The Banner Boy Scouts Afloat Part 2

Chatting on various matters connected more or less with the doings of the Boy Scout movement, and what a fine thing it was proving for the youth of the whole land, Jack and his chums presently brought up at the church which had the bell tower; and where a splendid meeting room had been given over for their occupancy in the bas.e.m.e.nt, in which a gymnasium was fitted up for use in the fall and winter.

In that tower hung a big bell, whose brazen tongue had once upon a time alarmed the good people of Stanhope by ding-donging at a most unusual hour. It had come through a prank played upon the scouts by several tough boys of the town whose enmity Paul Morrison and his chums had been unfortunate enough to incur. But for the details of that exciting episode the reader will have to be referred back to the preceding volume.

Jack Stormways never glanced up at that tower but that he was forcibly reminded of that startling adventure; and a smile would creep over his face as he remembered some of the most striking features connected with the event.

In the big room the three scouts found quite a crowd awaiting their coming. Indeed, it seemed as though nearly every member of the troop had made it an especial point to attend this meeting just as though they knew there was something unusual about to come before them for consideration.

As many of these lads will be apt to figure in the pages of this story, it might be just as well to listen to the secretary, as he calls the roster of the Stanhope Troop. Once this duty had devolved upon one of the original Red Fox Patrol; but with the idea of sharing the responsibilities in a more general way, it had been transferred to the shoulders of Phil Towns, who belonged to the second patrol.

RED FOX PATROL

1--Paul Morrison, patrol leader, and also a.s.sistant scout master.

2--Jack Stormways.

3--Bobolink, the official bugler.

4--Bluff s.h.i.+pley, the drummer.

5--Nuthin, whose real name was Albert Cypher.

6--William Carberry, one of the twins.

7--Wallace Carberry, the other.

8--Tom Betts.

GRAY FOX PATROL

1--Jud Elderkin, patrol leader.

2--Joe Clausin.

3--Andy Flinn.

4--Phil Towns.

5--Horace Poole.

6--Bob Tice.

7--Curly Baxter.

8--Cliff Jones, whose entire name was Clifford Ellsworth Fairfax Jones.

BLACK FOX PATROL

1--Frank Savage, patrol leader.

2--Billie Little, a very tall lad, and of course always called Little Billie.

3--Nat Smith.

4--Sandy Griggs.

5--Old Dan Tucker.

6--"Red" Conklin.

7--"Spider" s.e.xton.

8--"Gusty" Bellows.

Unattached, but to belong to a fourth patrol, later on:

George Hurst.

"Lub" Ketcham.

Thus it will be seen that there were now twenty-six lads connected with the wide awake Stanhope Troop, and more coming.

After the roll call, they proceeded to the regular business, with Paul Morrison in the chair, he being the president of the a.s.sociation. It was surprising how well many of these boyish meetings were conducted; Paul and some of his comrades knew considerable about parliamentary law, and long ago the hilarious members of the troop had learned that when once the meeting was called to order they must put all joking aside.

Many a good debate had been heard within those same walls since the scouts received permission to meet there; and yet in camp, when the rigid discipline was relaxed, these same fellows could be as full of fun and frolic as any lads going.

Tonight it had been whispered around that Paul had some sort of important communication to make. No one could give a guess as to what it might be, although all sorts of hazards were attempted, only to be jeered at as absurd.

And so, while the meeting progressed, they were growing more and more excited, until finally it was as much as some of them could do to repress a cheer when Paul, having made sure that there was no other business to be transacted, arose with a smile, and announced that he had a certain communication to lay before them.

"Are you ready to hear it?" he asked; "every fellow who is raise his hand."

Needless to say, not a single hand remained unraised. Paul deliberately counted them to the bitter end.

"Just twenty-four; and as that is the total number present, we'll call it unanimous," he said, just to tantalize them a little; and then, with an air of business he went on: "Two splendid gentlemen of this town, by name Mr. Everett and Colonel Bliss, happen to own motorboats. As they have gone to Europe, to be away until late in the Fall, they thought it would show how they appreciated the work of the Stanhope Troop of Boy Scouts if they offered the free use of their two boats to us, to make a cruise wherever we thought best during the balance of vacation time. Now, all in favor of accepting this magnificent offer from our fellow townsmen signify by saying 'aye!'"

Hardly had the words fallen from the speaker's lips when a thunderous "aye" made the stout walls of the building tremble.

CHAPTER III

FOR CEDAR ISLAND--GHOST OR NO GHOST

"Three cheers for Colonel Bliss and Mr. Everett!" called out Bobolink, almost too excited to speak plainly.

Paul himself led the cheering, because he knew those delighted boys just had to find some sort of outlet for the enthusiasm that was bubbling up within them. And doubtless the walls of that sacred building had seldom heard such cheers since away back in the time when a meeting was held there at news of the Civil War breaking out in 1861 and the patriotic citizens had formed a company on the spot, to volunteer their services to the President.

"Where will we go?" called out one scout, after the cheering had died down, and they found time to consider ways and means of employing the motorboats that had been so generously given into their keeping.

"Down the Bushkill to the sea!" suggested one.

"I suppose you think these motorboats can jump like broncos?" declared Jud Elderkin, with a look of disgust; "else how would they ever get around that big dam down at Seely's Mills? We could crawl a few miles _up_ the Bushkill, but to go down would mean only a short cruise."

"Let Paul say!" cried Bobolink, shrewdly reading the smile on the face of the a.s.sistant scout master, as he listened to all sorts of wild plans, none of which would hold together when the rest of the scouts started to pick flaws.

"Yes, Paul's got a scheme that'll knock all these wildcat ones just to flinders, see if it don't," remarked Tom Betts, waving his hands to enforce silence.

"Go on and tell us, Paul; and I reckon I c'n give a right smart guess that it's about that Radway River country," declared Bobolink.

"Just what it is," said Paul. "Listen, then, and tell me what you think of my plan. I've figured it all out, and believe we could make it a go.

If we did, we'd surely have the time of our lives, and find out something that I've wanted myself to know a long while back. It's about a trip up the Radway River, too, just as our smart chum guessed."

"But, say, the boats are right here at Stanhope, and have been used in running up and down the Bushkill; then how in the name of wonder can we carry them over to the Radway, which is some miles away, I take it?"

asked William Carberry, soberly.

"Wait and see; Paul's got all that arranged," declared the confident Tom Betts.

"Have 'em hauled over on one of his father's big lumber wagons, mebbe,"

suggested Nuthin, who was rather a small chap, though not of quite so little importance as his name would seem to indicate.