CHAPTER VIII. USEFUL KNOWLEDGE.
That was a time for rapid action, and not talk. No one knew this betterthan the leader of the Silver Fox Patrol. At the same time, if he wishedto render assistance to the imperiled lad it was necessary that he give afew quick directions to his chums, so they could all work together towardthat end.
"Allan, the rest of you hurry along and get below! Giraffe, back me up,will you? I know what you can do in cold water. We've just _got_ to savethat boy, and that's all there is to it. Come along, Giraffe."
The tall scout never hesitated for even a single second. He understoodthat it would be necessary for both of them to plunge into that flood ofwater, cold from the melting snows further toward the source of theriver; but Giraffe was known for his boldness, and a little thing likethat could not frighten him. Why, on one occasion he had plunged into aburning woods, and performed prodigies of valor; what was an ice-waterbath to him but a little episode?
Both boys as they hurried toward the brink of the river commenced to shedtheir outer garments, having discarded other impedimenta like theirhaversacks the first thing. In this way Thad knew he would be "killingtwo birds with one stone," for they must be impeded with clinging clotheswhen swimming; and after they came out it was bound to feel very cold, sothat these dry garments must come in handy.
"Jump in here, Giraffe, and I'll drop down a little further!" he shouted,as the two of them came upon the river bank.
A quick look out on the rolling current had shown him how affairs stoodjust then. He saw that the frantic boy was clinging to the overturnedboat, which was swirling around in the eddies, and swinging downstream atquite a rapid rate. He lost his grip even as Thad looked, and the heartof the scout seemed to leap into his throat with dread. Then the boysomehow managed to regain his hold, but he seemed to be so excited andfrightened that there was danger of his slipping away again at anysecond; and being weakened by exposure the chances of his once morerecovering his slender hold could not be worth much.
Thad did not waste a single second. He was hurrying along even whentaking this look toward the scene of the catastrophe and figuring justwhere to jump into the water at the same time.
In deciding this he had to take into consideration the length of timethat might ensue before he could expect to push out to where theoverturned boat was going to pass; also the strength of the current thatwas bringing the wreck down toward him.
Although the water felt like ice when he started in Thad did not allowthat fact to bother him a particle. He shot a glance upstream, and sawthat already Giraffe had reached deep water so that he was compelled toswim. The sight of him buffeting the waves gave Thad considerablesatisfaction; though he feared that the boy clinging to the slipperybottom of the boat might disappear before either of the intended rescuerscould reach him.
Meanwhile the other six scouts had started on a run down the road, itbeing the intention of Allan to have them where they could renderassistance in getting the others ashore, because those in the water wouldlikely be exhausted, even if all went well.
Then Thad reached a "step-off" and plunging in over his head wascompelled to swim for it, which he did right valiantly, constantlykeeping tabs on the oncoming boat, and still hoping that the boy mightmaintain his hold until either Giraffe or himself could lend a helpinghand.
All at once he felt a chill that was not caused by the icy water, for thepoor fellow had again slipped back into the churning water. But Thad andGiraffe were closing in on him, with the latter in a position to glimpsethe still struggling lad ere he finally went down.
With the crisis upon him Thad dived, while Giraffe started to treadwater, and hold himself in readiness to help should his chum meet withany success. It seemed an interminable time to the lengthy scout beforehe saw Thad reappear. At first he feared the patrol leader must havemissed connections with the drowning boy; and then he made the pleasingdiscovery to the contrary, for Thad was gripping Johnny tightly with onearm, as he swam with the other.
Giraffe shot toward him as fast as he could go, and in another moment thetwo scouts were putting into practice something that all scouts learn asa part of their preparedness, when trying to rescue a comrade who hasbeen seized with a cramp while swimming--holding the unconscious ladbetween them, with his head kept well above the water, they startedtoward the bank, swimming with sturdy and well-regulated strokes.
When they drew near enough for one of the others who had waded in up tohis waist to reach out a hand, it came easier; and in this way they borethe rescued boy ashore.
