CHAPTER V
A HELPING HAND
"It's a fire, all right!" announced Paul, after he had taken a goodlook.
"No question about that," declared Seth, who was right on the heels ofthe others, for you could never keep him quiet when there was anythinggoing on, because he always wanted to be "in the swim."
"Yes, either a house, or a barn ablaze," remarked Eben, sagely.
"Might be only a hay stack, you know," suggested Jotham.
"Don't burn like that to me; I seem to see something of a building everynow and then, when the flames shoot up," Paul went on to remark, for hewas always discovering things upon which to found a reasonable theory.
"How far away does it lie, dy'e think, Paul?" asked Andy.
"Not more than half a mile, I should say," came the reply.
"Just my idea to a dot," Jotham admitted.
"Why, you c'n even hear the crackle of the flames, whenever the nightwind happens to blow this way," Babe Adams asserted; and they all agreedwith him, for the same sound had come to their ears also.
"We might help the poor old farmer, if we only happened to be closer,"Eben said, in the goodness of his heart.
"And if we didn't feel so bunged-up tired," added Andy.
Somehow the scouts began to show signs of nervousness. Those might seemlike pretty good excuses to some fellows; but when a boy becomes a scouthe somehow looks at things in a different way from in the old days. Nomatter how tired he may be, he eagerly seizes on a chance to be usefulto others; to do some good deed, so as to experience the delightful glowthat always follows a helpful act.
"Say, how about it?" began Jotham.
"Could we be useful if we did manage to trot over there, Paul?" Andydemanded.
"I'm sure we might," answered the scoutmaster, firmly; "and if we'regoing, why, the sooner we make a start the better. Seconds count when ahouse or barn is on fire. I feel pretty well rested, speaking formyself; and half a mile each way oughtn't to do us up. We're scouts on along hike, and able to do lots of things that other fellows wouldn'tdare attempt."
"Take me along, Paul!" cried Jotham.
"And me!"
"Hope you won't forget that I'm ready to be in the bunch," Sethexclaimed.
In fact, there was not one out of Paul's seven companions who did notvociferously inform the leader of the patrol that he was a subject forthe draft.
"You can't all go," decided Paul, quick to decide; "and as two fellowsought to stay and look after camp while the rest are off, I'll appointNoodles and Eben to that duty."
Groans followed the announcement.
"Oh! all right, Paul; just as you say," remarked the bugler, aftergiving vent to his disappointment in this manner; "we'll keep guardwhile the rest of you are having a bully good time.
"Perhaps something will happen along here to let us enjoy ourselves."
"If you need help let us know it," Paul called back, for he was alreadymoving off in the direction of the fire, followed by the five luckyscouts.
"How?" bellowed Noodles; "do we whoop her up, Paul?"
"Sound the assembly, and we'll hurry back," came the answer, as the packof boys disappeared in the darkness of the night.
They kept pretty well together, so that none might stray. Consequently,when one happened to trip over some log or other obstacle that lay inthe path he would sing out to warn his comrades, so as to save them fromthe same trouble.
With such a bright beacon ahead there was no trouble about keeping on adirect line for the fire. And all the while it seemed to be getting morefurious. Indeed, what with the shouts that came to their ears, thebellowing of cattle, and whinnying of horses, things began to get prettylively as they approached the farmyard.
Presently they seemed to break out from the woods, and reach an openfield. Beyond this they could plainly see the fire.
"It's a barn, all right!" gasped Jotham, immediately.
"Yes, and they seem to be afraid that the farmhouse will go, too," addedAndy.
"They're throwing buckets of water on it, sure enough," sang out BabeAdams.
Now some of the boys could easily have outrun their mates, beingpossessed of longer legs, or the ability to sprint on occasion; but theyhad the good sense to accommodate themselves to the rest, so that theywere still in a squad when drawing near the scene of the excitement.
A man and a woman seemed to be about the sole persons visible, and theywere laboring like Trojans to keep the fire from communicating to thelow farmhouse that was situated close to the burning barn.
The six scouts must have dawned upon the vision of the sorely pressedfarmer and his wife almost like angels, for the pair were nearlyexhausted, what with the labor and the excitement.
"Buckets--water--let us help you!" was what Paul exclaimed as they cameup.
Cows were running this way and that, bellowing like mad, as though halfcrazed.
What with frightened chickens cackling, and hogs grunting in theirnear-by pen, the scene was one that those boys would not forget in ahurry.
"In the kitchen--help yourselves!" the farmer said, pointing as hespoke; and without waiting for any further invitation the scouts rushedpellmell into the rear part of the house, where they seized upon allsorts of utensils, from a big dishpan, to buckets, and even a small tinfoot bath tub.
A brook ran close to the barn, as Paul had learned with his firstcomprehensive glance around. This promised to be a most fortunate thingfor the would be fire-fighters.
Led by the scoutmaster, the boys dashed in that direction, filledwhatever vessel they happened to be carrying, and then hurried back tothe house. Here the water was dashed over the side of the building thatseemed to be already scorching under the fierce heat of the blazingbarn.
"Get us a ladder; that roof will be on fire if we don't throw water overit!" Paul shouted to the farmer, as he came in contact with the man.
"This way--there's a ladder here by the hen house!" was what he replied.
