THE MAD DOG PANIC.
No more dreadful cry can be imagined than the one the four scouts now
heard rising all around them. It made many faces turn deathly white, and
there was a hasty flight on the part of the more timid in order to gain
the shelter of the adjoining walls of the booths.
Some boys and men also remained, and commenced to pelt the wretched cur
still further with stones, sticks, or anything they could lay hands on,
meanwhile keeping up more or less wild shouting.
“The fools!” exclaimed Rob, indignantly; “that dog is no more mad than I
am; but they’re doing everything they can to make him so. He’s already
scared half out of his head with all those things being shied at him. He
snarls and snaps because he’s at bay, and the old wolf nature shows then.
All he wants is to get back home somehow!”
The clamor grew in violence as new voices joined in. Those who came
running up, always eager to see whatever was going on, began to hurl
things at the cringing yellow cur flattened against the wall; though when
the poor beast once started toward them it was amazing to see how the mob
melted away, men falling over each other in their frantic fear of being
bitten.
Rob was growing more and more indignant. He tried to speak to some of
those nearest him, but he might as well have tried to stop the flow of
Niagara for all the effect his words of expostulation had upon the
shouters.
Women and children were shrieking in fright, even though they were
apparently safe in the various buildings that lined the sunny street of
the Zone.
“I just can’t stand for this racket!” the others heard Rob say, as he
suddenly left them and sprang forward.
Immediately loud voices called out, some warning him not to be rash, and
others applauding his daring, for it is always so easy to stand back and
clap hands when some one is taking the chances.
“Oh! what does Rob mean to do?” cried Tubby, who had seen the mad dog
killed in the main street of Hampton the previous summer, and had a
perfect horror of being brought into personal contact with any animal
suffering from the rabies.
“He isn’t intending to try and grab the beast!” explained Hiram. “Rob
knows better than that, even if the dog is only scared, and not mad. It
would bite him just as quick, I guess, as if it was rabid. Watch and see
what his game is, fellows; Rob knows what he’s about, you’d better
believe!”
Every eye was centered on the form of the boy as he advanced toward the
cowering dog. Rob was snapping his fingers, and acting as friendly as he
could, wishing to assure the beast he had no hostile motive in
approaching. This he did in order to keep the frenzied and tortured dog
from jumping at him before he could manage to put his little plan into
operation.
At least it held the attention of the dog, though the animal suspected
the genuine nature of his advance, and cowered there watching him, still
snarling viciously.
It required considerable nerve to keep on in spite of the increasing
growls of the dog at bay. Rob was ready to act in case the beast did
spring toward him, for he certainly had no intention of allowing its jaws
to come in contact with his flesh.
Most of the shouting had died out by now. Everybody was watching with
held breath to see what that venturesome boy in khaki would attempt. Many
doubtless believed, as they stared with distended eyes, that Rob actually
meant to grapple with the animal and throttle it.
“It’s a burning shame to let a boy try what men might have done!” one
white-faced woman near the other scouts was heard to say; and they could
readily imagine that she had boys of her own at home, of whom she was
doubtless thinking as she watched Rob walking forward into the danger
zone.
But Rob had another scheme in view. Unarmed, he did not covet an
encounter at close quarters with that yellow dog, whether the beast was
mad or only frenzied with fear.
In fact, Rob meant to try and cage him, if it could be worked. He
believed that if given a chance the dog would only too gladly slip in
through any opening that seemed to offer him a temporary refuge from all
those shouting tormentors.
Rob, in taking a rapid survey of the situation, had noticed what seemed
to be a partly finished booth which was being erected for some late
coming concession owner. The small building was almost finished, and had
a door, which he had seen was ajar, though not fully open.
It was the boy’s plan, made up on the spur of the moment, to reach that
door and push it wide open. Then in some fashion perhaps the frightened
dog might be influenced to enter, when the door could be closed, and thus
he would be held in a trap.
