“If that ambulance does come along,” said Hugh, with a whimsical look at his fellow-worker, “we’ll get the doctor to take a look at the child so as to make a sure thing of it.”
“No need,” sang out Billy, blithely; “it began getting better right away after its maw got it to take that remedy. Why, you fellows must be wizards, that’s what. Whenever I get sick again, I’m going to insist on having you attend me. And that’s praise not many doctors ever get, let me tell you.”
An hour had gone by since Ralph returned with the news that he had heard the telegraph operator at the station send the message to Farmingdale. Still there was no sign of anything happening, nor for that matter had the authorities of the county taken a hand in the matter.
The guards still walked the platform back of the heavy stockade, and the sunlight glinted from the polished barrels of their guns as they moved to and fro. In the foreign settlement there were more or less ominous gatherings, and the scouts began to grow a little uneasy when they saw how furious the men were becoming under the lash of the tongues of the women.
“There’ll be more trouble around here before long unless the right kind of officers are sent to keep order,” said Billy to Hugh, as they hurried from one patient to another, so as to keep up the good work.
“What makes you say that, Billy?” demanded the other, uneasily.
“Well, they’ve got some old shotguns and the like, and they’re talking things over now in little bunches!” Billy declared. “Whenever the old padrone comes around they hide these things, and let on that they’re not plotting mischief; but before night gets here they’ll make an attack on that stockade, unless the officers come up before, or something else happens.”
“The trouble is they keep seeing all these injured people,” complained Arthur.
“There is a whole lot in that,” admitted Hugh. “If only we could get them away somewhere, it might be easier to handle the mob.”
“Hugh, as sure as you live there’s a cloud of dust up the road there!” exclaimed Ralph Kenyon, joyously.
Every eye was instantly turned in that direction, for all of the scouts realized that it meant a great deal, not only to them but for the future peace of the community that something occurred to make these ignorant foreigners understand they were not objects of indifference in the eyes of the authorities, who would permit them to be shot down like dogs and never interpose a hand to prevent the deed or punish the aggressors.
Ten seconds later a cheer broke forth from the six khaki-clad boys as they saw a motor ambulance bearing the magical red cross on its side, swinging around the bend of the road that led toward distant Farmingdale. On the front seat with the chauffeur was a man dressed in white clothes, who had a badge around his arm, doubtless bearing the insignia of his calling; and further back in the commodious up-to-date ambulance could be seen a couple of nurses also garbed in the snowy dress that characterized their profession.
No wonder the weary scouts felt like throwing up their hats and shouting with an excess of joy; for their long vigil was about to be ended, since they could hand over all their patients to the care of these experienced workers in the Army of Mercy.
Even the ignorant foreigners seemed to understand that the coming of the ambulance with its Red Cross, known throughout the whole world, meant a new chance of life and hope for the sufferers.
There was no cheering on their part, for their hearts were heavy with the dismal outlook confronting them; but some of the black looks began to give way to a feeling of confidence that the worst was over.
It was the coming of Hugh and his fellow scouts on the scene, as the wise old padrone knew very well, that had started the scales to moving in their favor.
If you have been interested in following the adventures of Hugh and his comrades as detailed in these pages, and would know more about their further activities, it is easily possible to do so by purchasing the next volume of this series, now on sale everywhere, under the title of “The Boy Scouts and the Red Cross.”
THE END.
Transcriber’s Notes
- Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public domain in the country of publication.
- Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
- In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)