Thad was already shivering with the cold, but he kept his wits about him,and gave such orders as he saw were necessary.
Allan and several of the other scouts were directed to try andresuscitate the apparently drowned boy; while Bumpus and Smithy startedas big a fire as they could manage, so that all of them might warm up.
Meanwhile Thad and Giraffe jumped around, and slapped their armsfuriously in the endeavor to get up a good circulation of blood.
The poor woman came upon them at this unfortunate moment, while Allankneeling over the wet form of her boy was kneading his chest after themost approved fashion known to life-savers; and a couple of the otherfellows were working his arms back and forth above his head as thoughthey gripped pump-handles.
"Oh! he's dead, my boy Johnny is dead!" wailed the mother, starting tothrow herself upon the group; when Bob White, although full of sympathyfor her harrowed feelings, knew that to stop the proceedings just thenmight end what hope there existed for saving a life.
Accordingly, he caught her in his arms, and insisted in restraining her,at the same time speaking words of hope and cheer.
"You mustn't interfere with them, ma'am," he told her soothingly;"they've got the water out of his lungs, and are trying to startartificial breathing by pumping him that way. There's lots of hope he'llcome out all right, because he wasn't under the water long. Why, Ibelieve I saw his eyelid flutter right then. Yes, suh, it did the sameagain. It's a fact, and you're bringing him along handsomely, fellows. Soyou see, ma'am, you're not going to lose Johnny after all!"
The woman knelt there, awed, and watched the slow recovery of her boy.After a little while he began to breathe naturally; then his eyes opened,and he even made an effort to struggle, possibly being still impressedwith the horror of his recent peril.
Before that time the fire had got to burning splendidly, and both boyswho had been in the river crowded as close to the warmth as possible,feeling much better on account of it. Thad, too, could think again, anddirect his chums what to do. One of them ran to the cabin and came backwith a blanket, which was wrapped around the now recovered but shiveringJohnny; after which Step Hen and Allan assisted the small boy to reachhis home, with the rejoicing mother following at their heels, crying now,but with happiness.
Allan told her just what to do in order that no ill effect, such aspneumonia, should follow the immersion, and she promised to keep him inbed, and give him warm liquid food until he was feeling himself again.
When the two scouts turned to leave her the poor woman kissed them both,much to their confusion; for they felt that the thanks were due to Thadand Giraffe, if anybody, since they were the ones who had riskedsomething in order to save the drowning boy.
Of course this was going to detain them for perhaps an hour, becausethose who had been in the water wished to thoroughly dry their clothes,at least such as they had taken with them into the river.
Both had been wise enough to tear off leggins and shoes before leavingthe shore, as swimming would have been next to impossible otherwise; andthis counted considerably in their favor now.
While they sat around the blaze, waiting until Thad gave the signal foranother start, the boys thought it wise to make their noonday meal, sothey would not have to stop again.
Of course the talk was pretty much all upon the subject of rescuingpersons who were in danger of being drowned; and also of resuscitatingthose wh
o had been pulled out of the water apparently far gone.
Thad, as usual, did not let the chance slip to deliver a few tellingremarks connected with a knowledge of certain kinds which all scouts arerequired to attain before they can become shining lights in theprofession, or hope to rise to the position of second or first classscouts.
"If there's one splendid thing this scout business has done for boysabove another," he went on to say, as they sat around the fire, "I thinkit is the fact that every tenderfoot has to learn how to swim during hisfirst season in camp. How many thousands of lives might have been savedin the past if all boys over eight years of age had been taught how tokeep themselves afloat in the water. If the movement had never done asingle thing more than that it would deserve to be reckoned the finestthing that ever happened for American youth."
"Yes," Giraffe went on to add, "and think how many a fellow has beensaved from drowning, just as little Johnny here was, first by being takenfrom the water, and then in having the spark of life coaxed back. Youworked that as fine as anything I ever saw, Allan, and the rest of you.Thad and me felt so shivery cold I'm afraid we couldn't have done italone by ourselves. A whole lot of the credit goes to the rest of you,and we want you to know that. It was a patrol rescue, and something theboys of the Silver Fox can be proud of always."
