Roy Blakeleys Adventures in Camp | Page 7

Little Valley and made believe he was somebody else, and said he
heard the houseboat was for sale and in that way he found out about his
father loaning it to our troop, and how we were probably anchored near
St. George at Staten Island. Oh, boy, didn't he hurry up to get there,
because he was afraid we might be gone.
So then he waited till night and he was just wondering whether it would
be safe to wait till we were all asleep and then sneak onto the boat,
when all of a sudden he saw the fellows coming ashore and he got near
and listened and he heard them speak about going to the movies, and he
heard one fellow say something about how Roy would be sorry he

didn't come. And do you want to know what he told me? This is just
what he said; he said, "When I heard your name was Roy, I knew you'd
be all right--see? Because look at Rob Roy," he said; "wasn't he a bully
hero and a good scout and a fellow you could trust with a secret--wasn't
he?" That's just what he said. "You take a fellow named Roy," he said,
"and you'll always find him true and loyal." He said there was a fellow
named Roy on the West Front and he gave up his life before he'd tell on
a comrade.
Then he said, "You see how it is with me, Skeezeks, I'm in a peck of
trouble and I've got to get those army duds on and toddle back to camp
as soon as I can get there and face the music. I've got to make an
excuse--I've got to get that blamed uniform pressed somehow--I
suppose it's creased from the dampness in that locker. I've got to
straighten matters out if I can. I just managed to save my life, and by
heck, I'll be lucky if I can just save my honor and that's the plain truth."
"So you see I've got a lot to do," he said, "and you've got just the one
thing to do, and that's a cinch. It's to keep your mouth shut--see?
Suppose the old gent knew about this. Suppose my sister knew I was
within a quarter of a mile of the house and didn't go to see them. You
know what girls are."
I told him, "Sure, because I've got two sisters. And I bet they'd like you,
too. I bet they'd say you were good looking." Then he began to laugh
and he said, "Well, I bet I'd like them too, if they're anything like you.
So now will you keep your mouth shut? Ever hear of the scouts' oath?
The Indian scouts' oath, I mean--loyalty for better or worser? Don't say
I was here. Don't say you know anything about me. Keep your mouth
shut. If my name should be mentioned, keep still. You don't know
anything. Nobody was here, see?"
I said, "Suppose Mr. Ellsworth or somebody should ask me?"
"Who's going to ask you?" he said; "you say nothing and they'll say
nothing. I fought for my country, kiddo, and I've got two wounds. You
don't want to spoil it all for me now, do you?"

I said, "I bet you're brave, anyhow."
"I'd rather face two German divisions than what I've got to face
to-morrow," he said; "but if I know it's all right at this end, I won't
worry. Are you straight?"
"I wouldn't tell," I told him; "cracky, why should I tell? And I can see
you've got a lot of trouble and you're not exactly all to blame, anyway.
Only I hope I'll see you again sometime because, anyway, whatever
you did I kind of like you. It's one of our laws that a fellow has to be
loyal. Only sometime will you tell me some of the things you did--I
mean your adventures?"
"I'll tell you all about the jungles and the man-eating apes down in
Central America," he said.
So then he went into the cabin in a big hurry and he took the key out of
his pocket and he opened the locker and took out his uniform. It was all
wrinkled and damp, but anyway, he looked fine in it, you can bet. After
he got it all on and fixed right, he stuffed his old clothes into the place
and locked it up again. I bet any girl would say he looked fine, that's
one thing sure.
Just before he climbed over the railing he put his hand in his pocket and
took out some change and he was in such a hurry that he dropped some
of it and it went all over the deck. I started to pick it up for him,