Produced by Roger Frank and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
[Illustration: A few rapid and accurate strokes with the pick loosened
the hard earth. (Page 96) Frontispiece]
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THE BOY SCOUT TREASURE HUNTERS
or
THE LOST TREASURE OF BUFFALO HOLLOW
by
CHARLES HENRY LERRIGO
Illustrated By
CHARLES L. WRENN
Published With The Approval Of
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
Publishers
BARSE & HOPKINS
New York, N. Y.--Newark, N. J.
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Copyright 1917 by Barse & Hopkins
The Boy Scout Treasure Hunters
Printed in the United States of America
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TO MY SON
FRANK LERRIGO
IN THE HOPE THAT IT MAY
HELP HIM TO BE A
"GOOD SCOUT"
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I Glen Mason Runs Away 9
II A Friend and a Foe 22
III Jolly Bill Is Considerably Upset 34
IV How Mother Cares 46
V Treacherous Indians at Buffalo Lake 56
VI Getting Acquainted 68
VII Glen Is Initiated 79
VIII Matt Burton's Treasure Find 91
IX Glen Enlists 102
X J. Jervice and His Gang 112
XI Glen Follows a False Trail 120
XII The Bee Tree 133
XIII The Chase on the Motor-Bike 144
XIV Safe at Camp Buffalo 154
XV Strength and Loyalty 167
XVI Detective Matty 177
XVII The End of the Jervice Gang 189
XVIII Glen and Apple Find the Cave 203
XIX Buried in the Cave 214
XX The Treasure of Buffalo Lake 227
XXI What Became of Them 240
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ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
A few rapid and accurate strokes with the pick
loosened the hard earth Frontispiece
"Brave Man!" sneered the leader. "Get me a little
rope an' I'll do him up scientific" 131
Glen watched the three walk back up the road at
a lock-step gait 198
With the lighted lanterns they could get a better
idea of their surroundings 211
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THE BOY SCOUT TREASURE HUNTERS
CHAPTER I
GLEN MASON RUNS AWAY
It was the supper hour at the State Industrial School for Boys, known to
the general public as "The Reform School."
Glen Mason sat on a long bench trying to hold the place next to him
against the stealthy ravages of the boys who crowded him.
"Where's Nixy?" he inquired angrily of his neighbor on the right. "Did
he go to town again?"
"He's back," the boy replied. "Just got in an' had to go up and change
his clothes. Had the toothache again to-day, he told me. Here he comes,
now."
A lanky boy of fifteen or sixteen got into the vacant seat just as the
chaplain rose to say grace. After grace no loud talking was permitted,
but no objection was made to whispered conversations that did not
become too noisy.
"How's it come you go to town so often and I don't ever get to go,
Nixy?" whispered Glen, the moment grace was ended.
"One thing you don't have the toothache, another thing you get too many
demerits. The fellows that get to town have to go thirty days without a
black sign. You never could do it, Glen."
"I could if I wanted. I'm twenty days now. Wouldn't hurt me to go
another ten. If I went to town alone I'd never come back."
"It ain't so easy, Glen. You have to wear your uniform so everybody
knows what you are. If you aren't back by six o'clock they have the
police after you. The old man made a great talk about his honor system,
but as long as you have to wear your uniform there's plenty of people to
watch you."
"I could find a way to get around that," insisted Glen.
"Well, so could I. I've got one all planned out that I'm going to work
some day. I'll get leave to go to the dentist late some afternoon. The
car to come back leaves his office at five o'clock. He doesn't want to
stay until five because he goes off to play golf. So he'll leave me in
his waiting-room when he goes. I'll have a suit of overalls rolled up
under my uniform. Soon as the doctor goes I'll change my clothes. You
can't get out without being seen but I'll hide right there in the
building till it closes and then get down the fire-escape."
"I guess somebody'd see you go down and a policeman would get you."
"I guess they wouldn't. I wouldn't try till late at night when there
wasn't anybody around. Then I'd pick a dark night, and that fire-escape
is in the back end of the building, so I guess there wouldn't nobody see
me."
"Oh, mebbe there wouldn't. Supposin' you did get away. Where'd you go?"
"I'd have that all fixed. I'd put on my other clothes and pitch my
uniform away and that night would get me twenty-five miles where
nobody'd think of looking for me."
"Oh, I dunno. I guess you'd be easy picked up. Anybody could tell you a
mile off. All to do is to look for a broom handle out walking all by
itself."
"Broom handle yourself, Glen Mason. I've got the makings of a big man if
ever I'd get enough to eat."
"You go high enough up to be a big man, but you've stretched too much.
