Fast Nine; or, A Challenge from Fairfield Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  A QUESTION OF A SCOUT'S DUTY.

  "HE'S right," said Elmer, energetically, as he prepared to climb theparticular tree that bore such strange fruit. "Toby's hung there so longthat all the blood's just going to his head. Come along, Lil Artha; dropthat pack and follow me up there. We can rescue him, all right, if we'resmart."

  They went up among the branches like a couple of monkeys, both beinggood climbers. And presently they were close to where poor Toby wasdangling, watching their movements feverishly. His face was very red,and he did not look very comfortable as he swung there, without any holdabove or below.

  Lil Artha was immediately reminded of the stirring piece which he hadhimself recited in school more than once--about the captain's little boyon board a ship in a harbor, who daringly climbed to the very top of themainmast and stood up on the main truck--"no hold had he above, below;no aid could reach him there!"

  In that case the captain had shouted to the boy to jump far out, so thathe might strike the water, and they would pick him up, which in the endthe little fellow did, and was saved; but the same advice would notapply with regard to poor Toby, for he could not jump no matter how muchhe wished to, and it was hard ground below and not soft water.

  But Elmer sized the situation up as soon as he arrived. He saw that bygood luck the branch that held Toby up was a solid one, and would bearconsiderable weight, so that it was safe to crawl out on it.

  "I'll go and get within reach of him," he said, quickly. "You braceyourself, and be ready to pull him in when he drops. And Toby, make agrab for that branch just below when you feel yourself going,understand?"

  "Yes," groaned the other, "I guess I can make it all right, Elmer. Butsay, what you goin' to do now?" as he saw the other taking out hispocket knife, opening the largest blade, and then gripping the toolbetween his teeth so that he might have the free use of both hands.

  "I've got to cut you loose, you know; don't worry, Toby," replied theother, with such assurance in his steady voice that he unconsciouslygave the dangling boy new courage. "We're going to bring you down; onlytry to help yourself by getting hold of that branch, see?"

  "I will, Elmer, you just bet I will!" Toby answered.

  A minute later and Elmer was bending down above Toby. He had to bracehimself against a sudden shock, for he knew what the result must be,once Toby's weight was cast loose so that the limb could spring back.

  "Ready everybody?" Elmer sang out.

  "Sure!" answered Lil Artha, taking a new clutch on the garments of Toby,with one of his legs twined about the tree trunk so as to better holdhis own when the shock came.

  "Ready, Elmer; let her go!" said Toby, weakly but gamely.

  Fortunately that knife blade was as keen as a razor. Elmer always madeit a point to keep his knife in the best condition possible at alltimes, and this was one of the occasions where he felt amply repaid forhis foresight.

  One circular sweep, and the thing was done.

  Toby dropped like a plummet. His hands were outstretched and, as he hadplanned, he gripped the branch just below; but had it depended wholly onToby's ability to maintain his hold, he must have gone plunging down,banging against the various projections until he finally brought up onthe ground, lucky if he escaped broken ribs or collar bone.

  But Lil Artha was there like a young Gibraltar. He could not be moved,since his left leg was twined around the tree trunk. So he swung Tobyinward and gave him a chance to get his breath, while Elmer was hurryingdown to assist.

  Between them they managed to right Toby, who was soon panting as hesquatted in a friendly fork of the tree.

  "Now let's get down to the ground," said Elmer, who did not seem tothink that he had done anything very much out of the common in rescuingthe ambitious would-be aviator.

  "Oh, Elmer, just wait a minute!" exclaimed Toby, entreatingly.

  "What ails you now?" demanded Lil Artha. "Can't you get your nerve backyet? Say, we'll give you a hand down, Toby, all right. Just depend onyour fellow scouts."

  "It ain't that, Lil Artha," declared Toby; "but while you're about it,why won't you make a clean sweep of the thing, a double rescue so tospeak?"

  "Well, now, did you ever hear the beat of that?" laughed the tall boy."He wants us to risk our precious lives cutting his old umbrella machineloose above there, so he can just take chances again. That's nervy, allright."

  "But Lil Artha," continued the other, persuasively, laying a hand on thesleeve of the tall scout, "don't you see that it's only held slightly?If you could cut that rope, and break that small branch off, I believethe whole outfit would have to fall to the ground. Elmer, ain't thatso?"

  Of course Elmer was compelled to admit the fact, for the parachute wasonly lightly held, after its adventurous passage through the tree tops.So Lil Artha, grumbling somewhat, though obliging, proceeded forthwithto climb farther aloft until he could use his knife on the cord thatseemed to be helping to retard the downward progress of the parachute.

  "Now break that branch, and she's just bound to drop, Lil Artha!" criedToby, who was keenly alive to the fate of his beloved airship. "Thereshe goes, fellows! What did I tell you? Whoop! Sailed down as soft as athistle ball! That's the ticket. Bully boy, Lil Artha! I will neverforget this of both of you. Some day mebbe I'll have a chance to takeyou up with me in my balloon!"

  "Nixy, never, not me!" declared the tall boy, as he came scrambling downfrom his elevated perch. "The ground's good enough for this chicken. IfI ever dropped from this height, whatever would happen to my bones, tellme that? Now, let's see if you can climb down, Toby."

  Toby proved to be all right again, now that he had regained an uprightposition, and the blood ceased to gather in his head. He made a decentjob of it, dropping down the tree. Lil Artha kept close beside him, toguard against any accident, for, as he said, he "didn't want to have hiswork all for nothing, and let Toby get a broken leg after he had oncebeen safely rescued."

