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+Project Gutenberg's Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks, by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+
+Author: Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+Release Date: August 18, 2008 [EBook #26345]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jacqueline Jeremy, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading" ... Page 182]
+
+
+
+
+    GIRL SCOUTS IN
+    THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+    BY
+    LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY
+
+    AUTHOR OF
+    THE POLLY BREWSTER BOOKS,
+    THE LITTLE WASHINGTONS BOOKS
+
+    ILLUSTRATED
+
+    GROSSET & DUNLAP
+    PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+    Made in the United States of America
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
+    GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
+
+    _The Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks_
+
+    _Printed in the U. S. A._
+
+
+
+
+    CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAPTER                                                         PAGE
+
+       I. THE FRIDAY JINX                                              1
+
+      II. ANOTHER DAY OF TROUBLES                                     24
+
+     III. IN THE MOUNTAINS AT LAST                                    41
+
+      IV. A VISIT TO GREY FOX CAMP                                    60
+
+       V. A STORY OF CREATION                                         72
+
+      VI. LOST ON THE TRAIL                                           91
+
+     VII. A LITTLE BUSINESS                                          106
+
+    VIII. JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK                              127
+
+      IX. LESSONS IN TRACKING                                        139
+
+       X. THE GIRL SCOUTS ENTERTAIN                                  157
+
+      XI. A CANOE TRIP                                               179
+
+     XII. FIRST AID                                                  190
+
+    XIII. SHOOTING THE RAPIDS--AND OTHER THINGS                      204
+
+     XIV. THE GRAND SURPRISE                                         214
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+"Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading" (page 182)    _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+"Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betzy, or go back
+with me and eat sandwiches"                                           16
+
+"We are lost, come find us"                                           98
+
+"Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned Joan                211
+
+
+
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE
+
+THE FRIDAY JINX
+
+
+"Are we ready to start, girls?" called Mrs. Vernon, the Captain of
+Dandelion Troop of Girl Scouts, as she glanced at her protegées seated
+in two large touring cars.
+
+"Ready! Why, Verny, we've been waiting for you these ten minutes,"
+retorted Juliet Lee, one of the original members of the troop.
+
+"And we're just crazy to be off before that black cloud overhead adds to
+mother's fear lest I never come home again," added Ruth Bentley, another
+of the first four girl scouts of Elmertown.
+
+"Well, then, it seems that all the baggage and outfit we need with us on
+the trip is safely stowed away, eh, Jim?" said Mrs. Vernon, looking at
+the driver of the other car.
+
+"Everything that I found waiting to be packed when I drove up to the
+side door," replied the chauffeur.
+
+"All right! Then we're off, folkses, but we'll send you word the moment
+we arrive at Old Forge in the Adirondacks," called Mrs. Vernon, to the
+crowd of relatives of the various girls, all gathered to watch the
+scouts drive away.
+
+"Good-by! Good-by!" now shouted many girlish voices, and "Good-by!
+Good-by!" was shouted back as the two seven-passenger cars started on
+the long journey.
+
+Mrs. Vernon led the way in her luxurious automobile, and as they turned
+the bend of the road, where the last of the group still watching on the
+Vernon lawn was lost to sight, she laughingly remarked:
+
+"I never thought a crowd of girls could get ready for such a long outing
+in so short a time."
+
+"It all depends on how badly the girls _want_ to be ready, Captain,"
+retorted Joan Allison, the fourth girl of the number who founded
+Dandelion Camp of Girl Scouts the summer before.
+
+"Say, girls! I just felt a drop of rain from that inky cloud!" Betty Lee
+warned. She was Julie's sister, and they were two who had first
+suggested a scout organization.
+
+Mrs. Vernon slowed down and turned to the scouts. "Shall we stop to put
+on the rain-curtains?"
+
+"Mercy, no! It's only a sprinkle, and we're not sugar," exclaimed Joan,
+glancing at the sky.
+
+The other girls followed her gaze, and Julie said: "See all the blue
+sky! Enough to make the proverbial 'night-cap'."
+
+In case the reader has not yet met the four girls who had such a
+thrilling time while at camp the previous summer, it will be best to
+make their acquaintance now.
+
+As stated before, Juliet and Elizabeth Lee were the two sisters who
+planned having a scout troop for girls in Elmertown. Joan Allison and
+Ruth Bentley, both schoolmates of the Lee girls, eagerly agreed to add
+their efforts to the others' and secure the interest of enough girls for
+them to be able to apply for a charter from the Girl Scout Headquarters
+in New York City.
+
+Before they closed their camp on "Verny's Mountain" that summer, five
+other girls had been admitted to membership in the young Patrol, namely:
+Hester Wynant, fourteen; Anne Bailey, fourteen; Judith Blake, thirteen;
+her sister, Edith Blake, twelve; and Amy Ward, thirteen.
+
+Then during the winter, other girls who had heard of the good times the
+scouts had had in camp that past summer became so insistent to mothers
+at home that permission to join the organization was granted them.
+
+Having nine girls in their original Patrol, with Julie as Leader, and
+Joan for Corporal, the scouts now felt experienced enough to pass all
+the tests required to apply for a Troop Charter. The young scouts were
+an active group and when the Charter arrived from National Headquarters
+the same day the girls had planned to start for camp, there was great
+rejoicing.
+
+True to his promise given the Girl Scouts the summer previous, Mr.
+Gilroy had sent word to Mrs. Vernon when the camp in the Adirondacks was
+ready for them. When the girls found that Mrs. Vernon planned to use her
+large touring car for half of the number in the Troop to go in, and Ruth
+Bentley's father had offered his car for the other half, thus saving
+them great expense for railroad tickets, and giving them the pleasure of
+autoing the whole long distance, the excitement rose and would not be
+calmed down again.
+
+So it was not only a happy Troop that shouted good-by to relatives, but
+also a flushed, merry group of nine girls who could not keep silent for
+long.
+
+Ruth was in the rear seat of her father's car, which Jim was driving,
+when she suddenly sat up and called out to the chauffeur:
+
+"I'm sure one of our suitcases on the trunk-rack at the back must be
+loose, Jim. I hear it bump about every time you go over a rough place in
+the road."
+
+"It can't be, Miss Ruth," returned Jim, trying to peer out and see the
+baggage; "I strapped 'em on good and tight before we left."
+
+"Well, it happens to be my suitcase that's on top, and I'm sure I don't
+want to lose it," declared Ruth.
+
+"Maybe we'd better stop and make sure about it; we can soon catch up
+with Verny again," suggested Judith.
+
+So Jim sprang out to investigate. "The suitcases are all right, Miss
+Ruth, but somethin's wrong in the back all right."
+
+At that Ruth jumped out and joined the man. "What is it?" asked she,
+anxiously.
+
+"The sag in that spring 'pears to me to say it is about done for. We'll
+have to travel slow till we find a garage."
+
+"For mercy's sake! Didn't you and Pa's chauffeur overhaul both the cars
+thoroughly when you knew we were going on this trip?"
+
+"Your father sent this machine to the garage in Elmertown, 'cause he
+said they'd know how to do the job up better'n us," explained Jim.
+
+"Then it serves Dad right if he has to pay for a new spring! The idea of
+trusting strangers with his car at this important time! But here we are
+with a wornout old spring on our hands!" cried Ruth, stamping her foot
+impatiently.
+
+"Oh no, Ruth, not on our hands--but what is ten times worse--on the rear
+end of the car," laughed Hester.
+
+"Well, we've got to go slow, I suppose, and stop somewhere to replace
+the old thing," grumbled Ruth, climbing back in the car.
+
+"If 'Liza knew of this mischance, wouldn't she gloat over her 'Friday
+Bad Luck' prophecy?" laughed Ann.
+
+Jim started again, but carefully avoided the ruts and bumps in the road
+until he came to a large garage. Fortunately for all, they found a new
+spring in stock and the men were soon at work replacing the bad one.
+
+"Hurrah for us Jinx-breakers! This bit of luck in finding a new spring
+on hand more than offsets a Friday curse," gleefully cried Ruth.
+
+"You young ladies sure are lucky, but it will take some time to do the
+work, an' you may as well take a walk and see our nice Jersey town,"
+suggested the proprietor of the garage.
+
+The scouts followed this sensible advice and stopped at a shop where
+they treated each other to soda, candy, and peanuts. There being nothing
+more thrilling to do, they sat down in the Park and ate the plebeian
+delicacy and talked.
+
+"I love peanuts, don't you?" Anne asked of the girls.
+
+"Yes, but they have to be enjoyed away from home, or folks will make fun
+of you," added Ruth.
+
+"Not any more, Ruth. When a five-cent bag of peanuts, these days, only
+contains ten nuts that lifts them out of the cheap class," laughed
+Hester.
+
+"And makes them a luxury, eh?" added Judith.
+
+By the time the peanuts were gone, Jim signaled the girls and they
+hurried back to the garage. It took but a moment for them to jump in and
+urge Jim to hurry after Verny's car, somewhere in the lead.
+
+Mile after mile of beautiful woodland, with now and then a small town,
+but with many flourishing farms along the way, were reeled off rapidly
+as the machine sped along as if on wings. Finally they reached a
+crossroad where the signboard warned them: "All travel limited to eight
+miles per hour."
+
+"Slow down, Jim, or you'll land us in a county jail," called Ruth.
+
+"Then Mrs. Vernon must be in jail--'cause she ain't in sight along the
+road, and to get as far as this she _had_ to speed," declared Jim.
+
+"It's funny she wouldn't stop to find out what became of us, when we
+dropped so far behind," ventured Hester.
+
+"They'll look us up at mealtime, never fear," laughed Anne. "We've got
+the hamper with us, you know."
+
+The others laughed at this remark, but they had not gone much farther
+along the road before they spied the Vernon automobile waiting under a
+great oak tree. When the tardy car came up, both parties began to shout,
+some asking where the delinquents had been, and the unfortunates to
+demand why folks wouldn't look behind once in a while!
+
+Finally Jim could make himself heard, and he explained about the spring
+and where they had to stop to replace the old one.
+
+"Well, _we_ stopped to discuss ways. We ought to decide the route we
+want to take before we reach Jersey City," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Which is the route you'd chose, Verny?" added Ruth.
+
+"Well, we can save a lot of time by going along to Edgewater and cross
+on the Fort Lee boat. That takes us right to 130th Street and Broadway,
+New York. We avoid all crowds and city streets, but you will not see
+anything of the life and bustle of New York City."
+
+"How much time will we save?" asked Julie.
+
+"Because we've lost so much over that old spring," added Ruth.
+
+Mrs. Vernon smiled. "From upper New York we can drive right onto the
+State Road that runs direct to Albany. By selecting that way we will
+save a great deal of time, because traffic in the city is so congested
+that every driver has to travel slow and fall in line back of endless
+cars. At every corner when the signal holds up the entire line one has
+to stop to permit crosstown traffic a chance."
+
+"Then for goodness' sake, let's go through the country on this side of
+the Hudson, and cross where you said--Fort Lee Ferry," declared Julie.
+
+Every one agreeing to this decision, the plan was carried out as
+outlined by the Captain. Once on Broadway, where it passes Van Cortlandt
+Park, the girls called to Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"How about lunch--we're famished?"
+
+"Oh, don't let's stop here for lunch. Let's go on till we find a nicer
+spot in the country," returned Joan.
+
+"Maybe there won't be any better place," demurred Judith.
+
+"Oh, yes, there is. After we leave Yonkers we will find lots of spots,
+Verny says," called Julie, from the first car.
+
+"We need a shady place where a spring will give us water," said Betty.
+
+"A spring failing to bubble up at the proper place, we may have to be
+satisfied with a pump at some farmhouse," retorted her sister.
+
+The two cars sped swiftly along Broadway, through Yonkers,
+Hastings-on-Hudson, and Dobb's Ferry. At this last place the Captain
+pointed out the famous old Headquarters used by General Washington at
+the close of the Revolution.
+
+"Girls, there doesn't seem to be any picnic grounds for us along this
+State Road," remarked Mrs. Vernon. "Suppose we take a bite as we travel
+along, and cook a regular dinner when we are out in the country
+somewhere?"
+
+"We're willing, in fact, I am more than willing to eat," called Anne,
+the scout with the healthy appetite.
+
+So they drove on while refreshments were passed around, and every one
+admired the river scenes of the ever-changing panorama of the Hudson.
+
+Just beyond Peekskill the road ran under a culvert and a sharp turn on
+the other side made it impossible to see what was on the road ahead. The
+Captain made the turn very neatly and Jim was about to follow the
+leading car, when several shrill cries from the girls ahead caused him
+to put on the emergency brakes.
+
+The passengers in the second car could just see what had caused the
+frightened shouts from their friends in the first car. A gaunt farm
+horse was standing on his hind legs pawing the air madly, while a
+rickety old spring wagon seesawed uncertainly on the edge of a deep
+ditch beside the road. But the driver of the horse was on the road,
+hanging on to the bridle while plying a stout hickory stick freely over
+the animal's back.
+
+"Git down! Will yuh come to arth, yuh rascal?" shouted the irate woman
+who was garbed in a man's farm hat and a long duster.
+
+"Do you need any assistance?" called Mrs. Vernon, anxiously.
+
+"Not ef I kin git him to plant his feet on arth agin. He ain't got no
+spunk left to run away, 'cause he's ben out plowing all day, and it w'ar
+a shame to drive him to the store. But it hed to be, 'cuz the ole man
+tuk t'other hoss to go to a meetin'."
+
+As the unusual character talked, she tugged at the bridle until she
+finally had the horse quieted down again. Then he allowed his long ears
+to droop lazily, his spine to sag in the middle, and his erstwhile
+springy legs to bend as if he felt too weary to stand up.
+
+The woman with the weather-beaten face and toughened hands was a fluent
+speaker, even though she paid little attention to the latest style in
+dress for women. She leaned against the shaft of the wagon and plied her
+questions to the tourists as freely as she had plied the hickory stick
+to the horse.
+
+"Be you-all out fer a lark?" asked she, eyeing the number of girls in
+both cars.
+
+Jim thought to move his car gradually along the road so the scouts in
+his charge could join in the conversation with the woman. But the moment
+the horse saw the automobile crawling towards him, he jumped aside. The
+wagon-wheel turned suddenly and the unexpected happened; the woman who
+had been leaning heavily on the wheel was unceremoniously dropped to a
+sitting posture in the dusty road.
+
+Several of the scouts had to smother with handkerchiefs, a keen desire
+to laugh, but the owner of the horse seemed to take the situation
+good-naturedly.
+
+"Wal, ef that ain't jus' like Samson! He does the mos' onexpected
+tricks, so's that he keeps us guessin' what next."
+
+Jim sprang out of the car when he saw the result of his innocent action
+with the engine, but the agile woman was up before he could reach her
+side. She brushed the dust from her long coat and chuckled aloud: "I
+allus said that animal oughter be called Delilah 'cuz _she_ was so sly,
+but my ole man says 'Samson' was close enough to that critter, and this
+animal hez such long hair that it suits with the name."
+
+"You've just had him clipped, I see," ventured Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Not clipped, Captain--but shorn of his locks like Samson," laughed
+Julie.
+
+"Maybe that's why he feels so tired," added Joan, quickly.
+
+Every one but the farmer's wife laughed. She seemed very serious over
+the conversation, and nodded her head affirmatively.
+
+"Well, we have to drive on, madam, but we're sorry to have frightened
+Samson," said Mrs. Vernon, in order to make an end to the scene.
+
+"Say, couldn't you tell us where there is a nice picnic place near
+here?" called Jim, as the first car started.
+
+"Yeh--a few miles furder on. You'll find a nice little brook in a grove
+of sugar-maples, with green grass on all sides."
+
+Jim thanked the woman, and started his car. Mrs. Vernon was informed of
+the grove which was to be a stopping place for dinner, and all were
+eagerly on the lookout for the spot that would offer such an ideal
+resting place.
+
+But it was the longest "few miles" any of the scouts had traveled, for
+the meter showed many, many miles before any grove was seen. There was
+no brook in it, but the grass was very green, and the maple grove, which
+crowded a knoll a short distance from the road, looked cool and
+inviting.
+
+As usual, Julie was the first one out of the cars and over the fence.
+She started to cross the very green grass, but instantly sank into the
+water that was hidden under the green blades.
+
+"Help! Oh, I'm drowning!" shouted she, struggling to pull her feet clear
+of the bog. But she would free one foot, and instantly the other would
+sink. Then she tried to drag that one out, but the first one would go
+down again. Both together she could not get out.
+
+"Oh, oh! See the mess poor Julie's in!" called one of the girls.
+
+Mrs. Vernon was gazing quickly around for some sort of help to get the
+scout out, but the girls stood about the place sympathizing with the
+furious scout.
+
+"Is it like that all over there, Julie?" called Betty, anxiously.
+
+"How do I know? Come over and find out for yourself!" snapped her
+sister.
+
+The girls laughed at the retort, but Betty added: "I only wanted to know
+if it was safe for me to come over and help you out."
+
+Julie straightened up and glared at her soft-hearted sister. "You sound
+just like our Sunday school teacher when she reads: 'Come over into
+Macedonia and help.'"
+
+Again the audience of girls laughed appreciatively, but Julie was too
+busy keeping her feet "treading water" to pay any attention to their
+enjoyment. Meantime, Jim had removed some rails from the fence and was
+bringing them to the scout's aid.
+
+"Now, Miss Julie, when I shove these over, you manage to work an arm
+over each one, and sort of lift yourself out that way. I'll shove others
+over for you to step on next, and in that way you can get out and across
+to us," advised Jim, working as he spoke.
+
+Finally Julie was rescued from the mire, and then the Captain said:
+"Every one walk along that elevated bank, over there, to reach the
+grove, as this entire area may be a boggy spring."
+
+But the grass under the trees in the grove was found to be hard and dry,
+and they soon began to prepare luncheon. While Mrs. Vernon unpacked the
+hamper, the scouts were detailed on various duties: some to build a
+fire, some to hunt spring water, some to set table on the grass. But
+Julie was excused from all these tasks, as she had more than enough work
+to do in cleaning the mud from her boots and stockings.
+
+When luncheon was almost ready, Judith and Amy, who had been sent to
+find the spring and bring back drinking water, reported: "We couldn't
+find any spring."
+
+Julie looked up and jeered: "You are fine scouts! Couldn't find a spring
+when all you have to do is to find the source of all that water where I
+went down!"
+
+"Water! That looked like mud," retorted Judith.
+
+"We'll go for the water," volunteered Joan, catching hold of Betty's
+sleeve to take her along.
+
+So they started, and as Julie had said, the spring that fed the boggy
+spot was not far back in the grove. The water gurgled down from a cleft
+in a huge rock, and on either side of the small pool wood violets dipped
+their fragrant petals into the sparkling mirror.
+
+Betty sat down upon a flat rock beside the pool to enjoy the scene. But
+practical Joan filled the pail with cold water and then laughed at
+poetical Betty.
+
+"Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betty--or go back with me and
+eat ham sandwiches?"
+
+"Oh, I forgot where I was," laughed Betty, rising reluctantly to help
+carry the pail of water.
+
+"That's what I thought," tittered Joan, "but the rest of the girls
+prefer something more solid than dreams."
+
+During the luncheon the Captain said: "Wouldn't it be splendid if each
+one of us kept a diary of what happens during this summer's camp? Then
+we can rewrite the facts when we go home and make a good story of it.
+Perhaps a real publisher will buy it from us and thus give us a fund for
+next year's outing--if we have one."
+
+"Oh, that is great!" exclaimed several voices with girlish enthusiasm.
+
+"Well then, when we camp to-night, we'll jot down the episodes of the
+day's trip--not forgetting to dwell at length on 'Samson,' and Julie's
+side-plays," remarked the Captain, smilingly.
+
+"Has any one thought of a stopping place for the night?" asked Jim.
+
+"Not definitely, Jim; but I hope to cross the river at Poughkeepsie and
+drive along the west shore as far as possible. Then we can pitch camp
+at any good place we find," replied the Captain.
+
+They had not gone much farther before Ruth called: "It looks as if the
+rear tire on Verny's car was flat!"
+
+The Captain slowed up, and every one tried to see the tire. "That's what
+it is, all right, Captain!" ejaculated Jim, impatiently.
+
+"Dear me! That means another delay!" sighed several girls.
+
+The car had to be jacked up and Jim went to work to mend the puncture in
+the tube, then pumped and pumped until the tire was properly inflated
+once more.
+
+As the tourists climbed into their respective seats in the automobiles,
+Joan said: "Well, Captain, this wasn't such a bad day after all--in
+spite of being a Friday."
+
+"I'm thankful for it, too," sighed Betty, fervently.
+
+The cars made good time after that and passed over the ferry at
+Poughkeepsie, to travel northward on the road that ran along the west
+shore. They pitched camp in some woods and soon had a fire started to
+heat the canned soup they had brought. When all else was ready, the
+Captain banged upon a tin pan to call the scouts to dine.
+
+"Um! That tomato soup smells good!" exclaimed Joan, sniffing audibly,
+as she saw the contents of the pan that stood over the fire.
+
+"Will you serve it, Jo--you are nearest the pan?" said Mrs. Vernon,
+passing the basket that held the tin cups.
+
+"Here! Everybody hold up a mug to fill, while I come around with the
+pan!" ordered Joan, taking hold of the pan-handle that had been over the
+fire a long time.
+
+"Oo-oouch!" cried the girl, whipping her hand up and down as she danced
+wildly about.
+
+"You didn't spill the soup, I hope!" exclaimed Anne, with deep concern.
+
+"What difference would that make--a little cheap soup? But my hand--oh,
+it's got a trail blazed clean across the palm!" wailed Joan, showing her
+red-skinned hand to sympathizing friends.
+
+"Poor old scout! We have to learn all kinds of blazing, I suppose,"
+murmured Julie.
+
+"And the soup _is_ all safe--Jo never dropped the pan!" declared Anne,
+with gratification in her tones.
+
+"Here, Miss Jo," said Jim, who had gone for a bottle kept in the kit.
+"Pour this olive oil all over the hand and the smart will soon stop."
+
+He hurried to give the bottle to Joan but his toe caught in a bramble
+and tripped him. The bottle flew from his hand and struck the root where
+Joan sat. The glass shattered and the oil ran out the grass at the
+scout's feet.
+
+    [Illustration: "Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betzy,
+    or go back with me and eat sandwiches" ... Page 16]
+
+"Well, well! it must be the Friday Jinx that still pursues us," remarked
+Jim, gazing regretfully at the glistening oil that formed beads on the
+blades of grass.
+
+The girls laughed merrily, but Mrs. Vernon seemed serious. She was about
+to speak, when Amy asked Joan to pass the crackers. She picked up the
+box that was nearest her, and turned to hand them to her next neighbor,
+when her foot slipped on the oily grass and she sat down suddenly upon
+the stump. The box fell in Hester's lap, but Joan clapped a hand over
+her mouth and smothered a howl.
+
+"Goodness me! What's the matter now, Jo!" cried Ruth, seeing the girl's
+convulsed face.
+
+Joan shook her head helplessly, but her eyes were filled with tears.
+Every one wondered what could have happened, and when the scout could
+speak she said thickly: "Oh, that oil! I slipped and bit the end of my
+tongue clear off--I'm sure of it!"
+
+"Stick it out and let's see," demanded Ruth.
+
+"That's what comes of having too much of a good thing!" declared Julie,
+teasingly.
+
+Every one but the Captain laughed, and she said seriously: "Do you know,
+girls, that I've had an idea about all this talk over Friday being a
+'bad luck' day. Of course it is perfectly absurd to intelligent people,
+but there are enough superstitious folk left in the world who actually
+think Friday has some power to bring ill luck with it.
+
+"Now I believe that it is the _fear_ and general belief in the
+superstition that carries any weight with it. If we, as good intelligent
+scouts, will try to break this silly fear for others, we shall have to
+begin with ourselves, by not referring to the superstition with the
+sense of its having _any_ power to act."
+
+The girls listened seriously, as they always did when their Captain
+started one of her "sermonettes" as Julie called them; and when she had
+concluded, Joan said: "In other words, you want us to starve the poor
+wraith still more by withdrawing any thoughts from the matter whatever?"
+
+"Exactly! You've worded it better than I could have done myself,"
+responded the Captain, emphatically.
+
+When supper was over and everything about camp had been prepared for the
+night, Joan suggested taking a stroll down the picturesque country road.
+
+The gloaming was so inviting that the scouts decided to saunter down the
+woodsy road. They continued along the inviting footpath for more than a
+mile before they noticed a heavy fog settling upon everything.
+
+"Better turn and go back, girls. This fog is obscuring everything along
+the way," suggested Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"B-r-r-r! Isn't it damp!" shivered Joan.
+
+"Yes, and it will be worse before we get home," added Judith.
+
+They retraced their steps, but the fog came thicker and heavier all the
+time, and before they had gone more than half the way back, it was
+necessary for the scouts to go single file in order to keep in the
+footpath that ran along the top of a high grassy bank beside the narrow
+road.
+
+"It would be so much simpler to hike along the road, Verny," suggested
+Hester.
+
+"But there are so many machines traveling back and forth, and we'd have
+to scramble up this wet slippery bank to get out of the way every time
+one rushed past," explained Julie.
+
+Julie was in front, heading the line. Being Scout Leader of the Troop,
+she naturally led in most things. Suddenly she stopped short and warned
+those back of her:
+
+"Look out for this big boulder right in the pathway--have to detour
+towards the fence!"
+
+"Boulder! Why, there wasn't any boulder here on our way over," argued
+Ruth.
+
+"The fog's in Julie's eyes," laughed Joan.
+
+"Maybe we didn't notice a rock before," ventured Amy.
+
+"Maybe we are on the wrong road," said Anne.
+
+"We're right, all right, but I see a boulder in the way. If you don't
+believe me, come here and sprain your toe kicking it!"
+
+A few of the scouts crowded in front to peer through the puzzling fog to
+see the questionable boulder, but IT unexpectedly got upon its clumsy
+feet and started for the girls. In the fog it loomed up as big as an
+elephant.
+
+"Murder! Fire! Help! Help!!" came in confused screams from the scouts in
+front, as they turned precipitously to flee from this unknown danger.
+The confusion, as they fell back upon the scouts behind, while the great
+"boulder" still advanced slowly, was awful!
+
+But the soft earth of the bank had been washed out from under the top
+layer of roots and grass, and when so many stamping, crowding girls
+brought their weight upon the crumbling ground, it caved in with them.
+Jumping, screaming, tumbling scouts now went headlong down the slide of
+five feet into the roadway.
+
+The Captain and Betty had been far enough in the rear to escape this
+general stampede, but they, too, saw the dark object trying to skirt the
+newly broken-down embankment, and they slid quickly down the wet weedy
+bank to get away from this ghostlike creature that crept towards them.
+
+While brave scouts were getting up from the little ditch where they had
+rolled, a plaintive call from the "boulder" above identified the
+creature as belonging to the bovine kingdom. A second "Moo-oo," as the
+cow passed slowly down the bank to the road, where she hoped to find
+some one to lead her home, created a wild laugh from every one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO
+
+ANOTHER DAY OF TROUBLES
+
+
+Early in the morning the scouts heard Jim rattling the pans while he
+essayed to cook breakfast. They were soon up and dressed, and being
+ready for another day's adventuring, they offered their services to the
+cook.
+
+"Last night after you-all went for that hike, I mooned around some
+myself. I saw a little farmhouse over that hill, and I think a couple of
+girls might try to get some milk for breakfast," suggested Jim, pointing
+over the brow of a slight grade.
+
+"All right, Hester and I will go for it, Verny!" exclaimed Amy.
+
+"Very well, girls; the rest of us will do what we can to help Jim.
+Breakfast will be all ready by the time you return, so don't dawdle on
+the way, will you?" replied the Captain.
+
+"Take the big thermos bottle that will keep the milk cold all day, and
+bring the breakfast milk in this pail," suggested Julie, handing the
+girls both articles as she spoke.
+
+Hester and Amy disappeared over the brow of the hill where Jim said the
+farm was located, but breakfast was ready and waiting a long time
+before a sight of the girls was had again.
+
+Hester carried the pail very carefully, and Amy held the bottle, so it
+was evident that they had milk, but why should they seem to laugh so
+merrily over something, as they drew near the scouts?
+
+"What do you think happened to us?" called Amy.
+
+"You'll never guess--we got chased by a bull!" added Hester.
+
+"Oh, never!" cried the scouts who had been waiting anxiously.
+
+"Yes, sir! We heard a cow and knew there must be a farm," began Amy
+excitedly, but her companion interrupted her and said: "That wasn't a
+cow we heard, but the bellow of this bull!"
+
+"Do tell us all about how you escaped," chorused the eager voices of
+many girls.
+
+Every one was anxious to wait on the heroines, and after they had been
+served everything at one time, they began to munch and talk.
+
+"Well, first we left here and thrashed through those bushes back there,"
+said Hester, nodding her head towards the alder bushes, "to reach the
+place where we heard the cow--as we thought."
+
+Here Hester choked over the egg, and Amy quickly took up the story: "And
+we were halfway across a pasture lot when Hester, who was first, yelled
+wildly and waved her arms. I looked up, 'cause I was watching where I
+walked, the lot was pawed up into such hummocks, and saw Hester racing
+for the low boughs of an apple-tree. Then I heard a thumping, and saw a
+big bull charging across the meadow, making straight for us!"
+
+Amy gasped and needed a drink of water, then Hester continued the tale:
+"Oh, girls, it was thrilling! I managed to scramble up in the
+apple-tree, and turned to see what had become of Amy. There she was,
+sprinting like a Marathoner for the barbed-wire fence that enclosed the
+lot. She back-trailed over to it, and up over it she went, just like a
+swallow flies, but look at her stockings and skirt!"
+
+Every one looked at Amy's apparel and sympathized with her, yet every
+scout wished she had had such an exciting time.
+
+"Now they can win a badge for story-telling, can't they, Verny?" said
+Betty, glad for her two pals.
+
+"And another one for mending," laughed Julie, vindictively.
+
+"Poor Julie's awful sore about that mud," murmured Amy, winking an eye
+at the others.
+
+Every one laughed, but the Captain said: "Go on and finish the yarn."
+
+"Well, I left Hester in the tree--safety first, you know--with the bull
+standing under it, waiting for her, while I skirted the lot and reached
+the house. When I told the old lady how we happened to be in such a fix,
+she threw her gingham apron over her head and sat down on the doorstep
+to laugh.
+
+"I was beginning to feel offended, when she glanced up. She understood,
+and said: 'Deary, that ole bull has to be helped to his stall every
+night after a day in the pastoor. He oughter been butchered years an'
+years ago, but you see he saved me from a wicked tramp one day, an'
+father sayed Bill had earned his life-pension fer that. So Bill's safe
+from the slaughter-house, but he sure is a nuisance these days. Why,
+this mad run of his'n will keep him wheezin' fer a hull week. Now come
+with me an' I'll show you how he's payin' the price fer actin' like a
+three-year-old!"
