EAGLE PATROL JOINS THE SCOUTS
YOU must not think, when you read this history, that something all the
time was happening to us Scouts. I am only telling about what did
happen. Pa says that when it comes to starting things we have them all
beaten to a frazzle and Ma told us that it would be a mercy if we ever
lived to grow up, without losing any of our hands or feet. But we don't
think so. Boys have to be doing something all the time, don't they? If
they didn't they would get into mischief.
Anyhow, there didn't much of anything happen after Skinny lassoed the
bear, for a long time, unless you count the Fourth of July. Nobody can
help having the Fourth of July. It's part of the year. It is for our
country.
One Fourth of July, long ago, even before Pa was born, they rang old
Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, to beat the band, and they fired off
guns. 'Cause why? 'Cause there was a paper signed on that day, which
said that the United States of America should be free and independent.
But England was like old Pharaoh, with the Hebrew children, that the
Bible tells about. They didn't want to let us go. I don't blame them
much for it, either, but Skinny does.
Anyhow, I guess God must have meant for us to go free, just as He did
the Children of Israel because, although England was the greatest Nation
in the world and the best one, too, it seems to me, and we were only a
few scattering colonies without much money or anything, we came out
ahead. That is why Skinny thinks that George Washington could have
licked Napoleon Bonaparte with one hand tied behind his back.
So we have the Fourth of July, and we boys ring the church bells at four
o'clock in the morning, when they don't catch us at it, just like old
Liberty Bell was rung so many years ago.
One of Skinny's ancestors was killed in the battle of Bunker Hill. That
is what makes him so fierce against the Britishers. Every Fourth of
July he has us go up on Bob's Hill or somewhere and fight the battle all
over again.
The time I am telling about we built a fire on the hill and rang the
church bells and fired off firecrackers until we were tired and half
starved; then went home to breakfast. Everybody promised to meet again
at my house about nine o'clock.
Soon after nine we all were sitting on our side steps, talking over
where we should go for our battle, when Skinny happened to stand up and
look down the street.
We heard him make a noise like a snake and he dropped off the steps to
the ground so quickly that we thought at first he had a fit or
something, until he made a motion for us to follow him and began to
crawl toward the fence.
We didn't know what the matter was, but knew that it was something
important, so we crawled along after him as fast as we could. When we
reached the pickets he pointed and we peeped over the top, careful not
to let more than our eyes be seen.
What we saw was three members of the Gingham Ground Gang coming up the
street, walking in the middle of the road and looking on both sides as
they came, as if they were expecting trouble and wanted to be ready for
it.
Two of them had red shirts, and that made Skinny mad because it made him
think of his ancestor who was killed at Bunker Hill.
"The Redcoats are coming," said he in a hoarse whisper, so that they
wouldn't hear, but fierce-like, just the same. "Wait until you can see
the whites of their eyes; then, 'charge, the ground's your own, my
braves. Will ye give it up to slaves? Hope ye mercy, still?'"
It was a part of his last day piece at school and sounded fine.
"Charge nothin'!" said Bill. "The Americans didn't do any charging at
Bunker Hill, I guess. The Britishers did the charging. The Americans
waited behind a fence until they got near enough and then let 'em have
it, until their ammunition gave out. Then they ran. That's what they
did."
That was true, too, but, just the same, it was a victory to hold the
hill as long as their powder lasted, and Bill knew it, but he liked to
get Skinny mad.
"Bill Wilson," said Skinny, "you are a nice patriot! You are a Scout and
a half; that's what you are--not! So are we going to run but, bet your
life, we're going to run toward the enemy. If you want to stay here
behind the fence you can do it. The rest of us are going to charge."
Bill gave me a thump in the ribs and grinned, but didn't say anything. I
saw Benny whisper something, his eyes shining with excitement; then
Skinny motioned to us what to do.
Each of us lighted a firecracker and held it with the fuse sputtering
and sizzling, until they were almost opposite. Then we threw the
crackers under their feet. They went off like a volley of musketry. At
the same time we gave a great caw and jumped the fence.
"Give it to 'em, fellers," yelled Skinny. "These are the guys that
wanted to duck Benny in the mill pond."
