CHAPTER IX
FOUND AT LAST
WHEN we saw the smoke signal on Greylock, the first thing we thought ofwas to signal back. But Skinny said:
"Come on. He won't be looking for us here. Bob's Hill is the place. Hecan see us there."
We started on a run across the fields, getting more excited everyminute.
"I don't see how Bill could lose any camp," exclaimed Benny.
"And I don't see what he is doing on Greylock when he started for NorthAdams," Hank said.
"Maybe it isn't Bill, at all," I told them. "I've seen smoke on Greylockmore than once."
"It's Bill all right," Skinny said. "I can almost hear him. We don'tknow how he got there, but he's there and he can't get back. Somethinghas happened."
"Anyhow, we'll soon find out," we all thought, when we came in sight ofthe twin stones.
"I'll run down home and get a blanket," I told them, "while the rest ofyou make a fire."
Our house is right at the foot of the hill and it didn't take me long.The old horse blanket which we used in signaling was in the woodshed. Ionly stopped long enough to wet it and call to Ma that Bill was up onGreylock signaling.
She was almost as excited as I was.
"Hurry!" said she. "Don't wait for me. I'll come as soon as I can."
I hadn't thought of waiting for anybody.
She grabbed a pair of field glasses off the shelf and rushed after me. Iheard her calling to Mrs. Blackinton when she went through the yard andI had to go some to keep ahead.
By the time we had climbed the hill, the boys had a big fire going andwere piling on green branches and leaves to make it smoke. Then wecaught hold of the blanket by the corners, ready to shut off the smoke.
"Ask if it's Bill," Skinny told us, watching the two smokes on themountain.
Then we signaled, "Is it you, Bill?" and repeated it. Before we hadfinished the second time Skinny gave a shout.
"It's Bill," said he. "He's signaling."
We could see one column of smoke break up into puffs, but couldn't seevery plain because the smoke was so thin and far away.
"Here, take this glass," said Ma, handing the field glass to Skinny.
"Hurrah," he cried, after he had looked through them. "I can see realgood."
Then he held up one hand and we waited while he called off the letters.
"H-E-L-P."
That was all. We waited for more but nothing came.
Before we had turned to go Ma was halfway down the hill and running tobeat the band. I knew that if Bill didn't get help it wouldn't be herfault.
"See if you can get hold of Mr. Wilson," she called, as soon as we camein sight. "I'll telephone his house. If you can't get him, get somebody.Your father has gone to hitch up and he will be ready to start in a fewminutes."
In five minutes it seemed as if the whole town knew about it and wereout in front of our house, or else climbing the hill to see the smoke.Mr. Wilson came on a run and was in the wagon before Pa could stop thehorse.
"I want one of you boys to go with us," said Pa. "We may need some moresignaling. Benny Wade, you are the lightest. Can you stand the climb?"
"Can I?" said he. "You watch me."
The marshal chased up with a light stretcher and another lantern.
"You can't have too many," he said. "It will be dark before you get upthere."
Ma came running out with a basket of bread and butter and some meat.
"We'll light a big fire on the mountain, if all is well," they toldher.
"The water!" called Skinny. "Pedro, get them a big bottle."
In another minute they were off, while the others went home to wait,which is the hardest part.
I found out afterward what happened. They couldn't drive all the way upGreylock from our side. There was a road from North Adams and anotherfrom Cheshire but those were too far.
Pa planned to drive as far as they could and then to leave the horsetied and walk up the rest of the way. They went around the road by theQuaker Meeting House to Peck's Falls. From there a road goes part way upthe mountain, steep and winding. It was hard pulling for the horse.
I don't believe Greylock ever was climbed so fast before, although itseemed slow enough to poor Bill waiting on top, thirsty and faint. Heknew that his signal had been seen and that was something.
The first thing that he heard was a call of a crow, over to the southand far down the mountainside.
"Caw, caw, caw," came the sound, and it seemed to be Benny's voice.
Bill stood up on one foot and listened.
"Caw, caw, caw," it came again, this time nearer.
Then Bill braced himself and seemed to grow stronger, all in a minute.
"Caw," he yelled. "Caw, caw!"
The sound went floating down into the gathering darkness, until itreached two men and a boy, toiling up the mountainside.
"That's Bill!" cried Benny.
"Thank God!" said Mr. Wilson. "He's alive. We know that."
