THE BOY SCOUTS
IN THE
GREAT FLOOD
BY
SCOUT MASTER ROBERT SHALER
AUTHOR OF “BOY SCOUTS OF THE SIGNAL CORPS,” “BOY SCOUTS OF PIONEER CAMP,”
“BOY SCOUTS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,” “BOY SCOUTS OF THE LIFE SAVING
CREW,” “BOY SCOUTS ON PICKET DUTY,” “BOY SCOUTS OF THE FLYING
SQUADRON,” “BOY SCOUTS AND THE PRIZE PENNANT,” “BOY SCOUTS
OF THE NAVAL RESERVE,” “BOY SCOUTS IN THE SADDLE,” “BOY
SCOUTS FOR CITY IMPROVEMENT,” “BOY SCOUTS OF THE
FIELD HOSPITAL,” “BOY SCOUTS WITH THE RED CROSS,”
“BOY SCOUTS AS COUNTY FAIR GUIDES,” “BOY
SCOUTS AS FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS,” ETC.
NEW YORK
HURST & COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
Sterling Boy Scout Books
BY
Scout Master Robert Shaler
_Bound in cloth_ _Fifteen titles_
1 Boy Scouts of the Signal Corps.
2 Boy Scouts of Pioneer Camp.
3 Boy Scouts of the Geological Survey.
4 Boy Scouts of the Life Saving Crew.
5 Boy Scouts on Picket Duty.
6 Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron.
7 Boy Scouts and the Prize Pennant.
8 Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve.
9 Boy Scouts in the Saddle.
10 Boy Scouts for City Improvement.
11 Boy Scouts in the Great Flood.
12 Boy Scouts of the Field Hospital.
13 Boy Scouts with the Red Cross.
14 Boy Scouts as County Fair Guides.
15 Boy Scouts as Forest Fire Fighters.
_You can purchase any of the above books at the price you paid for this
one, or the publishers will send any book, postpaid, upon receipt of
25c._
HURST & CO., Publishers
432 Fourth Avenue, New York
Copyright, 1915, by Hurst & Company
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Signs of Coming Trouble 5
II. Stranded Far Away from Home 18
III. On the Tottering Bridge 32
IV. An Honor to the Wolf Patrol 46
V. Scouts to the Rescue 57
VI. A Lucky Meeting 73
VII. The Helping Hand 85
VIII. The Dawn of the Scouts’ Day 96
IX. Gathering Them In 107
X. Mr. Jasper Changes His Mind 119
XI. A Daring Rescue 130
XII. Well-earned Praise 142
The Boy Scouts in the Great Flood.
CHAPTER I.
SIGNS OF COMING TROUBLE.
“I’m sick of seeing it raining, and that’s a fact, Hugh. Seems to me
it’s been pouring down in bucketfuls for a whole week now!”
“Three days, to be exact, Billy. The worst is yet to come, I’m afraid.”
“You’ll have to explain that conundrum to me, Hugh, because I don’t seem
to catch on to what you mean.”
“Stop and think what a tremendous lot of snow fell last winter, Billy.
Everybody in Oakvale said it beat the record. And now they report that
it’s started melting at a great rate in the mountains. And here’s the
rain and sudden warm weather.”
“That would be a bad combination, for a fact!”
“It might make a serious flood for all the valley below. As we came
along on the train that brought us here, I noticed the water was lapping
the embankment in a number of places. I hope they don’t have a washout
that would keep us marooned here in Lawrence, and away from home.”
The boy whose name was Billy, and who was a good-natured looking,
stoutly built chap, dressed, underneath his raincoat, in the khaki of a
scout, whistled and allowed a gleam of additional interest to sweep
across his face as he exclaimed:
“Gee whittaker! That _would_ be an interesting experience! And Hugh, two
members in good standing of the Wolf Patrol, Oakvale Troop of Boy
Scouts, might find some bully opportunities for showing what scouts can
do in emergencies. Between you and me I don’t know but what I’d be glad
of a chance to be marooned in the flood belt, so as to watch the
circus.”
The two lads were Hugh Hardin and Billy Worth, whose names have become
household words to such boys as have had the pleasure of reading
previous volumes of this series.
Since there may be new readers who are making the acquaintance of the
lively members of the famous Wolf Patrol for the first time, perhaps it
would be only fair for us to turn back a little and say something
concerning Hugh and his friends.
At first, the new movement had not taken hold in Oakvale with any great
speed, so that the Wolf Patrol composed the entire membership of the
troop. But Hugh Hardin, Billy Worth, Bud Morgan, Arthur Cameron, and the
other members began to have such a grand time that more boys evinced an
ardent desire to join.
