we'll soon reach you. Oh! if only I had wings how glad I would be!"
+
+Elmer and Lil Artha led the way. They quickly started around the tongue
+of marshy land bordering the little bay, for the ground was low there;
+and doubtless the natural outlet of the twin lakes would be discovered
+somewhere in that section, the scouts concluded.
+
+Now they were advancing upon the fallen tree. They could see it was a
+big one, and that it reached almost to the water's edge as it lay there,
+a derelict of the recent storm.
+
+Every eye was keenly on the alert to discover a first sign of the
+unfortunate poacher who had been caught, not by the stern hand of the
+law, but through a freak of the storm, and pinned to the ground, so that
+he was utterly helpless to free himself from the toils.
+
+Then Conrad gave a sudden shriek.
+
+"I see him!" was the burden of his shrill cry. "Oh! there, he moved and
+tried to wave his hand at me! Elmer, did you see him do that? He's
+really alive, and that is enough for me!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+RUFUS MAKES A STAND
+
+
+THEY were quickly at the tree, for every one just had to keep up with
+Conrad, who fairly flew along, such was his eagerness. Elmer saw
+immediately that they had a pretty tough job before them, for the tree
+in falling had caught Jem Shock fairly and squarely in a trap. A
+good-sized limb bore him down so that he could hardly do more than
+breathe.
+
+His face was streaked with blood from various scratches, and so he
+looked considerably worse than might otherwise have been the case. At
+sight of Conrad, however, he actually smiled, which was enough to prove
+what a hold the lad had upon the father's heart.
+
+"We'll get you out of that in short order, Jem," said Elmer, promptly.
+"You see, we fetched our ax along for just such a purpose. Lil Artha,
+get busy, and start a cross-cut of this limb. Strike in about here. I'll
+spell you if you want me to."
+
+"Shucks! watch the chips fly, that's all!" jeered the tall fellow, as he
+immediately set to work; and the lively ring of steel smiting hard wood
+rang through the aisles of the adjacent forest as well as out upon the
+water of the second lake, where a loon was swimming, and watching these
+newcomers suspiciously.
+
+Elmer noted the fact that the limb seemed to have fallen directly across
+only one of Jem's legs, a rather peculiar circumstance, by the way, he
+considered. There was not the least doubt in his mind but that the leg
+must have been broken; indeed, he could already see that this was so.
+Apparently, then, they must be ready to make that stretcher which had
+already been mentioned to the greenhorns; but then such a task presented
+few real difficulties to experienced scouts, trained in all the ways of
+the woods, where every one had to _know_ how to do things.
+
+Conrad was fondling his father, who had one free arm about the shoulders
+of the little chap. No doubt Conrad took occasion to tell Jem how kind
+these new friends of his had been, and how readily they had responded to
+his appeal for assistance.
+
+The scout-master wondered just how Jem would take it. That proud spirit
+of his was bound to show itself. He might feel indebted to the others,
+and not mind so much, but to realize that one of his rescuers was the
+son and heir of the very Snodgrass whom he believed he had such abundant
+cause to despise and hate, would gall him, and "cut to the quick."
+
+Yes, Elmer, watching, could see the different shades of feeling crossing
+the strong face of the injured man, just as sometimes he had observed
+clouds chasing athwart the blue sky in fleecy array. Love for the child;
+pain because of his injury and long wait there by the lakeside;
+suspicion concerning the presence of Rufus Snodgrass, and something like
+genuine gratitude toward the rest of the scouts--all these varying
+emotions Elmer could detect as they passed in review across the face of
+the other.
+
+In the endeavor to take Jem's thoughts from his late precarious
+condition, Elmer now started to talk with him, asking how it happened
+that a woodsman of his long experience should be caught by a falling
+tree in a storm.
+
+The man laughed a bit harshly, as though disgusted with himself.
+
+"It was an accident, pure and simple, boy," he went on to say. "Jem
+Shock never believed he would be caught like a rat in a trap; but I
+ducked the wrong way, my foot slipped, and before I could recover I was
+down. So I've lain here for hours, hoping my Conrad might come along,
+for he knew about the lakes, and where I went to look after my
+fish-lines. I never once thought about you boys. Yes, I'm glad, of
+course, you came, because Conrad never could have got me out alone; only
+it hurts me to be beholden to _his_ son."
