CHAPTER III.
AS THE CLOCK IN THE TOWER BOOMED SIX.
IT lacked but ten minutes of six.
The sun had been up for about half an hour and there was every promiseof a fine August day. Possibly, before the shades of evening fell, theheat of the dog days might prove more or less exhausting; but at thatearly hour the outlook was all that could be asked.
Around the old church with the belfry, fully half the young people ofHickory Ridge seemed to have congregated. Girls were there as well asboys; for what with the sisters of the scouts, as well as all the otherfellows' sisters, the starting of what promised to be the greatest hikeon record among the lads of the new organization was an event that couldnot be missed.
Of course, besides the six contestants, there were numerous otherkhaki-clad members of the various patrols. Each fellow was, as a rule,the center of a questioning group and felt compelled to supply all theinformation in his power.
Mr. Garrabrant, the young man who served so faithfully as scout masterto the troop, was talking to the boys who expected to participate in thelong tramp. He encouraged them, and at the same time laid down the lawin plain language.
No one was to accept any kind of a ride while on the hike; even if onlyfor a short space, it would invalidate all his rights to be consideredin the contest. And of course each fellow gave his solemn word of honorto abide faithfully by the rules, a copy of which had been given to him.
The conditions were simple enough; Mr. Garrabrant had arranged with thescout master of the troop of Boy Scouts in Little Falls, and each of therival contestants was supplied with a letter of greeting, which theywere to hand to that gentleman upon arriving at the headquarters inLittle Falls. This town being some forty-seven miles away from HickoryRidge, as the crow flies, it can be seen that a herculean task awaitedthe boys, in order to cover this distance inside of the twenty-fourhours.
What added spice to the game was the fact that it was known there wereto be several fellows who meant to leave Fairfield at exactly the samehour, and under similar conditions. And the spirit of Hickory Ridge wasaroused in civic pride. They yearned to win out over all competitors,just as they had done in that wonderful baseball game only a short timebefore.
Elsie Craig, one of the prettiest girls in the whole town, and who wasparticularly fond of Elmer, waylaid Landy as he was changing hisposition, meaning, to get closer to the group where the six who hadentered for the race were making ready for the start.
"Oh, please wait a couple of minutes, Landy!" she exclaimed, with anentreating smile on her winsome face.
Landy, much as he wanted to get where he could hear the lastinstructions given to the half dozen scouts before they started, couldnot resist this plea. Truth to tell, Landy was a little "soft" himselfwhen it came to a certain girl, and Elsie happened to be her chum.
"All right, Elsie," he remarked, as he came to a halt, though lookinglongingly toward the excited group about Mr. Garrabrant. "What can I dofor you?"
"I want to know, that's all. Elmer is so busy he just can't spend onelittle minute talking to me," she replied with a pout.
"Why, you see, he just has to do his duty as the assistant scoutmaster," declared Landy, actually wincing when the girl rested a hand onone of his sore arms. "But I was at the meeting where all theparticulars were decided on, and perhaps I might be able to tell youwhat you want to know, Elsie."
"First of all, do the boys only walk and not run?" she asked, eagerly.
"This is a hike, and that means a walk, not a Marathon race. So everyfellow is put on his honor not to run," replied Landy.
"But I should think Arthur Stansbury had all the advantage, because hecan take such big steps," observed the girl, frowning a little, asthough Lil Artha had never been a very great favorite of hers.
Landy laughed with the air of one who knows all the ins and outs ofwalking matches.
"Oh, that's nothing to go by, Elsie," he declared, with a shrug of hisshoulders that compelled him to make an immediate grimace, for themuscles were sore. "Why, it often happens that some little runt canoutstrip a fellow nearly twice his height. It's endurance that tells inthe long run. The boy who can set his teeth together, and fight it outto the bitter end. That's what Mr. Garrabrant says, and all of usathletes understand it."
Elsie smiled, and looked roguishly up and down Landy's plump form whenshe heard him mention that word so proudly. But then, after thatexperience when the ladder fell and left him dangling twenty feet fromthe ground, Landy really believed he deserved to be classed among thestrenuous ones, even though it might be in an humble capacity.
"And they have to walk all the way to Little Falls before to-morrowmorning; poor fellows, don't I pity them, though!" the girl went on."Elmer would have been in the game too, only for that ugly thorn in hisfoot. And don't you think he would surely have won the prize, Landy, ifhe had competed?"
"Oh, nearly everyone believes that," replied the fat boy, readily;"though to tell the truth, there never has been a hike like this aroundhere before, and we don't just know who's got the Injun sign on the restof the bunch. Between you and me, Elsie, I'm pinning some faith onGeorge Robbins. You know he's my cousin, and he's got some of the oldPhilander Smith stock in him. The record of my family is a proud one";and he drew himself up as he inflated his chest with a pompous air thatwould have well become the drum major of the town band.
"To be sure, Landy," remarked the little miss, quickly; "and it covers alot of ground, too. Why, even in history we come across it every now andthen. But, Landy, how will it be known that the six contestants keep tothe route that has been laid out for them? Some one might look up a mapand find a road that would be a short cut. That would be an unfairadvantage."
