Roy Blakeley's Motor Caravan Read online

  "Scouts are supposed to say _please_" Will Dawson piped up.

  Harry said, "Right. Scouts are polite even amid bloodshed and the roarof cannon."

  Major Grumpy said, "You look as if you had just taken the city ofFrankfort, judging from your rear guard."

  Harry said, "Major Grumpy, your official report that Uncle Tom's Cabinwill not be given here to-day is not true; it is a garbled report. Allowme to tell you that, thanks to the boy scouts whom you sneer at andevict from your property, Eliza will be chased as per schedule, UncleTom will be thoroughly beaten, and little Eva will die and go to heavenas announced."

  Major Grumpy was kind of surprised. First he looked us all over, andBrent took off his hat and flapped his long sleeves at him, awful funny.Then the major said, "Who put you off this property?"

  Then Harry said, "What you do to a boy scout, you do to every boy scoutin the United States, including Mars and Grumpy's Cross-roads and alloutlying sections. When you put these little townsmen of yours out ofthat shady grove over there, you put _us_ out. Do you know that? EvenUncle Tom, who gets whipped six times a week, not including Wednesdayand Saturday matinees, says he never heard of such treatment. You callthe Grand Army a kind of brotherhood, but let me tell you, Major, thatwe've got that name _brotherhood_ copyrighted, all rights reserved. Whenyou put these little fellows off your land, you put half a millionscouts off your land, and that's a bigger army than the Grand Army everwas.

  "We sent up a signal to say that we were coming and that message wasdelivered to you and you thought it was a lot of nonsense."

  The major said, "So you were responsible for that column of smoke, hey?"

  Harry said, "You're kind of old fashioned, Major, on signal corps work.That was us, all right, and these little neighbors of yours gave you themessage and you laughed at them. Well, here we are with the goods,Little Eva weeping her eyes out, Topsy ready to cut up, and Simon Legreewith his whip; here we are just as we said we'd be--Johnny on the spot.We've brought with us every veteran between here and Barrow's Homesteadand they're with us to the last ditch. Field Marshal Gaylong here isfeared by every crow in the west. Now what are you going to do about it?

  "We purpose, Major, to cut off your base of supplies; it's either thator surrender. We want that shady little grove over there as indemnity.If we don't get it we're going to seize all the ice cream, all the sodawater, all the lemonade, all the candy, all the popcorn on this bloodybattlefield and starve you out. The Grand Army will look like GrandStreet, New York, when we get through with it."

  "And frankfurters too!" Pee-wee shouted.

  "There won't be a frankfurter left to tell the tale," Harry said; "thispeaceful land will run red with red lemonade. Now what do you say?"

  Gee whiz, I wouldn't accuse Harry of being a traitor, but just the sameI saw him wink at Major Grumpy, and Major Grumpy began to smile, andthen he offered Harry a cigarette.

  That was giving aid and comfort to the enemy, all right.

  CHAPTER XXXVI--SCOUTS ON THE JOB

  So that shows you how this story has a happy ending, only that isn't theend of it. Oh, boy, the worst is yet to come. A lot of terrible thingshappen after a war. Now we come to the reconstruction period. And,believe me, Major Grumpy reconstructed his opinion about the scouts. Hesaid that poor little patrol that was just starting could have the groveto build a headquarters in and he gave them some money to build it, too,He said that before we got there he thought that smoke away off on themountain was just a forest fire, but when he found out that we couldmake smoke talk, good night, he was for us, all right.

  But anyway, he said he liked to hear Pee-wee talk better. I said, "Yes,but it would be nice if he'd go off on a lonely mountain and talk, likethe smudge fire."

  We spent the rest of that day at the Veterans' Reunion, and we saw theUncle Tom's Cabin show, too. Only one of the bloodhounds wouldn't chaseEliza, and Rossie Bent had to give her a frankfurter, so he'd chase her.

  Most of the time that we weren't at the ice cream counter, we were overin the grove with those Grumpy's Cross-roads scouts. They said they weregoing to name their patrol the Crows, after Brent Gaylong. Harry said itwould be better to name it the Hot Dogs, after Pee-wee.

