“I’m proud of the way you boys grapple with an emergency,” said Mr. Witherspoon, enthusiastically. “You’re all a credit to the organization to which you belong. I mean that your light shall not be kept under a bushel, for this is an example worthy of being spread abroad, and copied by other scouts.”
The next thing was to lift Walter to the litter, which was done without giving the poor fellow much pain. He seemed so grateful for every little thing they did for him, and looked so pitiful lying there that tender-hearted Billy Button was observed to hurriedly rush away, pretending that he wanted to wash his hands down at the water, when they all knew the tears had been welling up in his eyes.
“It’s going to be no easy task getting him all the way back to that house,” said Mr. Witherspoon, “especially over such rough ground as we’ve struck. Four will be needed to work at a time, and they’ll have to be relieved often, so perhaps we had better all go along save one scout, who can stay to look after the camp.”
“Let Billy stay,” said Josh; “he was complaining of a stone bruise on his heel, and would be better off here than taking that six mile tramp.”
So it was decided that Billy Button should remain in the camp. He did not look as if he enjoyed the prospect very much.
“No wild animals around here to bother you, Billy,” Josh assured him, when they were prepared to make the start.
“You forget those dogs, I guess,” Billy told him; “they must be pretty mad at us for holding them up. What must I do if they take a notion to come back and threaten to eat me up?”
“Oh! the easiest thing for you to try,” Josh told him, “would be to shin up this tree here, and wait for us to rescue you. We’ve hung our grub up so nothing can get hold of it. But don’t worry, Billy; there isn’t one chance in ten that the dogs’ll come back this way.”
It was a strange procession that left the camp. Stanley took a picture of the litter bearers so they would have something to remember the occurrence by; and Walter had so far recovered from the shock and the acute pain as to be able to raise his head, so that he might appear in the scene as the object of all this excitement.
Billy saw them depart, and then turned his attention to other things. Being left in full charge of the camp he had a sense of responsibility resting upon him, such as he had never experienced before.