CHAPTER XXIV
THE DUTY OF THE SCOUT
When two days had passed and the storm still raged, the scouts beganto feel more anxious than ever. The snow continued to sweep past thecabin in blinding sheets. It was difficult to know whether all thiscame from above, or if some was snatched up from the ground andwhirled about afresh.
In some places enormous drifts abounded, while other more exposedspots had been actually swept bare by the wind.
The scouts had not suffered in the least, save mentally. The cabinproved to be fairly warm, thanks to the great fire they kept going dayand night; and they certainly had no reason to fear for any lack ofprovisions with which to satisfy their ever present appetites.
Still, from time to time, murmurs could be heard.
"One thing sure!" Sandy Griggs was saying toward noon on this thirdday of the blizzard, "this storm is going to upset a whole lot of ourplans."
"Knock 'em into a jiffy!" added Bluff.
"We'll never be able to skate down the creek to the lake, if it'scovered with two feet of snow," Sandy growled.
"Oh! for all we know," laughed Paul, "this wind has been a good friendto us, and may keep the smooth ice clear of snow. We'd better not cryuntil we know the milk has really been spilled."
"But any way," Bluff continued, bound to find some cause for thegloomy feelings that clung like a wet blanket, "we'll never be able torun our iceboats back home. Chances are we'll have to drag them mostof the way."
"All right, then," Paul told him, "we'll make the best of a badbargain. If you only look hard enough, Bluff and Sandy, you'll findthe silver lining to every cloud. And no matter how the storm upsetssome of our plans we ought to be thankful we've got such a snugshelter, and plenty of good things to eat--thanks to Mr. Garrity."
"Yes, that's what I just had in mind, Paul," spoke up Bobolink. "Now,you all needn't begin to grin at me when I say that. I was thinkingmore about the fellows who may be shivering and hungry, than of ourown well-fed crowd."
"Oh! The Lawsons!" exclaimed Bluff. "That's a fact. While we're havingsuch a royal time of it here they may be up against it good andhard."
Perhaps all of the boys had from time to time allowed their thoughtsto stray away, and mental pictures of the Lawson crowd suffering fromhunger and cold intruded upon their minds. They forgot whatever theychanced to be doing at that moment, and came around Paul.
"In one way it would serve them right if they did get a little roughexperience," observed Spider Sexton, who perhaps had suffered more atthe hands of the Stanhope bully and his set than any of the otherscouts.
"Oh, that sort of remark hardly becomes you, Spider," Paul remindedhim. "If you remember some of the rules and regulations to which yousubscribed when joining the organization you'll find that scouts haveno business to feel bitter toward any one, especially when the fellowsthey look on as enemies may be suffering."
"Excuse me, Paul, I guess I spoke without thinking," said Spider, withdue humility. "And to prove it I'm going to suggest that we figure outsome way we might be of help to Hank and his lot."
"That's more like it, Spider!" the scout-master exclaimed, as thoughpleased. "None of us fancy those fellows, because so far we've failedto make any impression on them. Several times we've tried to make anadvance, but they jeered at us, and seemed to think it was only fearon our part that made us try to throw a bridge across the chasmseparating us. It's going to be different if, as we half believe,they're in serious trouble."
"But Paul, what could we do to help them?" demanded Bluff.
"With this storm raging to beat the band," added Tom Betts, "it wouldbe as much as our lives were worth to venture out. Why, you can't seeten feet away; and we'd be going around in a circle until the cold gotus in the end."
"Hold on, fellows, don't jump at conclusions so fast," Paul warnedthem. "I'd be the last one to advise going out into the woods with thestorm keeping up. But Tolly Tip told me the snow stopped hours ago.What we see whirling around is only swept by the wind, for it's as dryas powder you know. And even the wind seems to be dying down now, andis blowing in spasms."
"Paul, you're right, as you nearly always are," Jack affirmed, afterhe had pressed his nose against the cold glass of the little window."And say! will you believe me when I say that I can see a small patchof blue sky up yonder--big enough to make a Dutchmen's pair ofbreeches?"