"Sure it would," remarked the boy; "and it was just to prevent knowledgeand craft from winning when this was to be a question of speed andendurance, Mr. Garrabrant says, that made the committee insist onstations along the way."
"Stations? Whatever do you mean by that?" Elsie demanded.
"Well, they picked out a number of taverns where one of the scouts whogoes on ahead with Mr. Garrabrant will establish a register. In thatbook every fellow in the great hike is expected to enter his name in hisown handwriting, also the time of his arrival and departure."
"Oh, now I understand; and Landy, that is a clever idea!" the girlexclaimed. "But Elmer intends setting out on his wheel later on in theday; will you please tell me what reason there is for that, Landy?"
"Oh, it was arranged by the committee, that's all. Several of thefellows will go from time to time. Sort of keep tabs on the contestantsand see how they are getting on. I expected to be chosen to be one ofthese inspectors, but I had a little accident yesterday that knocked meout. But all the fellows said that the game old Philander Smith spiritcropped out, and that few boys could have held on up in that tree aslong as I did."
But if sly Landy expected in this manner to lead the conversation into apersonal line, so that he could glorify his own prowess, he made amistake. Evidently the pretty little miss with the golden locks and theblue eyes had no desire to hear about his wonderful escape.
"How will the six contestants get anything to eat on the way?" sheasked.
"Oh, that's left to them," answered the fat boy, frowning withdisappointment over the failure of his attempt to rivet her attention onhimself. "They can stop and have a meal at any old tavern; but I reckonmost of the fellows are wise to the fact that they must lose valuabletime that way. I know George has a snack stowed away in his haversackright now. He's on to all the dodges, you know."
"Why, of course he is, because he is your cousin, Landy. But suppose oneof the poor fellows breaks down? It's a terrible long trip, and allsorts of things might happen, don't you think?" Elsie continued.
"Not much danger of that, I guess," Landy answered. "You see every oneof them had to undergo a physical examination before Mr. Garrabrantwould allow them to enter; and they're all as fit as fiddles. Of coursewe don't expect that after they've put,
say twenty miles, behind themthey'll be as chipper as they are now. Their feet will drag more orless; but that's where the grit must show."
"They expect to start all at the same time, then?" asked the girl.
"Sure, but after a mile or so they'll be likely to separate. One willbelieve the pace too warm for the start, and drop back. You know theysay it's a bad thing to urge your horse early in a long race. All sortsof ideas will prevail, so that long before the first ten miles have beencovered the six boys may be far apart, and each trudging along to suithis ideas."
"How much you know about all these things, Landy!" said Elsie, with atwinkle in her sunny eyes that he failed to catch; for he againstiffened up with that superior air that boys are apt to assume whenexplaining the science of baseball or some other manly sport to a girlwho has never attended a game before.
"Oh, well, we just have to, you see, if we ever expect to make goodscouts," he replied, thinking that after all Elsie was even a littleprettier than her chum, when she chose to smile on a fellow that way."And besides, we pick up a lot of information from our scout master, andElmer, who knows all about woodcraft, because he lived out on the bigplains. But it must be getting near time for the start, because they'relining up now. Let's push ahead so we can see what happens."
Despairing of getting away while the persistent little maid continued toseek information, Landy was now hedging, and content to carry her alongwith him as he pushed through the crowd of talking, laughing spectators.
The clock in the church tower pointed to two minutes of six. And at thefirst stroke of the hour they were expected to be off.
Six boys stood in line, eager and expectant. Their particular friendscalled out encouraging words, and there was a perfect babel of confusionabout this time. But Mr. Garrabrant anticipating such a happening, hadspoken the last words of caution. So that there was now nothing to bedone but wait for the loud boom of the big clock in the tower.
"Good luck, Lil Artha!"
"Keep that good left foot of yours going right along, George!"
"Red, we're counting on you to win out, remember!"
"That's Ty Collins on the extreme left; just you watch his smoke!"
"Take it easy, Matty! You know the rules of the game, old fellow!"
"Jack, don't you ever come around again unless you bring that prize withyou!"
This last created a roar of laughter, as one of the scouts imitated thevoice of a girl whom everyone knew Jack Armitage was sweet on.
One minute of six!
Gradually this clamor died down as the critical minute drew closer andcloser. Many eyes were turned upon the big face of the clock on the sideof the square tower of the church.
"Ready, all!" they heard Mr. Garrabrant call out.
Then came a deathly silence. Everyone craned his or her neck, and thefigures of the six contestants who wore the khaki garments of the BoyScouts proved to be the hub of all glances.
Some of the boys looked grim and determined; others, like tall LilArtha, wore confident smiles, as though they believed in their heartsthat it would be an easy snap. But all were evidently primed to do theirlevel best, no matter what the final result.
Ah! There was a whirring sound up in the tower. Well did the boys knowthat the big clock always emitted this seeming gasp just before thestriking of the hour. Then came a reverberating boom!
It was time.
"Hurrah!" yelled the crowd, as hats and handkerchiefs filled the air;"they're off!"
"And may the best man win!" said the smiling scout master, looking afterthe fast walking line of contestants.