+
+And Rufus, hovering near by, heard this. His face flushed painfully,
+and he bit his lips until the blood came, while his eyes flashed
+indignantly. With an effort, however, he managed to get a grip on
+himself. Perhaps it was the look he caught on the face of the
+scout-master that brought this about. At any rate, when Rufus spoke, his
+voice was fairly calm; and, moreover, there was a note of entreaty in
+it.
+
+"Jem Shock," he said, in thrilling tones, while the methodical "chunk"
+of Lil Artha's ax told how its sharp edge was biting deeply into the
+hard wood of that limb by which the man was pinned down, "please listen
+to me. I can understand just how you must feel while you believe my
+father did you a great wrong. I don't blame you a particle either, for
+feeling mean toward him. But you must know that sometimes terrible
+mistakes do happen, and that even the best of men may blunder. I tell
+you I am dead sure such a thing came about, and that at this day my
+father is utterly unconscious of the fact that you believe he wronged
+you."
+
+"Not quite that, youngster," said the man grimly. "He knows before now
+what my opinion of Hiram Snodgrass is; because, after I learned that
+he'd come to a town near by to live, I sent him a letter."
+
+Rufus refused to be disconcerted by this startling intelligence.
+
+"All right," he said, "I'm real glad you did, Jem. My father ought to
+know what a cloud his name is under. I meant to tell him all about it
+myself just as soon as I got home from this trip. Make your mind up
+you'll hear from him before long, Jem. He'll never rest easy until he's
+investigated the thing to the bottom, and found out the whole truth. If
+some men bamboozled you, and let you believe he was in the bunch, my
+father'll fix them, all right. They'll do the right thing by you when
+_he_ gets after them with a sharp stick, or I'll eat my head. I guess I
+ought to know my dad better than anybody else could, and he's straight
+as a die, even if he is a real estate speculator."
+
+Elmer was visibly impressed with the splendid way in which Rufus stood
+up for his father. He only hoped the elder Snodgrass might prove to be
+just the kind of man the boy claimed. Jem Shock, too, could not but be
+somewhat affected by the sturdy championship of the accused man's cause;
+though a sneer found a place on his blood-streaked face, and his eye
+still showed signs of coldness and unbelief.
+
+At least, he allowed the subject to drop as though he did not wish to
+say anything further in that line, which was so unpleasant. He confined
+himself to petting Conrad, and giving Lil Artha further directions as to
+just how to finish his task; for, as a competent woodsman, Jem Shock
+knew all about the use of an ax. Elmer could see that, despite his
+agonizing condition, the man had kept his wits about him.
+
+Finally, the limb separated, and after that the boys, by uniting their
+strength, were enabled to raise the portion that still held Jem pinned
+down. He wriggled free, although the pain was so great that he almost
+fainted.
+
+After that, Elmer took charge again. Water was brought, and a fire made
+to warm it in the pail Alec had been told to carry along. Once it was
+heated, Elmer proceeded to cleanse first Jem's face, so that he might
+not look so terribly grim; and after that he started to get at the
+broken leg.
+
+He found that it was indeed pretty serious, for it had swollen
+dreadfully on account of the neglect; but Elmer was a pretty good
+amateur surgeon, as his chums all knew, and understood just how to go
+about setting the fractured bone, after carefully washing the limb.
+
+Alec and Rufus had their hands full just about that time. They did not
+want to lose a single thing of all that was going on around them, and
+were often called upon by Elmer to lend a helping hand. It was
+noticeable that Rufus was always the one to do this. Jem seemed to
+visibly shrink from the touch of the boy's fingers, as though they
+affected him somehow; but even this aversion failed to prevent Rufus
+from persevering. Evidently, he was determined that Jem should know that
+the Snodgrass family did not have all the bad traits with which he,
+Jem, had in his mind endowed them; and, besides, Rufus was bound to keep
+in close touch with the man who had so long believed ill of his father.
+
+It pleased Elmer more than a little to notice this trait in the
+tenderfoot. He believed Rufus had the making of a good scout, and that
+association with the other fellows of the troop would in time serve to
+cast out the bad traits in his character mainly produced through the
+mistaken weakness of his adoring mother, who had always given in to his
+every whim.
+
+But the wonderfully clever way in which Elmer managed to handle that
+broken leg, and then bind it up carefully, was not the only thing Rufus
+and Alec had to watch in their ardent desire to acquire practical
+knowledge of what a scout should know.