Perhaps Rob’s heart beat like a trip-hammer within him as he came close
to that door, and he fancied he saw the dog starting to jump toward him.
He snapped his fingers again and spoke kindly. It may be these
expressions of good-will had a little effect on the beast; at any rate
the advance movement was delayed, though the vicious snarling and whining
continued.
Then Rob found that he could stretch out his hand and reach the door. He
started to push it open, though it was no easy task.
Having accomplished this to his satisfaction, he began to back away,
still keeping his eyes on the dog, and ready to seek some friendly place
of safety in case of necessity.
The dog had seen his action. It must have known that an avenue of escape
had been opened up by the pushing back of that door. Possibly the poor
beast anticipated a safe return to the village where it had been at home
among its kind.
“Look! it’s going to accept Rob’s invitation!” cried Tubby, excitedly.
“Smart dog!” said Andy; “he may save his bacon by that clever move.”
“There he goes in; now what d’ye think of that for a bright trick?” Hiram
shouted.
That was just what the badgered dog did—slipped along the wall until it
came to the partly open door, and then vanished from view.
“There goes Rob back! What’s he meaning to do now, I wonder?” Tubby
exclaimed, in fresh consternation.
“He wants to complete the job by shutting the door,” explained Andy, who
could grasp a situation like this much better than the stout scout,
because his wits worked quicker.
All sounds ceased again as Rob pushed along the wall of the new building
until he could reach out his hand. Then the door began to close, faster
and faster until the yawning gap was entirely filled.
Hardly had this been done than there arose a deafening cheer. Everybody
seemed to be wild with delight, and shook hands with one another in their
excitement. Now that the terrible “mad dog” had been caged, plenty of
weapons would be remembered; and it would be so easy, and safe, to shoot
through the windows of the building.
“Let’s get out of this, fellows!” said Rob, when he managed to worm his
way through the crush and join his mates.
Tubby frowned as though it was against his principles to run away when
people were wanting to shake hands, and call one a hero; but not wanting
to be left behind the others, Tubby had to go.
They had not reached a point far distant when the report of several
firearms reached them. Rob shook his head and frowned.
“That’s about the silliest thing I ever ran up against,” he said. “The
dog was no more mad than Tubby here is. Those boys pestered him, and got
him scared. Then all that shouting and waving of hands and throwing of
things at him finished the business. It was a foolish scare, and I guess
nine out of ten mad dog hunts are in the same class.”
“Well, they’ve finished the poor thing now, I guess!” ventured Hiram.
“It sounds like it the way they’re cheering, just as if they’ve done
something mighty heroic!” added Andy.
“The only thing worth a cheer,” remarked Tubby, emphatically, “was when
our chum Rob walked right at the snarling beast, and took all sorts of
chances of getting bit and clawed up. That needed nerve, let me tell
you!”
“Oh! not any to speak of,” said the scout leader, hastily. “I made sure
to have my eye on a shed close by all the while; and if he’d really made
a jump for me you’d have seen a mighty fine exhibition of high and lofty
climbing. Mad or not, I wasn’t meaning to stay there and tackle him,
without a thing to hit him with.”
“But it all worked well, as nearly always happens with you, Rob,” said
Tubby; “though once my heart seemed to be up in my throat; that was when
you had to snap your fingers and coax him, Rob. Only for that he’d have
made for you, thinking you meant to strike him.”
“I’m glad it’s over,” observed Hiram, shuddering.
“That dog belonged to the Injuns we saw in the village,” ventured Andy,
thoughtfully; “and you know Injuns think roast dog is the finest dish
ever. I expect they’ll want to claim the remains. Little they’ll bother
about any talk of mad dog; it’s more likely to be mad Injun when they
find out what’s happened.”
And after that they tried to put the latest incident out of their minds,
though Tubby would explode some new idea concerning it every once in a
while, as they wandered about the Fair grounds taking in new sights.