Part 23 (1/2)

”Sure I'll get him!” promised Chot. ”He'll come. Now come on! Let's hurry back home and get the things.”

They started on their way, down the now almost dark road, and then Rick happened to think of something.

”S'posin' the junk man and the sailor come back while we're gone?” he asked. ”Then how we going to get Ruddy?”

”I didn't think of that,” admitted Chot. ”Let's see,” he said, musingly. ”We pa.s.sed a house a ways back, just before we saw this cabin.

We could stop there and ask 'em to sort of keep an eye on this shack until we get back.”

”Yes, we could do that,” agreed Rick. ”But it's going to take us a long time to go home and come back.”

”Oh, maybe we'll get a lift,” suggested Chot, always a hopeful sort of chap.

They had better luck than they expected. At the nearest house to the log cabin, where they stopped, they told their story of how they were searching for Ruddy. The place was a farm, and a boy who lived there belonged to the Scouts, though not to the same troop of which Chot was a member.

”I'll go down and keep watch on the place 'till you get back,” offered this boy. ”And I'll stay with you all night, if dad'll let me.”

”That's fine!” exclaimed Rick and his chums echoed this sentiment.

And they had not finished talking about this before the farmer, who had heard their story, not only gave permission for his son to help, and aid in standing guard through the night, but also offered to run Rick, Chot and Tom over to Belemere in his auto.

”I'll bring you back, too!” he said.

”Oh, I'm sure we'll find Ruddy now!” declared Rick, who was both excited and delighted.

There was some more excitement when he reached home. His parents were beginning to be alarmed about him. But he quickly told what had happened, and as the Scout Master, summoned by Chot over the telephone, agreed to accompany the boys back to the cabin, Rick was allowed to go with them.

”Oh, I do hope he'll be all right!” said his mother. ”He's never been away from home like this before!”

”It will do him good, and we can safely trust him with the Scout Master,” said Mr. Dalton.

”Oh! oh!” Mazie had exclaimed when she heard the plans. ”Are you going to sleep in the cabin all night, Rick?”

”Well, I won't sleep _all_ night,” he answered, as he rolled up his blankets and took his bundle of food. ”We got to stay on watch, some of us, to catch the junk man, or the sailor, if he comes back with the junk fellow, to get his horse and wagon. That's how we'll get Ruddy.”

”Oh, I want Ruddy! I love him!” said the little girl, and in thinking about the lost dog she did not feel so much fear at having Rick stay away from home over night.

But, even in spite of the confidence Mr. Dalton had in the scout master, Mrs. Dalton was nervous.

”I'll take good care of him--never fear!” Harry Taylor, the Scout Master, promised with a smile, as the boys piled in the auto for the ride back with the farmer. ”I won't let him get even the snuffles!”

”That's what I'm afraid of--having him catch cold!” said Rick's mother.

But she wanted her son to be a manly boy, so she let him go. And you may well believe there were joyous hearts in the little party of lads who were on their way to camp in the old log cabin. It was more than a mere camping crowd--they were trying to catch the man who had Rick's dog!

CHAPTER XVII

THE TWO SAILORS

While Rick, his boy chums and the Scout Master were on their way to the old log cabin, there to camp all night, if need be, to wait for the sailor to come back with the dog, poor Ruddy himself was not having a very good time.