The hours had been busy ones for our young friends. There had been fishing, strolls through the woods, investigation5 of the different kinds of trees, the study of birds, besides a “deer hunt.” I hasten to say that this was not a real hunt, a dummy6 being used with bows and arrows as weapons. This is one of the most popular forms of amusements among Boy Scouts, who enjoy it to the full.
So when the youths came back to headquarters, they brought keen appetites, overflowing7 spirits and healthy tired bodies. The gathering8 on the piazza was a pleasing reunion of all the members. There were experiences to be told, good natured chaffing, the laying of plans for the morrow, and now and then Mike Murphy, in answer to the unanimous demand, sang for them. As I have already said, this remarkable9 youth, despite his unrestrainable waggery, would never sing anything of a frivolous10 or “rag time” nature, but inclined to sentimental11 or religious themes. When that marvelous voice of his, like the notes of a Stradivarius violin in the hands of Ole Bull, or Spohr, or Kubelik, was wafted12 across the placid13 lake, it was easy to believe the story of the sirens of Lorelei.
Thus the party was grouped on the night I have named, and the hum and chatter14 of conversation was at its height, when Scout Master Hall exclaimed:
“Look!”
Every voice was instantly hushed. In the gloom the leader’s arm which he had instinctively16 extended could not be seen, but naturally all who were not already looking out upon the water did so. Every one was in time to see a swift ascending17 rocket turn and break into a shower of sparks as it dived downward again.
It was still in sight when a second whirred upward for two hundred feet or more, leaving a streaming, dazzling trail as it circled over, exploded and the stick plunged19 downward in the darkness.
Every one held his breath. Most of them rose and stared. It might be that the physician was sending up the rockets to amuse his daughter. If there were only two, they would mean nothing more; if there was another——
It was the signal which had been agreed upon in the event of their friend finding himself in urgent need of help.
It seemed as if several minutes passed before, through the tomb-like hush15, stole a faint popping sound,—the report of the explosion ending its journey across the lake.
The dull, almost inaudible call acted as if it were a bugle21 blast. The whole party dashed off the porch and at headlong speed to the two canoes drawn22 upon the beach. Even Jack23 Crandall swung to the steps, and debated a moment whether he should not join the party of rescue, but his common sense told him he would be only a hindrance24, and he reluctantly stayed behind and watched the shadowy forms of his friends as shown in the star gleam, the moon not yet having risen.
“He has called for us,” said Scout Master Hall, “and there isn’t a minute to lose!”
Standing25 on the edge of the lake he gave his commands as coolly as an officer marshaling his forces for a charge. In a twinkling the two boats were afloat in the deep water which came close to the bank.
“There are twenty-one of us; each canoe will carry no more than eight; the other five must hurry along the shore to the doctor’s house.”
The lads stood breathless, waiting for the leader to name those who must walk. He promptly26 did so:
“Isaac Rothstein, Hoke Butler, Gerald Hume, Arthur Mitchell, Gordon Calhoun.”
“Come on, boys,” called Hoke; “if we do our best we shall not be far behind them.”
His long legs carried him at a pace that made it hard for the others to equal. In Indian file the procession, with him in the lead, loped along the beach and was speedily swallowed up in the obscurity.
The crews of the canoes worked like beavers28. In a twinkling the boys had adjusted themselves and in each boat the two who were handiest with the paddles plyed them vigorously. Scout Master Hall was seated in the stern of one, among his companions being Mike Murphy, Alvin Landon and Chester Haynes.
At the moment the two craft put out from shore, Mike Murphy repeated the exclamation—
“Look!”
The startling performance of a few minutes before was repeated. One, two, three rockets streamed upward in the heavens, curved over, exploded and plunged downward among the trees.
“What can be the trouble?” was the question which everyone of the rescuers 264asked himself, as the oarsmen threw their energies into the task, and sent the heavily-laden craft with the utmost speed across the lake toward the home of their friend.
Alvin and Chester swung the paddles in their canoe, which speedily assumed a slight lead. There was little or no conversation, but each Boy Scout was busy with his thoughts, and burning with curiosity to learn the cause of the strange night call across the lake. Since every one knew of the doings of the two tramps, who had been lurking29 in the vicinity for several days and had been seen the previous afternoon, it was natural that suspicion should turn to them.
And yet it was hard to imagine a situation in which so plucky30 a man as Doctor Spellman, who owned a revolver and a repeating rifle, would have any fear of two unarmed vagrants31. Impulsive32 by nature, and already resentful toward them, he would stand no nonsense at their hands.