If you'd ever learn to be a contortionist and tie yourself into three
knots close together, you'd do better."
"You're always saying something mean. I wish I hadn't told you my plan
at all."
"I won't do anything to your old plan."
"I ain't so sure. 'Twouldn't be above ye to steal it."
"I s'pose you dare me to do it."
"Yes, I dare ye to do it."
"An' you think I'd steal a plan from a mate?"
"I think you'd do anything."
There were many who had just as poor an opinion of Glen. He himself
found it remarkably easy to do mean and low acts and had almost ceased
to wonder at himself. Every day seemed to find a lower level for his
setting. Nixon had correctly guessed his thoughts. Already he was
turning over in his mind the feasibility of Nixon's plan of escape and
wondering if he could himself take advantage of it. He had been in the
reform school over a year, but it had not reformed him. The new
superintendent, with his kindness, had won the hearts of many of the
most wayward boys, but no impression had he made on Glen. As a matter of
fact the boy rather laughed at his foolishness. To put boys on their
honor, to trust the merit boys to go into town without guard, all was
new policy, and the only interest Glen had in it was to take advantage
of it. Let him get one single chance to go to town alone and the reform
school would see no more of him. Just what he would do he did not know.
Sometimes a fleeting thought of going home to see the mother whose heart
must be almost broken by his waywardness and the young sister and
brother who were carefully guarded from knowledge of the disgrace he had
brought upon them would come to him. But though he was supposed to be
dead to impulses for reform there always crept into his mind the desire
that his return home should be only when he had enough money and enough
honor so that he should not be welcomed as a penitent but as a
conquering hero. Glen was much given to great thoughts of the mighty
things he would do and the high stations he would occupy. Unfortunately
his pride of thought had never made him insist that his inclination
yield to right instead of to desire. Glen Mason's fault was easily
summed up--he desired always his own way and had so allowed this
inclination to fill his life that he was utterly regardless of others.
Given his own way he was a pleasant chum, a good friend and a brave
comrade.
When Glen wanted a thing very badly he would go to great lengths to get
it. Having set for his goal the thirty days of good behavior marks he
was bound to win it, though greatly to the surprise of the officers who
had never known Glen to pass so long a time without fracturing a great
number of rules. No sooner was his time up than he asked leave to go to
town to visit the dentist.
The Superintendent was rather disturbed by the request. He had been both
pleased and surprised by Glen's good behavior. Now that the boy had
earned the privilege of going to town without guard he did not wish to
spoil his good work by a refusal to trust him. Yet he was suspicious. He
asked that Glen be sent to the office.
"Why do you want to go to the dentist, Glen?" he asked kindly. "What
attention do your teeth need?"
Glen was confused. So far as he knew his teeth were sound as bullets. He
had not sunk to the place where lies were easy of expression.
"I don't know just what, sir," he stammered, wishing that he could think
of something. "The dentist will know what they need."
This was as good an answer as he could have made, although stumbled on
by chance.
"You want the dentist to go over them to find what is the matter, do
you?" said the soft-hearted superintendent.
"Yes, sir. I want the dentist to find what is the matter."
"It isn't a bad idea," said the superintendent. "It won't be necessary
for you to go to town, though, for the dentist is coming out here next
week."
"But I don't want to wait until next week," cried Glen. "I want to go
to-day. I want him to pull one out."
"Which one?" inquired the superintendent.
It made little difference to Glen which tooth he denoted for the
sacrifice. Now that he had told the lie he would stay by it. He pointed
to a big double tooth and resolved that he would remember it.
The superintendent looked at the tooth and at the boy.
"Perhaps you don't know how much that tooth is worth?"
"No, sir," agreed Glen.
"A very conservative price is a hundred dollars, at your age. You
wouldn't throw a hundred dollars away."
"No, sir; but I want it pulled."
It was all very well to talk of a hundred dollars, but when Glen had his
mind set on a matter he would make any sacrifice.
"Well, you must not have it pulled. But have the dentist look at it. I
will give you a pass for this afternoon. You will wear your uniform,
walk to the car line and take the street car to the dentist's office.
Let me ask you one thing, Glen. Don't forget to come back."
It was as if the superintendent read his thoughts. Glen changed color
and looked foolish. He could think of only one thing to say. "At what
time, sir?"
"You will be in by six o'clock. As you go to town and see the boys at
liberty on the streets remember that if you keep up your good behavior
you may soon be paroled and be as free as they. All you have to do,
Glen, is to keep it up."
