Elmer laughed aloud, as he started once more at the task of emptying several buckets that had meanwhile arrived at the end of the human chain. For wise Elmer had guessed the truth before the moment when the other two made their discovery.
The little girl darted forward and snatched the small woolly dog up the moment it touched the ground. She began to hug "Bennie" with all the ardor of an indulgent little mistress; and, then freeing him from the torn sheet, ran off toward the women as if to show her recovered prize to her mother.
"Now come down yourself, Ty!" shouted Elmer. "Don't you think of going back by way of the stairs, d'ye hear?"
Ty waved his hand. Perhaps his voice was utterly gone by this time, thanks to the smoke and his exertions. They saw him swing out of the window; and Elmer understood from this that at least the scout had considerable power left in his arms and lower limbs.
Now his feet were on a little ledge that ran along the face of the house above the lower windows. Ty had noticed that a shutter was partly open and meant to make use of this in his descent. It was a clever idea, and did the boy great credit in the way of judgment. A veteran fireman, accustomed to such things, could hardly have conceived a better plan of campaign.
Once his feet were planted on top of this, Ty gave a sudden move, and they saw him slipping down until his ready hands caught the upper edge of the heavy blind. After that he dropped to the ground in a heap, to quickly stagger to his feet once more.
"Hurrah for Ty!" shouted Landy, making the high sign of fellowship in the direction of his chum; for he was too busily engaged just then to think of abandoning his buckets in order to rush to Ty's side so as to shake hands with the hero of the occasion.
What if it was only a miserable little woolly pup that he had managed to save from possible destruction; it would have been all the same had it been the real baby that the child had given him to understand was in peril. And Ty need never feel ashamed of his brave act. It shed new luster on the name of the Hickory Ridge Boy Scout troop; and Elmer was determined that when the account was written up, there should be no hint of humor in the same that might reflect in any way on Ty's act.
Immediately Ty got busy again, and proceeded to fight the fire with renewed vigor, though the poor fellow did look as though he had almost reached the end of his resources. Twice did Elmer tell him to drop out, and try to recover; but for once Ty refused to obey orders, under the plea that, as they were not really in uniform, it was not obligatory on his part.
"Now something is going to happen!" said Landy, as he brushed past Elmer while warmly engaged; and at the same time he pointed across the open space to where a party of stout farm hands had burst into view, running as fast as they could toward the fire.