CHAPTER IX
THE RUNAWAY BALLOON
"Hey! look at all the crows flying over, would you?"
Seth called this out as he pointed upwards, and the rest of the patrolnaturally turned their heads in order to gape.
"Whew! did you ever see such a flock of the old caw-caws?" burst outEben.
"Give 'em a toot from your bugle, and see what they think?" suggestedJotham.
"For goodness sake, be careful," broke in Fritz, "because they might beso knocked in a heap at Eben's fine playing, they'd take a tumble, andnearly smother the lot of us. We'd think it was raining crow, allright."
"Are they good to eat?" demanded Babe, who was pretty green as yet to agreat many things connected with outdoor life, "because, if we have timeto stop at noon to cook a meal, we might--"
He was interrupted by a shout from several of the other and wiserscouts.
"Say, hold on there, Babe, we haven't got that near being starved as towant to eat crow," declared Andy.
"Can they be eaten at all, Paul?" persisted Babe, as usual turning tothe scoutmaster for information; "seems to me I've heard something likethat."
"Yes, and people who have tried say they're not near as bad a dish asthe papers always make out," Paul replied. "I don't see myself why theyshould be, when most of the time they live on the farmer's corn."
"But can you tell where that bunch is coming from, and where bound?"continued Babe. "They all come out of that same place, and keepchattering as they soar on the wind, which must be some high up there."
"Well, I've heard it said that there's a big crow rookery somewhere backin the gloomy old Black Water Swamps; but I never met anybody that hadever set eyes on the same. Every day, winter and summer, that big flockcomes out, and scatters to a lot of feeding grounds; some going down theriver, where they pick up food that's been cast ashore; others bound fora meal in the corn fields."
"And they come back again in the night to roost there; is that it,Paul?"
"Yes, I guess if we stood right here half an hour before dark we'd seesquads of the noisy things heading over yonder from all sorts ofquarters. D'ye know, I've sometimes had a notion I'd like to explore theheart of that queer old swamp," and the young patrol leader cast athoughtful glance toward the quarter from whence that seemingly endlessstream of crows flowed continually.
"Hurrah! that's the ticket!" exclaimed Seth. "I've heard a heap aboutthat same spooky old place myself. They say nobody ever has been able toget to the heart of it. And I heard one man, who traps quite a lot ofmuskrats every winter, tell how he got lost in a part of the swamponce, and spent a couple of pretty tough days and nights wanderingaround, before he found his way out again. He said it'd take a heap totempt him to try and poke into the awful center of Black Water Swamps."
"But what's that to us, fellers?" ejaculated Fritz. "The boys of theBeaver Patrol ain't the kind to get scared at such a little thing as aswamp. Just because it's a tough proposition ought to make us want totake up the game, and win out. We fairly eat hard jobs! And looking backwe have a right to feel a little proud of the record we've made, eh,fellers?"
Of course every scout stood up a little straighter at these words, andsmiled with the consciousness that they had, as Fritz so aptly put it, aright to feel satisfied with certain things that had happened in thepast, and from which they had emerged acknowledged victors.
"Just put a pin in that, to remember it, Paul, won't you?" said Andy.
"Why, sure I will, since a lot of you seem to think it worth while,"replied the obliging scoutmaster, with a smile, "and if we haven'tanything ahead that seems to be more worth while, we might turn out herelater on, prepared to survey a trail right through the swamp. I admitthat I'm curious myself to see what lies hidden away in a place where,up to now, no man has ever set a foot."
"Hurrah for the young explorers!" cried Eben, who seemed strangelythrilled at the tempting prospect.
They say the boy is father to the man; and among a bunch of six oreight lads it is almost a certainty that you will find one or two whofairly yearn to grow up, and be second Livingstones, or Stanleys, or Dr.Kanes. Eben had read many books concerning the amazing doings of thesepathfinders of civilisation, and doubtless even dreamed his boyishdreams that some fine day he too might make the name of Newcomb famouson the pages of history by discovering some hitherto unknown tribe ofblack dwarfs; or charting out a land that had always been unexploredterritory.
They looked back many times at the stream of flying crows that continuedto issue from that one point beyond the thick woods. And somehow thevery prospect of later on trying to accomplish a task that had untilthen defied all who had attempted it, gave the scouts a pleasing thrillof anticipation. For such is boy nature.
Strange how things often come about.
Just at that moment not one of the scouts even dreamed of what was instore for them. How many times the curtain obscures our sight, even whenwe are on the very threshold of discovery!
They tramped along sturdily, until they had covered perhaps two milessince departing from the place where the third night had been spent, andwhich would go down in the record of the big hike as Camp Alabama.
A couple of the scouts limped perceptibly, but even they declared thatas they went on the "kinks" were getting out of their legs, andpresently all would be well.
The sun shone from a fair sky, though now and then a cloud would passover his smiling face; but as the day promised to be rather hot none ofthem were sorry for this.
"Hope it don't bring a storm along, though," remarked Babe, when thematter was under discussion.
"Well, it's got to be some storm to keep the boys of the Beaver Patrolfrom finishing their hike on time," declared Seth, grimly.
"That's so, Seth, you never spoke truer words," added Fritz. "I reckon,now, half of Beverly will turn out on the green this after noon to seethe conquering heroes come home. There's been the biggest crowds aroundthat jeweler's window all week, staring at that handsome cup, andwishing they would have a chance to help win it."
"And we'd hate the worst kind to disappoint our friends and folks,wouldn't we, fellers?" Eben remarked.
