CHAPTER VII. ON THE RIVER ROAD.
"Well, wouldn't that give you a heart-ache, now?" remarked Giraffe,making a wry face, as he looked at his seven mates.
"Just to think of it!" exclaimed Bumpus, "we were all sleeping sweetlylike babes in the woods, out there in the hay, while our game passed usby. A healthy lot of scouts we seem like, don't we? When people hear ofthis they'll vote us a leather medal. Always on guard, hey? Never lettinga single thing worth while slipping through our fingers? Oh! my stars,somebody fan me!"
Thad laughed at the fat scout.
"I wouldn't feel so bad if I were you, Bumpus," he remonstrated; "there'snothing on us that I can see. This happened to be an accident that wecouldn't help. How were we to guess that the man we came after would dropin here and rob the farmer? The fortunes of war, Bumpus. Besides, itgives us a pointer. We know now that Wandering George isn't far ahead ofus; and we're going to catch up with him before a great while."
"That's the way to talk, Thad!" commented Step Hen. "We never give upwhen we get started on a game. Keeping everlastingly at it is what winsmost of all. George was kind to leave his card behind him; and in themorning we'll start out fresh on the trail."
It would appear from this that none of the others felt at all depressedbecause of the strange happening; and realizing this even Bumpus was soonlooking satisfied again. The farmer declared he would not try to sleepany more that night, but as for the scouts they could see no reason whyanyone else should follow his example, when that sweet hay called soloudly.
The consequence was that before long there was an exodus to the barn, forsince the small hours of the morning had come the air was decidedly cool,and none of them felt comfortable.
Nothing more developed during the remainder of that night, and the firstthing some of the sleepers knew they were hearing the bugle sounding thereveille. Bumpus had been aroused by Allan poking him in the ribs, andtelling him it was sun-up; for somehow the two had bored into the haytogether the second time.
Giraffe attended to the fire, as usual, and as everybody wanted to getwarm there was no lack of cooks. The work of the farm had started longbefore, and already the girls were coming in with full buckets of newmilk; while the cackling of many hens announced that the biddies weregiving an account of themselves.
As the boys gathered around and started to partake of their breakfast thefarmer and his family poured out of the house bearing all manner ofadditions to the menu, even to a couple of apple pies, which seems to bea standard early morning dish in the country along the Susquehanna, evenas doughnuts are in New England.
Of course the boys fared like kings, and would not soon forget thatsplendid breakfast. When they packed their kits ready to make a freshstart, the girls insisted on pressing various little additions to theirlarder upon them, so that what with the apples, cookies, and the like,some of the boys could hardly manage to strap up their haversacks.
And there was Hiram looking so forlorn over their going that Thad tookpity on the poor fellow.
"I'm going to remember you, Hiram," he told the farmhand, as he squeezedhis big hand warmly, "and after we get home I'll send you a bunch ofreading matter in connection with this scout movement, as well as severalcracking good books that have been written covering the activities of ourSilver Fox Patrol."
"Gosh! I hope yeou do that same!" ejaculated Hiram, brightening up;"'cause I'm jest bustin' to larn all about it. I'd give a heap if I everhed a chanct to wear a suit like them be, an' camp out in the woods. Ihearn thar be a troop o' scouts a-formin' over in Hicksville, an' byjinks I'm a-goin' to put in a application, as sure's my name's HiramSpinks!"
"I hope you do, Hiram," the patrol leader told him, "and if I can doanything at any time to help out, let me know. First of all I'm going tomail you an extra handbook or Boy Scout Manual I've got knocking aroundhome; and if you're feeling a touch of the fever now, that's guaranteedto give it to you ten times worse."
So they said good-by to the hospitable farmer and his family, none ofwhom would accept a single cent in return for what they had done for thescouts. Indeed, they vehemently declared they were heavily in the boys'debt on account of their having helped save the farmhouse after it hadbeen set on fire by the action of the hobo thieves, surprised at theirwork of robbing the farmer's desk.
Thad had been off somewhere while the rest were finishing their packing.When he came back Allan, who noticed the expression on the face of thepatrol leader, guessed he must have met with a certain amount of success.Apparently he knew what the other had started out to find; at least hisfirst remark made it look that way.