  Once Major Grumpy came over and sat down on a stump and talked with usand asked us a lot of questions about the scouts. He told those littlefellows how they ought to build their shack and he said he'd find ascoutmaster for them. Most all the veterans came over and visited us,and we did lots of good turns for them, carrying their luggage and alllike that. One of them was overcome by the heat but we fixed him up, allright, with first aid.

  Uncle Tom came over, too, and talked to us between the shows. He askedus if we could dress the marks that the ferocious bloodhounds made onEliza's arm. Those marks were painted. He was awful funny, Uncle Tomwas.

  That reunion lasted three days, but we only stayed one day, because wehad to get started for home. Anyway, I'm glad all the soldiers in theCivil War didn't get killed, because you can have a lot of fun atreunions. One thing I'm sorry for and that is that I won't be a kid whenthe soldiers who were in the World War are old veterans, I bet there'llbe a lot of lemonade and things then, hey? But anyway there'll be scoutsthen, and it will be lucky for them there was a world war. Anyway,reunions are my favorite outdoor sports--reunions and hikes.

  CHAPTER XXXVII--THAT MYSTERIOUS PAPER AGAIN

  We started away from that reunion at about five o'clock at night andeverybody was sorry to see us go. Those scouts, and the Uncle Tom'sCabin people, and a lot of old veterans, all crowded around us to saygood-by. They said we were a wide-awake bunch, but if they could haveseen us about four hours later they wouldn't have said so.

  We made a camp alongside the road, and I cooked supper, and then most ofus slept in the van. While we were sitting around our camp-fire, Brenttook out that mysterious paper that he had found in the scarecrow'spocket, and he kind of winked at Harry as if he was going to spring agreat surprise on us. He looked awful funny in the light of the fire;just like a real live scarecrow--I mean a dead one.

  He said, "Scouts of the victorious legion, while we are resting afterthe bloody battle of Grumpy's Cross-roads, I have a dark communicationto make to you. Excuse me while I get in a better light."

  "I thought you said it was a _dark_ communication," Pee-wee shouted.

  Brent said, "Well, it's a kind of a dim communication. Only two scoutsand our trusty leader know about it. They have kept their lips sealed. Iwish now, by the light of this camp-fire, to ask you one and all, if youare ready to undertake an enterprise that is fraught with mortal peril?"

  "Is it fraught with anything to eat?" Will Dawson wanted to know.

  "Isn't mortal peril good enough for you?" Pee-wee shouted.

  Gee whiz, some fellows are never satisfied.

  Brent said, "Comrades, when I put an end to the career of that miserablescarecrow and, with a single stroke, made millions of crows happy, Ifound in the pocket of his frock-coat a mysterious paper. More thanthat, I know who that frock-coat belonged to before he had it. Itbelonged to Deacon Snookbeck of Barrow's Homestead! _Ha, ha_,--and acouple of _he, he's_!"

  "Read the paper!" they all began shouting,

  He said, "Silence. While traveling with Scout Harris, and patrol leaderBlakeley, I met a stranger who told us that several years ago DeaconSnookbeck had two mysterious visitors in his house. Whether this paperthat I am about to read to you has any connection with those strangers,I cannot say. I am not skilled in high grade mysteries, being only aplain, ordinary burglar and thug----"

  "You larcenied!" Pee-wee shouted.

  Brent put his hand on his forehead and said, awful funny, "Don't remindme of my crimes."

  "Read the paper," Rossie Bent said.

  So then Brent read the paper, and I have to admit that it sounded prettymysterious and I guess, after all his fooling, that he thought sohimself.

  Snake Creek, North shore from Ohio R. to Skeleton Co
ve. Top of S Cove. Follow line due north from willow. Cons to west. Stake. Measure ninety-two feet along north line, then follow line due NW through T.W. Stake. Treasure at HW limit, indicated at AN Stake. Follow S line south to pie.

  _Good night_, you should have heard the fellows when he finishedreading. I mean you couldn't have heard them, because nobody saidanything; they all just sat there gaping.

  Then Brent said, awful funny, he said, "It seems, scouts, that byfollowing S line south we shall come to a pie. Whether it is a pumpkinpie or a mince pie I cannot say----"

  Harry kind of cut him off short and said, "Brent, putting all foolingaside, now that you read that paper over, it sounds pretty good to me."

