CHAPTER XI.
THE HOWL OF THE WOLF SIGNAL.
"WELL, I like that, now!" burst out Toby. "He thinks we've run all theway from good old Hickory Ridge, thirty-five miles away and more, justto hand him a string."
"And me taking all the dreadful chances of breaking my neck with thiscranky machine that's got into its second childhood!" echoed Nat,indignantly.
Elmer paid no attention to these side remarks. He could easilyunderstand just how Lil Artha looked at things. Not having the slightestsuspicion concerning any crooked work in connection with the great hike,he could not comprehend what was meant by "kidnaping" him.
"Just what we're here for, old fellow," he remarked. "In the firstplace, perhaps you know it, and again you may not; but Mr. Garrabrantsent these two good scouts over to Fairfield on their motorcycles totake notes of the start made by the three fellows who meant to competewith us in this event."
"Yes, I knew about that," muttered Lil Artha.
"All right," Elmer continued. "They performed their duties, and then,according to orders, hung around to find out whether there might be anytalk about some of those famous tricks that used to be played when MattTubbs was running things with a high hand over there."
"But hasn't Matt turned over a new leaf; did Mr. Garrabrant expect thatit was all a make believe with him?" asked the other, quickly.
"No," said the scout leader; "so far as we can tell, Matt is in deadearnest about doing the right thing from now on. I reckon he'd be as madas hops if he heard what some of his old mates have arranged."
"Well, hurry on and tell me, please, Elmer; I'm as curious as any oldwoman you ever ran across," and Lil Artha laughed as he said this.
"Late in the afternoon they happened to overhear a talk between twoFairfield boys, and then and there learned about the scheme. It seemsthat four fellows in a car had already been gone an hour. They were torun up to the head of the line, and find out just how things lay. If aFairfield competitor was running in the lead, of course nothing wouldhappen; but in case it proved to be a Hickory Ridge scout _they hadtheir orders_."
"But see here, Elmer, wouldn't that knock them out of the organization.The rules of the scouts wouldn't stand for such an outrage," protestedLil Artha.
"Hold on, Lil Artha," interrupted Elmer. "You don't seem to get on tothe real facts. Nobody said a word about any scouts being connected withthis thing."
"Outsiders, then, you mean, Elmer?"
"Yes, some of the crowd that used to run with Matt Tubbs when he was theterror of the county. You know they broke with him at the time he saw agreat light. Some of the best in the bunch followed him into theFairfield troop. Others laughed at the idea of turning over a new leaf.And they say there's a new bully cropped up in Fairfield, a fellow whoused to sneeze in the old days every time Matt took snuff."
"Yes," said Lil Artha, "I know--Eddie Johnston; and a bad egg he is,too."
"Well," went on Elmer; "he's engineering this deal. The idea is thatthese four fellows will try to coax you to enter their ear for a lift,promising that nobody will ever hear about it, you see."
"But they ought to know I'd laugh at 'em. I'm good for the rest of thehike, and could put on fresh speed if I sighted any feller coming alongto bother me," the tall scout declared.
"Well, in that case they had orders to jump you, get you in the car byforce, and carry you off, to drop you ten miles away, perhaps at LittleFalls. In that way, you see, Lil Artha, you would be eliminated from thegame, because you had _entered a vehicle_, which is against the rules.And the second one in the race would win. That must be Felix Wagner."
"Does he know about this?" demanded the excited scout, frowning.
"Of course," answered Elmer, "we don't feel sure about it; but thechances are he doesn't. No fellow who has his heart in the trueprinciples the scout movement stands for, could take a hand in such anasty game. And I'm hoping that if Felix learned what has been done he'dbe the very first to declare that he wouldn't accept a tainted title!"
"Good for you, Elmer! I don't know Felix very well myself, but I want tothink of him in that way, because he's a fellow scout. But look here. Iguess I saw the bunch you speak of pass me by only a little while back."
"Yes, I knew they had gone on ahead, because I saw that in severalplaces your footprint was plainly marked in the tread of the auto tirein the mud," said the scout leader, quietly.
"Well, I declare now, if you don't beat anything in finding out themtricks!" remarked Lil Artha, who frequently forgot there was such athing as grammar in the wide world. "Nobody else'd think of that way.The rest of us have got heaps to learn. But I only saw two fellers inthe car, Elmer."
"Oh, well, perhaps the others were hiding low down for a purpose,"returned the one who observed things closely and figured out results."If they all showed themselves you would be apt to know them later whenthey started in with their rough-house business."
"Then what d'ye think they mean to do?" asked the tall scout, anxiously;at the same time Toby and Nat noticed that his hands were doubling upinto fists, as if the old spirit of self-defense had begun to run riotwithin him.
"They've gone down the road a few miles to some place that looks good tothem. Then, I reckon, the bunch will pile out and hide till you comealong. And while they're about it, they may disguise their faces in someway with handkerchiefs. When fellows are in for something that won'tbear the light of day, they nearly always do that, don't you know, LilArtha?"
"Sure I do," nodded the tall scout, promptly. "More'n a few times I'vedone the same myself, and so has Toby here. But all the same it's a meandodge to try and cheat me out of my honest dues. What're we goin' to doabout it, Elmer?"
"It stands to reason that we don't mean to let the game go through,"replied the one addressed, frowning. "I'm as much opposed to violence asany fellow could be; but there may come times when even the scout isjustified in using his fists. Mr. Garrabrant says so; and if he washere, even if he is a man of peace, he'd say the same."
