Banner Boy Scouts on a Tour, Page 21

  CHAPTER XX

  CAMP SURPRISE

  On the march the scouts had more than a few times amused themselves bypracticing some of the many maneuvres they had learned. For instance, adetail was left with signal flags on a prominent knoll; and later on,when the main company had arrived at a certain point half a mile furtheralong the road, a series of communications would be exchanged betweenthe two detachments.

  As a record of all such wigwagging was kept, it would be easy to learnjust how proficient they had become in manipulating the various coloredflags, or in making the many different arm gestures that conveyed themeaning of the intended message.

  Among their supplies they also carried a complete telegraph equipment.After they were finally located in a definite camp it was intended tohave one or more stations, and both send and receive messages from timeto time.

  Thus, in these and many more genuinely interesting as well asinstructive ways, they expected to make their tour a most profitableone.

  Some of the boys became quite sober as they saw the grand view of theplateau and valley blotted out after leaving the noon camp. Theybrightened up after a while, however, since there were dozens of thingsto draw their attention, and arouse their boyish interest.

  Dobbin had all he could do to pull the wagon over the rough road, sofull of stones, and so overgrown had it become. Still, Paul noticed ashe went along, that those marks of the wheels, and the prints of ahorse's hoofs showed, telling that the vehicle occupied by the stranger,whom Joe Clausin seemed to have recognized, must have kept on this way.

  They were now surrounded by the very wildest kind of scenery. It lookedas though a tremendous convulsion of Nature must have occurred at someremote age; for giant rocks were piled up in great heaps on every hand,many of them covered with creeping vines. Trees grew in crevices, andwherever they could lodge.

  "Whew! ain't this the toughest place ever, though?" remarked William, ashe gaped around him at the frowning heights, and the little precipicesthat the road skirted.

  "It's just what they told us, though, even if we wouldn't believe whatwe heard," declared Wallace, who was deeply interested in the big fernsthat cropped up, and dozens of other things most boys would never havenoticed.

  Several were kept busy snapping off photographs.

  "Better go slow with that, fellows," warned Paul; "because we expect tobe here ten days or so, and you'll find lots of chances to get action inyour pictures, with this grand scenery for a background. And the onewhose films run out will wish he'd been more careful. I'd advise thatyou don't take too many duplicates; because, you see, good pictures canbe passed around to all, and the greater variety we have the better."

  After that the camera brigade, taking warning, got together, and formeda set of rules that would prevent waste. It was a point worth noting.

  When they had been moving in and out along this rough and winding roadfor some time, anxious glances began to be taken ahead.

  "Where's that fine old lake, I wonder?" grumbled one.

  "Perhaps there ain't anything doing," observed another lame one, as helimped heroically along in the midst of the trailing band, and tried toforget the sore feeling in his feet.

  "Well," quoth William, with one of his famous grins, "it wouldn't be thefirst time we'd been stung; and I guess it won't be the last. But don'tholler before you're hurt, fellows; because there's water ahead Ireckon, if the signs don't lie."

  "How d'ye know, old wiseacre?" demanded Bob Tice, of the second patrol;for at the time they were marching without the least semblance of order.

  William struck one of his amusing attitudes, and slapped himself on thechest, as much as to say: "Look at me, and take pattern, because I'm theone who knows this game from Alpha to Omega, the beginning and the end!"

  "Hark! and I'll give you a pointer, fellows. A true scout must alwayskeep his eyes wide open. No sleepy fellow can ever make a howlingsuccess of this business. I leave it to Paul here, if that ain't thetruth?" and William turned to the other, who was smiling as though hesuspected what had happened to meet the eyes of the speaker.

  "That," said Paul, "is one of our beliefs, sure enough. A scout mustalways be on the alert, or else he may miss many things that would givehim valuable information. William, suppose you go on and spin your yarnin your own way. I saw what you did; but I'm glad I didn't cut in.Strike up, now, and then we'll move on again, for Dobbin is comingyonder."

  "Yes," remarked the party addressed, "and if you notice the old dufferyou can see that he's showing more animation than he's exhibited thishour back. It ain't that Curley's been using the whip either, for thatdon't hurt Dobbin any, his hide is so thick. He smells water in the air,fellows, that's what!"

  "Was that what you noticed?" demanded Tom Betts, who seemed to havefully recovered from his accident of the morning.

