The Boy Patrol Around the Council Fire

  The Boy Patrol Series

  THE BOY PATROL AROUND THE COUNCIL FIRE

  by

  EDWARD S. ELLIS

  Author of "The Flying Boys Series," "TheLaunch Boys Series," "The Deer-footSeries," etc., etc.

  Illustrated by Edwin J. Prittie

  The John C. Winston CompanyPhiladelphia

  Copyright, 1913, byThe John C. Winston Company

  Printed in U.S.A.

  CONTENTS

  I -- "He and I Must Never Meet" II -- A Slight Miscalculation III -- A Strange Occurrence IV -- Curious Sights And Doings V -- Concerning Certain American Trees VI -- A Patriot Martyr VII -- Concerning Certain New England Birds VIII -- A Council of War IX -- An Unwelcome Guest X -- A Sudden Separation XI -- An Unsatisfactory Interview XII -- Groping After the Truth XIII -- The Committee of Investigation XIV -- The Men Who Laughed XV -- The True Story of a Famous Sea Serpent XVI -- Zip XVII -- Wonderful Work XVIII -- A Match of Wits XIX -- The Final Test XX -- Speed the Parting Guest XXI -- Call For Help XXII -- Groping In the Dark XXIII -- A Fortunate Meeting XXIV -- "The Latchstring Was Inside!" XXV -- And the Last

  The Boy Patrol Around the Council Fire

  CHAPTER I -- "He and I Must Never Meet"

  You will recall that one day in a recent August, Jack Crandall, a memberof the Stag Patrol of Boy Scouts, who with the Blazing Arrow and EaglePatrols was spending the summer vacation on the shore of Gosling Lake,in Southern Maine, met with a serious accident. In climbing a tall pineto inspect a bird's nest, he fell to the ground and broke his leg. Hiscompanions, Gerald Hume and Arthur Mitchell, belonging to the samePatrol, made a litter upon which he was carried to the clubhouse. Dr.Spellman, staying with his wife and little daughter Ruth, christened"Sunbeam" by Mike Murphy, in answer to a signal, paddled across the lakein his canoe, set the fractured limb and did all that was necessary.

  Jack was an athlete, in rugged health and with no bad habits. He,therefore, recovered rapidly. After spending a few days on his couch, hewas carried to the front porch, where in the cool shade and reposingupon an invalid chair, especially fashioned for the occasion, he feastedhis eyes upon the delightful scenery and enjoyed the pleasures of hisfriends although he could not take part. He insisted that they shouldpay no special attention to him, though there was not a boy who wouldnot have gladly kept him company all the time. A reunion of the trooptook place in the evening, when he was carried inside, listened to thereports and took part in the conversation which you may be sure was of alively nature.

  Thus the days passed until the arrival of the silver mounted maple woodcrutches, a gift from the other Scouts, and Jack swung carefully out onthe porch and walked the length of it several times before sinking downin the waiting chair. This, of course, did not take place until themonth was well by and the time for going home near. I thought it best toclose my previous story with this glimpse of things, but it now becomesmy duty to turn back and relate some incidents that occurred during thefirst days of the patient's convalescence, since they have to do withwhat follows.

  Dr. Spellman and his wife returned to the bungalow on the day succeedingJack's mishap.

  Scout Master Hall and several of the lads expressed their surprise thatno call had been made by Uncle Elk, the Hermit of the Woods, who showedso much fondness for the Boy Scouts that they expected to see him everyday, provided the weather was favorable.

  "I am sure he would have been here last night or this morning, had heknown of Jack's misfortune," said Mr. Hall.

  "If ye have no 'bjection I'll drop in on him and let him know," repliedMike Murphy, whose heart was as sympathetic as that of a young child.

  "Please do so."

  Mike glanced around for his chums, Alvin Landon and Chester Haynes, butthey were not in sight. It did not matter and he decided to make thetrip alone, using one of the canoes to take him to the end of the lake,where he would follow the path that led to the cabin through the woods.

  "On me way back," remarked Mike to the Scout Master, who walked with himto the water's edge, "I'll drop in to larn how Sunbeam is getting on."

  The Scout Master smiled.

  "That will take you considerably out of your way."

  "It's not worth the mintion, as Ball O'Flaherty said whin he fell offthe church steeple and broke his neck. Then ye know it's a long timesince I saw Sunbeam."

  "Yes,--less than a day."

  So the Irish youth seated himself in the stern of the graceful craft,and swung the paddle with creditable skill. No task could have beeneasier, and he grinned with satisfaction, as keeping close to shore, hewatched the trees with their exuberant foliage glide silently backward.

  "A canoe is a blissed boon to byes that can't walk; we might set Jack inone of 'em, and he could paddle wherever he wished. I'm going to suggistto me friends that whin they go back home, each of 'em has a canoemounted on wheels, so he can roam round the country, the same as if he'sskimming over the water as I'm doing this minute. I'd try it mesilf whinI get back, but dad would objict and there's so much water there I don'tnaad anything of the kind."

  Far over to the left, he saw the other canoe handled by several of theScouts, while somewhat nearer and a little way back from the water, athin, feathery finger of smoke filtering through the tree tops showedwhere Dr. Spellman's house stood.

  "Sunbeam has been gone so long that I'm worrit less something may havehappened to her; I won't tarry at Uncle Elk's, but make haste to relaveme mind as regards the Quaan."

  Uncle Elk's canoe was drawn up the bank and turned over. Landing nearit, Mike followed the winding path to the door from which the latchstring hung, pulled it and stepped across the threshold.

  "Good afternoon, Uncle Elk," was his greeting as he closed the doorbehind him.

