The Banner Boy Scouts Snowbound / A Tour on Skates and Iceboats

"Watch Jack cut his name in the ice, fellows!"

"I wish I could do the fancy stunts on skates he manages to pull off. It makes me green with envy to watch Jack Stormways do that trick."

"Oh, shucks! what's the use of saying that, Wallace Carberry, when everybody knows your strong suit is long-distance skating? The fact is both the Carberry twins are as much at home on the ice as I am when I get my knees under the supper table."

"That's kind of you to throw bouquets my way, Bobolink. But, boys, stop and think. Here it is-only four days now to Christmas, and the scouts haven't made up their minds yet where to spend the glorious holidays."

"Y-y-yes, and b-b-by the same token, this year we're g-g-going to g-g-get a full three-weeks' vacation 2 in the b-b-bargain, b-b-because they have t-t-to overhaul the f-f-furnaces."

"Hold on there, Bluff Shipley! If you keep on falling all over yourself like that you'll have to take a whole week to rest up."

"All the same," remarked the boy who answered to the odd name of Bobolink, "it's high time we scouts settled that important matter for good."

"The assistant scout-master, Paul Morrison, has called a meeting at headquarters for to-night, you understand, boys," said the fancy skater, who had just cut the name of Paul Morrison in the smooth, new ice of the Bushkill river.

"We must arrange the programme then," observed Bobolink, "because it will take a couple of days to get everything ready for the trip, no matter where we go."

"Huh!" grunted another skater, "I can certainly see warm times ahead for the cook at your house, Bobolink, provided you've still got that ferocious appetite to satisfy."

"Oh! well, Tom Betts," laughed the other, "I notice that you seldom take a back seat when the grub is being passed around. As for me I'm proud of my stowage ability. A good appetite is one of the greatest blessings a growing boy can have."

"Pity the poor father though," chuckled Wallace 3 Carberry, "because he has to pay the freight."

"Just to go back to the important subject," said Bluff Shipley, who could speak as clearly as any one when not excited, "where do you think the scouts will hike to for their Christmas holidays?"

"Well, now, a winter camp on Rattlesnake Mountain wouldn't be such a bad stunt," suggested Tom Betts, quickly.

"For my part," remarked Bobolink, "I'd rather like to visit Lake Tokala again, and see what Cedar Island looks like in the grip of Jack Frost. The skating on that sheet of water must be great."

"We certainly did have a royal good time there last summer," admitted Jack, reflectively.

"All the same," ventured Tom, "I think I know one scout who couldn't be coaxed or hired to camp on Cedar Island again."

"Meaning Curly Baxter," Bobolink went on to say scornfully, "who brazenly admits he believes in ghosts, and couldn't be convinced that the place wasn't haunted."

"Curly won't be the only fellow to back out," suggested Jack. "While we have a membership of over thirty on the muster roll of Stanhope Troop, it isn't to be expected that more than half of them will agree to make the outing with us."

"Too much like hard work for some of the boys," asserted Tom. 4

"I know a number who say they'd like to be with us, but their folks object to a winter camp," Wallace announced. "So if we muster a baker's dozen we can call ourselves lucky."

"Of course it must be a real snow and ice hike this time," suggested Bluff.

"To be sure-and on skates at that!" cried Wallace, enthusiastically.

"Oh! I hope there's a chance to use our iceboats too!" sighed Tom Betts, who late that fall had built a new flier, and never seemed weary of sounding the praises of his as yet untried "Speedaway."

"Perhaps we may-who knows?" remarked Jack, mysteriously.

The others, knowing that the speaker was the nearest and dearest chum of Paul Morrison, assistant scout-master of Stanhope Troop of Boy Scouts, turned upon him eagerly on hearing this suggestive remark.

"You know something about the plans, Jack!"

"Sure he does, and he ought to give us a hint in the bargain!"

"Come, take pity on us, won't you, Jack?"

But the object of all this pleading only shook his head and smiled as he went on to say:

"I'm bound to secrecy, fellows, and you wouldn't have me break my word to our patrol 5 leader. Just hold your horses a little while longer and you'll hear everything. We're going to talk it over to-night and settle the matter once for all. Now let's drop the subject. Here's a new wrinkle I'm trying out."

With that Jack started to spin around on his skates, and fairly dazzled his mates with the wonderful ability he displayed as a fancy skater.

While they are thus engaged a few words of explanation may not come in amiss.

Stanhope Troop consisted of three full patrols, with another almost completed. Though in the flood tide of success at the time we make the acquaintance of the boys in this volume there were episodes in the past history of the troop to which the older scouts often referred with mingled emotions of pride and wonder.

The present status of the troop had not been maintained without many struggles. Envious rivals had tried to make the undertaking a failure, while doubting parents had in many cases to be shown that association with the scouts would be a thing of unequalled advantage to their boys.

Those who have read the previous books of this series have doubtless already formed a warm attachment for the members of the Red Fox Patrol and their friends, and will be greatly pleased to follow their fortunes again. For the 6 benefit of those who are making their acquaintance for the first time it may be stated that besides Jack Stormways and the four boys who were with him on the frozen Bushkill this December afternoon, the roster of the Red Fox Patrol counted three other names.

These were Paul Morrison, the leader, the other Carberry twin, William by name, and a boy whom they called "Nuthin," possibly because his name chanced to be Albert Cypher.

As hinted at in the remarks that flew between the skaters circling around, many of the members of the troop had spent a rollicking vacation the previous summer while aboard a couple of motor boats loaned to them by influential citizens of their home town. The strange adventures that had befallen the scouts on this cruise through winding creeks and across several lakes have been given in the pages of the volume preceding this book, called "The Banner Boy Scouts Afloat; Or, The Secret of Cedar Island."

Ever since their return from that cruise the boys had talked of little else; and upon learning that the Christmas holidays would be lengthened this season the desire to take another tour had seized upon them.

After Jack so summarily shut down upon the subject no one ventured to plead with him any 7 longer. All knew that he felt bound in honor to keep any secret he had been entrusted with by the assistant scout-master-for Paul often had to act in place of Mr. Gordon, a young traveling salesman, who could not be with the boys as much as he would have liked.

Jack had just finished cutting the new figure, and his admirers were starting to give vent to their delight over his cleverness when suddenly there came a strange roaring sound that thrilled every one of them through and through. It was as if the frozen river were breaking up in a spring thaw. Some of the boys even suspected that there was danger of being swallowed up in such a catastrophe, and had started to skate in a frenzy of alarm for the shore when the voice of Bobolink arose above the clamor.

"Oh! look there, will you, fellows?" he shouted, pointing a trembling finger up the river. "The old ice-house has caved in, just as they feared it would. See the ice cakes sliding everywhere! And I saw men and girls near there just five minutes ago. They may be caught under all that wreckage for all we know! Jack, what shall we do about it?"

"Come on, every one of you!" roared Jack Stormways, as he set off at full speed. "This means work for the scouts! To the rescue, boys! Hurry! hurry!"

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