ON THE HOME-STRETCH
Perhaps they were becoming experts at the game; or it might be that the
going back over familiar ground made the job easier, since they could
see each slippery place where an accident had happened on the outward
trip, and thus grow additionally cautious.
Be that as it might, they made very few missteps on the return journey.
Even Mr. Anderson managed to do himself great credit, and Seth did not
have to help him up on the narrow ridge more than three or four times;
nor were any of his mishaps of a serious nature.
In due time, therefore, they came in sight of the place where Eben and
Noodles had been left. Their voices must have warned the pair that they
were coming, for they could be seen shading their eyes with their hands
to shut out the glare of the sun, as they watched the string of figures
slowly picking a path through the sea of mud and water.
Apparently they must have counted an extra form among the muddy group;
and just had to give expression to their satisfaction; for Noodles
yelped excitedly, while Eben sent out a series of blasts from his bugle,
which, upon examination, seemed to bear some faint earmarks to "Lo, the
Conquering Hero Comes!"
And when they landed at this half-way stage in their tiresome journey,
Mr. Anderson had to be introduced to the remaining members of the
Beaver Patrol. He also insisted on shaking hands with them, as he had
done all the others, and letting them know his now exalted opinion about
the ability of Boy Scouts to do wonders, all of which was sweetest music
in the ears of the pair who had been cheated out of their share of the
honors in the actual rescue party.
When the march was resumed--and Paul hastened matters as much as he
could in reason--Noodles and Eben insisted on asking many questions as
to just how they had found the balloonist. They grew quite excited when
they heard about the mother wildcat and her savage little kittens; and
even indulged in speculations as to what a great time they would have
had defending themselves, had a trio like that paid them a visit.
Oh! it was certainly wearisome work, keeping up that strained position
of the leg muscles so long. Paul began to fear that they would never be
able to accomplish the other task beyond, for he heard Noodles take his
regular plunges every little while, and judged that the stout boy must
by this time be a sight calculated to make his mother shed tears, if
ever she saw him in such a state.
But all things must come to an end, and finally Seth gave a shout, like
unto the glad whoop a wrecked mariner might set up at sight of land
ahead.
"There's the place where we started in, Paul; yes, and I can see that
queer tree at the spot the trapper's path ended, and the fun began!" he
exclaimed.
"Bless you, Seth, for those comforting words!" called out Eben from
close to the rear of the procession.
"One last little bulge, and then victory for us!" Fritz remarked, and if
the gladness expressed in his voice could be taken as an index to the
feelings of his heart, then the scout must be a happy fellow just then,
when the clouds rolled away, to let the sun shine again.
Of course they made it without any more trouble than Noodles giving a
last try at the friendly mud, as though wanting to really find out
whether it did have any bottom down below or not. And when they took
some sticks, and scraped the worst of the sticky mess off his face,
Noodles promised to be a sight indeed. But Paul assured him that they
would stop at the first spring they came across, in order to allow him
to wash some of the stuff off.
"Ain't we a nobby looking bunch of scouts now, though?" remarked Fritz,
as he glanced ruefully down at his muddy uniform; for as a rule the boy
had been quite particular with his clothes, having reformed after
joining the organization.
"It's too bad you were put to such straits to help me," declared Mr.
Anderson, heartily, "and I mean to do everything in my power to keep you
from feeling sorry that you gave up all chances of winning that
beautiful trophy today. It was a shame, and I regret having been the
unfortunate cause of it more than I can tell you."
"Oh! perhaps there might be a _little_ bit of a chance left to us yet,
sir," said Paul; at which every one of the other seven scouts pricked up
his ears and crowded around.
"What d'ye mean, Paul, by sayin' that?" demanded Seth, his eyes opening
wide as they became glued upon those of the scoutmaster, for knowing
Paul as he did, he understood that the other must have some clever idea
in mind.
"Yes, tell us what the scheme is?" pleaded Jotham, who had been really
more disappointed of giving up the hike than any of the others; for he
knew his mother, and a certain girl Jotham thought a good deal of, would
be on the grandstand at the baseball grounds, waiting to cheer him as he
passed by with his fellow scouts.
"It all depends on how long it takes us to get Mr. Anderson to the
nearest farmhouse," Paul went on.
