The Young Wireless Operator-As a Fire Patrol Part 15

But the forester gave him no opportunity to consider the matter just then.

"I want you to hurry back into the forest," he went on. "Get acquainted with as much of the forest as possible."

He reached in a drawer and pulled out a map, which he gave to Charley.

"This is exactly like the big map on the wall," he said, "excepting that it is on a smaller scale. Here is where you had your camp."

As he laid his finger on the map, he continued, "That was a good location for a fisherman's camp, but a poor one for a fire guard. High up on this hill," and again he laid a finger on the map, "there is a fine spring. A dense rhododendron thicket surrounds it, and tall hemlocks grow above it.

Make your camp in that thicket. It is so dense that I think n.o.body could possibly see a tent there. But make sure. If necessary, put hemlock boughs or rhododendron branches around it. n.o.body but Mr. Morton and I must know that you are in camp in the forest or that you have any connection with the forestry department. I will tell him where your camp is and he will inspect it and give you more detailed instructions. But remember that yours is a secret patrol. I would rather that n.o.body should learn of your presence in the forest. But if you do meet any one, pose as a fisherman.

Don't, under any circ.u.mstances, let anybody suspect your real purpose."

The forester paused a moment, in deep thought. "Smoke," he said at last, "would betray the location of your camp--at least in the daytime. Don't make any fires unless it be at night. Then be sure they are small, well concealed, and as smokeless as possible. Do your cooking with this."

He stepped to a closet and returned with an alcohol stove and a can of fuel, and continued: "From your spring to the summit of the mountain it is only a short distance. You can get a wide outlook there. Examine the forest carefully in every direction as often as possible. But leave no telltale marks to indicate that the place is a lookout point. And be sure you don't do anything to draw attention to your camp."

The forester then swore Charley in as a fire patrol and gave him his badge, with instructions to keep it out of sight.

"You'll need this, too," he said with a smile, handing Charley a portable telephone. "Your friends can't be at the other end of the wireless all the time, you know."

"Can we fish at all?" asked Charley. "I want Lew to have some fun on this trip. He's going to help me a lot with the work."

"Fish as much as you like, as long as it does not interfere with your duty. But remember that your business is to protect the forest. That comes first. You will have to decide how to do it, according to circ.u.mstances."

The boys carried their duffel to the forester's car. Mr. Marlin telephoned his a.s.sistant to look after things during his absence, and in another minute Mr. Marlin and Lew and Charley were whirling along the highway.

They reached the point at which they were to enter the forest, jumped to the ground and unloaded their duffel. Mr. Marlin said good-bye, turned his car, and sped back to his office, leaving the two young fire guards alone in the heart of the wilderness.

Chapter X

An Encounter with a Bear

Rapidly the duffel was made into two packs. These were both heavy and bulky.

"Gee!" said Lew, as he surveyed the packs, "I hope we don't meet any state cops. They would arrest us for peddling without licenses."

There was small chance, however, of their meeting any one, unless it might be some lone fisherman. On every hand the forest stretched, seemingly interminable.

"I guess we'd better get our bearings," said Charley.

He drew the map from his pocket and spread it on a flat rock. The two boys pored over it for some minutes.

"We have to cross these two mountains," said Lew, "and camp just the other side of the summit of the third. That's about the same as climbing over three mountains. There are two valleys that we'll have to get across. I judge we'll be just about as far from the road as our old camp was. That's twelve miles or so."

"Gee!" laughed Charley. "That means I've got to hike twelve miles over these mountains every time I want to talk to anybody on the telephone. I'm glad Mr. Marlin doesn't care much for talk. The telephone is all right, but compared to the wireless it's like a candle beside an electric light.

Mr. Marlin was right when he said the fellows couldn't be listening in for me all the time, but you just bet I'm going to figure out some way to use my wireless. Why, I've got to, if I'm going to make good. This whole neck of the woods could burn up while I'm hiking twelve miles to call help and twelve more to get back to the blaze. And I reckon I'd feel like putting up a stiff fight after hiking twenty-four miles over these mountains. Mr.

