The Boy Scouts in A Trapper's Camp

by Thornton W. Burgess

  CHAPTER IV

  "HELP!"

  Every member of the Blue Tortoise Patrol was on edge, eager to show Patthat though they were city born and bred they still knew something ofpractical woodcraft and the art of tracking; also of the even moredifficult art of covering up tracks. But it was ordained that thingsshould be otherwise that day and that the big woodsman should witness areal and not an artificial test of Scout resources and pluck.

  Chick, studying what struck him as a suspiciously broad trail leadingwest from the point where the enemy had last been seen, and suspecting aruse, was startled by the faint sound of a whistle to the north. It wasthe patrol signal for help and was used only in case of an emergency orwhen, as in the present game, a Scout was in danger of capture by theopposite side and wanted to summon aid. His first thought was that oneof his own side had run onto the enemy and was summoning help. Then heremembered that he was the only one who had gone out on that side ofcamp and so it was manifestly impossible that this could be.

  "Wonder if that's a trick to lead us into an ambuscade," he muttered,listening with growing suspicion. Again he heard the signal, and therewas something in the sound of it that banished all idea of trickery."Something's happened to one of the fellows!" he exclaimed, andscrambled up a knoll to his left where he could get a fairly clear view.Far in the distance toward the outer boundary of the park he saw afigure which the instant he came in sight began to signal with a whistlein the Morse code.

  "M-o-t-o-r s-m-a-s-h o-n r-o-a-d h-e-l-p c-o-p-s," he spelled out.Raising his own whistle he signaled O. K. and saw the distant figureturn and race away at top speed.

  "Phew!" he gasped. "Must be bad if they need the cops. That must meanthey need an ambulance." He whirled toward camp, and caught sight, of afigure on the hill just back of it. It was Upton watching for signals,and Chick knew that he must have heard him whistle the O. K. Once moreraising the whistle he repeated the message, adding the location of theaccident as nearly as he could judge. He heard Upton whistle for Norwoodand then saw him bound down into the hollow where the camp lay. A minutelater Patterson, the best runner in the patrol, sprang into view headedfor the park administration buildings at top speed. Satisfied that helpwould come in the shortest possible time Chick picked up his staff andstarted swiftly for the point where he had seen Sparrer disappear, forit was he who had first signaled.

  Meanwhile Pat, Hal and the three members of the Blue Tortoise Patrol whohad started out with them were working with might and main at the sceneof the accident and in their hearts praying that help would reach themspeedily. It was one of those disasters which in these days have becomeso common that often they receive no more than a paragraph or two in thedaily papers. Two automobiles had come together on a turn in a road atthis time of year little frequented, and the smaller of the two hadturned turtle. The other, a powerful roadster, had escaped with buttrifling damage and the driver of it had not even paused to ascertainthe results of the collision, but had thrown on full power and left thescene at racing speed.

  The accident had occurred at a point about one hundred yards from wherePat and Sparrer were about to emerge from a thicket of bushes lining thedrive and at the sound of the crash they sprang out. An instant later abig roadster tore past and they caught a fleeting glimpse of a strainedwhite face behind the big steering wheel and beyond, partly raised andhalf turned to look back, a fur-coated figure, evidently that of a youngman. For just a second his face turned toward them, then hastily turnedaway. But that brief glimpse was enough to show them that it bore thestamp of guilty fear.

  Pat confessed later that the whole thing was so sudden and so whollyforeign to anything within his experience that he was too confused tothink or act quickly. Not so Sparrer. His life in the streets of NewYork had made him no stranger to accidents of a more or less tragicnature, and he had seen too many violators of the law seeking to escapethe consequences of their own acts not to grasp the situation instantly.

  "They are trying to make a get-away!" he snapped. "Get de number!"

  This was Greek to Pat, whose acquaintance with automobiles was toorecent for him to appreciate the importance of a license number at atime like this. But Sparrer had not practiced taking automobile numbersin the rush hours at Madison Square for nothing. It had been only funthere, by way of training his eyes to quick and sure observation. Now asa result eye and brain worked in unison and almost automatically anddespite the speed of the car he got the number as surely as if it hadbeen at a standstill.

  HE JOTTED DOWN THE NUMBER]

  "Jersey car! Dey'll beat it fer across de river," said he as he jotteddown the number in his note-book. "Did yer pipe dere monikers? Oi'd knowdem in a tousand! Now let's see wot happened to de others."

