HOW THE LAND LAY.
Upon hearing Rob speak so favorably of the scheme, Tubby grinned, and gave both of the other scouts a sly wink, as much as to say: "See how you can get there by keeping everlastingly at it?" That was the fat boy's best quality: persistence. If he failed to reach his aim twenty times he was apt to proceed to try again and again until success rewarded him.
"Then come along over home with me and have a talk with Uncle Mark!" he told the patrol leader as he began to hunt all around for his hat, which he often mislaid. He was finally informed coolly by Andy that it was perched on his head, as he had forgotten to remove it when entering Rob's den!
So the four hurried out. Signs of the late storm's fury could be seen in every direction. Great limbs had been torn from some of Hampton's finest trees; chimneys had been demolished in several places; and it was not hard to believe that at the climax of the hurricane the new roof of the Academy had been carried off.
First of all, Rob said they should satisfy themselves that this report was true; so they joined the crowds that were heading for the school grounds. When the boys saw what a wreck the storm had made of the building, none of them doubted any longer that a vacation period was bound to result. And strange to say, while some of the town fathers walked around, viewing the damage with long faces, knowing how heavily it would cost to repair the school, nobody saw a single boy looking glum!
"That's one point settled, anyhow," Andy remarked gleefully, as they all turned away, heading for the Hopkins' home.
"And say, Mexico looks a whole lot closer to me, don't you know?" Tubby chirped, with such a happy look on his rosy face that any one might have thought he was on the eve of starting on a picnic instead of a serious undertaking. But, then, boys never see the dark side of things, such is the enthusiasm and optimism of youth.
"Too bad about one thing, Tubby, if so be you get away on this journey," remarked Andy, giving Merritt a wink as he spoke.
"What's that, Andy, you're hinting about?" asked the other.
"It's going to knock your fine plans silly; about searching every tool chest in town, you know, and finding the brace and nicked bit that chawed a hole through the bottom of Rob's sailboat," the bugler of the Eagles went on to say.
Tubby looked somewhat glum, and shrugged his plump shoulders ruefully.
"Say, that's a fact, fellers," he remarked dolefully; "and I'd sure set my heart on finding out the miscreant, and exposing him to his face. Such a smart idea of mine it was, too, finding that shaving with the tell-tale mark! But if I don't get a chance to spy around between now and the time we leave Hampton, I'll keep it in mind. And every time I look at that incriminating bit of evidence, I'll renew my vow to place the guilt on the shoulders where it belongs just as soon as I get back home after a successful trip."
Tubby, when he wanted to, could appear very eloquent, and use some of the longest words in the dictionary. Fortunately these periods did not crop up very often, or his chums would not have stood for such airs. Andy pretended to feel faint as it was, and begged Merritt to fan him.
"All I can say about the matter is that I'm sorry for the fellow who bored that hole through my boat," Rob remarked; "because when once Tubby sets his mind on anything it's bound to come, sooner or later. But here we are at your house; and now to meet Uncle Mark."
Three minutes later they were all sitting around a small, dark-featured gentleman, who wore a big pair of goggles and looked as though he might be pretty sick. This was Uncle Mark. The fever he had contracted in the hot depths of the African jungles had taken such a hold upon his system that he began to despair of ever being able to travel again; and he had sought his sister's home as a haven of refuge in his last days.
He seemed to guess about what the three scouts had come to see him; which would indicate that Tubby had done considerable talking, even to promising that he would coax the others to join him in making the trip to the country south of the Rio Grande.
As Rob went over pretty much the same ground as when he was questioning Tubby, it would hardly pay us to repeat what passed between Uncle Mark and the boys for the first half hour of the conference. Of course the old traveler was able to go further into details; and some of his descriptions of those warm times when he first met Villa, the bandit, thrilled his young hearers.
"Some people might think it a very unwise thing for me to try and induce a party of mere lads to start down into that sorely distressed and torn-up country just now on such a strange errand," Uncle Mark said after a while; "but I've considered everything carefully, and I actually believe you would have a far better chance for success than if I entrusted the mission to a man, who would be sure to get mixed up with some of the rival factions and lose out. Besides, I've become very much interested in the aims of Boy Scouts since I've come to Hampton; and some of the things you Eagles have done fairly made my heart go out to you. I believe that if anybody can make a success of this errand you can."
Naturally enough such words of warm praise made the scouts feel drawn toward the broken down old traveler and explorer more than ever. Uncle Mark had seen such a host of remarkable things during his roving life that this fact alone would endear him to all boys who had red blood in their veins. And scouts in particular, with their love for outdoors and the myriad secrets of the wilderness, might be expected to feel warmly toward one who had camped for months amidst the savage tribes of Africa, hunted through the tropical forests of South America in search of new orchids, and lived the free life of an explorer.