  The hermit was sitting in his rocking chair, reading "The Truth ofReligion," by Rudolf Eucken, Professor of Philosophy in the Universityof Jena and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1908. The oldman laid aside the heavy volume, still open, face downward.

  "Michael, I'm glad to see you."

  He leaned forward, shook hands and motioned the youth to the chairopposite. Mike obeyed with the remark:

  "We have been expecting a call from ye, Uncle Elk."

  "You don't wish me to bore you with too much of my presence," said thehermit, with a twinkle of his bright eyes.

  "That's something that can't be done, if ye tried it till ye were an oldman," replied Mike warmly. And then told of the mishap that had befallenJack Crandall. Uncle Elk listened sympathetically.

  "That's bad, but it might have been much worse."

  "Which Jack himself has obsarved,--for instance, 'spose it had been_mesilf_."

  "That surely would have been worse for _you_, but better for him. Yousay that Dr. Spellman set his injured leg?"

  "That he did, and I couldn't have done it better mesilf. He called thismorning and said the spalpeen was doing splendid."

  "When will the doctor call again?"

  "I'm not sartin,--but likely tomorrer."

  "Forenoon or afternoon?"

  "I couldn't say."

  Uncle Elk withdrew his gaze from the face of the lad and looked into thefireplace, where only a few dying embers showed. He was silent for a fewmoments and then addressed his caller.

  "Michael," he said in low tones, "I shall call upon Jack at the earliestopportunity, but my call must be t
imed so there will be no possibilityof meeting Dr. Spellman."

  Mike was amazed by the words and at a loss what to say. Therefore hesaid what after all was perhaps the best thing.

  "I'll see that the doctor doesn't try any expirimints on ye."

  The old man actually laughed, but only for an instant. With a shake ofhis head he said:

  "It isn't that, Michael, but he and I must never meet."

  The youth was astounded, but his sense of propriety forbade anyquestioning. If Uncle Elk did not choose to make known the cause of hisstrange enmity, Mike had no right to object.

  A strained silence followed for a minute or two, when the hermit againlooked meditatively into the smouldering embers.

  "It can be easily arranged: let Dr. Spellman make his calls at suchtimes as suit his convenience and I will adjust mine accordingly."

  "That should be aisy. I hev it!"

  "Let me hear your plan."

  "'Spose the doctor makes it a rule to call ivery other day and ye canfit yer visits in betwaan, though we should like it to be oftener."

  "That would hardly answer, for he might be needed every day. A betterplan will be that he should never call at the bungalow during theevening. If he agrees to that, everything will be right."

  "That'll doot! He wouldn't come anyway unless we signalled him, and ifye happen to be at the clubhouse, ye'll have plinty of time to run."

  "How am I to know that he consents to it?"

  "If he objicts, I'll come back and tell ye; if he agraas, I won't showup here agin till after ye have visited us."

  "That settles the matter. I suppose, Michael, you are wondering why Imake such a strange request?"

  "I am, but I'm not asking any quistions, as ye'll obsarve."

  "Well, you will never learn from me."

  Mike was slightly nettled.

  "Why thin did ye think it worth while to raise me hopes, whin I hadn'tmade any inquiries?"

  "I beg your pardon, Michael; I shouldn't have done it. Let neither of usrefer to it again."

  "Do ye wish me to till Docther Spellman what ye said?"

  "I do."

  "Then consider that I've told him."

  "It would be hard for him to understand my request unless he knew myfeelings. You may as well stay to supper and over night with me."

  "I thank ye, Uncle Elk, but I much fear that if I don't return to thebyes they'll think I've tumbled out of a tree the same as Jack, and havebroke me neck. I'll bid ye good afternoon and make me way to DoctherSpelhnan. Onless ye hear from me to the contrary, ye'll understand thathe'll not visit the bungalow on any avening onless he is sent fur, sothe way will be open to yersilf."

  The hermit rose from his chair and stood in the door as Mike walked downthe path to the side of the lake. He looked round just before passingout of sight and waved his hand to the old man, who nodded.

  "It's mighty qu'ar," mused the lad, as he shoved off in his canoe; "thedocther has niver said a word as far as I've heerd about any throublebetween 'em, and I couldn't guess what it is to save me life."

  The bright, sunshiny afternoon was well advanced when Mike paddled alittle way from shore and turned in the direction of the thin wisp ofsmoke which revealed the location of the physician's summer home. Almostbeyond sight could be made out the second canoe, which some of theScouts had used in making an excursion over the sheet of water. Thecraft was close in shore and seemed to be motionless, as if the boyswere fishing. The distance was too far for him to tell the number ofoccupants, but he judged they were three or four.

  "And I belave Alvin and Chester are among 'em," he added, after ascrutiny of the boat; "I mind me now that they said something aboutgoing off to-day on a cruise. Hello!"

  The exclamation was caused by an unexpected discovery. Between him andthe home of the physician he saw a second spiral of vapor climbing upamong the treetops. Like that of the former, it was so far back from thewater that nothing could be seen of the party that had kindled it.

  Mike held his paddle motionless while he looked and thought.

  "They must be strangers to the rist of us. If this thing kaaps up, bimeby we sha'n't have elbow room and will have to camp farther inland. Iwonder now if they could be some other Boy Patrols that have strayed inhere. They may have heerd of us and desire to make me acquaintance, asdo most people."

  Mike had his natural share of curiosity, and decided to learn who thestrangers were. He had enough time at command to permit a diversion ofthis nature, and he headed his craft toward the bank at a point oppositethe dim wavering column of vapor which showed that a fire kindledbeneath was the cause.