+
+There was the industrious Lil Artha, working away like a trooper, and
+making a rude but amply sufficient stretcher, on which the wounded man
+could recline, while four sturdy boys bore him toward his home, since it
+would be utterly impossible for Jem to even hobble, with that injured
+limb under him.
+
+Both greenhorns watched the stretcher grow, and marveled at the skill
+displayed by the accomplished Lil Artha, who felt proud to be the one to
+show them how easy it was for a fellow who had been taught to bring his
+knowledge into play when the emergency arose.
+
+Finally everything was done. Elmer had bound the leg up so firmly that
+Jem was full of praise for his work.
+
+"I want to say that you boys sure know your business," he told Elmer,
+still refusing to look at the persistent Rufus, who continued to hover
+near him, despite all these rebuffs, for he was a stubborn fellow, it
+seemed, and would not abandon his plans easily. "I've heard some about
+scouts, and thought they didn't amount to much, but I reckon I'll have
+to change my mind after this. A regular sawbones couldn't have done the
+job neater, Elmer. I'm thanking you for it too; and I calculate that a
+lot Conrad's been telling us about you must be true."
+
+"Oh! it is, father, it is!" ejaculated the pleased boy, with tears in
+his eyes. "Elmer is just a grand fellow; and besides, he promised me
+that I'd get a chance to be taught by some one who would know what to do
+with me. You'll not set your foot down on that, will you, father?"
+
+The man smiled grimly, though this changed to a tender look as he
+smoothed the fair hair of his little son.
+
+"We'll see, Conrad, we'll see," he told him. "Just now it don't look
+like I could set one of my feet down on anything for a month or more.
+But they're going to have a hard job of it getting a heavy man like me
+all the way home."
+
+"Oh! don't you worry about that, Jem Shock!" sang out Lil Artha,
+blithely enough; "we know just how to go about it; and besides, it isn't
+going to be such a very tough task divided among four of us. Now, Rufus,
+you can take the upper left end, and I'll look after the right. Elmer
+and Alec will manage the foot of the stretcher easy enough."
+
+Rufus shot him a look of gratitude, showing that he readily understood
+how the wise Lil Artha had purposely allotted him one of the holds that
+would be apt to keep him as close to Jem's face as possible. The
+elongated scout evidently considered it good policy to force Jem to grow
+accustomed to the proximity of a Snodgrass; while familiarity is said to
+often breed contempt, in this case Lil Artha meant that it should be the
+cause of a growing confidence.
+
+So they gaily started forth. Conrad ran alongside, and at times
+persisted in keeping hold of his father's hand. He would now and then
+utter words calculated to cheer the other up, as though he feared that
+the strain of the trip, on top of his father's condition after lying
+there so long unattended, might cause him to show signs of a relapse.
+
+But they got along famously. The first lake was soon reached and put
+behind them. Lil Artha cast several longing glances over his shoulder as
+they left, and it did not need the aid of a prophet to tell that he was
+making up his mind to be back there the first thing in the morning, to
+test the voracity of the bass fighters that dwelt in those waters.
+
+Following the plain trail, they continued to put much ground between
+themselves and the spot where they had found Jem. The man bore the
+journey well, all things considered, though many times Elmer could see
+him compress his jaws as if to better stand the acute pain that shot
+through his bruised body.
+
+So they finally drew near the clearing where the cabin stood. Elmer, who
+had been there once before, as will be remembered, saw familiar signs to
+tell him of this fact, for he had impressed certain landmarks on his
+memory.
+
+"Oh, listen!" suddenly exclaimed Conrad, "I hear voices, and they are
+men talking, too, strangers. What can it mean, father?"
+
+The man on the stretcher winced painfully, and then smiled grimly.
+
+"Well, things generally come with a rush, Conrad," he said. "There are
+some men that have been wanting to interview me for a long time now. I
+reckon they've found the nerve to come away up here, just to see what's
+going on. But they've got to have proof in order to convict a man of
+poaching game out of season. Anyhow, I'm in no condition to resist now;
+and I don't believe they'll stir up any evidence around the cabin. Woods
+mutton is scarce these days."
+
+It was Rufus who now uttered a cry.
+
+"There, I can see several men now in front of a cabin," he went on to
+say, "and oh! as sure as you live, one of them is my own father! Do you
+hear that, Jem Shock, the Snodgrass you've been believing cheated you in
+a land deal has come straight up here to see you just as soon as he got
+that letter of yours. Does that look like guilt, tell me? Oh! something
+is going to happen, and before long you'll be changing your mind about
+the Snodgrass tribe!"
