CHAPTER XVIII

SHANGHAIED!

“We ought to answer that signal,” declared Harry.  “Maybe there’s a Boy Scout needs help in the next room.”

“Remember your motto,” cautioned Arnold.  “Be Prepared for trouble and for enemies as well as to help someone.”

“We haven’t had much chance to help anyone so far today,” asserted Harry.  “This may be just the chance to take the knot out of our neckties, so I’m going to take a chance.  We can’t afford to be too careful.  If we were in trouble, we’d want help.”

“That’s so,” admitted Arnold.  “Go to it, then.  I’m with you.”

“Let me roll over and get on my feet and I’ll slap, slap, slap on the floor with my foot,” declared Harry.  “That’ll be easy.”

“Why don’t you whistle ‘Bob White,’ at him?” queried the other.

“Because we’re not allowed to use the call of another Patrol.  If he’s a Bob White, he can’t in reason howl like a wolf or bark like a dog or slap, slap like a beaver.  You understand that.”

“Sure I do,” admitted Arnold, “but I overlook things sometimes.”

Harry now succeeded in rolling over onto his face and from that uncomfortable position rose to his feet.  He balanced himself against the wall while he raised one foot and gave three distinct slaps on the floor with the sole of his shoe.  Both listened sharply.

“Bob, Bob White,” came the answering call through the partition.

“Who’s there?” called Harry in a voice trembling with excitement.

“Bob White, St. Louis,” came the muffled reply.

“Good gracious,” was Harry’s startled comment.  “Bob White, St. Louis.  Then they’ve got Jack and Tom and Frank cooped up here.”

“That’s awful,” groaned Arnold.  “What shall we do?”

“If it is really a Boy Scout, we’d better try to help him.”

“If we only were not tied.  How can we get loose?”

“There’s only one way that I can see,” stated Harry.  “If you will rise to your feet so that I can get at your hands with my teeth, I’ll try to untie that rope that holds you.  Then you can untie me.”

“But that isn’t a rope,” protested Arnold.  “That’s a snake skin and it’s off the snake that nearly struck you.  You wouldn’t think of biting on that.  You just couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t.”

“That’s what I thought, so I suggested that I do it.”

“What do you mean?” flashed Arnold.  “I guess I can do anything you can.  I’ve never been stumped yet and I shall not begin now.”

“Never mind the argument, let me get at your bonds.”

“Not yet.  I’ll untie yours, but you’re not going to untie mine with your teeth.  Tom got kicked in the jaw, Jack got shot and you got your wrists cruelly burned on this trip.  It’s no more than fair that I should have some of the discomforts of this experience.”

“Well, then, hurry up.  That fellow may be in trouble.”