"Hurrah! that settles the old blizzard then!" cried Sandy Griggs. "Youall remember, don't you, the old saying, 'between eleven and twoit'll tell you what it's going to do?' I've seen it work out lots oftimes."
"Yes," retorted Jud, "and fail as often in the bargain. That's one ofthe exploded signs. When they come out right you believe in 'em, andwhen they miss, why you just forget all about it, and go on hoping.But in this case I reckon the old storm must have blown itself aboutout, and we can look for a week of cold, clear weather now."
"We'll wait until after lunch," said Paul, in his decided fashion thatthe boys knew so well; "then, if things brighten up, we'll see what wecan do. Those fellows must be suffering, more or less, and it's ourduty to help them, no matter whether they bother to thank us or not."
"Scouts don't want thanks when they do their duty," said Phil Towns,grandly. "But I suppose you'll hardly pick me out as one of the rescueparty, Paul?"
"I'd rather have the hardiest fellows along with me, Phil," repliedthe scout-master, kindly; "though I'm glad to know you feel willing toserve. It counts just as much to _want_ to go, as to be allowed to beone of the number."
Bobolink especially showed great delight over the possibility of theirsetting out to relieve the enemy in distress. A dozen times he went tothe door and passed out, under the plea that they might as well haveplenty of wood in the cabin; but on every occasion upon his return hewould report the progress of the clearing skies.
"Have the sun shining right away now, boys," he finally announced,with a beaming face. "And the wind's letting up, more or less. Timesare when you can see as far as a hundred feet. And say! it's awonderful sight let me tell you."
Noon came and they sat down to the lunch that had been prepared forthem, this time by Frank and Spider, Bobolink having begged off. Thesun was shining in a dazzling way upon the white-coated ground. Itlooked like fairyland the boys declared, though but little of the snowhad remained on the oaks, beeches and other forest trees, owing to thefurious and persistent wind.
The hemlocks, however, were bending low with the weight that pressedupon their branches. Some of the smaller ones looked like snowpyramids, and it was plain to be seen that during the remainder of thewinter most of this snow was bound to hang on.
"If we only had a few pairs of snow-shoes like Tolly Tip's here,"suggested Bobolink, enthusiastically, "we might skim along overten-foot drifts, and never bother about things."
"Yes," Jud told him, a bit sarcastically, "if we knew just how tomanage the bally things, we might. But it isn't so easy as you think.Most of us would soon be taking headers, and finding ourselves upsidedown. It's a trick that has to be learned; and some fellows never canget the hang, I've been told."
"Well, there's no need of our talking about it," interposed Paul,"because there's only one pair of snow-shoes in the cabin, and all ofus can't wear those. But Tolly Tip says we're apt to find avenuesswept in the snow by the wind, where we can walk for the most part onclear ground, with but few drifts to wade through."
"It may make a longer journey av the same," the old woodsmanexplained; "but if luck favors us we'll git there in due time, Ibelave, if so be ye settle on goin'."
Nothing could hold the scouts back, it seemed. This idea of settingforth to succor an enemy in distress had taken a firm hold upon theirimaginations.
Besides, those days when they were shut up in the storm-besieged cabinhad been fearfully long to their active spirits, and on this account,too, they welcomed the chance to do something.
There could no longer be any doubt that the storm had blown itselfout, for the sky was rapidly clearing. The a
ir remained bitter cold,and Paul advised those whom he selected to accompany him to wrapthemselves up with additional care, for he did not wish to have themtake the chance of frosting their toes and their noses.
Those who were fortunate enough to be drafted for the trip were Jack,Jud, Bobolink and Tom Betts. Some of the others felt slighted, buttried to be as cheerful over their disappointment as possible.
Of course, Tolly Tip was to accompany them, for he would not haveallowed the boys to set out without his guidance, under such changedand really hazardous conditions. A trained woodsman would be necessaryin order to insure the boys against possible disaster in thestorm-bound forest.
Well bundled up, and bearing packs on their backs consisting in themain of provisions, the six started off, followed by the cheers andgood wishes of their comrades, and were soon lost to view amidst thewhite aisles of the forest.