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[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.