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THE BOY SCOUTS FOR UNCLE SAM
by
LIEUT. HOWARD PAYSON
Author of
"The Boy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol," "The Boy Scouts
on the Range," "The Boy Scouts and the Army
Airship," "The Boy Scouts' Mountain Camp,"
"The Boy Scouts at the Panama Canal,"
etc.
[Illustration: Every eye watched the distant yacht anxiously.
_(Page 75)_ _(The Boy Scouts for Uncle Sam)_]
[Illustration]
A. L. Burt Company
Publishers New York
Printed in U. S. A.
Copyright, 1912,
by
Hurst & Company
Made in U. S. A
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE EAGLES AT HOME 5
II. THE FACE AT THE TRANSOM 14
III. AN OCEAN DERELICT 26
IV. A MYSTERY OF THE SEA 36
V. A MESSAGE FROM THE PAST 46
VI. A STARTLING ADVENTURE 53
VII. TRAPPED BY FLAMES 61
VIII. A BOY SCOUT SIGNAL 69
IX. THE BOYS MEET A "WOLF" 76
X. A NEW RECRUIT 84
XI. BARTON THE MACHINIST 95
XII. THE SUBMARINE ISLAND 102
XIII. DOWN TO THE DEPTHS 112
XIV. FACING DEATH 120
XV. THE STRANGE FLAG 129
XVI. SCOUTING FOR UNCLE SAM 138
XVII. ROB'S BRAVE ACT 146
XVIII. THE ISLAND HUT 154
XIX. A CHASE IN THE NIGHT 163
XX. ON BOARD A STRANGE CRAFT 173
XXI. OFF ON A SEA TRAIL 182
XXII. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE 190
XXIII. THE DEPTHS OF OLD OCEAN 198
XXIV. ROB MAKES A DISCOVERY 209
XXV. THE DEAD MAN'S HOARD 217
XXVI. WHICH WILL WIN? 228
XXVII. THE ENDURANCE RUN 238
XXVIII. THE SUPREME TEST 248
XXIX. INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH 263
The Boy Scouts for Uncle Sam
CHAPTER I.
THE EAGLES AT HOME.
"After all, fellows, it's good to be back home again."
The speaker, Rob Blake, leader of the Eagle Patrol of Boy Scouts, spoke
with conviction. He was a "rangy," sun-burned lad of about eighteen,
clear-eyed, confident and wiry. His Boy Scout training, too, had made
him resourceful beyond his years.
"Yes, and it's also good to know that we each have a good substantial
sum of money in the bank as the result of the finding of the Dangerfield
fortune," agreed Merritt Crawford, his second in command, a
sunny-faced, good-natured looking youth a little younger than Rob and
crowned with a tousled mass of wavy brown hair.
"Well, at any rate we've had plenty to eat since we've been back,"
chimed in Tubby Hopkins, a corpulent youth who owed his nickname to his
fleshiness.
"That's right, Tubby," laughed Paul Perkins, another bright-eyed young
"Eagle"; "that's something we didn't always get in the Adirondacks. I
thought at one time that you'd fade away to a shadow."
"Humph! Pretty substantial sort of shadow," grinned Hiram Nelson, who,
besides Paul Perkins, was the inventive genius of the Eagles.
The scene of these reminiscences was the comfortably furnished patrol
room of the Eagles, situated over the bank of the little town of Hampton
on the south shore of Long Island. Rob Blake's father, the president of
the bank, was a patron of the Eagles, and had donated the room to the
boys some time before.
Boxing gloves, foils, baseball bats and other athletic apparatus dear to
a boy's heart lay scattered about the room in orderly confusion. On the
walls were diagrams of the "wig-wag code" and the "Morse code
simplified," with other illustrations of Scout activities.
But it was above the door that there was perched the particular pride of
the Eagles' hearts--a huge American eagle, a bird fast disappearing from
its native haunts. With outstretched wings and defiant attitude it stood
there, typifying the spirit of its young namesakes. The eagle had been a
present to the lads from Lieutenant Duvall, of the United States Army,
whom they had materially aided some time before in various aerial
intrigues and adventures. What these were was related in full in the
"The Boy Scouts and the Army Airship."