"Well, was it there, Thad?" he observed.
"As plain as print," came the immediate reply, accompanied with a smileof satisfaction, such as a fellow may assume when he is in a position tosay "I told you so!"
"That is, the track of a broken shoe which has the sole held in place bya rag bound about it, hobo fashion?" continued Allan.
"Yes, and belonging to the right foot at that, just as we learned longago was the case with Wandering George," Thad continued.
"Where did you run across the trail?" questioned Allan.
"I'll show you when we're leaving here," he was told. "It's so plain evena tenderfoot couldn't miss seeing the same. And when the road is reachedyou can follow it for some little distance."
"Toward the river, Thad?"
"Yes, in an easterly direction," answered the leader of the patrol; "andthat just suits us right up to the notch, you know. But the boys areready to start, so we'd better be hiking out."
The last they saw of the farmer and his family the two girls were wavingtheir sun-bonnets wildly, while the older people contented themselveswith making use of their hands. This little visit of the scouts had madea very enjoyable break in the monotony of their lives, and would not besoon forgotten.
As for Hiram, he had received permission to accompany the boys for a milealong the road; though Thad had solemnly promised the farmer to send himback in due time, for there were daily chores to be looked after thatcould not be neglected.
While some of the others, notably Bumpus and Smithy and Davy, were payingattention to answering the fervent signals of the jolly country girls,Thad was showing Allan, Giraffe, Bob White and Step Hen the plainimpression of the marked shoe belonging, as they very well knew, to theparticular tramp whom they were so anxious to overtake.
How Hiram did listen eagerly to every word that was uttered, and even gotdown on his hands and knees to scrutinize that impression. He had ofcourse hunted at times, as every country boy does, and shot his quota ofsmall game like rabbits, squirrels, quail and woodcock; yet knew next tonothing concerning the real delights of woodcraft. But the seed had takenroot in Hiram's soul, and would sprout from that time on. The coming ofthese scouts had aroused an ambition within him, and he could never againbe the same contented plodder that he had seemed to be in the past.
Down the road the boys walked at a brisk pace, chatting and joking asthey went on. Those in the van of course had the task of keeping in touchwith the tracks and every once in a while they made sure that these couldstill be discovered in the rather soft soil alongside the road.
When the mile had been passed and more Thad reminded Hiram of hispromise, and in turn every scout pressed the big fellow's hard handwarmly. So they passed out of Hiram's life; but the result of his meetingthese wide-awake scouts was destined to mark an epoch in the career ofthat country boy, a turning point in his destiny as it were.
The day was another gloomy one.
It seemed as though Nature might be frowning her worst, and giving allsorts of portentous signs concerning what was coming before long. Ifanything the damp feeling in the air had grown more pronounced thanbefore, which would indicate to a weather prophet the approach of wetweather.
It takes considerable to dampen the enthusiasm of lively scouts, however;and as the morning crept along they continued to make merry as theyplodded on thei
r way.
It was about eleven o'clock when a shout from Giraffe in the frontannounced a discovery of some moment. Trust "Old Eagle Eye" for findingout things ahead of others; he was not gifted with that keenness ofvision for nothing.
"What is it, the river at last?" called Bumpus, between puffs, for thepace was fast enough to make the stout scout breathe hard.
"That's what it is, as sure as you live!" exclaimed Step Hen.
"And let me tell you, suh, she looks mighty fine to me," remarked BobWhite, who was particularly fond of the water, and a good boatman as wellas canoeist.
"Whew! Strikes me the old Susquehanna must be on a tear already!" camefrom Bumpus, as he caught his first glimpse of the wide expanse offlowing water.
"It is pretty high for a fact!" Smithy admitted; "I'm somewhat familiarwith the river, because I visited here several summers; and I never sawso much water running down between its banks."
The road they were following, upon drawing near the river, turned sharplyto the south. After that the boys knew they must be within reachingdistance of the water as long as they kept to that thoroughfare; thoughof course should they learn, through the tracks they followed, that thehobo wearing the old army coat had taken to a side path they would becompelled to do the same.
