“There comes Tip!” exclaimed Billy, who had evidently been keeping a watchful lookout all the while.
“And he’s got two others with him, I notice,” added the patrol leader. “Strikes me we haven’t run across either of them before, Billy.”
“They’re new ones to me, all right, which shows that Tip is all to the good, and has done his part. If the rest can double up, we’ll have a fair-sized bunch to hustle things some.”
Tip pushed toward them. He must have been telling his companions a lot about Hugh as they came along, for the eyes of the two boys were glued upon the stranger continually, and they shook hands at being hurriedly introduced as though proud of the privilege of knowing this energetic comrade from another town.
“There’s Wash coming, and he’s got the Smith twins with him, all right!” Tip remarked immediately afterward. “That means four recruits, and more to hear from. We ought to scare up some sixteen or twenty fellows, I should think. Used to have more’n three full patrols in this old town; but things got so bad there were only seven at the last meeting, and some of them even said they’d be hanged if they’d bother coming out to such a dull affair again.”
Others of the local scouts now began to heave in sight. Those who had started forth with the intention of rounding up others had certainly exerted themselves to the limit; for there was hardly a single fellow who failed to bring back one new addition to the rescue squad.
They had managed to enthuse the others to a considerable extent, too, in some way or other. Possibly that thrilling event of the bridge had served them all for the purpose.
When Tip announced that the last scout who had been sent out was now back, and that they had their full quota on deck, Hugh counted noses.
“Seventeen of us, all told, fellows!” he declared. “It strikes me that ought to be enough to do a heap of work. Over in Oakvale we’ve managed to get there when we couldn’t count on more than half this number to do things. It depends pretty much on the vim you put into your labor.”
“Tell us what we ought to tackle first, and then see us dig!” one of the newer arrivals called out.