Then, all of a sudden, I knew.  They were talking about me.  They must have been up that creek fishing and found that note of mine.  And they were going to tell my people as soon as they got home.

“Holler to them, fellows!” I said; “quick-all together.”

I guess the fellows must have thought I was crazy, but they hollered for all they were worth.  But it was no use, for nobody answered.  I guess the wind must have been blowing our way or something—­anyway, they didn’t pay any attention.  Then pretty soon I couldn’t hear the chugging any more at all.

Oh, jiminies, but I felt bad.  Maybe you think that as long as I escaped and would get home all right I ought to be satisfied.  But that’s because you don’t know anything about my mother.  When my brother died I saw how she acted and the doctor said she had to stay in bed two or three days on account of her heart being not just right.  Maybe he thought it would stop, I guess.  And gee, I didn’t want her to hear any bad news, even if it wasn’t true.  ’Cause I knew just how she’d act—­I could just see her, sort of.  I guess I was kind of thinking about it and how it would be when Jake Holden went to the house, and how she’d have to wait five or six hours, maybe till morning, before she saw me, when all of a sudden I heard Will Dawson of my patrol say, “What’s the matter, Blakey?”—­he always calls me Blakey.  But I didn’t pay any attention to him, because I couldn’t speak—­exactly.  I didn’t seem to see any of the troop, I only just saw my mother standing, maybe kind of unsteady like, and listening to Jake Holden.

Then all of a sudden I walked straight over to where the Ravens were all sitting on the cabin roof.  And I spoke to Wigley Wig-wag Weigand.

I said—­this is just what I said—­I said, “Wig, I always claimed Ralph Warner was the best signaler in the troop and maybe you’ll remember I was mad when you got the badge.  But now I ain’t mad, and I ain’t jealous, only I don’t want those men to go and tell my mother I’m dead—­I—­I don’t.  I forgot to take the note away and they’re going to tell her and she—­she has—­her heart isn’t very strong like.  There’s only one fellow in the troop can do it—­it’s you.  You can do it.  You can do anything, signalling.  I’ve got to admit it now, when I need you.  You’re a Raven, but I want you to signal, quick.  They’ll see it in town.  You’re the only fellow can do it—­you are.  I got to admit it.”

He didn’t say much because he isn’t much on talking.  He’s always studying the Handbook.  But he jumped down and he just said, “I’ll fix it.”  And I knew he would.

CHAPTER IX

THE LOST LETTER

Then Elmer Sawyer (he’s a Raven) came up to me and said, “He’ll do it, Roy; don’t worry.  And they’ll get it too, because everybody in town is out these nights looking at the searchlights down the Hudson.”

That was one lucky thing.  A lot of cruisers and torpedo boats were down in the harbor and up the Hudson, and we could see their searchlights even in Bridgeboro.