THE RUNAWAY BALLOON
"Hey! look at all the crows flying over, would you?"
Seth called this out as he pointed upwards, and the rest of the patrol
naturally turned their heads in order to gape.
"Whew! did you ever see such a flock of the old caw-caws?" burst out
Eben.
"Give 'em a toot from your bugle, and see what they think?" suggested
Jotham.
"For goodness sake, be careful," broke in Fritz, "because they might be
so knocked in a heap at Eben's fine playing, they'd take a tumble, and
nearly smother the lot of us. We'd think it was raining crow, all
right."
"Are they good to eat?" demanded Babe, who was pretty green as yet to a
great many things connected with outdoor life, "because, if we have time
to stop at noon to cook a meal, we might--"
He was interrupted by a shout from several of the other and wiser
scouts.
"Say, hold on there, Babe, we haven't got that near being starved as to
want to eat crow," declared Andy.
"Can they be eaten at all, Paul?" persisted Babe, as usual turning to
the scoutmaster for information; "seems to me I've heard something like
that."
"Yes, and people who have tried say they're not near as bad a dish as
the papers always make out," Paul replied. "I don't see myself why they
should be, when most of the time they live on the farmer's corn."
"But can you tell where that bunch is coming from, and where bound?"
continued Babe. "They all come out of that same place, and keep
chattering as they soar on the wind, which must be some high up there."
"Well, I've heard it said that there's a big crow rookery somewhere back
in the gloomy old Black Water Swamps; but I never met anybody that had
ever set eyes on the same. Every day, winter and summer, that big flock
comes out, and scatters to a lot of feeding grounds; some going down the
river, where they pick up food that's been cast ashore; others bound for
a meal in the corn fields."
"And they come back again in the night to roost there; is that it,
Paul?"
"Yes, I guess if we stood right here half an hour before dark we'd see
squads of the noisy things heading over yonder from all sorts of
quarters. D'ye know, I've sometimes had a notion I'd like to explore the
heart of that queer old swamp," and the young patrol leader cast a
thoughtful glance toward the quarter from whence that seemingly endless
stream of crows flowed continually.
"Hurrah! that's the ticket!" exclaimed Seth. "I've heard a heap about
that same spooky old place myself. They say nobody ever has been able to
get to the heart of it. And I heard one man, who traps quite a lot of
muskrats every winter, tell how he got lost in a part of the swamp
once, and spent a couple of pretty tough days and nights wandering
around, before he found his way out again. He said it'd take a heap to
tempt him to try and poke into the awful center of Black Water Swamps."
"But what's that to us, fellers?" ejaculated Fritz. "The boys of the
Beaver Patrol ain't the kind to get scared at such a little thing as a
swamp. Just because it's a tough proposition ought to make us want to
take up the game, and win out. We fairly eat hard jobs! And looking back
we have a right to feel a little proud of the record we've made, eh,
fellers?"
Of course every scout stood up a little straighter at these words, and
smiled with the consciousness that they had, as Fritz so aptly put it, a
right to feel satisfied with certain things that had happened in the
past, and from which they had emerged acknowledged victors.
"Just put a pin in that, to remember it, Paul, won't you?" said Andy.
"Why, sure I will, since a lot of you seem to think it worth while,"
replied the obliging scoutmaster, with a smile, "and if we haven't
anything ahead that seems to be more worth while, we might turn out here
later on, prepared to survey a trail right through the swamp. I admit
that I'm curious myself to see what lies hidden away in a place where,
up to now, no man has ever set a foot."
"Hurrah for the young explorers!" cried Eben, who seemed strangely
thrilled at the tempting prospect.
They say the boy is father to the man; and among a bunch of six or
eight lads it is almost a certainty that you will find one or two who
fairly yearn to grow up, and be second Livingstones, or Stanleys, or Dr.
Kanes. Eben had read many books concerning the amazing doings of these
pathfinders of civilisation, and doubtless even dreamed his boyish
dreams that some fine day he too might make the name of Newcomb famous
on the pages of history by discovering some hitherto unknown tribe of
black dwarfs; or charting out a land that had always been unexplored
territory.
They looked back many times at the stream of flying crows that continued
to issue from that one point beyond the thick woods. And somehow the
very prospect of later on trying to accomplish a task that had until
then defied all who had attempted it, gave the scouts a pleasing thrill
of anticipation. For such is boy nature.
Strange how things often come about.
Just at that moment not one of the scouts even dreamed of what was in
store for them. How many times the curtain obscures our sight, even when
we are on the very threshold of discovery!
They tramped along sturdily, until they had covered perhaps two miles
since departing from the place where the third night had been spent, and
which would go down in the record of the big hike as Camp Alabama.
A couple of the scouts limped perceptibly, but even they declared that
as they went on the "kinks" were getting out of their legs, and
presently all would be well.
The sun shone from a fair sky, though now and then a cloud would pass
over his smiling face; but as the day promised to be rather hot none of
them were sorry for this.
"Hope it don't bring a storm along, though," remarked Babe, when the
matter was under discussion.
"Well, it's got to be some storm to keep the boys of the Beaver Patrol
from finishing their hike on time," declared Seth, grimly.
"That's so, Seth, you never spoke truer words," added Fritz. "I reckon,
now, half of Beverly will turn out on the green this after noon to see
the conquering heroes come home. There's been the biggest crowds around
that jeweler's window all week, staring at that handsome cup, and
wishing they would have a chance to help win it."
"And we'd hate the worst kind to disappoint our friends and folks,
wouldn't we, fellers?" Eben remarked.