+
+"I followed the old lady to the fence, and there, sure enough! Bill was
+sprawled out under the tree, puffing for breath, but poor Hester sat in
+the branches wailing because she dared not come down while the bull was
+making such a snorting noise!"
+
+The scouts laughed heartily at the graphic picture of Hester crying up
+in the tree, but the girl retorted, "Well, isn't 'Discretion the better
+part of valor'?"
+
+"Of course it is! We'd have done the same thing," agreed Mrs. Vernon,
+still laughing at Amy's story. Then she suggested breaking camp.
+
+After cleaning away all signs of camping, the scouts climbed into the
+cars which were soon speeding along. They were keen, now, for something
+new that they could write in their diaries, and many interesting things
+were seen and dilated upon as they rode past.
+
+As the autos neared Schenectady, one of the scouts began singing; in a
+few moments all the girls were singing with her. But a hound ran out of
+the gate of a farmhouse and barked at the oncoming singers. Then the
+distracted dog sat down and lifted his snout high in the air. His dismal
+prolonged howl of protest at such singing effectually ended the song,
+and Julie called to the animal, "Wise doggy--to be able to tell singing
+from _singing_!"
+
+The weather was all that could be desired, and the two cars were in fine
+shape for the run. After they left Amsterdam, where the large
+carpet-mills would have offered interesting entertainment had not the
+scouts a greater ambition in view, that of reaching camp--they voted to
+stop for no sightseeing along the way. So they kept along the road to
+Fonda. Here they left the railroad turnpike and went northward to
+Johnstown.
+
+At this place Mrs. Vernon made an error in judgment. She should have
+gone westerly, through Rockwood, Lascelville, Oppenheim, and so on to
+Delgeville. But she took the northward road, which looked better and was
+more traveled. Not until she came to Gloversville did she realize the
+mistake. Then she stopped and questioned a policeman how to reach her
+destination. And he explained about the country road she must follow
+due west in order to reach Rockwood, where the state roads would be
+picked up again.
+
+This advice was followed, and they traveled over the bad road until a
+crossroad was reached. There was no mention made of this spot on the
+road-map, and there was no signpost to direct a lost tourist. So the
+Captain said, "We'll take the right-hand turn, it looks best."
+
+Further on, the road descended and ran close to a river. "Dear me, I
+hope we didn't take the wrong turn, anyway!" cried Mrs. Vernon. "That
+officer never told me about a crossroad."
+
+"And it's going to pour, too. Just look at that black cloud," said Joan.
+
+"It hasn't thundered yet," Hester said, trying to be cheerful.
+
+At the same moment a flash satisfied every one that a shower was
+imminent, and Jim failed to relieve their fears when he said, "We don't
+want to get caught on this low land when it rains. The road is lower
+than the river and will soon be flooded over."
+
+That spurred on the Captain, and she made the car fairly fly, in order
+to reach higher ground before the shower came. But the storm won out.
+
+"I felt a drop of rain!" called Julie.
+
+"So did I--two drops more!" seconded Ruth.
+
+"We'd better stop to button down the rain-curtains, Captain," advised
+Jim.
+
+"Maybe we can reach high ground soon, Jim!" called back Mrs. Vernon,
+still speeding along the marshy road.
+
+A loud peal of thunder and inky clouds warned her, however, that this
+would be no trifling shower, so she stopped reluctantly for the curtains
+to be fastened down over the sides of the cars. The girls got out while
+the rain-curtains were sought in the box under the seat, and Jim removed
+numerous items before he reached them in the bottom.
+
+"Gee! everything under the sun was piled in here!" growled he. And by
+the time he did get the covers out, the rain was falling hard.
+
+While Jim and Mrs. Vernon secured the curtains on the buttons, the
+scouts transferred the pyramid of camping necessities back into the
+boxes under the seats. Then when all were snugly sheltered from the
+rain, the Captain proceeded to start her car. It failed to respond,
+however. She tried again, with no success. Then she turned and called to
+Jim.
+
+"Something must be wrong, Jim!"
+
+"Mebbe it's 'cause the wheels is sunk so deep in that soft mud," said
+he. "It's 'most up to the hubs."
+
+"No--something is wrong with the engine," returned she.
+
+"I'll slip on my oilskin and see," said Jim, finally.
+
+"Oh, Jim! Don't slip on it--just _put_ it on," giggled Julie, the
+irrepressible.
+
+"Humph!" was all the reply she got at the stale joke.
+
+"Jim, I'll help you," now offered Betty, willingly.
+
+"You gals just sit still, will you?" growled Jim impatiently, as he
+jumped out into the muddy road.
+
+The wind came tearing down the valley that lay between the mountains,
+driving shreds of storm-clouds before it. Gusts of rain dashed against
+Jim's face as he peered and poked about the stubborn engine, but still
+the obstinate machine refused to budge.
+
+"I can't see a durn thing that's the matter with it!" shouted he, trying
+to make himself heard above the whistling of the wind.
+
+"Better get back in your car until the worst is over," called back Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+So they all waited patiently for the rain to cease, but the storm grew
+worse, while the clouds seemed to fairly empty themselves right over the
+stalled cars. Suddenly Jim gave a frightened cry:
+
+"Great Scott, Captain! The river's overflowin' her banks, and this
+road's gettin' under water!"
+
+"Then we've just _got_ to get out of this fix somehow!" wailed Mrs.
+Vernon, gazing helplessly around for aid.
+
+"I'll try to work my car close up to the other and see if I can't push
+you ahead," suggested Jim, starting his engine as he spoke. But this
+idea failed to render the assistance they looked for.
+
+"I think you need a good hard impact to send you out of that mud. The
+wheels are stuck," called Julie, who had been considering the plight.
+
+"But how can we _get_ an impact? Jim can't crush in the radiator on his
+car, you know! And the fender won't do it," said Ruth.
+
+"Let a few of us get some of those stout rails from that fence and shove
+them under the back of the machine. The rest of the girls can tie a rope
+to the front and pull. Then when we give a signal, Jim can push with his
+machine, while Verny throws hers into high--something ought to happen
+with all that!" suggested Julie.
+
+Anything seemed better than sitting helplessly while seeing the water
+slowly rising in the roadway. So the plan proposed by Julie was put into
+operation. Two long rails were shoved, one under each side of the back
+of the car, with two scouts ready to apply all their youthful muscle up
+on each rail. Four scouts stood in front holding to a rope, ready to
+pull. The Captain sat at the wheel ready to speed, and Jim waited in his
+car behind, ready to drive on.
+
+"Now, when I yell 'go,' every one strain your muscles fit to crack. It's
+the only way we'll get out of this," ordered Julie.
+
+"Tell us when you're going to say 'go'!" begged Ruth.
+
+"I'll shout 'One, two, three--GO'--then _go_!"
+
+Julie braced herself, took a deep breath, and cried, "All ready--one,
+two, three--GO!"
+
+Four in front pulled with might and main. Mrs. Vernon's engine chugged
+ready to break. Jim almost pushed the radiator in, and the four scouts
+pushing on the rails--well, "they were not."
+
+Jim was heard roaring unrestrainedly, while four girls in front were
+standing and staring as if at an apparition. All the time, the rain fell
+in a deluge, but Mrs. Vernon jumped out into the mud to see what had
+happened at the rear. Then she, too, gasped.
+
+Both the rails were completely worm-eaten, but how should girls have
+known that? They were placed under the car at a dangerous angle for
+their future use in the fence, and when the good strong muscles of four
+scouts brought their weight upon the rails to lift the car somewhat, the
+timber quickly split up and precipitated the four boosters, face
+downward, in the mud.
+
+"Oh, dear me! This is the last straw!" moaned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No--the last rails!" sputtered Julie, trying to laugh.
+
+"Girls--hold your faces up to the rain and it will wash the mud from
+your eyes!" yelled Judith, who waited on the running board for further
+developments.
+
+She had hardly spoken when a swift shaft of blinding light and a
+deafening crack of thunder sent a panic into every one. They were
+stunned for a moment, and then such a howl as went up from nine lusty
+throats!
+
+"We're struck!" yelled some.
+
+"Oh, we're killed!" added others, but it took only a second after they
+had caught their breaths to pile, willy-nilly, into the cars, where they
+huddled until the fright had subsided.
+
+Shortly after the lightning had struck a large tree further up the road,
+the rain suddenly stopped and the sun shone out as hot and bright as
+ever.
+
+"My! I feel like Pollyanna would," sighed Julie. "'I'm glad, _glad_,
+GLAD' we weren't standing under that tree!"
+
+"We can only die once," responded Ruth, sighing as she gazed down at the
+flooded road.
+
+"Ruth thinks she'd rather die quickly, than by slow degrees in being
+choked in this mud," laughed Julie, catching Ruth's thought.
+
+Every one laughed and that made them feel more cheerful. Then just back
+of them came the sound of horses' hoofs and a kindly voice called out,
+"Well, well, this is some plight you-all are in, eh?"
+
+They turned and beheld a nice old man sitting astride one plow-horse and
+leading a second.
+
+"Reckon you didn't know this was one of the worst roads in the county
+when it rains."
+
+Mrs. Vernon explained how it came about that they were there, and the
+old man said, "Fortunately, I cut across that field in order to reach
+home. I was late and, as this is meeting night, I have to leave home
+earlier than usual. Now I can help you pull out, 'cause my team is
+pretty powerful."
+
+He hitched his horses to the front of the stalled car, and it was soon
+pulled up on higher ground where Jim could crawl under and see what was
+wrong with the works.
+
+"We are most grateful to you, sir, for your timely help," said Mrs.
+Vernon. "How much do we owe you for this great service?"
+
+"I'm glad I could help, madam. I am the parson of the district,
+hereabouts, and I try to do good by the wayside as I walk this
+life-road."
+
+"Then, if you will not accept a gift for yourself, you cannot refuse it
+for your flock. We will give to any needy one in your parish," said Mrs.
+Vernon, handing him a folded bill.
+
+Being sent along the right road with the minister's directions and
+blessing, the cars soon reached Rockwood, and from there, followed the
+usual route to Delgeville. The highway now ended, and a pretty country
+road took its place as far as Salisbury, where a turnpike road began and
+continued as far as Middleville. From the latter town onward, the roads
+were indifferent or bad as far as Gravesville.
+
+There were many interesting experiences for the scouts to write up in
+their books later on, such as running into a balky herd of cows and
+being threatened for damages by the farmer; holding their breaths when
+Mrs. Vernon ran over a lot of broken glass sprinkled across the
+road--but the tires held and no damage was done; stopping to bargain for
+a string of fish that a little freckled-face boy had for sale; and last,
+but not least, just before reaching Gravesville, being warned by a girl
+of twelve of a masquerading constable, further up the road, who arrested
+more speeding drivers than any other constable in the county.
+
+When asked why she showed the scouts this partiality, the girl said:
+"Because I'm going to be a scout myself, as soon as that new Manual gets
+here. I wrote fer it t'other day, and I've got five schoolgirls ready to
+start with me. Maw says she will ask the teacher to be our Captain."
+
+Thereupon followed a good scout talk by Mrs. Vernon, the country girl
+listening with all her wits alert.
+
+"How'd you know we were scouts?" asked Julie, curiously.
+
+"By that pennant flyin' in front, of course!" retorted the girl.
+
+As the scouts drove away, Mrs. Vernon said, "She'll make a first-class
+scout, because she uses her eyes and other faculties."
+
+After leaving the town of Gravesville, the scouts took a short cut to
+Prospect, but the roads were steep and rough, and it was all the engines
+could do to mount the grades. Then the opposite down slopes were so
+steep and sudden that it was necessary to put on all brakes and shut off
+the engines.
+
+One of these down grades had a sharp turn at the bottom, with a purling
+stream running under a rustic bridge immediately at the base of the
+mountain. On the other side of the bridge, the road rose abruptly up the
+side of another mountain. The descent was made nicely and the Captain's
+car crossed the bridge, but Jim's car stopped unexpectedly just as it
+reached the bridge at the foot of the mountain.
+
+"Another case of push!" laughed Julie.
+
+"All out!" ordered Jim.
+
+"What now?" called Mrs. Vernon, as she also stopped her car to ask what
+was wrong.
+
+"If only your car was behind, you could shove us across the bridge, but
+there isn't enough room in this trap to do anything."
+
+"Every one will have to help, Jim; the girls can push and pull the car
+back to the grade, while you work the engine. Maybe it will start that
+way," suggested Mrs. Vernon, waving her passengers out to help the
+stranded car.
+
+After half an hour's work, Jim suddenly called, "My! what a lot of
+cotton-heads we are! Here, Captain, just back up and give us a tow
+across the bridge--that's all!" At this simple remedy every one laughed.
+
+The steep climb of the mountain was accomplished without trouble, and
+there the road wound back and forth like a serpent's trail. Rocks,
+weighing tons, overhung with lovely vines, jutted out from the sides of
+the cut-out road that edged the cliff. Again, mossy dells where
+maidenhair fern waved fragile fronds at the girls, nestled under giant
+groups of pines. The chorus of wild birds mingled with the subdued music
+of falling water, to the keen appreciation of the tourists who delighted
+in this impressive scene as only scouts can.
+
+The cars continued slowly through this peaceful place, but Jim's engine
+suddenly stopped short again. He frowned and got out to examine it.
+
+"Gee, Captain! the tank needs gas and no place at hand to buy the feed.
+What shall I do?"
+
+"We didn't cross that other bridge until we came to it," giggled Julie,
+quickly.
+
+"I suppose I've got to tow you along until we find gas, somewhere," said
+Mrs. Vernon. So the second car was harnessed to the leader and they
+started again.
+
+In this manner they traveled until they came to a small settlement that
+boasted an "Emporium" where all the "latest styles and goods were
+sold." On the front porch of this store, in a low rocking-chair, sat the
+owner, a lady of doubtful years. She jumped up spryly when the cars
+stopped at the steps, and smiled invitingly.
+
+"Do you sell gasoline?" asked Mrs. Vernon, politely.
+
+"I guess I kin oblige you," replied the lady, going indoors.
+
+Jim jumped out and began to unscrew the plug on the tank.
+
+"Now who'd a thought we could get gas in this little shop?" declared
+Ruth, surprised.
+
+"You never can tell! I s'pose she wants to make all she can in every
+way," added Hester.
+
+Meantime the lady returned to the door and called out, "Won't you please
+step this way?"
+
+Jim thought she had to fill a measure from some barrel in the back, so
+he went in. But the lady was searching diligently along a shelf of
+bottles until she saw the one she wanted.
+
+"Here they be--I knew I had 'em somewhere. One's ten cents, and the
+other's a twenty-five cent bottle. But you have to take keer of fire,
+you know."
+
+Jim scratched his head, as he said, "I'll take a five-gallon can,
+please, ma'am."
+
+For a second, the old lady was amazed, but she rose to the occasion and
+showed herself a true business woman, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just out of
+that size to-day, but can't you come back to-morrow--I'll have it
+then?"
+
+Jim laughed. "I need it for the tank. The car won't go on nor come back,
+unless I get some gas for it."
+
+"Oh! I thought you wanted some to clean gloves, or shoes. That's the
+only kind I keep on hand."
+
+"Maybe you can tell us where we can get a gallon or so," said Jim,
+trying hard to keep a straight face.
+
+"If you kin wait until Jed gits back I kin send him to Prospeck Junction
+for a gallin. He can't carry five gallins, I fear."
+
+Jim started out and the shopkeeper followed as she spoke. So Mrs. Vernon
+asked, "Where is Prospect Junction?"
+
+"Jus' over yander, a bit of ways. It's quite a gay resort, I've hear'd
+Jed say, where they sells gas to riders what come through. But I hain't
+never gone there, 'cause I don't mingle with society. I am a church
+member and 'tends to my business." The lady tossed her head with a
+self-righteous air as she said the last words.
+
+Jim said: "I'm sorry that four-ounce bottle wouldn't do, Missus." And
+the scouts bowed as they left her standing on the "stoop."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS AT LAST
+
+
+The scouts finally reached Old Forge, where they had been due a full day
+sooner. Mr. Gilroy was worried at their non-appearance and had
+telephoned to their homes to learn that they had left on time. Then he
+followed them along their route and at some places he heard they had
+stopped and gone again, and at others that they had not yet arrived. But
+the moment the girls saw him and heard his complaint, they laughed at
+his concern.
+
+"Nice way to treat your adopted father--laugh at him, because he worried
+over his girls!" said he in pretended grievance.
+
+"But what could possibly happen when we had Jim and Verny at the
+wheels?" asked Ruth.
+
+"That's just it! With the Captain leading, I was sure you would be
+jailed for speeding, and would need me to bail you out," teased he.
+
+"We needed baling out when we got in the river-flood, but not in jail!"
+laughed Julie.
+
+"If we had dreamed you had a 'phone way up here, we would have called
+you to help us, that time," added Joan.
+
+Then the story of the mud and flood had to be told, while Mr. Gilroy sat
+on the side-door of the car and directed the Captain which road to take
+to reach his bungalow.
+
+"Did our outfits get here all right, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Ruth.
+
+"Yes, and they have been down at your camp several days now," replied
+their host.
+
+"How far is our camp from your bungalow, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Betty.
+
+"Not very far--just a nice walk. Your camp is right on the shore of one
+lake, while my bungalow is on the shore of First Lake, one of the Fulton
+Chain, you know."
+
+The scouts then learned that Mr. Gilroy's estate extended from First
+Lake, where his bungalow was built, across country to Little Moose Lake
+where their camp was to be. This was a distance of about three-quarters
+of a mile between the two places.
+
+"We'll stop at the bungalow first and give you a good square meal after
+all your experiences; then we'll go on over to camp. When your baggage
+is all out of the cars, Jim and I will drive back to my garage where the
+machines can stand."
+
+"Oh, Jim is going back home with Dad's car, to-morrow," said Ruth.
+
+"And Verny is going to keep hers here for the summer," added Julie.
+
+The cold luncheon had been waiting a long time, and when the scouts
+finally arrived they did justice to the viands. Then, every one being
+eager to see the new camp-site, they started for the Lake. Here
+everything was in order to receive the tenants. Three fine tents, fully
+equipped with every possible comfort for the campers, were waiting for
+the girls, and a smaller tent for the Captain.
+
+"Oh, how wonderful! Why, this won't be like roughing it," declared
+several of the girls as they inspected their camp.
+
+"Everything is ready but the fancy touches. You girls will have to add
+them as your experiences pile up," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Julie.
+
+"Oh, collections of butterflies, flower-prints, willow-work, and
+birchbark articles--all these are fancy touches."
+
+It was late in the afternoon when the scouts arrived at the bungalow,
+and it was twilight before they had their baggage all unpacked and in
+their individual tents. Then when the cars were emptied and it was time
+to drive them back to the garage, Mr. Gilroy said:
+
+"As this is your first night, and everything is strange, you'd better
+come back to the house for a light supper. Get your beds all ready to
+turn into, and then let everything else go until morning."
+
+Mrs. Vernon approved of this plan, so they finished their tasks and
+jumped in the cars to drive back to the bungalow for the evening.
+Darkness crept into the woods and everything was silent as they reached
+the house.
+
+While Jim followed the host to the garage with the cars, the scouts sat
+on the verandah and enjoyed the quiet of the woods. The stars now began
+to peep out of the deep blue that could be seen here and there through
+the trees, and the Captain reminded the girls:
+
+"Now that we are here for the summer, you must resume your study of the
+stars. You dropped that, you know, when schoolwork took so much of your
+time."
+
+"Most of us know all the stars by heart, Verny," said Betty.
+
+"The names of them, yes, but how many of you can find them as they are
+placed in the sky?" returned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I can show you where the Pole Star is. Look there!" replied Joan,
+running out on the grass to find the bright point of light.
+
+"And I can find Great Bear and The Pointers," added Ruth, joining her
+friend on the grass.
+
+The other scouts now jumped up from the verandah and ran to join the
+first two, so the Captain followed, also.
+
+"I know Alcor, Mizor, and the Square of Pegasus," said Amy.
+
+"That panlike group of stars is known as Andromeda," added Julie, not
+to be outdone by her chums. "And those three little stars are called The
+Kids. Off to the left of Perseus--oh, I forgot to say that Perseus is a
+group of stars at the end of the pan-handle,--well, to the left of them
+are the bright stars known as Capella."
+
+"Bravo! you scouts are going to be marvelous astronomers some day," came
+the approving voice of Mr. Gilroy, as he joined them.
+
+"I was just telling the girls they would have to take up the study of
+the heavens again," mentioned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"And we were showing off to let the Captain hear how much we know,"
+laughed Julie.
+
+"Who can find The Lady in the Chair or The Guards?" asked Mr. Gilroy of
+the scouts.
+
+The girls eagerly sought for and described these groups, then their host
+asked for the Seven Sisters and Demon's Eye. When they had answered
+these, Ruth said:
+
+"If the trees were not so thick I could show you Orion, Taurus, and lots
+more, like the Lion, the Sickle, Canis Major, etc."
+
+"Hoh! Some of those--and the Clown, the Ox-Driver, the Southern Cross,
+and the Northern Cross--can't be seen at this time of year, Ruth," said
+Julie.
+
+Ruth frowned at the correction, but Mr. Gilroy quickly calmed the
+troubled waters with praise for the girls.
+
+"You scouts certainly know the stars better than the boys of Grey Fox
+Troop. I should like to have the two Troops have a match game about the
+stars, some time."
+
+"Who are the Grey Fox boys, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Julie.
+
+"Do you remember I told you, last summer, of some Boy Scouts who camped
+in my woods every year? Well, four of those boys are here now. The rest
+of the Troop are coming up in August, but these four have all summer to
+camp in. I'm going to introduce you, soon."
+
+"Verny, why can't we see all the stars all the year?" now asked Ruth.
+
+"Because the earth turns on its axis, you know, so that certain planets
+are out of sight for us, and are seen on the other side of the globe.
+Then when the earth turns fully around we see them again."
+
+"And the Pole Star is reckoned to be the center of the star-sky for all
+the others to move about it. The Pole Star is always in the same fixed
+place, so we can always locate it. But not so with the other stars,"
+added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"I wish some one would tell us a story about the stars," Hester now
+said.
+
+"Who will tell one?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I know that Mizor and Alcor were used by the Turks in past days as a
+test for eyesight. Soldiers who could not sight those two stars were
+disqualified for fighting. But in these times I don't believe a little
+thing like bad eyes will hold up a Turk from fighting!" said Julie,
+comically.
+
+Then Joan added: "The Pole Star and Ursa Major, or The Great Bear as it
+is also called, form a shape like a wagon; so in olden times it was
+called King Charles' Wain. Each star in this constellation is known by a
+Greek letter. The two stars 'a' and 'b' are called the 'Pointers'
+because they point to the Pole Star."
+
+"Oh, I didn't mean lesson stuff, like this," complained Hester. "I meant
+a real live legend!"
+
+"You tell one, Verny," begged Betty, sweetly.
+
+"Mr. Gilroy is better able to do it. Besides he is the host and is
+supposed to entertain us," returned Mrs. Vernon, glancing at Mr. Gilroy,
+who was stretched out comfortably upon the short grass.
+
+"Your host claims to be completely disabled for the time being, Captain.
+Pray proceed with the legend yourself," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Then Mrs. Vernon said: "I never could see why Cassiopeia, or The Lady in
+the Chair, should be named that. To me, the stars look more like a
+tipped-over letter 'W' than a lady in a chair."
+
+"Don't you know the story, Verny?" asked Julie, eagerly.
+
+"You do, so why not tell us?" retorted the Captain.
+
+"Oh, well, then, all right!" said Julie. So she began:
+
+"Once there was an Ethiopian Queen, the wife of Cepheus, who was very
+proud of their only child, a daughter named Andromeda. They were always
+praising her and speaking of her beauty to every one, so that after a
+time folks who also had lovely daughters felt jealous of the princess.
+
+"In the depths of the Inner Sea, which is now the Mediterranean, lived
+Old Nereus and a number of charming daughters. They heard of the Queen's
+bragging about Andromeda, and they made up their minds to stop it. So
+they got their father to help them.
+
+"Then Nereus and the nymphs sent a flood of water over all the country
+of which Cepheus was king, and devastated the kingdom. This caused
+famine and pestilence, and in the wake of these awful plagues came a
+sea-monster in the form of a dragon. This fearful beast bellowed----"
+
+At that moment a deep thrilling call from some creature close by in the
+forest-edge caused every one to jump, and they all huddled together.
+They turned and stared apprehensively at the darkness behind them, but
+Mr. Gilroy instantly whispered, "S-sh! Don't breathe, and you will see a
+sight worth watching for."
+
+The moon now sailed from back of the cloud that had obscured it for a
+time, and its cold white light etched everything it touched. Again the
+strange whistling call sounded directly back of the group, and a
+crashing and tearing of underbrush ended with the sudden spring of a
+fine buck, that landed him out on the grass not twenty feet from the
+scouts.
+
+At the same moment, a plaintive call came from the direction of Silver
+Falls, which was up on the mountainside in front of the bungalow. The
+buck lifted his gigantic antlers in the moonlight, and his sensitive
+snout sniffed angrily as he sensed the invaders of his range; but
+another imperative call from his mate at the Falls compelled him to
+leave these usurpers; so he wheeled gracefully and, with an answering
+call to let his doe know he was coming, trotted down the trail until he
+reached the stream that came from Silver Falls, and there he disappeared
+in the forest.
+
+"What a wonderful sight!" breathed Mrs. Vernon, when the buck was gone.
+
+The girls listened to the dying echoes of those pounding hoofs, and
+sighed. Mr. Gilroy sat up and spoke eagerly, "That is the first buck
+I've ever seen near my bungalow. There are deer in the Adirondacks, but
+they seldom come near a habitation. It is said that they feed in the
+barnyards in winter, looking for stray grain, but I am not here in
+winter, you see."
+
+"How I would have loved to have had a snapshot of him," said Julie,
+sighing.
+
+"You've all got it in your memory--the best place to frame a picture for
+all time," replied Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"You know, girls, there is an old hunter's saying, that goes: 'A deer to
+welcome you on your first night will bring luck to you all that year,'"
+said Mr. Gilroy, as he turned to lead the way into the bungalow.
+
+"Wait, Mr. Gilroy; Julie never finished her story. She broke off just
+where the beast bellowed--then came the buck!" said Joan.
+
+"The deer finished the story better than we ever could," laughed the
+Captain, as she followed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"But, at least, tell us what happened to those Nerieds?" asked Betty,
+who wished to see the wicked punished.
+
+So Mrs. Vernon had to end the story, although it was condensed in the
+telling. But Betty persisted, "You haven't told us yet what the Nerieds
+did when they found the wonderful Prince Perseus saved and married to
+the Princess."
+
+Every one laughed, but Julie replied, "Why, like most jealous people,
+the Nerieds had to move away from town when every one found out how it
+all had happened!"
+
+The "bite" they had before leaving for camp would have been classed as
+a first-class supper in the city restaurants, and then, when good-nights
+were being said, the host gave Jim a laden basket to carry for the
+scouts.
+
+"You'll be glad of this in the morning, for breakfast. If you need
+anything else, run over here and get it from my man who cooks,"
+explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+But next morning, the contents of that basket were found to be more than
+enough for any one breakfast. The fruit, cereal, biscuits, and ham to
+broil, were highly appreciated by the hungry girls. This was soon gone,
+and then Mrs. Vernon said they must buckle down to genuine camp life.
+
+"I'd rather sleep out under the trees, Verny, when the weather is so
+fine," suggested Julie.
+
+"So would we," agreed the other scouts, and the Captain said, "Well, we
+might make willow beds for out-of-doors, and keep the cots as they are."
+
+"How do we know we can find any willows around here?" asked Ruth.
+
+"I saw some early this morning when I was snooping about. I got up at
+dawn and left you girls sleeping, while I investigated the premises.
+Girls, the place is simply perfect for _anything_ we might choose to do
+this summer," declared the Captain, enthusiastically.
+
+"Tell us where the reeds are, and we will get them," said Betty.
+
+"They grow about a spring not far from here. We must follow a
+wild-animal trail along the lake to reach the spot."
+
+So the scouts each took an axe and knife and followed the guide to the
+willow-brook where the reeds grew. Mrs. Vernon showed the girls how to
+select the wands, and then began to cut down her own. She took about six
+dozen reeds as thick as a lead-pencil, and many smaller ones; these were
+bundled together, and then she was ready to start back to camp. Finally
+the girls were ready, also, and they trailed back.
+
+"Now girls, each one must cut notches about three-fourths of an inch
+from the butt-ends of the reeds. Then peel the sticks carefully--do not
+crack or break them while doing it." Mrs. Vernon did hers as she
+advised.
+
+"Now come with me, and select your posts for the beds. I take four young
+birch saplings for the bed-frame," announced Mrs. Vernon, as she chopped
+down the required birches, "and stout birches about four inches thick
+for my bedposts."
+
+Each scout cut hers and then went back to the camp-ground to begin work
+on the Indian beds.
+
+"Every one measure the birch saplings and have two of them seven feet
+long, and two shorter ones three or four feet long," instructed Mrs.
+Vernon. "Lop off all the twigs, and place the two long ones for sides,
+and the two short ones for top and bottom of the bed-frame.
+
+"Now, this done, watch me carefully, girls. This is the important part
+of making the bed," advised the Captain.
+
+Mrs. Vernon took a ball of heavy twine and doubled a long strand so that
+it was half-length. This was twisted into one strand, and a loop tied in
+the middle. Many of these strands were stretched across the frame at
+equal distances apart, until the entire frame had a warp across it.
+
+"Now I'll weave in the reeds," said the Captain, taking one of the thin
+willows and weaving it in and out of the cords. At the loop, the rod was
+thrust through it to hold it centrally in place, then the weaving
+process went on until the end of the frame was reached.
+
+The weaving of each reed was done the same way until the whole frame was
+crossed with willows held firmly in the middle by the loops in the
+cords.
+
+"Next thing, girls, I will cut the posts as I need them. I want them
+about three feet high. One end of each post must be sharpened so it will
+go down into the ground." This was done and the four stout birch posts
+were driven firmly into the ground where Mrs. Vernon wanted her willow
+bed to stand.
+
+"And next, I tie a loop of heavy cord, or rope, about the top of each
+post, in which I can hang my willow-frame." This was also done, and the
+scouts helped place the woven mat in position.
+
+"Well, isn't that simple, when you know how!" said Julie.
+
+"Everything is, my dear," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Your bed is too wide for me. I don't want one four feet wide," said
+Ruth.
+
+"You can make it as wide, or as narrow, as you like. I think three feet
+is wide enough for each girl," returned the Captain. "But the best of
+these beds is, that when one is invited to visit, one can roll up the
+mat easily and carry it along to sleep on. They are very light and not
+cumbersome to roll and carry."
+
+All that day was given to weaving the beds, and the scouts not only
+enjoyed the novel employment, but had great fun in joking each other
+over the work. About four o'clock that afternoon a shrill whistle was
+heard from the trail that ran to the bungalow and soon thereafter Mr.
+Gilroy was seen coming down towards camp.
+
+"Hullo, there! I waited all morning for visitors, but at last decided to
+come and see if my tenants had abandoned the premises!" explained he, as
+he went over to the weavers to watch them.
