



Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Rod Crawford, Rick Morris
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net









                             THE BOY SCOUTS
                                 OF THE
                              SIGNAL CORPS


                                   BY
                             ROBERT SHALER


                                NEW YORK
                            HURST & COMPANY
                               PUBLISHERS




                        Sterling Boy Scout Books


                    _Bound in cloth_    _Ten titles_


  1 Boy Scouts of the Signal Corps.
  2 Boy Scouts of Pioneer Camp.
  3 Boy Scouts of the Geological Survey.
  4 Boy Scouts of the Life Saving Crew.
  5 Boy Scouts on Picket Duty.
  6 Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron.
  7 Boy Scouts and the Prize Pennant.
  8 Boy Scouts of the Naval Reserve.
  9 Boy Scouts in the Saddle.
  10 Boy Scouts for City Improvement.


_You can purchase any of the above books at the price you paid for this
one, or the publishers will send any book, postpaid, upon receipt of
25c._

                        HURST & CO., Publishers
                      432 Fourth Avenue, New York

                  Copyright, 1914, by Hurst & Company.




                                CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                                           PAGE
  I. Great Expectations                                                5
  II. Forming the Signal Corps                                        21
  III. A Perilous Encounter                                           35
  IV. A Fire in Camp                                                  48
  V. Reveille                                                         65
  VI. The Chosen Few                                                  81
  VII. The End of the Hike                                            97
  VIII. An Unexpected Reproof                                        113
  IX. The Sham Battle                                                128
  X. Around the Council-Fire                                         140
  XI. A Mountain Adventure                                           152




                   The Boy Scouts of the Signal Corps




                               CHAPTER I.
                          GREAT EXPECTATIONS.


"Hi! you, Billy Worth!" cried the leader of the Wolf patrol, a tall
youth of seventeen named Hugh Hardin, addressing his assistant.
"Scramble out of that bunky, my boy, in two wags of a Wolf's tail, or
I'll have scout's law on you!"

"All right, chief! Coming!" was the prompt response, as Billy, thus
adjured, turned over in his bunk and thrust one long leg over the edge.

His bare brown foot, dangling perilously near the head of another boy
whose bunk was beneath Billy's, proved too great a temptation for the
lad. Pulling a whisp of straw from his mattress, he proceeded to tickle
the sole of that foot, thereby causing Billy to elevate it hastily with
a loud squeal.

As he did so, Hugh made a dexterous sweep of his arms, and, grasping
Billy around the knees, almost flung him over one broad shoulder and
deposited him none too gently on the floor.

"Ouch!" whooped Billy.

His shout and the dull thump of his fall aroused other inmates of the
cabin who had not already wakened in time to witness the onslaught.

"Help! Murder!" yelled a scout of the patrol.

"Shut up!" another boy said, laughing, as he sprang from his bunk.
"What's going on here, anyway?"

"Not hurt, are you, old man?" inquired Hugh, a trifle anxiously, for he
seldom cared to perpetrate practical jokes. "I didn't mean to----"

No response from Billy. He lay where he had fallen, with one arm
outstretched, the other pillowing his head. His face was covered by a
limp hand, but between his fingers he slyly peeped out, and his
twinkling eyes sought the serious face of Hugh, who was bending over
him.

"Billy's done for!" said the lad who had tickled him. "Let's put him to
bed, chief, for he will be happier there."

Ignoring this facetious suggestion, Hugh bent still lower; he even
dropped upon one knee, and put his hands on Billy's shoulder.

"Wake up, son!" he urged, smiling and giving his chum a gentle shake.
"First round is over, and in ten seconds you will be counted out."

This was the chance for which Billy had been waiting. Now he saw that
Hugh was completely off his guard. Suddenly his free hand shot out,
grasped Hugh's ankle from behind, gave it a strong push--and the next
instant Hugh measured his length on the floor. Before Hugh could fully
realize what had happened to upset his equilibrium, Billy gathered up
his own sprawling limbs, and hurled himself upon his fallen leader.

"Down and out, am I?" he gurgled. "Who said so? Come on, we'll----"

"Sure! We'll see!" As he spoke, Hugh struggled free from the other's
hold, and met the reprisal with his usual jolly laugh. "Good for you,
Billy! Good one on me! O-ho!"--he dodged nimbly a "half-Nelson" which
Billy had vainly attempted--"none of your famous strangle-h