As he went to put on his uniform, the hated uniform that made it so hard
for him to lose himself in the crowd, Glen realized better how it was
that Nixon and some of the others who had been given liberty in town had
never violated their trust. It seemed abominably mean and small to go
back on a man like this. He actually began to have his own doubts. But
it was very hard for Glen Mason to give up anything on which he had set
his heart.
There were several things went wrong which were quite disturbing. In the
first place he was obliged to change his clothing under the eye of the
physical director which utterly spoiled any scheme of hiding a suit of
overalls under his uniform. The walk to the street car and the ride to
the doctor's office would have been very enjoyable had not every one
stared at him and his uniform. More than once he heard some one say
"There goes a reform school boy." Then the dentist did all manner of
things in his efforts to find the nonexistent aching tooth. Finally he
did find an area of tenderness in an entirely different tooth to the one
specified.
"Does this tooth hurt you more than the others!" he asked.
"It does," Glen agreed, quite truthfully, an involuntary "Ouch"
following his words.
"I thought as much," the doctor observed. "It is often hard to locate
the pain definitely. The nerve reflexes are responsible for it. I will
now drill into this and see what we find."
"Do you have to drill?" asked Glen.
"Surely. Have to clean out all the old decayed tooth before I fill it. I
often give the boys from the school a little sermon by telling them the
bad has to be cleaned out before you get sound living."
"Make it as easy as you can," Glen requested.
"Yes, of course. But cleaning out decay often hurts."
It did hurt but Glen would have fainted rather than make an outcry.
The doctor stepped to the 'phone and called up the superintendent.
"It's all right with the Mason boy," he said. "I've done all I can
to-day for him. I'm leaving now. What shall he do until time for his
car."
He turned to Glen as he received a reply.
"You are to wait until five o'clock in my reception room and then take
the inter-urban car," he said, locking the inner office when they passed
out. "I am leaving a little early to-night."
Before he left he stepped into a little closet which led out of the
reception room and changed his office clothes. Glen's eyes sparkled. His
problem was solved.
At five o'clock Glen Mason rode down in the elevator to the ground floor
and asked the elevator man how he could identify the inter-urban car.
But instead of leaving the building he dodged back to the stairway as
soon as the elevator had started on its return trip and ran stealthily
up the stairs and again entered the dentist's reception room. It was
empty. Glen boldly entered the little closet and dressing himself in the
dentist's office clothes made a bundle of his uniform. The closet was
both deep and high. He climbed to the top shelf and shoved his bundle
far back over its wide surface against the wall. He dared not risk going
out in the doctor's clothing in daylight. He must stay until the
building was deserted and use the fire escape. His great fear was lest
some one should come to the reception room. The only safeguard was
concealment in the hot, dark closet. He waited hours without any
disturbance. He felt sure that it must be almost midnight. Stealthily he
opened the door of the closet and stepped to a window. It was still
daylight, though the sun was setting. He returned to his closet.
It must have been some hours afterward that he heard footsteps and
voices outside the door. In sudden desperation he climbed up and lay
flat on the wide shelf where he had hidden the uniform. Someone opened
the door of the closet, glanced inside and shut it again.
"I tell you I took him down about five o'clock and showed him his car.
He ain't here," said the voice of the elevator man.
"I have to make sure," replied his companion.
Glen knew the voice for that of one of the school officials. So already
they were seeking him!
After all was quiet Glen ventured to open the closet door and peep out.
It was dark now but there were lights in the hall. After a long time
they were extinguished and the building seemed deserted. The last late
worker departed. The elevator ceased its rhythmic motion.
Glen waited yet longer for a time and then crept down the hall to the
fire-escape, which he made out by a red light. It was a dark night, but,
nerved to the act, he made no hesitation as he swung himself out on to
the iron bars. It was an old-fashioned escape, bars at wide intervals so
close to the wall as to leave hardly a toe hold. Down, down he went, not
daring to look to see where he was going but clinging fast and letting
one step follow another. Then suddenly the ladder stopped. Feel as he
would, in this direction or in that, there were no more steps. He had
known of fire-escapes ending ten or twelve feet from the ground with an
extension which might be lowered. But he found no extension. He looked
down, but it was black night and he could see nothing but shadowy
outlines. Looking up, the ladder soon disappeared in the darkness. There
was no sense in mounting again. He let down his legs as far as he could
reach, with his body balanced on his elbows, then he let himself hang by
his hands and kicked out in the hope of finding some landing. There was
nothing to be felt but the brick wall. His arms grew tired as he swung.
His efforts to draw up again were ineffectual. In desperation he swung
off into space.
Splash! He was choking and gasping in water!