I didn't care much what he did. If it hadn't been for the Gold Dust Twins there would never have been any trouble, I knew that.

"I don't care where you go," I said.

"A good turn is a good turn," Westy said. "Maybe everything has changed, but good turns haven't changed. Their own tent is gone, their canoe is smashed--you said so yourself--and they're on the opposite side from Temple Camp. You know our signboard over there, '_Welcome to friend or stranger!_'"

"Come on in and get them," I said, "I don't care. I don't care about anything. Why did he ever try to paddle across in all that rain? That was the beginning of all the trouble. A couple of bungling tenderfeet--"

As we rowed in and skirted the sh.o.r.e, I could see a dark figure following along at the edge.

"Who are you? What are you doing there?" Westy asked.

"Want to get across," the person said and his voice sounded kind of husky.

"What for?" Westy asked him.

I guess he didn't answer; anyway, I didn't hear him, because I wasn't paying much attention. Westy rowed in and the fellow stepped out on a rock in the water and waited.

I saw he had a stick in his hand.

CHAPTER x.x.xV

TELLS ABOUT A NEW CAMP

"That you, kiddo?" he called.

"Bert!" I said.

"Give us a lift over, will you?"

I just said, "What--is it you--Bert? Say yes, Say it's you."

"Well, then, it's me," he said; "hold her steady, my leg is stiff. All right, shall I push off?"

He stood there in the boat and he was lame and his left hand was hanging in his scout scarf that was made into a sling. In the lantern light I could see the yellow and black stripes. And he pushed against the stone with the stick that he had in his free hand, and started the boat off.

All I could say was just "Bert!" And I held the lantern close to him as he sat down. There was a long cut on his face and he didn't have any hat or jacket on and his trousers were all torn and dirty.

"Where--did--you--where is Skinny?" I asked him.

"Ever see a tiger use a crutch before?" he said. "I'm a punk tiger-- what d'ye say."

"Royal--Royal Bengal," Westy said.

"The kid is down near the Hudson sh.o.r.e," Bert said, in that easy way he had; "he's at Camp McCord. He's come up in the world since you saw him."

"Bert," I said, "tell me--tell us--quick."

"Not much to tell," he said, "except Skinny and I are both on the job.

We're in the hands of the Gold Dust Twins."

"The which?" I blurted out.

"That's them," he said, "and if you ever want to guy those fellows you'd better not do it when I'm around. They're fourteen karat gold dust, that's what. Skinny walked around to their camp this morning, to ask them not to believe that he took the money."

"Poor little codger," Westy said.

"Oh, he isn't so poor," Bert said. "He's in soft with that pair. He went around and asked them _please_ not to believe it--_please_. Do you get that? _Please_. He asked them not to take the money if anyone gave it to them, because it _really wasn't theirs_. That's him. They kept him to lunch and told him they believed him and that n.o.body could cram any money down their throats with a ramrod. Hey? What do you think of that?"

"They may be green campers, but they're the whitest green campers I ever heard of," I said.

"You said it," Bert shouted. "They told Skinny to stay right there with them and never mind about the fellows over at camp. They told him he could have the tent and the flag and the canoe instead of the cross, and to just stay and make himself at home. When they started for the races down below Catskill, they left him sitting in the canoe--happy-- with a capital H.

"After that you know what happened. Skinny and the canoe and the whole shebang went pell-mell through the valley. Lucky the twins weren't there. When I got to Catskill with Skinny, who should we meet but the twins and I told them everything that happened--how you and I rescued Skinny and all that."

I said, "How on earth did you get to Catskill with him?"

"Well, what do you think those twins did? You have three guesses. They bought a tent in Catskill and a lot of canned stuff. One of them telegraphed his father for more stuff--and money, I guess. And we're camping out in a nice little grove right near the Hudson. Good fishing and a row across whenever you want an ice cream soda. Ought to appeal to _you_, hey? You notice I say we? That's us. Camp McCord is the name of the place and--"

"But how about rescuing Skinny?" I asked him; "how did you get him to Catskill? How about--"

"Shut up!" he said. "Camp McCord is the name of the place and there Skinny's going to stay till the Elk Patrol of the Bridgeboro Troop marches down in a body and hands him the gold cross. Those are the Gold Dust Twins' orders."

"But Bert," I said, "that isn't the way they present the cross. You have to have a special meeting and the scoutmaster--"

"Scoutmaster be hanged," he said; "the Elk Patrol is going to march down to Camp McCord and hand the gold cross to Skinny. We're just waiting for a letter. Scout Bennett is going to do the handing. We haven't made up our minds yet whether we'll have him kneel down or not."

CHAPTER x.x.xVI

TELLS ABOUT WHAT BERT TOLD ME

He seemed different from the way he was before. He was all excited when he talked, and I could see he was just crazy about those new plans.

I said, "But tell us how you rescued Skinny."

"Don't bother your head about trifles," he said. "The pa.s.sage came out in the old creek bed in the high land east of the flood; I'll tell you about it later. Listen, do you know what those fellows were doing? They may be rotten scouts, Blakeley, but they're A-1 sports. They're having a pennant made in Catskill. They're going to fly it over the tent. It says Camp McCord."

"I don't see how you did all this so soon," I told him; "I wish you'd tell me about the rescue."

"Row quicker," he said, "I've got to see my patrol and get some duds and beat it back by the road. They'll understand. It'll only be a few days."

"Bert," I said, "I'm going with you; Westy and I are--"

He said, "Now don't begin that. We've had one flood already; isn't that enough? Do you want everybody leaving camp? The trustees won't stand for that. I can speak to my scoutmaster, but _you_ can't because yours is away. Now don't spoil everything, _please_. Come down and see us to-morrow, both of you, and we'll give you a couple of home-made doughnuts."