Say, it was great. The firecrackers surprised them, for they hadn't
seen us, and we were over the fence and upon them before they could run.
Things were lively in Park Street for a few minutes. Then, all of a
sudden, we heard a man's voice say:
"Scouts, attention!"
And there was Mr. Norton, looking surprised and sorry!
We all stood up with a jerk and saluted, and the Gingham Ground boys
started to run. They only went a few steps, however, and then waited to
see what was going to happen.
"Scouts," said Mr. Norton, sternly, "what sort of brawl is this, on the
Fourth of July?"
He was looking at Skinny, he being Scout leader.
"'Tain't a brawl," said Skinny. "It's the battle of Bunker Hill; that's
what it is."
"Oh, it is, is it? On which side are you Scouts fighting?"
"We are Americans, of course."
"Well, if I remember my history right, in that battle a little handful
of Americans faced the British soldiers and held them back until their
powder gave out. And here the American army seems to be attacking a
handful of British."
"That's what I told him," said Bill.
"Anyhow," said Skinny, "those guys tried to duck Benny that time when he
was coming home from his long hike. So we thought that we would duck
them in the race. Didn't they try to duck you, Benny?"
Benny nodded.
"How about Scout law?" asked Mr. Norton.
"Scout law doesn't say we mustn't duck our enemies."
"It does, too," Bill told him. "It says that we must be kind to
animals."
That was a hot one and it made us all laugh.
"How much more should we be kind one to another," said Mr. Norton.
"Well, it wasn't very kind to duck Benny," insisted Skinny.
"No, and they didn't do it. If I have been correctly informed, they let
Benny go because John here was kind to a dumb animal."
That was true and I said so.
"Even if they had ducked him, don't you think that it would be better to
heap 'coals of fire' upon their heads?"
It surprised Benny to hear Mr. Norton talk like that.
"We wouldn't do such a thing," said he. "Besides, we haven't got any hot
coals."
"Yes, you have," laughed Mr. Norton. "The 'hot coals' I mean are kind
words and kind actions. What I meant to say was that you should return
good for evil and then your kind words would make those boys feel as if
you were putting coals of fire on their heads."
"I don't believe we ought to do it," Skinny told him, "if it is going to
hurt that bad."
"Suppose we try it and see. I think perhaps it will not be quite so
painful."
"Boys," said he, turning to the Gingham Ground bunch just as they were
starting away. "I have organized these eight village lads into a patrol
of the Boy Scouts of America and we have planned to have a campfire this
evening on Bob's Hill. These Scouts of mine mean all right. They are
simply working off a little misdirected patriotism. Now, what we want,
is for you to meet with us, you and the rest of the Gang. Will you do
it?"
They didn't want to at first.
"There are Boy Scouts," he went on, "in all parts of the civilized
world; in England, too, Gabriel, as well as in this country, and the Law
says that all Scouts are brothers to every other Scout. There are a half
million in the United States alone. I have been appointed Scoutmaster
for this district and I want to organize one or two more patrols so that
I can have a troop. I have had you boys in mind ever since you so nobly
turned out to help find William, the time he was hurt on Greylock. It
will be much the same as the Gang, only better. You can keep the same
leader if you wish, and I know a man who will buy uniforms for you all.
Will you come to-night so that we can talk it over? What do you say?"
The uniform business settled it.
"We'll come, if the rest of the Gang will," they told him.
"Good! Shake hands on it."
"Attention, Scouts!" shouted Mr. Norton, after he had shaken hands.
"Salute enemy!"
We gave the Scout salute to the Gingham Ground boys, while they stood
there grinning and not knowing what to do.
Then, after whispering together, they gave us the Gang yell. It was
great.
"We'll be there," they called, as they started up the street.
They were, too, ten of them, with Jim Donavan at their head. They came
across lots from the Quaker Meeting House, soon after we had gathered
around the big stone where we have our fires, just as they had come two
years before, the time we had our big fight and came to know Jim.
Mr. Norton saw them coming and went to meet them.
"This is fine," said he, after we all had sat down on the grass around
the fire. "You are a pretty husky bunch of fellows, and Raven Patrol
will have to go some to keep up, after you get started. Skinny--I mean
Gabriel--suppose you tell our visitors something about the Scouts."
