Don Strong, Patrol Leader Part 29

The Foxes were the next to get rigged. The Eagles rushed in almost on their heels. Morse and semaph.o.r.e teams practiced frantically. Over everything lay a fever of preparation.

At ten o'clock Mr. Wall sent a squad to take down the tents and pack them away in the trek wagon. Another squad brought wood and water. The camp prepared for dinner.

It was a happy, noisy, high-strung meal.

"Clean camp for the contests," Mr. Wall ordered next.

Empty cans and refuse went flying into the fire, to be raked out later and buried. Presently the last sign of litter was gone. The scouts waited expectantly.

"Telegraphy first," said the Scoutmaster. He handed a sealed envelope to each sender. "There's your message. Read it when you get to your instrument. Off you go. A bugle blast will be the signal to start. Speed and accuracy will count."

Wally Woods ran off with Andy yelling after him to take his time and not get rattled. Then came a wait. Mr. Wall nodded to the bugler. The woods echoed to a sharp blast.

Almost at once telegraph instruments began to click. Andy, with puckered eyes, bent down and wrote slowly. The scout at the Fox receiver was supremely confident, but the Eagle scout seemed worried and hara.s.sed.

To the watching boys it was impossible to tell who was ahead. The minutes pa.s.sed, the excitement grew. All at once the Fox scout sprang to his feet and came running to Mr. Wall with his paper.

"Shucks!" said Tim. "He may have it all mixed up. Look at Andy."

The a.s.sistant patrol leader of the Wolves was now running toward the Scoutmaster. Two minutes later the Eagle scout came forward reluctantly.

"It's fierce," he said in disgust. "It doesn't make sense nohow."

The message had been, "A hundred men searched the hills for the Indian."

The Fox scout had made but one error. Andy had made four, and the Eagle scout had twisted the message into a knot.

"Well," said Tim, "that gives us three points for second place. Now, if Alex gets here--"

The calling cry of the Wolves sounded faintly.

"That's him," said Tim, and shrieked an answer. Andy and Bobbie went out to meet the newcomer and show him the way. Presently they led him into camp. He had ridden to Lonesome Woods on his bicycle, and had ridden hard. He was hot, dusty and thirsty.

After half an hour's rest on the gra.s.s he was ready. The semaph.o.r.e signaling started.

All three patrols scored perfect messages, but the Foxes finished first, the Wolves second, and the distracted Eagles last.

"That gives the Foxes 10 points and us 6," said Bobbie. "The Eagles have 2."

Don shook his head uneasily. The Foxes had been in the lead ever since the last contest. If they won again, they would be out so far in front that it would be almost impossible to catch them.

It was time for the Morse. Tim put his flag under his arm and went out to his station. Ritter went along to read the message to him, word for word, so that there would be no loss of time. Bobbie, at the receiving end, was to write the message as Don called him the letters.

Ritter tore open the envelope and took out the paper.

"How long?" Tim demanded.

"Eleven words." Tim reached out his hand and Ritter drew back. "Never mind reading it. Just send what I give you. You won't get twisted thinking about the next word, because you won't know what it is."

Tim did not argue. He could see Bobbie lying on the ground with pad and pencil, and Don crouched on one knee above him. Gee! when would the bugle blow?

"Don't go too fast," Ritter said huskily.

Tim scarcely heard. He and Don had made no mistakes the last time they practiced. How would it be now on the day of the real thing?

"T-a-a-a-a, ta, ta," sounded the bugle.

"Every--" cried Ritter.

Tim sent the word. His hands gripped the flag staff with a nervous, straining strength.

"--patriot--"

This word followed the first.

"--places--his--all--"

Tim was breathing hard.

"--at--the--service--"

His throat was dry.

"--of--his--"

Tim's arms trembled. Was there much more?

"--country," said Ritter, as though he couldn't get the word out fast enough. "End of message."

Tim fronted his flag three times. He saw Bobbie hand the message to Don, and Don race over to Mr. Wall.

"We're first in," cried Ritter. "Come on, Tim."

But Tim was suddenly afraid. He dropped the flag and pretended that his shoe-laces were loose. Ritter ran ahead. Tim fussed with the laces a long time--was still fussing, in fact, when cries of "O you Foxes! What's the matter with the Foxes?" brought him to his feet.

This time he walked in hurriedly. Ritter met him.

"You had three mistakes, Tim," he said sadly.

"_I_ had three mistakes?" Tim cried angrily.

"Well, we had three mistakes. The Foxes were perfect again. They're sharks on signaling. The Eagles were last."

Tim went over to Don. "Let's see that message." He read it under his breath. "Every batriot blaces his all at the sereice of his country."

The Foxes were still skylarking when he handed back what Bobbie had written. He looked around at the members of his own patrol. Bobbie shifted his eyes. Wally tried to smile that it wasn't a bad showing at all. Tim turned away slowly, went over to his equipment, and began to roll his blanket for the homeward march. All the sunshine, and the frolic, and the outdoor freshness was gone from the day.

He was sure that he had sent the message right. He couldn't send an e for a v, because e was the simplest letter in the Morse alphabet--just a single dot. And as for sending two b's where he should have sent two p's--

"I didn't," he muttered wrathfully. "They think I did because--"