"I'll be to blame," Bert said.

"But anyway, it's on account of Skinny," I said, "and a fellow doesn't know what to do all alone and I like you--gee, I like you a lot," I said it right out to him, just like that. He looked at me steady, but didn't say a word. And then I could feel my eyes all glistening and everything looked funny and all of a sudden I didn't know what I was saying at all. "You have to help me," I said, "because you're a regular scout, I can see that, and you bet I'd like to be just like you if I only could--I would--you can bet--that fellow had lots of adventures and he called me 'Skeezeks' and kind of laughed at me and kidded me along--but, anyway, maybe he's all right, hey? I guess it's his money, but anyway, you've got to help me--you have.

"That's one sure thing, because Skinny's more important. Maybe he'll think that a little fellow like Skinny isn't important, and that's the trouble, hey? Because he kind of punched me in the chest and laughed and said I was a good little sport. He said fellows by the name of Roy are all right."

All the while Bert Winton just sat there holding his oars out of the water and watching me steady, like a fellow watching a bird that he's been stalking.

Then he just said, "Well, I guess the big fellow was right."

CHAPTER XXV

TELLS ABOUT THE LETTER WE WROTE

Anyway, I don't care. Maybe you'll think I was wrong, but I don't care.

I just had to tell that fellow. There was something about that fellow--I just can't tell you what it was.

So then we fixed everything all up while we were rowing around. What did I care about going tracking or stalking with my patrol? I should worry, they could get along one day without me, all right We decided we'd write two letters to Lieutenant Donnelle and send one to his house and the other to Camp Dix in Wrightstown. We decided we'd write them that very day and hike into Catskill to mail them, so he'd be sure to get one wherever he was, in time for us to get an answer before next Wednesday.

Mr. Ellsworth went to Albany that day, because he had some business to attend to, but I knew he wouldn't do anything more about Skinny till he got back and that was one good thing. This was the letter that we decided to send because I kept the first copy we made. We wrote it as if it came from me, but Bert Winton helped me.

Dear Lieutenant Donnelle:--

I hope you got back to camp all right and that Uncle Sam didn't get mad about it. I hope you're there now, so you'll surely get this. Anyway, I hope you'll admit that two heads are better than one, because I had to tell a fellow about you. That was because I guess he's the only one here who would help me.

There's a little fellow named Skinny McCord here, and he came from Bridgeboro with us. His name isn't really Skinny, but they call him that because he's that way, and one thing, you'd be sorry for him if you saw him. He talks kind of crazy sometimes, but that's because he lived in a tenement house and didn't have enough to eat. You know it's bad when you don't have enough to eat.

He swam out and saved a fellow's life and then there was a lot of money missing out of the fellow's pocket, and the fellows here think Skinny stole it.

The reason they think that is, because he found the key to your locker and he went to the house-boat. After that our scoutmaster went there with the key and found about two hundred dollars in your locker. I don't know whether it was in the old clothes you took off or not. But anyway, the fellow who's a good friend of mine, says that maybe you'll send a letter right away as quick as you can and say that that money belongs to you. So will you please do that? I send you a stamped envelope so you'll be sure to do it.

Maybe a big fellow that has had a lot of adventures like you, and nearly lost his life a lot of times and did other dandy things, wouldn't think it was so much to save a fellow from drowning. But anyway, there's a medal called the gold cross that we have, and only a fellow can win it that has saved somebody's life. Maybe it isn't as much as the Distinguished Service Cross or that French Cross either, but anyway, its a big honor, that's sure, and we want Skinny to get it.

So will you please answer this letter right away? Maybe you won't remember, because you have so many adventures, but I'm the fellow you met on the house-boat. So please answer so we will get it before next Wednesday. Maybe you've got a lot of important things to do, but if you could just see Skinny you'd answer quick. Because anyway, you were nice to me and you said I was a bully little pal. Maybe you won't remember it, but you did. Anyway, you bet I'll do something for you if I ever get a chance.

Your friend,

Roy Blakeley.

P.S. Be sure to send the answer as soon as you can.