  They started on a run for the overturned car and as they drew near thesound of moaning from the wreck gave wings to their feet. A smalltouring car was bottom up at the side of the road, a rear wheel off atone side. Half among the bushes and half in the road lay the body of ayoung woman, whether dead or simply unconscious they did not take timeto find out. If dead there was nothing for them to do. If unconsciousshe could receive attention later. The moans from beneath the wreckedcar told them that there was where aid was needed first.

  The driver, a middle-aged man, was pinned under the steering post, whichwas bent and rested across his chest in such a way that while the fullweight of the car did not fall on it, still it was crushing in the ribson one side. One leg was doubled under him in a way that denoted a badbreak. His face was badly cut by the glass of the wind-shield and whatwas worse, the crimson stream gushing in little spurts from a jaggedgash on one arm, fortunately thrust beyond the edge of the car,proclaimed a severed artery.

  That must be stopped immediately at all costs, before any attempt wasmade to get the man out, or he would bleed to death. Both boys saw thison the instant, and without a word Pat stooped and gripped the armabove the cut, bringing to bear all the strength of his powerfulfingers. The effect was immediately apparent. The wound still bled, butno longer in those fateful jets. Sparrer meanwhile had snatched off hisneckerchief and was preparing a tourniquet. From a shrub by the roadsidehe cut a stout stick a foot long, then hastily made search for a smoothpebble. Finding none he started to feel in his pockets for some smallobject that would serve his purpose when his alert glance fell on Pat'smackinaw. Whipping out his knife once more he cut one of the big smoothbuttons from the mackinaw. Tying the handkerchief loosely around theinjured arm just above where Pat was gripping it he slipped the buttonin so that it rested directly on the artery. Then putting the stickunder the handkerchief on the outer side he rapidly twisted it until thepressure of the button on the artery was sufficient to stop the flow ofblood and Pat could release his grip. The stick was then tied so that itcould not untwist, and they were ready for the next move.

  By this time Harrison, McNulty and Bernstein had come up. They had notbeen so far away but that they had heard the crash. Then, too, Sparrerhad whistled for help as soon as he had seen the extent of the disaster.The quick wits of the newsboy, trained to acute sharpness in the schoolof the streets, peculiarly fitted him to take command of the situation.Also familiarity with suffering and with scenes of violence made himless susceptible to the shock of the grim spectacle before them than wasthe case with his comrades, and he now assumed leadership by right offitness. Indeed, he did it quite unconsciously and his comrades quite asunconsciously accepted the situation and turned to him for directions.

  "We got to git de cops and an amb'lance. Youse guys git de man out fromunder de car and Oi'll chase fer de cops!" Without waiting anothersecond he plunged through the bushes and started in the direction of thecamp, which lay in almost a direct line with the park administrationbuildings, the nearest point at which he could be sure of getting help.He knew the lay of the land perfectly, and he reasoned that by this timeone or more of the other party would be out on the trail and that if hecould signal them and they in turn signal those behind valuable timewould be saved. So on
the first high ground he stopped to blow the helpsignal with the result already noted. To gain time he made his messageas brief as possible. "Motor smash" told the nature of the accident."Help--cops" told the urgency of the case and the need of police aid. Hecounted on Upton's knowledge of the way things are handled in a big cityto make the message as clear as if he took precious time to spell outthe full story, and when he heard Chick's O. K. he turned back confidentthat help would reach them in the shortest time possible.

  Nor was his confidence misplaced. As soon as Upton got the message fromChick he understood the situation exactly. Getting down into the hollowwhere the camp was he issued orders. The others had heard Chick'smessage and knew where the accident had occurred. "Get over to theadministration building as fast as you can run," he ordered Patterson."Tell 'em to notify the police and put in an ambulance call. If youmeet a mounted cop on the way tell him. It may be life or death, so runfor a record."

  Patterson was off before the last words were out of Upton's mouth.Upton, with the other two boys at his heels, at once started for thescene of the accident, running at top speed. Half-way to his goalPatterson caught sight of a mounted policeman, hailed him with a shrillyell, and brought him at a gallop. Briefly he told his story, and theofficer was away to put in a call for an ambulance and get help.

  Meanwhile the boys at the wreck had been working with might and main.Pat's great strength had stood them in good stead, and they had managedto raise the car sufficiently to free the victim and draw him out. Thecushions and robes were pulled out of the wreck and on these the stillunconscious woman and the man were laid. By the time Upton and hiscomrades, panting for breath, reached the scene both victims had beenmade as comfortable as possible. The first aid kits had been opened andtemporary bandages were being applied where most needed. In this workthe newcomers at once took a hand.