"Why, I remember seeing a house near the road just below where we left
it to head for the swamp!" spoke up Fritz, eagerly, "and I guess we
could carry him there in less'n half an hour if we had to."
At that the aeronaut spoke up.
"I protest. Please don't take me into consideration at all, boys," he
hastened to say, "if there's the remotest chance for you to make your
race, leave me right here, and start off. I'll find my way to the road,
and then a farmhouse, where they'll take me in, and have me looked
after. You've done wonders for me as it is, saved my life, I haven't
the least doubt; and I'm going to remember it, you can depend, but I
wish you'd let me take care of myself from now on."
But Paul shook his head. He understood the feeling that prompted the
gentleman to speak in this vein; but he did not think Mr. Anderson was
as well able to look out for himself as he would have them believe.
"We never do things by halves, sir," the scoutmaster said, steadily. "If
you can hobble along with one of us on either side to help, we'll go
that way; but if it's too much of an effort then I'll show you how smart
we are about making a litter out of some of these saplings here on which
we'll carry you."
Mr. Anderson looked pleased to hear Paul talk in this confident way; but
would not listen to such a thing as treating him like a badly wounded
man.
"Give me a shoulder to lean on, and I'm sure I can make it in decent
time, boys," he declared.
So Paul ranged on his right, with sturdy Seth closing up on the left,
and in this fashion they started out.
The road was no great distance away, it will be remembered; and in less
than ten minutes they had reached it. Then turning toward distant
Beverly, they commenced to cover the ground they had previously gone
over.
There was no mistake about the farmhouse, in due time it was reached.
Their arrival quite excited the little household, for the men had come
in from the fields to their midday meal.
Paul did not want to stop to explain matters; all that could be left to
Mr. Anderson. The odor of dinner did make more than one of the scouts
raise his eyebrows, and exchange a suggestive look with another; but
they realized that every minute was precious to them now, and that they
just could not stay long enough to sit and partake, though the farmer
cordially invited them.
They did accept a few things to munch at as they walked along; and
promised to send word to a certain address which the aeronaut gave them;
and in fact Paul was to notify a committee by wire that disaster had
overtaken the _Great Republic_, but that the aeronaut was safe, and
wished the news to be communicated to his wife at a certain hotel in St.
Louis.
Of course all of the boys knew what the new hope that had come to Paul
amounted to. He had, with his customary carefulness, shown them in black
and white figures just the number of miles that still remained
uncovered, about eighteen in all, and then they figured out when the sun
would be setting at Beverly.
"Six full hours, and then some," Seth had declared, with a look of
contempt; as though he could see no reason why they should not come in
on time easily. "Why, of course we c'n do it, and then not half try.
Now, you'd think I'd be feeling stiff after that crouching work in the
swamp. All a mistake. Never fitter in my life. I could start on a run
right now, and cover some miles without an effort."
"Well, don't do it, then," advised Paul, "you know what happens to the
racer who makes too big an effort in the start. Get warmed up to your
work, and there's a chance to hold out. Better be in prime condition for
the gruelling finish. That's the advice one of the greatest all-around
athletes gives. So we'll start at a fair pace, and later on, if it
becomes necessary we'll be able to run some."
Of course Paul was thinking while he said this of the weak links in the
chain, no other than Eben and Noodles. The latter was a wretched runner
at best. He could walk fairly well, after a fashion, as his work of the
last three days proved; and by judicious management Paul hoped to coax
Noodles along, mile after mile.
As they walked they munched the sandwiches provided at the farm house
where Mr. Anderson had been left. Thus they killed two birds with one
stone, as Paul put it--continued to cover a couple of precious miles
while securing strength and comfort from the food.
Whenever a chance occurred Noodles would get to work again scraping some
more dirt off his garments. Fritz often declared the county would
prosecute him for leaving so many piles of swamp mud along the pike; but
after each and every operation the stout boy declared that he felt in
far better trim to continue the journey, and that at least pleased all
hands.
"I'm beginning to hope, Noodles," remarked Jotham, "that by the time we
get to Beverly you'll look half way decent, and not make the girls
ashamed to own us as we march through the town to the music of a band,
mebbe."
"Put I don't want to be owned py any girl as I knows; so what
differences does idt make, dell me?" was all the satisfaction he got
from the other; who was evidently more concerned about the cost of a new
suit, all to be earned by his own individual exertions, than anything
else.
