A NEW ADVENTURE
There was considerable excitement in Hillcrest over the capture of the
two robbers. Never before had such a thing happened in their quiet
community, and it formed a choice subject of conversation for many
weeks. The city papers made much of it, and commended Captain Josh and
the scouts upon what they had done. One morning paper which was very
favourable to the Scout movement, had a special editorial on the
subject, under the heading of "The Lone Patrol." It pointed out how
much good a few boys in outlying districts could accomplish when
properly organised and trained. It told also of the visit of Anna
Royanna to this patrol, and how she had sung at their entertainment.
All this was very pleasant reading to the people of Hillcrest, and the
ones who had looked with disfavour upon the movement were now anxious
to assist. A number of parents who had formerly refused to allow their
boys to join came to the captain, and asked him to undertake the
training of their sons.
"Not jist now," the captain told them. "I have all that I kin handle
at present. I must git the ones I have licked into shape before tryin'
my hand upon any more."
These requests were most gratifying to Captain Josh, and he smiled
grimly at the thought of the change which had come over the people. It
was sweet revenge, as well, to be able to refuse the very ones who had
talked most against the scouts when they were first organised. But
this had nothing to do with his not taking the boys, for the captain
was too big a man for that. He really desired first of all to train
the few scouts he had to the best of his ability. It was not quantity
he wanted, but quality, and he was determined that his one patrol
should be looked upon with pride by all in Hillcrest, and to belong to
it would be considered a great honour by any boy.
Parson Dan and Mrs. Royal were much pleased at the part Rod had taken
in the capture of the robbers. They talked it all over with the
captain when he came over to see them the very next day.
"The boys did fine," the old man proudly remarked. "They know how to
hold their tongues and obey orders, which is more than many older
people kin do."
Rod fairly walked on air, and held his head very high. The thrill of
adventure now filled his soul, and he longed for something more to
happen. It was a long quaint letter he wrote to Anna Royanna in reply
to the one she had sent him. He told all about the adventure on the
island, the capture of the robbers, and how he and Phil had gone to the
city with the captain as witnesses. He mentioned, also, that they had
received the one hundred dollars' reward, and had put it in the bank
with the rest of the scout money. It seemed so easy and natural for
him to write to this woman. He was sure that she was interested in
everything that went on at Hillcrest. "I hope you will come to see us
again," he wrote in conclusion. "Whyn speaks about you every day, and
so do all the rest of the scouts." Mrs. Royal smiled at these words
when Rod showed her the letter he had written. It was true in a way
that Whyn was really a scout, in fact, a very vital part of the patrol.
The letter which Rod wrote to his mother was very different from that
to the singer. It was brief, and not bubbling over with information as
was the other. He found it hard to tell her about the things which
interested him, and he did not ask her to come soon. He was too much
afraid that she would arrive and take him away.
A woman far away smiled sadly as she read these two letters, with
different addresses on the envelopes. She could see at a glance the
boy's interest in the singer, and what a pleasure it was for him to
write that letter. But the other, to his mother, was a task, a mere
duty, the sooner done, the better. But then, she knew that it was only
natural, and she longed for the time to come when letters would not be
needed, and Rod would know the truth.
No one in the whole parish of Hillcrest was more interested in what had
taken place than Whyn. She was never tired of talking about the
capture, and the winning the reward. It was a great letter which she
wrote to Douglas, telling him all that had recently happened in the
little Hillcrest world. Whenever the scouts gathered in her room, she
discussed plans with them, and listened to their various experiences.
These latter were now confined to drill, studying for the new badges,
and sailing with the captain on the river.
By this time the scouts had one hundred and fifty dollars in the bank,
which to them seemed a great sum. Several were quite satisfied with
the amount. But Whyn was of a different opinion. "We must make it two
hundred, at least," she told them. "It is time to get to work and
raise that other fifty, for it will not do to stop when we have made
such a good start."
Summer passed, and fall came in with the long evenings, and still the
scouts had not hit upon any plan of increasing their bank account.
They had all kinds of suggestions, but after they had been thoroughly
discussed, they were found to be of little value. Some were too
foolish, while others were beyond their power.
