Woodcraft: or, How a Patrol Leader Made Good

"Well, here's the hemlock, all right," observed Toby, "and now, fellows, stand back till Elmer has a chance to look over the ground. So many feet might tramp out the trail Dolph must have left."

They watched Elmer as he bent over. He moved this way and that, as his eyes scanned the ground in the most likely places. Twice he seemed to turn over some twigs, or fallen foliage that had turned brown.

"He sees it!" exclaimed Lil Artha; and Matt echoed the words, for he, too, had noticed that Elmer was now actually moving on.

"Want us to tag along after you, Elmer?" called Mark, eagerly.

By a movement of his arm the leader announced that he did.

"Go slow now, fellows," warned Mark. "Don't anybody overrun him, and cut across the trail. Leave it to Elmer just now. If he wants us to help him he'll sing out all in good time."

"That goes, Mark," echoed Red; and in this way then the dozen scouts began to move along through the woods, losing sight of the road, and the cottage where the mourning mother continued to weep and pray.

Presently they saw that Elmer had changed his course. He was no longer heading directly into the west as at first, but had sheered more into the northwest.

"Begins to look like Elmer was right, and the police head wrong," remarked Matty.

"In what way?" asked Landy Smith, filled with curiosity as to what it meant.

"Why," Matt went on, "you remember that the man said he believed Dolph was heading for the road that would take him to Cramertown. Now, Elmer, he believed just the opposite, and that pretty soon Dolph would turn off to go deeper into the timber. And that's just what he seems to be doing, the slick skunk."

"Say, this thing keeps growing more exciting, the further you dip into it," declared Landy. "Already I'm dead sure I'm going to get heaps of fun out of the scout business. And after a while, perhaps we'll even run this fellow Dolph down."

"Sure thing," asserted Toby, confidently. "Just stake your faith on Elmer to do the little job. Yes, sir, we expect that to happen, sooner or later."

"And when you do, there's going to be some sort of a mix-up," continued Landy.

"Wouldn't be surprised," replied Toby, glancing at the new member queerly, for he saw Landy was excited.

"Hark to me, Toby," said the other, almost in a whisper; "if that thing does come around, perhaps you'll all be glad I brought this little machine along," and he exhibited a revolver to the astonished gaze of the other.

"Hold on here," said Toby. "You ought to know that it's against the rules of the scouts, and our troop in particular, to carry a pistol. Nobody but the scout-master has that privilege. And to save you from trouble you'd better tell Elmer right off."

Others of the boys had seen what Landy held, and of course their exclamations reached the ears of the leader, who turned back.

"Against the rules, Landy," he said, smiling; "but since you're a new member, I won't throw it away. Here, let me empty out all the cartridges. You haven't any more with you, I suppose? Well, an empty revolver can't do any great harm. But be sure not to bring it again."

"But it might have come in handy right now, in case Dolph Gruber turned out to be ugly," protested Landy, regretfully replacing the shiny thing in his pocket, with a shame-faced air.

"Oh! well," said Elmer, as he started off again on the trail, "if twelve husky scouts can't manage one man, they'd better call themselves squaws, and put on skirts; that's all. Come on, fellows!"

CHAPTER IX.

REASONING THAT LOOKED LIKE MAGIC

The two new scouts, Landy Smith and Phil Dale, watched every action of Elmer with wonder and the deepest interest.

"I never knew before there was so much in this business," the former kept declaring to Matty, who chanced to keep near him. "Why, he doesn't seem to have any great trouble finding where Dolph went along, and yet for the life of me I can't see a blessed sign of a footprint."

"Well," laughed Matty, "for that matter neither can some of the rest of us, but we're keen to learn; and I know I'm picking up new points all the time. You see Elmer lived away out in the Canadian Great West, where he mixed up with cowboys, hunters and all such chaps. That's where he learned lots of things that just fit in the scouting line like pie."

"What's he going to do now?" demanded Landy, seeing their leader coming to a sudden halt, and waving for the others to approach.

"He wants to show us something," replied Matty. "You see, Elmer is anxious that every member of the troop, whether he belongs to the Wolf Patrol, the Beaver, or the new Eagle that is being formed, shall be as well posted in woodcraft as he is himself. So even while we're following up this trail, bent on business, he finds interesting things now and then to explain to us."