+
+"Now you understand why we couldn't visit," said Joan.
+
+"I came over to ask how many of you have been fishing? And what did you
+catch?" said he.
+
+"No, we haven't fished yet. We planned to try it the very moment we are
+through with these beds," replied Joan.
+
+"Then perhaps you have not been near the lake-cove since you went
+hunting for willows this morning," remarked Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"The cove? I saw two boats there early this morning," said the Captain.
+
+"And now there are two canoes there, also," added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, really! But how did you manage to get them there--by paddling in
+from the lake?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No, I had them brought from my boathouse this morning. While Jim was
+here, I made use of him by having him help Hiram carry two canoes over
+to the boat-wagon, and then drive down here. Not a soul nor a sound was
+seen or heard about the camp, so I surmised you had all gone on a lark.
+Then we launched the canoes and tied them to a stump to surprise you
+when you should go for the boats. We never dreamed you could keep away
+from temptation so long as this."
+
+"Goody! Then the first scout that finishes her bed can go and catch fish
+for supper," declared Amy, who was the slowest of the weavers.
+
+They all laughed teasingly, and soon afterwards, Julie cried, "I'm done!
+Now for the fish!"
+
+Joan and Ruth soon completed their beds, too, so Mr. Gilroy went out
+with them to fish. That evening he was invited to sup with the scouts,
+and a jolly time they had. In the evening, while sitting about the dying
+campfire, he said to the girls:
+
+"The first rainy day that comes along I want you all to come to the
+bungalow and see my collection of moths, flowers, birds, and
+butterflies. I have a fine exhibit of butterflies, among them are rare
+specimens that have seldom been found in these mountains. You scouts
+will want to start collecting after you see what I have done."
+
+"I shall be delighted to look at them, as I have always wanted my girls
+to do something along those lines," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"If you know anything about butterflies, you will prize the specimen of
+swallow-tail I found in these woods," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Really! But I've heard they were never found in America, Mr. Gilroy,"
+exclaimed Julie.
+
+"I know that is a common belief, but I have one, nevertheless, and a
+friend who devotes his time to studying insect-life assured me that the
+one I caught was genuine. Then, the very next day this friend caught one
+quite near the place where mine was taken. This led us to investigate,
+and we reached the conclusion that there are rare butterflies hatched
+out in isolated sections of this land, but are not found; so, of course,
+no mention is made of them.
+
+"Even if the farmers see a swallow-tail, or any other rare butterfly
+hovering over their gardens, they don't know the difference, and it
+passes safely. If that same farmer knew the value of the specimen he
+would leave all else to chase the gauzy flutterer."
+
+When it came time for the visitor to say good-night, he said, "Oh, I
+forgot all about the very object of my visit!"
+
+"It must have been awfully important," laughed Julie.
+
+"Well, _we_ think it is," chuckled Mr. Gilroy. "The boys of Grey Fox
+Camp sent me to invite you to have dinner with them to-morrow, if it is
+clear."
+
+"Why, Mr. Gilroy!" exclaimed Julie, scarcely believing her idol could
+forget such an important matter.
+
+Every one laughed at his guilty look, and Judith teasingly said, "We
+ought to call him 'The Man Who Lost His Memory,' for that!"
+
+"All fooling aside, scouts, I have a suggestion to make on that very
+remark. I've wanted to mention it before, but always there was some
+exciting or important matter that could not be interrupted. Now I wish
+you girls would stop 'mistering' me! I am such an old friend by this
+time, I should think I could be to you as much as the Captain is. She is
+'Verny' instead of 'Mrs. Vernon.'"
+
+Julie was ready with an answer before he had quite finished his
+complaint. "Oh, we would love to give you a pet name, Gilly, because you
+do mean as much to us as our best friends anywhere. By taking a few
+letters away from your proper name and adding a little 'nick' to the
+syllable, we have one ready-made."
+
+"Fine! 'Gilly' it shall be henceforth!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"But it is so disrespectful, I think," remonstrated Mrs. Vernon.
+"Couldn't we find some other affectionate term that will do without
+impressing strangers with our lack of courtesy to our friend?"
+
+"Why do you object to 'Gilly?'" asked Mr. Gilroy, quizzically.
+
+"I can't really find any tangible excuse, except that it makes me think
+of gilly-flowers, you know," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+Every one joined in the laughter, but Mr. Gilroy said seriously, "Well,
+I am not old enough to be 'Granny' to the girls and I dare not request
+to be called 'Daddy' by them, or their rightful parents will call me out
+to fight a duel, so do let us leave it 'Gilly.' The boys of Grey Fox
+always wanted to use a friendlier name than a 'Mr.' but they never came
+to it. Now we will begin the habit."
+
+Before Mr. Gilroy left the camp, the name was established.
+
+They were to meet at Mr. Gilroy's bungalow early in the morning, so he
+could start them on the right trail. He was going over in the car with
+supplies for the boys, but the hikers preferred the novelty of
+adventuring on foot.
+
+Early the following morning, breakfast being cleared away, each scout
+was advised to take an axe, a clasp-knife, a bit of twine, a tin cup,
+and some waterproof matches.
+
+"But why should we bother with such stuff?" asked Amy.
+
+"One never knows whether one will arrive at the right destination or
+not. Should we get lost, we at least have something with which to get a
+meal," said the Captain.
+
+"Are you going to carry that little bag of flour?" asked Hester,
+curiously.
+
+"Yes, and a strip of bacon that is wrapped in the paper. I'm not going
+to starve, if worst comes to worst," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"A lot of good a strip of bacon will do for ten of us!" said Judith. But
+she had not been with the scouts when they camped at Verny's Mountain
+the foregoing summer.
+
+When Mr. Gilroy heard about the bacon and flour, he laughed. "Why, it is
+only two or three hours' tramp over the ridge, and a big dinner will be
+waiting when you get there."
+
+Mrs. Vernon held her peace, but carried the bacon and flour just the
+same. She was not to be jeered out of what she knew to be a wise act,
+whether the food would be needed or not.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR
+
+A VISIT TO GREY FOX CAMP
+
+
+Each girl wore hiking boots, her camp uniform, and carried a light pack
+containing the ax, cup, knife and matches. A few of the girls, secretly
+following the Captain's example, packed a strip of bacon and crackers,
+or other eatables in their packs. Mr. Gilroy saw them safely started on
+the right trail, and then drove away in his car. He followed a
+woodcutters' road that wound around the mountain, but the scouts were to
+use the trail that ran over the crest to the boys' camp.
+
+The scouts were brimming over with spirits (Julie said, "not the kind
+made in the moonshine, either"), and spent so much time examining
+flowers or watching wonderful birds that the time sped by unawares. The
+trail led through small clearings where a brook or waterfall made life
+worth living. But the higher they climbed the more rugged grew the
+trail, until there were long stretches that seemed to be sheer
+wilderness.
+
+At such places, the scouts had to hunt about and find a blaze to guide
+them further. In this way, the hours passed and noon came; still the
+hikers were far from Grey Fox Camp.
+
+"And I'm starved to pieces!" Joan assured them all.
+
+"So'm I!" admitted Ruth. Then it was learned that every one present
+would appreciate something to eat.
+
+"But what? We only brought flour and bacon," laughed Amy.
+
+"How would a fine juicy steak taste about this time?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+winking at her old scouts. They knew what she meant.
+
+"Oh, 'Home and Mother'!" sighed Judith, rolling her eyes heavenward.
+
+Every one laughed, but the Captain added: "I really mean it! We may as
+well stop now to cook that steak as to keep on in a half-fainting
+condition."
+
+"But, Verny! We didn't bring one bit of meat to camp, and the butcher
+drives his rounds once a week," cried Amy.
+
+"We'll just hunt around and chop down a steak," suggested Mrs. Vernon.
+"Who wants to go with me to find the wooden animal that grows a steak
+ready-made?"
+
+Of course, they all went, except Julie and Joan who remained to build a
+fire and start the bacon sizzling in the tiny pan. A scout-twist of
+flour and water was kneaded by Joan and put to bake near the fire, and
+then the girls sat and waited for the others to return.
+
+The Captain blazed a way slowly into the forest wilderness, peering
+under bushes and wherever a tree had been cut down--on its stump of a
+trunk she always looked eagerly. After about ten minutes' search she saw
+what she wanted.
+
+"Ah! Here it is--a porterhouse, this time."
+
+The new members saw a great chestnut stump, its jagged spears of wood
+protesting against its untimely end. But all over the trunk grew
+fungi--some larger, some smaller, and all of the same flat horizontal
+shape, like a huge palm-leaf. These were carefully removed and handed to
+the girls to carry.
+
+"What are they for?" asked Judith, looking at the red juice that ran
+over her fingers when she took the fungus.
+
+"That's your steak--think it is too big for one?"
+
+"The what?" exclaimed the other new members, skeptically.
+
+"Beefsteak mushroom--finest steaks ever tasted," came reassuringly from
+the Captain. "The ones growing on a chestnut stump are always the
+sweetest, but the chestnut trees are disappearing so fast that soon we
+will have no such mushrooms from them."
+
+When they had gathered enough steaks for that meal, they returned to the
+clearing where Julie and Joan awaited them. On the way back, Mrs.
+Vernon showed the scouts the earmarks of the beefsteak mushroom.
+
+"When I cut these from the tree they bled exactly as flesh will bleed
+when it is cut. Now turn them over and you will see on the under side
+that they have veins of red. That is the life-sap. We will broil or cook
+them exactly as if they were steaks and then you shall judge of their
+flavor."
+
+"Isn't it thrilling to think that man can go right into any wilderness
+and, without carrying food, clothing, or shelter, live with what Nature
+provides," remarked Judith.
+
+"Yes, and without paying the outrageous prices charged at the present
+time for actual necessities," replied the Captain.
+
+The bread-twist was baked, and when the steaks were washed and sliced,
+Mrs. Vernon dropped them into the hot fat tried out from the bacon.
+Immediately the smell of frying steak made every scout smack her lips in
+anticipation.
+
+"If we weren't sure of such a fine dinner awaiting us, I would have had
+a few of you girls gather young bracken for a fresh green vegetable to
+eat with our steak. But we must not stop and enjoy too much by the
+wayside," said the Captain.
+
+There was a liberal slice of steak for each one and the girls pronounced
+the taste of it delicious.
+
+"And so tender, too! I never had such a juicy bit of meat," said
+Hester.
+
+Having refreshed themselves considerably, with the fun of finding the
+mushrooms and cooking them, to say nothing of eating them, also, the
+scouts continued the hike along the trail. Just as they reached the
+crest of the mountain, Julie came suddenly upon a fawn, standing in the
+shadow of a tree; it was watching these queer two-legged creatures.
+
+It is hard to say which was most surprised, Julie or the deer, but the
+fawn recovered first and bounded away through the forest.
+
+"Oh, shucks! There we've gone and left that camera home again!" cried
+Julie, stamping her foot angrily.
+
+"Wouldn't that have made the most wonderful picture!" added Judith.
+
+"No use crying now, but, for goodness sake! Julie, remember to bring it
+next time," said Joan.
+
+"Let _every one_ remember--the last thing to do when we start anywhere,
+every one is to say to herself: 'Remember the _Maine_!' then we will
+surely take the camera," giggled Julie.
+
+The scouts now began descending the other side of the crest, and found a
+better trail than on the side they came up. So, being able to go faster,
+they soon reached a lovely camp-site, where the voices of several boys
+announced that Grey Fox Camp was reached.
+
+"We were just being sworn in as deputies to go out and hunt for strayed
+or stolen scouts," called Mr. Gilroy, jocularly, as the girls picked
+their way down from the great rocks that formed a wall back of the
+camp-ground; then he introduced the two Troops to each other.
+
+"You told us it was about a two-hours' hike!" said Ruth, shaking her
+head at Mr. Gilroy, as if in despair of saving his soul.
+
+"Well, so it is, when the boys are in a hurry to get to the bungalow."
+
+"We've been five hours coming, and had to stop for lunch along the way,
+too," said Judith, eager to talk about the beefsteak.
+
+The boys stared. "Why, you were to have dinner with us! Didn't Mr.
+Gilroy tell you that?"
+
+"Yes, but we couldn't wait so long. We're ready for more dinner, now,"
+said Joan.
+
+"What did you cook for luncheon?" asked Alec, the oldest boy in the
+Troop.
+
+"Oh, only a beefsteak-mushroom and a scout-twist," returned Julie,
+nonchalantly.
+
+The boys exchanged glances. "Did you find the mushrooms along the way?"
+asked another boy named Bob.
+
+"Sure! Did you think they came preserved?" laughed Joan.
+
+"No, but _we_ have never found any on this side of the hill. Bob often
+goes out to hunt, but so far we've never seen any," explained another
+boy, Ned Thompson.
+
+"When we go back, you can go with us a ways, and we will show you where
+we found the ones we had for luncheon," said Betty.
+
+"Is dinner ready, boys, or will there be time to show the girls about
+the camp?" asked Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Show them about, as it will take us ten minutes more to finish
+everything in style," replied Alec.
+
+So the girl scouts were invited to pass judgment on the fine camp the
+boy scouts had made. Everything was neat as wax, and the boys had
+constructed many convenient articles from wildwood material only.
+
+"Last year we had eight boys in camp, but this season only four could
+come in the beginning; so they have lots of room in their big tee pee.
+When the other boys come out, they will have to make another tent. They
+made and water-proofed this one themselves," explained Mr. Gilroy,
+showing the visitors the fine big tent.
+
+"They built this dining-room, too, to use if the weather is very bad. I
+told the boys about your corduroy floor that you made in your huts last
+summer, so they tried it here with very good result."
+
+The girl scouts now saw their own idea put into use in a different
+manner. The log floor was hard and dry, but at each corner rose a stout
+pole, and upon the tops of the four pole ends was stretched a canvas
+roof, making a shelter underneath.
+
+"Girls, we ought to do the same thing, to use for meal time when it
+rains, or if the rays of the sun are too hot," observed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+Mr. Gilroy then pointed out to the girls how careful the boys had been
+in selecting this camp-site. They had high, dry ground, near plenty of
+fine spring water, on the same lake where the girl scouts camped, but an
+arm of high land extended out into the water and separated the two
+camps.
+
+"You see, they have ample firewood about without cutting down any trees;
+they get the early morning sun, and shade all the rest of the day. They
+ditched the entire place to carry off all the rainwater that might wash
+down from the crest during a heavy storm. And they built a refrigerator
+to keep things cold; and over there they have a chicken-coop."
+
+"A chicken coop! where did they get the chickens?" asked Julie.
+
+"Ned had some at home and he crated them and brought them along. The
+boys get fresh eggs in this way, and when the season is over, they will
+kill the hens for a special occasion and eat them."
+
+"Verny, that's what we need, a few chickens in camp," was Joan's
+decision, the moment she saw the hens scratching.
+
+"I noticed Gilly had a lot of chickens running about the barnyard. Maybe
+he will loan us a few, just to provide us with eggs this summer. We can
+return them in the fall, you know," ventured Julie, daringly.
+
+"Who will buy their corn?" asked he, laughingly.
+
+"No one. We will feed them scraps and they can scratch!" promptly
+replied Julie.
+
+"You'll starve them and then they won't lay any eggs," now said Alec,
+joining the party.
+
+"We'll smile on Hiram and get him to bring us some corn from the barn,
+now and then," said Ruth.
+
+"I came over to tell you dinner was ready to serve. We had better go
+now, and eat it while it's good," said Alec.
+
+The boys had various things hanging over the fire, but the great novelty
+that caught the girl scouts' attention, at once, was the roaster upon
+which a nice brown chicken was swinging before the fire.
+
+"There! That's a fine idea. How did you make it?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+looking closely at the contraption.
+
+Alec described to the Captain the method of making the roaster. "We took
+a forked stick, as you see there, of about a two-foot length. We drove
+that down into the ground about six inches. Next we took a long pole,
+six or eight feet long, and drove the end down into the ground just back
+of the short stick with the forks. It rested in the crotch made by the
+forks so that its tapering end slanted upward at an angle, as you see
+here.
+
+"From the end of this long pole we hung the cord that holds the chicken.
+Wire is just as good to use. Then we arranged that flat, paddle-like
+fan halfway between the top and the rope end where the roast will hang.
+As your chicken roasts before the fire, that mill-fan keeps it
+perpetually turning about so it browns alike all over."
+
+Julie wanted to make one like it as soon as they went back to their own
+camp, so she hastily sketched a model.
+
+"It is a great stunt, all right, and we've cooked many dandy roasts this
+way, and never scorched any," said Bob, when Alec concluded his
+description.
+
+The dinner began with oyster-mushroom stew, then they had roast chicken,
+baked wild-potatoes, stewed bracken that tasted exactly like young
+spinach, dandelion salad, and scout cakes for dessert.
+
+It was mid-afternoon when the girls finally said good-by to their hosts,
+and invited them soon to visit Dandelion Camp. They started on the
+return hike, but when they reached the highest boulder back of the camp,
+the scouts stood and waved good-by again.
+
+"Come as soon as you can, but give us a whole day's warning, first!"
+shouted Julie, to the four smiling boys below.
+
+They made much better time going back, as the trail from Grey Fox Camp
+was plain, and going down the other side of the crest was much simpler
+than climbing up. They got back to their own camp by seven o'clock, and
+were surprised to find Mr. Gilroy there before them, with supper all
+ready to eat.
+
+"Well, this sure is good of you!" sighed Julie, dropping upon the grass
+with healthy fatigue.
+
+"I thought you'd appreciate it; I had no exercise to-day, except what I
+got running the car, so I decided to 'do a good turn' and digest that
+dinner at the same time," said he.
+
+After supper, which was unusually late that night, the tired scouts and
+their visitor were sitting about the campfire hoping some one would tell
+a story, when Julie spoke:
+
+"Last summer, Gilly said he would tell us all sorts of Indian legends
+when we visited camp in the Adirondacks. Now we're here and this is the
+right sort of an evening to tell them."
+
+The other scouts seconded the suggestion, but Mr. Gilroy said: "Funny,
+but I don't remember that promise."
+
+"I told you you've got an awful memory--didn't I want to dub you 'The
+man-with-a-poor-memory?'" teased Judith.
+
+The guest sat gazing silently into the fire for a few minutes, then he
+began:
+
+"I'm going to tell you a story that is told by the Alaskan Indians.
+These ancient legends have been handed down from one generation to
+another, but the original goes back before the days of Moses. I was
+deeply interested in a few of these tales because they sounded so much
+like our story of Creation as told in Genesis, that I wondered if a
+white missionary had sown his seeds of Christianity in the fertile soil
+of the Alaskan Esquimaux' mind.
+
+"But as far as I could ascertain this legend was told many hundreds of
+years before white man ever stepped on Alaskan ground. Recently I
+learned that Iceland has similar legends, and it may be that the Alaskan
+Esquimaux are descended from those of Iceland. It is well known that
+Iceland is the oldest civilized land in the world--that it was famous
+for its learning before the days of Solomon the Wise."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE
+
+A STORY OF CREATION*
+
+A Legend of Raven
+
+    *This legend, given in various ways by different tribes of
+     the Icelandic and Alaskan Indians, each with its own variations,
+     but all with one thread of similarity woven through the
+     tales--was partly interpreted and grouped by the author into
+     the legend that appears in this book. It is said to date back
+     thousands of years before Abraham and our Bible. Acknowledgments
+     for original texts and tales are due the Smithsonian
+     Institute.
+
+
+"No one knows just how Raven first came to be, and we have many
+different beginnings to start from, but in Sitka we know that Raven
+never had beginning nor will he have an ending.
+
+"Raven was always the All-in-all, and, as he knew all things and made
+all, he began to wish to have a form of his wisdom that, too, would live
+on with him forever. So it was that he made him a son to help in the
+creation. And the son's name, also, was Raven. And now it is of Raven,
+Son of Raven, that we speak.
+
+"Raven was instructed in every form of knowledge and he was trained in
+every wise thing, so that when he grew up he would have everything
+necessary to make a glorious world, where all beautiful wishes and every
+good idea would be objectified, and would remain forever a praise and
+prayer to Raven, the Father Creator.
+
+"So Raven made the world, but he found there was no light with which to
+show the beauty and form of what he had created. Then, after deep
+thinking, he remembered his father to have said that there was a large
+lodge far up the Nass where One kept all the Light that ever could be
+found.
+
+"Raven tried many ways in which to reach this house on the Nass, but the
+way was unknown to every one, so he wandered afar, seeking for the true
+trail. One day he helped an old lame man along the path and, for
+gratitude, the old man said: 'You seek the One of Nass who keeps the
+Light?'
+
+"Raven replied, 'Yea, for many days have I sought Him.'
+
+"Then the lame old man smiled a strange smile, and said, 'I know of but
+one way to bring this great Light into the world you made, and that way
+is to send forth that Light through the daughter of the One with the
+Light.'
+
+"'But, Brother, how do I know there is such a daughter? And if there be,
+how shall I receive the Light through her?'
+
+"'O Raven, thou art a great creator! Thy father is All-in-all of the
+North, and the daughter of Light will joyously send forth this Light you
+need to show the beauties of your world,' said the old wayfarer.
+
+"'Then tell me this, O Brother, for I seem not to know how to reach the
+Virgin of the Light, despite all the wisdom I have been taught,'
+anxiously begged Raven.
+
+"'Then hark to my words, O Son of Raven: I will turn you into a small
+drop of water, and fly with you over the House of Light. As I pass the
+pool whence comes the water for drink, I will drop you into a glass the
+Virgin holds ready to quaff. Then you will know what to do.'
+
+"Raven showed his surprise, for he had believed the old man to be lame
+and helpless, and now he found he was a Wise Man who could find his way
+wheresoever he would go.
+
+"Then the old man, with the wonderful drop of water held carefully in
+his palm, flew over the House of Light, and passed low down over the
+pool where the Virgin stood ready to drink.
+
+"As she raised the cup to her lips, the drop of pure water which had
+been Raven, fell into the liquid, and she drank all that the vessel
+held.
+
+"Now this drop of clear water grew and became a man-child, and the
+Virgin knew she was to bring forth the Light unto the World, that all
+might enjoy the beauties of creation. So she was happy and praised Raven
+and the Father of Raven, day and night, for having given himself to
+become a little drop of water that the Light might be born.
+
+"When the time came for the Light to be revealed, the Virgin prepared a
+royal bed of furs of great value for the Man of Light to be born on.
+But the babe struggled and refused to be born in a state of riches, and
+he whispered to the Virgin: 'The world of joy and riches needs me not,
+but the world of sorrow and darkness needs me. I will shed this Light on
+such as are heavyladen and weary.' So the Virgin knew the Light must be
+born in meekness and humility, that all brothers could find Raven
+without pomp or pay.
+
+"So the birthplace was lined with common Iceland moss, and the child of
+Light was born thereon. The moss-bed was made up in a room that had been
+used for the humblest things in the Great House of Light: that is, for
+the storing of queer bundles, some large, some small, and all of various
+shapes and colors. And when the babe looked around at the walls of his
+birthplace, his eyes shone like stars and a heavenly smile beamed from
+his face, for _he_ knew what those bundles contained!
+
+"As the child waxed strong and beautiful, the mother saw that it yearned
+for something she had not hitherto given him, so a servant was ordered
+to seek everywhere and find what it was the babe craved.
+
+"Finally, the attendant moved a bundle that hung at the farthest end of
+the room. And as he did so, the child laughed and his eyes shone
+brightly.
+
+"'Bring that bundle here--it is what the Babe wanted!' declared the
+mother. So the unwieldy bundle was placed upon the bed.
+
+"The mother carefully removed a wrapper, but found still others to undo.
+Finally all the wrappers were taken away and but one remained. This was
+of a wonderful shimmering material such as no one had ever beheld
+before. The mother reverently opened this cover, and lo! there lay
+revealed all the Stars of Heaven!
+
+"The Child gurgled with joy, and took the corner of the shimmering cover
+and drew it, with the contents, over to himself. He looked upwards, and
+with a wonderful expression in his sweet face, suddenly flung the bright
+cover and all the Stars it held, up through the smoke-hole of the lodge.
+
+"With a happy, joyous laugh, he watched the Stars scatter far and wide
+to rest finally in the Firmament, and there they shine to this very day!
+
+"The Virgin Mother then knew that this child truly was Raven, the Son of
+Raven, and she commanded every one to bow down in worship, for he had
+been given the power to bring Light to the world of darkness, and no
+more would darkness cover the people.
+
+"Soon after the Stars were fixed in the Firmament of Heaven, the child
+again yearned and seemed to pine for something. But now the mother knew
+what had to be done, so she commanded an attendant to take down the
+bundle that hung in the corner whence the Stars came.
+
+"This bundle was brought over to the mother, but it was smaller than the
+first bundle that had held all the Stars. The Mother carefully undid the
+many wrappings of this bundle, and found the last covering was made of a
+filmy frosty texture which had no opening or end that might be unrolled.
+
+"But the child held out his hands eagerly for the bundle, and the moment
+it had been given him, he found the secret opening and then unrolled the
+cover. When the last frosty bit of gauzy cloud fell away from the
+contents so carefully preserved, every one exclaimed in wonder at the
+beauty they beheld. There was a big Moon, cool and shining, then as now!
+
+"The child clapped his hands with delight, and wafted the Moon with its
+frosty gauze covering up through the smoke-hole of the room and it
+became fixed as the Stars, to give light through the hours of darkness,
+that the earth need not stumble and fall upon a black pathway.
+
+"The third bundle was great and difficult to reach, but the child cried
+for it and the servants had to work and struggle to reach it, until
+finally, down it came. And as it fell, it sent forth sparks of strange
+fire that consumed not a thing, yet prevented any servant from handling
+the bundle.
+
+"The child laughed and clapped his hands, but finding no one could hold
+the flaming bundle, he crept over and took it. The mother stood
+affrighted lest the Child of Light be consumed. But he unwrapped each
+covering himself, and when the last dazzling wrapper was revealed, no
+human being durst gaze upon that Light. But he who was born of Light
+looked upon what was hidden in that covering and flung all up through
+the smoke-hole to take its place in the Firmament of Heaven, where it
+shines like unto a Sun--to-day, as in those days. And it was given the
+world to shed its rays of Light upon the earth by day, even as the Moon
+shines for Light by night, and the Stars sing for joy and gladness that
+Light came to the world.
+
+"After the Sun, and Moon, and Stars were made, this man-child did many
+wonderful things that astonished all who came to the House of Light to
+hear and see such a marvelous being. But there was still one bundle left
+hanging in a very gloomy corner of the birth-chamber, and this bundle
+was left until the child grew to the stature of a man. Then he demanded
+that it be given him.
+
+"'No, no, my son,' wept the mother, 'do not ask for that--it contains
+Death.'
+
+"'Know then that _I_ know it,' returned the young man, seriously.
+'Knowest thou not why I came to be born of the Light? Not only that the
+world might have eternal Light, but also to dispel all darkness that
+Eternal Life might come through the overcoming of this Death.
+
+"'The Light I had, and the Light I gave, but through forever closing the
+gates of Death to the world I forever fix this Light of Life in the
+Heavens that no one can darken it more.'
+
+"The mother wept for she knew her son must die if he took down that
+bundle, but he replied: 'For this great mission was I sent to you that,
+through you, should be given birth to Light, and thus establish for all
+time the Light for the world.'
+
+"Sorrowing, the mother herself took down the bundle and brought it to
+her son, and no servant might remain in the room when Raven, Son of
+Raven, removed the coverings of Death. As the last wrapper was removed
+and the mother saw the heavy shroud that folded itself clingingly about
+the ghastly contents of that bundle, she ran weeping from the room, for
+she dared not watch her son accept it.
+
+"So the birth-room remained closed while Raven fought with Death, but
+after three shinings of the Sun, and three shinings of the Moon, and
+with the shining of the Stars as they sang softly, a blinding Light
+shone through all the walls of the House of Light, and the mother with
+her attendants ran to open the door of the birth-chamber, now called the
+Room of Death. But behold! the man Raven himself was revealed in shining
+raiments, shining like the Sun, and he smiled upon those who fell down
+in awe at sight of him.
+
+"'I have destroyed Death for all, and now I go to shine in the Heavens
+with this Light of Life that was given me. All who will may follow where
+I go,' said Raven.
+
+"'And at that, he rose through the smoke-hole and took his place in
+Heaven, but his Light shone then and shines now into every corner of
+darkness in the world. And the day is come when there is no more
+darkness, for rich and poor, good and bad, and every created thing made
+by Raven, see the Light that transforms everything into lights that find
+their places in the Firmament of Heaven.'
+
+"Raven, Son of Raven, sat hidden in the Great Light that he received
+when Death was overcome, but he saw that the earth was without form.
+Then he desired to create seas and mountains upon the face of the void,
+and he sat thinking and thinking for many a time.
+
+"Suddenly he remembered that in the House of Light there was a wonderful
+pool of clear water. So he sent a ray from the Sun down through the
+clouds and thereby drew up enough water to drink. But he did not swallow
+the cooling water. He held it in his mouth and flew with it over the
+whole earth which was void of form.
+
+"He spat forth a drop of this water and it became the source of the
+River Nass. Another drop from his mouth became the Stikine River, and
+the third drop became the Taku River. Then followed the Chilkat, the
+Alsek, and finally, all the great rivers of the North.
+
+"But Raven found he would need more water for seas and oceans and lakes,
+so he sat again, and by thinking and thinking he received the idea.
+
+"It was not according to his wish to send a sunbeam to the pool of
+eternal water in the House of Light, to bring up more of that pure water
+to him, and he was happy when he conceived the idea that came to him.
+And this it was:
+
+"'If the rivers I made, run on eternally because their source came from
+the House of Light, why shall I not guide them all to one great
+meeting-place and call that the Ocean? But as they run to this one rest,
+even so will I give them smaller rests along the way, and at these
+resting-places they may spread out upon the bosom of the earth. These
+rests will I call Lakes. Then there will come times when the Ocean,
+which is continually filled from the eternal source of the Rivers, must
+needs overflow its boundaries. And these overflows will fill up the
+great holes in the earth. So these I will call Seas.
+
+"'Even as the Sun sent his ray to carry me the drink from the pool that
+is in the House of Light, so will I command the Sun and the Moon and the
+Stars to govern the waters of the earth, and thus the Lights in the
+Firmament of the Heavens will draw up any surplus overflows, that these
+may turn to moisture in the cloudy coverings that wrapped the Lights
+before they became fixed in the Firmament. The Clouds will rain down
+refreshing drink upon all lands on the earth, that all things may
+replenish themselves and so live eternally, in one grand bond of
+Brotherhood, loving and helping each other, from the Great to the Small,
+and from Small to Great.'
+
+"And it was as Raven desired. So to this day, the Sun and Moon and all
+the Stars work together in harmony to keep the Rivers and Lakes, and
+Seas, and Ocean within their bounds and to replenish all things.
+
+"But Raven found afterwhile that so much water flowing ceaselessly from
+the Source, and the rain that fell from the Clouds upon the land, made
+the earth so wet that it was not a good place to dwell upon. Then he
+began to think and think again, of how he might create something to dry
+up the surplus moisture.