Marlin is all right, but he isn't quite up to date. He still thinks the wireless is a sort of plaything."

"What you need, Charley, is a battery powerful enough to carry a message to some regular wireless station, where an operator is on duty all the time."

"I've been thinking of that, too, Lew. It wouldn't take so very much more power to carry to the government station at Frankfort. I'm sure the operators there would be glad to help us out. You remember how Henry Harper helped Mr. Axton, the day operator over there, when he had appendicitis. The operators have been mighty nice to us fellows of the Wireless Patrol ever since. The difficulty would be to get the battery.

Things cost so much now that I don't see how I could ever save enough to pay for it. You know I'll have to give Dad about all I earn."

"I'm going to talk to the boys about it, Charley," said Lew. "Maybe somebody can think of a way out. Gee! We ought to be able to do something, with Roy a regular steamship operator and Henry almost as good as a subst.i.tute government wireless man."

By this time they were well into the forest. They were climbing through a notch over the first range of mountains. When they reached the valley beyond, they had to turn to their left and go up the valley two or three miles, until they struck a fire trail. This trail led straight over the second mountain, which was really the k.n.o.b at the head of the burned valley. It was on this k.n.o.b that they had found the rude watch-tower after their meeting with the ranger, Mr. Morton. Beyond this k.n.o.b they had still to traverse a wide valley and climb a third mountain before they reached their camp site. But there was a good fire trail almost the entire distance.

Traveling with such heavy packs on their backs, the two lads made but slow progress. Every little while they had to stop to rest. During one of these pauses they heard a low, whining sound.

"Listen! What is that?" asked Charley, who loved animals and was keenly sensitive to their sufferings. "It sounds like a dog."

They stood motionless. Faint but distinct came the unmistakable cry of a dog in distress.

Charley dropped his pack instantly. "There's a dog in trouble," he said, "and we've got to help him."

He began to whistle. Then he called, "Here, boy! Here, boy!"

From somewhere ahead of them came a joyous bark, followed by a painful whine.

Charley picked up his pack. "Come on," he said, and hastened toward the sound. But he did not go far. Soon he caught sight of a dog, painfully limping toward him. Charley ran up to the animal, which wagged its tail violently and barked with joy.

"He's only a half grown pup," said Charley, noticing the big paws. "Isn't he a fine young fellow?"

The animal leaped up against Charley and licked his hand. "Come here, boy," said Charley, taking the dog in his arms. "Let's see what's wrong."

Charley began to examine the animal's paws. The dog submitted patiently.

"Nothing wrong with that one," commented Charley, dropping a fore paw.

But when he began to feel the other front foot the dog whined with pain.

"No wonder," said Charley with sympathy. "Look here, Lew," and he pointed to an enormous thorn that had embedded itself in the paw.

"Hold him tight while I take it out," said Charley as he drew forth his knife, opened the small blade, slit the skin slightly, and carefully dug the thorn out. The foot was festered and swollen. Charley squeezed out the pus.

"Don't let him get that paw in the dirt," he said, and ran to his pack. He fished out the first-aid kit and got some absorbent cotton and a disinfectant. He wrapped a tiny bit of cotton around the end of a twig, wet it with water from the canteen and swabbed out the little wound. Then he soaked another bit of cotton with the disinfectant and stuffed it into the foot.

"We'll let that stay there a while," he said.

"The dog is probably lost. We'll keep him until we find his owner."

Relieved of the thorn, the little animal frisked about, limping but slightly. He fawned upon Charley and seemed to be trying to express his grat.i.tude.

The two boys shouldered their packs again and started on. Charley whistled to the pup, but the call was unnecessary. The pup stuck to their heels as close as a sticking-plaster.

"They say two's a company, but three's a crowd," laughed Charley, "but I guess it doesn't apply to dogs."

"You never can tell," replied Lew. "A pup of that age may get you into all sorts of difficulty."

"I'll take a chance on it," smiled Charley, as he bent and patted the dog.