And for a third time were three signal rockets sent streaming aloft, before the canoes had passed half the distance between the bungalow and the home of the physician. The urgency of the summons filled all with anguish33. Mike and the Patrol Leader offered to relieve Alvin and Chester with the paddles, but they would not listen and bent34 resolutely35 to their task. The other canoe had pulled up alongside, and the two kept abreast36 with barely ten feet separating them.
The cause of the call of distress37 was revealed with startling suddenness and before the craft reached land. Through the gloom, Mike Murphy caught the vague outlines of a man and woman on the beach, and he shouted:
“What’s the matter, docther?”
The reply of itself was a partial answer:
“Is Ruth at the bungalow?”
“She hasn’t been there since ye brought her over the other day.”
“Then heaven save us! she is lost.”
It was the mother who uttered this wail38, as she convulsively clasped her hands and walked distractedly to and fro.
“Tell us what this means,” said Scout Master Hall, as he sympathetically clasped the hand of the physician, who spoke40 with rare self-command, though his wife began sobbing41 as if her heart was broken:
“We did not miss her until about an hour ago; I sat in front of the house smoking and talking with wife, when she remarked that it was time Ruth was in bed. I called to her, but there was no answer. Thinking she had fallen asleep inside, I lighted a match and looked around, wife joining me. A brief search showed she was not there. We hurried outside, and I shouted again.
“By that time we were in an agony of distress and wife was sure something dreadful had happened to her. As soon as we could command our wits we found that neither of us had seen her for nearly two hours and the thought struck us both that she had wandered off to the bungalow. If she had kept along the beach and walked steadily42 she would have had time to reach you, but there are so many other awful chances that I dared not trust to that, so I appealed to you.”
“And you did right; there is nothing that is possible for us to do that we will not do,” was the response of Scout Master Hall.
“She may still be wandering along the beach on her way to the bungalow.”
“Five of our boys are hurrying over the same course to this point, and will be sure to meet and bring her home.”
“Unless she has strayed off in the woods and been lost.”
“Let us hope that such is the fact, for then she will be safe and suffer only slight inconveniences.”
“Oh, it is worse than that,” moaned the mother, still pacing to and fro and wringing43 her hands; “she has fallen into the lake and been drowned.”
“I cannot believe that,” said the Scout Master, following the remark with such tactful assurances that the mother regained44 a part of her self-command, to the extent even of feeling a faint hope that all was well with her child.
The conduct of the youths was admirable. When they spoke it was in whispers and undertones, but every heart was filled with the sincerest pity, and all were eager to do everything they could for the smitten parents.
The Boy Scout does not content himself with words: his mission is to do a good turn, and where every minute was beyond value none was thrown away.
Scout Master Hall assumed charge. He directed six of the boys to take the back trail, as it might be called,—that is, around the eastern end of the lake to the bungalow. This would insure their meeting Hoke Butler and his companions, who in turn would meet the missing child if she had wandered over the same route. The six to whom this task was entrusted45 were under the charge of Mike Murphy.
The same number of boys were ordered to follow the opposite direction,—that is, to skirt the lake to the westward,—each of the two searching parties to keep it up until they came together at the bungalow. This arrangement left four Boy Scouts, including Mr. Hall and not mentioning the father and mother. The leader proposed that he, one of the lads and the parents should separate, plunge18 into the woods and pursue the hunt independently of one another. Since for a time the search must be a blind one this plan was as good as any that could be suggested.
The Scout Master took Alvin and Chester aside.
“I have selected you for a special work,” he said. “You are fleet of foot, cool-headed and have good judgment46. The doctor has made no reference to those tramps, and yet I know he suspects they have stolen Ruth, and intend to hold her for ransom47. I believe it is either that, or she has wandered off and fallen asleep in the woods,—with the possibility that she is drowned.
“I want you to make your way as quickly as you can to the little town of Bovil, where I think there is a telephone. If the tramps have kidnapped the Sunbeam, they will try to get out of the neighborhood. Telephone to the officers at Boothbay Harbor and other points, and get word to Burton at Mouse Island as soon as possible, and ask him to make all haste here with Zip. He’ll do it.”
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1
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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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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piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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hindrance
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| n.妨碍，障碍 | |
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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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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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28
beavers
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| 海狸( beaver的名词复数 )； 海狸皮毛； 棕灰色； 拼命工作的人 | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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vagrants
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| 流浪者( vagrant的名词复数 )； 无业游民； 乞丐； 无赖 | |
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impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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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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41
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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42
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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44
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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45
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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47
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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