CHAPTER XII
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEAR
THE Band, I mean the Ravens, don't know so very much about bears. Thatwas the only bear we ever had come across and we had been berrying allover those mountains, although mostly on the Greylock side. Pa says thatthey usually keep away from the road, the few that are left, becausethey are afraid of folks.
Anyhow, it isn't any picnic to fall out of a tree at any time,especially when there is a bear at the bottom.
When the limb began to crack, Skinny knew that he was a goner. He yelledso loud that it surprised the bear and it looked up into the tree to seewhat was going on. Just at that second the leader of Raven Patrol landedon the cub's nose, like a thousand of brick. Boy and bear both wentsprawling, one in one direction and the other in another.
Skinny was the first to get on his feet and the way he shinned up thetree again was a caution. He didn't stop to look until he had reachedthe limb where the rope was tied. Then he felt safe.
The bear had picked himself up and was standing close to the foot of thetree, looking up and whining, as if he didn't like being hit in the headby a boy very well.
It was the chance which Skinny had been waiting for. He gathered therope up in his hands and opened the noose wide. Then, leaning down asfar as he dared, until he was right over the bear, he dropped it. Thenoose fell as straight as a die and, spreading out around the cub'shead, lay across his shoulders with the side nearest the tree almosttouching the ground.
Just as the bear stepped one foot over the loop, Skinny grabbed the ropewith both hands and gave a quick jerk. The noose tightened; and therewas the most surprised bear you ever saw, tied fast to the tree! Skinnystood on the limb above like a big crow, cawing to beat the band and soexcited that he came near falling again.
"Gee, but that bear was mad," said Skinny, when he was telling us aboutit. "He growled and he snapped and he rolled on the ground; then he ranaround and around the tree, until he had wound himself up short, but hecouldn't get away. It was great, only I didn't dare jump on him again.He was too crazy."
"Great snakes, Skinny!" exclaimed Bill. "You always have all the fun."
"I guess you wouldn't have thought it so much fun if you had been up inthe tree and couldn't get down. I'd 'a' choked him with the rope, if hehadn't got his feet tangled up in it so that I couldn't."
"How did you get down, Skinny?" asked Benny, because Skinny had a way ofstopping at the most interesting places and pretending that he wasthrough telling about it.
In order to tell about that I'll have to go back a little in thishistory.
When Mr. Richmond told Skinny to go up to Savoy and to be careful not tolet the bears get him, he was trying to scare a Boy Scout. He says thathe hadn't any idea there would be a bear or deer around, or he shouldn'thave let him go. But the next morning a man from Savoy drove past thehouse and told about seeing a bear on the way down. He didn't have hisgun along and besides the bear ran into the woods when he saw him.
That made Mr. Richmond feel uneasy.
"I wish I hadn't let the boy go up the mountain," he said. "I don'tsuppose anything will happen to him, but I'd feel better if he hadn'tgone. I guess, of the two, the bear would be the most scared if theyshould meet."
"He told me that he'd surely come in time for dinner," said Mary.
When dinner time came she put a plate on for him. He didn't show up, ofcourse. He was up in the tree about that time, wondering how he everwould get down. After that Mr. Richmond grew real anxious and went tothe house several times to see if Skinny had come.
"That boy looked to me," he said at last, "as if he wouldn't be guiltyof missing a good dinner if he could help it. I am going after him. Hemay be all right, but I'm going to find out for sure."
With that, he hitched up a horse, took down his gun, and started.
"Let me go, too," Mary called after him. "I can hold the horse while youare looking."
"All right. Jump in. We'll probably meet him on the road somewhere."
The first they saw or heard of him was the yell which Skinny gave whenthe limb broke. It scared them.
"Take the reins," said Mr. Richmond. "There is trouble over there. Turnaround and if anything comes run the old horse down the road."
Say, he was paralyzed, when he found the bear tied to a tree and Skinnystanding on a limb, cawing.
"I was that flabbergasted," said he afterward, "that I hardly could pullthe trigger."
But he pulled it, all right, and that was the end of Mr. Bear.
Skinny didn't like it because Mr. Richmond killed the bear. He wanted totame it and give a show in our barn. He was bound to take it home,anyhow, so as to save the skin.
It took a lot of pulling and hauling to get the cub out to the road, andMary had to help before they could lift him into the wagon.
"Jump in," said Mr. Richmond, when everything was ready. "It is timethat I was getting home."
"I can't," said Skinny. "You see, I am doing a stunt for the Scouts andI have to walk."
Just before they started Mary thought of something.
"Say," said she, "maybe I'd walk, too, if anybody asked me; that is, ifGrandpa would let me and it wouldn't make any difference with theScouts."