"That's right Elmer; I've heard him say that myself, and he'd laughright out when he declared that he was a man of peace, and that he wasbound to have peace even if he had to fight to get it," chuckled Toby.
"All right," snapped Elmer. "We must remember that we're up against acondition that can only be met by standing up for our rights. If thosefour rascals from Fairfield tried to push Lil Artha into their caragainst his will, he'd be justified in kicking and striking out indefense of his liberty, wouldn't he, scout law or not? And on the sameground, we, as his comrades, have the right to defend him."
"And by ginger we will!" burst out Toby, triumphantly.
"Make your mind easy on that, Lil Artha," declared Nat; "we haven't runall the way from Hickory Ridge to see our chum badly treated withoutputting in a few good licks for him. Gee, it will seem like old times!My style is getting rusty, and will need some sandpapering, I guess."
"Of course, talk won't amount to a row of pins," said Elmer.
"Not with that kind of skunks it won't," observed Lil Artha.
"As Mr. Garrabrant isn't here, and I stand in his place, I'll have totry and do what I think he'd commend," Elmer went on.
"About that peace racket, even if you have to fight to get it, eh?"laughed Nat.
"Wait and see," replied the scout leader, nodding his head, and givingthe other a significant, look that made Nat's heart glad; for, like RedHuggins, Nat had always had something of a reputation as a fighter, andfound it most difficult to repress this pugnacious spirit after hejoined the scouts.
"Lay out the programme, Elmer, won't you, please?" begged Lil Artha.
"Yes, tell us just what each fellow must do," added Toby.
"Well, I've been thinking it over as we came along," remarked the one towhom these appeals were addressed; "and this is the plan I settled on aspromising the best results. In the first place, as these chaps wantdarkness before they show their hand, so that Lil Artha won't be apt torecognize them, the chances are they've gone several mil
es farther onbefore running the car in among the trees at a likely spot. Do you agreeon that, boys?"
"Sounds good to me, Elmer; please go on and roll your hoop," said Nat.
"Beats all how you can hit things so close," remarked Toby; "because,now that you've mentioned it, I c'n see how they'd be apt to do justthat very thing."
"I'm agreein' with the rest, so keep moving, Elmer," Lil Artha observed,deeply interested in the results, as he had a right to be.
"Well, then, suppose now we ride on behind Lil Artha for another mile.Then he can hold up when I give a little whistle, or he hears the fainthowl of a wolf in the distance. The three of us will then proceed tohide our motorcycles somewhere in the woods, marking the place at theroadside so we can find 'em again easy later on to-night. After thatwe'll haul upon our chum, and keep a little distance behind him as hetramps on toward Little Falls."
"Bully idea!" declared the object of all this attention, shaking thehand of the one who had suggested it. "And a feller don't have to havemore'n two eyes, with a mite of common sense back of 'em, to knowwhat's goin' to happen when the Fairfield bullies jump out on me."
"Whack! whack! that's two down; one with the right, and t'other with theleft duke, leaving only two for you three boys," declared Nat, making aviolent lunge in either direction, as though getting in trim after thesemonths of idleness, when following the mild paths of peace.
Toby laughed.
"Say, what d'ye suppose we'll be doing all that while?" he demanded."Don't be so greedy, Nathan. It's one apiece all around. Nothin' couldbe fairer than that, and I put it up to Elmer here. Who wants to getcheated out of his share, tell me that!"
"I reckon that ought to be understood in the beginning," remarked Elmer,dryly. "Get this notion out of your heads, fellows. All we want is toprotect Lil Artha. If talking would do it I'd say leave it to meentirely; but we all know it needs something stronger. So let eachfellow try to capture one of the bunch in ambush and hold him. Perhapsthey'll skedaddle as soon as they see us coming, and the job will bedone without one blow."
"But if they do resist when we're trying to defend our chum, what then?"asked Nat, with the most agonizing appeal in his voice, as though he sawhis dearest hopes fading, fading gradually away.
"Oh, that goes without saying," chuckled Elmer. "I don't think there'sany real need of my giving you fellows orders along that line, becauseyou know what the only remedy is. Only, please don't forget for oneminute that you are scouts, and as such should hold your hand theinstant the white flag goes up."
"Sure we will, Elmer, if we see it!" chuckled Nat. "You make me happyagain. Gee! I was afraid you might say that under no circumstances wasa poor fellow allowed to defend himself--that, like a lot of old women,all we could do was to grab an enemy and hold on, no matter how hescratched and bit and gouged. It's all right. We've got our orders,fellows. Nuff said."
All this time they had been walking at a rather stiff pace along theroad that led in the direction of Little Falls, distant something likenine miles. When Lil Artha had said that he believed he was inpossession of his second wind, he evidently knew what he was talkingabout. At least the others were hard pushed to keep up with thelong-legged contestant, hampered as they were by their heavy machines,which had to be trundled along with considerable effort.
"Fall back and mount, fellows," said Elmer; "and you, Lil Artha, keeplistening for the signal to wait for us. Only a mile do we dare keepgoing; to get closer to the place of ambush might betray us, as theywould hear the explosions from one of these machines, the muffler ofwhich never works decently. Get that?"
"It's as plain as the nose on my face, and nobody can miss that,"replied the other, as he started off along the road.
Elmer cautioned his comrades to make as little racket as possible, andpresently they followed on their motorcycles.
About ten minutes later a low, weird sound floated through the air. Tomost persons it would have meant that some farmer's watchdog was uneasy,and baying at the stars; but Lil Artha knew better.
It was intended for the howl of the wolf, the sign of his patrol!