+
+"Now he was walking by a great ocean, one day, still thinking of plans
+to dry away any unpleasant dampness, when he saw a Petrel sitting on a
+rocky promontory.
+
+"'Brother,' called Raven to the bird, 'how came you here?'
+
+"'I? Oh, I was born when the waters were sent to earth. How came you
+here--and where were you born?' asked the Petrel.
+
+"'I? Oh, I was born before the world was thought of, so I have no
+beginning and no end,' replied Raven.
+
+"'Ha! Tis well said, but rings not true,' the Petrel jeered. 'No one
+ever was before this world was created, and no one ever shall remain
+when this world ends.'
+
+"'I am Raven, Son of Raven, and because you know not the Truth of
+Creation, but believe the Lie, you shall henceforth go about in a fog.
+Your name shall be earth-made, and you shall dream dreams in this fog,
+but you may not see the Light until that day when the whole world shall
+be freed from all forms of darkness!'
+
+"And instantly, a fog-cover fell over Petrel, because he knew not the
+Truth told by Raven, Son of Raven. And the fog so hid from the eyes of
+Petrel the Sun and Moon and Stars that came from the House of Light,
+that he believed _them_ to be controlled by a Lie, also.
+
+"But Raven learned that the fog he had called forth from the waters on
+the earth made the place still more moist and not good for a place of
+sojourn. Then he planned to dry it away quickly.
+
+"Petrel, the earth-bound, was left groping in the fog for the Truth he
+had scorned and now could not find, and Raven passed to a place where he
+saw something floating on the wave not far from shore. He failed to
+recognize it as of his creating, so he wished to reach it.
+
+"While looking about for something to use to reach it, he saw a bird
+with a very long bill, watching him. This bird was not like anything he
+had created so he knew it must be an offspring of the fog, mist-made,
+and related to Petrel.
+
+"Raven then commanded this bird, 'Fly out over the water and bring back
+yon floating object.'
+
+"The bird with a long bill was a chicken-hawk, and it lived by killing
+weaker and smaller birds than itself. Raven knew this was its way the
+moment he saw it was mist-made, and so he sent it on this errand.
+
+"The chicken-hawk dared not refuse to go after the bright object
+floating on the wave, but he said to himself, 'I'll drop it if it is not
+good for me to carry!'
+
+"Raven knew this evil intent, and said, 'When you have taken hold of the
+object, do not drop it till you have brought it ashore.'
+
+"So the chicken-hawk left in no good humor, and flew out to the wave,
+where he found a mass of fire floating there. He was a coward, such as
+all mist-made creatures are, and he feared to bring in the great ball of
+fire, yet he dared not disobey the command of a superior being like
+Raven. So he tore off a mouthful only, and that is how he came to be so
+badly burned. Had he caught hold of the whole mass of flame, the
+outside of which really had been cooled as it rolled about upon the
+waves, he could have escaped without an injury.
+
+"He brought the piece of fire to shore, and Raven said, 'Because you
+were cowardly and obeyed me only through fear, your beak shall remain
+forever burned off and short as it now is.'
+
+"And so it is to this day, and shall be until Light redeems all things.
+
+"Raven then took some chips of red cedar and some white stones, and
+mixed them in the fire. These were distributed over all the earth, so
+that many great forests grew up from the cedar shavings, and thus
+absorbed the surplus moisture on the land. And mighty volcanoes were
+formed of the red-hot stones, and these, in consuming the water under
+the surface, steamed and spewed forth the massive rocks and varied-hued
+stones that gave peaks and cliffs as pleasant places for deer and sheep
+to roam upon.
+
+"Thus, with the face of the earth so beauteous, Raven sat down and
+rejoiced. But Petrel and Chicken-hawk were left to wander in the fog.
+
+"Finally, Raven's mother died, and he sorrowed greatly, for she saw not
+the Great Light that he had established to overcome the darkness of
+Death. Still, because she had always dwelt in the House of Light and had
+given birth to Raven, Son of Raven, she was given an honorable place in
+the Firmament of Heaven.
+
+"And Raven, as the custom was in the realm where his mother had lived,
+prepared a great feast in honor of his mother. But he began thinking how
+he might honor her in a different way. So he cut a witch-hazel wand with
+which to point at anything he wished to use in the preparation of this
+feast. Thus he collected wood and stones and many things on the face of
+the earth. And when all this was assembled he built him a great house.
+
+"Then he called the rain and sunshine to hide the house until he was
+ready for the feast. He then sat down to think and think, and this is
+what he thought, and what came of it.
+
+"'I want fish to swim in the waters, and birds to fly in the skies, and
+creatures to live in the forests, and beings to live on the land, to be
+found in this house when it is opened. And they will all be perfect,
+lovely, and good, to live with this creation I have made.'
+
+"Thus, having thought all these things, Raven stood up and stretched out
+his hand that held the wand, and pointed it over the house that was
+hidden as yet by rain and clouds.
+
+"And, suddenly, the rain ceased its downpour, the sun smiled, and the
+house stood revealed in all its beauty. Then Raven sang:
+
+"'This made I for an honor to my mother!'
+
+"And as he sang his song of honor and praise, the house opened and all
+manner of living creatures came forth--beautiful, perfect, and an honor
+to the earth upon which they would dwell.
+
+"So it is that even to this day, when one makes a feast to honor a dead
+person who will sit in a place in the firmament, the house of the living
+is opened to all, from the greatest to the least of the earth.
+
+"When the feast was over Raven wished to leave an eternal monument to
+his mother, the Virgin who gave birth to the Light, so he called to him
+the four winds to help.
+
+"'South Wind, in the spring and summer when all the sun's rays are warm,
+blow gently upon the earth and sing of my mother.'
+
+"'North Wind, sit on top of the ice-mountain yonder, and when the earth
+is chill and sorrowing for my mother, blow fiercely from your snow-laden
+hills and sing over her grave.'
+
+"'East Wind, when the earth-people weep salt-water over the biers of
+their dead, and sigh because of their loss, sing to them of my mother.'
+
+"'West Wind, when you blow gently, and tell the earth that storms and
+cold and sorrow may come but Light shines in the end to bring them joy
+and peace, sing low and sweetly of my mother.'
+
+"Thus the four winds came to earth to sing to the peoples dwelling here,
+and every one heard of the mother who gave birth to Light--Raven, Son
+of Raven.
+
+"But after all these things were done, Raven sat down and thought and
+thought deeply, and as he thought he called upon his father, the Great
+Raven, the All-in-all, for advice.
+
+"And having received advice, Raven stood up and lifted his hands to the
+Heavens, and sang with a loud voice:
+
+"'I shall make men in my image and likeness, and they shall dwell in the
+Light and be given dominion over all this earth I have made for my joy
+and pleasure. Thus we shall be happy and live forever!'
+
+"So Raven made all men like unto himself. They were good and perfect and
+beautiful and they all dwelt in love in the Light. And thus they dwelt
+many, many days, and were happy.
+
+"But the fog which had been called out for Petrel's error harbored many
+birds of evil omen, and these, guided by Petrel, swept through the fog
+and attacked the Men of the Light. The fog covered all things and caused
+every one to grope about, seeking to find one another and escape from
+the mist that hid the Shining Light.
+
+"And thus any one who had the slightest degree of fear or greed or
+malice or lying in his heart, breathed in the fog and thenceforth lived
+in a dream. They were thenceforth born of the fire of wrath that the
+Chicken-hawk tore apart from the floating mass, and were consumed with
+fear. They lived their days in the fog that came upon Petrel when he
+believed a lie, and they suffered and sorrowed and died, all in a dream
+caused by the fog; and afterwhile these mist-men forgot there ever had
+been a perfect earth created by Raven, Son of Raven, where love and
+beauty and joy rule everything.
+
+"So Petrel ruled his world of fog, where hate and sin and death were his
+servants, and thus it happened that a Petrel is the sign of storm and
+trouble and blinding mist, but the Raven is known to be wise and patient
+for it knows where its Light dwells.
+
+"So Raven sits, and patiently waits for Petrel's dreams to lose
+themselves in the fog, for such will surely come about. And as the
+Lights ruled by Raven shine stronger, the fog grows fainter and still
+lighter, until breaks the Day when all mist vanishes and Raven's
+Creation is seen forever beautiful and perfect."
+
+When Mr. Gilroy concluded his beautiful legend, the scouts were silent.
+It was the greatest praise they could bestow at the moment, for the
+story was not one to call forth applause and noise. Then they began to
+speak, but in soft voices.
+
+"And to think that this story of creation, so similar in many ways to
+our Bible Stories, was handed down from ancient days," remarked Mrs.
+Vernon, thrilled by the realization.
+
+"I find many interesting similarities between our Bible and the Holy
+Legends reverently told by the Esquimaux. But this one always struck me
+as being as fine as any. That is why I told it," explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Then their Camp Entertainer, as Julie now named Mr. Gilroy, bid them all
+good-night and went up the trail. And the scouts were soon in bed, their
+last waking thoughts being of Raven, Son of Raven, the All-in-all of
+Creation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX
+
+LOST ON THE TRAIL
+
+
+A few days after the girl scouts' visit to Grey Fox Camp, they were
+agreeably surprised by having the boys visit them. Mr. Gilroy was with
+them, and as each boy carried an ax and a woodman's knife, the girls
+knew they came to work.
+
+"We decided to cut a shorter trail over the crest, and as to-day is so
+cool, we thought it would be a fine time for work," explained Alec, the
+leader in the boys' camp.
+
+"One day's as good as another! We're ready to help any time," replied
+Julie, as leader of the Girl Scouts' Troop.
+
+"Why didn't you let us know, then we might have blazed the trail up our
+side of the mountain, and you boys would have worked from your side.
+When we met on top, we might have celebrated with a feast," ventured
+Mrs. Vernon.
+
+So the girls ran for axes and knives, and all began work together, back
+of Dandelion Camp. They cut and chopped, and blazed a fine trail up past
+Silver Falls, where the doe had called to her mate the first night the
+girls were at Camp, and so on to the top of the mountain. But it took
+the greater part of that morning to go as far as they did.
+
+"We'd better stop here, and go back to see how the trail seems,"
+suggested Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Why not finish the job, now that we're on top?" asked Alec.
+
+"Because you boys can easily blaze from here on to your camp, and I am
+beginning to worry lest my dinner is burning," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"_Your_ dinner! Where's the Indian cook?" asked Alec.
+
+"He's cooking for fifteen! I have invited guests coming to dine at the
+bungalow this evening," returned Mr. Gilroy, meaningly.
+
+"Oh, hurrah! Isn't that fine? Now we won't have to wash any
+supper-dishes!" exclaimed Ruth, who still disliked doing dishes.
+
+The girls laughed, for they understood, but Alec said, "Why talk about a
+supper so distant! I'd rather plan about something to eat this minute."
+
+"So would we all. I guess we are nearly starved," said Ned.
+
+"Why not stop work and cook a few steaks?" suggested Bob.
+
+"You boys have done all the talking about something to eat, but the
+girls said nothing. Maybe they are not hungry!" ventured Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Hungry! We're too _weak_ to speak," sighed Julie, rubbing the spot
+under her belt.
+
+"I can eat reindeer moss without its being cooked," said Amy.
+
+"That settles it! Cook we must, but what?" declared Joan.
+
+"Well, some of us will hunt up the mushrooms; some must gather bracken,
+some, the lichen; and Gilly can hunt up the coffee beans, _alias_ roots
+and acorns," said Alec.
+
+"What will _you_ be doing, meantime?" retorted Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, I'll just remove that package of flour from your pocket and use
+this strip of bacon that I lifted from Dandelion larder; and when the
+steaks come back, I'll have bread and fat ready over a fine fire."
+
+"Bacon! When did you manage to steal that?" demanded the Captain,
+amazed.
+
+The boys laughed, for Alec's clever sleight-of-hand was an endless
+source of fun for them.
+
+"Don't all hunt together. Divide your strength and see that results come
+back with you," advised Alec, rolling up his sleeves preparatory to
+starting his fire.
+
+"I can't fish like the other boys, so I'll go with the girls who are
+going for the beefsteaks," said Dick.
+
+"All right. And where will you go, Captain?" asked Alec.
+
+"If Gilly is sent for coffee, I shall hunt for tea. I do not care for
+his brand of coffee, but I _do_ know where to find the ingredients for
+a nice fragrant cup of tea."
+
+A laugh circled the group, and Mr. Gilroy said, "All right. Now see to
+it that you don't ask for a drop of my coffee, hereafter."
+
+So they separated, some of the scouts going with Mrs. Vernon; Bob and
+Ned going for trout; Hester and Amy with Mr. Gilroy; and Julie, Joan and
+Judith with Dick, for mushrooms.
+
+After breaking a way through a dense jungle, the latter four scouts came
+out to a small clearing, but they had not seen any mushrooms.
+
+"What a fine baseball diamond this clearing would make!" said Julie, as
+they looked around.
+
+"And there are some chestnut stumps--on the far side of the clearing!"
+exclaimed Dick, crossing to the spot.
+
+But they found no mushrooms on the stumps, much to their chagrin.
+"There'll be other trees about here, where we're sure to find what we
+need," said Dick, eagerly.
+
+So into the woods they plunged, winding about here and there, but not
+finding what they sought. None of them thought to blaze a trail as they
+wandered, consequently had no means of telling how far or in what
+direction they had gone before Dick found a few small mushrooms.
+
+"Only enough for a few of us. We need more than these," he remarked.
+
+"There's sure to be more where these are. Let's keep on hunting," urged
+Julie.
+
+So they kept on winding through the underbrush, but with no good
+results. Finally Dick found a plant that he believed to be a wild
+potato.
+
+"No, it is not. It hasn't the leaves or blossom of the Indian potato,"
+declared Joan.
+
+"That may be, but when it grows old it dries up, you know," argued Dick,
+beginning to dig at the root.
+
+The girls wandered about seeking for signs of more mushrooms, but could
+find none. Then Dick stood up and stretched his back-muscles.
+
+"My that was tough digging when you have no tool. And it wasn't a potato
+after all."
+
+"Well, we've been gone a long time now. Suppose we go back with what we
+have," said Joan.
+
+"Yes; even if we can't fill up on steaks to-day, let us eat more of the
+greens," added Judith.
+
+So they turned to go back to camp. They climbed over the boulders
+similar to those over which they had already climbed, over similar
+fallen timber, and finally came to a stream.
+
+"I don't remember a brook when we came," remarked Julie.
+
+"Neither do I," added Judith.
+
+"All places look alike when you're hunting anything. We may have crossed
+a bog or a brook and never have noticed it," said Dick.
+
+"Oh, I would have noticed it! I wouldn't be such a poor scout as not to
+know where I was going," returned Julie, defensively.
+
+"Now, Dick, I'm sure there was no bog where we came through, but here's
+one right ahead of us," called Joan, who was a few paces ahead.
+
+"No, there was no bog!" affirmed Julie.
+
+"Did you bring a compass?" now asked Dick.
+
+"No, we never thought of being lost," murmured Julie.
+
+"We're not lost, just strayed a bit," Dick assured them.
+
+"'Lost, Strayed or Stolen'--it's all the same if we have to miss our
+dinner," sighed Joan.
+
+They managed to cross the boggy spot and then trailed to a place that
+Dick claimed was the clearing. But it turned out to be a little fen made
+by a tiny spring.
+
+"What we should have done was to leave our marks as we came
+through--broken twigs, or trampled grass, or some such signs," said
+Julie.
+
+"But we didn't, and now is no time to talk of it!" Dick said
+impatiently, for he began to realize that they really were lost.
+
+"We can begin right now, however, and then not keep circling around
+without recognizing that we were there before!" snapped Julie.
+
+So the girls began, then and there, to leave their signs as they
+followed after Dick, who really knew not where he was leading.
+
+"Had we better separate and go in different directions to hunt the
+camp?" asked Dick finally.
+
+"Mercy, no! Better be lost together than get lost each one alone!"
+exclaimed Joan.
+
+"Sort of 'United we stand,' etc.," chuckled Julie, in spite of her
+concern over not finding the way.
+
+They kept on forcing a way through the thick bush and resting now and
+then when they found a little clearing; but finally Judith cried:
+"You'll have to go without me! I'm so weak from hunger I can't walk
+another step."
+
+"Girls, suppose we stop and cook the steaks?" asked Dick.
+
+"I say so, too," agreed Julie.
+
+So they cleared a little space in the woods and with two rubbing-sticks
+soon produced fire. While two of the girls were doing this, Dick washed
+the mushrooms in the little spring they had seen, and then sliced them
+with his knife.
+
+"We haven't any salt or bacon, but they'll taste good to starved
+wanderers," said Dick, holding one over the fire to cook.
+
+Each girl spiked one on a sharpened stick and held it out to broil. When
+the mushrooms were cooked they each ate until they felt better. Then
+Dick made a suggestion.
+
+"Making this fire gave me an idea. Why not make 'two smokes' for
+signals. If Alec or any one else is looking for us, they can see them."
+
+"Why didn't we think of that before! Fine idea, Dick," said Joan.
+
+"What will 'two smokes' mean?" asked Judith.
+
+"Means 'we are lost,' come find us," said Dick, busy with two heaps of
+firewood.
+
+"But you can't signal here under these trees, Dick! We've got to find an
+open place where the smoke can rise up above the tree-tops, you know,"
+advised Julie.
+
+Dick realized he had been caught napping by a girl, and he didn't like
+it very much but he could not show his annoyance, for Julie was right.
+So he stood up and said: "I'll shout as loud as possible,--maybe they
+will hear us." So he shouted until he was hoarse.
+
+"In this dense forest, where the trees break every sound, the smoke
+signal is as good as any other. Let us find a clearing," suggested
+Julie.
+
+So they sought again, and soon found an open spot where the sky was
+visible without any obstructing tree-branches overhead.
+
+"Why, this looks like the same clearing that I said would make a fine
+baseball diamond," declared Julie.
+
+"So it does! And here is a broken twig where we went out," said Joan.
+
+    [Illustration: "We are lost, come find us" ... Page 98]
+
+"Then we can't be many miles from home," laughed Julie, her spirits
+rising again at the slightest encouragement.
+
+They made two smokes, however, and waited to watch the thin spirals rise
+above the trees, side by side, until they dispersed in the blue ether
+far overhead. But no sound came in answer to the signals.
+
+"Maybe no one remembered the smoke idea," ventured Judith.
+
+"And they'd have to be in the open, or climb a tree, to see it,"
+asserted Joan.
+
+"Maybe they made signals, too, and are waiting for us to answer them.
+Did you bring a rifle, Dick?" said Julie.
+
+"No, none of us did. But I can climb one of these trees and see if the
+others made any smokes."
+
+"Choose that towering pine,--you ought to be able to see everything from
+that high top," advised Julie.
+
+So Dick climbed the tall pine, but after he had reached the top he saw
+nothing that might lead him to find the other campers. He shouted and
+whistled as shrilly as he could from the lofty perch, but no answering
+sound came to his ears, so he slid down again.
+
+"See anything at all, Dick?" asked Julie, the moment he came down.
+
+"A great sea of waving green tops, one wave back of the other, without a
+break," said he.
+
+"Well, what now? Shall we keep on hunting for the way back from this
+clearing, or just sit and let them find us?" asked Joan, despondently.
+
+"You know they say a flock of ducks will always fly towards water. Now,
+I saw some ducks flying in one direction when I sat up in that tree,"
+remarked Dick.
+
+"Then you _did_ see something other than waves of green! Why didn't you
+say so!" snapped Julie, impatient with his poor scouting sense.
+
+"I thought they might be flying down towards Little Moose Lake, where
+Dandelion Camp is, and we want to find our party," said Dick, in
+justification.
+
+"Anything to get out of this tangle. We'd just as lief wind up at
+Dandelion Camp as elsewhere," said Joan.
+
+"All right then, follow me and we will go in the direction the birds
+flew," said Dick, and he started down hill.
+
+Down and down they tramped, chopping away smaller obstructions, until
+they were stopped by a wide fen that belted the section. Advance was
+impossible, for every time one tried to step upon the ooze the foot
+would begin to sink in.
+
+"Oh, how awful!" wailed Judith, ready to cry.
+
+"How can we cross? If only we could find a fallen tree that happened to
+fall right across," sighed Joan.
+
+"If only we had a drink of cold water I'd be thankful," declared Julie,
+mopping her warm face.
+
+"That's the easiest part of the whole trouble," quickly said Dick.
+
+"What do you mean? I wouldn't drink that slimy liquid for anything,"
+said Julie, frowning at the water.
+
+"Now, just wait a second and you'll see what I can do with that water!"
+bragged Dick, glad to redeem his reputation as a scout.
+
+With hands and a stick he quickly dug a hole to the depth of the marsh.
+Then he squinted carefully at his well, then at the marsh, and back
+again. The girls watched him curiously.
+
+"Guess I can go a few inches deeper,--the well has to be about six
+inches below the surface of the nearby pool, you know."
+
+He dug deeper and soon the well began filling with muddy water. "There,
+now I've got it!" said Dick.
+
+"Do you expect us to drink _that_!" scorned Joan.
+
+"No, but wait." Dick hurriedly baled out the well until it was almost
+emptied. Then he allowed it to fill again.
+
+He baled it out a second time, and permitted it to fill again. The third
+time the water was almost clear, so he baled once more, and this time
+the water filtered in as clear as crystal.
+
+He stooped, drank from it, and said: "It's cold and pure!"
+
+Then the girls drank, and found it most refreshing to their parched
+tongues and throats.
+
+"Well, I never knew that before! We've learned two things by being lost
+with Dick as guide," said Julie frankly, and Dick was delighted to hear
+such nice things about himself.
+
+"Shall we try to circle this fen and get across, or go back again?" now
+asked Dick.
+
+"It's hard to tell just what is best to do," murmured Julie, puckering
+her brow in thought.
+
+Suddenly two shots echoed down the mountainside, and after an interval
+of six seconds a third shot rang out.
+
+"There! Alec's seen our smoke. His signal means 'Where are you?' What
+shall we do?" cried Dick, excitedly.
+
+"How can we answer them?" wondered the girls.
+
+"We'll have to back-trail to our clearing. That's where the shots
+sounded from," said Dick.
+
+"Dear me, if only we had waited there, they would have found us,"
+complained Judith.
+
+"But we didn't, so the next best thing to do is to get back as soon as
+we can, or they'll go away again," declared Julie.
+
+They climbed, scrambled and tumbled up the rugged slope, keeping as far
+as they could to the rough trail they had made in coming down. When they
+thought they were near the clearing, they shouted with all their
+lung-power, and the welcome sound of answering calls soon greeted their
+ears.
+
+"Oh, Dick, give that cat-call again so they will know we're on our way,"
+asked Julie, anxiously.
+
+So Dick gave his ear-splitting whistle by placing his fingers between
+his lips and blowing through the crevices. In less than ten seconds
+afterwards, two shots sounded in quick succession.
+
+"That means they've heard us and are waiting," cried Dick. "Come this
+way,--that echo is misleading."
+
+So the girls followed their young guide, and soon they broke through the
+fringe of great trees into the clearing where the rest of the party
+stood. Alec gave them no time to explain. He was angry, and no mistaking
+it!
+
+"Dick, can you tell me of any concession made to you that allows you to
+start two fires and then go away and leave them to work their will in
+these forests? If we had not found the fires you left, what might have
+resulted to this area of mountain land?"
+
+The girls and Dick stood amazed, for they had forgotten all about the
+fires started as smoke signals.
+
+"When I broke through the underbrush into this clearing, the fires were
+blazing away like fury. They had encroached upon all the brush and handy
+leaves, and were eating a way to the timber-line. In half an hour more
+those same _little_ fires would be raging over the crest and destroying
+acres and acres of forest-trees, to say nothing of causing the work all
+the farmers and forest-rangers would have in trying to control it. Just
+because a brainless scout _forgot_ his duty!" The scorn in Alec's last
+words was cutting.
+
+Dick began to apologize, but Alec held up a hand. "No apology will
+answer for such a thing." Then he turned to Ned and said: "Put Dick down
+for penance at camp."
+
+"We ought to be punished as well as Dick," said Julie. "We never
+remembered the fires, either."
+
+"That's up to your Captain,--I am merely doing my duty to _my_ Troop,"
+returned Alec.
+
+"Had anything to eat?" asked Anne, who always felt sorry for any one who
+was hungry.
+
+"We ate the mushrooms we found," meekly replied Joan.
+
+"Then come back and eat what we left for you. We had fish and greens and
+biscuit," said Hester.
+
+While they were munching the cold food, Alec questioned them further.
+"Why didn't you use what scout-sense you had? You know you could have
+found the way you came through those woods by looking for broken cobwebs
+across the bushes; by overturned stones with the damp under side
+showing; or by broken twigs and crushed blades of grass; and last, but
+hardest, you might have looked to see where leaves on trees and bushes
+were turned awry from your brushing against them. They do not right
+themselves immediately, you know."
+
+"We never heard of that before," admitted Julie.
+
+"But Dick has, even though he has forgotten it," said Alec. "He had to
+learn it from the Manual--what he would do in case of being lost in a
+forest."
+
+"But even if you knew nothing about that, you all knew it would simplify
+things for us if you were to blaze a way to guide us the way you went.
+You could easily have broken twigs and left them hanging, or piled
+little heaps of stones along the trail you took."
+
+"Oh, for goodness sake! Let up on us now, and wait until _you_ are lost,
+will you?" cried Julie, placing her palms over her ears.
+
+"Yes, it's so easy to tell the other feller what to do!" was all the
+retort Dick made.
+
+"Well, children, after all I have my inning!" declared Mr. Gilroy,
+chuckling.
+
+"What's that?" demanded every one.
+
+"I wanted you to come home and dine with me, but no! you must stop to
+cook in the woods. Now you'll all be glad enough to hurry home and come
+to my party. And the dinner won't be slighted, either, from so much
+overeating up here!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN
+
+A LITTLE BUSINESS
+
+
+At breakfast the day following the "Lost Scouts'" adventure, Mrs. Vernon
+remarked: "Girls, yesterday's experience taught me an important thing,
+and that is, we need a set of rules for camp, so that every member of
+Dandelion Troop will have her proper share of work and duty to perform.
+
+"We have been keeping house in a haphazard way, with no responsibility
+attached to any one but Julie and me. Now, each day there must be some
+sort of regulations and punishments, if duties are neglected. The fire
+yesterday showed me that that system was good."
+
+"Your idea is all right, Verny, but what will the rules cover, and why
+have punishments?" asked Julie.
+
+"Because every day will probably bring new problems to us, so that set
+rules will not do, but each day must have added rules. If these rules
+are not obeyed, the scout who is negligent ought to be made to pay for
+her lack of obedience."
+
+"Have you formulated any plan to begin with?" asked Joan.
+
+"I thought that Julie, as Scout Leader, could consult with me about
+that. Although I think we ought to select a new orderly for each day, to
+see that the other scouts do what is required of them. If we begin with
+Ruth, Betty next day, and so on through the new membership, one each
+day, it brings us to the eighth day. Of course Julie, Joan and I will
+not be orderlies. But the Leader and Corporal are over the Orderly, and
+the Captain over all of you."
+
+"What do you expect the Orderly to do, Verny?" asked Joan.
+
+"She will read the rules for the day immediately after breakfast. Every
+scout must take turns in being cook for camp one day. One must be
+wood-gatherer, one must see that food supplies are on hand, some must do
+the fishing, and so on through the entire housekeeping list. This trains
+every one alike, and no partiality will be shown one who is a fine cook
+or one who is an awful one!"
+
+The girls laughed, and the Captain continued: "Then, we don't expect one
+to do all the heavy work while another goes free, and by partitioning
+the work and control each one does her bit. In case of any gross
+negligence or breaking of rules, the Officer of the Day, the Corporal
+and the Leader will decide the punishment. Should need arise, the whole
+Troop may act as a jury to judge the matter."
+
+After the Captain had finished speaking, the scouts sat down and
+compiled a set of Camp Rules, and Ruth was asked to print them neatly
+on cardboard, because Ruth was the artistic scout of the group.
+
+This business disposed of, Julie said: "Now what shall we do to-day,
+girls?"
+
+"But you haven't chosen an Orderly for the Day!" called Judith.
+
+"Oh, that's so! Well, it lies between Ruth and Amy, as they are the more
+experienced scouts, to act the first day."
+
+"Don't choose me. I've got my work cut out already, if you expect these
+rules nicely printed," declared Ruth.
+
+"All right, then; it's Amy. No partiality meant, girls," Julie reminded
+them.
+
+"More like 'malice aforethought,'" giggled Joan.
+
+"Why? Isn't it an honor to be the Orderly?" demanded Julie.
+
+"It may _seem_ like an honor, but when it is thoroughly investigated it
+turns out to be just plain old hard work!"
+
+"Sure, Julie! Don't you see, all the other scouts go scot free for the
+day, while the Orderly has to see that everything is done properly and
+then take the blame if nothing is right," laughed Judith.
+
+"Well, Amy is able to carry the burden, and it is only for a day; then
+another one has to do it," said the Captain.
+
+When the weighty business of selecting rules and deciding on a
+recreation for the day was over, Mrs. Vernon said, "Which did you decide
+to do first, hike or swim?"
+
+"Is Mr. Gilroy coming over to visit us to-day?" asked Ruth.
+
+"He invited himself to supper to-night, but I doubt if we see him before
+that time. Why?" answered the Captain.
+
+"Because if he was coming, he would hike with us, and we'd rather wait
+for him, and swim first. But it doesn't matter now."
+
+"We'll go for the hike first, and when we get back a fine, cool swim
+will feel good," suggested the Orderly for the day.
+
+"Verny, do you know of any places one might choose for an objective on a
+hike?" asked Joan.
+
+"Yes, Mr. Gilroy gave me a county map that shows every good trail within
+twenty miles of here. I'll get it and we'll look it over." So saying,
+the Captain went to her tent for the paper.
+
+They all sat about Mrs. Vernon as she studied the map and read aloud of
+various trails that sounded interesting. At last she said: "Here's one
+that seems inviting. It is named 'River Bend,' and the trail winds along
+one of the streams that is an outlet of our lake. The description says
+the blazes are old but distinct, and no one can miss the may. Shall we
+try that trail?"
+
+"Where does it end?" questioned Hester.
+
+"How long is it to anywhere?" asked Anne.
+
+"It's seven miles, and forks when one reaches the hut of an Indian
+canoe-builder. One fork runs to River Bend village, and the other to a
+ravine that is said to be most picturesque."
+
+"We'll take that trail and decide which place we prefer to see, the
+village or the ravine, after we have hiked a while," said the Orderly.
+
+"Why not take a little flour and fat and catch some fish at noon, and
+sup while on the trail?" asked Julie.
+
+"Why not carry our dinner stuff and have a _regular_ meal while we are
+about it," said Anne, who could not forego a dinner.
+
+The other scouts laughed, and Mrs. Vernon replied, "All right, it sounds
+inviting."
