CHAPTER X.
THE DUTY OF A SCOUT.
Tubby was dreadfully shocked when he heard the news.
"The poor thing!" he cried, "to be forgotten in all the row, and left tobe smothered by the smoke, perhaps burned up in the bargain. Oh! Rob, Ihope you're mistaken!"
"I wish I could believe so myself, Tubby, but if you look you can seethem all staring up there at that window next to the one we jumped from.Some even point at it, and you notice more than a few of the women arecrying like everything."
"But my stars! why doesn't somebody run up and get the child out, ifthat's so?" Tubby demanded,--forgetting that his eyes stillsmarted,--because this discovery, and the distress of the parentsoverwhelmed him.
"Because the lower floor is all afire, and the stairs can't be used,"Merritt told him.
"If only we'd known about the child before we came out, we might havesaved it," Tubby wailed. "If I could climb like some fellows I know, whocan even go up a greased pole in the contests, I'd be for making my wayup there right now. Hey! what are you going to do, Rob, Merritt? Let mehelp any way I can. Stand on my back if you want to; it's broad enoughto do for a foundation! The poor little thing! We mustn't let it beburned if we can help it!"
Neither Rob nor Merritt had waited to give Tubby any answer when he madethat really generous offer. They knew there would be no need of his backas a means for elevating one of them to the sill of the upper window. Infact, Rob had made a sudden discovery that must have been the mainreason for his speedy actions.
"The tree is close to the house, Merritt!" he was saying as he sprangforward.
"Better still, Rob, one limb grows right alongside the window!" theother scout added, keeping in touch with the patrol leader.
They were quickly on the spot, Rob starting up the trunk of the tree atonce.
"Don't follow me," he told his chum, as he climbed upward. "If I findthe child I may want to drop it down to you. Get busy underneath,Merritt!"
"All right, Rob; I understand!" came the answer.
Tubby had also heard what was said. He came puffing forward, as thoughhe did not mean to be left out entirely of the rescue.
"Let me help you, Merritt," he was saying, between his pants from hisrecent exertions.
"Sure I will, if there's any chance, Tubby."
"Can Rob reach that window from the limb?" the fat scout askedanxiously, as he tried to look straight upward, a task that was always atrying one with Tubby because of the odd shape of his chubby neck.
"He's about there now, you notice. There's something of a little ledgeunderneath and he's going to make it all right."
"There! He's clinging outside and starting to throw a leg over," Tubbyexclaimed in evident rapture. "And if there is a child inside that room,our chum will find it. If it was me now, I'd be so blind with the smokeI'd have to just grope my way around, and p'raps get lost in theshuffle."
"But what's that you've got in your hand, Tubby?" pursued Merritt,becoming aware for the first time that the other was holding on to somewhite object.
"This? Why, what but that fine sheet you used to lower me with," he wastold.
"I remember that Rob dropped it down after you landed," said Merritt,"but I never thought you'd want to take it along with you, Tubby."
"Oh! shucks! don't you see, I picked it up when I started over afteryou," the stout boy tried to explain.
"But why should you do that?" persisted Merritt, who was looking eagerlyaloft just then, and possibly not fully paying heed to what he wassaying.
"Why, you know how firemen stand and hold a blanket for people to jumpinto?" explained Tubby; "I thought that if it came to the worst, Robmight drop the baby into this sheet, which both of us could holdstretched out!"
"Well, you _are_ a daisy, after all, Tubby!" cried Merritt, in sincereadmiration. "That's as clever a scheme as anyone could think up. Here,give us a grip of an end, and we'll get ready for business!"
Quickly they clutched the four corners of the sheet. Fortunately, itappeared to be a fairly new bed-covering, and might be trusted to bear acertain weight without tearing.
Having reached the point where nothing more could be done in order toassist Rob, the other two scouts had to stand there and wait, as theprecious seconds crept by, each seeming like an age to their anxioushearts.
Meanwhile, what of Rob, who had, without the least hesitation, riskedhis life in order to save the child forgotten in the excitement of theUhlans' coming, and the strange events that had so soon followed?
When he reached that window, he found it closed, but, on his pressingagainst the sash, it had swung inward, allowing him free access to theroom.
It was rather an appalling prospect that confronted Rob. The smokeseemed to be thick, and he could not see three feet away. For all heknew the fire that was raging in the lower part of the inn might by thistime have eaten partly through the floor boards, so that, if he put hisweight on them, he stood a chance of being precipitated into the midstof the flames.
Rob never hesitated a second. He had taken all these matters intoconsideration when making up his mind as to what he meant to attempt.More than this, he did not believe anything partaking of such a disasterthreatened him in case he entered that apartment.
The most he feared was that he might be unable to discover where thechild lay, for it was manifestly impossible to use one's eyes to anyadvantage, with all that veil of smoke interfering.
Over the window-sill he climbed, just as the two boys below witnessed.And, no sooner did Rob find himself in the room, than he started tocross it. He expected to find a bed somewhere, and toward this purposehe at once set himself.
He could hear the crackling of the flames below. Besides this, therecame to him with painful distinctness the wails of the poor woman whowas being restrained from trying to rush into the burning inn.
Rob was listening for something more. He had strong hopes that he mightcatch another sound, perhaps feeble, but enough to guide him to wherethe imperiled one lay in the bed or on the floor.
Groping as he advanced, and at the same time feeling with his feet, incase the object he sought should prove to be on the floor, Rob passedaway from the vicinity of the open window. The smoke was pouring fromthe aperture now, as though it were in the nature of a funnel. Thisturned out to be of considerable help to the boy, for the draught servedto thin the smoke that had filled the room to suffocation.
Now he had reached the farther wall, and, turning sharply to one side,started to comb this, every second expecting to come upon a bed of somesort.
It was about this time that Rob thought he heard a low, gasping cry justahead of him. Though unable to use his eyes with any measure of successin locating the source of the sound, he was encouraged, and persisted inpushing forward. In this way he found himself bending over a cot.
His groping hand came in contact with something warm--something thatmoved ever so slightly at his touch. It was the forgotten child. Robfound that it was a mere baby, possibly not much more than a year old.
The smoke had not yet choked the little thing, though a short timelonger would have certainly finished it.
Rob had no sooner clutched it in his arms than he tried to set himselfright for the window by means of which he had reached the room. In thishe was assisted by the light that came through the opening, and whichserved as his guide. By the time he reached it, he could no longer see asingle thing, and, when he leaned out of the window, his first thoughtwas to shout:
"Merritt, are you down below? I can't see a thing! The smoke has blindedme!"
To his great satisfaction there came an immediate response, and neverhad words from the lips of his chum sounded sweeter than they did then.
"Yes, we're both here, Rob. Let the child drop straight down! We'll takegood care of it!"
"But you might miss it," objected Rob, still unable to see a thing.
"We can't! We've got a sheet spread out to catch it in!" Merritt sentback. "You're all right just there! Let go! Leave
the rest to us!"
So Rob did as he was told. Accustomed to giving orders himself, he atthe same time could obey when the necessity arose. Perhaps it was withconsiderable fear that he allowed the child to leave his grip; but thejoyful shout arising from his chums below assured him that all was well.
Then he heard a feminine shriek, and judged that the frantic mother haddarted to where the boys were standing, to clasp her rescued offspringto her breast.
Rob crawled over the ledge. He could not see how to make that friendlylimb again, but then there was no need of going to all that trouble. Hehad dropped in safety before, and felt able to do the same again; sodown he came like a plummet.