Somehow both limpers forgot to give way to their weakness, and from that
minute on the very thought of the great crowd that would send up a
tremendous cheer when the boys in khaki came in sight, was enough to
make them walk as though they did not know such a thing as getting
tired.
"Look!" cried Fritz, a couple of minutes afterwards, "oh! my stars!
what's that big thing rising up behind the tops of the trees over
there?"
"Somebody's barn is blowing away, I guess!" exclaimed Eben, in tones
that shook with sudden alarm. "Mebbe's it's a cyclone acomin', boys.
Paul, what had we ought to do? It ain't safe to be under trees at such a
time, I've heard!"
"Cyclone, your granny!" jeered Seth Carpenter, who had very sharp eyes,
and was less apt to get "rattled" at the prospect of sudden danger, than
the bugler of Beverly Troop, "why, as sure as you live, I believe it's a
balloon, Paul!"
"What! a real and true balloon?" almost shrieked Eben, somewhat relieved
at the improved prospect.
"You're right, Seth," declared the scoutmaster, "it _is_ a balloon, and
it looks to me right now as though there's been trouble for the
aeronaut. That gas-bag has a tough look to me, just as if it had lost
about half of the stuff that keeps it floating! See how it wabbles, will
you, fellows, and how low down over the trees it hangs. There, it just
grazed that bunch of oaks on the little rise. The next time it'll get
caught, and be ripped to pieces!"
"Paul, do you think that can be a man hanging there?" cried Seth.
"Sometimes it looks to me like it was; and then again the balloon tilts
over so much I just can't be sure."
"We'll know soon enough," remarked the patrol leader, quietly, "because,
as you can see, the runaway balloon is heading this way, full tilt. I
wouldn't be surprised if it passed right over our heads."
"Say, perhaps we might grab hold of some trailing rope, and bring the
old thing down?" suggested Fritz, looking hastily around him while
speaking, as if desirous of being prepared, as a true scout should
always make it a point to be, and have his tree picked out, about which
he would hastily wind a rope, should he be fortunate enough to get hold
of such.
"Whew! I wouldn't want to be in that feller's shoes," observed Eben, as
they all stood there in the road, watching the rapidly approaching
balloon.
"Solid ground for me, every time, except when I'm in swimming, or
skimming along over the ice in winter!" Andy interjected, without once
removing his eager eyes from the object that had so suddenly caught
their attention.
It was a sight calculated to hold the attention of any one, with that
badly battered balloon sweeping swiftly along on the wind, and
approaching so rapidly.
All of them could see that there was a man clinging to the ropes that
marked the place where the customary basket should have been; evidently
this latter must have been torn away during a collision with the rocks
or trees on the top of a ridge with which the ungovernable gas-bag had
previously been in contact; and it was a marvel how the aeronaut had
been able to cling there.
"Will it land near here, d'ye think, Paul?" asked Jotham, round-eyed
with wonder, and feeling very sorry for the wretched traveler of the
upper air currents, who seemed to be in deadly peril of his life.
"I hardly think so," replied the scoutmaster, rapidly measuring
distances with his ready eye, and calculating upon the drop of the half
collapsed balloon.
"But see where the bally old thing's heading, will you?" cried Seth,
"straight at the place where them crows came out of. Say, wouldn't it be
awful tough now, if it dropped right down in the heart of Black Water
Swamps, where up to now never a human being has set foot, unless some
Indian did long ago, when the Shawnees and Sacs and Pottawattomies and
all that crowd rampaged through this region flat-footed."
The scouts stood there, and watched with tense nerves as the drifting
balloon drew rapidly closer.
Now they could plainly see the man. He had secured himself in some way
among the broken ropes that had doubtless held the basket in place. Yes,
and he must have discovered the presence of the little khaki-clad band
of boys on the road, for surely he was waving his hand to them wildly
now.
Perhaps he understood that it was a safe thing to appeal to any boy who
wore that well known suit; because every one has learned by this time
that when a lad takes upon himself the duties and obligations of
scoutcraft, he solemnly promises to always help a fellow in distress,
when the opportunity comes along; and with most scouts the habit has
become so strong that they always keep both eyes open, looking for just
such openings.
Closer and closer came the wrecked air monster.
Just as one of the boys had said, it seemed about to pass very nearly
overhead; and as the man would not be more than sixty or seventy feet
above them, possibly he might be able to shout out a message.
"Keep still! He's calling something down to us!" cried Seth, when
several of the others had started to chatter at a lively rate.
Now the balloon was whipping past, going at a pretty good clip.
Apparently, then, it did not mean to get quite low enough to let them
clutch any trailing rope, and endeavor to effect the rescue of the
aeronaut. Fritz did make an upward leap, and try to lay hold of the only
rope that came anywhere near them; but missed it by more than a foot.
"Accident--badly wrenched leg--follow up, and bring help--Anderson, from
St. Louis--balloon _Great Republic_--report me as down--will drop in few
minutes!"
They caught every word, although the man's voice seemed husky, and weak,
as if he might have been long exposed and suffering. And as they stood
and watched the balloon drift steadily away, lowering all the time,
every one of those eight scouts felt moved by a great feeling of pity
for the valiant man who had risked his life and was now in such a
desperate situation.
"There she goes down, fellers!" cried Eben, excitedly.
"And what d'ye know, the bally old balloon has taken a crazy notion to
drop right in the worst part of the Black Water Swamps, where we were
just saying nobody had ever been before!"