The Boy Scouts of Bob's Hill Part 23

"Now," said he, "we'll choose sides, then stand off about ten feet and toss silver dollars at the squares. That is the same as going to bat. I mention silver dollars because I brought some with me. Any disk, or ring, about the same size and weight would do as well and might be more convenient. The square on which the disk rests gives the result of your play. If the disk rolls off the chart it counts as a strike, and three strikes are out. Usually the Scoutmaster or Scout leader acts as umpire, calls off each play as made and keeps the score. To-night, however, as William is not able to play, we will make him umpire and I will take part in the game to make even sides."

HOME RUN STRIKE THREE BASE HIT

FLY CATCH BATTER HIT OUT ON FIRST

SINGLE BALL TWO BASE HIT

FOUL Pa.s.s BALL BALK

"Let me ill.u.s.trate," he went on. "We will suppose that the first man up throws three disks and all of them roll off the chart. That counts as three strikes and he is out. The second player may throw a two-bagger or a single. He then returns to his seat and the third player, by throwing a three-bagger, brings the second man home and gains third base for himself. The runners are advanced each time as many bases as the batter makes. They also are advanced one base by a pa.s.s ball, a fly catch or an out-on-first. The first two fouls count as strikes, of course, and four b.a.l.l.s ent.i.tle the batter to first base. The arrangement of these squares is important. The home run is guarded on three sides by strikes and in front by a fly catch. The three-base hit is as carefully guarded."

"Say, that game is all right," said Skinny, after we had finished playing. "Three caws for Mr. Norton, our 'stinguished and celebrated Scoutmaster."

As soon as he could make himself heard, Bill spoke up.

"I think the secretary," said he, "ought to put how to play that game in the minutes of the meetin'."

"There ain't goin' to be any," I told him. "It's too much work."

"I think that William's suggestion is a good one," Mr. Norton said, "and I also appreciate the force of your secretary's objection. How would it be if I should do the work? I'll have typewritten copies of the rules of the game struck off, so that each of you can have one."

That is what he did, the very next day. I am going to put the rules into this history right here, just as he wrote them, because other Scouts may want to play the game.

_Scouts' Parlor Baseball.--Rules for Play._

Divide the patrol into two equal groups and arrange them in batting order on opposite sides of the room. Place the baseball chart six or eight inches from one end of the room on the floor and indicate a mark ten feet from the chart for the "batter" to stand on. The Scouts having their inning then take turns at tossing a silver dollar (another metallic disk or ring of equal size will suffice) at the chart. Each player's record at bat is told by the square on which the dollar rests, off the chart entirely counting as a strike. If the dollar rests squarely across a line it is tossed again.

The rules of baseball govern the game. After a player finishes his turn, he takes position at the farther end of his side, and the next in line takes his turn, thus preserving the batting order. When three players have been declared out, that side is retired and the other side takes its inning. If time permits, a nine-inning game is played; otherwise the number of innings to be played should be decided before beginning.

When a "batter" wins a position on a base he is advanced at each play as many bases as the next player earns at the "bat." He also advances one base on out-on-first, fly-catch, balk, and pa.s.s-ball plays, and when forced. He must keep track of his supposed position on the bases and report to the official when making a score.

The official, usually the patrol leader or Scoutmaster, decides the plays and tosses the dollars back to the players. He also keeps the score, and may correct a player, if necessary, for being noisy, or for leaving his seat when not playing. In fact, he is in control of the game, but is not allowed to play except when there is present an odd number without him.

The chart should be made of stiff paper so as to lie flat on the floor, or of cloth, in order to be tacked down. Each square should be 9 x 9 inches, but a smaller size may be used if the room is not large. In that case the players should stand less than ten feet from the chart. The squares must be labeled as in the diagram. Young Scouts, or beginners, are sometimes allowed to stand eight, or even six, feet from the chart, in order to make the sides more equal. This and any other questions that may arise are decided by the official.

CHAPTER XIII

EAGLE PATROL JOINS THE SCOUTS

YOU must not think, when you read this history, that something all the time was happening to us Scouts. I am only telling about what did happen. Pa says that when it comes to starting things we have them all beaten to a frazzle and Ma told us that it would be a mercy if we ever lived to grow up, without losing any of our hands or feet. But we don't think so. Boys have to be doing something all the time, don't they? If they didn't they would get into mischief.