In the first volume of this series, "The Boy Scouts of the Eagle
Patrol," it was told how the boys came to organize, and how they
succeeded in unravelling a kidnapping mystery, involving one of their
number. In the second volume, "The Boy Scouts on the Range," we followed
the boys' adventures in the far southwest. Here they encountered Moqui
Indians and renegade cow-punchers. But through all their hardships and
adventures they conducted themselves according to the Scout laws.
The third volume was "The Boy Scouts and the Army Airship," referred to
in connection with Lieutenant Duvall. In this book a military biplane
played an important part, as did the theft of a series of plans of a
gyroscope invention of Lieutenant Duvall's, who was an all-around
mechanical genius.
In the story that preceded the present account of the Eagle Patrol the
lads found themselves in the Adirondacks on a strange mission. With a
certain Major Dangerfield, a retired army officer, they searched for a
lost cave in which an old-time pirate, one of the Major's ancestors, had
hidden his loot when Indians threatened him. How the cave was located
and the startling discovery made there, we have not space to describe
here. But in the wildest part of the "land of woods and lakes" the boys
encountered some thrilling adventures, not the least of which was Rob's
battle with the moonshining gang that infested a lonely canyon.
From this trip they had returned not more than two weeks before the
scene in the meeting-room, which we have described, took place. Bronzed,
clear-eyed and alert, they were already longing for action of some sort.
How soon they were to be plunged into adventures of a variety even more
exciting than any they had yet encountered they little dreamed at the
moment.
- - - - -
They were still laughing over the idea of the substantial Tubby's rotund
form being compared to a shadow when there came a tap at the door of
the room in which they were assembled.
"Guess that's Andy Bowles," said Rob, referring to the only member of
the Patrol who was not present; "wonder why he's so late."
Then, in a louder voice, he cried:
"Come in, Andy."
But the voice that answered as the door was flung open was not Andy's.
Instead, it was a deep, resounding bass one.
"I'm not Andy; but I'll accept the invitation."
As the owner of the voice, a tall, well-set-up man with a military
bearing, stepped into the room all the Scouts sprang erect at attention,
and gave the Scout salute. Then they broke into three cheers.
"Why, Lieutenant Duvall, what are you doing here?" exclaimed Rob, coming
forward.
The young officer shook hands warmly with the leader of the Boy Scouts.
Then, while the others pressed closer to the lieutenant--the same
officer who had conducted the aviation tests at the "tunnelled
house"--he addressed Rob.
"The fact is, I came down here to see if you are willing to tackle some
more adventures," he said.
"Are we--" began Rob; but a roar from the Scouts interrupted him.
"Just you try us, Lieutenant."
"More adventures? Great stuff!"
"I'm ready right now."
"You can count on me."
The air fairly bubbled with confusion and excitement.
The Lieutenant roared with laughter.
"I do believe if you boys were told to lead a forlorn hope up to a row
of machine guns you'd do it," he exclaimed; "but all this time I've been
leaving my friend outside. May I bring him in?"
"Why ask the question?" exclaimed Rob. "This room is at the disposal of
the United States Army at any time."
"Well, in this case it must be at the disposal of the Navy also," smiled
the officer. Then, turning his head, he called to someone outside in the
hallway, "Dan, the Eagles are prepared to receive the Navy."
At the word, a stalwart young man of about Lieutenant Duvall's age,
stepped into the room. He was deeply sun-burned, and had an alert,
upright carriage that stamped him as belonging to Uncle Sam's service.
"Scouts of the Eagle Patrol," said Lieutenant Duvall, with becoming
formality, "allow me to present to you Ensign Daniel Hargreaves, of the
United States Navy, just now detailed on special service."
Once more came the Scout salute, and then, given with a will, the long
drawn "Kr-e-e-ee" of the Eagles.
The naval officer's eyes twinkled.
"These are Eagles that can scream with a vengeance," he exclaimed to his
companion.
"Yes; and they can show their talons on occasion, I can assure you,"
declared Lieutenant Duvall. "But 'heave ahead,' as you say in the Navy,
Dan, and put your proposition before them."
The boys greeted this announcement with wide-open eyes. Somehow or other
they felt impressed immediately that they were on the verge of another
series of important adventures; that the unexpected visit of the
officers had something to do with their immediate future. And in this
they were not the least bit out of the way, as will be seen.