CHAPTER IV AN INVASION OF THE CAMP
“Rob,” remarked Andy, later on, “why would those plotters choose Maineas the field for their dastardly attempts to strike at the CanadianGovernment? I should think they would have a bigger chance forsucceeding in their undertaking, say away up in the Northwest, where theborder isn’t watched as closely as along here.”
“That’s easy to answer,” replied the scout master. “In the first placeyou must remember that as all these supplies gathered through the GreatNorthwest granary approach the coast, where they are to be shippedabroad, they concentrate. It’s like the spokes of a wheel, and thiseastern stretch of country can be likened to the hub. Get that, Andy?”
“I certainly do, Rob. This applies, I suppose, to some extent withregard to the soldiers, and the munitions, and all that; they aregathered here and there, and as the many rivulets draw closer to thecoast the stream grows larger all the while. Sure, that stands toreason, and I was silly not to think of it myself.”
“Another thing that counts heavily,” added Rob sagely, “is the fact thatout in the Northwest that you mention the transcontinental railroaddoesn’t come anywhere as near the border as it does close to the Maineline. So, you see, an expedition crossing over here would have only ashort distance to go before they reached the tracks they meant todestroy.”
“Yes,” said Tubby, who had been listening eagerly, “and perhaps there’sa bridge here that, if blown up, would about paralyze the stream ofmaterial that’s flowing steadily down toward the coast day after day. Ireckon it’s to stop that tide of munitions and supplies, as much as thesoldiers themselves, that these fellows are scheming to do.”
“There’s another far-off whistle of a train,” said Andy, perking hishead up in a listening attitude. “They certainly come along quitefrequently, and that goes to tell what a big business is being done bythe railroad these days. I understand thousands of horses are beingshipped from the ranches up on those big prairies of the CanadianNorthwest, for they last only a short time in war, and the supply isbeginning to fall short. Already I’ve read how the rival armies aremaking great powerful tractor engines take the place of animals indragging heavy guns to the front.”
“Supposing that air pilot did succeed in getting all the informationneeded,” Tubby went on to say, “as well as some pretty smart pictures ofthe ground around the bridge, how soon would those plotters start towork, do you reckon, Rob? Surely not this very night?”
“Well, hardly, Tubby,” came the reassuring answer, “though we can’t saywhat need of haste there might be. If the aviator did snap off somepictures, the film would have to be developed, and prints made, whichtakes time. No, at the earliest I should say to-morrow night would bepicked out for the attempt.”
“Oh, well, the guards are on duty, and are looking out for anything ofthat kind,” said Andy carelessly. “The visit from that aeroplane willput them on their mettle.”
“Unless,” Rob ventured thoughtfully, “they considered that the pilot wasmerely some venturesome American who had taken chances in crossing theboundary air, and found himself over Canada. It might be their shotswere only sent to warn him he had better clear out, and to mind his ownbusiness.”
“Whee! In that case they might be caught napping,” said Tubby, with avein of anxiety in his voice. “Rob, would it be any business of ours towarn the Canadians guarding the trestle or bridge, if we had thechance?”
“It would be our patriotic _duty_, if we really knew that mischief wasbrooding,” the scout master told him sternly. “Stop and think for aminute, and you’ll see it in that way too. First of all, as true scouts,we would have to consider that these men, no matter how much they lovedthe land of their birth across the sea, are either citizens of theUnited States, or even if Germans, are enjoying the hospitality of UncleSam. To creep across the line so as to strike at their foe would be toabuse that hospitality. Yes, it would be the duty of any honest,patriotic American citizen to give warning, if he absolutely knew thatsuch a scheme was afoot.”
“Do you mean to carry the news to some town in Maine, from where itcould be wired to Washington, so that soldiers might be sent up here tofrustrate the evil designs of these schemers?” asked Tubby, who at timesdelighted in framing his questions in exceedingly weighty language.
Rob Blake reflectively rubbed his chin as he considered this query.
“I’m afraid that would consume far too much time, Tubby,” he finallyreplied. “Before those troops could be rushed here from the nearest armypost the mischief, such as it was, would have been carried through. No;if I learned positively that those German sympathizers meant to invadeCanada, something the same way as the Fenians did a long time ago, I’dconsider it my bounden duty to cross the line myself and try and warnthe guards at the bridge.”
“That’s the ticket, Rob!” cried the delighted Andy, who himself believedin “hitting the nail on the head.” Tubby, a bit slower to grasppossibilities, bent closer, the better to hear what was said.
Much more was spoken of along these lines, but the reader has alreadylearned what the boys, as young American patriots, were bent on doingshould the occasion arise, and hence it is not necessary to repeat allthat passed between them.