+
+Quickening their pace, the little procession hastened to reach the
+cabin, where several men stood watching their coming, with both wonder
+and interest showing on their faces. The good wife ran out to meet them,
+and was soon crying copiously over the figure on the stretcher, though
+Jem told her it was all right, and not to worry.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+"ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!"
+
+
+IT was a moment of considerable suspense to the boys when Mr. Snodgrass,
+bustling forward, looked down at the injured man. Jem with clinched
+teeth glared up at him, but said nothing, waiting for the other to
+speak.
+
+"I'm sorry to see you hurt in this way, Jem," said the magnate. "Just as
+soon as I received your letter I went to the city, and had a little
+heart-to-heart talk with Messrs. Bolten and Hall, my former partners in
+that real-estate deal of some years ago. I threatened them with
+immediate prosecution if they did not own up to deceiving both of us;
+and Jem, here they are ready to eat humble pie, and make good that
+property they defrauded you out of some years ago. Fool that I was never
+to have suspected the truth; but thank Heaven, it isn't too late yet.
+We'll soon fix this thing; and after they've made good, Jem Shock, I'm
+going to offer you my check for fifty thousand dollars for that land of
+yours; because it's doubled in value since you let it pass from your
+hands."
+
+Rufus fairly beamed with happiness.
+
+"What did I tell you, Jem Shock?" he burst out with. "I knew my father
+wouldn't stand for a crooked real estate deal. He's proud of the record
+he's made, and lots of people think he's the only honest land speculator
+there is. And now perhaps you will shake hands with him, Jem; yes, and
+with me, too. The Snodgrasses aren't so _very_ bad a tribe, once you get
+to know them."
+
+Jem had some difficulty in grasping the wonderful change that had come
+about in his financial condition, when later on the two real estate men
+admitted that they had played a sharp trick upon him, for which they
+were genuinely sorry--Lil Artha winked several times very hard when he
+heard them say this, and thought of "alligator's tears."
+
+Jem even offered his hand to the man he had for years been condemning as
+an unworthy friend, and a treacherous dealer in land.
+
+Conrad was the happiest little fellow imaginable. He would run from his
+father to Elmer and pat their hands; then back again to kiss his mother,
+and possibly shake hands with Lil Artha, Alec and Rufus.
+
+"It's all happened because of the scouts coming up here to camp," he
+said in the midst of his great joy. "Oh! what don't we owe to you,
+Elmer?"
+
+"He fixed my broken leg as fine as any army surgeon could have done, for
+one thing," admitted Jem Shock, now looking as though a great load had
+been taken off his shoulders; "and for that alone I could always
+remember the boy. Yes, it's been a great day for all of us. I'm glad now
+that tree caught me, and all the time I lie around waiting for the bone
+to knit, I'll be saying that I got just what I deserved for thinking
+evil of any man."
+
+"None of that, Jem," said Mr. Snodgrass, with more or less asperity.
+"You were justified in holding hard feelings toward me, and thinking me
+a scoundrel. For once in my life I allowed a pair of precious knaves to
+dupe me, and never suspected how matters stood until I had your letter.
+But I forced them to make restitution. I stood ready to land them both
+behind the bars if they refused."
+
+Messrs. Bolten and Hall had departed before this was said, pleading an
+important engagement, and promising to do anything else Mr. Snodgrass
+demanded, so long as he kept his word not to make the affair public, as
+it would ruin their legitimate business to have it known that they had
+been concerned in one big shady deal. Doubtless their ears must have
+burned as they retraced their way in the direction of the car that had
+brought them from the distant station; but then, since all was now well,
+even Jem Shock could forgive them.
+
+While Mr. Snodgrass spent two days in camp with the boys, he had plenty
+of chances of hearing Conrad play, for the boy kept his promise to come
+over with his wonderful Stradivarius violin, and charm them with his
+magical music. The gentleman agreed with Elmer that the child was very
+precocious, and had the "touch" that had made his grandfather
+illustrious.
+
+"It would be a great crime," he said, "if such wonderful genius failed
+to find expression. If his father was unable to send him to the right
+master I'd certainly insist on it myself. And between us, boys, I'm
+determined on forcing Jem Shock to allow me to advance all the funds
+needed to put Conrad where he belongs. It's the only way I can make up
+in part for my unconscious share in his troubles."
