University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XII.
THE RESCUE.

"HI! what's going on here, tell me?" cried Josh, as he came staggering up, carrying that big bucket filled to the top with water.

"The woman says there's an old cripple in the

cabin, she's afraid; and we're going in to see if we can find him," replied Rod, who was busily engaged in fastening the wet handkerchief around the breathing apparatus of his chum, Elmer.

Josh immediately began to feel of his pockets, and guessing what his intentions must be, Rod instantly put a quietus on his hopes and expectations by saying in that stern tone he assumed only when exercising his functions as the acknowledged leader of the club.

"No, you can't go along, Josh. Two of us can do the job better than three. Your intentions are all right, and do you credit, old fellow, but sure you'd only be in the way now. Stand here, and use the water as they fetch it, just like I was doing. Understand?"

Josh heaved a sigh of tremendous proportions, and then nodded his head in the affirmative. He hated the worst kind to give up anything on which he had set his heart; but doubtless his good sense told him Rod was right. The cabin consisted really only of one big room, and if there was an old man lying there on the floor, overcome by the smoke, the two who were prepared to enter could certainly find him.

"Ready, Rod?" asked Elmer, thickly, on account of the handkerchief that had been tied over his mouth and nostrils, so that he might be able to breathe, without inhaling much of the choking smoke.

"Yes, and there's no use waiting a second longer. Come on!" was the prompt response; at which the pair of venturesome boys immediately started to enter through the open door, where great billows of pungent smoke were curling out.

Josh stood there, ready to do his full duty; but his heart was with the two companions who had gone from sight, and only for a sense of stern duty, he would certainly have rushed after them.

He did take out a bandanna and soak it in what water lay in the tub; after which he fastened the same about his jaw. Possibly he was actuated by the conviction that unless Rod and Elmer showed up speedily, nothing was going to keep him from dashing in there after them; and if they too had succumbed to the choking smoke, his coming might be the means of saving their very lives.

Meanwhile, the two boys had found themselves so surrounded by thick smoke from the burning hay in the adjoining stable that they could not even see their hands before their faces, and were compelled to grope their way about.

Even under such exciting conditions Rod had a settled plan of campaign. It would have to be a remarkable occasion indeed that could catch him entirely unprepared with some sort of scheme.

"Take hold of my hand, and feel down close to the floor with the other," was what he shouted in Elmer's ear; and the latter instantly realized what

a fine thing it was to have a chum along whose brain was fertile in expedients, so that nothing ever caught him unprepared.

In this fashion, then, the two boys began to cross the cabin floor. They might almost as well have been totally blind, for all the good their eyes did them in the midst of that stinging smoke. Indeed, both of them kept their eyes closed pretty much all the time, which was a wise thing to do, and trusted entirely to instinct to make progress in any given direction.

Several times one of them would stumble, and then it was that this thing of keeping in touch with his companion proved of especial value, because it prevented a fall.

Now they must have passed completely across the cabin, for they came up against a barrier that could only be the opposite wall. Rod was ready for even this. They had not found that which they sought, but only half the space of the floor had been covered. Turning, they must now go back again, and this time make certain that the other section came under their search.

Hardly had they made a start than both of them tripped over some object that lay extended across the floor; and unable to save themselves, they fell upon their faces; but suspecting that they had now come upon the object of their search, Rod immediately

twisted his body around, and in another second had discovered that it was indeed so.

"Here he is, Elmer; quick, give me a hand!" he cried out, his voice sounding strangely heavy amidst such surroundings.

"All right; tell me what to do, Rod," called the Southern boy, who had flung himself around as quickly as he could scramble to his knees.

"Let's see if we can get him out; you take hold of his legs, and I'll try to look after his upper part."

Of course Rod knew very well that he was taking the harder part upon himself; but then that was his usual way.

They were both young and lusty; and besides, the occasion was of a character to induce them to make unusual exertions; so that they found it no great hardship to lift the form of the old man, mere skin and bones in itself, and start toward the place where they supposed the door lay.

They must have become a little confused while getting hold of the body, for in another moment they had come slap up against a side wall; and Rod realized that in so far as one could become lost in the confined space given over to the interior of the cabin, they were in that predicament.

