Boy Scouts: Tenderfoot Squad

instant the shot was heard, so that the boys were

ut!" exclaimed

n the preserves!" echoed Alec, who had sta

t you know, and the close season on in the ba

he comes!" o

ht be hurrying through the bushes close by. It came from exac

ly dressed, strode into view. He stared at the car and its occupants, as th

cowed by angry looks; "are we on the right roa

e more than they seemed; for a guilty conscience can discover a game warden in every inoffensive travele

n tuh be headin' fur," he told them grumblingly; "but might I

e wheel here, Rufus Snodgrass, of Hickory Ridge, has lately come into possession of some property up this way, and we're going to find out if it's been surveyed right and pro

n of being pleased because of it. The look of suspicion could still be noticed about his dark face, and he

got my own business tuh look arter. Yuh see, I'm the assistant game warde

ward them, and then whirling on his heel vanished amidst t

ughed in his

of his colossal nerve! I bet you any warden in the State would give a month's salary t

hare more than a few times across the big water. But then it's different there, because all the game country is owned by rich dukes and lords,

could have been Jem Shoc

ot know that Rufus had ever heard that name; at least, the oth

t the wheel; "but how did you know about him and his

kled, and

ome, but I wasn't silly enough to pass them along to the rest of the party, because som

snorted in

d, Lil Artha," sai

y such a little thing as that. If you looked back at the history of the Wolf Patrol you'd find that the boys belonging to it have all been through a heap of excitement. We've exposed

ow us better after he's graduated from the tenderfoot class. But suppose we start on again. That incident is closed. We may and we may not s

we never run across him again. He looked like a bad egg to me

. "You see, in the first place he had that feeling of guilt that makes a rascal look at all the rest of the world as h

ow could that be, and what would scouts h

eader explained. "I could tell you of dozens of things our troop has been connected with along those lines. And why shouldn't they enter into an arrangement with

this, and so Lil Artha, leaning forward, took occa

could they see except in some sections where the original timber had been cut away years back, and a second growth now covere

ints of civilization as that Adirondack region where we went with Toby Jones last winter, to visit his hermit uncle, Caleb, who was living all by himself in

u never can tell what's ahead of you w

coon Ridge. Secretly Elmer was almost hoping he would see something more of the strange man. He wondered how Jem lived; what his ambition, providing he had any, might be;

ought was destined to come his way under conditions of a peculiar nature. But of that more anon, since it would be

hen, as they continued to climb the rise by means of the winding road, so seldom used that R

e this is our destination. We can keep our eyes on the lookout for a suitable camp site right along now. Th

s out to be," said Rufus, with a sigh of relief, for at times he had found it hard work navigating the r

er and Elmer called out

t the patrol leader remarked to the others, pointing as he spoke.

. Through openings in the dense forest they could obtain fine glimpses of distant parts. It was really as delightful an outlook

f them leaped out. Filled with a burning desire to get things started they pro

was most suitable for erecting their waterproof tent, rendered so through a process

feet, of course had to be told about everything they attempted; but as the spirit of will

tent having been properly set, and a fireplace built after the most approved scout fashion by Lil Artha, with the two new fellows taking accurate notes so they could in

p here, and again not a drop of rain may fall; but all the same a true scout gets things ready to meet an emergency. That's what our motto 'Be Prepared' stands for. It's a sort of i

I'm understanding this scout business better. There's a muckle mair in it that I used to k

n ax, though he swung the tool with quite a lusty stroke, Elmer noticed. For some little time he managed to smash a cert

a hard proposition. For some time the scout leader did not interfere. When, however, he saw Rufus throw the ax down petulantly, as though determined to giv

the sooner he learned how to handle an ax properly, the better for his peace of mind. Besides, Elmer did not like to see that "white flag" business. He disliked a