  "I was always fond of pie," Brent said.

  Harry said, "Well, I was always fond of buried treasure and that paperhas the true ring to me, hanged if it hasn't. Skeleton Cove sounds as ifit meant business. So does '_treasure at HW limit_' I like the sound ofthat. I never gave two thoughts to that paper until just now when youread it, but I'm hanged if I don't think it means something. What do yousay, Tom Slade?"

  Tom said in that slow way of his, "It's got the word _treasure_ in,that's sure."

  Then Brent said with a sober face, "As an expert, Pee-wee, what would_you_ say? Is a pie a treasure?"

  "Good night," I said, "he's buried enough pies, he ought to know."

  "It means buried treasure, that's what it means!" Pee-wee shouted. "AndI'm with Harry; I say let's go and find it."

  "Where?" Brent said.

  "You said we could get a map," the kid shouted.

  All the fellows were with Harry; they were just crazy to go after thattreasure. Tom Slade didn't say much, but he never does. I went around tothe side of the fire where he was sitting and I said, "You were alwaysso crazy about adventures; what do you think it means if it doesn't meanburied treasure?"

  "I haven't got anything to say," he said; "it's got the word treasure init, and that settles it. I say let's go, if we can find the place."

  I shouted, "Tom Slade is with us, he believes in it. I say let's goafter it."

  Harry was sitting on the back end of the van, swinging his legs andlooking in the fire. I knew his thoughts were kind of serious, allright. He's crazy about adventures, that fellow is. Brent took my scoutknife and held it between his teeth and glared into the fire, veryfierce and savage, just like a pirate. He did it to make Harry mad. Butall the fellows were with Harry, anyway, and they were all crazy aboutthe thing--even I was crazy.

  Harry said, all the while looking into the fire kind of dreamy like, hesaid, "Brent, why may not this be true?"

  Brent said, "You mean the Pirates' Secret or the Mystery of the HiddenPie?"

  "Don't you mind him," Pee-wee shouted to Harry; "he's a Philippine!"

  "That's just what you are, Brent," Harry said; "you're a Philistine. Youhave no romance. Just because you live in the twentieth century youthink nothing can happen. But the world war happened, didn't it? Youhave it from a man you met that two mysterious strangers visited the oldgent who once owned that coat. You found this paper; in thatcoat--didn't you?"

  Brent said, "Alas, yes."

  Harry said, "Well, you can laugh----"

  Brent said, "I'm not laughing, I'm weeping and gnashing my teeth; that'strue sixteenth century stuff, isn't it?"

  "Well, how do you explain the writing on that paper, then?" Harry wantedto know.

  "Sure, how do you explain it, then?" Westy piped up.

  "He _can't_ explain it," Tom Warner shouted.

  "Sure he can't!" Pee-wee yelled.

  Brent said, "I seem to have an overwhelming minority."

  Harry said, "You're always shouting about real adventures, but when westumble on the real thing, when we're told on black and white to followa line due north from willow--what does that say?"

  "It says _follow a line due north from willow_," Brent said, all thewhile reading the paper. "It says _cons to the west_. It says _stake_; Idon't know whether it's a porterhouse or a sirloin. It may be aHamburger. It says by following the S line south we'll come to the pie."

  Harry jumped down and looked over Brent's shoulder and he said, "Whatdoes it say about the treasure? We'll find it at HW limit--there it ison black and white. Boys, we'll get a map in Indianapolis and find outwhere Snake Creek is if we have to study that map all night. We're onthe track of pirates' gold, by thunder! Here's a _real adventure_ handedto us by fate! If old Grouch Gaylong isn't with us, we'll send him homein a baby carriage, that's what!"

  Brent said--gee whiz, I had to laugh the way he said it; he said,"Comrades, I will follow where you lead. Take me to the treasure and Iwill dig it up. But if that scarecrow has deceived me, I will nevertrust man again. As a criminal I have been a failure. I wanted to escapefrom cruel jailers, I escaped from two boy scouts. I wanted to plungefrom the window of a dry goods van. I wanted to kill a fellow being; Imurdered a scarecrow. My life has been a failure."

  Gee whiz; honest I almost felt sorry for him.

