FIRST AID TO THE INJURED
Dismay seized upon most of the scouts upon realizing what a disaster
had fallen upon them. Tom however was not the one to forget that he had
made a special study of "first aid to the injured," as had also Rob
Shaefer.
"Carry him over here, where we'll make a soft bed of the blankets, and
then we've got to see how badly he's hurt!" was what Tom called out,
hurrying on ahead to arrange things.
His example seemed contagious. Boys are apt to follow a leader very
much as sheep will a bell-wether. Everybody wanted to assist; and the
feeling of panic gave way to one of confidence. Scouts should be equal
to any sudden emergency; and in that way prove the value of their
education along the lines of usefulness.
Walter was groaning dismally, although trying his best to bear the
pain. He looked as white as a sheet in the face. Tom's first act was to
force himself to appear cheerful; he knew that if all of them stared
and shuddered it would have a bad effect on the injured lad.
When they had made an examination Tom and Rob agreed that one of the
bones only had been broken.
"It's a painful thing, but not nearly so bad as a compound fracture
would be," Tom announced. "I think we can set it all right,
temporarily, and then bind the leg up. In the meantime, Mr.
Witherspoon, please make up your mind what we'd better do about getting
Walter home in a hurry, where the doctor can take charge of him."
"I hope you won't think of giving up your hike just on account of me,
fellows," said the poor Walter, weakly, showing a magnanimous spirit in
adversity that made his chums feel all the more admiration for him.
"Leave that to me," Mr. Witherspoon announced; "I remember seeing an
old car in the yard of that house we passed some three miles back. If
you boys can make some sort of stretcher for carrying Walter I'll see
that he gets home to-day, if I have to accompany him, and then come
back again to you."
This cheered the stricken lad as nothing else could have done. Home
just then had a most alluring look to Walter. The woods may seem all
very delightful when a boy is perfectly well, but let sickness or an
accident put him on his back, and there is nothing like one's own
home.
After making some preparations, Tom and Rob announced that they were
ready.
"It's going to hurt you some, Walter," said the patrol leader,
regretfully; "but it's got to be done, you know. Those two ends of the
bone must be brought together, and after that we intend to bandage your
leg the very best we know how."
Walter shut his teeth hard together, and seemed to prepare for the
worst.
"Go ahead, boys," he said, grimly; "I'll have to grin and bear it, I
guess. And I deserve all I'm getting for being so silly as to slip when
I was climbing that tree to see what was in the hole in the trunk."
He managed to stand it very bravely indeed, though the agony must have
been intense. The other scouts heaved a sigh when they saw the amateur
surgeons start to binding up the injured limb.
"That's all through with, Walter," said Tom, cheerily, "and you stood
it like a soldier, we'll all declare. Just as soon as that litter is
done you're going to be carried back to that house, if it takes every
one of us to do the job."
Josh and some of the others had been busily engaged trying to construct
a suitable litter. Fortunately they had learned how this should be
done, for it is one of the duties of every Boy Scout to know this.
With the ax they cut a couple of stout poles about eight feet in
length. These were to constitute the sides, and would form the handles,
each one to be in charge of a scout.
A blanket was arranged across these in such a manner that there would
not be the slightest danger of its slipping, after the two poles had
been held a certain distance apart with a couple of cross-pieces.
When finally the litter was completed it was pronounced first-class by
every one.
"I'm proud of the way you boys grapple with an emergency," said Mr.
Witherspoon, enthusiastically. "You're all a credit to the organization
to which you belong. I mean that your light shall not be kept under a
bushel, for this is an example worthy of being spread abroad, and
copied by other scouts."
The next thing was to lift Walter to the litter, which was done without
giving the poor fellow much pain. He seemed so grateful for every
little thing they did for him, and looked so pitiful lying there that
tender-hearted Billy Button was observed to hurriedly rush away,
pretending that he wanted to wash his hands down at the water, when
they all knew the tears had been welling up in his eyes.
"It's going to be no easy task getting him all the way back to that
house," said Mr. Witherspoon, "especially over such rough ground as
we've struck. Four will be needed to work at a time, and they'll have
to be relieved often, so perhaps we had better all go along save one
scout, who can stay to look after the camp."
"Let Billy stay," said Josh; "he was complaining of a stone bruise on
his heel, and would be better off here than taking that six mile
tramp."
So it was decided that Billy Button should remain in the camp. He did
not look as if he enjoyed the prospect very much.
"No wild animals around here to bother you, Billy," Josh assured him,
when they were prepared to make the start.
