THE BANNER BOY SCOUTS SNOWBOUND
CHAPTER I
ON THE FROZEN BUSHKILL
"Watch Jack cut his name in the ice, fellows!"
"I wish I could do the fancy stunts on skates he manages to pull off.It makes me green with envy to watch Jack Stormways do that trick."
"Oh, shucks! what's the use of saying that, Wallace Carberry, wheneverybody knows your strong suit is long-distance skating? The fact isboth the Carberry twins are as much at home on the ice as I am when Iget my knees under the supper table."
"That's kind of you to throw bouquets my way, Bobolink. But, boys,stop and think. Here it is--only four days now to Christmas, and thescouts haven't made up their minds yet where to spend the gloriousholidays."
"Y-y-yes, and b-b-by the same token, this year we're g-g-going tog-g-get a full three-weeks' vacation in the b-b-bargain, b-b-becausethey have t-t-to overhaul the f-f-furnaces."
"Hold on there, Bluff Shipley! If you keep on falling all overyourself like that you'll have to take a whole week to rest up."
"All the same," remarked the boy who answered to the odd name ofBobolink, "it's high time we scouts settled that important matter forgood."
"The assistant scout-master, Paul Morrison, has called a meeting atheadquarters for to-night, you understand, boys," said the fancyskater, who had just cut the name of Paul Morrison in the smooth, newice of the Bushkill river.
"We must arrange the programme then," observed Bobolink, "because itwill take a couple of days to get everything ready for the trip, nomatter where we go."
"Huh!" grunted another skater, "I can certainly see warm times aheadfor the cook at _your_ house, Bobolink, provided you've still got thatferocious appetite to satisfy."
"Oh! well, Tom Betts," laughed the other, "I notice that you seldomtake a back seat when the grub is being passed around. As for me I'mproud of my stowage ability. A good appetite is one of the greatestblessings a growing boy can have."
"Pity the poor father though," chuckled Wallace Carberry, "because hehas to pay the freight."
"Just to go back to the important subject," said Bluff Shipley, whocould speak as clearly as any one when not excited, "where do youthink the scouts will hike to for their Christmas holidays?"
"Well, now, a winter camp on Rattlesnake Mountain wouldn't be such abad stunt," suggested Tom Betts, quickly.
"For my part," remarked Bobolink, "I'd rather like to visit LakeTokala again, and see what Cedar Island looks like in the grip of JackFrost. The skating on that sheet of water must be great."
"We certainly did have a royal good time there last summer," admittedJack, reflectively.
"All the same," ventured Tom, "I think I know one scout who couldn'tbe coaxed or hired to camp on Cedar Island again."
"Meaning Curly Baxter," Bobolink went on to say scornfully, "whobrazenly admits he believes in ghosts, and couldn't be convinced thatthe place wasn't haunted."
"Curly won't be the only fellow to back out," suggested Jack. "Whilewe have a membership of over thirty on the muster roll of StanhopeTroop, it isn't to be expected that more than half of them will agreeto make the outing with us."
"Too much like hard work for some of the boys," asserted Tom.
"I know a number who say they'd like to be with us, but their folksobject to a winter camp," Wallace announced. "So if we muster abaker's dozen we can call ourselves lucky."
"Of course it must be a real snow and ice hike this time," suggestedBluff.
"To be sure--and on skates at that!" cried Wallace, enthusiastically.
"Oh! I hope there's a chance to use our iceboats too!" sighed TomBetts, who late that fall had built a new flier, and never seemedweary of sounding the praises of his as yet untried "Speedaway."
"Perhaps we may--who knows?" remarked Jack, mysteriously.
The others, knowing that the speaker was the nearest and dearest chumof Paul Morrison, assistant scout-master of Stanhope Troop of BoyScouts, turned upon him eagerly on hearing this suggestive remark.
"You know something about the plans, Jack!"
"Sure he does, and he ought to give us a hint in the bargain!"
"Come, take pity on us, won't you, Jack?"
But the object of all this pleading only shook his head and smiled ashe went on to say:
"I'm bound to secrecy, fellows, and you wouldn't have me break my wordto our patrol leader. Just hold your horses a little while longer andyou'll hear everything. We're going to talk it over to-night andsettle the matter once for all. Now let's drop the subject. Here's anew wrinkle I'm trying out."
With that Jack started to spin around on his skates, and fairlydazzled his mates with the wonderful ability he displayed as a fancyskater.
While they are thus engaged a few words of explanation may not come inamiss.
Stanhope Troop consisted of three full patrols, with another almostcompleted. Though in the flood tide of success at the time we make theacquaintance of the boys in this volume there were episodes in thepast history of the troop to which the older scouts often referredwith mingled emotions of pride and wonder.
The present status of the troop had not been maintained without manystruggles. Envious rivals had tried to make the undertaking a failure,while doubting parents had in many cases to be shown that associationwith the scouts would be a thing of unequalled advantage to theirboys.
Those who have read the previous books of this series have doubtlessalready formed a warm attachment for the members of the Red Fox Patroland their friends, and will be greatly pleased to follow theirfortunes again. For the benefit of those who are making theiracquaintance for the first time it may be stated that besides JackStormways and the four boys who were with him on the frozen Bushkillthis December afternoon, the roster of the Red Fox Patrol countedthree other names.
These were Paul Morrison, the leader, the other Carberry twin, Williamby name, and a boy whom they called "Nuthin," possibly because hisname chanced to be Albert Cypher.
As hinted at in the remarks that flew between the skaters circlingaround, many of the members of the troop had spent a rollickingvacation the previous summer while aboard a couple of motor boatsloaned to them by influential citizens of their home town. The strangeadventures that had befallen the scouts on this cruise through windingcreeks and across several lakes have been given in the pages of thevolume preceding this book, called "The Banner Boy Scouts Afloat; Or,The Secret of Cedar Island."
Ever since their return from that cruise the boys had talked of littleelse; and upon learning that the Christmas holidays would belengthened this season the desire to take another tour had seized uponthem.
After Jack so summarily shut down upon the subject no one ventured toplead with him any longer. All knew that he felt bound in honor tokeep any secret he had been entrusted with by the assistantscout-master--for Paul often had to act in place of Mr. Gordon, ayoung traveling salesman, who could not be with the boys as much as hewould have liked.
Jack had just finished cutting the new figure, and his admirers werestarting to give vent to their delight over his cleverness whensuddenly there came a strange roaring sound that thrilled every one ofthem through and through. It was as if the frozen river were breakingup in a spring thaw. Some of the boys even suspected that there wasdanger of being swallowed up in such a catastrophe, and had started toskate in a frenzy of alarm for the shore when the voice of Bobolinkarose above the clamor.
"Oh! look there, will you, fellows?" he shouted, pointing a tremblingfinger up the river. "The old ice-house has caved in, just as theyfeared it would. See the ice cakes sliding everywhere! And I saw menand girls near there just five minutes ago. They may be caught underall that wreckage for all we know! Jack, what shall we do about it?"
"Come on, every one of you!" roared Jack Stormways, as he set off atfull speed. "This means work for the scouts! To the rescue, boys!Hurry! hurry!"