A slight adjustment of the long column revealed a less ghastly picture, a picture the meaning of which scouts6 knew well enough. Bobbing alongside the advancing face was a head which seemed to have no connection with the nearby countenance8. But the boys of Temple Camp could see in their minds’ eyes what was not visible under the water. That bobbing head was being held above the surface; the unseen body to which it belonged rested upon the buoyant support of an outstretched arm. Nothing held this unconscious form, it just rested easily upon the arm and moved along. There was something uncanny about it; stark9 and appalling10, it seemed to be riding on a spring.
The scouts had read about this sort of thing, this use of a single upholding human arm. But none of them had ever successfully practised it. Now in the darkness of that wild night they saw the feat11 demonstrated, saw an apparently12 lifeless form, a dead weight, given the little balance of support to keep it up and guide it through the rough water. And the swimmer seemed hardly embarrassed by this load.
What the gaping13 crowd did not know was that the arm which acted as a girder was torn and bleeding and throbbing14 with grievous pain. What they did not know was that the same quiet, unobtrusive will that had caused Wilfred Cowell to stand still in the night and let another escape with the Emblem15 of the Single Eye, was supporting him now amid storm and darting16 agony. No search-light could show that. For how could any search-light penetrate17 such a nature as his?
In a fine impulse, eloquent18 of admiration19, several of the boys waded20 out chest deep and relieved the swimmer of his burden. That was how it happened that the hero reeled shoreward through the shallow water quite alone. With his torn and bleeding arm hanging at his side, he stumbled, caught himself, and went staggering up upon the grass, then fell heavily to the ground in a dead swoon. And so again, just as when he collapsed22 before his own home in Bridgeboro, he was only half-conscious of the clamorous23 voices speaking his nickname as he sank into oblivion on the soft, wet grass.
They spoke24 it in tones aghast as they crowded about him, “It’s Wandering Willie.” Some of them had not lingered at the other center of interest long enough to learn that it was the young doctor of camp whom Wilfred had saved. Nor to inquire the whys and wherefores of the young man’s unknown excursion in the storm. He was not dead, nor like to die, and the trend of excited interest and curiosity was toward that swelling25, clamorous throng26 that closed in around the prostrate27 boy whom they had carried into the shelter of the pavilion.
One boy, unscoutlike in his rough determination, elbowed and wriggled28 his way through the crowd, and braving the frown of Doctor Anderson (who fortunately was visiting camp) kneeled over the dripping, outstretched form.
“Is—he—he alive?” he asked.
“Yes,” said the doctor quietly; “open a space here, you boys; let’s have some air.”
But the boy persisted. “Is—will——”
“I think so, it depends,” said the doctor.
“Do—do you know me?” asked the boy, foolishly addressing the unconscious form; “it’s Wig—just—if you’ll——”
Obedient to a new presence, as they had not been to the doctor, the group fell away to let an aggressive, striding young fellow pass through.
“You run along and help them get the stretcher for Doc, Wig,” said Tom Slade; “move back, you fellows.”
He sat down on the edge of the wicker couch on which they had laid the scout7 of no patrol while the scouts of all patrols lingered as near as they dared. The doctor, busy with the mangled29 arm, was preoccupied30 to the point of precluding31 questions. A scout came running with cotton and bandages. Two others brought the stretcher from Doc’s sanctum, and stood waiting.
Another boy, visibly pleased that his inspiration was serviceable, handed a new croquet stake to the doctor. He had brought it and stood waiting with it. He saw it roughly taken from him and twirled around in a bandage above the elbow of the stricken boy’s arm.
Tom, helpless in the face of professional routine and efficiency, sat quietly, and, there being nothing else for him to do, he stroked the forehead of the unconscious boy, and pushed up the strands32 of saturated33 hair, just as Wilfred had so often brushed the rebellious34 wavy35 locks up from his forehead.
“Eright?” a low, half-interested voice asked.
“Sure, you’re all right,” said Tom gently.
Then there was a pause.
“Right—orright?”
“Sure, Billy—be still. You’ll be all right.”
The eyes were fixed37 on Tom in a weak but steady look of inquiry38. There was a wistfulness in that barely conscious look.
“Why, sure, you’re all right,” laughed Tom.
“I don’t—I mean—not—I don’t mean that. I mean don’t—don’t mean will I get well—all right. I mean will I do? Now will I do?”
Tom’s brimming eyes looked at him—oh, such a look.
“Yes, you’ll do, Billy.”
The eyes closed.
Then an interval39 of silence during which the doctor worked steadily, unheedful of the gaping throng standing40 at a respectful distance. Tom sat silently, watching him.
“He’s pretty weak,” the doctor said. “I don’t see how he did it; he’s lost a lot of blood. Anybody connected with him up here? Just hold that loose end—that’s right.”
“Only myself,” Tom said, his hope sinking at the ominous41 question. “I found him, he’s mine. No, none of his people are up here. He has a mother and sister. Had I better send for them?”
“I think it would be best,” said the doctor quietly.
Tom arose, his heart sinking. He thought of Wilfred, a lone21 figure in the camp, wandering about, unheeded, and now perhaps dying far from his own people. He blamed himself that he had brought Wilfred to camp.
“Shall I say—shall I just tell them to come up?”
“Hmm,” said the doctor, still busy, “that’s right, yes. He’s pretty weak from the loss of blood.”
“Could I be of any use in any way?” Tom asked, hesitatingly.
“You mean you want to give your own blood?” the doctor asked bluntly.
“Yes, I do—I meant that.”
“Well, you’d better send for his folks anyway.”
“I’ll wire them,” Tom said.
It was strange to see Tom so dependent and obedient, he who always breezed in here and there with his cheery, offhand42 manner of authority. He seemed different from the scouts as they opened a way for him to pass through. But one sturdy, fearless soul ventured to address him.
“Anyway, one thing, you picked a winner, that’s sure; gee43 whiz, you did that, Tom. I ought to know because I picked lots of them myself. Gee whiz, you picked a winner all right.”
Tom cast a kind of worried smile at Pee-wee as he hurried away. But it was better than no smile at all.
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1
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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5
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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6
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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7
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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8
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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12
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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13
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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14
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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16
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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18
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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24
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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28
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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29
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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31
precluding
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| v.阻止( preclude的现在分词 )；排除；妨碍；使…行不通 | |
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32
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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rebellious
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| adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的 | |
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35
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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36
espied
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| v.看到( espy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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38
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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39
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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40
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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41
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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42
offhand
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| adj.临时，无准备的；随便，马虎的 | |
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43
gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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