Several of the boys seized upon it, and before you could think twicethey were rushing the ladder toward the side of the house. Paul climbedup, carrying with him a full bucket of water; and having dashed thecontents of this in such a way as to wet a considerable portion of theshingle roof, he threw the bucket down to one of the boys below.
Another was quickly placed in his hands. Everybody was working like abeaver now, even the farmer's wife, carrying water from the creek, andgetting it up to the boy on the ladder. It was pretty warm work, for theheat of the burning barn seemed terrific; but then boys can stand a gooddeal, especially when excited, and bent on accomplishing things; andPaul stuck it out, though he afterwards found several little holes hadbeen burned in his outing shirt by flying sparks.
The barn, of course, was beyond saving, and all their energies must beexpended on the house. By slow degrees the fire was burning itself out.Already Paul felt that the worst was past, and that if they could onlykeep this up for another ten minutes all would be well.
A couple of neighbors had come along by this time, to help as best theycould. When a fire takes place in the country everybody is ready andwilling to lend a hand at carrying out things, or fighting the flames ina primitive fashion; for neighbors have to depend more or less upon eachother in case of necessity.
"I reckon the house ain't liable to go this time," Andy remarked, whenPaul came down the ladder finally, trembling from his continuedexertions, which had been considerable of a strain on the lad, weariedas he was with three days' tramping.
"That's a fact," remarked the farmer, who came hustling forward aboutthis time, "and I owe you boys a heap for what you done this night. Iguess now, only for you comin' to help, I'd a lost my house as well asmy barn. As it is I've got a lot to be thankful for. Just put insuranceon the barn, and the new crop of hay last week. I call that being prettylucky for once."
He shook hands with each of the scouts, and asked after their names.
"I want to let your folks know what you done for us this night, boys,"he
said, "and p'raps you might accept some little present later on, justas a sort of remembrance, you know."
"How did the fire start, sir?" asked Paul.
"That's what bothers me a heap," replied the farmer.
"Then you don't know?" continued the scoutmaster, who felt a reasonablecuriosity to learn what he could of the matter while on the spot.
"It's all a blank mystery to me, for a fact," continued the farmer,whose name the boys had learned was Mr. Rollins. "My barn and stable wasall one, you see. My man has been away all day, and I had to look afterthe stock myself, but I finished just as dark set in, before supper, infact, so there ain't been so much as a lighted lantern around heretonight."
"Perhaps, when you lighted your pipe you may have thrown the match away,and it fell in the hay?" suggested Paul.
"If it had, the fire'd started long ago; fact is, I'd a seen it rightaway. And to settle that right in the start let me say I don't smoke atall, and didn't have any occasion to strike a single match while outhere."
Of course this statement of the farmer seemed to settle all idea of hishaving been in any way responsible for the burning of the barn.
"It looks like a big black mystery, all right," declared Fritz, whoalways liked to come upon some knotty problem that needed solving.
"Have you any idea that the fire could have been the work of tramps?"Paul went on to ask.
"We are never troubled that way up here," replied the farmer. "You see,it's away from the railroad, and hoboes generally follow the ties whenthey tramp across country."
"That makes it all the more queer how the fire could have started," Paulwent on to remark, thoughtfully.
"Couldn't a been one of the cows taken to smoking, I suppose?" venturedSeth, in a humorous vein.
"One thing sure," continued the farmer, a little uneasily, "that firemust have been caused by what they call spontaneous combustion; or elsesomebody set it on purpose."
"Do you know of anybody who would do such a terrible thing; that is,have you any enemy that you know of, sir?" questioned Paul.
"None that I would ever suspect of such a mean thing as that," was thefarmer's ready reply. "We're human around here, you know, and may haveour little differences now and then, but they ain't none of 'em seriousenough to tempt a man to burn a neighbor's barn. No, that's a dead surething."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it," the scoutmaster went on. "And I don'tsuppose now, you've missed any valuables, have you, sir?"
The farmer turned a shade whiter, and Paul could see that a shiver wentthrough his frame.
"Gosh! I hadn't thought about that. Wait here a minute, will you,please?"
With that he dashed into the house, as though a sudden terriblesuspicion had assailed him. The six scouts stood there awaiting hisreturn. Mrs. Rollins was talking with the neighbors, as they watchedthe last of the barn disappearing in a bed of red cinders.
Hardly had a full minute passed before the boys saw the farmer comeleaping out of the building again. No need for any one to ask aquestion, because his whole appearance told the story of new excitementand mystery. If ever a man looked worried and nearly heart broken thefarmer did then.
"It's sure enough gone, every cent of it!" he groaned, as he reached thescouts.
"Your money, I suppose you mean?" Paul asked, sympathetically; whileFritz and Seth pricked up their ears eagerly at the prospect of anotherchapter being added to the little excitement of the evening.
"Yes, three thousand dollars that was to pay off my mortgage next week.I had it hid away where I thought no thief could even find it; but thelittle tin box, and everything has been carried off. And now I know whythe barn was fired--so as to keep the missus and me out there, while therascal made a sneak into the house, and laid hands on my savings. Allgone, and the mortgage due next week!"
Boy Scouts on a Long Hike; Or, To the Rescue in the Black Water Swamps Page 5