That was just like Giraffe, who could be one of the most generous-heartedfellows ever known when he wanted to. That he felt considerable remorsebecause of his reckless way of sending poor Bumpus into that field withthe angry mother cow had been patent to Thad early that morning, when hesaw Giraffe asking Bumpus to lean on him, after the stout scout hadmentioned the fact that he was feeling somewhat stiff following hisunusual exertions of the previous day.
"According to my notion," Step Hen broke in with, "no boy should ever beallowed to go out in a boat on the water unless he knows how to swim."
"I agree with you there, Step Hen," the patrol leader added; "and yet howoften you see boys taking the greatest kind of chances, when if an upsetcomes along they're as helpless as babies. That mother has learned alesson; and chances are Johnny never goes in a boat again till he canswim like a fish."
"But boys are not the only ones who take such chances," Allan argued;"why, in the days gone by when nearly all ships were sailing vessels, andnot steamers, it wasn't a strange thing to find dozens of old jack tarswho had spent their whole lives at sea, and yet never swam a stroke. Itseems queer, and hard to believe, but I've heard men tell that who knew."
"Things are going to be different after this, then," said Davy, "becauseevery Boy Scout has got to learn how to swim, or he'll stay a tenderfootall his days; and no one wants to do that, you know."
"What happened to the boat; none of you thought to rescue that at thesame time?" Smithy wanted to know.
"Oh! it wasn't worth saving," Giraffe told him; "and after what happened,Johnny's mother would never want to see it again. We had our hands toofull getting him to the bank to bother about that cranky old junk. It'llbring up somewhere below, like as not, or else float out on theChesapeake Bay around Havre de Grace, where they used to have such greatduck shooting years ago, because of the wild celery beds that grewthere."
Giraffe was fond of hunting, and knew considerable in connection with hisfavorite sport, which information he delighted to impart to his chums atdivers times and on sundry occasions. Once upon a time he had been likemost thoughtless boys, so intent on filling his gamebag, or catching arecord number of fish, that slaughter counted little with him; but afterjoining the troop Giraffe had learned what a true sportsman should be,and since then was never known to inflict needless pain, or destroy gameor game fish when they could not be used for food.
These numerous useful things which scouts learn have the knack of curbingthe half savage instinct that seems to repose within nearly all boys'breasts; and which they say must have descended to them from far-backancestors.
By the time lunch had been dispatched Thad and Giraffe declared they wereas good as new again, since every particle of their clothes had beenthoroughly dried. There was a general scrutiny on the part of all hands,so as to make sure nothing had been forgotten in the excitement. Thad hadsent several of them back over the ground, to pick up every object thrownaside in that mad scramble, from guns and knapsacks to clothes and shoes.
Outside of a little delay, which they expected would not matter much,they had not suffered in the least because of this sudden and unexpectedcall upon their services. And to have saved a human life was certainlyworth ten times as much as they had done.
Bumpus at a signal from the leader sounded his bugle, and once more thelittle detachment of khaki-clad boys started along the river road, headedsoutheast, and with a positive assurance that the man whom they sought,the hobo wearing the old blue army overcoat, was somewhere ahead of them.
In this manner they tramped for several miles, constantly on the lookoutfor any signs of their quarry. Thad frequently searched for the markedfootprint, and as often discovered it plainly marked in the yielding mudclose to the road; so that they had no fear of overlapping the fugitive.
It was about this time that Bumpus was heard grumbling to himself.
"What's wrong now, Bumpus; want a little help on account of that stiffleg?" asked Giraffe, turning around.
"'Taint that," returned the other quickly, as if scorning to show signsof fatigue when the others were capable of keeping up the pace.
"Well, what are you grunting about, then, tell us?" demanded Step Hen,who was himself limping a little, because of a pebble that had managed towork into his shoe despite the protecting legging, and hurt his footbefore he bothered getting it out.
"Why, you see," began Bumpus naively, "it's started to rain at last,that's all!"