When the first hour had passed, and they found that they had made four
miles as near as could be told, some of the scouts were exultant, and
loudly declared it was going to be as easy as falling off a log.
"A regular picnic, believe me!" declared Seth.
"Like taking candy from the baby!" Fritz affirmed.
"A walk-over!" was Babe's style of expressing his sentiments.
"Well, it will be that, if we ever get to Beverly green before the sun
drops out of sight," laughed Paul.
He was only concerned about Noodles, truth to tell, for he knew that
Eben, while no great athlete, had a reserve fund in his stubborn
qualities, and would shut his teeth hard together toward the end,
plodding along with grim determination. Noodles must be watched, and
coddled most carefully, if they hoped to carry him with them over the
line in time to claim the glorious trophy.
And that was really why Paul asked him to walk along with him, so that
he could from time to time cheer the other up by a few words of praise
that would make him believe he was showing great improvement in his
stride. It could be seen by the way his eye lighted up that Noodles
appreciated this flattery; he had a real jaunty air as he walked on, and
even cast an occasional glance of commiseration back at the fellows
less highly favored than himself.
Besides, Paul, as a careful manager, wished to husband a certain portion
of the other's strength for the last five miles. He knew that must be
the sticking time, when probably Noodles would declare he could not go
another step, and endeavor to drop down beside the road to rest.
Now Paul knew how far being diplomatic went in an affair of this kind.
He remembered hearing a story about two gentlemen on a hunting trip up
in Maine, carrying a couple of air rubber mattresses for sleeping
purposes, and wondering how they could get the two guides, one a native,
and the other a Penobscot Indian, to blow them up every night.
So during the supper one of them got to comparing the chests of the two
men, and exciting their rivalry as to which had the larger lungs. When
he had them fully primed he said he had means of testing the matter, and
brought out the twin air mattresses. Eagerly then the guides lay flat on
their stomachs, and at the word started to blow like two-horse power
engines. The first test was declared a _tie_; and after that the guides
could hardly wait for night to come to try out their lungs against each
other.
And with this story in his mind the young scoutmaster determined to play
the two weak members of the Beaver Patrol against each other, having in
view the benefit that would result from such keen rivalry.
First he talked to Noodles about Eben's awakening talent in the line of
pedestrian feats; and soon had the stout boy affirming that he could
beat the best efforts of the bugler without more than half trying.
Then Paul found a chance to arouse the ambition of Eben in turn, by
hinting at what Noodles had boasted. Thus Paul presently had the two
lads jealously watching each other. They did not come to any open
rupture, because they were good fellows, and fast friends, but did Eben
happen to take a notion to go up a little in the line in order to speak
to one of the others, Noodles clung to him like a leech.
Indeed, Paul had to restrain the eager pair more than once, for they
were so determined to excel the record, each of the other, that they
gave evidences of even wanting to run.
By carefully nursing this spirit of emulation and rivalry the patrol
leader believed he was assisting the cause, without doing either of his
chums the slightest injury. It was a case of simply bringing out all
there was in a couple of lads who, as a rule, were prone to give up too
easily.
And so they kept tramping along the turnpike leading toward home,
jollying each other, and every now and then, when resting for a bit,
trying to remove some of the dreadful evidences of black mud from their
usually natty uniforms and leggins.
"P'raps they'll think it the biggest joke going," remarked Seth, "when
they get on to it that we've been in the Black Water Swamps, and I guess
Freddy's crowd'll laugh themselves sick, like a lot of ninnies, but just
wait till we tell what took us there, and show the card Mr. Anderson
gave us, with his message for St. Louis on the back. Then it seems to me
the laugh will be on them."
They took great consolation in remembering what a gallant piece of work
they had been enabled to carry out since leaving Camp Alabama that
morning. It would perhaps be carried far and wide in the papers, when
Mr. Anderson's story was told, and reflect new glory on the uplifting
tendency of the Boy Scout movement. People who did not understand what a
wonderful lot of good was coming out of teaching growing lads to be able
to take care of themselves under any and all conditions, besides being
considerate for others, brave in time of danger, and generous toward
even their enemies, would have their eyes opened.
And so it was a happy and merry parcel of scouts that plodded along the
road leading to Beverly town that afternoon, as the sun sank lower and
lower toward the West.