Those words of praise did more to inspire new faith and confidence in the heart of the almost exhausted fat boy than anything else could have done. He seemed to pluck up fresh courage, braced himself to his task, and even grinned at Elmer, although it was a sickly attempt at a smile.
Landy was, indeed, a sight just then. He was wet to the skin with perspiration and spilled water from the creek. Besides, his usually jolly face was streaked with a series of queer marks, where the black smoke had found lodgment, and been ground in every time he drew his sleeve across his smarting eyes.
But then the others were little better off, though possibly they did not feel the terrible heat quite so much as the stout youth. Regardless of the damage to their clothes they labored faithfully on, determined that the Hickory Ridge troop was bound to receive new honor because of what they did at the Brady fire.
Seconds had merged into minutes, and Elmer's anxiety grew to an alarming extent. What if poor Ty had, indeed, fallen in the midst of that smoke and was lying there now in the house helpless?
It was a terrible thought, and made him shiver, even though at the time he was also burning with the heat. Suffocation was just as bad as the fire itself; and Elmer began to argue with himself that perhaps it was his sacred duty to rush into the house in the endeavor to find Ty.
He looked at Landy and Ted with almost pity in his eyes, and yet at that moment the young patrol leader was proud of his chums. Never had there been a test of endurance where the stake meant so much. If they could save the Brady home surely that were far better than any prize which might have fallen to their prowess because of a great hike, or a swimming distance match!
Suddenly he heard Landy give a shrill yell.
"There he is, Elmer! Hurrah for Ty!"
The fat boy was pointing a trembling finger upward; and following its general direction Elmer saw a head thrust forth from a certain window in the second story.
Ty did not seem disposed to pay the slightest attention to his chums, though the three of them stood there waving their hands and shouting. He was beckoning wildly to the little girl who had been standing near by all the while, with her eager eyes riveted on the window above, just as though she expected a miracle to be wrought in her favor.