+
+So each scout carried a tin cup and platter, while the Orderly saw to it
+that each one carried part of the dinner material. It fell to the
+Captain's lot to carry the frying-pan, and to Anne to carry the
+two-quart pail; the others had the flour, bacon, potatoes, etc.
+
+River Bend trail led down to the end of the lake, where the stream
+started. It wound in and out, as it followed the uneven edges of Little
+Moose Lake, running over mossy knolls, through rivulets, past
+waterfalls, and around impassable obstructions. Thus the detouring added
+greatly to the distance the map had vouched for.
+
+The scouts had paper and pencils in case they wished to sketch anything
+interesting, but most of the paper was used in writing notes along the
+way, to be entered later in their records. They had gone about two miles
+when Julie stopped short and held up a warning hand.
+
+"Verny, listen! I heard a baby crying pitifully over in those high
+bushes."
+
+"Mercy me! Do you suppose there can be any gypsies here?" cried Amy, the
+timid.
+
+"Gypsies--nothing! But how could a baby get in that jungle?" retorted
+Joan.
+
+Then they distinctly heard the plaintive wail, as of a very young child
+in fear and distress. Even Mrs. Vernon turned pale at the picture that
+presented itself to her thought.
+
+"Girls, we've got to investigate this. It doesn't seem plausible that
+any one would bring a kidnapped child to this wilderness to lose it, but
+one can never tell!" declared Julie.
+
+"It's a baby, that we know, so it's up to us to save it," added Ruth.
+
+"The poor little dear!" wept Betty, the tender-hearted.
+
+So the scouts began cutting a way through the almost impenetrable growth
+that divided the trail from the place whence came the cries. But as they
+went deeper in the jungle and got nearer the spot they were aiming for,
+the cries ceased.
+
+"Dear, dear! I hope the little thing isn't past aid?" murmured the
+Captain, anxiously.
+
+That urged the scouts to greater endeavor, and finally Julie broke into
+a tiny clearing of about three feet across, and saw a little grey
+rabbit, which had been caught in an old mesh-wire trap set by some one
+long before and forgotten.
+
+"Oh, you poor little creature!" cried Julie, falling upon her knees to
+rescue the soft little thing.
+
+"Is it alive, Jule?" asked a chorus of anxious voices.
+
+"Yes, but it is awfully afraid of me. I can't do anything for it."
+
+"Maybe it will bite you--do be careful, Jule!" called Amy, deliciously
+thrilled at this fearful risk her friend was taking.
+
+"Bite!" scorned Julie. "It's starved, and too weak to even nibble."
+
+"Wait, Julie! Let me throw my hat over it so it won't see what we are
+doing. Then it won't feel so frightened. Remember the 'Boulder' we all
+saw, and when it moved we had a panic? Well, our sense of sight was all
+that caused that fear. It is the same now--what the rabbit doesn't see
+it won't fear," explained Mrs. Vernon.
+
+While it was hidden under the broad-brimmed scout hat, the rabbit was
+not aware of the willing rescuers, and soon Julie had the snare open,
+and Mrs. Vernon held the little creature in her hat.
+
+"Shall we let it go now?" asked some of the girls.
+
+"It may have an injured leg where the trap caught it. I think we will
+carry it home and feed it well, and then if it is all right, it can run
+away. It is sure to be caught by some larger animal if it is unable to
+jump or run," said the Captain.
+
+"This will make a dandy story to write down in our record book, Verny,
+won't it?" asked Ruth, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, but it will also show how inexperienced we are in wildwood
+sounds,--to mistake the rabbit's cry for a child's wail."
+
+"But it _did_ sound exactly like a baby, there's no denying that!"
+exclaimed Julie, frowning as she realized how they all were caught
+napping.
+
+"This reminds me of a story Alec told us yesterday when we were waiting
+at the campfire for you lost scouts," said Hester. "He and his Troop
+went on a three days' hike in the country last year, and at night they
+found an old abandoned barn where they decided to sleep. The floor was
+in good condition, with a bit of hay piled up in one corner. But the
+loft overhead was in such bad condition that in many places the flooring
+was broken down completely. As there was no ladder or stairway to reach
+it, the boys concluded there was no use in examining it--no one would be
+up there!
+
+"So they stretched out on the hay and were soon sound asleep. But some
+time after that--no one knew how long they had been asleep--Ned nudged
+Alec and whispered: 'Some one's in the loft!'
+
+"Alec sat up and listened. Sure enough, he could hear a man snoring as
+distinctly as he could hear Dick breathe.
+
+"So he roused the other scouts, and they very quietly crept over to the
+side where they could get a grip on the joists to help themselves up.
+Each scout had armed himself in some way. One had an old pitchfork with
+but one prong. Another had a rake handle, one found the curved handle of
+a feed-grinder, and so on.
+
+"When they got to the shaky, decayed floor above, the snoring had
+stopped, so they knew the tramp was aware of their approach. They had to
+be awfully careful, too, so as not to fall through any of the broken
+places in the floor. But they each had their lanterns, and used them
+before they took a step. Alec went first, and threw the light back and
+forth to avoid a sudden surprise from the tramp.
+
+"'There's something moving over on that pile of old burlap sacks!'
+whispered Alec, the instant he saw a creeping movement there.
+
+"Several of the boys then jumped and began beating up the sacks
+violently. But as suddenly, a pair of wings flapped up in their faces
+with a whirring sound, and a barn-owl began to screech madly as she
+rose and flew through a hole in the roof."
+
+Hester laughed as she reached this part of the story, and all the scouts
+joined in. Julie, who had not heard it before, said:
+
+"Thank goodness, we girls are not the only ones to be taken in, then!"
+
+"Alec said there are lots of wild creatures that make sounds exactly
+like human beings. And that owl snored just like a man."
+
+By this time they had regained the trail, and Mrs. Vernon tenderly
+adjusted the trembling rabbit. The hat so covered it that it could curl
+inside and not see a thing to cause it any fear, and thus it was carried
+along, to be cared for later on and then regain its freedom.
+
+The scouts found many interesting subjects for discussion along the
+trail, until they reached a wide shallow stream that came down the steep
+mountainside and emptied into the river.
+
+"It's not on the map, and it sure cuts off further progress," said the
+Captain.
+
+"It's shallow--we can wade it," suggested Julie.
+
+"Let us go upstream and find a narrow ford, or some rocks that we can
+cross on," added Mrs. Vernon.
+
+They went up on the near side of the stream, but the banks became so
+rocky and impassable that they found it was useless to try to climb
+them. The scenery was wild and wonderful, so several good pictures were
+taken of the tumbling waters and rocks, and then they all retraced their
+steps.
+
+"Now, it's wade or go back," declared Joan.
+
+"Stuff your stockings down in your boots and sling them about your necks
+by the strings," advised Julie.
+
+This was done, and one after another the scouts waded through the
+stream, shouting, screaming if one slipped on a stone, laughing when one
+stepped in a hole and got wet to the waist, but having plenty of fun.
+
+"How did bunny stand the voyage?" called Julie, the moment the Captain
+stepped up on the bank.
+
+"Bunny is curled up fast asleep, I guess," said she.
+
+"I wish it was noon. Did any one hear the twelve o'clock whistle blow?"
+laughed Joan.
+
+"Why--are you hungry?" questioned Anne.
+
+"Aren't you?" retorted the Orderly.
+
+"Sure! I always am," laughed Anne, frankly.
+
+"Then why not say it is dinner-time, Verny?" asked Ruth.
+
+"You must be hungry, too!" declared Judith.
+
+"I bet we all are, if Verny will take the count," asserted Hester.
+
+"Well, we may as well stop here beside this stream and eat, as to go on
+and fare worse," admitted the Captain.
+
+"Some one's got to fish," said Judith.
+
+"Why not all fish and the sooner catch what is needed?" advised Mrs.
+Vernon. So this suggestion was followed out.
+
+Four goodly sized fish rewarded the combined efforts of the fishermen
+that time, and then two scouts were detailed to clean them, while two
+went to build a fire. Others were tolled off to attend to other work,
+and in half an hour a savory meal was ready.
+
+When all signs of cooking and eating were cleaned away, Mrs. Vernon took
+the bunny again and said they had best go on.
+
+"Outdoor cooking and eating always makes me feel fine. I can walk a
+hundred miles now, and feel it no more than if it were a trifle," said
+Julie, taking a deep breath.
+
+"All the same, we haven't gone five miles yet, according to Verny's map,
+and there is still that walk home, so don't brag too much, Julie,"
+advised Betty, seriously.
+
+"We haven't voted yet whether we want to go on to the village or to the
+ravine," now said Ruth.
+
+"I'd like to visit the old Indian canoe-maker, and have a chat with
+him," said Joan.
+
+"His time is money, so he will charge us for chatting," returned Julie,
+grinning.
+
+"I think Joan's idea of visiting the Indian a good one, girls; why not
+go there instead of to either of the other places?"
+
+The Captain's suggestion was agreed upon, and the scouts turned in at
+the willow-arched walk that led to the Indian's hut. A wide brook ran
+under the willows, and here they saw several canoes waiting to be used.
+The pathway that ran alongside the brook was littered with rubbish of
+all kinds,--the accumulation of years of slovenly housekeeping and lazy
+carpenter work out of doors.
+
+But it was evident that the Indian was neither slovenly nor lazy when it
+pertained to making canoes. Every canoe there was a splendid example of
+workmanship. When the scouts reached the door, the owner came out to see
+them.
+
+"Morn'," said he, bowing seriously to his visitors.
+
+"Are you Mike, the Indian?" asked Mrs. Vernon, after acknowledging the
+salutation.
+
+"Me Mike--wan'da canoe?"
+
+"No, we came to visit you. We are friends of Mr. Gilroy's," explained
+the Captain.
+
+"Huh! Mees'er Gilloy use Mike's canoes."
+
+"So he told us. He says they are the finest anywhere," said Julie,
+ingratiatingly.
+
+"Bedder buy one," came from the Indian.
+
+"Verny, we might _rent_ another one--we only have two in the lake, you
+know, and we all prefer canoes to boats," whispered Joan.
+
+"We can't afford any added expense," replied Mrs. Vernon.
+
+But Mike understood the meaning of that whisper, so he wisely said:
+"Come see fine canoes."
+
+He led the way to his shop on the banks of the little stream and
+displayed the various methods of his trade. The girls found it all very
+instructive and interesting. Then he said:
+
+"Mike take canoe to lake fer leddy--no charge."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" wondered Julie.
+
+"Mike give fine canoe--one week try; leddy not like, Mike come take him
+home. No pay."
+
+"But we don't want any more canoes. We have two now," asserted Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+Mike shrugged his shoulders silently.
+
+"How much you rent canoe for?" asked Julie, believing the Indian could
+comprehend better if she used bad English.
+
+"Mike no rent his canoe--sell him cheap."
+
+"We can't afford to buy one, but we might rent it if you make a low
+price," bargained Julie.
+
+Mike shook his head decidedly. "No rent--onny buy."
+
+"Come, girls! We must start on, now that we've had our visit," said the
+Captain, turning to go.
+
+The scouts reluctantly turned also, but Mike saw their faces, and also
+knew that the lady was boss. So he seemed to reconsider.
+
+"Mike got good fren' by Mees'er Gilloy. Mebbe fren's of him be fren's
+of Mike. How much you give for rent canoe?"
+
+Every one turned suddenly at that hope held forth.
+
+"What do you ask?" countered Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Got money now to pay?" asked Mike, cutely.
+
+Julie exclaimed, "Certainly!" But the Captain saw through the shrewd
+bargainer, and said: "We'll have Mr. Gilroy do this business for us."
+
+Now Mike had no idea of losing these customers, nor of having to deal
+with a good business man like Mr. Gilroy, so he said guilelessly: "Solly
+dese gals no paddle home in dis canoe."
+
+Several of the scouts instantly wished to do so, but the Captain said:
+"Corporal, see that your Troop does not fall for this enticing snare."
+
+The scouts laughed when they comprehended Mike's intentions, and Mrs.
+Vernon courageously walked away. But Mike followed.
+
+"Canoe rent for four dollah week."
+
+"What! that's sixteen a month! I guess not!" cried Julie.
+
+"Fren's of Mees'er Gilloy get him fer tree dollah week."
+
+"No sir-ee!" retorted Julie. "Mike, I'll pay you two dollah week--or six
+dollah mont--or feefteen dollah season. What you take?"
+
+All the scouts laughed, but Mike frowned. "Me tak feefteen dollah now to
+Augus' furst," said he.
+
+Every one hushed to get every word of this bargaining.
+
+"We want him in Augus', too. Him worth feefteen dollah, no more, till
+September ten," declared Julie, slapping her palms together to emphasize
+her words.
+
+Mike sighed audibly. "All light. But Mike no carry him an' lose day.
+Gals mus' tak now an' pay down."
+
+Then every one turned to every one else, and word ran round: "Who's got
+any money?"
+
+"I've got three dollars--that's all," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Mike, we got tree dollahs only. Come to camp and get rest," said Julie.
+
+"You tak him along?" asked Mike, anxiously.
+
+"Are you 'fraid to trust us?" countered Julie.
+
+"Oh, no! Mike no wan' trouble carry him so far, da's all."
+
+So the three dollars was paid down, balance to be paid when Mike called
+for it; canoe to be taken along with no added work expected of Mike.
+
+Mike launched the canoe in the stream that passed his shop, and several
+of the girls squatted in the bottom. But it proved overweighted for such
+a shallow stream, and two had to get out again. Julie and Joan then
+paddled it safely to the deeper river, where Amy and Judith, being
+lightest of the scouts, got in and sat in the bottom.
+
+Mrs. Vernon and the rest of the Troop stood watching eagerly while the
+two girls paddled silently and swiftly up the river to the place where
+the tumbling stream joined River Bend. Here they halted to allow their
+other friends to catch up with them.
+
+Julie and Joan were complimented upon their prowess, and when Ruth and
+Betty exchanged places with Amy and Judith, the canoe went on its way up
+the river, while the other scouts continued hiking back towards camp.
+
+"It wouldn't take us long to reach home if we were all in canoes," said
+Anne.
+
+"It would if _you_ were in one--you are so heavy!" laughed Hester.
+
+A titter sounded from the girls, but Mrs. Vernon held up a hand for
+silence. "Was that thunder I heard from over the mountain?"
+
+"No, that was only Julie's paddle echoing down the stream," giggled
+Judith. But a louder rumble told the Captain she was right in her
+surmise.
+
+"Dear me! I hope we won't be caught in another thunder-storm," said she,
+holding the bunny closer to her side.
+
+But in answer to her fear, a sudden flash and a nearer peal of thunder
+warned them all to seek shelter if possible.
+
+"If it rains we're bound to be soaked!" sighed Anne.
+
+"You big silly! Did any of us think water was dry?" asked Hester,
+scornfully.
+
+"I do wish those girls hadn't left us in the canoe! If it rains they may
+upset," worried the Captain.
+
+"They didn't leave _us_ in the canoe, Captain. And we are just as likely
+to meet with mishap as they," laughed Judith, to cheer every one up.
+
+"Well, it's going to break mighty quick! See that inky cloud scudding
+across there?" exclaimed Amy, pointing at the sky.
+
+"Verny, why not make a quick shelter to crawl under?" suggested Anne.
+
+"Think you can do it?" answered the Captain.
+
+"Hester's got the rubber cover that Mike gave us for the canoe when it
+is not in use, and we might stretch that between four trees," added
+Anne.
+
+"That's so. Let's try it!" agreed Hester, eagerly.
+
+Quickly, then, the scouts chopped down the scrub bush where four young
+trees were found for the corners, and then, while Anne and Hester
+secured the four corners of the cover, the other girls ditched around
+the spot so the rain would run off and not soak their camping place.
+
+Anne and Hester completed their work before the others, and then hastily
+bunched a mass of chopped-down bushes all around the temporary tent to
+break the driving rain when it came. The spot thus enclosed was not
+large, but by huddling together they managed to keep dry.
+
+"How nice it is to sit in a dry place and watch everything else
+gradually soak with the rain," ventured Amy, comfortably.
+
+"No one would have dreamed that a shower would come up to-day, the
+weather was so perfect when we left camp," said Judith.
+
+"Do any of you girls understand weather-lore?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+No one did, so the Captain continued: "If you study wind and cloud,
+wildwood creatures and other animals, you will find much to interest you
+in the weather.
+
+"When rain is coming you will see the sheep turn their tails to
+windward, but if the day is to be fine the sheep will graze with faces
+to the wind.
+
+"Cows always gather and huddle together at a sheltered end of the
+pasture lot when a storm is approaching. Cattle are restless and uneasy
+before a storm breaks. And cows will fling up their heels, or sheep will
+gambol as if to make the most of the sunshine just before a prolonged
+spell of bad weather. Pigs, too, will grunt loudly and cavort about
+uneasily in their pens, carrying bits of straw from their bedding in
+their mouths, before a heavy rainstorm.
+
+"With wild creatures you will find partridges sitting in the fields when
+thunder is in the air. But the moment the storm blows over, the birds
+are alive with energy again. Rabbits and other night-feeders can be
+found out hunting on a sunny day, but that means there will be a wet
+night.
+
+"Most of our birds in field and forest know when a storm is brewing, and
+they can be seen seeking for extra food to carry home, or, perhaps,
+devouring it quickly, storing it up against the time everything is
+soaked with the rain.
+
+"Bees seldom fly far from the hive when rain is threatening; flies are
+annoying and sting sharply before rain, and many times they cling
+tenaciously to wall or furniture,--that is to keep flat to a surface, so
+their bodies will not become damp.
+
+"A large ring can be found to encircle the moon the night preceding a
+rainstorm. Should the storm be two or three days off, the ring is wider
+and you will find fainter shadows inside the main circle,--one for each
+day.
+
+"Mountain moss is found to be soft and limp, and smoke generally beats
+downward when the East Wind presages rain. Callouses on the feet will
+ache painfully; spiders will be seen strengthening their webs against
+moisture-weight; morning-glories will close up tightly; mushrooms are
+found to be numerous; and there are a dozen other weather-signs that I
+forget now."
+
+The scouts had listened with interest, for this was new to them,
+although Hester added: "I've heard the saying, 'Mackerel sky, twelve
+hours dry.'"
+
+"Yes, and another one goes, 'Rain before seven, fine before eleven,'"
+said Judith.
+
+"You will find in summer that heavy dews in the night mean fine weather
+the following day," added Mrs. Vernon. "Also any thunder-storm that
+comes with the wind soon passes away, but let it come against the wind,
+and it is apt to last."
+
+"This one came with the wind and is blowing away already. See!"
+exclaimed Amy, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, girls, now we can do as the Arabs--fold our tent and steal away,"
+said Mrs. Vernon, rising carefully so as not to jar the bunny which had
+remained very quiet all this time.
+
+"I wonder what the girls in the canoe did while the rain was falling,"
+said Judith.
+
+"Leave it to Julie to find a way. I'll say she landed them all on the
+bank and then turned the canoe upside down over their heads," laughed
+Hester.
+
+When the canoeists arrived at camp, sometime after the hikers got there,
+they exchanged experiences. Hester's surmise turned out to be exactly
+right, and the girls in the canoe were as dry as those who sat under the
+rubber cover.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT
+
+JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK
+
+
+"Gilly, do you know of any vegetable dye we can find in the woods to dye
+some burlap for decorations?" asked Julie one day.
+
+"Yes, you can take the berries and leaves of red or staghorn sumac and
+boil them together to make a black dye, or ink. If you need ink in a
+hurry, you can take the _Genus Coprinus_, commonly known as the ink
+mushroom, and pluck it at the end of its first day. The spores are
+black, and the gills turn into a black fluid at the last. This produces
+a splendid writing ink, or will dye grass, quills, and other wildwood
+stuffs."
+
+"Speaking of quills, Gilly--why can't we have chickens as the Grey Fox
+boys have?" asked Joan.
+
+"What would you do if they got the gapes, and no one would feed them
+chopped onions?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"I'm not looking for trouble, but for pets to have about camp," retorted
+Joan.
+
+"I'd hardly call a chicken a pet!" laughed Julie.
+
+"Even so, Julie, it would cluck and _appear_ to be friendly, even it
+wasn't."
+
+"What you scouts need is a good frisky dog for a pet. You can have
+chickens, if you like, but they are a nuisance. They stray away to lay
+their eggs, and if they were kept cooped you'd have to spend valuable
+time making a suitable inclosure. But a dog will go hiking with you,
+guard you at night from elephants and other prowling animals of the
+jungle, and be a fine old pal to boot," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, why didn't we think to bring Jippy," exclaimed Amy. Jip was a
+little poodle of about fifteen years and had had the rickets for the
+past five years, so he had to be carried about.
+
+The moment the scouts saw that Amy was in earnest they fairly roared,
+and Judith finally said: "Oh, Amy's catching the _ingénue_ habit from
+Betty! What shall we do with two of them on hand?"
+
+"Had we but known of this dire need of a dog, we would have brought
+Towser--had he lived. He was only twenty-two this March, and had full
+use of his bark even though he had no teeth or eyesight. But, alas!
+alas! Towser is no more!" sighed Julie, rolling her eyes.
+
+As Towser had been one of the "old settlers" in Elmertown, he was known
+to every man, woman and child there. Many a time, because he was
+stone-deaf and had not heard the blast from the horn, some one would
+have to rush out to rescue him from a passing automobile. So Julie's
+lament caused a new burst of merriment.
+
+"Stop all fooling now, scouts, and listen to me," said Mr. Gilroy. "I
+mean a regular dog--an Irish terrier, or a bulldog, to chum with and be
+of some good to you. How'd you like it?"
+
+"There ain't no sech critter in camp," retorted Julie.
+
+"But I know where to get one! His name is Jake, and he is very fond of
+the ladies, I'm told."
+
+"His name sounds dreadfully rakish, Gilly," teased Joan.
+
+"If Jacob is as faithful as his name would imply, we'd like to meet
+him," added Mrs. Vernon, smiling.
+
+"You shall. He lives at the farm where my overseer is, and the next time
+Mr. Benson is due here, I'll see that Jake accompanies him. If both
+sides are mutually attracted, the dog shall stay to give you scouts
+something to do," declared Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"What kind of a dog is he, Gilly?" asked Betty, eagerly.
+
+"He is a prize Airedale. But he is so clever that he tries to run
+everything on the farm, consequently Mr. Benson always has to separate
+Jake from the other dogs in the neighborhood."
+
+For the next two days the scouts were kept busy constructing a fine
+kennel for Jake to live in when he joined their camp. Everything
+imaginable was done to add to the comfort and luxury of this "dog's
+life"; and the third day they started for the bungalow to be introduced
+to Jake, who was expected to arrive that morning.
+
+It was a warm, drowsy day, and the wildwood creatures seemed to be
+keeping quiet. Even the bees hummed less noisily over the flowers they
+were robbing of nectar. The girls strolled slowly along the pathway,
+stopping now and then to watch a bird or examine a flower. They were
+just passing the bend where the tumbling brook could be plainly seen
+from the trail when, suddenly, Julie held up a warning hand for quiet.
+
+Every one stopped short and waited. She pointed silently across the
+bushes in the direction of a long fallen tree that lay on the bank of
+the stream. The scouts looked, but saw nothing to cause this interest.
+Then she whispered warily, "I saw a big creature creeping along that
+log!"
+
+"Really!"
+
+"What did it look like? Which way did it go?" were questions hoarsely
+whispered.
+
+"It crawled on that log and suddenly disappeared. Maybe it jumped into
+the water when it saw us. I am thinking it was a beaver," returned
+Julie.
+
+"Oh, how wonderful! If we could only see it at work," cried some of the
+scouts.
+
+"How big was it, Julie?" now asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"It went so fast that I couldn't see well, but I should say it was about
+as big as a very large cat,--maybe larger if we were closer," said
+Julie.
+
+"Dear me, if we didn't have to go for Jake we might sit and wait for it
+to appear again. If it is a beaver, I'd love to watch it build a dam,"
+sighed Ruth.
+
+"I hope Jake won't want to chase it, on our way back," Betty worried, as
+the thought struck her.
+
+"We'll hold Jake on a leash. And if he doesn't make a fuss we might
+creep over and watch for the animal's appearance again," added Julie.
+
+"Then the sooner we go and get Jake, the sooner we'll be back here," was
+the sensible remark of Joan.
+
+The scouts now hurried along the trail and soon reached the bungalow,
+where a splendid Airedale was sleeping in the sunshine. He was stretched
+out full length right in the way where one would have to pass to go up
+the steps to the verandah.
+
+"Oh, are you Jake?" called Julie quickly, when she saw the dog.
+
+"Isn't he a beaut?" cried Joan, admiring the shapely form as it jumped
+up to growl at the visitors.
+
+"Why, Jake, don't begin our relations with a growl! Don't you know we
+have to keep the peace all summer?" laughed Julie, snapping her fingers
+to the dog.
+
+Mr. Gilroy heard voices and came out on the verandah. The moment he
+greeted the scouts familiarly, Jake wagged his stump of a tail and ran
+up to show his friendship for his master's friends.
+
+The girls fussed over the dog immediately, and Mr. Gilroy smiled. "Well,
+what do you think of him, scouts? Is he homely enough to win your pity?
+You know it is said, 'Pity is akin to love.'"
+
+"He's a regular peach, Gilly!" exclaimed Joan.
+
+"Just what we need at camp," added Judith.
+
+And in the next ten minutes the dog had won high favor with his future
+companions. Then the scouts told about the animal they believed to be a
+beaver, so they wanted to hurry back and watch.
+
+"But hold to the leash if you go near the log. Jake is a born hunter,"
+advised Mr. Benson.
+
+"Oh, he is very obedient if you speak sternly to him," added Mr. Gilroy.
+"If he tugs or wants to run, just command in severe tones, 'To heel,
+Jake,' and he will obey like a lamb."
+
+Jake wagged his tail as he watched Mr. Gilroy, and when the order was
+given, 'To heel, Jake,' he crept behind his master.
+
+"Oh, the darling! Doesn't he mind splendidly!" cried several of the
+scouts.
+
+"I'll come along pretty soon. Wait for me near the log where you saw the
+beaver. I'll finish up with Benson and then join you there," said Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts started down the trail again, leading Jake by the
+leash.
+
+Every one was delighted with the meek and obedient dog, and the fussing
+was accepted by him as his due, but he paid no attention to the numerous
+pats and endearing names given him as they walked along. Then they
+reached the open space where the log bounded the edge of the running
+water. It was about a hundred yards from the trail and distinctly
+visible because the brook was lower than the footpath where the scouts
+stood.
+
+"There it is! I saw it!" exclaimed Joan, excitedly.
+
+At the same moment Jake also saw something doubtful moving swiftly out
+of sight back of the log. The girls ran over to the bushes to see the
+better, and Julie's hold on the leash relaxed unconsciously. In that
+same second, Jake took mean advantage of her inattention to him and
+darted away.
+
+"Oh, oh! Come back here, Jake!" yelled Julie instantly.
+
+But the dog stood upon a rock, his ears erect, his nose sniffing as he
+pointed it in the direction of the log. His tail trembled spasmodically
+and the hair along his spine stood up stiffly.
+
+"I say, to heel, Jake. Come back, to heel!" shouted every scout in the
+group. But Jake was deaf to their calls.
+
+Then the Captain called to him, but he bounded from the rock and managed
+to force his way through the bushes, the leash catching here and there
+on stumps, on sharp rocks, or on bushes.
+
+"What shall we do? Now he'll kill the little beaver!" wailed Betty,
+wringing her hands.
+
+"Some one run back and get Gilly! _He'll_ make him mind," ordered Julie.
+
+"Who's Orderly for the Day? I want to wait and watch what he does," said
+Joan.
+
+"Oh, pshaw! I'm Orderly, and I s'pose I've got to go," declared Judith,
+impatiently.
+
+"I'll go for you, Judy, 'cause I can't bear to wait here and see Jake
+kill anything," said Betty, deeply distressed.
+
+"All right, Judy,--let Betty go instead, if she likes," agreed the
+Corporal. So Betty ran swiftly away while the other scouts resumed their
+coaxings to draw Jake away from the log.
+
+Julie now started to break away through the bush to get the dog, and
+several of the girls followed closely at her heels. When they reached
+the place where they had seen something move, they also saw tracks in
+the soft soil.
+
+"It really is a wild animal," said Julie, excited at sight of the
+footprints.
+
+"But what? Do you know?" asked Judith.
+
+"No, but it must be a beaver--or a fox. I don't know which," confessed
+Julie.
+
+But they couldn't get at Jake. He was racing excitedly up and down on
+the log, his nose close to the strangely odorous scent, and all the
+commands and persuasions from the scouts failed to make the least
+impression on him. His nervous short yelps showed how keen he was to
+have a face-to-face bout with the animal.
+
+Julie tried to step on the leash, but he dragged her foot so that she
+suddenly sat down violently on the ground. Then he nosed under the grass
+that hung over the brook, and finally swam over to the other side. There
+he stood and watched nervously, but the girls could not get him back
+again.
+
+"Talk about his minding! Why, he's the cussedest dog I ever saw!"
+complained Julie, as she got up and shook her clothes free of the
+briars.
+
+"There's no use standing in this baking sun to look at Jake standing on
+the other bank!" exclaimed Joan, angrily eying the disobedient dog.
+
+"We'll go back to the shady trail and watch for Gilly," said Julie,
+starting back to join the Captain. But they kept calling to Jake as they
+retraced their steps.
+
+When they got back to the slight elevation where Mrs. Vernon and Amy had
+waited, anxiously watching results, they saw Jake make a leap and swim
+quickly back across the brook to the log.
+
+"He must have seen or heard something that time," whispered Hester.
+
+"Yes, 'cause he's stretched out on that log nervously wagging his tail
+with his eyes glued on something," admitted Amy.
+
+Then they caught their breath. The scouts saw a movement in the green
+leaves at the end of the log and then--Jake was creeping stealthily
+across that log, as if he also saw what he wanted to pounce upon.
+
+"Oh, oh! Jake's got it! He's jumped upon it!" screamed Julie,
+frantically.
+
+"Why, it's a great big tomcat! They're fighting!" cried Hester, too
+excited to stand still, but jumping up and down.
+
+"A cat! Gilly hasn't a cat that color!" declared Joan.
+
+"Girls!" fairly hissed Julie. "I bet it's a wildcat--and it will kill
+Jake as sure as anything!"
+
+"No, no! Oh, girls, I just saw it, too! It's a skunk! Run, run--for your
+lives!" cried Mrs. Vernon, turning to run up the trail towards the
+bungalow.
+
+But several of the scouts would not desert the dog. He had carried the
+skunk off its feet with his unexpected leap upon it, and the two rolled
+and fought madly for supremacy. The leash, instead of tripping Jake, got
+tangled in the skunk's legs, and both animals rolled back and forth.
+
+The enraged beast fired the deadly fluid to blind her antagonist, but it
+drenched the fallen tree only. Then Jake caught a grip on her throat and
+shook her head; still she was game and kept on struggling.
+
+Again they rolled over together, the skunk trying to get to the brink of
+the water, where she would manage to roll them both in. But Jake
+understood that motive, too, and braced his feet against the stones in
+their way.
