THE FOUR-LEGGED RECRUIT
"Don, boy, look here," cried Bert, coming out of the mess tent after
dinner with a plate of scraps. "Now how are you going to thank me for
it?" he asked as Don pranced up, barking and wig-wagging with his tail.
Don's answer was to stick his cold muzzle into Bert's hand and to
wig-wag a little harder.
"Now, old fellow," said Bert when Don had cleared the plate, "some of
the boys are hunting butterflies over there and I want you to get this
note to them right away. Do you understand, Beauty?"
The dog looked up with full understanding in the eyes that said so much
and barked joyfully as Bert tied the note to his collar. He started off
in the direction pointed out to him perfectly happy in the thought that
he was serving his master.
Bert looked fondly after the proudly lifted head and waving silver brush
of his favorite. The dog had been a mystery to the whole camp. He seemed
to know what was said to him and scarcely ever failed to carry out any
directions given him. He had learned a great many tricks in the few
days he had been in camp besides displaying some he had mastered
previously. With one accord they decided that he must have been stolen
by the tramps, who, in the discomfort and excitement of the other day,
had forgotten all about him.
A squad of the boys had that morning been sent over to the hills on an
all-day hike to hunt for butterflies and to study ants--the last had
become a favorite amusement among them since Dick's talk of a few days
before. Bert had expected to go with them, but, as more supplies were
needed from the village, he had volunteered to go over for them in the
"Red Scout," although he would much rather have gone with the "bug
squad." The note that he had entrusted to Don contained a warning to the
boys to come home by the main road and not attempt to come over the
hills as they contained many dangerous holes and pitfalls. He was sure
that Don could find the boys because he had gone with them more than
once on their hikes among the hills.
Meanwhile, up in the hills, one of the boys, Arthur Gray by name, had
wandered way off from his fellows before he realized it. A strikingly
beautiful butterfly had led him on and on, now lingering on one flower,
now on another, always flitting away at the very instant when Arthur
felt sure of success. Finally, with a lazily graceful motion of its
delicately marked wings, it flew away and was lost to sight, leaving
Arthur to "mop his fevered brow," as Dick would have said.
Looking around him he discovered that the boys were nowhere to be found.
He reached for his pocket compass and found, to his great surprise and
dismay, that it wasn't there.
By this time, really worried, he tried to remember where he was and
which way he had come, but all with no result. The butterfly had led him
there by such a roundabout path that he could not, for the life of him,
point out the direction from which he had come. What should he do? In a
moment he thought that he had brought his watch with him--more by luck
than anything else, for he often left it at the camp--and he remembered
that he could find in what direction the South lay by means of it.
By that time it was exactly four o'clock, and, pointing the hour hand
toward the sun, he found that the number 2 on his watch-face pointed to
the South: that is, half the distance between four o'clock and twelve
when the other hand is pointed toward the sun, marks the southerly
direction. Of course, when he had one point of the compass it was very
simple for him to find the others--that being a necessary part of summer
camp training. Arthur knew that the camp lay somewhere to the East so
he started to get there as fast as his legs would carry him.
But, alas. The time when we think fate has been most kind to us often
turns out to be the time when it is hardest. So it was in Arthur's case.
As he hurried along, congratulating himself on having thought of so easy
and quick a way to get out of his difficulty, he forgot that the passes
over the hills had been reported dangerous.
Going happily along he had no warning of what was in store for him
until, with a groan, he sank to the ground and began to rub his ankle.
He had stepped into one of those treacherous holes that covered the
whole countryside and had sprained his ankle very badly.
Painfully, he tried to get up, but when he attempted to bear his weight
on the injured ankle, it pained so cruelly that he winced.
"Oh, I can't, I can't," he moaned aloud in his misery. "What shall I do,
what shall I do?" and, sinking to the ground, he covered his face with
his hands.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, the boys had missed him and had begun to search all over for
him. Not finding him, they became anxious and looked desperately for him
in every place they could think of.
"I wonder if he could be hiding in a cave the way Jim was doing the
other day," Shorty suggested.
"Don't be a fool, Shorty," said Tom, rather sharply. "Arthur isn't that
kind. Probably he's chased some butterfly way off somewhere and can't
find his way back."
"He ought to be able to find his way easily enough with his pocket
compass. The thing I'm afraid of is that he may have met with some
accident," said Frank.
Just then Don came trotting up to Tom, calling attention to the note
tied to his collar by a series of short, imperative barks. Tom patted
his head lovingly and called him a "good fellow" at which Don wig-wagged
vigorously. The boys all crowded around, eager to see what was in the
note.