  They all arrived on the ground under the tree about the same time.Toby's first thought seemed to be in connection with his belovedparachute, and, of course, he started for the spot where the brokenumbrella-like apparatus lay, upside down; as Lil Artha declared, "forall the world like a duck that, being shot in the air, had fallen on itsback."

  Hardly had the unfortunate Toby taken half a dozen steps away than LilArtha suddenly burst out into shrieks of laughter that caused the otherto whirl around in his tracks and look at him in astonishment.

  "What ails you, now, I'd just like to know, Lil Artha?" he demanded."You sure act like you'd gone bug-house. Say, Elmer, is he crazy, or canit be the reaction set in after his daring feat in grabbing me?"

  "Turn around!" yelled Lil Artha. "Let Elmer see the air hole he made.Oh, my! Oh, me! but don't you feel cold? Ain't you afraid of a draught,Toby?"

  Toby apparently suddenly began to understand, and as his hand went backof him a grin broke over his face.

  "Oh, murder!" he ejaculated, "he cut out the whole seat, and these aremy newest trousers, too! Won't I get it, though, when mom sees what'shappened? And I don't dare tell her how it was done, because shewouldn't let me keep on studying about aeroplanes and such. Whatever amI going to do now!"

  "I'd advise you to get an awning before you show yourself in town,"jeered Lil Artha. "If any of the scouts see you, Toby, they'll surethink you're flying a flag of truce. But don't you blame Elmer for yourtroubles, hear? He did the only thing there was open to him. And if hehadn't happened to have that sharp knife along, you might be hanging upthere yet and for some time to come; get that?"

  "Sure, and I'm making no kick," replied Toby, with a grimace. "Reckon Ipulled out of a bad scrape lucky enough. Wow! Thought at one time mygoose was cooked! But it's all right now, it's all right, boys!"

  "Yes," sang Lil Artha, "everything is lovely, and the goose hangs high,or he did up to the time his chums happened along and yanked him down.But it was a good thing for you, Toby, Elmer here happened to be sentover to Mr. Bailey's house, and c
oncluded to take the short cut throughthe woods."

  "Well," remarked Toby, philosophically, and boy fashion, "I always heardit was better to be born lucky than rich, and now I believe it."

  "Come along, Lil Artha," said Elmer; "we've got business on hand, youremember, and can't waste any more time here. But I hope Toby won'tthink of trying to drop down from the top of Echo Cliff again."

  "Not if he knows it," returned the other, whose face was scratched inseveral places from contact with twigs during his crash into the tree."Next time I try out any of my inventions I'll make sure to pick a placewhere there ain't any plagued trees. Perhaps I might try a jump from theold church tower some fine day. That would make the people of sleepy oldHickory Ridge stare some, hey?"

  "I sure think it would," returned Lil Artha, as he stepped off afterElmer; "and your folks in particular. I see you're in for a heap oftrouble, Toby, with these fool notions of yours. It'll be a good thingif you get cured before you're killed."

  "That's a fact," called out Toby, with one of his grins; "because itwouldn't be much use after that same thing happened, hey?"

  Elmer was chuckling as he walked along.

  "Never will forget how Toby looked as he kicked, and pawed, and tried toget hold of something," he remarked to his companion.

  "Same here, Elmer," replied the other, shaking with merriment.

  "But all the same it was a ticklish thing for Toby, and what you mightcall a close shave," declared Elmer, thoughtfully.

  "Whew, I wouldn't like to take the chances of a thirty-foot drop likethat, if the branch broke or his trousers tore!" Lil Artha remarked."And after all Toby ought to be thankful that they were new goods andnot rotten stuff."

  "Think of his nerve in jumping off that high cliff," said Elmer, shakinghis head, as though the idea appalled him. "That fellow is getting toodaring. I wouldn't be much surprised if he did try to drop down from thechurch tower some fine day if this thing isn't nipped in the bud."

  "Then perhaps we ought to tell, Elmer?" suggested Lil Artha.

  "You mean, let his folks know about the narrow call he had here to-day?"

  "Yep. Seems to me it's kind of our duty to inform his dad. Another time,perhaps, Toby won't be just so lucky. And Elmer, if he got smashed orhad his legs broken, you and me would feel like we was guilty, ain'tthat so?"

  "I'll think it over, Lil Artha," replied the other. "I hate to tell on achum, but this is something out of the ordinary. It may mean Toby'slife, for all we can tell. And on the whole I think his folks ought toknow."

  "He won't blab on himself, that's dead sure," remarked the tall scout.

  "Sounded like he didn't mean to, for a fact," Elmer continued.

  "Tell you what, I'd have given a heap to have been around just then,Elmer."

  "You mean when he took the jump? It must have been a bit thrilling for afellow to deliberately drop off such a high place. But Toby's got thenerve, only sometimes it seems to me he's reckless. And that's a badthing in anyone who wants to sail around through the air regions."

  They went on exchanging opinions, and in due time arrived at the Baileyhouse, where Elmer delivered his charge to the owner of the big woods.

  On the way back they neither saw nor heard anything of Toby, though theycould easily imagine him hard at work trying to get his broken parachutein shape, so that it might be transported back to town, and fixed up foranother exploit.

  It would not be in boy nature to keep such a remarkable story secret,and before night it had likely traveled from one end of Hickory Ridge tothe other in about a dozen different shapes. Some even had it that Tobyhad flown a mile before being caught in a tree, while others had him awreck, with all the doctors in town trying to patch him up. But Elmerwent straight to Mr. Jones, and gave him the true version, so that hemight not be alarmed at anything he heard.