Somehow both limpers forgot to give way to their weakness, and from thatminute on the very thought of the great crowd that would send up atremendous cheer when the boys in khaki came in sight, was enough tomake them walk as though they did not know such a thing as gettingtired.
"Look!" cried Fritz, a couple of minutes afterwards, "oh! my stars!what's that big thing rising up behind the tops of the trees overthere?"
"Somebody's barn is blowing away, I guess!" exclaimed Eben, in tonesthat shook with sudden alarm. "Mebbe's it's a cyclone acomin', boys.Paul, what had we ought to do? It ain't safe to be under trees at such atime, I've heard!"
"Cyclone, your granny!" jeered Seth Carpenter, who had very sharp eyes,and was less apt to get "rattled" at the prospect of sudden danger, thanthe bugler of Beverly Troop, "why, as sure as you live, I believe it's aballoon, Paul!"
"What! a real and true balloon?" almost shrieked Eben, somewhat relievedat the improved prospect.
"You're right, Seth," declared the scoutmaster, "it _is_ a balloon, andit looks to me right now as though there's been trouble for theaeronaut. That gas-bag has a tough look to me, just as if it had lostabout half of the stuff that keeps it floating! See how it wabbles, willyou, fellows, and how low down over the trees it hangs. There, it justgrazed that bunch of oaks on the little rise. The next time it'll getcaught, and be ripped to pieces!"
"Paul, do you think that can be a man hanging there?" cried Seth."Sometimes it looks to me like it was; and then again the balloon tiltsover so much I just can't be sure."
"We'll know soon enough," remarked the patrol leader, quietly, "because,as you can see, the runaway balloon is heading this way, full tilt. Iwouldn't be surprised if it passed right over our heads."
"Say, perhaps we might grab hold of some trailing rope, and bring theold thing down?" suggested Fritz, looking hastily ar
ound him whilespeaking, as if desirous of being prepared, as a true scout shouldalways make it a point to be, and have his tree picked out, about whichhe would hastily wind a rope, should he be fortunate enough to get holdof such.
"Whew! I wouldn't want to be in that feller's shoes," observed Eben, asthey all stood there in the road, watching the rapidly approachingballoon.
"Solid ground for me, every time, except when I'm in swimming, orskimming along over the ice in winter!" Andy interjected, without onceremoving his eager eyes from the object that had so suddenly caughttheir attention.
It was a sight calculated to hold the attention of any one, with thatbadly battered balloon sweeping swiftly along on the wind, andapproaching so rapidly.
All of them could see that there was a man clinging to the ropes thatmarked the place where the customary basket should have been; evidentlythis latter must have been torn away during a collision with the rocksor trees on the top of a ridge with which the ungovernable gas-bag hadpreviously been in contact; and it was a marvel how the aeronaut hadbeen able to cling there.
"Will it land near here, d'ye think, Paul?" asked Jotham, round-eyedwith wonder, and feeling very sorry for the wretched traveler of theupper air currents, who seemed to be in deadly peril of his life.
"I hardly think so," replied the scoutmaster, rapidly measuringdistances with his ready eye, and calculating upon the drop of the halfcollapsed balloon.
"But see where the bally old thing's heading, will you?" cried Seth,"straight at the place where them crows came out of. Say, wouldn't it beawful tough now, if it dropped right down in the heart of Black WaterSwamps, where up to now never a human being has set foot, unless someIndian did long ago, when the Shawnees and Sacs and Pottawattomies andall that crowd rampaged through this region flat-footed."
The scouts stood there, and watched with tense nerves as the driftingballoon drew rapidly closer.
Now they could plainly see the man. He had secured himself in some wayamong the broken ropes that had doubtless held the basket in place. Yes,and he must have discovered the presence of the little khaki-clad bandof boys on the road, for surely he was waving his hand to them wildlynow.
Perhaps he understood that it was a safe thing to appeal to any boy whowore that well known suit; because every one has learned by this timethat when a lad takes upon himself the duties and obligations ofscoutcraft, he solemnly promises to always help a fellow in distress,when the opportunity comes along; and with most scouts the habit hasbecome so strong that they always keep both eyes open, looking for justsuch openings.
Closer and closer came the wrecked air monster.
Just as one of the boys had said, it seemed about to pass very nearlyoverhead; and as the man would not be more than sixty or seventy feetabove them, possibly he might be able to shout out a message.
"Keep still! He's calling something down to us!" cried Seth, whenseveral of the others had started to chatter at a lively rate.
Now the balloon was whipping past, going at a pretty good clip.Apparently, then, it did not mean to get quite low enough to let themclutch any trailing rope, and endeavor to effect the rescue of theaeronaut. Fritz did make an upward leap, and try to lay hold of the onlyrope that came anywhere near them; but missed it by more than a foot.
"Accident--badly wrenched leg--follow up, and bring help--Anderson, fromSt. Louis--balloon _Great Republic_--report me as down--will drop in fewminutes!"
They caught every word, although the man's voice seemed husky, and weak,as if he might have been long exposed and suffering. And as they stoodand watched the balloon drift steadily away, lowering all the time,every one of those eight scouts felt moved by a great feeling of pityfor the valiant man who had risked his life and was now in such adesperate situation.
"There she goes down, fellers!" cried Eben, excitedly.
"And what d'ye know, the bally old balloon has taken a crazy notion todrop right in the worst part of the Black Water Swamps, where we werejust saying nobody had ever been before!"
Boy Scouts on a Long Hike; Or, To the Rescue in the Black Water Swamps Page 9
