The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill Part 10

That left us only two directions to go, north and south, because on the east and west there are mountains and the valley between is narrow.

South near Cheshire Harbor it narrows down so much that there is room only for a wagon road, the river, and the railroad, side by side, but there is another road part way up the hill on the east.

On that account we decided that all should not go on the hike the same day, but to go four at a time, each taking a different road. There are two roads leading north to North Adams, one on each side of the river, and two leading south. One goes through Maple Grove and Cheshire Harbor to Cheshire, where a lot of swell folks from New York spend their summer vacations. The other, as I have said, is part way up the east hill and goes through a place, called Pumpkin Hook. It's a queer name but we didn't name it.

The plan that we finally decided on was for each to follow one road one day for seven miles; then go up into the hills somewhere to make camp for the night, and the next day to go back again by the other road. In that way we should stand a chance of meeting two Scouts some time during the trip, one on the morning of the second day, when we would be crossing over to take the other road, and one when the first boys on their way home would pa.s.s the second boys on the way out.

We drew cuts to see who should be the first four to go. Skinny, Harry, Wallie, and Bill won the first chance. They were to start the next morning at seven o'clock sharp from the bridge, two going north and two south. Hank, Benny, Chuck, and myself were to wait until seven o'clock, the second day, and then start. When we all had come back, we planned to meet Mr. Norton and tell him about where we had been and what we had seen and done.

Benny and I live nearest to the bridge. My house is only a stone's throw north of it; Benny's is a little north of mine and on the other side of Park Street. That made it easy for us to get to the bridge first, but pretty soon the others began to come.

"Has anybody seen Skinny?" I asked, looking at Mr. Norton.

Skinny's house is near Mr. Norton's, and we had thought that maybe they would come together.

"I stopped in as I pa.s.sed," said he. "Mrs. Miller told me that he had started."

Just then we heard a caw, sounding from over toward Plunkett's woods somewhere. It didn't take us long to answer. Then we watched down the railroad track, where it curves into town between the wooded hillside and the river.

We didn't have long to wait. In a few minutes we saw Skinny put his head out between the trees which line a high bank, fifteen or twenty feet above the track. He looked carefully in every direction; waved one arm, when he saw that we were watching, and then dodged back again out of sight.

"He's surrounding something," said Bill, giving a caw so loud it must have almost scared the crows up in the Bellows Pipe.

"There are only four minutes left before leaving time."

Mr. Norton was looking at his watch. He had hardly spoken, when, with a whoop and yell, Skinny slid down the embankment and was running like mad up the track toward us, waving his hatchet in one hand and swinging a rope around his head with the other.

"One minute to spare," said Mr. Norton, smiling as he put his watch back into his pocket. "That's the way to do it. Be prompt. If you say that you'll be somewhere at a certain time, be there."

"Say, Skinny," said Bill, winking at me and giving the Scout salute, "did you get 'em surrounded?"

Skinny wouldn't answer, or even look at him except to return the salute.

He pulled out his own watch, held it a moment; then pounded on the bridge with his hatchet.

"The meetin' will come to order?" said he.

As he spoke, the bell on the woolen mill began to ring and we knew that it was seven o'clock and time to start.

Quite a little crowd had gathered by that time and there was a cheer when the boys started, Skinny and Harry marching south on Center Street, side by side, and Bill and Wallie, north on Park Street.

Pretty soon their ways branched off. They turned and waved to us; then were gone. Once after that we heard some crows cawing in the distance, and a little later I heard Bill yell from somewhere down the river. I knew that he was doing his best, but I hardly could hear him.

It wasn't easy to wait until the next day, with the other boys gone and knowing that we should have to do it, too, in the morning.

Pa said that maybe the time would pa.s.s more quickly if I'd hoe in the garden a spell, but it didn't seem to make any difference. My mind was following the boys, especially Skinny, on his long walk over a hilly road to Pumpkin Hook.

"Scout's law says that we must be useful and help others," he had told us, "and, bet your life, I am going to do things."

"Maybe," said he, after a minute, "I can rescue some fair damsel in distress, like the knights used to do, even if there ain't any dragons now-a-days. The road goes too far from the river for me to save anybody from drowning; unless I come back by the river road."

In the evening Benny and I sat out on the woodpile, talking about it. We wondered where the boys were making their camps, if anything would happen to them and if Skinny had rescued anybody yet.

That night I dreamed that I was on the way. I met a little, old woman, going to market, and carried her basket for her.

"n.o.ble boy," said she. "Because of your kind act I'll change shoes with you. Mine hurt my feet."

I didn't like to do it very well because her shoes were old and shabby, but Scout law says to be courteous. So I thanked her as well as I could and put them on.

And, say, they were magic shoes. I got to North Adams in about three jumps and liked it so well that I went on to Boston. I was just going to sleep on Boston Common when a big policeman grabbed me by one shoulder and gave me a shake.

"Quit!" I said. "A Scout's honor is to be trusted."

"John! John!" came a voice. "It's time to be up and away."

I opened my eyes and there was Pa, laughing down at me.

"You're a pretty Scout," said he. "It's after six o'clock and you have to start at seven."

Ma hated to see me go, knowing that I'd be out all night, but Pa didn't care, or pretended that he didn't.

"He's all right," he said. "What's going to hurt him, I'd like to know?"

Before seven o'clock the four of us were at the bridge and, say, we looked fine in our uniforms. Each one carried a little pan to cook in, some bacon and other things to eat, and a blanket strapped on his back.

We also carried "first aid to injured" things, to be ready if we should find somebody getting hurt.

When the bells rang for seven o'clock we started. This time it was Benny and I who went north on Park Street, and Hank and Chuck, south.

"You watch my smoke," whispered Hank to me, when we were ready to start.

"I've got a new invention and I'm going to try it on somebody."

When we were pa.s.sing Benny's house Mrs. Wade came out and waved to us.

"Benny Wade," she shouted, "if you are not home by nine o'clock to-night, your mother will have a fit."

I knew from the look on Benny's face how hard it was for him to be cheerful, when he wanted to stay out all night, like the rest of us.

"All right, Ma," said he. "Don't worry. I'll come back, if I live."

"If you live!" I heard her yell; but Benny was turning the corner to take the east road and in another second was out of sight.

At first I hardly could believe that I really was on the way. I took Mr.

Norton's message out of my pocket and looked at it, to make sure, several times. He had given each of us a message to some one at the end of the line and told us to bring back a receipt or an answer. Mine was to a man in North Adams.

The Bob's Hill boys are used to walking. That didn't bother me any. But somehow this was different from any other walk that I ever had taken. I suppose it was because it was so important and because I was all alone.

I walked along at pretty good speed until I had almost reached the Gingham Grounds. Then I slowed down and kept my eyes open for the Gang, hoping that I should see Jim Donavan somewhere. Jim was their captain and one of our best friends, but some of the others had it in for us.

I had begun to think that I was going to get through all right, without any trouble, when I saw one of them coming toward me. He was one of the best fighters in the Gang, too, and he had a dog with him. Jim was nowhere in sight.

Isn't it queer what things will come into your head when you are scared?