CHAPTER I.
SURPRISING LANDY.
"LET Adam Limburger have a try, fellows!"
"Yes, give the new tenderfoot scout a chance to show what he can do inthe water."
"That's the ticket; just watch him take the high dive, will you, boys?"
"Mine gootness gracious, poys, oxcuse me, if you blease. If you dink Ican dot blunge make vidoudt upsetting mineself, you haf anudder guesscoming."
"Try it, Adam!"
"You've just got to, you know, old chap! Everybody's jumped but you; andall the while you've just sat there on the bank and watched us cuttingup!"
"Shut your eyes, Adam, if you're timid, and then go; head or feet first,we don't care which, so long as you make a big splash."
"Ach, idt vould not, pe sooch a surprises if Adam he preaks his neck:put, poys, if dot happens, somepody carry de news to mine mudder. Pychimineddy, here I go!"
"Get out of the way, Ty Collins, if you don't want to get squashed; forhere comes Adam down the shoot-the-shoot plunge!"
A number of lads were in swimming out in the country quite a number ofmiles away from the home town of Hickory Ridge. Besides the stout Germanwho was standing in a hesitating way on the springboard that had beenthrust out from the high bank, some ten feet above the water, there wereElmer Chenowith, Ty Collins, Landy Smith, and Ted Burgoyne, the latterof whom, though afflicted with a decided lisp, was looked upon withconsiderable respect among his fellows in the Boy Scout troop, becauseof his knowledge of medicine and the rudiments of surgery.
They had been splashing and having a splendid time for at least tenminutes after entering the water, when somebody happened to notice thatthe new recruit in the Hickory Ridge troop of Boy Scouts, AdamLitzburgh, a name that had been quickly corrupted into Limburger by theboys, did not seem to enter into the sport, but contented himself witheither dipping his feet into the water, as if afraid, or else sittingashore in the shade watching his new mates.
Adam seemed to be inclined toward stoutness, although hardly in the sameclass with Landy, who had long been bantered by his chums on account ofhis ever-increasing tendency to put on flesh in spite of all he coulddo.
"Lock at the board bend, would you, fellows!" cried Ty Collins, as theGerman recruit stood there, balancing at the end, as though fearful ofwhat the result would be should he jump.
"He's glued to it, that's what," said Landy, who was anxious to discoverwhether Adam would make a greater splash than he himself produced whenhe came down like a huge frog into the water of the Sweetwater River;for this was not the familiar "swimming-hole" of the Hickory Ridgeboys, but miles farther away from home.
Adam made several violent gestures as though he might be going to jump,and then shook his head vigorously in the negative.
"Noddings doing, poys!" he grinned.
"Hey, none of that crawfishing, now, Adam!" cried Ty. "You've just _got_to jump, once anyhow. We'll stand by and yank you out if you can't swim.Perhaps the boys over in your beloved Yarmany don't learn as early asYankees do. Go on, now!"
"Want us to come up there and push you off, you Dutch cheese!" calledLandy, in the hope of arousing the belligerent nature of the Teuton, andthus making him conquer his timidity.
"Vell, py shiminy crickets, off you dink you can scare Adam Litzburgh,poys, you haf anudder guess goming. Look oudt pelow!"
Elmer had been watching the antics of Adam with a critical eye. Beforethese last words were spoken he had turned to Ted, who chanced to beswimming near him, and remarked significantly:
"That fellow is pulling the wool over the eyes of Ty and Landy."
"Think tho?" asked Ted, quickly.
"Just watch and see," replied the other, who, besides being the leaderof his patrol, known as the Wolf Patrol, was also the assistant scoutmaster of the troop and authorized by certificate from the headquartersof the organization to assume the duties of Mr. Garrabrant whenever thatgentleman was away on business.
Suddenly Adam gave a bound up and down until the springy board had takenon a motion superior to anything that had been done by the others intheir efforts to excel.
As it came up finally, the body of the German boy leaped into the air.Those who were watching with distended eyes saw him turn over twicebefore he struck the surface of the water, beneath which he shot withthe grace of a fish.
Elmer gave a shout.
"I thought as much; Adam was hoodwinking you, boys!" he laughed.
"Wow, did you ever see the like of that! A double somersault before hestruck, and then he dived under like a greenback frog from a log!" andLandy's fat face was a study as he looked his utter amazement.
"I take it all back!" shouted Ty. "They _do_ know how to dive over inYarmany and beat us all hollow. Say, fellows, I bet you Adam is going toprove to be the best water dog in all Hickory Ridge. Look at himswimming there, will you? I've seen an otter or a muskrat doing it thatway, but never a boy. Ain't he the peach though! I take off my hat toAdam!"
"That'th what we all thay!" cried Ted, enthusiastically.
"Three cheers for our new comrade, fellows; here's to Adam, and may heprove as great a find as a true scout as he has a water duck!" exclaimedElmer.
The cheers rang out, and were followed with a "tiger." Adam was comingback now, and his red face beamed with satisfaction. They had beeninclined to look on him as a real greenhorn; and no doubt that was whathe would prove to be with regard to most of the ways of woodcraft inwhich scouts desire to become proficient; but the boy from across thebig water had certainly surprised his new mates this day by hisexpertness at diving and swimming.
