The Boy Scouts at the Panama-Pacific Exposition Part 21

"They're expecting me any day now," Hiram had explained in answer to these remonstrances, "and I'm just keepin' 'em on the fence, you see.

When I kinder guess the time's ripe I'll drop in on the company and tell 'em who I happen to be."

"Hiram means he's engineering a sort of climax," explained Andy; "but the rest of us will be as mad as hops if he pulls the thing off without giving us a chance to see the fun."

"You wouldn't be so mean as that, I hope, Hiram?" pleaded Tubby.

"What d'ye take me for?" the other had exclaimed, in seeming indignation.

"Guess I ought to know what my duty to my chums is. You'll all have front seats on the band wagon when the music begins. Consider that as good as settled, Tubby. I'm having an extra big chair fixed for you, too, so you'll be comfy."

Tubby beamed his grat.i.tude, and as they had arrived at the turnstile by that time the subject was dropped.

It was decided that they should keep together, for a while at least, though anyone could see that Hiram was wild to hurry over to where the Golden Gate Aviation Supply Company had its headquarters adjoining the field where the airships gave frequent exhibitions.

The crowd had not begun to make itself felt as yet, so that they found splendid opportunities to inspect numerous things that attracted their attention in some of the many immense Fair buildings.

An hour was spent among the pictures in the art building. Rob enjoyed this, for he was very fond of paintings, and at some future date he meant to put in a whole morning here.

Tubby soon tired of it, and as for Hiram it seemed to be pretty much of a bore. One whose heart and mind were wrapped up with all sorts of inventions could not be expected to content himself gazing upon works of art; they were too tame for his spirit; what Hiram delighted in was the whirr of machinery, the clack of the aeroplane propeller, and kindred objects that meant real _work_ for him.

Just how it happened that about the middle of the morning they found themselves once more treading the devious ways of the Amus.e.m.e.nt Zone neither Rob nor Tubby nor Hiram could somehow understand. They dimly suspected, however, that the artful Andy must have managed to coax them in that quarter under a specious plea that he wanted to show them something wonderful.

The first thing they knew they were seated in chairs on the moving platform, and viewing the scenery along the stretch of the Panama Ca.n.a.l, which had a very realistic look for those who had been there themselves.

Each chair had a dictaphone attachment connected with the arm, and by applying this in the proper manner to their ears the occupants were enabled to hear a description of each section of the great ditch as it was reached.

Taken in all, it was a novel experience, and one they enjoyed very much; though in the end it required the strength of the other three scouts to drag poor Tubby out of his chair, which happened not to have been capacious enough for the standard requirements of the fat boy.

"Honestly," said Tubby, in explanation of his sticking so tight, "I believe some skunk went and put a piece of shoemakers' wax in that chair; and I feel that I'm lucky to have saved the seat of my new khaki trousers. If it had been the old ones there's no telling what might have happened."

"H'm! a poor excuse is better than none, they say," muttered Andy; "but seems like instead of calling these chairs comfortable they might have added that they were the 'Fat Man's Misery.' But forget it, Tubby; you're safe and sound again, breeches and all. Come on and see what there is in this Bedouin Camp. The camels look like it ought to be a heap interesting."

The others were not as much taken with the show as Andy. To him it was all real, and breathed the atmosphere of the desert and the traders'

caravan; but Rob saw how much was tinsel and make-believe, and really suspected that some of the so-called Arabs talked among themselves in pretty fair English.

It happened that shortly after they had issued from this concession, and Hiram was commencing to show signs of uneasiness, as though wanting to be off, something came to pa.s.s that for the time being made them forget their plans.

"Hey! what's all that running about over there?" suddenly exclaimed Andy.

"Mebbe there's goin' to be an Oriental elopement or a wedding? Let's hurry over and get in line to see!"

"More'n like a dog-fight," grumbled Hiram; "for I've noticed that in some of these squalid villages of foreigners they have some ugly yellow curs hanging around, which I should think the Fair people wouldn't stand for."

All the same, Hiram ran as fast as his mates to see what was going on.

They made a discovery before they were more than half way to the spot.

Indeed, the loud outcries borne to their ears, as well as the smoke that came from a building where the signs indicated that a celebrated Egyptian fortune-teller could be consulted, made this very manifest.

"Whee! it's a fire!" gurgled Tubby, who was puffing very hard in his effort not to be left in the lurch by his more agile companions.

The excitement can be easily imagined in that always thronged section of the Exposition grounds. Scores of persons, many of them turbaned Arabs, Turks with red fezzes on their heads, or other foreigners were rushing this way and that, all wildly shouting, and wringing their hands as though they expected that a dreadful misfortune threatened that part of the Amus.e.m.e.nt Zone.