  Seeing that his assistance was not needed Sparrer had busied himselfelsewhere. He went along the road for some little distance in eachdirection, studying the ground carefully. The top surface of the groundhad softened a little in the sun and in places the wheel marks werevisible. This was especially true of the wrecked car, as this had beenfitted with chains. It was comparatively easy to trace the course ofthis car, and Sparrer was soon satisfied in regard to it. On the wheelmarks of the other car he spent more time, and he had just completed hisexamination as two mounted police dashed up. Swinging down from theirhorses they made hasty examination of the victims.

  "Good work, boys," said one of them. "You've done all that can be done,so far as I can see, until the ambulance gets here. Now then, which ofyou is the leader?"

  Upton stepped forward. "Tell us what you know about the accident,"commanded the officer.

  "I know nothing about it," replied Upton curtly. "Everything waspractically as you see it now when I reached here. Pat, did any of yourparty see the thing happen?"

  Pat shook his head. "None of us saw it, but two of us were right handywhen it happened, and were on the spot in less than two minutes," saidhe, addressing the policemen. "We heard the crash and saw a car whichseemed to be trying to get away, and then we saw this car overturned.When we got here the young woman was lying by the side of the road halfin the bushes, and out of her senses, just as she is now. The man waspinned under the car and bleeding like a buck that has just felt theknife. We stopped that as soon as we could, and then got him out.Muldoon there can tell you more than I can, because he saw more than Idid. He proved himself a better Scout."

  Sparrer flushed with pleasure. Praise from this source meant more to himthan it would have from any one else, and at a sign from one of theofficers he stepped forward to tell what he knew.

  "We was in de bushes," said he, "about a hundred yards up de road, whenwe heard de smash an' jumped out just in time to lamp a big grayroadster wid two guys in it making dere get-away, and dey was beatin' itfer fair."

  "Don't suppose you thought to get the number," interrupted one of theofficers.

  Sparrer grinned as he fished out his note-book. "Sure Oi got it," saidhe. "Jersey car, and dey was beatin' it fer de ferry loike New York wasbad fer de health. No cops around, same as usual." Sparrer winked at theother boys. "Prob'ly dey think dey made dere get-away and dey wouldhave, if some real Scouts hadn't happened to be around."

  One of the officers had reached for the note-book and hastily glanced atthe number. "I'll 'phone this number in and see if we can't head offthat car while you take care of things here," said he, as he vaultedinto the saddle, and a second later was off at full gallop.

  "Go on with your story," commanded the other.

  "Dey ain't no more 'cept while de others was getting the man out fromunder de car Oi signaled to de fellows over across de park to get wordto youse, and dey done it," replied Sparrer, quite as if hisquick-witted handling of the matter was as commonplace as his grammarwas bad.

  "The man didn't come to, and make any statement?"

  The boys shook their heads. "He's been just as you see him now," saidPat, with a pitying glance at the injured man.

  The officer shook his head. "Too bad," said he, "that there wasn't awitness. If we nab those fellows they'll swear that it was this fellow'sfault. Their running away will make it look bad for them, but they'llframe up some sort of cock and bull story about being so frightened thatthey didn't realize what they were doing and without evidence their wordwill be as good as the other man's. If the latter doesn't recoversufficiently to make a statement, and the young lady doesn't either, thecase will fall through. Was that car right where it is now when youfirst saw it?"

  "Say," drawled Sparrer scornfully, "do 'youse tink we had nothing to dobut to pick up a ton or two of scrap and lug it 'round?"

  The policeman grinned. "You chaps seem to be equal to about anything,"said he. "I didn't know but that you had moved the car in getting thatfellow out. Unless he was knocked over here by the collision it appearsthat he was on the right side of the road."

  "Sure thing," retorted Sparrer. "He was on de right side of de road anddriving easy. De other blokes was burning up de road and tried to makede turn wide. Dey skidded and side-swiped de little car, and it turnedturtle. Dat's all dey is to it."

  He spoke with such an air of finality that the officer looked at himsuspiciously. "I thought you said none of you saw this happen," said he.

  "None of us did, but even a cop orter be able ter see what _has_happened," retorted Sparrer. He walked back up the road a shortdistance. "Here's de marks of de chains," he called, "an' dey's all onde right side of de road. Here's a place where de ground is pretty soft,but de tracks are clean-cut. If de car had been beatin' it de mud wouldhave been trown more. Now lamp de tracks comin' de other way."

  He led the way around the curve in the opposite direction, pointing outsoft spots where the tracks of a heavy car without chains were clearlyvisible. Little globules of mud had been thrown some distance on bothsides, conclusive evidence that the car was being driven at high speed.The curve was rather sharp, and the tracks showed that the car hadstarted to take it wide, but at the scene of the accident had beenpulled sharply to the right and had skidded, striking the smallermachine and causing it to turn turtle. For those with eyes to see thewhole story was written out on the road surface, and yet the tracks werecomparatively faint, because the surface had softened only where the sunhad lain longest, and might easily have been overlooked by those nottrained to close observation.