So another patrol had been started, and the good work continued from
month to month, until, at the time this story opens, there were the
Hawks under Walter Osborne, the Otters with Alec Sands as leader, the
Fox Patrol in charge of Don Miller, and a new detachment to be called
the Owls, which Lige Corbley had recently been organizing.
Besides being the leader of the Wolf Patrol, Hugh sometimes acted as
assistant scout master in the absence of Lieutenant Denmead, a retired
army officer who gave considerable time to the boys, for whom he felt
sincere affection.
These lads had many times been in camp on the slopes of Old Stormberg
Mountain, near their native town; and in and upon the clear waters of
the lake they had paddled, fished, swam, and enjoyed every aquatic sport
known to them.
Many of them were posted in all the valuable knowledge that a true scout
deems essential to his well-being. Occasions had arisen whereby certain
favored members of the troop had been enabled to pass through rather
remarkable experiences in other sections of the country.
One of these trips, detailed at length in earlier volumes, took them to
the encampment of the state militia, where the boys were enabled to
prove their mettle by serving in the Signal Corps. From the commander
they received many compliments on account of their proficiency with the
flags and in heliograph work.
Some of them had even taken a trip to the Sunny South, visiting the
coast region in Florida, where they found a chance to assist the Life
Saving crew in their work of rescuing shipwrecked mariners from watery
graves.
At another time, they were given the privilege of being in company with
the Naval Reserve Corps aboard a Government war vessel at the annual
drill. Thus they learned a great deal more about the means of coast
defense which Uncle Sam has at his disposal than they could ever have
picked up second hand or from books.
These experiences, and many others that have been treated in detail in
the preceding volumes, had made seasoned veterans of some of the Oakvale
Scouts. Hugh and Billy in particular had gone through so many different
adventures that they often had occasion to wonder what would come along
next on the program.
Their last real exploit had been the cleaning up of their native town.
For the accomplishment of this useful service they had received the
unstinted thanks of the clubwomen, who had long wrestled with the
problem without being able, unassisted, to accomplish any reformation.
When the scouts took hold, backed by these public-spirited women, who
proceeded to see that the ordinances were strictly enforced, a wonderful
change came over the whole community. Previous to that time, at every
windstorm, the streets were a sight to behold—filthy with flying papers
and all sorts of trash. But quickly order came out of chaos, despite the
plottings of a set of mean boys who endeavored to frustrate the work of
renovation.
And now Oakvale was known as a model town in so far as cleanliness was
concerned. Why, it seemed as though everyone living there took special
pride in keeping up the good work. If a stranger carelessly happened to
throw away the wrapper from a newspaper he had taken from the
postoffice, the chances were ten to one half a dozen boys, or even small
girls, in fact, would chase after him to ask him to please pick it up
and deposit it in one of the big cans marked “I EAT TRASH” that stood at
convenient corners of the main thoroughfares.
But when we meet Hugh and his best chum on the present occasion, they
are far removed from their home town. It came about in this way, and
after all was one of those simple matters that so frequently arise to
throw people in the way of new and novel experiences.
Hugh’s folks had occasion to send a valuable package to a lawyer who
lived in the city of Lawrence, situated over a hundred miles from
Oakvale. Of course, had they chosen, this could have been dispatched by
express; but it happened that, in order that he sign papers before
witnesses, a personal interview with the gentleman was necessary.
So Hugh had been delegated to take the little journey, for no one
doubted his sterling ability, or that he would accomplish every detail
with scrupulous exactness, since his record along such lines spoke for
itself.
Billy Worth decided to accompany him, pretending that, with such a
valuable paper in his possession, Hugh needed a guard to keep him from
being held up on the road and robbed. The truth of the matter was, that
Billy just felt like taking the trip since it was during the Easter
holidays, and he chanced to have money enough in his savings bank to
cover the expenses.
They were on the way to the lawyer’s office while expressing their
several opinions, as already given, with regard to the bad state of the
weather. It was their intention, after the interview had been
accomplished and all details carried out to the letter, to return home
at once by the first train.
As had happened repeatedly before in their careers, their well-laid
plans were destined to be rudely upset by circumstances over which
neither of the boys had any control. In playing them this little trick,
a favoring fortune placed it within their power to witness, and take
part in, some of the most remarkable scenes of any that had come within
the scope of their experience.
They had never been in the little city of Lawrence before, but since
most of the business houses were located on the main street they had
little difficulty in finding the offices of the lawyer to whom Hugh had
been sent.