"Come on, do," said Skinny. "May she, Mr. Richmond?"
"Well," said he, "seein' as how you've got a rope and it ain't very far,I'm willin'. But it will be mighty lonesome for me."
I never saw Skinny so chesty as he was over catching that bear. And hehad a right to be, for everybody was talking about it and there was along piece in the paper. He even wanted to change the name of RavenPatrol to the Bears, but we wouldn't stand for that. We didn't know howto make a noise like a bear, anyway.
After that the folks told us to keep away from Savoy Mountain, rope orno rope, and we had to do it. But Skinny wanted to go back and get abear for each of us.
"I think that our patrol leader has made good," said Mr. Norton, whenSkinny had finished. "What I'm wondering is, who was the mostfrightened, Gabriel or the bear?"
"The bear was," said Skinny; "anyhow, after I jumped on him. Say, I'llbet you fellers wouldn't dast jump on a live bear, when he was growlingand showing his teeth. It was great, just like jumping on a cushion,only the bear didn't like it very well."
The other boys didn't have much to tell, much that was exciting, I mean,but Mr. Norton made us all report what we did. Hank came last of all.
"Well, Henry," said Mr. Norton, "what have you to say for yourself? Youwent to Cheshire by the river road, I believe?"
"How about that new invention, Hank?" I asked. I'd forgotten all aboutit until then.
"Have you a new invention, Henry? Tell us about it."
"'Tain't nothin'," said Hank, squirming in his chair. "It didn't workjust right. I guess I'll have to go home now. Ma said to get in by teno'clock."
"We'll have time for your report," Mr. Norton told him.
Hank kept nudging me, trying to get me to go with him, but I wouldn't doit, so after a while he began.
You see his invention, the one he spoke to me about just before westarted, was a Life Saver. When we were learning to be Scouts Mr. Nortontaught us how to bring drowned people back to life again; that is, ifthey haven't been in the water too long. What Hank wanted to do was toinvent something that would keep them from getting drowned in the firstplace.
"It's all right to bring them to life," he told me, "but it would be aheap better not to have 'em drown at all."
After doing a lot of thinking, he made a sort of balloon of oiled silk,with the mouth fastened to a hollow reed and a piece of potato to putover the end of the reed, instead of a cork. Hanging from the mouthpiecewere two pieces of stout cord.
"What's it for, Hank?" asked Skinny, when he was showing it to us. "Itlooks like a bagpipe."
"It's a Life Saver," he said. "You carry it in your pocket when the airis out of it and look along the river until you find somebody drowning.Then you throw him the Life Saver, if he hasn't got one in his own
pocket. He ties it around his neck, puts the mouthpiece to his lips, andblows the bag full of wind. Then he puts the potato on the end to keepthe air from leaking out. He can't sink, can he? The balloon will holdhim up."
"Great snakes, Hank!" said Bill. "You've got a great head--like a tack."
"A tack's head is level, just the same."
"Guess what," said Benny. "Let's go swimming up to the Basin, to-morrow,and try it."
"We can go swimming if we want to," Hank told him, "but I did try it. Itworked and it didn't work."
"What's the answer?" I asked.
"Well, you see, I walked all the way to Cheshire Harbor, looking for achance to use the Life Saver and I couldn't find anybody even inswimming, let alone drowning. The water isn't deep enough for drowningin most places, anyhow. But when I got to Cheshire Harbor I found a kidsitting on the bank of the race, fishing.
"'What you got?' he asked, when he saw me fooling with the Life Saver.
"'Jump in,' I said, after I had told him about it. 'I'll show you how itworks.'
"'Jump in yourself,' he said. 'I don't want to get my feet wet. Let'ssee the old thing, anyway.'
"I handed it to him and he blew up the bag until I thought it wouldbust, and then tied it on with the strings.
"'Say, that's great stuff,' said he. 'I'll bet it will work all right.'
"When he said that, I don't know why I did it, but it seemed as if Icouldn't help it. I felt as if I just had to save him. I pushed him in,balloon and all."
"Gee-e-ewhilikens!" shouted Skinny.
"You mutt!" said Bill.
Mr. Norton was too surprised to say anything, but he had the funniestlook on his face.
"Did it work?" Benny asked.
"It worked all right, but----"
"But what?" I said, beginning to get mad because Hank kept stopping atthe most interesting parts.
"He had tied it on to one ankle, instead of around his neck. It made hisankle float, but his head went under, and he couldn't swim. I rescuedhim, but I had to jump in after him and pull him out. It was hard workbecause he kept trying to hit me all the time. Then, after I'd got himout, I had to lick him before he would let me go on and do my stunt."