Of course they also talked of other things, returning to thisfascinating theme from time to time. Often Tubby stared in the directionof the North Star, in company with the Great Bear or Dipperconstellation; and at these times his round, rosy face registered anexpression of awe. Tubby might have been gifted with a sense of secondsight, and dimly may have seen possible complications they were fatedsoon to meet.
As the evening grew, all of them felt an inclination to turn in. Theyhad covered many miles, and not over level ground, since the morning,and with those heavy packs on their backs it had proved to be quite atiresome journey.
Tubby, in particular, was yawning terrifically, nor did he take thetrouble to put his hand over his extended jaws. Often Andy would pretendto shudder, and warn him to be more careful, or both of his chums wouldfall into the huge opening.
Tubby would make no reply; he was too sleepy to enter into any argument.He may have had an object in his repeated yawning, knowing howcontagious it is, and that presently he was bound to start both theothers along similar lines.
Presently Rob was seen to copy his example. Andy followed suit.
“Guess we might as well turn in,” said the latter, with a grin, as hecaught the eye of Tubby on him. “Tubby here will surely fall to piecesunless he gets some sleep.”
“Huh!” grunted Tubby scornfully. “Now that you’ve begun, too, Andy, andRob gives like signs, we’ll be making it unanimous. What about the fire,though? Do we let that cheery blaze die out during the night?”
“No need of that,” said Rob immediately. “It promises to be prettychilly, and our blankets aren’t any too thick at that; so I plan to getup once in a while and throw an armful of wood on the fire. If I don’toversleep I think I can keep the thing going up to morning. Andy, if youchance to wake up any time, and find that the fire has got down to redashes, you might crawl out and take a turn. Plenty of fuel handy, youknow.”
“I’ll try and remember, Rob,” promised the other, “though I must say Ido sleep as sound as a top. If you depended on me to attend to the firethe chances are it would expire long before dawn. But I may wake up onceor twice, and I’ll do my duty, Rob, only too gladly. Pile in, Tubby.Your blanket is over there on the left of the entrance, and we’d have anice time of it letting _you_ crawl over us.”
Rob did not follow immediately, for he was busying himself at the fire.They were careful to take their belongings into the brush shanty withthem, except certain things that could just as well hang high from alimb of the tree. There was no sign of rain or snow, so that they didnot worry on that score.
Finally Rob came crawling inside the shelter. He fancied that one orboth of his chums might already have dropped asleep, and did not mean todo anythin
g to disturb them. Yes, he could hear Tubby’s heavy breathing,which announced that the stout boy had drifted across the border ofslumberland and was perhaps already dreaming of Hampton folks, or somepast scenes in his ambitious career as a scout.
“He’s off, Rob,” Andy remarked in a low voice. “Gee! but Tubby can go tosleep the easiest of any one I ever knew. Honest, now, I believe hecould take a nap while walking along, if only some fellows kept him fromtumbling over. All he has to do is to shut his eyes, take half a dozenlong breaths, and then he’s clear gone.”
“Well, don’t talk any more now, Andy. We’ll both try to imitate hissensible example,” cautioned the other, as he started to creep under hisblanket, having removed his shoes and coat beforehand, although hewisely kept them handy in case a sudden necessity should arise.
So the time passed. Rob did wake up some hours afterward, and creepingout replenished the fire. As he did so he took note of the fact thatonce again there faintly came to his ears the long-drawn whistle of anengine; and he fancied that it meant to notify those who guarded thebridge of the approach of a fresh train loaded with valuable armystores, or troops bound for the war trenches over in Northern France.
Again Rob snuggled down under his blanket, feeling grateful for thecomforts that a generous fortune had supplied him with. He was not longin going to sleep.
Happily no one was nervous in that camp. He, too, soon lostconsciousness, and possibly slept for several hours, for when next heawoke the fire had once more died down to red embers.
This time, however, the awakening was along entirely different lines. Itwas caused by the whole end of their brush shanty falling down with acrash, as though some heavy object had been hurled against it. At thesame time the startled trio of scouts, sitting hastily up amidst thewreckage of their late shelter, saw some huge lumbering object scatterthe glowing embers of the smouldering fire in every direction as itdashed madly through the camp.
Tubby was stricken dumb with amazement. Possibly he had been indulgingin some extravagant dream in which the giant Jabberwock that sportedthrough “Alice in Wonderland” was creating great excitement. He staredat the vanishing bulky animal as though he could hardly believe hiseyes. Andy apparently had not lost control of his vocal organs, to judgeby the shout he let out.