  The officer looked at Sparrer curiously. "Hurry up and grow, sonny,"said he; "we need you on the force."

  Sparrer's retort was interrupted by the clang of a gong as an ambulancedashed up. The young surgeon made a hasty examination of the two victimsand then as they were lifted into the ambulance he turned to the groupof boys and spoke crisply.

  "You fellows have done just the things to be done and all that could bedone here. If this man lives he'll owe his life to you. If you hadn'tknown enough to get a tourniquet on that arm at once he would have bledto death by this time. Officer, I hope you will repo
rt the good work ofthese Scouts. If there was nothing more to scouting than the teaching offirst aid to the injured it would be a great thing."

  He swung up on the rear of the ambulance, and as it dashed away raisedhis hand in the Scout salute, which was promptly returned by the patrol.Meanwhile the officer was taking down the names and addresses of theboys, as they would in all probability be needed later as witnesses incourt. When he had finished Upton ordered the patrol to fall in.

  "I guess, fellows," said he, "that none of us feels much like continuingour game after what's happened. What do you say if we spend the rest ofthe afternoon showing Pat around the park? Those in favor say aye."

  The vote was unanimous. As soon as it had been taken Pat steppedforward. "Mr. Leader," said he, "I want to say just a few words."

  "Speech! Speech!" shouted half a dozen together.

  Pat's face lighted with a grin, and his eyes began to dance. "Arrah now,yez be looking for a bear in the wrong tree," said he, "for there be nosilver on me tongue and me thoughts be too bashful to be dressed inwor-rds. So 'tis no spache yez will be getting from me this day." Thenabruptly he dropped the brogue. "Mr. Leader, you started out this day toshow me what city Scouts can do, and you have shown me in a way thatnone of us dreamed of. I take off my hat to the Blue Tortoise Patrol.That was as good scouting as ever I have seen, and we've got some Scoutsup where I come from. They can do stunts in the woods that probablywould make you fellows green with envy if you could see them. If youwere to come up there in the woods I expect that they would laugh at youbehind your backs, just as you would laugh at them if they should comedown here. As nearly as I can make out that seems to be the way with theworld--to laugh at others who happen to be different in speech or waysor dress. You city boys call a country boy a rube and green just becausehis ways are different from your ways and he isn't wise to the thingsthat you are. He thinks just the same way of you when you visit him inthe country. What I have seen to-day has taught me a lesson. Out in thewoods I know just what to do, how to do it and when to do it, no matterwhat happens. When I started out with you to-day I smiled down inside atthe idea of you being able to show me anything in the way of scouting. Iwished I had the Bull Moose Patrol here to show you what real scoutingis like.

  "Then that accident happened, and found me as helpless as a new-bornbabe. But Sparrer here was right on the job from the jump. He had thenumber of that car before I had it through my head what had happened,and he knew just what to do next. I expect that it would have been thesame with any of the rest of you in his place. Anyway, I've been shownthe very finest kind of scoutcraft, and that little smile I started withhas turned to pride. I'm proud to be out with the Blue Tortoise Patrol,as fine a bunch of real Scouts as I know of. And I am particularly proudof my friend Sparrer Muldoon. I might be able to give him some points ontracking a deer or a moose or even a man in the woods, but when itcomes to tracking a crazy motorcar Sparrer has got my number. I wouldlike to propose, Mr. Leader, three cheers for Scout Muldoon."

  The cheers were given with a will and with a rousing tiger at the end,to the confusion of Sparrer. Then Upton called for the patrol yell forPat Malone, and in that Sparrer found vent for his own feelings. Thesepreliminaries out of the way the patrol fell in to escort Pat about thepark and show him the hardier animals which winter out-of-doors. Nor wastheir courtesy without gain to themselves, for the young naturalist'scomments as they visited one enclosure after another revealed anintimate knowledge of the characteristics and habits, not only of thosespecies with which he was familiar in their native wilds, but of manywhich he was now seeing for the first time, which was a revelation tohis young admirers. Chick wasn't far wrong when he whispered to Norwood:

  "We ain't showing him anything; he's showing us."

  It was an afternoon never to be forgotten by the Blue Tortoise Patrol,and it was an equally memorable one for Pat. And when they parted thatnight there was a mutual respect and liking which found expression inthe hearty grip of Scout brotherhood.