CHAPTER XVI.
GOOD-BY TO THE SWEETWATER.
"WHAT are you doing to those fellows, boys?" demanded the champion oflaw and order; from which remark it was plain to be seen that the smokehad affected the eyes of the police officer to such an extent that hehad failed to recognize the culprits, and possibly believed the boyswere only carrying on high among themselves, as boys over in his townfrequently did, to the unhappiness of the constables.
"We just took a notion to prevent them from escaping, sir," remarkedElmer. "And if you think you can hold them, we're willing to turn themover into your charge, in the presence of Mr. Brady here and theothers."
A group began to cluster around them, most of the men rubbing theirsmarting eyes. Already did they realize the uselessness of trying to putup a fight against the flames that were spreading resistlessly amid thehay.
"Well, I declare if it ain't the two hands that worked for me, and thentried to rob my house, setting it on fire as they ran away!" declaredMr. Brady, as he got a good look at the prostrate men.
"Do you mean to say these are the fugitives I have been chasing, thedesperate yeggmen named Shorty McCabe and Lanky Jim Smith?" cried thepolice head.
"That's just who they are, sir," replied Elmer.
"But where did you find them?" demanded the other, hardly willing tobelieve the plain evidence of his eyes and ears.
"As soon as I knew they had set fire to the hay I guessed it was onlymeant to draw attention to that quarter while they slipped away. I'veseen that game played more than once out West, sir," Elmer remarked,modestly.
"And it was a fact, was it; they did try to steal off?" questioned theother.
"We found a place where there was a board off the barn, and Elmer, heexpected that was the way they'd come out," said Ty, breaking in; for hejust wanted this consequential personage to understand that he did notknow so very much after all, in spite of his splendid uniform and thatwonderful strut.
"Which same they did, all right," spoke up Landy, "and then, you see, wejust sat on 'em. Reckon the long feller must 'a' thought a mountain hadcaved in when I dropped on his back."
"Will you take charge of the prisoners, Mr. Benchley?" asked Elmer.
"That's what we're here for, young fellow; though, as a rule we don'tmuch fancy boys interfering with the pursuit of justice," answered theother, who did not look any too happy over the way things had turnedout.
Elmer, on his part, was fully satisfied Mr. Brady and a number of theothers had crowded around, astonished at the turn matters had taken, andstaring at the two prisoners. They would be in a position to prove,should it be necessary at any time in the future, that the scouts hadindeed effected the capture of the hunted train wreckers, without anyassistance from the police.
And as for Shorty and Lanky Jim, it would not be polite to tell whatthey thought and said when they discovered that their captors weremerely four half-grown boys. Perhaps on first seeing the khaki trousersand leggings of the scouts they may have labored under the impressionthat the militia had been called out to ran them down; and this wouldaccount for the meekness shown all along.
The barn was now in the grasp of the fire. They could see the billows offlame leaping upward; and a dense black smoke began to rise.
"This is tough luck, Mr. Brady," said Landy, after the officers hadfastened some shining steel ornaments to the wrists of their prisoners,and led them over to the waiting car. "After saving your house by aclose shave, it's hard to have your barn and hay go up in smoke."
But the farmer did not seem to be very deeply concerned.
"Barn's insured; and it's an old one at that," he remarked, with a halfsmile; "and as luck would have it, I sold all the hay in there just lastweek, for cash! The man who bought it took out insurance, I believe. Butyou boys have certainly covered yourselves with a lot of glory thismorning. First, saving my house, and then capturing those toughcharacters. I consider that I'm getting off mighty cheap. Hope some ofyou fellows will take a notion to camp up this way more times than afew. It pays to have Boy Scouts around. That's been my experience,anyhow."
"Well, how about milk, Mr. Brady?" asked Elmer.
"We brought that tin bucket along, but it's mixed up with all the restnow. Suppose we could get one of your women folks to go to the milkhouse with all this excitement on?"
"Why, any one of 'em would be only too proud to do such a little thingfor the brave boys who worked so hard to save a roof over their heads.And don't think, young fellow," the farmer added, turning on theconfused Ty, suddenly, "that we don't appreciate what you did, justbecause it turned out to be a pup instead of a baby. That was as bold athing as ever I saw done. If I had any boys about your age, I'd makesure that they joined the scout movement before they were a week older.Seems like it cultivates the best there is in a lad."
All of the boys glowed with pleasure at hearing these hearty words.
"Thank you, Mr. Brady," said Elmer. "It sure is a satisfaction to knowthat you look at things that way. And we feel repaid for all we've done,don't we, boys?"
"It's only been a pleasure to play coon for you, Mr. Brady," grinnedLandy.
"And I'm glad it was only a dog instead of a real baby," declared Ty,stoutly; "'cause, you see, something might have happened to hitch myplans, and think what a terrible thing would have happened then."