+
+Later on this same thing was arranged, and Conrad, it is needless to
+say, is at present studying hard under the best violin teacher in New
+York. Those who watch his career are loud in their praise, and say that
+when his time comes to appear in public, all such stars as Elman,
+Kreisler and Maud Powell will have to take a "back seat."
+
+Of course since George had not been present when all these wonderful
+events came about, the others were forced to give him every possible
+opportunity to learn the exciting details. He asked a thousand
+questions, and heard the whole story told over and over again, from the
+time the expedition left camp up to the unexpected meeting between Jem
+and Mr. Snodgrass, and the humbling of the pair of precious real estate
+sharks.
+
+Indeed, it usually did take several tellings to convince so skeptical a
+fellow as Doubting George, especially when there was something quite out
+of the common going on.
+
+The balance of the scouts' stay in camp up at Raccoon Bluff was filled
+with all sorts of good times. Lil Artha went fishing over at the twin
+lakes, and came back with as heavy a load of fish as he could stagger
+under. He announced that never before in all his varied experience had
+he known such gallant fighters as those bronzed-backed warriors of
+Mirror Lake. His arms fairly ached from reeling them in; and he would
+never forget what a glorious morning he had had there. Of course this
+caused Elmer also to long to wet a line; and as Alec expressed a desire
+to see how the thing was done over in America--he had actually caught a
+big salmon once upon a time in a Scotch loch--he insisted on going
+along.
+
+This was only a part of the glorious times they enjoyed. Rufus even got
+busy again with his surveyor's outfit, and did a little more work, just
+to "keep his hand in," he said; but as Alec had other things on the
+programme that he fancied much better than "running a line," or
+"slashing" through a thicket with an ax and bush hook, he absolutely
+balked on giving up much more time to that sort of thing.
+
+They took pictures, and Elmer made sure to get one of the tree that in
+falling had arched the streamlet in such a remarkable way. Elmer also
+tried a few night exposures, catching some of the prowling 'coons in the
+act of stealing bait from a trap set so that when the trigger was sprung
+there would be a flashlight exposure, and the startled little animal
+would really take its own picture, being "caught in the act."
+
+Besides they paid many visits to Jem's cabin, always carrying over heaps
+of good things to eat, despite the protests of Conrad's mother. Elmer
+explained that greedy George had deceived Rufus, who provided the
+provender for the week's campaign; and that consequently they had
+brought enough along to last a whole month; which they hated to "tote"
+back again, and so wished her to accept a few trifles, because Jem would
+not be able to be moved for some weeks, and hence no supplies could be
+laid in.
+
+Conrad, of course, always played for them, and even George, whose ear
+for music was not of the best, for he rather preferred ragtime to
+"classical stuff," admitted that the little fellow did wield a magical
+bow, and could fairly make that "fiddle talk" when he got down to
+serious business.
+
+They saw no more ferocious wildcats, though for several nights after the
+storm, Rufus complained that he was kept awake by some sort of plaintive
+mewing, though he was unable to exactly locate the sounds. Elmer feared
+that this might be caused by a kitten left behind by the cat Lil Artha
+had been compelled to slay in order to save Alec from rough clawing. He
+even hunted around during the daytime, hoping to find the small beast,
+but was unable to do so. Finally, the mewing was heard no more; from
+which they concluded that the kitten had either succumbed to hunger, or
+else, being fairly able to provide for itself, had departed for other
+fields.
+
+The 'coons, however, afforded the campers no end of amusement by their
+curious antics. George gave it as his opinion that whoever named that
+particular section of country Raccoon Bluff knew his business, for never
+had he seen one half so many of the "bushy-tails" as during their stay
+there.
+
+They proved to be great pests in the bargain, stealing whatever cooked
+food was left over; and becoming so tame, that it was a common
+occurrence to have several prowling around at any time of the day; while
+at night one of the campers found it necessary to rush out of the tent
+several times during the period of darkness in order to "shoo" the
+impudent rascals away.
+
+Mr. Snodgrass had enjoyed himself heartily during the parts of two days
+he stayed with the boys. He expressed deep regret that pressing demands
+of business caused him to start back to town, Rufus seeing him safely
+to the nearest station, some six miles distant, as the crow flies.
