CHAPTER III. WHEN LUCK CAME THEIR WAY.
Andy fairly held his breath in suspense when Judge Collins made thatastonishing suggestion to the little Scotch professor. He had alwaysknown that the judge was a firm believer in the uplift of the Boy Scoutmovement, for he had never failed to assist the Hampton Troop by everymeans possible. That he would go so far as to recommend two of the scoutsto his friend as responsible enough parties to be entrusted with such anerrand filled Andy with both amazement and delight.
Professor McEwen's eyes twinkled as he surveyed first the boys and thentheir earnest sponsor.
"I ha'e no doobt but that they are responsible and trustworthy, just asye say, Judge Collins," he proceeded to remark presently, with lines ofperplexity visible across his forehead, "and if it were but an ordinaryerrand I wouldna hesitate a single instant aboot entrusting it to them.But I ha'e to consider well before makin' up me mind. The propertybelangs to ithers than mesil', ye ken; and it is of a scientific valuebeyond compare. In fact, it could not well be replaced if lost intransit; money wouldna be any consideration in exchange, which is why Iwouldna wish to send it by express."
"Be kind enough to listen while I relate a few facts concerning this sameRob Blake, and a couple of his friends," said the judge, smiling, andshaking his head at Rob when he thought the latter looked as though aboutto protest.
"I should be unco' pleased to hear all you can tell me," declared thescientist, "for I must confess that from the verra beginning these brawlads ha'e made a most favorable impression with me."
And so Rob had to sit there, squirming rather uneasily, while the judgetold of the perilous trip he and several chums had made to the troubledrepublic of Mexico, and how they had cleverly managed to accomplish thedelicate mission with which they had been entrusted by Tubby Hopkins'uncle.
Then he took up the subject of the tour abroad, where they had been fordays and weeks in the battle zone of the contending armies, managing withconsummate skill to avoid complications, and eventually succeeding inattaining the object which had been the cause of their undertaking thisperilous mission.
All this while the little Scotch professor sucked away at his pipe asthough he found great consolation in burning the weed that originallycame from Virginia in the time of Sir Walter Raleigh, and was therefore astrictly American product. Now and then he would let his shrewd eyes roamfrom the face of the enthusiastic judge to the burning one of Rob Blake,and at such times Andy always noticed that he would nod slightly, asthough better pleased than ever.
Andy, by the way, was enduring all manner of torture on account of thesuspense; he had had a glorious prospect opened up before him, if onlythe curtain would not suddenly fall and shut it out.
"That is not nearly all that these gallant boys have done," declared thenarrator, after a time. "I could sit here for an hour and tell youinnumerable instances where Rob, and some of his chums into the bargain,did things that would be counted big under ordinary conditions. Why, ithas come to that pass in Hampton nowadays that when anything beyond theordinary is attempted they have to get the scouts interested in it first,and then people begin to believe it must have some merit."
"What you tell me is indeed wonderful," declared the professor. "Afterthat recommendation I am strongly disposed to offer them the carrying outof my mission if they could see their way clear to accept the task."
"It would give them a chance to spend some weeks at the Expositionwithout incurring any expense, is that the idea, Professor McEwen?" askedthe judge, who looked as happy as though he had discovered some wonderfulbug which had been eagerly sought after for years and years by allscientists and collectors.
"Yes, a month, if they cared to stay that long," replied the other, whoseemed to have been fully convinced, and ready to throw the load ofresponsibility from his own shoulders to those of Rob and his chum. "Theparticulars can be gone over a little later, either to-night, if theycare to see me again, or to-morrow. There is no great need o' haste,though what I am carrying out to California is being eagerly expected bymy colleagues there."
"Let me congratulate you, boys, on your good fortune," said the kindlyjudge, as though he wished to settle the matter in such a fashion thatthere could be no drawing back on the part of the gentleman. He thenshook hands first with Rob and then with Andy Bowles.
Rob was looking a little pale from excitement, but there was also a happyglow in his eyes. As for Andy, he could not prevent a wide grin fromspreading over his features. His father owned a livery stable in Hampton,but was not considered at all well-to-do, so that the boy had never beenable to do more than dream of taking expensive trips. That one down intoMexico had come like a gleam of golden sunshine, for Tubby Hopkins' olduncle had footed all the bills.
"Do I understand you to make this proposition to us, Professor McEwen?"Rob asked bluntly, not wishing to be laboring under any delusion.
"Aweel, aweel, I dinna ken how I could do better; and I feel that I amindebted to ye baith for my life. After hearing what bonny lads ye are,from my friend Judge Collins here, whose opinion carries great weight wi'me, I am mair than pleased to offer to stand all the cost of a trip toCalifornia and back; as well as the expense which you will necessarily beunder while seeing the great Exposition in San Francisco. Do ye think yecan ha'e the permission of the auld folks to take so lang a journey?"
