The Boy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol | Page 9

growled
Tubby.

Without an instant's hesitation, Merritt threw off the jacket he had put
on when it started to blow, and slipped off his shoes. He was overboard
and striking out for the drowning boy before those in the Flying Fish
even realized his purpose.
With swift, powerful strokes he got alongside Sam just as the owner of
the hydroplane was going down for the third time.
As the brave boy seized the struggling, frightened youth he felt himself
gripped by the panic-stricken Sam in a frenzied hold of desperate
intensity. His arms were pinioned by the drowning wretch, and they
both vanished beneath the waves.
As they went under, however, Merritt managed to get one hand free,
and recalling what he had read of what to do under such conditions,
struck the other boy a terrific blow between the eyes. It stunned Sam
completely, and, to his great relief, Merritt felt the imprisoning grip
relax. He could then handle Sam easily, and as they shot to the surface
he saw the Flying Fish bearing down on them, with four white, strained
faces searching the tumbling waters.
In a few moments the unconscious lad and his rescuer were hauled on
board, and Rob, after congratulations, headed the Flying Fish for the
mouth of the inlet, which was still some distance off.
Tubby and Bill Bender laid Sam on his stomach, across a thwart, and
started to try to get some of the salt water, of which he had swallowed
great quantities, out of him. He soon gave signs of returning
consciousness, and opened his eyes just as Jack Curtiss was demanding
to know if the Boy Scouts weren't going to take the hydroplane in tow.
"Not much we're not," responded Rob. "I'm sorry to have to leave her;
but this sea is getting up nastier every minute, and there's no way of
getting a line to her without running more risk than I want to take.
We've had one near-drowning and we don't want another."
"If this was my boat, I'd pick Sam's boat up," sullenly replied the bully.

"You ought to be mighty glad we came along when we did,"
indignantly spoke up Tubby. "You'd have been in a bad fix if we hadn't.
Instead of being thankful for it, all you can do is to kick about leaving
the hydroplane."
An angry reply was on the other's lips, but Bill Bender checked it by
looking up and saying: "I guess the kid's right, Jack. Let it go at that."
The bully glowered. He felt his pride much wounded at having been
compelled to seek the aid of the boys whom be despised and hated.
"I suppose you'll go and blab it all over town about how you saved us,"
he sneered, as the Flying Fish threaded her way through the tumbling
waters at the mouth of the inlet and began making her way up it.
"I don't think we shall," replied Rob quietly. "I mean to recommend
Merritt, though, to headquarters for his Red Honor."
"Oh, you mean that cheap, bronze medal thing on a bit of red ribbon!"
sneered Jack. "Why, that isn't worth much. You couldn't sell it for
anything but old junk. Why don't they make them of gold?"
"That 'bronze medal thing,' as you call it, is worth a whole lot to a Boy
Scout," rejoined Rob in the same even tone. "More than you can
understand."
On their arrival at the yacht-club pier the boys were overwhelmed with
questions, and a doctor was summoned for Sam, who, as soon as he
found himself safe, began to groan and show most alarming symptoms
of being seriously affected by his immersion.
The boys were not able to conceal the fact that they had accomplished a
brave rescue, and were overwhelmed with congratulations. Merritt
especially came in for warm praise and commendation.
"You will certainly be granted your Red Honor," declared Mr. Wingate,
who, besides being commodore of the Yacht Club, was one of the
gentlemen whom Rob had persuaded to act as Scout Master for the new

patrol.
Merritt escaped from the crowd of admiring motor-boat men and boys
as soon as he could, and hastened home for a change of clothes. On the
arrival of Dr. Telfair, the village physician, he pronounced that there
was nothing whatever the matter with Sam but a bad fright, and
prescribed dry garments and hot lemonade.
"Don't I need any medicine?" groaned Sam, determined to make the
most out of his temporary notoriety.
"No, you don't," growled the doctor; "unless," he added to himself,
"they put up 'courage' in bottles."
"I suppose those boys will be more stuck up than ever now," said Jack
to Bill Bender, as, having perfunctorily thanked their rescuers, they
started for home with the almost weeping