CHAPTER IX
RETURNING GOOD FOR EVIL
If Paul could have had his own way just then he would have been in favorof allowing Scissors a chance to make his escape. But he had a pair ofimpetuous comrades along; and aroused by the excitement of the occasionneither William nor Bobolink thought of consulting his wishes.
No sooner was the lamp lighted than they sprang forward toward theheaving heap of blankets and folded tents, where the alarmed intruderwas trying to emerge from the avalanche he had brought down uponhimself.
Some of the good brethren of the congregation might have felt inclinedto hold up their hands in dismay could they have looked in there just atthat moment, and seen all the weird goings-on that were taking place.Still, an investigation would have proven that the scouts were notresponsible for the scrimmage; since they had a perfect right to protecttheir possessions against attack.
No sooner had Scissors managed to emerge from the great heap of campthings than he was set upon by a couple of energetic scouts. He dodgedmost of the blows, aimed with such good will, though a few landed, andforced groans from the unhappy recipient.
To tell the truth, the expression of terror was so strong on the face ofthe caged Tiger that neither of his assailants could get much force intheir strokes, so full of laughter had they become.
Paul himself walked over to unlock the door, wishing to end theridiculous and unequal performance as soon as possible. And in so doinghe happened to leave that single lighted lamp unguarded for just aminute.
It proved doubly unfortunate, though no one could have possibly foreseenthe catastrophe which came upon them so suddenly.
Scissors, in trying to avoid further punishment, had taken to runningback and forth. He ducked whenever he believed one of those threateningclubs was about to descend upon his head, whirling to the right, andthen to the left, almost wild at the prospect of being at the mercy ofsuch seemingly savage enemies.
He was too excited to understand that if he had only thrown up hishands, and called out that he surrendered not another blow would havefallen. Nor could he guess that the ferocious aspect of theseassailants was but a mask assumed to hide the huge grins that struggledfor mastery on their faces.
In making a last desperate plunge to escape William the fugitivehappened to collide with a pair of oars that stood up against the wallin what was believed to be a secure place.
One thing followed another, just as a line of bricks standing on endwill bow to the fall of the leading one. Scissors struck the oars andthey in turn crashed against that single lighted lamp, knocking it fromits cup!
"Oh!" exclaimed William, pausing in sudden horror, as he saw the lamp godown.
There was a crash, and a shriek from Scissors, who had tripped, andplunged headlong. Paul saw a blaze of light; and he knew that the lamphad broken, depositing its dangerous fluid all around. Kerosene in thesedays is not the same deadly explosive it used to be in other times;still, it will catch fire under certain conditions; and he saw thatunless prompt measures were taken the church was doomed!
"Be prepared!"
That scout motto never had a better chance of being lived up to thanjust at that critical moment, when the oil from the broken lamp began totake fire in various places.
Paul jumped like a flash toward the pile of blankets, and snatched upseveral in his hands. Nor was Jack an instant behind him, only hehappened to seize upon a tent in the excitement of the moment, whenthere was certainly no time to change.
Regardless of any injury to the articles they were wielding, both ladsswung at the flames, and beat them furiously. Such prompt action wassure to meet with its reward, for it would have to be a pretty hotlittle conflagration that could stand against such energetic work.
But Scissors was calling out, and beating frantically at his garments,which seemed to be afire in half a dozen places. It was then thatWilliam, who had just a brief time before been pursuing the imperiledlad with seeming vindictiveness, proved that there was little of venomin his heart.
He had dropped his club at the very instant of the accident, and seeingwhat Paul and Jack were doing, had hurried over also to possess himselfof a blanket. Instead of whipping this at the creeping flames which theothers promised to take good care of, William turned his attention tothe excited Scissors, who was losing in his fight against the hungryfire that had seized upon his oil-soaked garments.
And right then and there did the lessons taught to these scouts comehome to William. Not for nothing had he learned what to do in case of asudden emergency, whether by water or fire.
Over the head of Scissors he threw that blanket, and then seized theother in a bear-like hug.
"Keep still!" William was calling, as he hung on grimly; "quit yourkicking, you silly! It's all right, and no great damage done!"
But as Scissors, being blinded by the blanket, could not see that Pauland his chum had beaten the fire out, and in imagination he felt itstill eating into his tender skin, he continued to struggle and try toshout, although his voice sounded very faint in the compress.
Paul found another lamp as soon as darkness had fallen on the gymnasium,and with trembling hands managed to light it. Then the four friendslooked at each other, and tried to smile; but it was a poor job. Theirfaces were as white as parchment, and yet each one at that moment wasprobably uttering sincere thanks deep down in his heart that theaccident had been no worse.
William had removed the blanket from around Scissors by this time, andthe prisoner was sitting down on the floor, examining several sore spotson his hands and legs, where the fire had touched the cuticle.
"Say, did you ever see such a hot time?" gasped Bobolink, presently, ashe recovered his lost breath in part; for he had been kicking at thefire just as vigorously as the others slapped at it with the blanket ortent.
Paul shook his head. He could hardly realize what a fearfully narrowescape the fine old church had had. A very little delay in attacking theflames would have allowed them to get such headway that no effort ontheir part could have won out. And perhaps that would have dealt acrushing blow to the Boy Scouts in Stanhope.