Even then his training in the ways of a hunter proved of more or less value to Rod; for he instantly set himself to noticing in which direction the billows of smoke were oozing; and having ascertained

that to his satisfaction, he felt positive that the door lay right there.

And he was quite right in his surmise; for upon hurrying thither, they immediately began to feel relief, as the air grew less oppressive; and a few seconds later they had burst through the opening, reaching the outer air.

"Wow! here they come!" shouted Josh, all excitement.

"And they found him too, sure's you're born!" shrilled Hanky Panky; while the woman and the children uttered whimpers of delight, crowding close around.

As soon as they could lay their burden down, the two rescuers tore away the bandages that had prevented them from swallowing much of the smoke. Then they saw that the party they had rescued was a very old and wrinkled specimen of a man, with one of his legs bandaged up, as though he might be suffering with gout, only this being a rich man's disease, such a thing was beyond reason.

"Is he dead?" asked Hanky Panky, in an awed voice, and Rod saw that he would be doing more harm than good by lingering near; so he hastened to chase both Josh and Hanky away by saying:

"Not a bit of it, and now, both of you get busy again. That fire is scotched, not killed; and you want to pour a heap more water on the same right away."

Josh saw reason back of this.

"Come on, Hanky, let's get to work again. We're just bound to make that old blaze look like thirty cents. Here goes for more water," and with a wild whoop Josh ran over to where the bucket lay that he had been using, securing which he again headed for the friendly creek.

If it hadn't been for the nearness of that little gurgling stream of mountain water the chances of the cabin surviving the fire would have been next door to nothing. And as it was, it had a close shave.

Rod secured some water, and threw it in the peaked and wrinkled face of the white bearded old man. He immediately began to show signs of coming back to life; from which fact it was evident that there was still a hope of saving him; though had he remained only a little longer in that overpowering smoky atmosphere inside the cabin, nothing could have brought him to again.

When Rod saw him open his eyes he knew there was no need of lingering any longer. Better get busy again, and toss more water on that burning stable, if they were smart, and could hold out, in due course of time they might even hope to fight down the flames in there, and save what was left of that.

"There, did you hear that shout along the road?"

asked Elmer, when he came up to Rod, bearing another supply of the all-important water.

"I thought I caught some sort of call, though I wasn't sure," replied the other; "do you think it could be Rooster calling for help now?"

The thought was along lines that made Rod's nerves thrill; for it would certainly be the limit if, after all this hard work, their presence were suddenly needed in the direction of the spot where they had left their chum to stand guard over the precious motorcycles.

But Elmer shook his head in the negative.

"No, I don't think it could have been," he went on to say; "in the first place, Rod, it seemed to come from exactly the opposite direction; and then again, it wasn't in Rooster's shrill voice. I'd rather believe that it's a man, perhaps the owner of this rookery, who is coming tearing along now, as fast as he can."

"You're right, Elmer," the other declared immediately afterward; "for there he comes on the jump."

It was a bearded mountaineer who came running up, showing all signs of extreme surprise, bordering on fright; for although it was only a humble cabin out of which the smoke still poured, nevertheless it might be even more precious in the eyes of this man than many a palace would be to the money king who occupied its grandeur, for it was all that he had in

the wide world; and those four humble walls comprised "home" to him.

To Rod he was just like all other lanky mountaineers he had seen while on this Southern trip through Tennessee -- with a lean, hatchet face, keen, glittering eyes, and holding the inevitable rifle in his grip. The woman seemed to be talking "a blue streak" to him, as Hanky Panky remarked, when delivering his supply of water a few seconds later. Rod could see the man looking toward them. No matter if he did have a far from prepossessing face, the boy felt pretty sure that he would not entertain any feeling of hostility toward the lads who had really saved not only his humble cabin from destruction, but the life of his old crippled father as well.

It was Elmer who uttered an exclamation just about then; and Rod saw that he was staring straight ahead, as though he had made some sort of discovery; but whether this would prove of a pleasing nature or otherwise, was yet to be determined.

Still, it struck the observing Rod that his chum seemed rather satisfied than otherwise; and from this he took hope.

"What is it, Elmer?" he asked, quickly.

"I don't know -- that is I'm hardly dead sure about it, Rod," replied the other; "but suh, I'm inclined to believe that luck was with us again in great shape when it led us to this spot, just in time to do what we did; yes, suh, that's my honest opinion."