  "Not much. It's only what my dad would call corroborative evidence, orproof," remarked William; whose father, although a blacksmith, wasconsidered one of the best read men in Stanhope, and able to argue withJudge Holt on legal matters.

  "What did you see, then? Don't bait us so, William. Did you get a squintof the pond through the trees? Funny nobody else saw it then," grumbledJud.

  "Y-y-yes, for g-g-goodness sake t-t-tell us before we d-d-drop dead!"cried Bluff, who always stuttered worse when excited.

  "I just happened to be looking up over the tops of that big clump oftrees ahead when I saw a bird; and he told me there was water below,"remarked William, calmly.

  "I didn't hear a single squawk," remarked Andy Flinn, warmly; "and evenif I had, d'ye expect me to belave that ye understand the birrdlanguage. Oh! come off. Be aisy with us, and roll your hoop, William!"

  "Oh!" William blazed up, "you doubt my word, but that bird told me justas plain as words could there was water below. He was circling up, so asto get above the trees, and put for his nest. And, fellows, when I tellyou it was a fish-hawk, with his dinner in his claws, you can understandwhat I guessed right then and there."

  "Hurrah! for William! He's our keen-eyes! Nothing escapes his eaglevision. He's all to the good!" came the shouts, amid more or lesslaughter.

  And after that there was no holding the eager scouts in. It seemed asthough they could themselves scent the water, just as the wise oldDobbin had; for helter-skelter the entire troop started to make a wilddash ahead.

  Even the cripples forgot to limp, and stifled their groans; for theysurprised themselves by their ability to sprint with the rest.

  The first to round the clump of rocks and scrub gave a shout that echoedfrom the adjacent mountain side; while, he waved his hat above his headto indicate his delight.

  As the others skirted the obstruction they too gave way to enthusiasm,and the cheers that rolled forth must have startled the hawks, andwearers of fur in this remote region, since they could never beforehave heard a genuine boyish whoop.

  There was a lake before them, as wild looking a body of clear water asany one could ever expect to find, even in the Adirondacks. Indeed,Paul, and several others, who had been around more or less, declaredthat they had never before looked on so desolate a picture.

  Nowhere was there the slightest sign of human habitation. And upon thelonely sheet of water not a solitary craft of any description could bediscovered. So far as they could see the Banner Boy Scouts owned thewhole region!

  "Alabama! here we rest!" chorused the whole troop, gleefully, as theystarted on a run for the near shore of the lake.

  "Don't go far away, any fellow," warned Paul, knowing the weakness ofboys when new and novel scenes beckon them on.

  He had good reason to speak in this manner; for judging from theappearance of the country by which the lake was surrounded, any fellowwho was unlucky enough to get lost, before he secured his bearings,might have a serious time of it.

  Of course the boys had been taught various ways of telling the fourpoints of the compass. Sun, moon and stars could be depended on whenvisible. On a cloudy day or night the bark of the trees would se
rve asa guide; since the green, mossy side was almost invariably toward thenorth. Besides, Paul knew how to make a compass out of his watch, thoughhe generally carried a real magnetic needle in his pocket foremergencies.

  He and Wallace, accompanied by Jack, set to work looking the groundover, with the idea of picking out the best place suitable for a camp.

  "It must be not far from the lake, because we want this nice view," saidPaul. "Then it ought to slope just a little, so as to drain, in case ofa heavy rain storm. We don't want to be under any of those big treeseither; and you can see why, if you notice what happened to one of themlong ago."

  "Yes, that's so," declared Jack; "for a bolt of lightning did knock thatone down, sure as you're born. How's this place, Paul?"

  A selection was presently made that answered the purpose. Paul was ofthe opinion that it would be open to the sweep of the western wind incase of a violent wind storm; but then they hoped nothing of the sortwould visit them while up here in camp.

  Once the word was given, and every boy got busy. Tents were pitched withrapidity, and having had one rude experience every fellow made sure thathis pins were driven deep into the ground. In some places where thiswas not possible they made use of obliging rocks to hold the canvassnugly down.

  The flag pole was cut, and planted under Paul's directions; and soon OldGlory floated proudly in the breeze, with their prize banner just belowit.

  "What shall we call the camp?" went up the cry.

  "We had Camp Misery and Camp Rescue; what's the objection to callingthis Camp Surprise?" asked Wallace, quickly.

  "That's a good name! Camp Surprise it is!" shouted several in chorus;and as such the permanent camp went down in the log book of everyscout.