Bob and Ben tried their best then to persuade Old Sam to go in with them, if only for a few minutes, but again he begged off, saying, “Ef I once git in there, lads, I couldn’t pull myself away, an’ then what would the poor museem man say?”
The boys didn’t know and didn’t care, but as they saw he could not be moved from his determination, they reluctantly let him go. Before they parted, however, the boys overwhelmed him with thanks and gratitude.
“Tut, tut!” he said, for the second time that day. “’Twan’t no more’n any Christian would hev done.”
But although this was true to some extent, the boys looked after his disappearing figure with no lessening of their respect and love. With a sigh they finally turned away and started toward camp once more.
In a few minutes they found themselves surrounded by the Scouts, who were greatly relieved to have the two runaways with them again.
“Where are those raspberries, Ben, that you were going to bring for the dumplings?” Dick cried.
Then Ben told the excited boys all about this mishap and how loyally Bob had come to his rescue. When he spoke of the snake hunter’s timely arrival and how he and Bob together had pulled him out of the bog, the Scouts sent up three cheers that set Don barking.
Reserving the snake hunter’s stories to tell around the campfire that night, Ben concluded: “I’m sorry, fellows, that I wasn’t able to get you those raspberries! My intentions were good, I assure you, but I was prevented by ‘circumstances over which I had no control,’ as contracts say.”
“Don’t you worry about that, Ben,” said Jack, “you look better to us than all the raspberry dumplings going!” and that he voiced the general feeling was shown by the boys’ hearty, “You bet your life!”