"You forget those dogs, I guess," Billy told him; "they must be pretty
mad at us for holding them up. What must I do if they take a notion to
come back and threaten to eat me up?"
"Oh! the easiest thing for you to try," Josh told him, "would be to
shin up this tree here, and wait for us to rescue you. We've hung our
grub up so nothing can get hold of it. But don't worry, Billy; there
isn't one chance in ten that the dogs'll come back this way."
It was a strange procession that left the camp. Stanley took a picture
of the litter bearers so they would have something to remember the
occurrence by; and Walter had so far recovered from the shock and the
acute pain as to be able to raise his head, so that he might appear in
the scene as the object of all this excitement.
Billy saw them depart, and then turned his attention to other things.
Being left in full charge of the camp he had a sense of responsibility
resting upon him, such as he had never experienced before.
It would take them perhaps two full hours going that distance with the
injured boy, because great care would be required in picking the
easiest way. Of course the return journey would be made in half that
time.
Altogether three hours might elapse, even with the best of luck, before
the main body of scouts could be expected back; and Billy had been told
that they would depend on him to get supper started.
It was fine to see how very careful the litter bearers were as they
pushed along the back trail. One would go ahead to lead the way, and so
avoid any unusually rough places as much as possible. Every boy looked
well to his footing, since any sort of jolt, such as would accompany a
stumble, was apt to cause Walter unnecessary pain.
Their progress was necessarily somewhat slow. Tom said that was one of
the times when it paid to be sure rather than to try to make speed. And
from the fact that not once did they cause poor Walter to give a groan
it could be seen that these careful litter-bearers fulfilled their duty
fully as well as Red Cross or hospital attendants could have done.
The two hours and more had passed before they came to the house at
which Mr. Witherspoon had remembered seeing a car. It turned out that
the man who lived there was doing so for his health. He wanted to be in
a quiet place on account of shattered nerves.
When he learned what had happened he told them he would gladly take the
injured scout to his home, and that there was room also for Mr.
Witherspoon, whom he would bring back with him again.
The splendid manner in which the scouts had managed, both with regard
to doing up the fractured limb, and in making that litter, excited the
man's admiration; and he felt that he could not do too much for those
self-reliant lads.
"Such work should be encouraged by every right-thinking man or woman,"
he told them; "and after you've all had a cup of hot coffee, which my
wife is getting ready right now, we'll be off."
Of course all of them were feeling much more cheerful, now that they
knew the hike would not have to be abandoned on account of this
accident. Some of the boys had begun to fear this would be the result.
"When I get back here from town," Mr. Witherspoon told them, "it is apt
to be late, and I'll be too tired to try that three miles over rough
ground. So I've made arrangements to stay here over-night with our good
friends. In the morning after breakfast I'll start off along the trail
for the camp. Of course it would be nice if several of you met me half
way there."
"We'll be only too glad to do that, sir," Josh told him; for Mr.
Witherspoon had by this time firmly entrenched himself in the
affections of his boys, who believed him to be the best scout master
any troop had ever boasted, barring none.
After seeing the car start, and giving Walter a rousing send-off that
must have done his heart good, the rest of the boys concluded to turn
their faces toward the camp.
"Three hours will seem an age to Billy Button," said Horace, who was
feeling quite proud of the fact that he had been chosen as one of the
litter-bearers.
"Oh! he'll have plenty to do cleaning all those fish we caught this
morning, and some other odd jobs I gave him," remarked Josh,
carelessly.
"Billy is inclined to be timid," Felix observed, loftily; "and it's a
good thing, for him to be left alone once in a while. Nothing like
making a scout feel he's just got to depend on himself for things."
The three miles was soon covered by the returning eight scouts.
"I can see smoke ahead!" announced Josh presently.
"Yes, and there's the pond shining in the light of the sun," added
Felix.
"Isn't that our chum, Billy, waving his hands to us?" asked George.
"Looks as if he wanted us to hurry up some. I wonder what's happened
now?"
"Oh! he's only anxious for us to join him," said Carl; "perhaps he made
a mistake in the time we were to be back, and he's gone and cooked all
the fish."
It was soon seen, however, that the guardian of the camp had a good
reason for his excitement. His face bore a troubled expression, it
struck Tom, when he drew near the camp.
"Anything gone wrong here Billy?" he asked.
"I should say there had, Tom!" he burst out with. "Why, would you
believe it, some miserable tramps raided the camp, and got away with
most of our stuff!"