"I hope you've hit on the right solution," sighed Carl; "if it didn't do anything else it would give us a chance to think up some other scheme for getting the truth out of Dock."

"Leave it to me, Carl; sooner or later we'll find a way to beat him at his own game. If he's got that paper hidden away somewhere we may discover his secret by following him. There are other ways too. It's going to come out all right in the end, you take my word for it!"

CHAPTER V

THE BLACK BEAR PATROL

It was a lively scene in the room under the church when the meeting was called to order by Mr. Witherspoon, the civil engineer and surveyor. A dozen boys were on hand, several having come from curiosity, and meaning to join the scouts later on if they saw reason to believe it would amount to anything.

Besides the boys there were present Judge Stone, his friend the hermit-naturalist, Larry Henderson, and two fathers, who had dropped around to learn whether this new-fangled movement for the rising generation meant that the boys were to be secretly trained for soldiers, as so many people believed.

Robert Witherspoon having once been a scout master knew how to manage a meeting of this sort. After he had called it to order he made a neat little speech, and explained what a wonderful influence for good the organization had been in every community where it had been tested.

He read various extracts from the scout manual to show the lofty aims of those who had originated this idea which was taking the world by storm.

"The boys have been neglected far too long," he told them; "and it has been decided that if we want a better cla.s.s of men in the world we must begin work with the boy. It is the province of this scout movement to make duty so pleasant for the average lad that he will be wild to undertake it."

In his little talk to the boys Mr. Witherspoon mentioned the fact that one of the greatest charms of becoming scouts was that growing habit of observing all that went on around them.

"When you're in town this may not seem to be much of a thing after all," he had gone on to say; "but in the woods you will find it an ever increasing fascination, as the wonders of nature continue to be unfolded before your eyes. We are fortunate to have with us to-night a gentleman who is known all over the country as a naturalist and lover of the great outdoors. I think it will be worth our while to listen while he tells us something of the charming things to be found in studying nature. Mr. Henderson I'm going to ask you to take up as much time as you see fit."

When Tom and Carl and some of the other boys did that little favor for Mr. Larry Henderson they were inclined to fancy that he was rather rough in his manner.

He had not been talking five minutes however, before they realized that he was a born orator, and could hold an audience spell-bound by his eloquence. He thrilled those boys with the way in which he described the most trivial happening in the lonely wilds. They fairly hung upon his every sentence.

"When you first commence to spend some time in the woods, boys," he told them, "it will seem very big and lonesome to you. Then as you come to make the acquaintance of Br'er 'c.o.o.n and Mr. Fox and the frisky chipmunk and all the rest of the denizens, things will take on a different color. In the end you will feel that they are all your very good friends, and nothing could tempt you to injure one of the happy family.

"Yes, it is true that occasionally I do trap an animal but only when I find it a discordant element in the group. Some of them prey upon others, and yet that is no excuse why man should step in and exterminate them all, as he often does just for the sake of a few dollars."

This sort of talk roused the enthusiasm of the boys, and when after a while Mr. Witherspoon put the question as to how many of them felt like immediately signing the roster roll so as to start the first patrol of the intended troop, there was a good deal of excitement shown.

First of all Tom Chesney signed, and immediately after him came Carl, Felix, Josh and George. By the time these five names had appeared Josh had slipped his arm through that of Walter Dougla.s.s and brought him up to the table to place his signature on the list.

"We need two more to make up the first patrol," announced Mr.

Witherspoon. "Unless eight are secured we cannot hope to get our charter from scout headquarters, because that is the minimum number of a troop. I sincerely hope we may be able to make so much progress to-night at this meeting that I can write to-morrow to obtain the necessary authority for acting as your scout master."

At that another boy who had been anxiously conferring with his father walked forward.

"Good for you, Billy b.u.t.ton!" called out Josh. "That makes seven, and we only need one more name. Horace, are you going to see this grand scheme fall through for lack of just a single name? Your sig would look mighty good to the rest of us at the end of that list." Then he ended with an air of a.s.sumed dignity, "Horace, your country calls you; will it call in vain?"