"It's from Bert," Tom announced, "and he says that Mr. Hollis wants
us to come home by the main road because of the dangerous holes and
pitfalls. Say, fellows," as the truth dawned upon him, "do you think
that Arthur can be hurt so that he can't get to us?"
"Nobody knows. But I know one thing," said Shorty stoutly, "and that is,
that I won't leave these hills to-night until we have found him."
"Good for you, Shorty," said Frank. "I know we all feel the same way so
we had better get down to business in a hurry."
All the time the boys had been speaking Don had stood with his head
cocked knowingly on one side, watching their every action. When they
started to go he looked up into Tom's face, mutely asking to be allowed
to go too. And Tom answered heartily, "You just bet you can come along,
Don. We couldn't do without you."
Then the boys began to scour the woods in good earnest. For half an hour
they worked hard with a dull, aching sensation at their hearts. They
looked behind rocks, pulled aside dense underbrush, gazed down deep
ravines with the awful fear that they might see their comrade lying at
the bottom. They were coming now into the most dangerous part of the
country and they were forced to work slowly and with the utmost care.
When they paused, weary and discouraged, to consult on what course was
best to follow, Don's short bark reached their ears and in a minute the
dog himself rushed up to them. Then, running back and forth between them
and the direction from which he had come, he plainly showed them that he
wished them to follow him.
"We'd better go," Tom said. "He may have found him, or at least some
trace of him."
So, with Don in the lead the boys started once more. As they went they
called Arthur's name, but at first nothing but the echoes answered them.
They were so torn by thorns and briers and so wearied by the long search,
that nothing but the thought that their poor comrade was in a much worse
plight than they, could have kept them to their task. Finally, when they
were beginning to think that Don was leading them on a wrong scent, they
heard a faint cry. Joyfully, they called out again and again and each
time the answer came nearer. When they came upon the runaway at last they
were so happy that they didn't notice his condition at once. When they
did realize how badly he was hurt, they forgot how tired they were and
set about at once to relieve him.
The poor boy had tried to drag himself along on his hands but had not
been able to get very far. The boys bandaged the ankle and then began
making a litter. It wasn't very long before they had Arthur fairly
comfortable on the improvised bed. With light hearts the procession
started for camp, Don proudly taking the lead. The boys thought it was
best not to question Arthur until he had had time to recover from the
shock.
It was nearly dark, when, tired and hungry, the "bug squad" reached
camp. It is a well known fact that boys are not worth much when they
are hungry. Mr. Hollis, who was a good judge of human nature, hurried
the troop into supper, declaring that curiosity could be much better
satisfied on a full stomach than an empty one.
After supper the boys made the usual camp fire and made the wounded hero
of the day comfortable before it. When the preliminaries were over the
boys called for the story of the "bug squad's" adventures.
Tom told as much of the story as he knew and then, turning to Arthur,
asked, "Did Don really find you there? We weren't sure but that he might
just have struck the trail."
"He did both," Arthur replied. "He struck my trail and followed it until
he found me. I don't think I was ever so glad in my life as I was to see
our Don come trotting up ready for some petting. He saw that I was hurt,
though, and started away like a streak of lightning to bring you to
my help. At first I thought that he was deserting me, but even as the
thought came to me I knew it was unjust. Think of our gallant Don
deserting anyone in distress. Then in a few minutes I heard you hail
and answered as well as I could. I will always carry a picture of you
fellows as you came into sight, with Don in the lead. Believe me, it was
the finest I ever saw or expect to see. And now, fellows, I want you to
give three cheers for the hero of the day and the finest dog that ever
lived. Come on, now----
"HOORAY-HOORAY-HOORAY--Now let 'er out fellows--HOORAY," and in spite of
his sprained ankle, Arthur led the cheers that echoed and re-echoed
through the trees for rods around.
All the time the cause of all the enthusiasm was lying with his head on
Bert's knee, watching the boys contentedly. When they all crowded
around, he took the praises they showered on him as a true gentleman
should--with courtesy and dignity, only those speaking eyes of his
telling of the love in his heart for the boys that would have made him
die for any one of them.
If ever a dog was glad and happy, his name was Don that night. Although
he didn't understand what it was all about, he knew that he was being
honored and showed that he appreciated it.
The happiest moment in the whole day for Don came when Bert put both
arms lovingly around his neck and whispered, "You're a trump, old man."
And so the four-legged recruit went happily to sleep to dream that he
was rescuing all the boys in camp.