"There will be no trouble on that score, Professor," urged the judge."These lads have so amply demonstrated their sterling ability to look outfor themselves that I really believe Rob's parents would not object if hewanted to go to hunt for the South Pole, or explore the unknown regionsof tropical Brazil. And so we shall call it settled, I presume,Professor?"
"I ha'e made the offer, and shall tak' it hard if they turn it down,"said the peculiar little man of science, whose name, Rob afterwardlearned, was known throughout the whole length and breadth of the worldwherever men of intellect gathered to discuss their theories anddiscoveries.
"So far as we are concerned," said Rob, after receiving an entreatinglook from the excited Andy, "we are disposed to accept right on the spot,subject to the reservation that our parents may have the final decidingof the matter. We will run over here by moonlight to-night, Professor,and if everything is satisfactory, we will talk matters over with you,and make all arrangements."
"That suits me nicely, laddie," declared the visitor pleasantly; "and Ishall ha'e to think mysel' unco' lucky to have found competent andtrustworthy messengers so soon after the necessity arose. I shall lookfor ye then this same evening; and I hope that there may be no barrierthrown in the way of your acceptance of my offer. The mair I see of yethe better satisfied I feel that I will ha'e no regrets after entrustingmy mission in your hands."
Soon afterward the two scouts said good-by to the professor, and starteddown to the dock. Even in his distress of body and mind, the thoughtfulscientist had not forgotten Captain Jerry; and the boys were entrustedwith a message to him to the effect that ten pounds awaited hisacceptance when he was ready to install that new three-horse-power enginein his launch.
The old bayman was glad of the chance to have his wrecked boat towed backhome; and when Rob delivered the message of the professor, the look ofconcern on his weatherbeaten face vanished as the mist does with thecoming of the sun.
All the way across the broad bay the two scouts were jabbering to eachother in connection with the astonishing streak of good fortune that hadjust come their way.
"Seems to me I must be dreaming!" Andy declared for the fourth time."Please give me a pinch, Rob, to let me make sure I'm awake."
"Oh! you'll get used to it by degrees," the other told him, though hefelt somewhat uncertain himself at times, and had to convince himselfthat it had all actually happened, and was not the result of a feveredimagination.
"Talk to me about luck," continued Andy rapturously, "there never couldhappen again such a wonderful combination of things. First, that thefeed-pipe aboard the _Sea Gull_ sho
uld be leaking a trifle; second, thatProfessor McEwen was aboard the same; then he tossed that lighted matchthe wrong way, so instead of going overboard it fell down and slippedbetween the bars of the wooden grating into the oil-covered bilge water,and last of all that we chanced to be close by at the critical moment,ready fixed with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, and capable ofhauling the ship-wrecked mariners aboard."
"Everything of that kind is always a combination of minor happenings thatseem to dovetail in with each other," Rob explained. "In this case itworked perfectly. All other boats were so far away that there's notelling what might not have happened."
"We're getting close in now, and, Rob, there's somebody waving to us fromthe dock. Why, it looks like our inventor chum and fellow scout, HiramNelson, the queerest fellow in the Eagle Patrol. He must want us to stopand take him out for a ride on the bay. You didn't promise him anythinglike that, did you, Rob?"
"Why, no, not that I remember," replied the other slowly; "but now thatyou mention him acting as though he wanted to see us so badly, I rememberthat Hiram has been talking to me several times lately about somewonderful secret he was carrying around with him. He said he hoped to bein a position soon to open up and take me into his confidence; and thathe might have a proposition to make that would give me a great, though apleasant shock."
"You don't say?" chuckled the happy Andy. "Well, seems to me the shoe ison the other foot just now, and that we've got something to tell Hiramthat will take his breath away for a minute. Look at him dancing around,Rob! I suppose now he's gone and invented some sort of contraption thatnever can be made to work, and he wants to tell you he's saved up enoughhard cash to get a patent on the same. But chances are it'll be moneywasted, because, so far as I know, nothing Hiram has done so far hasproved much of a success."
"I'm a little afraid it's as you say," added Rob, in a low tone, for theywere now fast nearing the dock where the other boy waited for them, hisface wreathed in such broad smiles that they could easily see his newswas of a pleasant nature. "Three times Hiram has tried to go up in thataeroplane of his and failed. I hope he's switched his genius off on somesafer track than this sky traveling. But we'll soon know, for here we areat the dock."
Andy stood by with the boathook to fend off, and old Captain Jerry got inreadiness to take charge of his launch and pole it along the border ofthe bay to the mouth of the creek, up which he had his mooring place.
When Rob had made the motorboat fast to a cleat on the dock, he joinedhis chum, and the two of them advanced toward the spot where Hiramawaited their coming, his face still betraying the great excitement underwhich he seemed to be laboring.