"Come with me, boys, and I'll see that you get milk; yes, cream if you'dprefer it. It's lucky that those haystacks happen to be as far off asthey are, and the wind is blowing away from them; because, you see, Ikept that part of the crop. Intended making a lot of repairs to the barnafter it was empty. Now I'll take the insurance money, add some more toit, and build me a better place three times over."
"There go Shorty and Jim," announced Landy, as the car started off forthe near-by public road.
"And they look at us as if they could eat us alive," commented Ty.
"I gueth thome of uth would rather thtick in their throath," remarkedTed, gloomily.
"What ails you, Ted?" asked Elmer, as they trailed along after Mr.Brady. "You don't look like you were altogether happy."
"I know," announced Landy, a little maliciously. "He just wanted to geta chance to cut off a few arms and legs, and such things as go with abattle. I could see it in his eyes when it looked like we were going tohave a real rumpus with them train wreckers. And it all turned out soeasy, Ted is disgusted. Ain't it so, Ted?"
The budding surgeon of the troop shrugged his shoulders and grunted theone word: "Rotten!"
And those boys, who knew Ted so well, could understand something of thewild ambition that must have fired his soul when he figured that one ormore persons must surely be seriously hurt, when the police came incontact with the two house burners. But it had passed off, and now thecar containing prisoners and captors had gone, without even one littleblow having been struck on either side.
"What's the sense of knowing how to bind up wounds, and do all that sortof stunts, when nothing ever happens; that's what Ted is saying tohimself," Landy remarked, chuckling as he spoke, for he did dearly loveto poke fun at others.
"If you keep on," said Ted, with a dark look, "there'll be a subjectforthcoming in double-quick order. But somebody'll have to sweep you upwith a broom first before I can do anything with you."
So Landy subsided, even though of course he knew that Ted was only"talking through his hat," as he expressed it, and for effect.
Having procured the needed milk, the four boys returned to camp. Loudwere the lamentations of George and Adam when they learned what a greatevent they had missed by not accompanying the others to the Brady home.At first George, true to his nature, declined to believe a word of it;but when he and Adam, urged on by curiosity to forget whatever causethey had had for remaining in camp, hurried over to the scene ofexcitement, they heard the story from numerous lips; so that the lastdoubt was laid.
The balance of the day was spent in resting up, for all of them weresore from their unusual exertions, however much they migh
t try to hidethe fact. Of course a plunge in the river had soon removed all the smokestains, and refreshed them at the same time.
"It's lucky we had on our oldest trousers and leggings," remarked Elmer,when they came to examine into the condition of things. "What with waterslopping over the pails, and the smoke and cinders, these are a sightright now. But it'll wash out, fellows, and that's something our recordmade this day will never do."
"Only one thing I'm sorry about," remarked Landy.
"What'th that! Anything to do with the way Ty here thailed into thatburning crib, and thnatched out the poor little innothent lamb, Bennie?"asked Ted.
"No. What I meant was that I forgot to take Lil Artha's camera alongwhen we started for the farmhouse, because I never thought we'd haveanything happen to us worth remembering. Just think, boys, if I hadsnapped off half a dozen views of that business, wouldn't they deserve aframe in our meeting room?"
"Just what they would," affirmed Landy. "I'd give anything if I had oneto show my folks what a hero their son and heir had grown to be. Butthen," he added, sighing, "they wouldn't have known me with all thatblack on my face."
"Come off!" cried George. "Anybody'd know you by your elegant figure; Icould tell you a mile away, with one eye shut."
"Oh, thank you, George!" said Landy effusively, just as though he reallybelieved his cousin meant it. "I always knew you were a good chap, andcould appreciate true merit, no matter where found. It's worth somethingto hear such splendid words of praise from one of your own family. I'lltreasure them for a long while, sure."
"Don't believe a word of it," remarked George, true to his colors, and adoubter from the word "go."
Nothing more out of the way happened to the scouts while they were inthat snug camp on the Sweetwater. We saw them first on that same stream,and it seems only right that we should take our last glimpse of some ofour friends while they are still in camp.
When on the morrow they would start to wend their way homeward, it woulddoubtless be with many regrets, for they had certainly had a great timeof it, all told. As school duties began, the Hickory Ridge Troop of BoyScouts would not find so many opportunities for outings; but the tiesthat had bound them together all summer still held good; and no matterwhat the sport that engaged their attention, these lads who had signedthe roster under Roderic Garrabrant's guidance were bound to be drawntogether with the strong affection of those who have the same goal insight, and look upon one another as "comrades tried and true."
We shall hope to again meet with Elmer and his chums ere long, and innew fields follow the fortunes of those good fellows who formed theseveral patrols of the Hickory Ridge troop.
THE END.
ADDENDA
BOY SCOUT NATURE LORE