As the entire group of scouts gathered around where the leader bent over the ground, Elmer pointed downward, saying:

"Here's something, fellows, that I thought you ought to take note of. It may be of considerable benefit to you at some time or other, when perhaps you're passing through a test of trail following. I suppose every one of you can see this plain track of Dolph's shoe here?"

"Sure!" replied a number of the boys, readily enough; for evidently Elmer had picked out a particularly prominent impression when starting in to paint his little lesson.

"I'm going to hazard the declaration that this track was made about seven this morning; that at the time Dolph was carrying the little girl in his arms, and probably holding his hand over her mouth in order to prevent her crying out loud so as to attract attention."

"Well, I declare, that's a whole heap to say, Elmer," remarked Toby; although the expression on his face was rather that of eagerness to hear more, than doubt concerning the ability of Elmer to make good his assertion.

As for the two new scouts, they were beyond saying anything, but could only gasp and exchange looks.

"Now, you are wondering how I know those three things," Elmer went on. "And perhaps some of you are thinking that I asked Mrs. Gruber what time it was when Dolph came home, and acted like a brute. But I didn't; and only know, like the rest of you, that it was some time this morning. But I happened to remember that there was a queer little shower early this morning. It stopped as suddenly as it began. All the way up to here I could see signs of water in the tracks, but you notice there are none in these footprints now. That shower quit at five minutes to seven in Hickory Ridge. Making allowance for the difference in distance, I reckon Dolph was right here when it let up, say at even seven."

"Gee! that's going some!" muttered Landy, who was listening with rapt attention.

"Now, about his carrying the girl – that's easy. The soil is so soft right here, that it would show even the small print of her shoes. I saw them just back yonder, where we passed the big oak tree, but there's never a sign here. It stands to reason Dolph wouldn't turn the child loose; and so he must have picked her up."

"Because she was getting worn out, do you think, Elmer?" asked Mark.

"Well, that may have been the cause; and yet, perhaps, he had another reason, which brings me to the third statement I made. He was holding his hand over her mouth! I'm only making a bold stab at that, fellows, and if you pay attention I'll try to explain on what I base my views."

"Sure we will, Elmer; you've got us all tuned up to top notch," remarked Red.

"And as for me," said Landy, helplessly, "I'm in a fog, drifting about, and not knowing where I'll land. For the life of me I can't see how you figure out such wonderful things, Elmer."

"Listen, then," went on the acting scout master, "up to near here the trail led along in a direct track. I could see that Dolph was following some line he had no doubt marked out for himself. Then suddenly he had darted aside. That was where he grabbed up the child, if the tracks stood for anything. Do you see where he began to move along so as to keep this fringe of bushes in front? All right. Mark, you walk over to that big clump, and tell me if there isn't plain marks there showing where Dolph knelt down. You can't mistake the impression of his knees, and where the toes of his shoes dug into the soil two feet below."

Mark thereupon hastened to obey, while the balance of the scouts awaited his report with mingled feelings of anxiety and hope.

They saw him bend over as though keenly observing.

Then Mark straightened up. His face was smiling, as he called out triumphantly:

"By all that's wonderful they're here, just as you said they would be, Elmer. I know a man knelt down as well as if I saw him. And wait, here's the tracks of little shoes again, just beside him."

"I supposed you would find her trail there," resumed Elmer, quietly, "because it stood to reason that as Dolph crouched down behind the bushes he would drop her on the ground; all the while, remember, possibly holding his hand over Ruth's little mouth to keep her from betraying him."

"If that don't beat the Dutch!" ejaculated Landy. "Do you mean to tell me you read all that just from the signs? After this I'll believe anything. Why, a fellow'd think you'd been right on the spot, and actually watched Dolph."

"But see here, Elmer," spoke up Red Huggins, perhaps thinking to get the leader in a hole, or else honestly seeking further enlightenment; "what ever made Dolph act in that silly way? Do you think he was going out of his head, and believin' the police were hot on his trail?"

Elmer smiled.