CHAPTER IV.
SIGNS OF TROUBLE.
"LOOK at 'em all in a bunch!" cried one of the watchers; for the crowdhad been particularly requested not to follow the six walkers or annoythem in the start.
"But with Lil Artha at the head!" called another exultantly.
"But they're all keeping up close with him, even if Red does have tocover five steps to three by Lil Artha. It ain't the length of afellow's legs that counts for everything in a hike, let me tell you!"
"Shucks! Why, Lil Artha is just playing with 'em," laughed another.
"Sure he is; when he feels like it, he'll make a ring around the rest,and then not be pushed!"
"Oh, he will, eh? Shows how much you know about these things. Lil Arthamay be due to a little surprise before many hours go past; and it'll beGeorge Robbins who will do it," said Landy, proudly.
"For he has the true Philander Smith grit," sang another; at which therewas a shout from the rapidly breaking-up crowd, for this little weaknesson the part of the fat boy was pretty generally known.
Presently a turn in the road shut out the walkers. They were all goingstrong when last seen, and Lil Artha even turned to wave a jauntyfarewell to those of his friends who had wished him success in the greathike.
Elmer and the balance of the scouts gathered together to talk overmatters connected with the affair. A plan of campaign had been mappedout with almost as much care as if a battle were impending. Indeed, allsorts of road maps had been consulted in laying out the course overwhich the six contestants were expected to pass. And a copy of the same,as well as the rules governing their actions, had been sent over to theFairfield troop at the earnest request of the scout master who hadlately taken charge there.
The morning began to wear on.
Some of those who had gathered to watch the start had come withoutwaiting for breakfast, though the scouts, as a rule, could not bereckoned in that class, being early risers. And as the hours went bythere was always more or less excitement around headquarters.
Several fellows had brought their wheels around. These were the choseninspectors whose duty it was to sally forth at certain hours when Elmergave the word, and pick up the several contestants along the way,perhaps telephoning any interesting news connected with them from someconvenient inn where the registers were placed.
Mr. Garrabrant and one of the scouts had gone off in an auto long ago.They expected to establish the chosen stations and leave the registersin which each fellow was to enter the time of his coming and going.
At ten o'clock the first scout on a wheel was sent out. Another wouldfollow at twelve, and around four Elmer, as the last inspector, expectedto start. He chose to be last because a fellow who owned a motorcyclehad loaned it to him for the occasion, and thus he had a big advantageover the others.
When noon came there was a ripple of interest. A scout had come from thestore where the telephone station happened to be located, and hebrought the first news of the big hike.
All the contestants had made the first station easily, passing withinfive minutes of each other. And, strange to say, it was Lil Artha whosetime seemed to be just at the tail end of the procession. No one couldunderstand it, and all sorts of speculations began to pass current.
"Got a stone in his shoe and bruised his heel!" one suggested.
"More'n likely he's gone and strained a tendon again; remember he didthat two years ago when he made the home run that won the game!" anotherexclaimed.
"Rats!" called out a third, scornfully. "The sly old fox is only doingthat for fun. He's playing with the other fellows, believe me. When hegets good and ready he'll pass the bunch, and leave 'em so far behindthey'll forget their names. Oh, I know Lil Artha! Why, he even took hislittle camera along. Said he wanted to snap off a few pictures on theway, just to pass time, when he got too lonesome."
After a hasty lunch the boys again assembled at the church, and ifanything, in greater numbers than before; for every fellow in townseemed to be on the spot, anxious to hear what news might come dribblingin.
Two o'clock came, and with it a running scout from the store, whereseveral were stationed in order to be ready to answer the phone.
More news, and of a character to arouse great excitement. At the secondstation there was a difference of just thirteen minutes between thearrival of the leader and the last contestant. That leader was LilArtha; and sad to relate, the tail ender trailed the proud banner of thePhilander Smiths in the dust, for it was no other than George.
"Told you so!" burst out the fellow who had been so positive about thetall Lil Artha playing tricks. "He's starting now; and by night timehe'll be hull down in the distance. It's sure a walkover for Lil Artha."
"Reckon you're right, and that it's all over but the shouting!" declaredanother, who had been for Red Huggins, but proved rather weak-kneed inhis faith.
Strange how the different natures of boys crop out under suchconditions.
"Huh, it's too early in the game to throw up the sponge like that, Ben!"declared another fellow, derisively. "All sorts of things might happento Lil Artha. You never can tell about them long-legged fellows. They'reapt to double up like a hinge with cramps or something. Wait and see.Jack's holding his own with the rest, because he was only three minutesbehind the leader!"
"Next time it'll be half an hour, because Lil Artha has unlimbered hisheavy artillery. Why, I bet you he's going along like a Weston, rightnow, and just eating the miles up."
"Yes, we'll get a message from Little Falls any minute now telling howhe blew in there with his seven-league boots, and has started back!"mocked another, who apparently did not love the lanky one any too well.
Meanwhile Elmer was trying to keep his finger on the pulse of things aswell as he could. It was while he was taking a look at the motorcyclethat had been placed at his disposal, to make sure the tank had a fullgallon and a half of oil aboard, and everything in order for a start,that he heard the tooting of a horn up the road.