Occasionally they came to an isolated house, and once passed through asmall hamlet; but made sure to find the trail beyond, showing thatWandering George had safely navigated through the outpost ofcivilization, and not been locked up. In fact, Thad was of the opinionthat the pair of nomads must have circled around the village on generalprinciples. After having been discovered in the act of robbing thefarmer's home bank they may have feared arrest; and while one hid in thethickets the other possibly ventured into the village in order topurchase supplies, principally strong drink at the tavern.
No matter what their tactics may have been, the pair still held to theriver road, and that was sufficient for the scouts who followed thetrail.
"What do you make of it, Thad?" asked Giraffe, after he had seen theleader and Allan closely examining a pretty fair footprint left by thetramp; "and are we a long ways behind right now?"
"It isn't an easy thing to say," he was told, "because we haven't much togo by, you see, and have to figure it out on general principles; butwe've concluded that this print is about two hours old; and that the menare taking it fairly easy as tramps walk."
"Every once in so often they stop, and sit down on a log that looksinviting, as you see they did here," Allan added, pointing as he spoke."We figure they must have invested some of the stolen money in whisky atthat village tavern, and that every time they stop they indulgethemselves in a good swig."
"Just what they do, Allan!" announced Step Hen, who had been aimlesslyprowling around on the border of the road back of the log where thetramps had rested; "see here what I've picked up. That flask must haveheld a full pint, and it's been drained to the last drop. More where thatcame from; and chances are before long we may run across our men sprawledout in the bushes in a drunken sleep."
"Well, as most tramps can soak in any amount of bug juice without showingsigns of it," Giraffe ventured, "you mustn't count too heavy on thatsame; though it'd be a bully good thing for us, as we could get back theJudge's blue overcoat without any row. The question is, ought we toarrest the hoboes on account of what they did up at Bailey's farm?"
"We won't cross that river till we come to it, Giraffe," laughed Thad;but all the same some of the scouts felt positive their leader had hisplan of campaign mapped out already, because that was his invariablerule, so as not to be taken unawares.
Another half hour passed. Just ahead of them was a small cabin betweenthe road and the river. A fenced-in patch showed where the occupantsmanaged to have a little garden in season.
"What ails that woman standing there and calling out, d'ye suppose?"remarked Step Hen, as they were passing the cottage.
"She seems to be bothered some, if you can judge by the way she waves herhands, and keeps on beckoning," Giraffe went on to say, becominginterested. "She's facing out on the river, too, you notice. Now, Iwouldn't be surprised if she's got a cub of a boy who's gone out furtherthan he ought to on the swift current in some tub of a boat, and she'strying to make him come ashore. There, didn't you hear her yell to Johnnyto come back at once? And here's where the bushes end, so we can see forourselves."
It turned out that Giraffe was correct, for there was a makeshift of aboat out on the current of the river, containing a boy who was clumsilytrying to turn its head in the direction of the shore. The obstructionsin the Susquehanna make it a very treacherous stream, with eddies andstealthy currents that take one unawares, and "Johnny" was making a sorrymess of his work, Thad saw at a glance.
"He's apt to get upset if he doesn't take care!" exclaimed Bob White, whoknew the signs all too well.
The woman kept shouting and no doubt this distracted the boy more orless, causing him to lose his head. In fact he did just what he shouldnever have done; for when the bow of his boat ran up on a partlysubmerged rock he let go the oars, picked one up, and rising to his feetstepped forward to push the craft off again.
"Sit down!" shouted Thad, between his hands; but if the boy heard he gaveno sign of obeying, his one thought being to push his oar against theobstruction, and get the boat moving free again.
Then came a shriek from the poor mother. The current had got in itstreacherous work, just as Thad and some of his chums had expected wouldbe the case.
"He's gone in, and the boat turned turtle!" cried Step Hen, aghast.
"Help! oh! somebody save my poor Johnny, because he can't swim a stroke!"shrieked the woman, wringing her hands, and appealing to the detachmentof scouts, of whose presence near the spot of the tragedy she had justbecome aware.