+
+And from what they all saw of Mr. Snodgrass during his stay, the others
+were inclined to believe Rufus knew what he was talking about when he so
+boldly told Jem Shock that his father was as "honest as the day was
+long," and "the best man that ever lived." Elmer concluded that any
+father who had so lived that his boy believes this of him has a right to
+be proud, and feel that "example is much better than precept." Too many
+fathers, Elmer realized, act upon the theory that a boy can maintain his
+respect for his parent who advises him to "do as I say, not as I do."
+
+When finally the time came for breaking camp, the two tenderfeet felt
+sure they had made giant strides along the road that led to their
+goal--the distinction of becoming a first-class scout. They had learned
+innumerable things since leaving home; indeed, life looked altogether
+different nowadays, because they saw ten interesting things where before
+there had appeared but one. And the thirst for knowledge had gripped
+them so that never again would either Rufus or Alec be content to plod
+along as before, "seeing things as through a glass darkly," and not more
+than half comprehending what wonders surround boys of today on every
+side, if only they have the vision to notice and comprehend.
+
+There is really no need for us to accompany Elmer, George, Lil Artha
+and the tenderfoot squad home again. But the story of their achievements
+while up there in camp at Raccoon Bluff will always make a bright page
+in the annals of the Hickory Ridge Boy Scouts. Of course we expect to
+meet these good friends again at no far distant day, in the pages of
+another volume, wherein may be detailed further of their interesting and
+often thrilling adventures. Until that time comes we must lower the
+curtain, and write the last words,
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+THE EDWARD S. ELLIS SERIES
+
+STORIES OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN; MYSTERY, ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE
+
+
+Every red blooded American Boy and Girl will be greatly pleased with
+these books. They are written by the master writer of such books, EDWARD
+S. ELLIS. There is mystery, charm and excitement in each volume. All the
+following titles can be procured at the same place this book was
+procured, or they will be sent postpaid for 25c per copy or 5 for $1.00.
+
+    Astray in the Forest
+    River and Forest
+    Lost in the Rockies
+    Bear Cavern
+    The Lost River
+    Boy Hunters in Kentucky
+    The Daughter of the Chieftain
+    Captured by the Indians
+    Princess of the Woods
+    Wolf Ear: The Indian
+
+_Read every one of the above Titles You will enjoy them_
+
+
+  M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
+  _Manufacturers and Publishers Since 1861_
+  701-733 SOUTH DEARBORN STREET        CHICAGO
+
+
+
+
+FURRY FOLK STORIES
+
+By JANE FIELDING
+
+
+      A series of life tales of our four-footed friends, as
+      related by the animals. These stories are entertaining
+      and pleasing to the young and old alike. Bound in
+      cloth and illustrated. Colored wrapper.
+
+_Price each 50 cents postpaid_
+
+    1. Bear Brownie                 _The Life of a Bear_
+    2. Jackie Hightree        _Adventures of a Squirrel_
+    3. Kitty Purrpuss              _The Memoir of a Cat_
+    4. Master Reynard             _The History of a Fox_
+    5. Scamp                         _A Dog's Own Story_
+    6. Wee Willie Mousie   _Life from his own Viewpoint_
+
+
+
+
+THE JINGLE BOOK
+
+By CAROLYN WELLS
+
+
+_Price each 60 cents postpaid_
+
+      A popular book of Jingles by this well-known writer. A
+      comic illustration on every page. Bound in cloth and
+      beautifully stamped in colors. Each is book wrapped in
+      a jacket printed in colors.
+
+
+
+LET'S MAKE BELIEVE STORIES
+
+By LILIAN T. GARIS
+
+
+      Delightful and fascinating stories; printed from
+      large, clear type on a superior quality of paper,
+      Frontispiece and jacket printed in full colors. Bound
+      in cloth and stamped from appropriate dies.
+
+_Price each 50 cents postpaid_
+
+    1. Let's Make Believe We're Keeping House
+    2. Lets Play Circus
+    3. Let's Make Believe We're Soldiers
+
+    M . A . DONOHUE . & . COMPANY
+    711 . SOUTH . DEARBORN . STREET . . CHICAGO
+
+
+
+
+UNCLE WIGGILY SERIES
+
+By HOWARD R. GARIS
+
+
+Four titles of these famous books, fifty-two stories in each. Printed
+from large, clear type on a superior quality of paper. Numerous
+illustrations and jacket printed in full colors. Bound in cloth.
