Walter shut his teeth hard together, and seemed to prepare for the worst.

"Go ahead, boys," he said, grimly; "I'll have to grin and bear it, I guess. And I deserve all I'm getting for being so silly as to slip when I was climbing that tree to see what was in the hole in the trunk."

He managed to stand it very bravely indeed, though the agony must have been intense. The other scouts heaved a sigh when they saw the amateur surgeons start to binding up the injured limb.

"That's all through with, Walter," said Tom, cheerily, "and you stood it like a soldier, we'll all declare. Just as soon as that litter is done you're going to be carried back to that house, if it takes every one of us to do the job."

Josh and some of the others had been busily engaged trying to construct a suitable litter. Fortunately they had learned how this should be done, for it is one of the duties of every Boy Scout to know this.

With the ax they cut a couple of stout poles about eight feet in length. These were to const.i.tute the sides, and would form the handles, each one to be in charge of a scout.

A blanket was arranged across these in such a manner that there would not be the slightest danger of its slipping, after the two poles had been held a certain distance apart with a couple of cross-pieces.

When finally the litter was completed it was p.r.o.nounced first-cla.s.s by every one.

"I'm proud of the way you boys grapple with an emergency," said Mr.

Witherspoon, enthusiastically. "You're all a credit to the organization to which you belong. I mean that your light shall not be kept under a bushel, for this is an example worthy of being spread abroad, and copied by other scouts."

The next thing was to lift Walter to the litter, which was done without giving the poor fellow much pain. He seemed so grateful for every little thing they did for him, and looked so pitiful lying there that tender-hearted Billy b.u.t.ton was observed to hurriedly rush away, pretending that he wanted to wash his hands down at the water, when they all knew the tears had been welling up in his eyes.

"It's going to be no easy task getting him all the way back to that house," said Mr. Witherspoon, "especially over such rough ground as we've struck. Four will be needed to work at a time, and they'll have to be relieved often, so perhaps we had better all go along save one scout, who can stay to look after the camp."

"Let Billy stay," said Josh; "he was complaining of a stone bruise on his heel, and would be better off here than taking that six mile tramp."

So it was decided that Billy b.u.t.ton should remain in the camp. He did not look as if he enjoyed the prospect very much.

"No wild animals around here to bother you, Billy," Josh a.s.sured him, when they were prepared to make the start.

"You forget those dogs, I guess," Billy told him; "they must be pretty mad at us for holding them up. What must I do if they take a notion to come back and threaten to eat me up?"

"Oh! the easiest thing for you to try," Josh told him, "would be to shin up this tree here, and wait for us to rescue you. We've hung our grub up so nothing can get hold of it. But don't worry, Billy; there isn't one chance in ten that the dogs'll come back this way."

It was a strange procession that left the camp. Stanley took a picture of the litter bearers so they would have something to remember the occurrence by; and Walter had so far recovered from the shock and the acute pain as to be able to raise his head, so that he might appear in the scene as the object of all this excitement.

Billy saw them depart, and then turned his attention to other things.

Being left in full charge of the camp he had a sense of responsibility resting upon him, such as he had never experienced before.

It would take them perhaps two full hours going that distance with the injured boy, because great care would be required in picking the easiest way. Of course the return journey would be made in half that time.

Altogether three hours might elapse, even with the best of luck, before the main body of scouts could be expected back; and Billy had been told that they would depend on him to get supper started.

It was fine to see how very careful the litter bearers were as they pushed along the back trail. One would go ahead to lead the way, and so avoid any unusually rough places as much as possible. Every boy looked well to his footing, since any sort of jolt, such as would accompany a stumble, was apt to cause Walter unnecessary pain.

Their progress was necessarily somewhat slow. Tom said that was one of the times when it paid to be sure rather than to try to make speed. And from the fact that not once did they cause poor Walter to give a groan it could be seen that these careful litter-bearers fulfilled their duty fully as well as Red Cross or hospital attendants could have done.

The two hours and more had pa.s.sed before they came to the house at which Mr. Witherspoon had remembered seeing a car. It turned out that the man who lived there was doing so for his health. He wanted to be in a quiet place on account of shattered nerves.

When he learned what had happened he told them he would gladly take the injured scout to his home, and that there was room also for Mr.

Witherspoon, whom he would bring back with him again.

The splendid manner in which the scouts had managed, both with regard to doing up the fractured limb, and in making that litter, excited the man's admiration; and he felt that he could not do too much for those self-reliant lads.

"Such work should be encouraged by every right-thinking man or woman,"

he told them; "and after you've all had a cup of hot coffee, which my wife is getting ready right now, we'll be off."

Of course all of them were feeling much more cheerful, now that they knew the hike would not have to be abandoned on account of this accident. Some of the boys had begun to fear this would be the result.

"When I get back here from town," Mr. Witherspoon told them, "it is apt to be late, and I'll be too tired to try that three miles over rough ground. So I've made arrangements to stay here over-night with our good friends. In the morning after breakfast I'll start off along the trail for the camp. Of course it would be nice if several of you met me half way there."

"We'll be only too glad to do that, sir," Josh told him; for Mr.

Witherspoon had by this time firmly entrenched himself in the affections of his boys, who believed him to be the best scout master any troop had ever boasted, barring none.

After seeing the car start, and giving Walter a rousing send-off that must have done his heart good, the rest of the boys concluded to turn their faces toward the camp.

"Three hours will seem an age to Billy b.u.t.ton," said Horace, who was feeling quite proud of the fact that he had been chosen as one of the litter-bearers.

"Oh! he'll have plenty to do cleaning all those fish we caught this morning, and some other odd jobs I gave him," remarked Josh, carelessly.

"Billy is inclined to be timid," Felix observed, loftily; "and it's a good thing, for him to be left alone once in a while. Nothing like making a scout feel he's just got to depend on himself for things."

The three miles was soon covered by the returning eight scouts.

"I can see smoke ahead!" announced Josh presently.

"Yes, and there's the pond shining in the light of the sun," added Felix.

"Isn't that our chum, Billy, waving his hands to us?" asked George.

"Looks as if he wanted us to hurry up some. I wonder what's happened now?"

"Oh! he's only anxious for us to join him," said Carl; "perhaps he made a mistake in the time we were to be back, and he's gone and cooked all the fish."

It was soon seen, however, that the guardian of the camp had a good reason for his excitement. His face bore a troubled expression, it struck Tom, when he drew near the camp.

"Anything gone wrong here Billy?" he asked.

"I should say there had, Tom!" he burst out with. "Why, would you believe it, some miserable tramps raided the camp, and got away with most of our stuff!"

CHAPTER XXI

SCOUT GRIT

"Tell us how it happened, Billy!" said the patrol leader, when the clamor of excited voices partly died away, giving him a chance to make himself heard.

"Yes, what did they do to you, Billy?" demanded Josh, noticing that the other did not seem to be limping, or showing any other signs of having met with rough treatment at the hands of the camp raiders.