A couple of the scouts chanced to possess motorcycles. True, they hadseen considerable of service, and were often in a condition far fromuseful; but then Nat Scott, whose father was at the head of the schoolsin Hickory Ridge, and Toby Jones, had had more or less sport in timespast with the second-hand machines purchased with their savings.
It was now just five minutes of four, and Elmer expected to make hisstart as the hour struck. He knew that he would have time enough toovertake the leading walker long before night set in.
Somewhat to his surprise, the boys who were coming began to shout assoon as they drew near; and he noticed that both of them seemed verymuch excited.
Elmer's face paled a trifle. He wondered whether any accident could haveovertaken one of the contestants; though he could not imagine how such athing might be.
"Hold on, Elmer, was afraid we wouldn't get here in time to catch you!"called Nat, as they came along, both machines popping merrily; though itmight be noticed that they were erratic in their explosions, provingthat the spark could not be doing its full duty.
Of course nothing could have tempted Elmer to hasten off now. He wantedto hear what these scouts had to say.
And he remembered something just then. Neither Nat nor Toby had beenpresent to witness the start of the six who had entered for the race.The scout master had appointed them, at their earnest request, as acommittee to go over to Fairfield and watch the start of those scouts inthe rival organization, so as to bring back a detailed account.
Perhaps Mr. Garrabrant, knowing boys as well as he did, may havesecretly suspected that it might pay to have a couple of wide-awakefellows around Fairfield during the day to keep their eyes and earsopen. He happened to know that there had arisen a new bully inFairfield, who was doing all in his power to assume the reins laid downby Matt Tubbs at the time he saw a great light and gave over his evilways when taking up the attractive scout movement. And it might be thatsome of those turbulent Fairfield fellows would get together and hatchup a scheme for keeping the Hickory Ridge sc
outs from winning the longhike.
All this flashed into the mind of Elmer as he saw Nat and Toby speedingtoward the church and waving their hands as they shouted.
They came to a stop with something of a dramatic effect, and leanedtheir motorcycles up against the wall of the church. Of course there wasa rush on the part of everyone within sight and hearing of the spot; andalready all sorts of wild theories were circulating, as they will atsuch a time.
"What's happened, d'ye think?" one gasped, looking frightened; for hehad a brother in the contest, and his first fear was that something hadhappened to him.
"One of the boys must have been badly hurt! Perhaps they've come for theambulance to fetch him home!"
"Aw, get out! What's the use talkin' that way, Jim? However could theyget knocked out that way?"
"Besides, ain't Nat and Toby been over at Fairfield all day underorders? Must be news from that place. Perhaps Matt Tubbs has gone backto his old ways again and plans to do our fellows up on the road!"
"Matt Tubbs is all right, and don't you forget it. Here, quit yourpushin', and give a feller a chance to get in near Elmer!"
Meanwhile Elmer had waited until the two scouts had saluted, as they hadbeen taught to do when meeting a superior officer; since respect toauthority is one of the cardinal principles to which the tenderfootsubscribes when he first joins a patrol.
"Have you just come from Fairfield, Number Four?" Elmer asked, turningfirst to Toby, who belonged to the Wolf Patrol, which was under his ownparticular care as patrol leader.
"Yes, sir; been there all day," replied Toby, who was breathing ratherhard, as though he might have been having trouble with his machine onthe road, and had found it necessary to do considerable wrestling withit in order to make the old tub behave.
"You were dispatched there by our scout master, in order to watch thestart of the Fairfield scouts, and be able to give a detailed report ofthe same?" Elmer continued.
"Just what we were, sir; but that was not the whole extent of ourinstructions," Toby went on.
"I believe you were also told to stay around during the better part ofthe day, mingling with the boys of the town all you could, and learningif any underhand doings were being engineered among the tough elementoutside of the scouts?"
"That's what," replied Toby. "And just this afternoon we got on tosomething by accident that we thought ought to be reported toheadquarters. Wanted to phone it, but they're repairing the wire betweenhere and Fairfield, and we had to try another way. So we hit up a hotpace and came over direct on our machines; though of course we hadtrouble on the road."
"You did the right thing, Number Four," remarked Elmer. "And now, tellus what you learned. Is there any sign of treachery afoot?"
"Just that, as sure as you live!" cried Nat, unable to hold himself inlonger, when he had as much right to be heard as his mate. "They'regetting up a scheme to upset all our plans. We didn't hear a breathabout it till three, but the fellers in the game had started more'n anhour before."
"Meaning to waylay our boys, and put them out of the running?" askedElmer, showing signs of anger, as well as an eagerness to be moving.
"Yes, but not exactly by what Mr. Garrabrant would call physicalviolence," Toby spoke up, pushing his comrade back at the same time."Four fellows who don't belong to the scouts, I'm glad to say, startedout in a car, with the intention of finding whether it seemed likely aHickory Ridge scout was far in the lead, and if he was, then they meantto tempt him to ride with them for a mile or more, knowing that if hedid this he would be disqualified in the race."
"And if he refused, what then?" asked Elmer, knowing what the answerwould be.
"They mean to take him along against his will!" shouted Nat,triumphantly, before Toby could answer.