"I hardly think that was according to Scout law," said Mr. Norton, whenthe rest of us had finished laughing and pounding Hank on the back.
"I rescued somebody, just the same. Only it wasn't a maiden."
"We still have a few minutes," said Mr. Norton. "Suppose that we play anew game which I have here. It is a kind of invention of my own and iscalled baseball."
"Seems as if I'd heard of that game somewhere," said Skinny, poking mein the ribs.
"Not this one. This is parlor baseball and is brand new," replied theScoutmaster.
He brought out a chart, marked off in squares to represent differentplays, and laid it flat on the floor, about six inches from the wall, atthe end of the room.
"Now," said he, "we'll choose sides, then stand off about ten feet andtoss silver dollars at the squares. That is the same as going to bat. Imention silver dollars because I brought some with me. Any disk, orring, about the same size and weight would do as well and might be moreconvenient. The square on which the disk rests gives the result of yourplay. If the disk rolls off the chart it counts as a strike, and threestrikes are out. Usually the Scoutmaster or Scout leader acts as umpire,calls off each play as made and keeps the score. To-night, however, asWilliam is not able to play, we will make him umpire and I will takepart in the game to make even sides."
HOME RUN STRIKE THREE BASE HIT
FLY CATCH BATTER HIT OUT ON FIRST
SINGLE BALL TWO BASE HIT
FOUL PASS BALL BALK
"Let me illustrate," he went on. "We will suppose that the first man upthrows three disks and all of them roll off the chart. That counts asthree strikes and he is out. The second player may throw a two-bagger ora single. He then returns to his seat and the third player, by throwinga three-bagger, brings the second man home and gains third base forhimself. The runners are advanced each time as many bases as the battermakes. They also are advanced one base by a pass ball, a fly catch or anout-on-first. The first two fouls count as strikes, of course, and fourballs entitle the batter to first base. The arrangement of these squaresis important. The home run is guarded on three sides by strikes and infront by a fly catch. The three-base hit is as carefully guarded."
"Say, that game is all right," said Skinny, after we had finishedplaying. "Three caws for Mr. Norton, our 'stinguished and celebratedScoutmaster."
As soon as he could make himself heard, Bill spoke up.
"I think the secretary," said he, "ought to put how to play that game inthe minutes of the meetin'."
"There ain't goin' to be any," I told him. "It's too much work."
"I think that William's suggestion is a good one," Mr. Norton said, "andI also appreciate the force of your secretary's objection. How would itbe if I should do the work? I'll have typewritten copies of the rules ofthe game struck off, so that each of you can have one."
That is what he did, the very next day. I am going to put the rules intothis history right here, just as he wrote them, because other Scouts maywant to play the game.
_Scouts' Parlor Baseball.--Rules for Play._
Divide the patrol into two equal groups and arrange them in battingorder on opposite sides of the room. Place the baseball chart six oreight inches from one end of the room on the floor and indicate a markten feet from the chart for the "batter" to stand on. The Scouts havingtheir inning then take turns at tossing a silver dollar (anothermetallic disk or ring of equal size will suffice) at the chart. Eachplayer's record at bat is told by the square on which the dollar rests,off the chart entirely counting as a strike. If the dollar restssquarely across a line it is tossed again.
The rules of baseball govern the game. After a player finishes his turn,he takes position at the farther end of his side, and the next in linetakes his turn, thus preserving the batting order. When three playershave been declared out, that side is retired and the other side takesits inning. If time permits, a nine-inning game is played; otherwise thenumber of innings to be played should be decided before beginning.
When a "batter" wins a position on a base he is advanced at each play asmany bases as the next player earns at the "bat." He also advances onebase on out-on-first, fly-catch, balk, and pass-ball plays, and whenforced. He must keep track of his supposed position on the bases andreport to the official when making a score.
The official, usually the patrol leader or Scoutmaster, decides theplays and tosses the dollars back to the players. He also keeps thescore, and may correct a player, if necessary, for being noisy, or forleaving his seat when not playing. In fact, he is in control of thegame, but is not allowed to play except when there is present an oddnumber without him.
The chart should be made of stiff paper so as to lie flat on the floor,or of cloth, in order to be tacked down. Each square should be 9 x 9inches, but a smaller size may be used if the room is not large. In thatcase the players should stand less than ten feet from the chart. Thesquares must be labeled as in the diagram. Young Scouts, or beginners,are sometimes allowed to stand eight, or even six, feet from the chart,in order to make the sides more equal. This and any other questions thatmay arise are decided by the official.