+
+A second volley of the ill-smelling spray from the skunk struck at
+random, and then Jake gave her neck another sudden shake. This time it
+was effective, and the head suddenly hung limp. Jake had broken her
+neck, and was the victor!
+
+He now took great pains to drag the trophy through the brush to present
+to his friends in the roadway. The leash caught several times and almost
+snapped his own neck, and the skunk was heavy, but he managed to drag it
+along.
+
+When Julie saw his intent she screamed and warned the girls to flee! And
+in running up the trail they met Mr. Gilroy, who had been summoned by
+half-crazed Betty's crying, "Jake and the beaver are killing each
+other!"
+
+Mr. Gilroy did not stop to hear what Julie tried to gasp, but he ran
+down and saw Jake bringing the skunk out into the pathway.
+
+"To heel! to heel, Jake!" shouted Mr. Gilroy, holding his nose when the
+dog tried to jump upon him in the ecstasy of having achieved such a
+great deed.
+
+"What shall we do with him? He can't sleep at Dandelion camp to-night,"
+wailed the girls, as they, too, held their noses.
+
+"I'll have to take him back to the barn and have Hiram turn the hose on
+him for twenty-four hours."
+
+"Isn't there a reward for skunks in the country?" now asked the Captain.
+
+"Not only a reward, but the pelts are valuable since they became so
+fashionable," remarked Mr. Gilroy, complacently.
+
+"Well, Jake's earned his keep to-day, then," declared Judith.
+
+"But it will cost more than the skunk brings to pay for the nine hundred
+and ninety-nine bottles of _fleur-de-lis_ toilet water Gilly will have
+to use to change Jake's scent!" laughed Julie.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE
+
+LESSONS IN TRACKING
+
+
+"Well, scouts! That shows us how little we know about wild animal's
+tracks," remarked Mrs. Vernon, after Jake had been made to go back to
+the bungalow, and the Troop went on to camp.
+
+"I could have sworn that skunk's footprints were a coon's or a
+fox's,--or something big!" exclaimed Julie, trying to justify her
+mistake.
+
+"To me, the tracks in the soil looked like a lynx's, or something,"
+added Joan, hoping to cover the ignominy of having unearthed a skunk
+without knowing the animal.
+
+"Isn't there some sort of book that will teach us how to recognize
+tracks, girls?" asked Hester.
+
+"Is there, Verny? Maybe we can get one at the bungalow," added Julie.
+
+"I don't know of any at this moment, but Mr. Gilroy surely will know,"
+replied the Captain.
+
+So they all went to the bungalow the next morning to inquire after
+Jake's scent, and also to borrow any books on the subject they had
+discussed.
+
+"Yes, I have several books, and let me tell you they are precious, too.
+There are but few on this subject, and the one I consider the best was
+compiled by Ernest Seton-Thompson under great difficulties. He had to
+gather all information from plaster casts made in the tracks themselves,
+or from sketches, or from camera pictures taken on the spot.
+
+"As every different animal leaves a different track, there are many
+illustrations necessary in such a work, and that makes the book most
+desirable and also very expensive. But it is great fun to study the
+pictures and then try to recognize the tracks in the woods."
+
+"We haven't found any about camp," said Judith, regretfully.
+
+"There must be all sorts of tracks there, but you don't know how to find
+them. Now, if you want to study this book and then practice early some
+morning, I'll come down and help find the tracks," Mr. Gilroy said.
+
+"Oh, great! Will you come to-morrow morning?" asked the girls.
+
+"Hadn't we better study the book first, scouts, and let Gilly know when
+we are ready to go tracking?" suggested the Captain.
+
+So for a time every one was busy reading the book and trying to discover
+a track in the woods near camp. But Julie laughed as she said, "It isn't
+likely that a wild animal will prowl close to our camp at night. We'll
+have to hunt one some distance away."
+
+Mr. Gilroy overheard the remark as he came down the trail. "Sometimes
+the animals will come quite close to camp just to find out what it is
+that is intruding on their forest domain."
+
+"Well, then, I wish they'd hurry and come here!" declared Judith.
+
+"When you are ready to hunt tracks, I'll arrange some baits around your
+camp grounds; and the next morning I'll vow you'll see that you've had
+callers while you slept. So quiet are they that you won't hear them,
+either," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"We are ready to hunt now, Gilly. We know everything in the book and are
+crazy to test it," said Joan, eagerly.
+
+"Then I'll tell you what we might do. I was going over to Grey Fox Camp,
+but if you girls will deliver a message for me, I will go home and
+attend to the bait I spoke of. Hiram and I will do the rest."
+
+"All right--what do you want us to say to the boys?" agreed the scouts.
+
+"Now, listen! Tell them that I want them to start out at dawn in the
+morning and hunt up all the tracks they can trace about their camp. Then
+to-morrow afternoon they are to come over here with their reports and
+have a match with you girls. The side showing the best results and most
+interesting experience shall have a prize. How does it strike you?" Mr.
+Gilroy glanced at the pleased faces as he concluded.
+
+"Fine! Do they know much about tracks?" returned Julie.
+
+"Oh, yes, but then you must understand that they have been scouting for
+more than four years. Tell them that this is your first summer in a
+genuine forest camp, and they need not expect you to accomplish wonders.
+Then you girls must turn in and do your best!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+The scouts were most enthusiastic, and gaily agreed to follow Mr.
+Gilroy's suggestions. When they were ready to hike over the crest, the
+Captain said, "We may as well invite the boys to supper to-morrow and
+make a party of it."
+
+"That will be splendid. And I'll contribute my quota to the dinner
+instead of eating it at home," added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"We may have quail or partridge for dinner if we track the birds
+carefully," suggested Joan, giggling.
+
+"Venison steaks are better," hinted Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"What's the matter with bear steaks, while we're about it? They're said
+to be gamier in flavor," laughed Julie.
+
+"We'll have all three, and serve a ten-course dinner to the boys," added
+Ruth.
+
+With light banter the scouts left Mr. Gilroy where the trails
+diverged,--they to cross the crest and invite the boys over for supper
+the next day, and Mr. Gilroy to go home to find the "bait."
+
+Dandelion Camp was abandoned for a long time that day, and it was too
+late in the afternoon when the scouts returned, to ask what had been
+done in the woods during their absence; but a great deal had taken place
+there, as Hiram and his master could have told had they been so
+inclined. Even Jake could have testified to mysterious actions, and many
+queer maneuvers of familiar animals from the barnyard, but the girls
+never asked _him_. Their faith in Mr. Gilroy was sublime!
+
+While the Dandelioners sat eating their camp supper, they discussed the
+boys they had visited that day.
+
+"I declare! I wonder if we ever _will_ know as much about the woods as
+those Grey Fox boys do," sighed Hester, taking a bite of baked potato.
+
+"Sure! We know almost as much as they do already," bragged Joan.
+
+"They gave us a lovely luncheon--and all with nothing to do it with,"
+added Judith.
+
+"And it's up to us, girls, to give them a dinner that will make their
+eyes pop out to-morrow!" declared Ruth.
+
+"Let's plan it now, and do as much towards it as possible, then we can
+give that much extra time to tracking," suggested Julie.
+
+"And, scouts! I want you to display every bit of fine work you have done
+since we've been in camp, and all the work we did at camp last summer,
+as well, and brought with us this year," advised the Captain.
+
+"Yes, we don't want those boys to think we don't know a thing! The stuff
+we've made is so different from what they have, too," admitted the
+leader.
+
+So the evening was employed in arranging many exhibits to impress the
+visitors the following afternoon. Then the scouts rolled into bed.
+
+"Verny, you'd better set the alarm clock for four in the morning,"
+called Julie, the last thing.
+
+"Yes, we want to be up and ready to start when Gilly comes for us,"
+added Joan, the Corporal.
+
+"All right. Go to sleep now, or you'll all over-sleep," laughed the
+Captain from her tent.
+
+But there was no need of an alarm clock. The girls were up half an hour
+before it rang, and were impatiently waiting for the arrival of their
+instructor in tracking. Some of the scouts had gone into the bushes to
+begin a search, but had found nothing.
+
+It took but a few moments after Mr. Gilroy arrived to outline his plans
+for the work and fun. "We will scatter in couples to hunt for any sort
+of track whatever. The first couple that discovers any genuine track
+must call out, then we all will run and study it for what it is, or
+where it leads to. Now, pair off, scouts, but the Captain and I will
+follow at a distance and hurry to the first pair who find a track."
+
+"There are nine of us--how about the odd one?" asked Julie.
+
+"Let the three youngest go together," returned the Captain. So Amy,
+Betty and Judith hunted in trio.
+
+It was a "still hunt" for a time, since every one was too intent on
+finding a track to speak. Most of the scouts took to the dense bushes
+and woods, but the Leader sought in a clearing and was the first to
+summon the others.
+
+"Oh, come, every one! We've found a great big track!" called Julie, as
+she and her companion knelt to inspect the prints.
+
+Every one raced wildly to the clearing, and, sure enough, there were
+hoof prints distinctly marked in the soil. The trail led across the
+clearing into the dense forest.
+
+"Aren't they big?" excitedly asked Joan.
+
+"They're made by a deer!" said Julie, boastfully.
+
+"Are they, Gilly?" asked the girls as the Judge came up.
+
+He pretended to study them carefully, and then said: "I shall have to
+wait and compare them with those in the book."
+
+"Maybe it is a reindeer?" suggested Betty, eagerly.
+
+"Mercy no! We don't have reindeers south of the Pole!" declared her
+sister.
+
+"Look here, girls! This creature only had two legs--it left only two
+hoofmarks, one for each side," cried Judith now.
+
+"Then I know what it was! It was that familiar animal that carries a
+pitchfork, smells of sulphur and is known to have hoofs," retorted
+Julie, making them all laugh merrily.
+
+"I'm sure I have no desire to trail _him_!" said the Captain, holding up
+both hands as if to ward off such a danger. "Let him go to his lair in
+peace!"
+
+"All joking aside, girls, this is a queer track--only two feet instead
+of four. Let's follow and see where it goes," suggested Mr. Gilroy.
+
+So they trailed the plainly visible tracks, and after a distance, Julie
+said: "Whatever it is, it couldn't have traveled so far as this if it
+was a cripple. It just _couldn't_ walk on two hind legs all this way."
+
+Mr. Gilroy had to laugh loudly at this, but he said, "No, but don't give
+up hope! You may stumble right over the prostrate buck."
+
+But the trail now crossed itself several times, and the scouts wondered
+which way the two-legged creature finally went, for all tracks were
+obliterated after that criss-cross place in a tiny clearing.
+
+The Corporal was determined to pick it up again somewhere, so she
+finally came out to the trail that ran from the camp to the bungalow.
+Here she wandered up and down for a short distance, and then spied the
+tracks again.
+
+"Oh, I've got him again. He goes right up this trail," so she followed.
+
+The others followed at a distance, and then she shouted, "He prowled
+around Gilly's house, too, last night, for I see the hoofmarks here."
+
+Julie would have gone after the tracks to the right "lair," but Hiram
+came forward from the barnyard to meet her. He had heard her call to the
+others, and offered a solution to the problem.
+
+"I seen them tracks this mornin', too, Miss Julie, and I'm sure that
+animal come to the barnyard las' night to feed offen the hay and corn he
+could find around there."
+
+"Oh, really! Would one do that?" asked Julie, amazed.
+
+"Sure he would, if he was a deer. An' them tracks ain't no grizzly, er
+fox, er other critter, you know."
+
+"No; of course, it is a deer, as one can see by the tracks. But I'm
+sorry we have to end in such an ordinary place as the barnyard," sighed
+Julie.
+
+"I see'd some queer tracks down by that log where Jake caught the
+skunk," now hinted Hiram.
+
+That was enough! In another moment every scout was bounding down the
+trail in order to reach the spot first and win honor by knowing the
+track correctly.
+
+Hester found these tracks first, and shouted to her friends, "This has
+small cloven feet, but there are only two legs, also! Now and then you
+can see where one track looks as if a hind foot had broken in on another
+one!"
+
+"Oh, girls! That explains that other two-footed animal!" now exclaimed
+Julie, quickly.
+
+"What, what?" demanded every one eagerly.
+
+"Most likely the deer stepped daintily with its hind feet directly in
+the same track made by its forefeet. It said something about that in the
+book, you know."
+
+"Do you think that is it, Gilly?" now asked several anxious voices.
+
+"Exactly! I was hoping you'd find that out," agreed he.
+
+"Well, does this creature show any unusual tendencies, girls, by which
+you can recognize it?" laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Not a thing! It starts from the trail and goes right through the brush
+where we broke a way that day the skunk was killed, and it stopped to
+question nothing. It must have been in a hurry to get a drink,"
+explained Joan.
+
+The trail plainly led to the brook, and ended there. No sign of anything
+going back again could be found, although the girls looked carefully
+over the entire place. Then Julie thought she saw something in the soft
+soil upon the opposite bank. To make sure, she waded through the shallow
+but swiftly running water, and there, on the steep bank, she saw the
+tracks again.
+
+"Ha! I found 'em! plain as day. Come and follow!" called she. And off
+she started.
+
+Not more than a dozen yards along the top of the bank she found the
+tracks go down again; and through the brook she went, up the other
+side, and back to the brush-clearing on a new trail, following the
+cloven-footed tracks. Out on the hard trail they were lost.
+
+"Now, that makes two I've trailed and lost. It's a shame!" cried Julie,
+stamping her foot.
+
+"'Better to have trailed and lost than never to have found at all,'"
+misquoted Mrs. Vernon, laughingly.
+
+"If the first one was a deer, this second one must have been a little
+fawn," said Judith.
+
+"Is there any other animal that wears hoofs?" asked Ruth, of no one in
+particular.
+
+Now, Mr. Gilroy must have dreaded the reply, for he quickly changed the
+subject. "How many of you brought the plaster and bottle of water?"
+Every one had.
+
+"Well, why not make a little cast of both the tracks you do not
+recognize and then compare them with those in the book when we go back
+to camp?"
+
+This sounded fine, so the scouts were soon busy making casts of the
+tracks. When hard, they were handed to the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to
+carry carefully until they all reached camp.
+
+Quite near the camp ground Hester made a discovery. "Oh, come and see!
+Here is something with toes. As big as a wildcat, or maybe a little
+bear!"
+
+Yes, there were toes in this animal's tracks--as plain as could be. So
+the scouts guessed every animal known, excepting the coyote and
+water-loving creatures. After many futile suggestions, they made a
+plaster cast of these tracks also.
+
+"I'm going to carry this load back to camp, girls, and be ready for the
+next one you give me," announced Mr. Gilroy, starting to go down the
+trail.
+
+The next two tracks, one that of a large-toed animal and the other of
+one whose tracks showed how the hair grew down low on the hind
+legs,--for the hair showed in several of the imprints made of
+plaster,--strangely ended near the bungalow, and on the other side of
+the hard trail again, they ran as far as the barnyard.
+
+"I never saw the beat of it! Any one would think Gilly hung the bait on
+the barn door to entice the animals here," said Julie, who was angry at
+winding up at such a place three times running. Mr. Gilroy had to laugh
+in spite of himself.
+
+"Say, where did you put that bait, anyway, Gilly?" demanded the scout
+leader, watching the man skeptically.
+
+"Where we knew it would attract the best results."
+
+"Gilly, I verily believe you are hoaxing us!" cried Julie. Mrs. Vernon
+smiled at her bright scout, but Mr. Gilroy shook his head protestingly.
+
+"Why should I hoax any one? I was laughing at the way you brave scouts
+dodged when Joan said the animal they lost might be crouching on a
+bough of the trees."
+
+"No, that wasn't what made you laugh." Then Julie went over and held a
+secret conference with her corporal and Ruth, and they, grinning, urged
+her to do as she suggested.
+
+So Julie took a sample of the different casts made in the tracks, and
+left the others engaged in finding new and intricate tracks. Mr. Gilroy
+and the Captain were not taken into the three scouts' confidence, but
+they must have suspected where Julie proposed going, for soon after she
+had gone Mrs. Vernon said:
+
+"Girls, if we expect to entertain the Grey Fox boys at dinner this
+afternoon, we'd better go back now and begin work."
+
+"Without a clue to any wild animal we tracked?" sighed Judith.
+
+"Oh, yes, Judy--we've got some fine clues, and by the time we're at camp
+and have our books out, Julie will be back with proofs! Come on," was
+Joan's assurance to the girls.
+
+On the way, the scouts discussed the last track they had discovered. "I
+was sure it was a crow's," asserted Amy.
+
+"No, it was more like a chicken-hawk's," Hester added.
+
+"There wouldn't be any chicken-hawk around here in these woods," said
+Joan.
+
+"Maybe it was the American Eagle," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Yes, it got tired of sitting on the flagpole where the colors have hung
+for four days without being taken in at night, as they should be,"
+remarked the Captain.
+
+"Dear me, Verny, there is so much to remember in camp. We always
+remember the flag after we are in bed at night," complained Ruth.
+
+"The Orderly will have to appoint a flagman for each day after this,"
+said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+They finally reached camp, and had a light luncheon ready before Julie
+returned. She came down the trail sprightly, with one hand holding
+something behind her, and singing as she came.
+
+"Where have you been, Julie?" asked several of the scouts.
+
+"Did you find out what you went for?" asked others.
+
+"Yep! I learned that we have among us the queerest sort of creature,
+girls. It really walks on two legs, holds its head upright, and belongs
+to the fox class. I tracked it right to our midst," laughed Julie.
+
+The scouts seemed perplexed, and Julie, too full of her discoveries to
+tease very long, said, "His name is 'Foxy Grandpa,' and you all know him
+well!"
+
+Every eye glanced at Mr. Gilroy, and he laughingly replied, "Why do you
+all seem to think I am that animal?"
+
+"Because you are, Gilly!" retorted Julie. "And I'll prove it now, to
+every one's satisfaction."
+
+"First, then: Did Hiram miss any calves or pigs or other domestic
+animals from his barnyard yesterday?"
+
+Mr. Gilroy threw up both hands in submission when he saw the knowing
+look in the leader's eyes.
+
+"Because here are the molds we made of the tracks found in the forest,
+girls. And here are molds I made of the heifer, a pig, the Great Dane,
+and a chicken, at the bungalow. Can you find any difference?"
+
+Both the Captain and Mr. Gilroy laughed, but the scouts gasped in
+unbelief, "Would Gilly do such a thing?"
+
+Not one bit of difference was found when comparing the molds of each
+animal, and then Mr. Gilroy had to tell how he did it. Of course, the
+scouts laughed mirthlessly, for they were thinking of how those Grey Fox
+boys would jeer at their woodcraft. But Julie now brought out in front,
+the hand which had held something behind her.
+
+"Here is the hawk--or American Eaglet. I brought it with me for dinner
+to-night. To Gilly it will be crow-pie, but to us it will be spring
+chicken." And the Leader tossed a dead chicken upon the grass. Then she
+added:
+
+"That's what happens to all 'critters' that trespass on our land. Hiram
+tells me that when a farmer catches an animal on his land, he generally
+holds it for ransom, or for food for himself, so we have not fared so
+badly, scouts, in this day's work!
+
+"Behold the other trophies coming! I took them because they broke the
+law and trespassed on our estates last night." Julie waved a hand
+dramatically towards the trail, and every one turned to look.
+
+Hiram was slowly advancing toward camp, leading with one hand a
+fractious pig, and with the other hand dragging an unwilling half-grown
+heifer on a chain. Jake was jumping about and barking excitedly as they
+came over and stood like prisoners at the bar.
+
+"Mr. Foxy Grandpa," began Julie, as severely as she could, "because of
+your crime of misleading trusting scouts into a snare, I pronounce this
+judgment upon you, and therefore levy upon your property to satisfy the
+judgment.
+
+"This wild deer and its little fawn shall henceforth be the property of
+the injured ones--insulted past all forgiveness by your fraud. And the
+innocent victims used to perpetrate your schemes, being as free from
+guile as the scouts themselves, shall dwell henceforth together in peace
+and tranquillity!"
+
+Every one laughed heartily at the dénouement for it was so like Julie;
+but Mrs. Vernon added, "Julie you speak exactly like the millennial
+times, when the lion and the lamb shall dwell in love and peace
+together."
+
+"The lion will dwell with the lamb, all right, but the lamb will be the
+_piece_ inside the lion," added Mr. Gilroy; "just as this pig will live
+in camp! Such a life as it will lead you!"
+
+"No good talking 'sour grapes', now, Gilly," advised Julie, wisely. "The
+calf and the pig remain, no matter what sort of life they lead us."
+
+"What can you expect to do with two such pets?" asked Mr. Gilroy, who
+was honestly amazed at the scouts' unexpected appropriation.
+
+"First, build a pen for them, and second, have veal and pork before we
+leave for home!" retorted Julie. She then ordered all the scouts to fall
+to work and construct a temporary shelter for the two creatures.
+
+Mr. Gilroy seemed too surprised to comment, and when Hiram finally
+delivered the calf and pig into Julie's custody, Mr. Gilroy turned to
+her and said, "Do you _really_ mean to keep the beasts, here in camp?"
+
+"Why, of course! Why should we go to all this fuss for nothing?"
+
+"Well, I can't see, yet, why you should?"
+
+When the calf and pig were temporarily tied to a tree, where they seemed
+as much at home as back in the barnyard, Julie said, "By the way, Gilly,
+what did you call the pets when they were yours?"
+
+"They have never been christened, because I waited for an opportune
+time. It is here now!" returned Mr. Gilroy, picking up one of the
+bottles of water that had done duty to make plaster casts that morning.
+
+He held it over the calf's head and poured half of its contents out
+while he said solemnly:
+
+"Dear little deer, henceforth you shall be known as Julia, in honor of
+the intrepid scout that captured you, single-handed.
+
+"Likewise, this sweet little fawn, known by its tracks through the
+wilderness, shall be named Ant-and-ett because of its peculiar
+habits,--busy as an ant and eats all that comes its way!" Then the rest
+of the water was emptied over the pig's head.
+
+"_Antoinette_ it shall be, now and forever," declared Julie, while the
+other scouts laughed uproariously. But the two names stuck, and
+thereafter the calf was "Julia" and the pig was generally called by the
+name of "Anty."
+
+After the christening Mr. Gilroy beckoned for the Captain to join him
+where the girls could not over-hear his conversation. "You don't suppose
+the girls are in earnest about keeping the pig and calf at camp, do
+you?" asked he, anxiously.
+
+"Yes, certainly," laughed Mrs. Vernon. "You don't know girls of this
+age, or you'd understand that they enjoy all these silly pranks
+thoroughly, and really, they act as safety-valves."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN
+
+THE GIRL SCOUTS ENTERTAIN
+
+
+"Now, Gilly, you've got to help us build the sheds for Julia and Anty,
+or go home until its time for the party," exclaimed the Leader, calling
+to the still-wondering man.
+
+"If we're to have any dinner ready for the Grey Foxes; I think Hiram and
+Gilly ought to do the building of the sheds, and let us get busy with
+the cooking," added the Corporal.
+
+"Yes, that's a better plan," admitted Julie. "Come on, now, Gilly, don't
+shirk your duty!"
+
+So Mr. Gilroy and his man were set to do construction work, while the
+scouts ran to and fro, fetching and carrying, arranging exhibits,
+baking, cooking, and what-not, that Dandelion Troop need not take a
+"back seat" in comparison with the Grey Foxes.
+
+"Verny," whispered Julie, soon after the two men were sawing and nailing
+at the sheds, "it's as plain as the nose on my face, that Gilly thinks
+those boys are far cleverer than we girls."
+
+"What makes you think so, Julie?" asked Joan, who was passing at the
+time.
+
+"Never mind, now, Jo, but we've just got to show him, as well as his
+boys, that girl scouts know a heap more than they talk about. That's why
+I'm anxious to make a 'ten-strike' with dinner!"
+
+"It is too bad we were tricked with false tracks," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I don't believe those boys would have known any better, under the
+circumstances, but of course, they won't admit it."
+
+"Forget it!" said Julie, shortly. "And listen to me. Take all the
+contents of our boxes out upon the cots, and call upon all the girls you
+need to help in the work. Turn the packing cases upside down and cover
+them with some of our embroidered covers; then arrange to the best
+advantage, everything we can show for our past year in scoutdom.
+
+"Try to group our exhibits according to their relationship with each
+other, but leave all the Indian pots and dishes scattered about
+carelessly as if we were accustomed to using them daily. The birchbark
+baskets and articles can be hung about on tents or trees where they will
+show off best,--but don't let it look as if the stunt was done on
+purpose for this occasion--see?"
+
+Joan smiled. "Yes, I see! Leave it to the Girl Scouts!"
+
+So, although there was plenty of activity before, now there was no end
+of rushing and laughing and planning between the scouts. The pots and
+dishes Julie spoke of were left to Mrs. Vernon to place, and she
+accomplished the task of studying carefully the apparent carelessness of
+leaving the vessels about.
+
+These Indian pots and dishes were the most interesting things the scouts
+had made. It was simple work, and took but little time and no cost to
+produce the results. And most effective they were.
+
+They took a lump of clay and worked out all the hard bits, and sticks or
+stones, then shaped it for the bottom of a bowl or pot. In its first
+step it looked like a flat saucer, then it was left an hour or two,
+according to the thickness of the clay, to dry well. After that the
+sides were built up on this saucerlike bottom.
+
+It was shaped the desired form, and patted into the thickness required,
+then smoothed out nicely, both inside and out, and again dried as
+before. Now it was baked in a hot fire for several hours, so that when
+it was cool it was a fireproof bowl.
+
+The only trouble the girls had had with this interesting art was the
+carelessness of a few of them in cooling the dishes too quickly. They
+found the clay invariably cracked when the pots were too quickly cooled
+after taking them from the fire. But by slow degrees of cooling, which
+took about three hours, they came out perfect.
+
+The scouts had decorated their pots as they felt inclined, so that they
+presented a varied and pleasing array as they stood about camp, in
+places where the eye would see them to their best advantage. Some were
+painted with wood-dyes, and others were etched in relief patterns.
+
+When the Captain had finished her task, she silently drew the attention
+of the scouts to the groups, and they all stood and smiled proudly at
+their handiwork.
+
+"We didn't see anything like that at Grey Fox Camp," bragged Judith to
+Joan.
+
+"No sir! Nor did they have a cookstove like ours! Alec may have made a
+roasting-fan such as we never heard of before, but we can show him a
+thing or two when he comes over!" exclaimed Joan.
+
+At this moment Julie was heard calling the Orderly.
+
+"How about that chicken? Some one's got to draw it so it can be cooked.
+It ought to go on the fire in another half hour."
+
+At this Mr. Gilroy called out, "You're not going to eat my chicken, are
+you?"
+
+"Sure! That's why I had Hiram wring its neck. I knew the poor thing
+wouldn't object to being cooked if once its breath was gone," laughed
+Julie.
+
+"Dear me! It's my turn to draw the fowl and I hate it!" complained Ruth.
+
+"S-sh!" warned Julie, waving a frying-pan at Ruth, "it is for the Cause
+of Woman this time, so don't cry, Ruthy!"
+
+"I'll help do it, Ruth," Betty now offered kindly. "I know how you
+dislike the work, but 'Liza showed me how to do it so that it really
+isn't half bad."
+
+Betty poured scalding water over the chicken, and the feathers came off
+easily. Then she slit the throat and breast and removed the entrails
+without causing any repulsion in Ruth. When it was ready, Ruth admitted
+that she knew she could do the work the next time without a qualm.
+
+The cookstove the scouts were so proud of was a remarkable affair--even
+Mr. Gilroy admitted that. Mrs. Vernon had discovered a heap of fine flat
+stones, such as a surveyor uses for his "corners," and these were used.
+The largest stones were placed against a tree that would act as draught
+to the fire, and the mound was built up until it was a convenient height
+to use without bending uncomfortably low, as is necessary with
+campfires.
+
+Through the center of this mound was a well, and on four sides of the
+rounded mound were windowlike openings backed with tin; in these niches
+various pots or pans could be kept hot while other viands were cooking
+on top of the stove.
+
+The top was made of a sheet of thin stove-iron which the Captain had
+brought from home, and near the bottom of the mound was a tipping-stone
+upon which the fire was laid. When the fire was out, its ashes could be
+removed by tipping the flat stone over and letting the cinders fall to
+the bottom, where they could be raked away quite easily.
+
+This opening provided draught for the fire, and at the back, from the
+fire-stone, an opening had been left, and here to several feet above the
+top of the stove, a length of stove-pipe carried all smoke out and above
+the heads of the scouts.
+
+The girls had also built a fireless cooker in the ground just beside
+their stove, where fish, or any article needing steady heat, could be
+placed. This cooking-pit was constructed after the plan adopted by most
+scouts, and described fully in the manual.
+
+While Ruth and Betty were busy preparing the chicken, Mrs. Vernon built
+a good fire in the stove, and had several of the girls heat the stones
+in the fireless cooker, to be ready for use.
+
+Mr. Gilroy had donated several fine lake trout that day, so these were
+cleaned and washed and placed in the cooker-pit, where they would need
+no watching but be done to a turn when wanted.
+
+The chicken was cut up for a fricasee, and diced onions and potatoes
+were prepared to add to the boiling liquid about an hour before serving.
+This would provide not only soup for the first course, but chicken with
+dumplings for a third course. They proposed having the fish with butter
+sauce for the second course.
+
+Just as Julie added the diced potatoes, Hester exclaimed, "Oh, Jule!
+what did you do that for? Those duck-potatoes were meant to make the
+boys' eyes bulge!"
+
+"What duck-potatoes? I never touched them!" declared Julie, defensively.
+
+"Didn't you cut them up and use them just now?"
+
+"I should say not! After all the work we had in finding and digging
+them! Why, they ought to be preserved--not eaten," laughed the Leader.
+
+"Thank goodness!" sighed Hester, in such evident relief that every one
+laughed sympathetically.
+
+"Who's doing the Indian cucumbers?" called the Corporal.
+
+"I am!" answered Judith. "They're all peeled and sliced ready to serve.
+And Amy gathered the dandelion greens to go with them."
+
+"Fine! Verny is making a mayonnaise to use with the salad. My! Won't
+those boys have the wind taken out of their sails when they see the duck
+potatoes and Indian cucumbers!" giggled Joan.
+
+Mr. Gilroy had not missed much of all this whispering and joyous
+confusion, and he chuckled to himself as he and Hiram finished nailing
+the last boards on the sheds and turned Julia into her new home. The
+small pigsty was soon completed, and then a fence was built about it,
+but it was not calculated to keep a full-grown pig in bounds; it was
+strong enough for Antoinette, however, at that time.
+
+Before the pig-pen was quite finished, the scouts heard the whistles and
+calls from the Grey Fox boys, as they hiked over the crest trail. So
+they fluttered about anxiously to see that not an item on the programme
+was forgotten.
+
+Hiram was on his way to the bungalow, and Mr. Gilroy had hurried down to
+the lake to wash up and make his dinner toilet, when the boys came gaily
+into camp. After greeting their hostesses, the Grey Fox scouts looked
+around.