Mr. Jocelyn knew of their coming; indeed, was expecting their arrival on
the eleven-thirty train. Much of their trip, however, on account of the
threatening waters, had been accomplished at diminished speed. It was
now a full hour after the set time.
The attorney had made all allowances for the delay, having doubtless
called up the station agent on the ’phone, and learned just why the
train from the East was so late.
The boys found Mr. Jocelyn waiting for them and with everything ready,
so that the object of Hugh’s journey could be speedily and successfully
carried out.
A half hour afterward the two lads descended from the office of the
lawyer. Hugh felt his pocket in which he had pinned the precious
document that was the cause of his visit to Lawrence with satisfaction.
Mr. Jocelyn had apologized for not asking them to stay to lunch with
him. He lived some miles out of town, and intended to hurry back home
immediately, as he had a sick wife whose condition gave him much
anxiety. Besides, he lived not very far from the river, and the rising
waters also added to his grave concern.
It was a matter of no consequence whatever to Hugh and Billy where they
ate, so long as the food was fairly decent, and their money held out.
Accustomed to camp fare, they knew how to take things as they found
them, and seldom made any complaint; which philosophy, after all, is one
of the finest traits any lad can have, and one that scouts are apt to
have ingrained into their dispositions after a few camping tests.
“We can’t get out of here until that two-thirty-seven train for the
East,” Hugh was saying, as they swung along the main street. The sky
overhead was heavy gray, and threatened to send down another downpour of
rain at any time to add to the misery of the situation.
“I noticed that there was a pretty good lunch counter down at the
railroad station,” remarked Billy. “You see, some of the trains make a
meal stop here at Lawrence. So they prepare for a rush of custom. I
reckon we can fill up there, and be handy for the train when it comes
along.”
“A good idea, Billy, to hit two birds with one stone,” declared Hugh.
“While I think of it, there’s another thing we might do at the same
time.”
“What’s that, Hugh?”
“We have to pass the postoffice on the way down to the station, you may
remember,” said the patrol leader.
“Yes, I saw where it was,” Billy replied. “That habit of noticing
things, which scouts are drilled in, can be made use of by a fellow
everywhere. Nowadays I’m always looking to the right and to the left,
and let me tell you it’s mighty few things that escape my eye. But tell
me what the postoffice has to do with our going back home. You don’t
think of sending that paper by mail after all, I hope, Hugh?”
“After going to all the trouble I have?” cried the other. “Well, I
should think not, Billy. It’s a whole lot safer in my pocket than with
the mails, even if I registered the package. But about the postoffice—I
just happened to remember that it’s a part of the program daily, at our
town, to receive the Government weather report, and post the same on the
bulletin board. I suppose they do likewise here in Lawrence.”
“Oh, I see now what you’re after,” observed Billy hastily. “You think
that, with these unusual conditions hanging over this section of
country, Uncle Sam might get out special flood reports and predictions.”
“That’s it,” Hugh declared. “I’ve got an idea something like that must
have happened, because when we were passing the postoffice I could see
quite a crowd hanging around, mostly men; and Billy, they seemed to be
talking in knots, as though discussing something mighty serious.”
“And Hugh, that crowd is bigger than ever now. Look yonder, and you can
see how it stretches out into the street. People are heading that way,
too, from all directions, you notice. It looks to me as if there is
something doing that has all the earmarks of a tragedy.”
The two boys turned grave faces toward each other. Although Billy may
have spoken rather light-heartedly about his desire to witness a flood,
at the same time he could appreciate something of the horror that always
attends such a catastrophe; and the prospect of being involved in so
sweeping a disaster gave him a strange thrill in the region of his
heart.
They hastened their footsteps. Others were to be seen running toward the
postoffice, and often stopping to make inquiries of those they knew.
Since the two members of the Wolf Patrol were absolute strangers in
town, they did not depend on getting their information at second hand,
but pushed their way through the gathering crowd, until they found
themselves inside the building given over to the service of the
postoffice department.
“Here you are, over this way!” said Hugh, as he elbowed through the
thick mass of humanity, and on all sides they began to hear gloomy
expressions and forebodings.
There was a paper posted on the wall, which engaged the attention of the
surging throng. The scouts saw that there was a line or two of
typewriting on it, which they managed to read with bated breath, and
this was what the notice said:
“Heavy rains predicted for to-night and to-morrow all through the
Eastern section. Flood conditions will prevail, possibly to an
unprecedented extent in some quarters.”