Don Strong, Patrol Leader Part 39

"That we'd be proud of you."

Tim's eyes dropped. A thrill ran through his veins. Not because he had been praised--paugh! that didn't mean so much--but because Mr. Wall seemed to speak to him as man scout to boy scout. He was accepted without question as worthy. He could see it in the eyes of Andy Ford and of every scout there. Gee! what a difference it made.

The scouts had been shrilling a succession of short, sharp blasts, the rallying signal. Now Larkins and Rood burst out of the woods. When they saw Don and Tim their faces lengthened, but they came forward and offered their congratulations.

The whole story had to be told. Don related how they had followed the trail, he told of finding the treasure, of getting away and learning of pursuit, of cutting away from their trail, and of his tumble at the ravine, and of how Tim had refused to leave him.

"Good boy," cried Andy.

Next Don described their journey with Tim ranging around as scout. When he told of laying out the haversacks Larkins' face went red.

"Were you fellows hiding behind that brush?" he demanded.

"You bet," said Don. "We hid the haversacks there after you went on.

You'll find Tim's handkerchief tied there now."

A grudging look of admiration came into the Fox leader's eyes. "It was some plan," he admitted, "and it surely fooled us. That's one we owe you, Tim."

Tim laughed.

The story was over at last, and the position of the sun warned the troop that it was time to start for home. At Mr. Wall's orders a coat stretcher was made and Don was lifted in. Just before the start he thought of something.

"What became of the Eagles?" he demanded.

"Shucks!" said Larkins. "They built a fire the first night, and we sneaked up and bagged them."

Tim looked at Don miserably, and Don flashed a glance that told him to forget it. It was their secret. n.o.body would ever know.

Tim walked a step behind the stretcher, with his head bent thoughtfully.

What a good scout Don was--fair, and square, and willing to be white where another fellow would hold a grudge! Tim sighed. He wasn't built like that. He sc.r.a.pped and got himself in Dutch, and let himself think things that he shouldn't think.

Well, he was going to stop that. He had thought of the laws and the oath back there in the woods and they had begun to mean something serious.

Fellows like Andy, and Alex Davidson, and Don showed what the laws and the oath were. Some day--The muscles in Tim's jaw hardened. Some day he would be that kind of scout, too.