+
+"Well, guess you girls are planning to spread yourselves for dinner,
+eh?" asked Alec, jocularly.
+
+"Oh, nothing more than usual; we live high every day," returned Julie,
+tossing her head.
+
+Nothing more was said about dinner just then, but a loud call from
+"Julia" drew all attention to her shed. The boys stared in surprise at
+the two buildings they had never noticed before.
+
+"Isn't that a pig--in that pen?" asked Ned, amazedly.
+
+"No, it's Antoinette--our latest girl scout!" giggled Amy.
+
+The boys laughed, for the name struck them as awfully funny for a pig.
+Then they walked from Anty's pen to the shed, which had a door swung on
+leather hinges, but it was closed.
+
+"And what sort of scout do you lock up in here?" asked Bob,
+condescendingly.
+
+"Bob Veal!" retorted Julie, causing every one to roar at the questioner.
+
+Bob flushed, but walked over to the stove where the Captain stood
+stirring the dumplings in the chicken soup. "That's a fine stove,
+Captain," ventured he.
+
+"Yes, it is something like the one we built last year in camp. That was
+so convenient we decided to have another this summer. Wouldn't you boys
+like to examine it closely?"
+
+Thereupon the Grey Foxes did examine it closely, much to their advantage
+on useful ideas of kitchen equipment. Then they saw the fireless cooker
+that was in use for the time being; so they passed on to inspect the
+various birchbark hanging-baskets filled with flowers; the rustic
+fern-boxes, and all the useful articles the scouts had manufactured of
+birchbark and acorns.
+
+"It takes a girl to do fancywork, all right. Now, we boys are not gifted
+that way, you see, but we can make other things, instead," remarked
+Alec, bestowing a male's compliments on feminine accomplishments.
+
+"Just what can you make, or have done, that we girls are not able to
+do?" demanded Julie.
+
+"Oh, I wasn't personal in any way,--I just meant that it is quite
+natural for women to do the light things while men have to look after
+the business of life!"
+
+"Well, the quicker you open your eyes to facts, and see that we women of
+the present age are fast outstripping the men in _every_ calling, the
+better it will be for your own good!" said Julie.
+
+"Just glance around, boys, and tell us if you can make a better showing
+for _your_ four years," added Joan, waving her hand at the various
+exhibits.
+
+It happened that the girls had each been given a cue by Julie, so that
+when the Grey Fox boys came into camp, Judith was found sweeping
+carefully with a camp-made broom, Amy and Betty were placing a tabletop
+upon its legs and then starting to set the table, and the other scouts
+were busy with other unusual things. Now Dick walked over to Judith.
+
+"How did you know you could make a broom like this?" said he.
+
+"Why, this is an old one made the first day we came to camp. You ought
+to see our new ones. They are fine!"
+
+Dick examined the broom, and called Alec over. "They can make brooms,
+all right, Alec!" said he, showing the article in question. It was made
+of long hickory shavings, well bound about a good handle, and promised
+to outlast any dozen store brooms.
+
+"But why sweep this grass,--that's foolish," said Alec.
+
+"No, because this is where we will sit about the table. We always sweep
+away the crumbs or trash that fall during mealtime, so the ants and
+other insects won't annoy us. This morning, however, we were in such a
+hurry to get out with Gilly, that we forgot the usual routine work in
+camp," explained Judith.
+
+The two boys exchanged glances, but Judith saw them. Alec then said,
+smilingly, "Oh, yes! How did that track-hunt come off? I suppose you
+scouts knew every animal, eh?"
+
+Judith now realized that Mr. Gilroy had had the whole joke planned out
+with the Grey Fox boys, and that the boys were only waiting to have a
+good old laugh on the girls. So she deliberately told a lie,--fervently
+praying that it be forgiven for the "Cause of Women."
+
+She glanced roguishly up at Alec, and winked one eye. "Wasn't it too
+funny for anything,--the way we led Gilly about by the nose?"
+
+The boys stared in surprise for a moment, then Dick said, "What do you
+mean? Didn't you scouts go out at dawn with Gilly to study tracks?"
+
+"Sure! But didn't you boys know about the joke we made up on him about
+those tracks? That's why he is so late to dinner."
+
+"Tell us about it?" eagerly begged both boys.
+
+"Oh! I can't. I thought you knew something about it or you wouldn't have
+grinned the way you did. I'm so sorry I let the cat out of the bag, for
+likely, our Leader wants to tell you the story while we all are at
+dinner," cried Judith, the picture of regret.
+
+"Oh, come on and tell! Now that you've said so much!" coaxed Dick.
+
+"Well, you boys walk around and look over our work and I'll run and ask
+Julie if I may tell you the story," whispered Judith, giggling, and
+running over to the Leader's side.
+
+When Julie heard the truth from Judith, she was furious, but she soon
+saw that she must thrust anger behind her, and plan some clever way to
+reverse the joke and make it fall upon the originator. In fact, at that
+moment, the scouts wished all kinds of dreadful things upon their
+benefactor, Mr. Gilroy.
+
+He, however, unaware of their ire, was walking up the trail from the
+lake to the camp-site. And the boys, who were told to amuse themselves
+for a time, were certainly finding more good ideas put into useful form
+at that camp than they ever dreamed of.
+
+The large square table was constructed of the boards removed from a
+piano-case which Gilly had at the barn. These were all nailed to a frame
+and furnished a strong, heavy top that could be placed, at will, on the
+four sturdy posts that were driven into the ground. These table-legs
+were only fifteen inches above the ground, so one could sit on the grass
+and conveniently use the top.
+
+The four boys met at a large rustic shelf-cupboard, constructed of
+short-length boards taken from a cereal box, and placed so as to make
+four shelves. Two sides were made of boards that came from one of the
+packing-cases from the city. This cupboard stood against a great pine
+tree that furnished the backing, and on the shelves were the array of
+lanterns and candlesticks made and used in camp.
+
+"Gee! They've got the bottle-neck holder, the tin-can lantern, and all
+the rest. It seems they know the scout stunts, all right," whispered
+Ned.
+
+"Yes, and look at these candles! Do you suppose they made them in camp?
+They look like hand-dipped products," added Alec, examining the tallow
+candles.
+
+"We won't let on that we're curious, but we'll find out from Gilly just
+how they made these candles," suggested Bob.
+
+From the shelves that held candles and some clay ornaments the boys
+wandered over to the sun-dial.
+
+"It's better than the one we made," admitted Ned.
+
+"Humph! So it is," said Alec, reluctantly, but willing to be just.
+
+"Whoever did that burnt-wood etching around the edge sure made a fine
+job of it. And the numerals are very good," added Bob.
+
+"Gilly said Ruth is the artist of the Troop," said Dick.
+
+But the Grey Foxes never found out that the Indian Clock had been made
+during the previous winter when there was ample time to spend over such
+a work. The large wooden slab was sent to camp with many other highly
+decorative things made the same winter.
+
+Mr. Gilroy now joined the boys and offered to act as official guide in
+viewing everything. So interested were the boys in all they saw that
+they temporarily forgot about the joke of the tracking.
+
+"Come and see the Indian willow beds the scouts made the first day in
+camp," said Mr. Gilroy, boastfully, now that he wanted to impress the
+boys.
+
+So the beds, the weaving looms, the birdhouses here and there, and other
+things were duly seen and admired. But the exhibit that interested the
+boys as much as anything that day was the neat and beautiful work done
+with wild flowers and a deal of patience. There were blue-prints of
+delicate flowers, as well as shadow-work and pressed and mounted
+flower-groups.
+
+Alec recognized the three-leaved arrow-head, and showed it to the other
+boys who had never seen it before. This particular specimen was white
+and waxen in contrast to the indigo-hued paper.
+
+The spiderwort was a rich blue with its two large petals rounded, while
+the third one was tiny and colorless. There was also a purple variety
+known as "Job's Tears."
+
+The wild leek and garlic flowers made dainty blue-prints, scarcely
+recognizable as coming from such humble family trees as the despised
+onion. Wild spikenard, with its crown of tiny white flowers, also
+reproduced beautifully in the blue-print. The Seal of Solomon and purple
+Twisted Stalk made scraggy pictures easy to identify.
+
+Betty had pressed a white trillium that made an imposing picture,
+retaining all its beauty and lines. The boys had the painted trillium
+in their collection but had never seen the white one.
+
+In the flower collection made by the other scouts were many
+orchids,--fringed-purple, ragged-fringed, yellow-fringed, and others.
+Also the Indian pink, the rattlesnake plantain, the pink snake-mouth,
+monkshood, bloodroot, pitcher plant, and numerous others that formed a
+wonderful exhibit which it would take a long time to do justice to.
+
+While the Grey Foxes were poring over the flower books, Mrs. Vernon came
+up beside them. "When you boys are through here, we will sit down to
+dinner, as everything is ready to serve."
+
+"Oh, we'll look at the rest of these another time," said Bob, quickly.
+
+So the Captain led them over to the table, where the appearance of the
+festive board caused them to smack their lips. Mr. Gilroy and the Grey
+Fox boys were seated according to Julie's directions, then the girls all
+went over to the cookstove.
+
+At each place on the table sat a flat clay-made plate that was to do
+service for many needs. Beside the plate were the birchbark cup to drink
+water from, a birchbark napkin ring that held a paper napkin, and the
+usual knife, fork and spoon.
+
+In the center of the table stood a lovely fern centerpiece, the holder
+woven of split willows, and the fern dug up in the woods and
+transplanted into a tin pail that did not show inside the basket.
+
+The fernery was flanked by two other handwoven baskets of sweet-grass.
+One held the scout-biscuits just baked, while the other was piled high
+with light little puff-cakes. On either side of the centerpiece stood
+two large flat clay platters,--one held the Indian cucumber salad, and
+the other a dandelion salad.
+
+"Aren't the girls going to sit down, too?" called Alec.
+
+"Yes, but each girl has to serve a boy's soup as well as her own. Then
+we will sit down," answered Julie.
+
+Meantime Joan was whispering anxiously, as each girl held out the clay
+bowls for soup, "Now remember! Leave the tracking tale to Julie, and
+agree with her everytime! Don't you dare be caught napping this time!"
+
+And as each scout left the stove with her two bowls of soup, she
+whispered. "No, leave it to me! We'll get the best of Gilly for this
+joke."
+
+The chicken soup was highly praised, and truly it was a good broth and
+deserved all praise. Then came the fish,--all done to a turn and served
+piping hot with butter sauce. The Indian cucumber went well with the
+lake trout, and here the boys had another surprise.
+
+"Indian cucumbers! We never knew they grew around here," ventured Alec,
+but delighting in the salad just the same.
+
+"Oh, didn't you? Well, you see, it takes a girl's fancy touches to
+secure these sort of things. You boys, of course, have to give your time
+to doing big things," was Julie's sarcastic reply.
+
+The third course consisted of the chicken and dumplings, stewed bracken,
+and a side dish of vegetable that looked for all the world like small
+potatoes. The boys studied these curiously.
+
+"It's quite digestible," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"But be sure to appreciate them,--they are the only Wapitos we've ever
+found!" declared Joan, proudly.
+
+"Wapitos! You don't mean it!" exclaimed Alec, eagerly.
+
+"Why, where did you find them?" asked the other boys.
+
+"One morning when we were out tracking," said Julie, with a careless
+manner. Then quickly added, "Oh, Captain, where are the Brussels
+sprouts? We almost forgot that vegetable."
+
+The Orderly jumped up and ran to the stove where, in one of the niches,
+stood the bowl of charlock hearts, a wild green that tastes exactly like
+tender sprouts. These are easy to cultivate in a garden, too, and are
+not as expensive as Brussels sprouts.
+
+"My, what a spread this is!" sighed Bob, ecstatically.
+
+Every one laughed, for Bob and Anne were the gourmands of the two
+troops, and were never ashamed to admit when they enjoyed a thing.
+
+"Yes, it's some dinner, all right. Made a lot of work, didn't it?" added
+Alec.
+
+"Oh, not so much as usual," returned Julie. "We really had planned a
+more elaborate affair, but the joke we played on Gilly took longer than
+we allowed for it, and so we had to scramble the dinner."
+
+Julie smiled benignly upon the guests, but they exchanged looks with Mr.
+Gilroy at the mention of a joke. So she continued:
+
+"Because of that joke, you have ordinary chicken for a meat course,
+whereas I had hoped to give you a real dainty, stewed wild rabbit. But
+our snares were left unbaited while we planned to come in first on Gilly
+and his proposed prank. I don't suppose you know a thing about it, do
+you?"
+
+The girls gasped at their Leader's mention of a rabbit snare,--this was
+the first they knew of such a thing! And since Bunty Grey had taken up
+his residence nearby their camp, after his recovery from the old trap
+down on River Bend, not one scout girl could be made to taste rabbit.
+
+The boys were keen to hear about the joke on their friend Gilroy, but
+_he_ wanted to know about rabbits. So he asked:
+
+"Where did you set any snares? This is news to me!"
+
+"Is it? Why we caught a rabbit in a snare set down by River Bend, but we
+haven't stewed it yet," returned Julie, smiling angelically at Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"Never mind snares, but tell us about the tracking," now urged Alec.
+
+"There isn't much to tell--excepting that we let him indulge himself in
+the belief that he was fooling us," began Julie. "While we were at your
+camp, to invite you here to-day, Gilly had all his hands turn the
+barnyard beasts out and led them a dance about our campgrounds,
+believing we would fall for his little game.
+
+"He took so much pains and trouble over the joke, that we hadn't the
+heart to undeceive him, so we played the game through.
+
+"But it was hard work to keep straight faces, wasn't it, girls?" Julie
+appealed to her companions.
+
+"Yes, indeed! And when Julie left us to bring back the proof of his
+joking, that was best of all," added Joan.
+
+"Yes, you see I got him to say that hunters who found a wild animal
+could claim it, if it was in season, so I went to the barn where I
+_knew_ our 'wild animals' would be, and not only found them, but caught
+them, also. Being in season, we claimed them. Thus we turned Gilly's
+joke on himself, as he sure was amazed to find that we took him at his
+word, and kept the 'ferocious' beasts!" Julie laughed so heartily that
+every one joined in, never doubting but that the merriment was natural
+and genuine.
+
+"So that is how we became owners of the calf, the pig, and the nice
+spring chicken you just finished," added Julie.
+
+Mr. Gilroy now cleared his throat to say something in self-defence, but
+every one laughed loudly again, the boys believing Julie's tale, and the
+girls hoping to keep up the deception.
+
+"Poor dear old Gilly! We renamed him this morning. He is to be Foxy
+Grandpa hereafter, you know; not alone because he told the Grey Foxes
+what he was going to do, but because he planned such a beautiful snare
+and ran into it himself," said Joan.
+
+"As if you boys would believe we were 'greenies' in camplife! Why, just
+look around and see our work! Is there anything here to prove we are
+such ignoramuses as to believe a calf-track could possibly be a
+deer-print?" asked Julie, scornfully.
+
+"You're right, you girls sure can do scout things," said Alec,
+admiringly.
+
+"This dinner alone would prove it!" exclaimed Bob.
+
+"Any one who can find Indian cucumbers and Wapitos, when we boys have
+hunted and hunted, and never succeeded, is a first-class scout, and no
+mistake about it!" declared Dick, enthusiastically. So Mr. Gilroy
+decided not to speak in self-defence any more.
+
+The dinner wound up with wild-current tarts, puff-cakes, and coffee made
+from roots and roasted acorns, pulverized.
+
+"Lady Scouts, let me toast you for this wonderful success, not only in
+culinary art, but also in founding a curious menagerie," said Mr.
+Gilroy, standing and holding up his coffee before drinking it.
+
+"Before we adjourn from this feast, let me ask one question," said Alec,
+as they prepared to get up from the table.
+
+"What was it in that salad dressing that gave such a palatable flavor? I
+never tasted anything like it before."
+
+The scouts smiled with pleasure, and Mrs. Vernon said, "That taste was
+given by adding a few leaves of burnet to the salad. It was not the
+dressing; but few people know what a wonderful flavor burnet gives to
+salad. It would be used more often did chefs know this simple little
+wildwood fact."
+
+While the girls were clearing away the dishes, Mrs. Vernon spoke very
+seriously to Julie about the tale she told. "You did not tell an
+absolute untruth, yet you did not voice the truth, because we all _were_
+taken in by those tracks!"
+
+"But, Verny! surely you wouldn't have these mere males _think_ we were
+such gullible scouts, would you? It would be a disgrace for the whole
+organization!" cried Julie.
+
+"I never advocate self-righteousness in covering up an error of judgment
+or knowledge. The Scout Committee on Ideals would not approve of the
+tale you told to vindicate the 'Cause of Women,' as you claim."
+
+"I suppose you are right in your viewpoint, Verny, but it wasn't fair of
+Gilly to play that prank on us, and tell those boys beforehand, too,"
+pouted Julie.
+
+"Well, let it pass this time, Verny, and we'll promise never to be
+guilty of misappropriating the truth again," said Joan.
+
+"And don't give us away to the Grey Foxes!" added Judith.
+
+The Captain shook her head in disapproval, but she said nothing more, so
+the girls ran off to whisper to Mr. Gilroy that he was the cause of a
+dreadful quarrel!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN
+
+A CANOE TRIP
+
+
+The scouts were so busy with canoeing, swimming, and hiking, during the
+week following the dinner-party that they saw very little of Mr. Gilroy,
+although they knew whenever he called at the camp, because he generally
+brought feed for the calf and pig. These two unusual pets were becoming
+quite sociable, and would follow the girls around the clearing when
+meals were being prepared. Jake always went wherever the scouts went,
+and he particularly enjoyed the long walks. But he ignored the calf and
+pig completely when in camp.
+
+About a week after the Grey Fox boys had visited Dandelion Camp, Mr.
+Gilroy came down early in the morning.
+
+"I have to get up at dawn if I want a word with you scouts, these
+times," laughed he, as he caught them eating breakfast.
+
+"Sit down and have some," Julie invited, making room for him beside her.
+
+"Can't--haven't time. I've got an important engagement with the Grey Fox
+boys, but you were first on my calling list."
+
+The girls all halted further progress on the breakfast and listened
+intently. "What have you plotted, now?" asked Julie.
+
+Mr. Gilroy laughed as he remembered the tracking joke. "I'm almost
+afraid to tell you." But after much coaxing he spoke.
+
+"Well, then, I am going on a little fishing trip to Racquette Lake, so I
+wondered if you scouts wouldn't like to canoe with the party and spend a
+few days that way?"
+
+The girls gave such a chorus of approval that Mr. Gilroy pretended to
+stop both ears.
+
+"Oh, do tell them all about it, Gilly, or we'll be deaf!" begged Mrs.
+Vernon, laughing at the commotion.
+
+So Mr. Gilroy described the itinerary to the great delight of his
+hearers. "But remember, girls, no extra baggage is allowed. You wear
+your uniforms, take bathing suits, and sandals, a wide soft hat that
+will stick to your head, as few toilet requisites as possible;
+individual eating outfit, blanket and sleeping-bag, fishing tackle, and
+your powder puffs."
+
+The last item caused a jeer, for the girls hadn't thought of
+beautifiers, other than those Nature presented, since they joined the
+scout organization. Nor did they need any,--they were all fine and rosy,
+with perfect complexions and good health.
+
+"My Indian, Yhon, is going in a canoe with the cooking outfit and other
+necessities for so large a party. He is a splendid guide, you know, and
+knows the country like a book."
+
+"What can we do about our pets?" Betty asked, concernedly.
+
+"Oh, Jake will go with us, of course, and Julia and Anty will have to
+depend on Gilly's man for meals. They will learn to appreciate us if we
+are absent a few days," replied Julie, audaciously.
+
+"When did you plan to start?" now asked the Captain.
+
+"Day after to-morrow, as early in the morning as we can. That gives you
+all day to-morrow to get ready and come up to the bungalow for supper at
+night. Yhon will be ready with the canoes at dawn in the morning, and we
+start from our boathouse. The canoe-wagon is coming here to-day to carry
+your three canoes over to First Lake so as to be in good shape for the
+trip. Yhon will overhaul them all, and look after any caulking or
+repairs."
+
+"Dear me, I can't wait for the time to come!" exclaimed several of the
+scouts.
+
+"And if you become seasick on the voyage, you'll be just as anxious to
+get back," laughed Mr. Gilroy, causing the girls to giggle in chorus at
+his ridiculous speech.
+
+So on the morning mentioned, a merry crowd of girls and boys followed
+the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to the boathouse on the lake. Yhon was
+waiting with everything ready, but it was still dim and misty over the
+water, as the daylight was not yet strong.
+
+Jake instantly jumped into Yhon's canoe as if he knew it paid to be near
+the larder. Mr. Gilroy arranged the party so that one lightweight member
+was in each canoe with one of the heavier girls, and one of the boys. He
+took charge of another canoe with two girls in it, while the Captain
+managed still another one with two in it. Thus they started in a line,
+Yhon leading.
+
+As they moved noiselessly out from the shadow of the overhanging rocks
+and foliage, the dew sparkled like silver drops on all the leaves; every
+now and then a hungry fish would leap up to bite the paddles, and then
+whisk its tail angrily as it flashed away again.
+
+The newly awakened sun had not yet risen high enough to cast its rays
+upon the lake, and the mountain that threw somber shadows over the face
+of the lake, still hid the shining of the orb of day. The expectancy and
+hush that always precedes the bursting forth of shining light,
+enthralled all the wild creatures in the woods.
+
+Yhon had been silently guiding his flock over the water, closely hugging
+the shore all the way, when the high treble call of a young fawn echoed
+far over the lake. It was so unexpected that the scouts were startled,
+but the Indian called over his shoulder, "Li'l deer lose mammy--call her
+back!"
+
+Then, not twenty yards further on, Yhon stopped paddling, and pointed
+with a long finger towards the shore. There stood the fawn on a rock
+near the water's edge, its head held high as it gazed with consternation
+at so many queer things floating on the lake.
+
+Mrs. Vernon took a splendid picture of the deer, before a crashing of
+branches and the rattle of pebbles announced that the doe was leaping to
+the rescue of her little one. But she could not be seen, as she was wise
+in woodlore and remained safely screened from men. Possibly she knew
+that a human carried a death-dealing weapon when he sought her in the
+forests.
+
+The canoes passed through First Lake, then through Second Lake, and at
+last through Third Lake--all of which were really one large continuous
+sheet of water. Where Third Lake Creek emptied into the large body of
+water, Yhon led the canoes close to shore. He knew that the best lake
+trout were to be caught where the creek emptied, and here he proposed to
+fish for the dinner supply.
+
+"But we don't want dinner, yet, Yhon," called Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"We eat on Cedar Islan' but him got no fish dere. Get my fish here,"
+explained Yhon, as he jumped ashore.
+
+All were glad of an opportunity to stretch their legs, and then they
+tried their luck at fishing, also. After a time this became monotonous
+for the active young ones, and they started up the Creek to adventure.
+The Third Lake Creek came down over moss-covered rocks, which were held
+in place by gnarled roots of giant trees. These ancient foresters stood
+looking benignly down upon the placid waters of the lake, as if watching
+the play of a little child.
+
+Where the Creek swirled out to join Third Lake, the purplish circles
+made there gradually lost their foaming haste and gently merged into the
+wavelets of clear cold water.
+
+As the scouts climbed up the rugged bank of the Creek, the towering
+trees were not the only things that watched silently. Although the happy
+young mortals were deaf and blind to the many alert curious eyes that
+followed their movements, still those eyes were there, wondering at this
+daring trespass over their domains. Some of these wildwood inhabitants
+were furtively anxious, some hostile, but all were curious to follow the
+movements of these queer creatures.
+
+Finally the scouts could not penetrate further, and they retraced their
+steps. Yhon had caught enough fish for the day's needs, and was ready to
+continue the trip.
+
+From Third Lake Creek he paddled across to the opposite shore and thence
+through Fourth Lake. They stopped at Skensowane to purchase crackers,
+candy, and other sweets, while Yhon took on a supply of staples.
+
+Cedar Island was at the extreme upper end of Fourth Lake, and long
+before the scouts saw the green knob standing plainly up from the water,
+they were hungry enough to eat the grass on the island. So every one
+assisted with the dinner to facilitate the eating of it.
+
+Yhon was one of the best guides in the mountains, and his experience in
+cooking was unsurpassed; hence the scouts enjoyed an exceptional dinner.
+
+When all were ready to continue the trip, Yhon led across from Cedar
+Island to Inlet, where there was a "carry" of a mile to reach Sixth
+Lake.
+
+"Phew! Carry the canoes a mile in the hot sun!" cried Bob.
+
+"That's part of the fun in canoeing," remarked Mr. Gilroy, as they
+disembarked and prepared to carry.
+
+"I'm glad of the change," said Judith. "My knees are all out of joint
+from sitting with them doubled under me."
+
+Thereupon every one declared it a relief to walk and get the kinks out
+of the leg-muscles. But after a mile in the heat, with canoe and outfit
+to carry, every one was just as glad to get back and sit down in the
+canoes.
+
+The trip through Sixth and Seventh Lakes was wonderful. The grandeur of
+the mountains and the marvelous greens of their verdure reflected in the
+narrow lakes, made the water seem a dark emerald green as clear and
+transparent as a perfect jewel.
+
+Occasionally, faint shadows of birds flying overhead, or deer leaping on
+the rocks on the banks were reflected in the water as the canoeists
+silently paddled along, and such entrancing pictures seen in the placid
+lake thrilled the scouts with delight.
+
+Here and there, where a stream rushed down into the lake, the scouts
+could look up through the wide rifts cleft between the forest-trees, and
+the eye could follow up where falls tumbled over boulders; or to the
+higher view, where the blue sky showed a tiny streak between the pines.
+
+Once a flight of wild ducks suddenly rose from the lake, quacking
+noisily. The boys called to Yhon to shoot, but he held up a warning hand
+to show that this was no season for duck-hunting.
+
+In nearing the upper end of Seventh Lake where the inlet empties into
+it, Yhon called out, "Nudder carry--mile to Eight Lake."
+
+But before they reached land, the Captain called for a halt. She wanted
+to take a snapshot of the picture made by the inlet, seemingly in such a
+hurry to reach the lake, yet making no noise nor showing any froth in
+its haste. The Lake seemed to draw its shores close together to hug the
+Inlet, just as a mother draws her babe to her bosom in love. In small
+coves on either side of the Inlet were patches of green marsh grass and
+cattails, the home of the wild ducks which rose to escape the coming of
+the canoeists.
+
+As the faint odorous whiff of marshgrass reached the nostrils of the
+scouts, they wanted to paddle in and cut cattails, but Yhon said there
+was no time then. "Plenty time on home trip."
+
+Through Eighth Lake to Brown's Inlet Carry was a distance of about two
+miles, and when they reached shore on Brown's Inlet, Yhon called out,
+"Nudder carry--mile-half dis time to Brown Tract Inlet."
+
+The command to carry began to sound tiresome to the scouts, and they
+were glad to hear Mr. Gilroy say that this carry would be the last one,
+as Brown's Tract Inlet brought them right to Racquette Lake where they
+planned to camp for the night.
+
+It was quite late when they reached the lower end of Racquette Lake,
+because the progress had been slow and safe. Mr. Gilroy had not
+telephoned for accommodations at any hotel, as they planned to camp at
+night.
+
+But the wind that came with the setting of the sun also threatened a
+storm during the night, and Mr. Gilroy thought it best to find a place
+near a large hotel, in case they had to seek shelter. So they paddled to
+find a grove quite near one of the larger hotels. The scouts were eager
+to land and get their camp ready before darkness handicapped them, so
+when within a few yards of land, Hester turned to pull out her blankets.
+
+The sudden motion overturned the canoe, and all three occupants went
+headlong into the water. The frightened screams of the three scouts
+caused consternation in the others, and many turned around quickly to
+see what had happened behind them. Thus, two more canoe-loads were
+unexpectedly emptied into the lake.
+
+They were soon out on shore, but drenched and shivering from the cold
+water. "Now, isn't that the worst thing that could happen to us, at
+night!" sighed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"We'll have to stop at a hotel, now, and let the scouts get in bed while
+their clothing dries," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+So the wet ones were advised to dance about to keep warm, while Alec and
+Mr. Gilroy hurried over to the hotel to engage rooms. But they soon came
+back with surprised looks.
+
+"Not a corner to be had, and the manager called up other large places
+along the shore only to get the same answer--no room. He said there was
+a family boarding-house some distance along, where we might get in. The
+woman, a Mrs. Dickens, was a nice landlady and might tuck us in
+somewhere. Shall we try it?" said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"It is so dark now, and we haven't started supper or found a spot to
+camp, so I think we had best try Mrs. Dickens," replied the Captain.
+
+In chilly silence the entire party got back into its canoes and skirted
+the shore until Mr. Gilroy called out to Yhon, "This must be the spot
+where I was told to land. The house is back from the lake, a bit."
+
+The canoeists had no difficulty in locating the boarding-house, but they
+were too late for a hot dinner, although the cold supper served was very
+good, especially to hungry young people.
+
+"I haven't any rooms left in the main house," explained Mrs. Dickens,
+"but I can give you several rooms in the annex. That used to be the
+help's cottage, but I had it done over to rent this season."
+
+"'Any port in a storm,' madam, and our 'storm' consists of several
+soaking suits that have to be dried," returned Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"The cottage has a small kitchen where you can quickly light a fire in
+the stove and dry everything. I think you will be very comfortable
+there," said Mrs. Dickens. So arrangements were made for the use of the
+cottage for that night.
+
+As they planned to start early in the morning again, the entire party
+retired soon after supper. The wet clothing had been hung on lines about
+the kitchen, where a servant had built a roaring fire. Although they had
+to "double up" in bed, or sleep on the floor, they were too healthily
+sleepy to mind such little things, and before ten o'clock every one was
+asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE
+
+FIRST AID
+
+
+Mrs. Vernon was a very light sleeper, consequently she was aroused a
+short time after midnight by cries and calls for help. She sprang from
+the bed and ran to a side window that opened towards the kitchen side of
+the boarding-house. All she could see was a dull glare that filled the
+kitchen windows. But she understood.
+
+Instantly, she ran to Mr. Gilroy's room and knocked loudly while she
+cried, "Get up--everybody--the boarding-house, next door, is on fire!"
+
+In a moment Mr. Gilroy jumped up and shouted, "All right--we'll be out
+in a jiffy!" Then Mrs. Vernon ran back to pull the girls out of bed and
+have them dress as speedily as possible.
+
+The clothing in the kitchen was dry, and soon the girls were dressing
+and, at the same time, talking excitedly of the fire.
+
+"I'm sorry Mrs. Dickens has had this misfortune, but as long as it
+happens while we are here, we must try to earn a medal," said Mrs.
+Vernon, as she breathlessly pulled a middy-blouse over her head.
+
+"What can girls do?" asked Amy, eagerly.
+
+"I don't know yet, but every little thing helps in a time like this.
+Just obey orders from Mr. Gilroy or me, and follow the example Julie is
+sure to give you," said Mrs. Vernon, glancing at the scout she
+mentioned, because Julie might run unnecessary risks for herself, but if
+she thought she was responsible for the other girls her zeal would be
+tempered wisely.