"Is it going to look bad?" asked William, possibly with something ofthis idea surging through his head just then.
"That's what I'm anxious about. Who'd ever dream that that lamp could beknocked down and broken. Good it wasn't gasoline, or nothing could havesaved the building," and Paul got down on his hands and knees, thebetter to see.
"Well, what d'ye make of it?" asked Jack, as the scout leader once morearose.
"When we clean up around here there won't be much to show for it, excepta singed blanket or two, and some marks on that tent. Boys, we ought tobe mighty thankful it came out so well," replied Paul, soberly.
In imagination he saw the old church, which was beloved by so many goodpeople of Stanhope, a heap of ashes; and the mere thought sent a shiverthrough him.
William pointed to Scissors, who was groaning as he sat there on thefloor. All feeling of animosity was now driven from even the hearts ofWilliam and Bobolink. Indeed, it must have been sympathy that caused theformer to bend down over the grunting lad.
"Guess you're not burnt badly, Scissors," William said softly; "smartssome, of course, but rub the black off, an' it looks only a little red.Here, Paul, ain't we got something in our medicine chest good for burns?Seems to me you carried that, and used it more'n once when a fellow gottoo near the camp-fire."
"Why, to be sure we have, and I'll get it right away," declared Paul, ashe started a search for the article in question.
Such was the confusion following the upsetting of the heap of materialthat it proved a serious task finding the medicine chest, which, up tonow had contained all their simple remedies. Paul had arrangedadditions, with which he expected to complete the stock in preparationfor their big tour.
Seeing what was in progress both Jack and Bobolink lent theirassistance; and the dismal groans of Scissors kept urging them on togreater exertions.
"Here it is!" ca
lled Jack, presently, as he overturned some of theblankets once more, and fished out the little case.
"Hurrah! you're all to the good, Jack!" declared Bobolink, with hiscustomary vigor of speech.
Paul quickly opened the case, and produced a little box containing acooling salve his father had given him. It acted in a magical mannerwith ordinary burns, and the boys had particularly requested that he besure and bring another supply for use on the tour; since burns were aptto be the portion of those who had much to do with preparing the foodcooked over a camp-fire.
Paul set to work rubbing some of the salve upon every spot Scissorsindicated as needing attention. He found a wonderfully large collection,for just then it probably seemed good policy for Scissors to act asthough seriously injured, lest the others take it into their heads tokick him out of the place.
"I guess that ought to do, Scissors," said Paul, when he had almost usedup the entire contents of the box on the other's arms and legs.
"Feels some better, don't it?" asked Jack, anxiously, for once upon atime he and the caged Tiger had been next-door neighbors, and wereaccustomed to going together.
"Y--es, some; but I reckon I'll be pretty sore to-morrow, boys. Aint yougoing to turn me loose now?" asked Scissors, looking up out of thecorner of his eye at Paul.
Then as though he feared he saw something hostile in the manner of theother, he commenced grunting dismally again, and writhing as if in pain.
"Why, of course you can go, Scissors," observed Paul, "I'm sure you'vegot your medicine more than Bud did his. If you can walk, come rightalong to the door. I was opening it when you banged into those oars, andupset the lamp. Here you are; good-night, Scissors!"
The boy limped grievously as he headed for the door. He kept one eye onWilliam, and Paul really believed that if the Carberry Twin had made amovement as though about to pick up that padded instrument of tortureagain the apparently lame Tiger would have developed a surprising burstof speed, and fairly shot out of that exit.
So they saw him go stumbling up the few steps that led to the level.Then Paul once more shut and secured the door.
The four chums looked at each other, but no one laughed. Though therehad been plenty of humor about the affair, on their side, still thatclosing scene in the little drama had sent a thrill of horror throughthem. They realized that, after all, they had been close to acatastrophe.
"First of all let's get this room straightened up, boys," said Paul, ashe started folding some of the disarranged blankets.
Four pairs of hands make light work, and after a little there was a newheap of the camp material, on another section of the floor. After thatthey endeavored to remove all traces of the brief fire, and in this theywere fortunate, for having completed their labors it would be difficultto detect any signs of that sudden though terrifying flash in the pan.
"Now for the ashpit, fellows," sang out William, finally. "Me to swingthe broom, after some water has been sprinkled. We're going to get thereyet, all right; but oh! my, what a time it's been! Will I ever forgetit?"
"This is what I'd call heaping coals of fire on the heads of yourenemies!" ventured Bobolink; as he, too, hunted for a broom in thefurnace room, and prepared to assist in the work of cleaning up themess.
Paul sprinkled first, while Jack started to place those cans which hadnot been upset, in a row. For a short time there was an industriousquartette engaged in the labor of reconstruction. When Paul finally gavethe signal to knock off work the furnace room really looked much betterthan old Peter was in the habit of keeping it.
After that the boys sought the faucet where running water could be had;soap and towels were forthcoming from the stores, and they cleanedthemselves up.
Then preparations were made, looking to an all-night vigil, during whichby turns one of their number was expected to stand guard at two hourstretches; though none of them had the least fear that the enemy, routedso thoroughly, would return.