  He said, "But I have not lost hope. Boys, I will go with you. I willfollow the line north from the willow. I will measure ninety-two feetalong something-or-other. I will follow the S line south to the pie, beit pumpkin, apple or mince. I will eat the stake. But if I am deceived,if my hopes are again dashed----"

  "We'll send you to the insane asylum," Harry said; "that's where youbelong."

  Brent said, "I have always longed to be thrown into a mad-house."

  Gee whiz, you can't help laughing at that fellow.

  CHAPTER XXXVIII--THE ONLY WAY

  The next afternoon we got to Indianapolis and Harry treated us all tosodas. Then we bought a map that showed the Ohio River. We made a campabout ten miles east of Indianapolis and had a dandy camp-fire. While wewere there we studied the map and, good night, there was Snake Creek asplain as day running into it from the north. It ran into it aboutfifteen miles north of Wheeling.

  Harry said, "That's enough for us; the treasure is ours."

  Pee-wee said, "I'm sorry now we didn't get some more sodas as long aswe're going to be rich."

  Harry said, "Never mind, we'll have sodas and ice cream and things inevery town between here and Wheeling; I'll advance the money. What are afew dollars against maybe several millions?"

  Pee-wee said, "Sure, and we can afford some jaw-breakers, too."

  "All you want," Harry said.

  "Won't it spoil our appetites for the pie?" Brent wanted to know. Butjust the same he was interested.

  Now there's no use telling you about our journey from Indianapolis toWheeling--that's about eight or nine hundred miles, roughly speaking;only scouts don't speak roughly. They have to be polite. On that journeywe passed through Springfield and Columbus and a lot of other bigplaces, and all the people stared at us. Every night we camped in thecountry, because we didn't like staying in cities.

  Gee, I thought we'd never get to Wheeling but after a few days we gotthere, and then we put our machines up to get all greased and have somerepairs made. I don't mean _us_, I mean the machines.

  Then we hired a big launch and started up the Ohio River. About tenmiles up, Snake Creek flows into it. It flows in through the northshore. Up Snake Creek about ten miles is Skeleton Cove, I bet you'regetting awful anxious, hey?

  Harry said, "Boys, the fun isn't in getting money; the fun is in findingtreasure. Why wouldn't it be a good idea to send a couple of thousand,say, to those little fellows back at Grumpy's Cross-roads?"

  "Let's give five thousand to the Boy Scout drive," I said.

  Brent said, "All I want for myself is the pie; I'm hungry."

  Now when we got to Skeleton Cove we saw it was all shady and spooky,like. The water was black and the place was dark just like a cave. Itwas awful still in there. I bet you're crazy to know what comes next,hey?

  Over against the shore was the wreck of an old motor-boat; I guess itgot smashed by the rocks there. We chugged over to where it was and TomSlade climbed out and ste
pped across it.

  Harry said, "What do you think it means, Tommy boy?"

  Tom was kneeling on the old deck and looking over the edge. All of asudden he said, "Now I know; I was a fool not to think of it before. Thename of this boat is the _Treasure_."

  Harry said, "What?"

  I said, "What?"

  Will Dawson shouted, "On the level?"

  "On the bow," Tom said.

  Pee-wee piped up, "What do you mean?"

  Brent said, "Dear me; foiled again."

  Tom said, "Now I know what it means. The boys from the Geological Surveywere here. All that had me guessing was the word _treasure_. A pie is atopographic mark; it shows where government land ends. Cons meanscontours. They staked their measurings. They were just measuring thiscove and the creek so as to make government maps. T.W. means tidewater."

  Harry said, awful funny like, "If it wouldn't be asking too much, willyou please tell me what it means where it says, 'Treasure at HW limitindicated at AN stake.' Can you answer that?"

  Tom said in that sober way of his, "I think it means something aboutthis boat, the _Treasure_ being at high water limit as indicated atanchorage stake. I can't tell just exactly what that memorandum means,because I never worked in the survey, but I guess the survey boysweren't doing any harm out at Deacon Snookbeck's. They were probablylining up the contours on his farm. Anyway, all they were doing here wastaking the contours and the water lines for the government maps. Theonly thing that puzzled me was the word treasure."