e
pain. He looked as white as a sheet in the face. Tom's first act was to
force himself to appear cheerful; he knew that if all of them stared
and shuddered it would have a bad effect on the injured lad.

When they had made an examination Tom and Rob agreed that one of the
bones only had been broken.

"It's a painful thing, but not nearly so bad as a compound fracture
would be," Tom announced. "I think we can set it all right,
temporarily, and then bind the leg up. In the meantime, Mr.
Witherspoon, please make up your mind what we'd better do about getting
Walter home in a hurry, where the doctor can take charge of him."

"I hope you won't think of giving up your hike just on account of me,
fellows," said the poor Walter, weakly, showing a magnanimous spirit in
adversity that made his chums feel all the more admiration for him.

"Leave that to me," Mr. Witherspoon announced; "I remember seeing an
old car in the yard of that house we passed some three miles back. If
you boys can make some sort of stretcher for carrying Walter I'll see
that he gets home to-day, if I have to accompany him, and then come
back again to you."

This cheered the stricken lad as nothing else could have done. Home
just then had a most alluring look to Walter. The woods may seem all
very delightful when a boy is perfectly well, but let sickness or an
accident put him on his back, and there is nothing like one's own
home.

After making some preparations, Tom and Rob announced that they were
ready.

"It's going to hurt you some, Walter," said the patrol leader,
regretfully; "but it's got to be done, you know. Those two ends of the
bone must be brought together, and after that we intend to bandage your
leg the very best we know how."

Walter shut his teeth hard together, and seemed to prepare for the
worst.

"Go ahead, boys," he said, grimly; "I'll have to grin and bear it, I
guess. And I deserve all I'm getting for being so silly as to slip when
I was climbing that tree to see what was in the hole in the trunk."

He managed to stand it very bravely indeed, though the agony must have
been intense. The other scouts heaved a sigh when they saw the amateur
surgeons start to binding up the injured limb.

"That's all through with, Walter," said Tom, cheerily, "and you stood
it like a soldier, we'll all declare. Just as soon as that litter is
done you're going to be carried back to that house, if it takes every
one of us to do the job."

J