It was Whyn who at last solved the problem. In reality, it was her
mother who made the suggestion to her during her recent visit. The
invalid was delighted, and could hardly wait for the scouts to come to
see her.
"I know what you can do," she told them, when they had settled
themselves about the room in their usual manner. "You can make wreaths
for the churches in the city. They will need them for Christmas
decorations."
"Make wreaths!" was the surprised exclamation of all.
"Yes. Don't you understand? You have them in the church here every
Christmas, don't you?"
"Certainly," Rod replied. "We make them out of hemlock, and club-moss.
But I didn't know you could sell them."
"You can in the city," Whyn explained, "for mamma told me so. They
will bring from four to five cents a yard. Wouldn't it be great for us
to make up a whole lot, say five hundred yards? Let me see, that would
be twenty or twenty-five dollars. Just think of that!" and the girl's
eyes danced with excitement.
Then followed an animated discussion as to the kind of wreaths they
should make, and the best time to do the work. All this was settled by
the entrance of Captain Josh. He entered heartily into the plan, much
pleased at the interest of the scouts in raising more money.
"Guess we'd better begin upon the club-moss first," was his decision.
"The snow'll be here soon, so while the ground is bare we kin gather as
much as we'll need. We kin git the hemlock any old time. We kin work
at nights, and on Saturday afternoons, and Betsey'll be glad to give a
hand. I'm afraid I don't know much about sich things. If there is any
splicin' to do, or special knots to tie, jist call on me. If it had
anything to do with sailin' vessels I could help considerable. But
riggin' up churches is not in my line. Howsomever, I'll help all I
kin."
The very next Saturday Captain Josh led his scouts into the woods to
gather their first supply of club-moss. He carried his rifle with him.
There was a black fox in the neighbourhood, which had been seen by
several, and the captain longed to get sight on it "jist fer one little
instant," as he had remarked.
Phil had his small dog with him, which annoyed the captain.
"I wish ye'd left that critter home," he growled. "It'll scare away
everything fer miles around. What's the use of bringin' my gun when
that thing's along?"
"Gyp wouldn't stay," Phil explained. "I tied him up, but he chewed
through the rope."
"H'm," the captain grunted, "I guess he'd eat through a chain by the
looks of him. He's about the toughest brute I ever set my eyes on.
Does he ever eat people?"
A hearty laugh from the boys was the only reply to the captain's
sarcastic remark. They were in great spirits, and the tramp through
the woods filled them with joy. It was merely a winter-road they
followed, used by farmers for bringing out their logs and fire-wood.
It was very crooked, too, and rough, but in a short time the deep snow
would cover up the latter defect, and the jingle of bells would echo
among the trees. Now it was the talk and laughter of the boys which
alone disturbed the peaceful silence.
After having walked a little over half an hour, they came to a place,
somewhat open, and here they found club-moss in abundance lining the
ground. To their left, the rippling of the brook could be heard
flowing on its way to the river. Ahead of them stood the thick forest
of pine, fir, and spruce. It was a cool November day, and when the
boys started from home their warm mittens had felt good. But the brisk
tramp had set their blood in rapid circulation, and with bare hands
they now gathered the moss and stuffed it into bags which they had
brought with them. They worked with a hearty good-will, vying with one
another, each striving to have his bag full first.
Their task was almost finished, when Gyp's savage barking up among the
thick trees arrested their attention.
"Let's go and see what he's got," Rod suggested.
"Oh, it's only a squirrel he's treed," the captain contemptuously
replied, straightening himself up for an instant from his bent
position. "It's all that critter's good fer. If he'd something big
it'd be worth while."
For a few moments longer the boys worked in silence. But they could
not keep their attention away from Gyp, whose barks were now becoming
more savage and insistent than ever. That he was in a great state of
excitement was quite evident. Even the captain was at last forced to
take notice.
"It does seem that he has something more'n a squirrel," he remarked.
"Maybe it's a coon he's got up a tree. They're thick over there along
that bank. Guess we might as well go and see what's up, anyway."
At this the boys were delighted. They wanted to explore the deep
recesses of that forest, and now that there was some excitement there
made the longing all the greater. They followed in Indian fashion
after the captain, who strode rapidly forward, with his rifle in his
right hand.