The gayly-dressed fortune-tellers were apparently up against a hard proposition. They could pretend to tell what the future held for others, but apparently had not been able to foresee such a common everyday occurrence as their booth taking fire.

No one seemed to be thinking of trying to do anything. The authorities of the Fair had provided arrangements for such accidents, and in due time, doubtless, the fire company would dash upon the scene, ready to pour a stream of water on the flames.

But seconds count when fire is seizing hold of flimsy curtains and woodwork. A minute or two in the commencement of a conflagration means that it may be smothered before it gets a firm clutch on the building.

Rob possibly remembered what had happened on that Long Island bay at the time he and Andy saved the naphtha launch owned by old Cap. Jerry.

Just then he discovered a couple of local scouts hurrying up. They were small lads, and might hardly know what was to be done in such an emergency. Rob seized hold of the first one.

"Tell me, do you know where the nearest fire extinguisher is fastened; I remember seeing some around the grounds here?"

No sooner had Rob put this question to the small scout than his face lighted up eagerly.

"That's the ticket!" he exclaimed, shrilly. "I knew there was something a fellow ought to do! Why, yes, there's one right back yonder, mister. All you got to do is to grab it off the stand and get busy. I know where another is further on!"

With that he darted off, followed by his companion. Rob had not even waited to hear all that was said. He had his eye on that little extinguisher immediately, and was leaping toward it, followed by the gaze of his admiring chums.

Why, it seemed almost no time at all before the scout leader had wrenched the extinguisher loose. His first thought was that luck favored him because lo! and behold it chanced to be one of the same pattern he always carried aboard his little motorboat, to provide against a catastrophe by fire.

Thus armed and equipped, Rob started into the small building from which the dense clouds of smoke issued, and amidst which tongues of angry flame were to be seen.

Andy, Hiram and Tubby followed close on his heels. They had nothing with which to fight the fire, but somehow seemed to consider it a part of their duty to back their energetic leader up to the full limit of their capacity.

It was, after all, nothing of moment, once Rob got the little stream started on the flames. The fire had not gained sufficient headway to make a stubborn resistance of it, and inside of three minutes Rob had it entirely subdued.

"Back out, fellows; it's all over!" he managed to exclaim, though half choked by the penetrating smoke.

Just as the scouts came out, and by their smiles a.s.sured everybody that there no longer remained a spark to endanger the neighboring flimsy structures, the fire squad came hustling up. Of course there was a perfect mob gathered by this time, and Rob found it hard work to try and make his way through.

The man in charge of the fire-fighters hunted the scouts up and insisted on shaking hands with them, a procedure that many in the crowd copied, greatly to the displeasure of Rob, though Tubby and the others did not seem to mind it in the least.

One alert young fellow, who announced that he was a reporter on a San Francisco daily, tried his best to get an interview with Rob, who positively declined to say anything except that they were scouts from Long Island.

As this persistent newspaperman kept after them, and was seen in eager conversation with Tubby in the rear, it might be taken for granted that the fat scout was of a different mind from Rob. Trust Tubby to "blow the horn" good and strong, especially when he could sing the praises of one he cared for as much as he did for Rob Blake.

"Seems like things keep on happening wherever we go," said Andy, after they had finally managed to shake off the last of the curious crowd, and retreated to another part of the Zone.

"It's lucky for some people that such is the case," a.s.serted Tubby, promptly. "If we hadn't happened to be around I reckon that fortune-teller's place would have been burned to the ground. Some time we may be sorry we bothered with it. They're all a lot of fakes, say what you will."

Andy chuckled audibly at hearing that remark.

"You mustn't mind Tubby, fellows," he said, pretending to whisper, though he knew the fat scout could hear every word plainly; "ever since that time we were down at Coney Island, and a woman seeress there told him he had a glorious future as the world's most famous fat man, Tubby has been sore on the craft. Now, that same wise woman told me I was going to be the greatest traveler since Livingstone's time. She read my longings and aspirations, and I often think she could lift the curtain and see into the future."

"Aw! you're silly if you believe a single word they say!" burst out Tubby, with wrath and indignation; but in less than two minutes he was as amiable as ever; the unpleasant incident was forgotten; for Tubby could not stay out of humor long, and as Hiram was accustomed to saying, "trouble and anger slipped from Tubby just like water does from a duck's back!"

More people were coming as the morning progressed, though the crowds would not begin to compare with those that the afternoon and evening would bring; when the band concerts were an added attraction, with numerous other events going on in every direction, until one would wish they could have a thousand eyes and ears so as not to miss anything.

Rob was tired of the scenes in the Amus.e.m.e.nt Zone, and ready to suggest that all of them make a change of base, though he knew it would not be an easy task to tear Andy away from the sights his heart yearned to keep in contact with.