Anyhow, there didn't much of anything happen after Skinny la.s.soed the bear, for a long time, unless you count the Fourth of July. n.o.body can help having the Fourth of July. It's part of the year. It is for our country.

One Fourth of July, long ago, even before Pa was born, they rang old Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, to beat the band, and they fired off guns. 'Cause why? 'Cause there was a paper signed on that day, which said that the United States of America should be free and independent.

But England was like old Pharaoh, with the Hebrew children, that the Bible tells about. They didn't want to let us go. I don't blame them much for it, either, but Skinny does.

Anyhow, I guess G.o.d must have meant for us to go free, just as He did the Children of Israel because, although England was the greatest Nation in the world and the best one, too, it seems to me, and we were only a few scattering colonies without much money or anything, we came out ahead. That is why Skinny thinks that George Washington could have licked Napoleon Bonaparte with one hand tied behind his back.

So we have the Fourth of July, and we boys ring the church bells at four o'clock in the morning, when they don't catch us at it, just like old Liberty Bell was rung so many years ago.

One of Skinny's ancestors was killed in the battle of Bunker Hill. That is what makes him so fierce against the Britishers. Every Fourth of July he has us go up on Bob's Hill or somewhere and fight the battle all over again.

The time I am telling about we built a fire on the hill and rang the church bells and fired off firecrackers until we were tired and half starved; then went home to breakfast. Everybody promised to meet again at my house about nine o'clock.

Soon after nine we all were sitting on our side steps, talking over where we should go for our battle, when Skinny happened to stand up and look down the street.

We heard him make a noise like a snake and he dropped off the steps to the ground so quickly that we thought at first he had a fit or something, until he made a motion for us to follow him and began to crawl toward the fence.

We didn't know what the matter was, but knew that it was something important, so we crawled along after him as fast as we could. When we reached the pickets he pointed and we peeped over the top, careful not to let more than our eyes be seen.

What we saw was three members of the Gingham Ground Gang coming up the street, walking in the middle of the road and looking on both sides as they came, as if they were expecting trouble and wanted to be ready for it.

Two of them had red shirts, and that made Skinny mad because it made him think of his ancestor who was killed at Bunker Hill.

"The Redcoats are coming," said he in a hoa.r.s.e whisper, so that they wouldn't hear, but fierce-like, just the same. "Wait until you can see the whites of their eyes; then, 'charge, the ground's your own, my braves. Will ye give it up to slaves? Hope ye mercy, still?'"

It was a part of his last day piece at school and sounded fine.

"Charge nothin'!" said Bill. "The Americans didn't do any charging at Bunker Hill, I guess. The Britishers did the charging. The Americans waited behind a fence until they got near enough and then let 'em have it, until their ammunition gave out. Then they ran. That's what they did."

That was true, too, but, just the same, it was a victory to hold the hill as long as their powder lasted, and Bill knew it, but he liked to get Skinny mad.

"Bill Wilson," said Skinny, "you are a nice patriot! You are a Scout and a half; that's what you are--not! So are we going to run but, bet your life, we're going to run toward the enemy. If you want to stay here behind the fence you can do it. The rest of us are going to charge."

Bill gave me a thump in the ribs and grinned, but didn't say anything. I saw Benny whisper something, his eyes shining with excitement; then Skinny motioned to us what to do.

Each of us lighted a firecracker and held it with the fuse sputtering and sizzling, until they were almost opposite. Then we threw the crackers under their feet. They went off like a volley of musketry. At the same time we gave a great caw and jumped the fence.

"Give it to 'em, fellers," yelled Skinny. "These are the guys that wanted to duck Benny in the mill pond."

Say, it was great. The firecrackers surprised them, for they hadn't seen us, and we were over the fence and upon them before they could run.

Things were lively in Park Street for a few minutes. Then, all of a sudden, we heard a man's voice say:

"Scouts, attention!"

And there was Mr. Norton, looking surprised and sorry!

We all stood up with a jerk and saluted, and the Gingham Ground boys started to run. They only went a few steps, however, and then waited to see what was going to happen.

"Scouts," said Mr. Norton, sternly, "what sort of brawl is this, on the Fourth of July?"

He was looking at Skinny, he being Scout leader.

"'Tain't a brawl," said Skinny. "It's the battle of Bunker Hill; that's what it is."