+
+_Price each $1.00 Postpaid_
+
+    _Uncle Wiggily and Alice in Wonderland_
+    _Uncle Wiggily and Mother Goose_
+    _Uncle Wiggily Longears_
+    _Uncle Wiggily's Arabian Nights_
+
+
+
+
+THOSE SMITH BOYS
+
+By HOWARD R. GARIS
+
+
+New and complete editions printed from new plates on a superior quality
+paper. Each book is wrapped in a special jacket printed in colors.
+Appropriately stamped and handsomely bound in cloth.
+
+_Price each 60c Postpaid_
+
+    _Those Smith Boys_
+    _Those Smith Boys on the Diamond_
+
+
+
+
+THE DADDY SERIES
+
+By HOWARD R. GARIS
+
+
+Mr. Garis has won the hearts of little folks with his stories. Each is
+founded on animal lore and is told in simple language. Large, clear
+text. Special jacket printed in colors. Bound in clothene.
+
+_Price each 35c Postpaid_
+
+    _Daddy Takes Us Camping_
+    _Daddy Takes Us Fishing_
+    _Daddy Takes Us to the Circus_
+    _Daddy Takes Us Skating_
+    _Daddy Takes Us Coasting_
+    _Daddy Takes Us Hunting Flowers_
+    _Daddy Takes Us Hunting Birds_
+    _Daddy Takes Us to the Woods_
+    _Daddy Takes Us to the Farm_
+    _Daddy Takes Us to the Garden_
+
+    M . A . DONOHUE . & . COMPANY
+    711 . SOUTH . DEARBORN . STREET . . CHICAGO
+
+
+
+
+Boy Inventors' Series
+
+
+The author knows these subjects from a practical standpoint. Each book
+is printed from new plates on a good quality of paper and bound in
+cloth. Each book wrapped in a jacket printed in colors.
+
+_Price 60c each_
+
+    1. Boy Inventors' Wireless Triumph
+    2. Boy Inventors' and the Vanishing Sun
+    3. Boy Inventors' Diving Torpedo Set
+    4. Boy Inventors' Flying Ship
+    5. Boy Inventors' Electric Ship
+    6. Boy Inventors' Radio Telephone
+
+
+
+
+The "How-to-do-it" Books
+
+
+These books teach the use of tools; how to sharpen them; to design and
+layout work. Printed from new plates and bound in cloth. Profusely
+illustrated. Each book is wrapped in a printed jacket.
+
+_Price $1.00 each_
+
+    1. Carpentry for Boys
+    2. Electricity for Boys
+    3. Practical Mechanics for Boys
+
+  _For Sale by all Book-sellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of
+  the above price._
+
+  M . A . DONOHUE . & . COMPANY
+  711 . SOUTH . DEARBORN . STREET . . CHICAGO
+
+
+
+The Aeroplane Series
+
+By JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY
+
+
+  1. The Aeroplane Boys; or, The Young Pilots First Air Voyage
+  2. The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing; or, Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics
+  3. The Aeroplane Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck
+  4. The Aeroplane Boys' Flights; or, A Hydroplane Round-up
+  5. The Aeroplane Boys on a Cattle Ranch
+
+
+
+
+The Girl Aviator Series
+
+By MARGARET BURNHAM
+
+
+      Just the type of books that delight and fascinate the
+      wide awake Girls of the present day who are between
+      the ages of eight and fourteen years. The great author
+      of these books regards them as the best products of
+      her pen. Printed from large clear type on a superior
+      quality of paper; attractive multi-color jacket
+      wrapper around each book. Bound in cloth.
+
+    1. The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship
+    2. The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings
+    3. The Girl Aviators' Sky Cruise
+    4. The Girl Aviators' Motor Butterfly.
+
+  _For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of 75c._
+
+  M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY
+  701-733 S. DEARBORN STREET      CHICAGO
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
+
+Page 49, "for" changed to "from" (from the entire party)
+
+Page 56, "import" changed to "impart" (promised to impart)
+
+Page 99, "walk" changed to "talk" (the talk was of)
+
+Page 113, "virtuosa" changed to "virtuoso" (the old virtuoso)
+
+Page 132, "wind-brake" changed to "wind-break" (sort of wind-break)
+
+Page 186, "excitment" changed to "excitement" (charm and excitement)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Boy Scouts: Tenderfoot Squad, by Alan Douglas
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS: TENDERFOOT SQUAD ***
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