So long as they remained in the water they kept Adam busy showing off.He had a dozen clever tricks from the springboard; and there was no onein Hickory Ridge who, as Ty declared, could "hold a candle to him."
"No, nor in Fairfield, either," said Elmer, after he had seen what theGerman lad could do; "and if we ever have another series of rival testswith our friends over there, make up your minds, fellows, that Adam willstand in a class all his own."
Finally, when some of the boys began to show signs of blue lips, Elmerdeclared they had been in long enough. When one is not accustomed tobeing in the water at all hours, the vitality of the system is exhaustedafter a certain time; and those who are wise will make it a point tocome out before they get to shivering, even on a hot September day, likethe one that found these Hickory Ridge scouts in camp up on theSweetwater.
A few of the boys, it seemed, had not had quite enough of outdoor lifeduring the long vacation and they had induced Elmer to start out forthree days more of camping, taking a tent along and a few thingscalculated to add to their comfort.
Adam, as the latest addition to the troop, asked permission to accompanythem, and as he was something of a comical fellow they expected to havemore or less fun at his expense as a greenhorn.
After this remarkable experience, however, some of them began to suspectthat the shoe might frequently prove to be on the other foot; and thatthe German boy would turn the tables on them, even as he had done in thewater test.
The tent was pitched close by, at a point selected by Elmer as the bestto be found along that part of the river. The ground had the properdrainage in case of a heavy storm and was not under any high tree, sothat the danger from lightning was reduced to a minimum.
They had brought a few things along to eat; and as farms lay not faraway, each day some of the scouts trailed over to one of these in orderto purchase other articles, such as fresh milk, eggs, butter, and greencorn, and on this morning Elmer had brought back a couple of finechickens which a farmer had presented to him.
Of course, the rest of the boys understood that at some past time Elmermust have done the farmer a favor; for he was always eager to lend ahelping hand when an occasion arose; but he declined to tell the story,and as they had the chickens the boys found no fault.
Elmer had made an oven in the ground, after the type used by hunters inmany lands. A deep hole was scooped out, and a hot fire kept going fors
ome hours; then the red ashes were removed, and the chickens, properlywrapped in big leaves, placed in the oven which was then hermeticallysealed with clay.
This might be called the first "fireless cooker." It is the veryprinciple upon which all those now on the market are constructed; and,indeed, the bottles that are guaranteed to keep their contents hot fortwenty-four hours are fashioned on some similar lines for retaining theheat.
For six hours now had those spring roasters been in "hot storage," asLandy called it, and many were the appeals to Elmer to know if theywould be ready by the time they had the corn and other things done.
The afternoon was wasting away. In another hour the sun would besetting. Elmer was busying himself at the fire with Ty, who claimed tobe something of a cook and had proved this on various occasions. Ted wasoverhauling the little case of remedies, without which he seldom wentanywhere. Adam and Landy had taken a small camera, loaned by one of theother members of the troop, a tall scout known to his chums as "LilArtha," and with this they expected to take a few snapshots of the camp,the picturesque river as seen in the afternoon glow, and such things asappeal to the average boy looking around for subjects on which toexecute his skill as a photographer.
They could be heard rummaging among the bushes not far away, and Landyseemed to be getting more or less fun out of the German tenderfoot, whowas utterly new to the ways of the American woods, however familiar hemight be with any species of water.
Elmer had just made up his mind, after a sly investigation on his ownaccount, that the chickens were deliciously done, and hence there needbe no further delay about starting the balance of the dinner, when heheard Landy's rather whining voice approaching, and raised his head towatch.
When the two came into camp it was noticed that Adam seemed to beleading his companion, who was acting rather queer. At first Elmerwondered whether the fat boy could have been overcome by the heat, forhis face was unusually red. Then he saw that Landy seemed anxious to dighis knuckles into his eyes.
"What's the matter, Landy?" asked Ty, whose attention had also beendirected to the incoming pair.
"I declare if I know what to make of it, fellows," said the fat boy, ashe stood there, trying to grin at them, though he certainly lookedfoolish, with his cheeks beginning to puff out and furiously red. "Justcan't seem to see right. Feels like my eyes were going to close. And nowasp stung me, either; that is, as far as I know. It feels awful tough,I tell you now, and that's no joke."
Elmer bent forward to look closer.
Then his face assumed a serious expression.
"Well, I should say it wasn't a joke, Landy!" he exclaimed.
"But what's the matter with me, Elmer; tell a fellow, won't you?"pleaded the afflicted one.
"Why, you're poisoned, that's what!" declared Elmer.
Landy immediately let out a whoop; but although he was undoubtedlyfrightened, it seemed as though his face could not possibly turn white,as might have been expected under the circumstances.
"Me poisoned!" he exclaimed. "Oh, whatever do you mean, Elmer!" hecried, laying a puffy hand on the sleeve of the other's outing shirt,which he had rolled up above his elbow in order to have greater freedomin his movements.
"You've been foolish enough," Elmer went on with grave concern in hisvoice, "Landy, to handle that rank stuff, poison ivy, and then rubbedyour hands all over your face. You've got a dose, all right, I'mafraid!"