Twenty minutes later he had Bill in his arms and Benny was building thebiggest fire that had been seen on Greylock since I could remember. Wewere watching for it down below and knew that everything was all right.
"Now," said Pa, "let's have some supper. I don't know about William, butI feel hungry."
It was late at night when they finally brought Bill home. Mrs. Wilsonnearly had a fit again when she saw them carrying him into the yard ona stretcher.
"Speak to her, son," said his father, "so that she will know you arealive."
Bill propped himself up on one elbow and gave such a yell that it scaredthe neighbors, and ended with a caw. Then she knew that it was all rightand felt better.
Skinny was the proudest fellow you ever saw because we had found Bill.It made him real chesty and we all felt good about it.
"Say, we're the stuff," said he. "If you don't believe it, watch oursmoke. That's all I've got to say. Hurry up and get well, Bill, so wecan have a meeting and tell about our hikes. I want to see a First ClassScout badge on my manly bosom."
We were sitting in Bill's house at the time, to cheer him up a littlebecause he couldn't go out without a crutch.
"What's the matter with having the meeting here?" said Bill. "I don'tsuppose Mr. Norton will give me a badge because I haven't delivered hismessage yet, but I'd like to hear what the rest of you did. I can't getout for a few days. When I do, I'm going to North Adams and back, if ittakes a whole leg. Believe me."
"You did more than any of us," Benny told him, "badge or no badge."
"I guess you won't chase over the mountain the next time," I said. "Whenyou stick to the roads there don't anything happen."
"Oh, there don't, don't they?" exclaimed Skinny. "Say, you fellers oughtto have been with me. There was something doing every minute. Ma saysit's a wonder that I'm alive. I've had awfully hard work to keep fromtelling about it."
"Tell us about it now."
"Not much, you wouldn't be able to sleep to-night. Besides, it mightmake Bill's ankle worse."
"Great snakes!" said Bill. "There ain't anything the matter with me,only it hurts me to step on my foot. Come on, Skinny. Let's have it."
"No-p. We've got to have a meetin' first."
"Suppose that you have your meeting here to-night," said Mrs. Wilson,who had come into the room in time to hear what we were talking about."Willie is a great deal better and I can have him take a nap to bracehim for the story. If you boys will come around after supper you canmeet right in this room, and perhaps, I don't say for sure, perhaps theneighbors will bring in some ice cream to quiet your nerves and make yousleep."
"May we bring Mr. Norton?" I asked. "He is our Scoutmaster and he oughtto be with us when we tell about the doings of the patrol."
"Surely you can. He is coming, anyway. He sent word this morning that hewould call to-night."
We met at Skinny's a little before eight o'clock and went over in abunch. On the way Skinny told us what to do.
"When we get to the ga
te," said he, "let's stop and each one caw threetimes."
"What for?" I asked. "We know that he is there; don't we? Besides Billis sick. Maybe we'd better keep quiet."
"Sick nothin'! He ain't any more sick than I am. He said so himself.He's hurt his ankle a little, that's all. Ankles can't hear, can they?"
"Maybe it will cheer him up to hear us," I told him. "He can't get out,you know. It is hard to be cooped up in the house that way, and Fourthof July coming."
"Anyhow," said Benny, "let's not all caw at once. We can take turns andit will not make so much noise."
That was what we did, standing just outside the gate, where we could seea light streaming through an open window in Bill's room.
Skinny led off with three. I followed, and the others in turn, endingwith Benny. Skinny said that it sounded like the booming of minute gunsin some battle or other, that he read about in a book.
Say, it surprised the folks living around there. Before we were halfthrough, they came running out of their houses to see what was going on.It made us feel proud and we were just going to do it over again, whenwe heard Bill cawing in the house and Mrs. Wilson threw the door openand stood there laughing.
"I judge by the sound," said she, "that the Ravens have arrived and arein good voice."
We found Bill sitting in a big chair, with his foot propped up and hiseyes shining.
At first we didn't know just how to act, until in a few minutes Mr.Norton came and then Mrs. Wilson brought in some ice cream and someclusters of strawberries, with dishes of powdered sugar to dip theminto.
We knew how to act then, all right, and for a few minutes we were toobusy to talk.
I am not going to tell what all the Scouts did on that hike. I alreadyhave told what happened to some of us. There didn't much happen to mostof them, anyhow, any more than there did to me. It was different withSkinny. Something almost always happened to him.