Obliging little Betty then rolled over face downwards, but in a second she was up on her feet, squealing and shaking herself. Every one was surprised, and Julie said aggrievedly:

"Now what's the matter?"

"Oh, I saw a nasty fat spider running in the gra.s.s right under my nose!

I wish some one else would drown for me, Verny."

The girls laughed, and Julie added: "It's bad enough to have you get cramps and drown without inviting us to follow suit!"

"Here, Betty, get down in this short gra.s.s where there will be no plump little spiders," advised the Captain.

Betty complied, and then the two aids again took their places beside her.

"Now we will begin again. Take Betty by the middle, girls, and allow her head to hang down for a few moments to take the water out of her lungs."

This lesson was done well, then Mrs. Vernon said:

"Now turn the patient face downward on her breast and give artificial respiration."

"Explain, Verny--that long word is too much for me," said Julie.

"You press the lower ribs down and forward towards the head, then release. Repeat this action twelve times to every minute."

Now Julie and Joan worked with a will, and Betty found herself revived far enough to object to their energetic treatment. She had had five respirations administered, and her first-aids were giving the sixth, when Betty kicked out with her heels and tripped Joan over upon her face.

"My! This dead one came to mighty quick, Verny. We must be powerful good treaters," laughed Julie.

"Scouts, I am sure Betty is well along the road to recovery, so we can go on to the next lesson," laughed Mrs. Vernon.

"The next thing to do, is to place heated bottles of water at Betty's feet, and rub her arms and legs briskly, but be sure to always rub towards the heart," said the Captain.

"Must I have more treatment?" asked Betty, plaintively.

"Sure! You're not all alive yet," laughed Ruth.

Julie and Joan began rubbing as they had been told, but Betty suddenly sat up and said: "Last night you said I was becoming more self-confident! All right, now I am so confident that you two girls are each going to get a big kick, that you'd better get out of my way--quick!"

"Scouts, don't give up," called Mrs. Vernon, laughingly. "Betty is doing fine, so you must not stop such treatment."

"Then you come here and take my place," said Joan, who dodged the kick too often for comfort's sake.

"But she must be put in a warm bed, and give her hot drinks, you know.

With plenty of fresh air, I trust she will be as well as ever," said Mrs. Vernon.

But Betty had managed to kick both her nurses and that ended the lesson.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE SCOUTS MEET JOHN DUNSTAN

The following day while the scouts were washing the dinner dishes, a young man came across the plateau. He was dressed in nice clothes and wore a straw sailor hat. As he neared the camp, he lifted his hat and smiled.

"Why--it's the hunter!" cried Julie, dropping the dish-mop and drying her hands on her ap.r.o.n.

"So it is--where is Verny!" added Joan.

"Didn't you know me, ladies?" asked the visitor.

"You looked so different the other day in your hunting clothes," said Julie, smiling graciously.

Ruth and Betty had gone to find the Captain, and now they came back with her.

"This is John Dunstan, Verny," said Betty, simply.

The young man was invited to sit down with them, and being a genuine son of Nature, he felt quite at ease anywhere, so he began to chat with Mrs.

Vernon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _He sat down and began to chat with Mrs. Vernon_]

"Granny told me about the scouts calling on her," said he, showing how much he appreciated the visit.

"Yes, and we are going again, as we enjoyed our first one so much," said the Captain.

"She says you had a son in the aviation field 'over there,'" continued John.

"Yes, and I do so want to talk with you about that; but first, let me ask you if you knew of those convicts being at large in the woods the last time you were here to help the scouts finish the roof?"

"That was why I wanted to see you," said John. "I had reason to _believe_ that two tramps were somewhere about this mountain, and I feared they might start for the village. If they did, they would come across this camp, and I didn't like to think they might annoy the scouts."

"You didn't know they were convicts, then?" said Julie.

"If I had, do you suppose I would have allowed you girls to win the honor of catching them? I would have taken them myself."

"How could you--all alone?" said Joan.

"The same way I rounded up five Huns when they shot down my plane on their side of the battle-line. I managed to get them, too, and marched them across No Man's Land at night, and brought them in prisoners to our Captain."

"Oh, oh! tell us all about it?" entreated the girls.

"Some other time, scouts, but now I want to answer this lady's questions," said John, laughingly.

"Only tell us this much--is that what you got the medal for?" begged Julie.

"That, and one other trick I turned," said John, without any sign of self-importance.