Gyp's barking sounded louder the nearer they approached. The boys as
well as the captain strained their eyes ahead, anxious to find out what
was the matter with the dog. For awhile they could see nothing through
the net-work of trees and branches. But as they came close to the high
steep bank overhanging the brook, they peered forward and caught their
first glimpse of the excited dog. In front of him was a huge fallen
spruce tree, with its roots projecting outward, like spokes in a great
wheel. This tree had been lying there for years, and across it had
fallen numerous small saplings and dead branches, until from a distance
it assumed the appearance of a native African hut.
The roots of this tree were only a few feet from the edge of the steep
gravelly bank, and this, together with a furious gale, had been the
cause of the spruce's fall. Between two of the perpendicular roots,
which were partly embedded in the ground, was a large hole, before
which Gyp was making all the fuss. The stiff hairs on his back stood
straight on end, and he kept leaping constantly forward and backward,
wild with excitement.
With considerable difficulty the captain thrust the dog aside, and with
the rifle firmly clutched in his hands, he stooped in order to obtain a
view of what was within. Scarcely had he done so, ere a deep growl and
roar startled him, while at the same time a large black bear hurled
itself like a catapult from among the roots.
Taken by complete surprise, the captain reeled backward, dropping the
rifle as he did so in an effort to maintain his balance. Before he
could do this, however, he had gone over the edge of the bank, and
after him went the bear. Down that steep incline man and beast rapidly
ploughed their way, taking with them a small avalanche of stones and
gravel. At the bottom of the bank was a pool of water about two feet
deep, and into this they plunged, the captain in a sitting position,
and the bear upon its back. Then followed a wild scramble as each
endeavoured to get out first. The bear succeeded better than the man,
for the captain had injured his knee, which made it difficult for him
to move quickly.
Had this been a young bear he would have taken to his heels at once,
and disappeared among the trees. But being an old-timer, and not a bit
cowardly, he had no intention of running away. He was very angry at
being disturbed when he had his house all ready for his long winter
sleep. Then that tumble down the bank into the water was more than his
bearish nature could stand, and he was ready for fight. He scrambled
out of the water, and rushed toward the captain. The latter had no
chance at all with his injured knee, and with nothing to defend
himself. It was a critical moment, but he braced himself up, fumbled
in his pocket for his clasp-knife, and then faced Bruin, who was now
standing, on his hind legs ready for the attack.
When Captain Josh and the bear disappeared over the bank the boys
stared in amazement, which soon changed to fear when they saw what the
animal really was. They crowded together, and it needed but a word to
cause most of them to rush panic-stricken from the place.
It was Rod who saved the situation. No sooner had the captain and the
bear reached the water, than he sprang forward, seized the rifle, and
leaped down the bank. He had much difficulty in keeping his feet, and
several times he thought that he would lose his balance and tumble
head-long into the pool below. He managed, however, to keep from
falling by digging his feet into the gravel, and thus step by step
moved quickly downward.
Rod knew something about the captain's rifle, as on several occasions
he had been shown how it worked, and once, which was a red-letter day
to him, he had been allowed to fire it off. It was quite fortunate
that the boy had this slight knowledge, which now served him in good
stead. Rod saw the bear rise on its hind legs, and he knew from
stories he had read that this was the ordinary method of attack. He
could not afford to lose a moment, he was well aware, if the captain
was to be saved.
Creeping close to where the bear was standing, he drew back the hammer,
took steady aim at the brute's body, and pulled the trigger. At once
there was a loud report, and Rod was sent reeling backward as if hit on
the shoulder by a huge rock. For an instant he imagined that the bear
had struck him with its paw, but a shout from the captain caused him to
scramble to his feet. Then his eyes rested upon the black form of the
bear lying upon the ground but a short distance away.
"Is it dead?" he asked, hurrying over to where the captain was standing.
"Dead! Doesn't he look like it?" was the reply, as the old man laid a
heavy hand affectionately upon the boy's shoulder. "That was a great
shot, lad, and jist in the nick of time. My! I was sure he was goin'
to have me fer dinner. That would have been a slower and more painful
death fer the brute, ha, ha!"