Horace Herkimer c.r.a.psey was the boy who had been spoken of as a dainty dude, who hated to soil his white hands. Tom had expressed it as his opinion that if only Horace could be coaxed to join the troop it would prove to be the finest thing in the world for him. He had the making of a good scout only for those faults which other boys derided as silly and girlish. He was neat to a painful degree, and that is always looked on as a sort of crime by the average boy.

Horace evidently had been greatly taken by the combined talk of the scout master and the old hermit-naturalist. To the great delight of Josh, as well as most of the other boys, he now stepped forward and placed his name on the list.

"That makes eight, and enough for the first patrol," announced Mr.

Witherspoon, with a pleased look; "we can count on an organization now as a certainty. All of you will have to start in as tenderfeet, because so far you have had no experience as scouts; but unless I miss my guess it will be only a short time before a number of you will be applying for the badge of second-cla.s.s scouts."

"That's just what we will, sir!" cried Josh, br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with enthusiasm.

"We cannot elect a patrol leader just now," continued Mr. Witherspoon, "until there are some of you who are in the second cla.s.s; but that will come about in good time. But it is of considerable importance what name you would like to give this first patrol of the new Lenox Troop of Boy Scouts."

There was a conference among the boys, and all sorts of suggestions were evidently being put forward. Finally Tom Chesney seemed to have been delegated as usual to act as spokesman.

"Mr. Chairman," he said, rising from his seat, "my comrades of Lenox Troop have commissioned me to say they would like to ask Mr. Henderson to name the first patrol for them. They believe they will be perfectly satisfied with any name he may think best to give them."

Judge Stone smiled, and nodded his head as though he considered this quite a neat little compliment for his good old friend. And the naturalist was also evidently pleased as he got upon his feet.

"After all, boys," he told them, "it is a matter of very little consequence what you call this fine patrol. There are a dozen names that suggest themselves. Since you have a Bear Mountain within half a dozen miles of your town suppose you call it the Black Bear Patrol."

There was a chorus of approving a.s.sents, and it looked as though not a single objection was to be offered.

"The black bear is an American inst.i.tution, you might say," Mr.

Henderson continued, when this point had been settled, "and next to the eagle is recognized as distinctive. From what I have heard said this evening it seems to me also that the Boy Scouts of America differ from any other branch of the movement in many ways."

"Above all things," exclaimed Mr. Witherspoon, "in that there is nothing military about the movement over here. In Europe scouts are in one sense soldiers in the making. They all expect to serve the colors some day later on. We do not hold this up before our boys; though never once doubting that in case a great necessity arose every full-fledged scout would stand up for his country's honor and safety."

"Every time!" exclaimed the impetuous Josh.

Long they lingered there, discussing many things connected with the securing of their uniforms, after the proper time had elapsed. Various schemes were suggested whereby each boy could earn enough money to pay for his outfit; because that was one of the important stipulations made in joining a troop, no candidate being allowed to accept help in securing his suit.

Before the meeting was adjourned it was settled that they were to come together every Friday night; and meanwhile each member of the Black Bear Patrol expected to qualify for the grade of second-cla.s.s scout just as soon as his month of membership as arranged under the bylaws of the order had expired.

CHAPTER VI

SETTING THE TRAP

"Three weeks have gone by since we had that first meeting, Tom; just think of it."

Carl was walking along the river road with his chum when he made this remark. They had seen the last of the snow vanish, and with the coming of milder days all the boys began to talk of going fishing before long.

Perhaps this saunter of the pair after school may have had something to do with the first contemplated outing of the season, and they wanted to see whether the fish had commenced to come from their winter quarters, though the law would not be off for trout yet awhile.

"That's a fact, Carl," replied the other boy; "and at our very next meeting most of the members of the patrol are going to get their badges as second-cla.s.s scouts, because they've already qualified for it to the satisfaction of Mr. Witherspoon."

"Honest to goodness I believe there'll be only one tenderfoot left in the lot," Carl continued; "and that of course is our dude, Horace. He managed to exert himself just enough to fulfill the requirements a tenderfoot has to possess, but there he sticks."

"Wait a while longer," Tom told him, "and one of these fine days you may see Horace wake up. I haven't lost hopes of him by a long shot. At our next meeting, after we've pa.s.sed up, the first thing we have to do is to elect a patrol leader."

Carl laughed softly.

"Oh that's all cut and dried, already," he a.s.serted.