"It's great," began Skinny. "We've been bandits and we've been Injuns,
but Scouts beat 'em all. The woods are full of 'em all over the country,
and they go about with uniforms on, doing good and having fun. They are
like an army. We are one company, you will be another. I'm the same as
captain, only they call me patrol leader. Mr. Norton is Scoutmaster, and
there are officers above him, only we never saw them. We learn all about
woodcraft and signs and signaling and how to do a lot of things, and we
rescue people and do all kinds of stunts and get badges. The Ravens are
going across the mountain on an exploring trip. I am going to look for a
cave and maybe there is treasure in it. Our patrol animal is the crow,
and it 'most ought to be yours because you live so near the Raven
Rocks."
Skinny had run down by this time, although Bill was winding him up like
a clock behind his back and making a clicking noise with his tongue.
"G'wan!" said he, turning around and catching him at it, "or I'll biff
you one."
"Perhaps I'd better add a little to that explanation," said Mr. Norton.
Then he told all about it, much as he had told us that first time, and
about Scout law; what it meant to be a Scout; how it made boys manly,
and how much fun they would have.
"What I want is a troop," said he, when he had finished the story.
"Several patrols together are called a troop. I would be in charge as
Scoutmaster. Raven Patrol is now in pretty good shape. We are going on a
camping expedition in a few weeks and we'll have a good chance to
practise up on signaling, swimming, following trails through the woods,
and things like that. Next year I should like to take a whole troop
along. What do you say? Suppose you go over by that other stone and talk
about it among yourselves."
"I know what I'll say, right now," said Jim, "but perhaps we'd better
talk it over just the same."
We saw them whispering together for about five minutes. Then they came
back.
"We'll do it," said Jim. "And we'll do the best we can, only we may make
mistakes at first. We are going to take the American eagle for our
patrol animal on account of this being the Fourth of July."
"Everybody makes mistakes," Mr. Norton told him, "but the boy or the man
who has the right stuff in him never makes the same mistake twice.
Suppose that you elect a patrol leader to-night before we separate,
because we shall want to consult together a great deal in the next few
days and I shall be too busy to see you all."
"Jim," they began to yell, all keeping time. "Jim! Jim! Jim!"
"Jim, you seem to be elected," said Mr. Norton, reaching out and shaking
hands with him.
"Speech!" yelled Hank.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said Benny, getting up on his feet and bowing
right and left, "the Honorable James Donavan will now say a few words,
if he dast."
Jim looked as if he wanted to run, but in a minute he braced up.
"I never made a speech in my life," said he, "and I ain't going to make
one now, but you will find the Gang true blue. We ain't much on clothes,
and our folks haven't got much money, but we'll do the best we can, if
you will tell us how. And we are much obliged for taking us in."
"Three cheers for Captain Donavan and Eagle Patrol," shouted Mr. Norton,
waving his hat. "Now!"
I'll bet they heard us down in the village. After it was quiet again I
saw Skinny whispering something to Bill. Bill nodded his head and passed
it on to Hank, and finally it came to Benny and me, who sat at the end
of the line. We nodded and began to creep nearer the fire while waiting
for the signal.
"Caw!" yelled Skinny, all of a sudden, like you sometimes hear a big
crow in the Bellows Pipe.
As he yelled, he grabbed a burning brand out of the fire, and the rest
of us did the same. Then we formed a circle and danced a war dance
around the Gang, whirling our brands in the air until the sparks flew
in the growing darkness and there seemed to be a ring of fire.
"Shall we eat 'em alive, my braves?" chanted Skinny.
"No," we shouted. "They are brothers."
"Shall we mop the earth with 'em?"
"No," we yelled. "They are Scouts."
"What shall we do?" asked Skinny, stopping in front of Jim, who was too
surprised to say anything.
"Give them the glad hand," we answered.
"'Tis well," said he, grabbing Jim by the hand, while we did the same to
the others.
"I'll tell you what," said Mr. Norton, a little later. "I feel so good
over this that I'll buy. Lead me to a soda fountain."