“Mr. Jasper,” said Billy, unable to keep from getting a few “licks” in while he had the chance, “if you were in Lawrence at this very minute you would find more than a dozen scouts in khaki working like beavers with boats and rafts, the last made by themselves, saving stranded people, and trying to salvage some of their possessions before the flood took their houses, for where the current is swift it carries buildings away.”
“If that is true, son,” said the wealthy old farmer, “then the future of the Boy Scout movement in Lawrence is assured, depend on that. I’ve been heading the opposition, but now that my eyes have been opened I’ll be just as hard a worker in its favor, you can depend on that.”
“Hurrah!” cried Billy, waving his hat, as did also Monkey Stallings and Tip, but Hugh was too busy making a landing just then to take his eyes off the shore, or his hands off the wheel.
So they put their human freight, together with Carlo, the big dog, ashore, although the latter did not seem to want to leave his new friends. The Jasper boys wore broad smiles, and no one would ever have suspected that for the time being they were castaways and fugitives from their destroyed home. The fact of the matter was that they had begun to look upon all this privation as a means to an end. Boys always do have a weakness for any Crusoe sort of business; and what they had heard their father say concerning his change of views had filled their hearts with a new joy that could not be crushed just because they were temporary exiles.
“Two more turns across ought to finish our patrol duty,” said Hugh, as the boat again started out upon the wide stretch of dismal waters.
“Then we might get back to town in time to be of some more use there before the night settles down,” proposed Billy.
“That light rain has stopped, for one thing,” remarked Monkey Stallings, trying to discover some loophole of encouragement.
“We’ll hope it doesn’t start in again,” said Billy quickly. “The weather sharps were away off their base when they said another storm was headed in our direction. Well, I wondered what that was coming this way, but now I can see it’s some sort of big animal swimming.”
“A cow it seems like to me,” ventured Tip Lange. “Yet it’s got a big head and gilt balls on its horns. Must be that prize bull Mr. Jasper owns.”
“I think you’ve hit it that time,” Monkey told him. “I reckon the beast may have been trying to stand on some knoll that was higher than the surrounding land, and finally had to swim for it. Look at him making straight for the boat, will you? I’ve heard that when frightened domestic animals will turn to human company for help, and it seems like that is so. Hey! what ails the engine, Hugh?” for the launch had suddenly ceased to keep moving ahead.