We wrote the letter up on sunset rock near the camp and as soon as we got it finished we started off to Catskill, because it would go sooner than if we mailed it in Leeds. Just as we were pa.s.sing the pavilion, we met Connie Bennett and Hunt Ward and Vic Norris.

Connie said, "Well, I suppose you know what your little birthday present put over on us." He called Skinny a birthday present, because Westy Martin and I gave Skinny to the Elks when we first found him. "I suppose you think we were after that two hundred, too. Well, you can take your little birthday present back. It was a lemon. We got stung."

"If you got what you deserved," I said, "you'd get more than stung."

He said, "Yes?"

"Yes," I said--"Y--e--s--yes! I never said you wanted the money. I know every one of you is square--Skinny too. Did I ever say you were not? I said you wanted the cross--that's what I said. And so you did. And I tell you now that you're going to get it and Skinny's going to bring it to you. Chuck him out if you want to--he should worry. If he isn't good enough for you, he's good enough--do you see that cabin up on the hill?

Do you see this fellow that's with me? He belongs to the Royal Bengal Tigers, if anybody should ask you, and Skinny's good enough for _him_.

He can sleep up there--he should worry. They've got three extra cots.

"They'd better keep their watches near them," Vic Norris said. "Take him, you're welcome to him. n.o.body ever said we were crooks in our patrol."

"n.o.body said you were," I shouted, and Bert Winton just had to hold me back, "but you wouldn't talk like that if Mr. Ellsworth was here, and you know you wouldn't. Do you suppose I'd let anybody say you weren't on the square? We're all in the one troop. But you boosted Skinny--you used him. And in a crazy fit he went out and blamed near gave his life for you. He doesn't know two of the laws. He can't say the oath straight, because you had his head filled with awards and medals and things. You wanted the gold cross and now, by Christopher, I'm going to see that you get it. You'll have nothing to say about it. Skinny McCord is going to bring you the gold cross just as you wanted, and you're going to shout and cheer till you can't speak."

"Who'll make us?" Connie said.

"_I will_," I told him.

CHAPTER XXVI

TELLS ABOUT GEOGRAPHY AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF

First we tried to find Skinny to take him with us, but he wasn't anywhere around. Somebody told us they thought he was off somewhere with Uncle Jeb. I guess maybe Uncle Jeb didn't know anything about all the talk, because that was often the way it was with him. And even if he did know, maybe he took Skinny anyway. One thing sure, I hoped it was true, because whenever a fellow goes off with Uncle Jeb, he tells him all about the trees and things like that. Trees can be friends to you and they never go back on you, that's one thing.

I said, "He'll be all right as long as he's with Uncle Jeb."

Bert said, "Yes, but we'll have to get back before camp-fire. He'll be wandering around alone. I'll take him up to our cabin. Guess he'll be all right till we get back. Temple Camp can be a mighty lonely place sometimes, Blakeley."

Just the same, all the way over to the Hudson I kept thinking about Skinny and hoping he wasn't hiding away from the fellows or off all alone somewhere. I knew they wouldn't bother with him, especially now, and I kept thinking that maybe he'd go away by himself and get into some harm. I kept thinking about how he said, "I want to be alone by myself," and he'd feel that way even more now, on account of the disgrace.

I said, "Poor little Skinny, I wish we had him along."

"He's with Uncle Jeb most likely," Bert said. "Wonder what the old man thinks about it? Ever look into those gray eyes of his?"

"You never catch Uncle Jeb saying anything till he's sure," I said, "and even then, it takes him a couple of minutes to get his pipe out of his mouth. He says when you aim always aim as if you had only one bullet and it was the last one in the world."

"That's him all right," Bert said.

"Well, there's no good worrying," I told him; "we'll just get back as soon as we can."

"What do you say we row across and cut through Nick's Valley?" Bert asked, "It's shorter."

"I'm game," I said, "the quicker the sooner."

"We can follow the old creek bed," he said. "Know where that is, don't you?"

I said, "Believe me, the only bed I know anything about is the one I sleep in. I don't see how you find out so many things, especially as you were never here before."

"Oh, I like to just prowl around," he said, "that's the way with tigers."

"I notice you always have a stick, too," I said.

He said, "Sure a stick's good company. I just root around with it."