Still Rob went on asking questions, for he knew that they could not have too much information concerning the country they meant to visit, and the people they must meet there.
All of them examined the quaint ring that Uncle Mark passed around, which, as he said, General Villa had given him years ago. At that time the present leader of the rebel forces in Northern Mexico was looked on as a hunted bandit, with a price set on his head by President Diaz.
"Should you conclude to undertake this mission, Rob," the old gentleman went on to say, with an anxious, almost pleading look on his face, "which I earnestly hope may be the case, I mean to put this ring on your finger, because I suppose you are to be the leader. When you want to prove to General Villa that you come direct from his old friend, Doctor Matthews, all you have to do is to show him that; and if he is the man of his word that I firmly believe him to be, there is nothing he can do for you that he will refuse. But more than that, I expect to entrust you with a letter to him, written in Spanish, but also translated for your benefit. In it I shall ask him to dispose of all my cattle, if they are still safe, to the best advantage possible, and to send me the proceeds by you, as I am in a bad state and shall need the money. Is that plain, boys?"
"It couldn't be more so, sir," Rob assured him.
"And now, after you have heard all that I can tell you, what do you think about undertaking the expedition for me?" continued the other eagerly. Tubby gripped the sides of his chair and held his breath, waiting for Rob to settle the important question then and there.
Rob was too diplomatic to do so off-hand. He knew that several things had to be taken into consideration before they could think of assenting.
"All I can say just now is this, Dr. Matthews," he remarked. "I'm for going, now that I understand things better, and know that there is really some sort of chance that your cattle have been guarded, because of this friendship for you on the part of Villa; and you tell us that he is a man who never forgets a friend. But before we can say positively that we'll undertake the job, we shall have to see what the home folks have to say about it."
"Of course. I expected that, Rob," the gentleman went on; "and if any of you meet with opposition, please send the fathers or mothers over to see me, and I'll try my best to win them to your way of thinking. It means everything to me, because that ranch is all I've got left in the wide world; and I put over a hundred thousand dollars into it."
"Oh! so far as my father is concerned, sir," Rob assured him, "I'm pretty sure there'll be little talking needed to make him see it in the right light; because he's the finest dad on all Long Island, and he believes in me from the word go. Merritt, here, has a coaxing way about him that generally gets what he wants from his father, who is the jolliest big man you ever saw wield a sledge. About Andy I'm not so sure; but if there is going to be no school for two months, and his father learns that the rest of us are going, I have hopes that he will say yes."
"And I know he will!" exclaimed the bugler of the troop positively. "Because he believes that scouts can take care of themselves anywhere. Since I joined the Eagles I've shown so much improvement, he says, that there is really nothing he would refuse me that was in reason."
"Which shows that your father is a sensible man," remarked Uncle Mark; "and I hope to meet him before long. But how soon can all this be settled, Rob? Because every day counts terribly now. If my cattle have been spared all these months, it may be that General Villa, believing I never mean to return to Mexico, and needing money to buy supplies for his troops, may feel that he has done all that could be asked of him, and yield to the pressure. Yes, a day might turn the scales, and lose me all my valuable stock. Make it as short a delay as you can, please, Rob."
"Oh! we'll settle that this very night, sir," replied the patrol leader promptly. "It has always been a habit of mine not to let the grass grow under my feet. And if things turn out right, why, I can see no reason why we shouldn't make a start—by, say, to-morrow afternoon!"
"Hurray!" cried Tubby, dancing around the room; while his mother, who had come in to hear what was being said, hardly knew whether to look pleased or worried. To have her only boy leave home on such an errand was enough to cause any mother considerable anxiety.
Both Merritt and Andy grinned, as though the prospect pleased them greatly. What scout could help feeling delighted over such a chance for visiting a country about which they had been reading so much as they had of Mexico lately? That the unhappy republic was in the throes of civil war did not seem to appal them at all; for never having experienced any of the horrors of such a conflict, they could not realize what it meant.
Uncle Mark could understand all about it, though; but he was so anxious to find out about his ranch, and had such blind faith in the ability of these clever scouts to take care of themselves under any and all conditions, that he shut his eyes to the possibility of their coming to harm.
And that was about the last word; for presently Rob and his chums said good-bye to the sick man, who shook hands with each scout, and said he would continue to hope they might decide to undertake the mission of trying to save the last valuable possession he had in the wide world. After which they went out to talk it all over again, and lay plans as to what their program would be in case every obstacle were cleared away and they saw an open door beyond them.
"Well," said Rob finally; "if we do go we'll have our hands full getting ready to skip out to-morrow; so Merritt, you and Andy had better see how the land lies with your fathers; while I wait for mine to come home at noon. Here's hoping you'll have the best of luck!"