Part 24 (1/2)
”Great Caesar! More smoke!” groaned the Ranger. ”If that's another fire started--!”
His words made us jump and gaze about. Yes, there was smoke, plenty of it, over where the forest fire we had fought was still alive. But he was looking in another direction, down along the top of the plateau.
”See it?” he asked.
Yes, we saw it. But--! And then our hearts gave a great leap.
”That's not a forest fire!” we cried. ”That's a smoke signal!”
”A what?”
”A smoke signal! And--”
”Wait a second. We'll read it, if we can. Scouts must be over there,” I exclaimed.
”More Scouts!” grunted the beaver man. ”These here hills are plumb full of 'em.”
The air was quiet, and the smoke rose straight up, with the sun tinting the top. It was a pretty sight, to us. Then we saw two puffs and a pause, and two puffs and a pause, and two puffs and a pause. It was our private Elk Patrol code, and it was beautiful. We cheered.
”It's from our partners, and it says 'Come to council,'” I reported.
”They're hunting for us. We'll have to go over there.”
”Think they're in trouble?”
”They don't say so, but we ought to signal back and go right over.”
”I'll go, too, for luck, and see you through, then,” said the Ranger.
”Do I have to make that extra ride?” complained the beaver man, angry again.
”Sure,” answered the Ranger. ”That's only a mile or so and then it's only a few more miles to the cabin, and we aren't afraid of the dark.”
They watched us curiously while we hustled and sc.r.a.ped a pile of dead sage and gra.s.s and rubbish, and set it to smoking and made the Elks' ”O.
K.” signal. The other Scouts must have been sweeping the horizon and hoping, for back came the ”O. K.” signal from them.
And traveling our fastest, with the beaver man grumbling, we all headed across the plateau for the place of the smoke. Sunday was turning out good, after all.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”IT WAS OUR PRIVATE ELK PATROL CODE.”]
CHAPTER XV
GENERAL ASHLEY DROPS OUT
(JIM BRIDGER RESUMES THE TALE)
I tell you, we were glad to have that smoke of ours answered, and to see Major Henry and Kit Carson and Jed Smith coming, in the twilight, with the Ranger and the beaver man. We guessed that the three boys must be our three partners--and when they waved with the Elk Patrol sign we knew; but of course we didn't know who the two strangers were.