+
+"What do they give scouts a medal for, Verny?" now asked Judith, as she
+twisted her long hair up in a tight coil on her head.
+
+"If occasion arises for a scout to display great heroism, or if she
+faces extreme danger in trying to save a life, she can have the bronze
+medal--the highest award given. If she does a brave deed with
+considerable danger to herself, she wins a silver cross. But no scout is
+to run needless risk just to win a medal of any kind."
+
+While the Captain spoke, the scouts finished their hurried dressing and
+now followed her out to the lawn in front of the large house.
+
+Here the scene was one of great confusion and panic. Men were hastily
+moving articles of furniture and boarders' personal effects out of the
+three-storied building. Smoke poured from all the rear windows, and the
+roof seemed enveloped in heavy smoke-clouds.
+
+"Isn't there any volunteer fire department?" called Julie, to every one
+in general and no one in particular.
+
+"Where is it?" asked Alec of a man standing next to him.
+
+"We got a ring and hammer up yonder, and a hand-engine, but I hain't
+hear'n no one strike the signal," said he.
+
+"Come along, show me where it is," ordered Alec, catching hold of the
+man's sleeve and pulling him away from the staring crowd.
+
+Once the man had broken away from the mesmeric influence of the
+fire-watchers, he ran quickly with Alec to the knoll where a metal hoop
+and hammer were kept for the purpose of alarm in case of fire. Almost
+before the two reached the spot, Alec caught the hammer and was striking
+the metal at regular intervals. The man then offered to remain and send
+the volunteer firemen to the place where they were needed, so Alec ran
+back to help as best he could.
+
+Meantime, the girl scouts realized there was much to do to help others,
+and the Captain ordered every one to use the utmost presence of mind in
+doing anything they were called upon to do.
+
+Julie hastily whispered to Joan, "I'm going to run to the cottage and
+get that coil of rope we brought from the canoe last night, we may need
+it."
+
+"I'll run with you, Julie, for we must tie wet towels over our mouths,
+if we have to go inside there," added Joan.
+
+Both girls raced to their room, and when they came out they were
+provided with the rope, and the dripping towels were tied across their
+nostrils and mouths. As they stood momentarily on the little porch of
+the cottage to see where they might render the best service, the uproar
+from the upper stories in the rear was awful.
+
+"There may be some people trapped in their rooms up there!" exclaimed
+Julie to her companion.
+
+"We can climb up this rose-trellis quite easily, Jule, and get in at the
+windows of the second story where the piazza roof gives us a foothold,"
+hastily returned Joan.
+
+In another moment both girls were quickly climbing up the strong
+trellis, and as soon as they reached the tin roof they ran to the
+window. Here they found a young mother sitting on the floor, rocking a
+baby back and forth while she cried wildly with hysteria. The child was
+held so tightly that it, too, was screaming.
+
+While Julie uncoiled the rope, Joan ran to the washstand and dipped a
+towel in the pitcher. But Julie called to her, "Bring the jug of water
+here, we've got to break this hysteric spell!"
+
+Joan carried the towel in one hand and the pitcher in the other, so
+Julie caught the jug from her, and dashed the water in the woman's face.
+The sudden choking and shock broke the spell. Then the towel was hastily
+pinned over the lower part of her face and she was hurried to the door.
+But the smoke and heat caused the girls to slam the door to again and
+run to the window.
+
+"Hey--down there!" yelled Julie, to a group of men on the flower-bed.
+"Hold out a blanket while we drop the baby down."
+
+"No--no!" screamed the mother, trying to get away from the grasp of
+strong young Joan. "You'll kill it!"
+
+"Give me the child, I'll carry it down the trellis," said Julie, but the
+mother would not relax her grip on her baby.
+
+"Where's that rope, Jo?" now asked Julie.
+
+"Over by the window we went in at," cried Joan, having all she could do
+to restrain the woman from throwing herself and babe down from the roof.
+
+So in another moment, Julie had the rope tied to a window shutter, and
+with the other end in hand was over by the woman.
+
+"Here--stand still, will you, while we fix this and let you down to the
+ground!" commanded she, and the woman instantly obeyed.
+
+Then both girls lowered the two slowly over the edge of the roof, down
+to where willing hands were raised to catch them. There was a wild
+acclaim as mother and child were saved, but the two scouts were not
+aware of it, as they were back inside the room again, taking their
+precious rope with them. Before they could determine what to do next, a
+queer form burst into the room.
+
+"Where's the rope you've been using, girls?" demanded the voice of Alec.
+But he was completely covered by his rubber sleeping-bag, in which he
+had slit holes for his feet and arms.
+
+Had it been any other time than such a moment, both girls must have
+doubled over in merriment at his appearance.
+
+"Here it is, Alec. Where did you come from?" cried both scouts in one
+voice.
+
+"Upstairs. I got up on the roof by climbing the water-spout, and in a
+dormer-room up there I found an old crippled woman, crying for help, but
+with no one to hear her until I climbed in from the scuttle-hole. A
+little old-fashioned stairway runs from the third floor down into the
+closet in this room. But I can't get her down those narrow stairs, and
+the other stairway and halls are a mass of fire. I've got to lower her
+from the roof, but I need help."
+
+"We'll help!" eagerly offered both the girls. So, with the coil of rope,
+they followed Alec through the smoke-filled room into the large dark
+closet, and thus, up the scuttle-hole stairs that had been abandoned for
+many years,--perhaps forgotten entirely, until this need.
+
+In the front end of the third story there was not much smoke as yet, so
+the three could see their way plainly. And in a small gable-room having
+a small window high from the floor moaned an old woman of more than
+seventy years. The moment she saw Alec return with two girls to help,
+she stopped wailing and tried to be courageous.
+
+"Now we may hurt you some when you are being moved, but you must bear
+it, Gran'ma," said Alec, gently. The old lady smiled reassuringly.
+
+"Children, anything is better than being roasted up in this little room.
+Don't worry over hurting me but do whatever is necessary," quavered the
+sweet old voice.
+
+"Now, girls, I'm going to shinny up the scuttle-hole in the roof and
+carry the rope with me. I'll tie it securely to the chimney on the roof
+and let down the other end. Fasten this about Grandma's waist and we'll
+try to lift her out that way. You two must help by holding her as much
+as possible, and by boosting from below."
+
+While Alec climbed up the wall-ladder and got out to the roof, Julie and
+Joan made a roll of blankets and placed it about the old lady's form
+under the arms. Then they looped the rope over this and secured it also
+under her arms.
+
+"All ready, Alec!" called Julie, holding her charge by one arm while
+Joan held her by the other.
+
+As Alec hauled, hand over hand on the rope, the two scouts beneath
+lifted and then boosted the old lady until she was safely through the
+opening in the roof. Then Alec leaned over and called to them:
+
+"If you can manage to run down and get through that room again, escape
+by way of the piazza-roof and send the firemen up from the outside with
+their ladders. I'll wait on the front roof with Grandma."
+
+So Julie and Joan rushed down the little attic-stairs, back through the
+smoke-filled room which was now dreadfully hot from the fire, and out of
+the other room window to the piazza roof. Once on the ground, a curious
+mob tried to surround them to ask all sorts of foolish questions, but
+Julie was equal to two mobs. With muscular arms and fists striking right
+and left, she quickly forced a passage and made her way to the spot
+where the Fire-Chief was ordering the men about.
+
+"Mr. Chief, run a ladder up to the roof where you see that scout
+standing. He's got an old crippled woman to save. Maybe the rope will
+reach and maybe it won't, so use your own judgment," called Julie,
+pointing up to where Alec could be dimly seen through the smoke.
+
+"Hoist a ladder, boys! See that scout up on the roof with Mrs. Dickens'
+mother?" shouted the Chief, anxiously watching the roof.
+
+While every one stood and in breathless suspense watched the firemen run
+up a long ladder and assist Alec in saving the poor helpless woman, Mrs.
+Dickens came distractedly from the rear of the house and ran about
+seeking for her mother. When she learned that it was her mother they
+were trying to save, she fainted with fright. But the old lady was
+safely brought to the ground, and a great fuss was made over Alec. Then
+Mrs. Dickens was revived, and when she found her aged mother beside her
+on the grass, she almost fainted again from joy and gratitude.
+
+The house was doomed even before the firemen reached the scene, for it
+was constructed, as so many summer boarding-houses are at seashore and
+mountain resorts, of thin novelty-siding outside and oil-stained ceiling
+boards inside; these act like kindling wood once they are ignited.
+
+The crowd stood, now, and watched the flames lick up everything in
+sight, but every one was thankful that no lives were lost. The scouts,
+both girls and boys, had worked so faithfully that all the silver and
+linen were saved, and the men had removed much of the best furniture in
+the ground-floor rooms.
+
+The sun, that morning, rose on a scene of confusion and pathos. Guests
+who had been able to save most of their effects were assisting less
+fortunate ones to dress in all kinds of apparel. Neighbors from nearby
+cottages were caring for the homeless boarders, until order could be
+brought out of the chaotic condition.
+
+But the cottages were few, and the guests many, so some one must suggest
+a plan to meet the immediate needs. It was Mr. Gilroy who thought of a
+way.
+
+"We all sympathize with Mrs. Dickens in her distress, but it might have
+been worse, friends,--we all realize that,--and so we feel grateful that
+no lives were lost. But here it is breakfast-time, and there are many
+hungry mouths to fill, and I would suggest that you accept a scout
+breakfast with us as soon as it is ready."
+
+Every one responded to such a hearty invitation, and Mr. Gilroy added,
+"Then we'll show you how to prepare a good meal with no stove or
+kitchen, and with but few pots or pans."
+
+The boys were sent out on the lake to get the fish; the girls were told
+to knead the dough for scout-twists, and place them at the fire Mr.
+Gilroy was building. To interest the weary boarders, Mr. Gilroy had
+started his campfire with rubbing-sticks and had arranged the
+bread-sticks upon which the dough was twined, to the best advantage for
+all to watch while the twists baked.
+
+Most of the dishes had been saved from the fire, and these were now used
+for breakfast. Several large tablecloths had been spread out upon the
+smooth grass, and plates set around on the squares of linen.
+
+The fish had been cleaned by Yhon when caught, and now the boys returned
+with a nice mess--enough for every one that morning. Mrs. Dickens kept
+all her extra stock of food in the little loft of the cottage, and as
+this annex was spared any damage by the fire, there was a supply of
+cereals, flour, bacon, and other necessities for meals. With the thrift
+of a good housekeeper, Mrs. Dickens had laid in a stock of purchases
+when the Army Supply had been sold off at auction in the city. So Mrs.
+Vernon found gallon cans of stewed prunes and other food-products on
+hand.
+
+In spite of all trouble and perplexities that morning, breakfast was a
+cheerful meal. Prunes for fruit; hominy and other prepared cereals for a
+second course; then fresh fish, fried in corn-meal jackets and browned
+in bacon-fat, furnished a delicious third course with the hot
+scout-bread. And all this was topped off with fragrant coffee.
+
+Naturally, the conversation was about one thing--the fire and the
+courage shown by the three scouts. The equally helpful work done by Mrs.
+Vernon and the other scouts in caring for those who were rescued,
+received but small notice. But they never as much as thought of it--with
+Julie and Joan in a fair way to win a medal that would lift the entire
+Troop to recognition at Headquarters in New York.
+
+When breakfast was over, Mr. Gilroy expressed his other idea. "I have a
+plan that may meet with general approval, but that remains to be seen.
+Now listen carefully, while I speak, and then do as you like afterwards.
+My boys and these girls are willing to teach you how to do what I am
+about to propose, and help in any way we can to make every one
+comfortable for the time being.
+
+"You have no house to sleep in, and Mrs. Dickens will have no boarders
+to help her meet her expenses and loss, unless we immediately find some
+way to change all this seeming trouble. So this is my suggestion:
+
+"We scouts are accustomed to sleeping out-of-doors and thus we know how
+to make the finest beds out of the material Nature provides. We will
+show every one how to weave these balsam beds that are superior to any
+handmade spring and hair mattress.
+
+"While you people are completing your beds, we will paddle up to a place
+Yhon told me about, where a number of Indians camp. They make and sell
+tents to parties coming to the Adirondacks for the summer. Then at the
+end of the season they will buy them back and pay prices according to
+the condition the tents are in. Perhaps we can rent a number of tents,
+as the summer is now half over.
+
+"If enough boarders agree to this plan, and will insure the risk to Mrs.
+Dickens by advancing the money necessary to pay for the tents, we scouts
+will go after the tents for you and bring them back in our canoes.
+
+"Mrs. Dickens says she can quickly have a pavilion built that will
+answer for a dining-room, but any one who does not care for 'roughing'
+it in tent-life must find other accommodations. All such can have meals
+in the pavilion, but must take second table as boarders remaining in
+camp will naturally have first claim on the hostess' service."
+
+After a noisy debate, in which most of the ousted guests found these
+plans and future delights pleasant to discuss, the majority voted to
+remain and take up tent-life. Thus it happened that Mrs. Dickens was
+helped out of the financial ruin that had stared her in the face a few
+hours before, and the guests were treated to a rare experience,--living
+in the open in the wonderful woods.
+
+The scouts started every one cutting the young tips of the balsams for
+their bedding, then paddled after Yhon in the canoes, up the Marion
+River to Bear Creek, where the guide knew several of his friends to have
+camps for the summer. They had tents to hire or for sale, and were only
+too glad to furnish all that were needed for the houseless boarders at
+Dickens' Landing.
+
+The tent-outfits were carefully packed inside the canoes, and the scouts
+joyfully paddled back, realizing that "What blesses one, blesses all" in
+this working out of a good idea.
+
+When the scouts landed with the tents and found that enough balsam had
+been stripped for the beds, they began to weave the tips as all scouts
+know how to do. Meantime, Mr. Gilroy, Yhon, and several of the men
+raised the tents and secured them in such places as Mrs. Dickens
+selected. The balsam beds were then made up in the tents, and before
+evening, every one was provided with room and beds, thanks to the
+scouts.
+
+As the canoes left that shore, they were sped with many blessings, for
+they had done a great thing for those standing on the rocks, watching
+them depart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN
+
+SHOOTING THE RAPIDS--AND OTHER THINGS
+
+
+"Well, 'where do we go from here, boys?'" called Mr. Gilroy, laughingly,
+as he looked back over his shoulder at the scouts.
+
+"Anywhere but home!" exclaimed Julie.
+
+"Why not there? Don't you like my camp-ground?" asked Mr. Gilroy,
+teasingly.
+
+"Of course, but after such a night and day we won't want to settle down
+again into quiet life. We have to let ourselves down gradually," laughed
+Alec.
+
+"Well, then, we'll ask Yhon where to go to-day," agreed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Ride the rapids," returned Yhon, as if that was enough said.
+
+Such a shout that greeted this suggestion proved he was right in his
+surmise. Finally, when Mrs. Vernon could be heard, she asked, "Where are
+they--far from Raquette Lake?"
+
+"Yhon, I suppose you mean those on the route to Forked Lake, through
+Raquette River to Long Lake, eh?" said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Um! Up Raquette Fall to Corey an' 'en to Sar'nac."
+
+"Saranac Lake! Oh, I've always wanted to see it!" cried Julie.
+
+"Do let's go, Gilly!" begged other voices.
+
+"Shall we take a vote on it?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Why waste time--it is unanimously decided already," retorted Alec for
+the boys.
+
+"Yhon, I'm afraid you've let me in for trouble!" cried Mr. Gilroy, but
+he turned his canoe just the same, and led the way.
+
+The scouts now followed Mr. Gilroy and Yhon across the mouth of the
+Marion River, and rounded Woods' Point. Across Boulder Bay, to Bluff
+Point, they paddled, and carefully rounding this point they entered
+Outlet Bay. Then the usual route was taken up the bay until they reached
+Forked Lake Carry.
+
+They were all in high spirits and the short carry only added to their
+enjoyment. The canoes were launched again in Forked Lake waters and they
+paddled until the end of the lake was reached. Where it joins Raquette
+River was a carry of a mile and a half, and seeing that it was noon and
+time for luncheon, Mr. Gilroy said:
+
+"Why not have something to eat first, and carry afterwards?"
+
+"Oh, that will add to the work of carrying," retorted Julie. "Not only
+canoes but food!"
+
+But the boys were for eating, so they scanned the shore carefully as
+they slowly moved through the water, until Yhon saw a place he
+considered suitable for camp. Here a fire was soon started, and the
+four boys were sent out to fish. The girls were left to bake the bread
+and prepare the rest of the meal.
+
+In spite of their most skillful efforts, the boys did not have good
+luck, and returned with but a small catch of fish. Hilarity due to the
+way the boys told how they had to fish made up for the lack and for
+everything else. When everything was packed neatly again, and all were
+ready to start, Jake gave a wild leap and landed too near the edge of
+Yhon's canoe. Over it went, staples and outfits all going down into the
+water.
+
+"Oh, all our sugar and salt--and everything!" cried Julie.
+
+Yhon never changed a muscle of his face, although he must have been
+taken by surprise when he was precipitated into the water. The outfits,
+hampers, and other things were quickly salvaged and restored to the
+canoe, but Jake sat in disgrace on the bank, and hung his head as if he
+understood just what he had done.
+
+So much time had been used in rescuing Yhon, in fishing their food-stock
+out of the water, and coaxing Jake back into the canoe, that it was late
+when the scouts reached Deerland Lodge.
+
+"What say you, scouts,--shall we stop at the Lodge, or take a chance up
+Long Lake until we reach a point where we can strike off to reach
+Hendrick Spring, the fountainhead of the Hudson River?" asked Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"And where shall we camp?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"It might be nice to camp at the spring," suggested Alec.
+
+"Oh, yes, let's do that, Gilly!" cried several voices.
+
+So they kept right on, paddling swiftly along until they reached a place
+on the shore where Yhon said they must land if they proposed going to
+Hendrick Spring.
+
+"Oh, I thought we could canoe there," ventured Julie.
+
+"No, we must leave Yhon here to watch the canoes while we hike along the
+trail that goes there. We can carry our sleeping-bags and take enough
+food for supper, then come back early in the morning for a good
+breakfast with Yhon," explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Is there no way we might take to return to Fulton Chain Lakes other
+than going back the same route?" questioned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No, we shall have to go the way we come, or be willing to _carry_
+overland for many miles, from one water to the other."
+
+"Oh, no, that is out of the question," said the Captain.
+
+So each scout took a sleeping-bag and cup and plate, while the boys
+carried the extra cooking outfit, and Alec his rifle.
+
+The trail led through a most wonderful primeval forest where lichened
+stones, moss-clothed fallen trees and luxuriant foliage of standing
+timber furnished homes for countless wild creatures.
+
+They had not gone far before a ruddy-hued fox tried to back out of their
+way on the trail, and managed successfully to merge his color with that
+of the yellow-brown verdure about him. Further on, Alec suddenly lifted
+his rifle and aimed, but the furtive mottled animal that had been
+crouching along the mottled limb of a tree leaped back with the least
+possible noise or disturbance of the foliage, and was gone!
+
+"That was _some_ wildcat, but she was too slick for me!" said Alec, when
+questioned about missing it.
+
+The scouts saw so many unfamiliar birds that they wished they had
+carried a bird book on the trip to help them identify all they now saw.
+Notes were taken, however, to help them look up and catalogue the
+varieties, later, in camp. There were many other interesting living
+creatures, also; some half-hid under leaves or twigs, others squatting
+daringly in the open, with questioning eyes fixed on these clumsy
+intruders.
+
+Finally the scouts reached Hendrick Springs, but to their consternation
+the place was already tenanted with undesirable tramps. Mr. Gilroy
+politely questioned the three men who claimed to be timber-jacks, but
+their empty package that had contained food and the quart bottle that
+had once been filled with whiskey, now also empty, belied their story.
+
+Their hardened faces, unkempt appearance, and other earmarks caused a
+little apprehension in the hearts of the girls and Mrs. Vernon; but soon
+after the new arrivals started their fire to cook supper, the three
+tramps got up and quietly left.
+
+Scanty beds of balsam were soon made for the night for the girls, but
+the boys preferred to sleep upon the grass. After a few campfire tales,
+they decided who was to keep the fire burning all night to ward off any
+wild animals, and also to guard against the return of the evil-looking
+tramps.
+
+"We girls want to take our turn in watching, as well as the boys,
+Gilly!" declared Joan, when she heard how the guard was to be divided up
+for the night.
+
+"Oh, you girls need sleep, but we don't," said Bob.
+
+"We are just as hale as any of you boys, and we want to do our bit!"
+exclaimed Julie, decidedly.
+
+"Well, then, if you must, you will!" sighed Mr. Gilroy, comically. "Now
+I have to begin all over again and figure out this problem. Let's see:
+
+"First, Alec and Bob mount guard two hours; then Dick and Ned guard for
+two more; then Julie and Joan; and lastly, all the other girls and
+myself. How is that?"
+
+Every one laughed, for Julie and Joan were now getting all they
+bargained for. So Alec and Bob went on duty, while the rest stretched
+out and fell asleep.
+
+At eleven o'clock the next two boys were called; but at one o'clock,
+when it was time to rouse Julie and Joan, Mr. Gilroy crept over and
+motioned the boys to let him mount duty for a time. It was nearly three
+when Julie woke up and rubbed her eyes. She instantly realized that no
+one had called her, so she nudged Joan and got her up. Then they crept
+over to the campfire and scolded Mr. Gilroy for breaking faith with
+them. He laughed and gladly went back to finish his night's repose.
+
+Having been so sound asleep just before going on duty, and being utterly
+tired out with the day's experiences, the two girls sat by the fire
+endeavoring to keep each other fully awake. But the Sand Man was too
+powerful for them to resist his dreamy influence, and soon Joan dozed
+while Julie yawned and did her best to keep her eyelids open.
+
+An hour passed and Joan was sweetly sleeping, while Julie was nodding,
+heavy with sleep. Suddenly a crackling of branches behind them caused
+Julie to start wide awake.
+
+"Joan, are you awake?" whispered Julie fearfully, shaking her friend.
+
+"Sure--why?" mumbled Joan, sitting up to rub her eyes.
+
+    [Illustration: "Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned
+    Joan ... Page 211]
+
+"I heard some one--maybe those tramps are back to do something,"
+whispered Julie, trying to peer through the misty night.
+
+"Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned Joan, now fully awake,
+too.
+
+"See those long shadows by the trees, over there?" returned Julie. "I'll
+pile a lot more wood on the fire and make it blaze so we can see them if
+they come nearer."
+
+So saying, she threw so much wood on the fire that it instantly
+smothered the red glow and began smoking like a chimney. The smoke drove
+the girls from that side of the fire and caused them to cough violently,
+while there was a lively scrambling of feet over by the trees, and both
+girls began calling:
+
+"Gilly! Gilly, wake up! The tramps are here!"
+
+That cry brought every one to his feet, and the moment all heads got the
+benefit of the smoke, every one began coughing. But they managed to
+creep along the ground to the side of the fire, where the two girls
+stood gazing at the trees in question.
+
+Just as Alec crept up beside the scouts with rifle up ready to aim at
+whatever he found skulking about them, there sounded a frightful
+screeching, and hoarse calls came from the lower branches of the tree.
+
+"I knew it! I saw them creep over and heard them climb," cried Julie,
+quaking with excitement.
+
+"They planned to drop something on our heads, I guess," added Joan, her
+eyes bulging as she tried to see into the foliage.
+
+Just as Alec decided to take aim and fire haphazardly, knowing that he
+could not see in the dark but could frighten the tramps, Bob caught hold
+of his arm. He was unaware that it held a gun that was cocked ready to
+fire.
+
+The rifle went off prematurely, the shot hit the mark without Alec's
+trying for it, and a heavy thud informed the scouts that the bullet was
+fatal! Instantly, however, there was such a commotion in the leaves, and
+such a Bedlam of screeching! Finally a great flock of crows swept out of
+the high tree and flew away to find a less dangerous roost.
+
+The first streaks of dawn were penetrating the forest's darkness when
+the offended crows left their ancestral tree; and the scouts looked at
+each other in surprise. But Alec was sure it was not a crow he had
+downed--it was too heavy for that!
+
+So the boys crept carefully over to the place where they thought to find
+the body of a tramp, while the girls followed at a respectful distance.
+Then the relieved cry from Alec, and the laughing calls from the other
+boys, hurried the girls to join their friends.
+
+There they saw a dead wildcat of truly awesome size. In its clenched
+teeth it still held the young nestling--the object of its nocturnal
+climb into the tree. Alec's unexpected shot had hit true and had done
+for the crafty animal.
+
+"Well, this is some trophy to carry back home, eh?" cried Alec
+delightedly, as he turned the cat over with his foot.
+
+"I'm glad you didn't kill anything more than the wildcat," added Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+"If you boys intend carrying that back to camp, you'll have to skin it
+now and take only the pelt. You can't be bothered with the heavy beast
+itself. Leave the carcass for the wild denizens that will be glad to
+feed on this, their enemy," advised Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"And do give us the crow! If it hadn't been for Joan and me you wouldn't
+have had the wildcat!" exclaimed Julie.
+
+"If it hadn't been for you two imaginative scouts we all would still be
+snoozing peacefully beside the fire," laughed Alec.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN
+
+THE GRAND SURPRISE
+
+
+When the scouts returned to their camp beside Little Moose Lake, they
+were impressed anew with the peace and beauty of the spot. The canoe
+trip had been delightful and exciting, but all were glad to get back to
+a simple life once more.
+
+Having seen the scout girls safely back home, and their canoes in the
+lake for future use, Mr. Gilroy sighed and said, "Now I shall take a
+long rest and recover from the past few days' work!"
+
+A few days after their return from the "voyage," as they called it, the
+scout girls received a bundle of mail. In it were newspapers, many
+letters, and other interesting items. The papers were all "marked
+copies," and the mail proved to be letters filled with congratulations
+and words of praise for the brave girls.
+
+"Why, they must be crazy! Every one's writing about what we did at the
+fire!" laughed Julie.
+
+"Yes, just listen to this from 'Liza, every one!" called out Betty. And
+she read: "'So I sez to yer Pa, yu've got two fine scouts in them girls,
+Mister Lee, and this proves it. Any girl what will climb the side of a
+house to save folkses from burning, is wuth a lot of lazy,
+good-fer-nothin' boys, I sez.'"
+
+Every one laughed heartily at the praise thus bestowed upon them; but
+Betty said regretfully, "It's too bad I didn't do as much as Julie did
+at that fire. Daddy won't feel very proud of me, I'm afraid!"
+
+"Oh, but you did, Betty! You ran for the Captain and did all sorts of
+stunts we couldn't have done. But not every one could climb like Jo and
+I do!" said Julie, soothingly.
+
+"Oh, girls!" exclaimed the Captain, who had been hurriedly glancing over
+one of the papers received. "Listen to this from a New York paper. Oh, I
+am so proud of you all!" Then she read:
+
+"'At a recent fire that destroyed Dickens' Hotel at Raquette Lake,
+Adirondacks, a group of girl scouts known as the Dandelion Troop saved
+many lives and did heroic work in saving property. One of the hotel
+guests told our local reporter the story and we print his own words.'"
+
+Then followed an account of the fire, and how it started because of a
+defective flue in the kitchen chimney. It told in detail all that the
+girls did, but the story merely mentioned Alec and _his_ courageous act.
+At the last of the story, a full description was given of how the balsam
+beds were made, and how the boarders were now enjoying themselves in
+tent-life and out-of-door camp cooking. And all this was due, it said,
+to the Girl Scouts being able to teach the homeless boarders how to
+help themselves with the bountiful supply from Nature.
+
+That morning, Mr. Gilroy came down to the camp to hear the news, for he
+also had received several papers with the story of the fire in them.
+After the excitement of reading it all over again to him, the girls
+quieted down to hear what he wished to say.
+
+"I came to see about your plans for next summer's outing," said he.
+
+The girls looked at him quizzically, for they thought he was joking.
+Mrs. Vernon gasped, "Next summer! We're not through with this year yet!"
+
+"I know that, but 'In times of peace prepare for war,' you know,"
+laughed he.
+
+"Tell us why you asked?" demanded Julie.
+
+"Because I am planning a trip for my next outing, and I am debating
+whether to invite any girl scouts to go with me."
+
+"Where? Aren't you going to stay here next summer?" was the answer from
+several girls.
+
+"No, I have had an important letter to-day. And I am going to accept the
+offer made me by the Government, but it will cost any girl scout more to
+go with _me_ than it did to come to the Adirondacks."
+
+"Then that settles our going! We haven't a cent left over after this
+outing. If it hadn't been for those escaped felons last year we wouldn't
+have been here, I suppose!" sighed Julie.
+
+"If it had not been the reward for the capture of the two felons that
+proved to be the means to bring you to the Adirondacks, there would have
+been some other way of finding the supply for you. You see, girls, there
+is always plenty of everything for you when the Source is unlimited,"
+said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Not one of us in Dandelion Troop have such a banker," laughed Judith.
+
+"Then, if this is so, why need we worry about expenses for next summer's
+outing with you?" added Joan, in response to his remark.
+
+"I didn't ask you to worry," retorted Mr. Gilroy. "I only asked you to
+remember that you have the invitation, but it is up to you to find the
+channel of supply and break down the dam, so the supply will run
+smoothly and continuously for your needs."
+
+"How much shall we need, Gilly?" asked Julie, deeply interested in his
+words.
+
+"More than a thousand dollars for you all, I know that! But how much
+more depends upon our itinerary, and that depends on the Captain."
+
+"Oh, does she know about it?" chorused the girls.
+
+"Not yet, but she will, shortly," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+All the coaxings from nine persuasive girls failed to move Mr. Gilroy
+from the stand he had taken--not to tell about the next summer's plans.
+
+But a week later, when the scouts were well nigh forgetting all about
+his conversation, he brought a pleasant-faced gentleman to the camp to
+visit the girls.
+
+"This is Mr. Everard, scouts. He is anxious to meet Julia and
+Antoinette, since I told him what clever rascals they are. Do you think
+they will do their tricks for company?"
+
+Mr. Everard laughed merrily, and it was readily seen that he had not
+come to see the calf and pig do the little tricks which the scouts had
+taught them. However, the calf and pig were brought out, and they
+performed as they had been trained to do, during many strenuous hours,
+and they won the applause of the stranger. Then he spoke of the real
+cause of his visit.
+
+"I am one of the investigators of the Carnegie Reward Society, and
+having heard of your bravery in the recent fire at Raquette Lake, I was
+sent here to ascertain various facts. From all accounts, the rescues you
+made were not only courageous and daring, but spectacular as well. It
+made a fine tale for the newspapers. One of the leading men on a
+metropolitan daily sent us a note asking whether such deeds were not
+rewarded by us."
+
+The scouts were too amazed to speak, but Mrs. Vernon spoke for them. She
+thanked Mr. Everard for coming, and said how pleased they all were that
+others appreciated the deeds performed by the Dandelion Scouts.
+
+"The medal will be given at the same time the reward of money is
+presented. So I need the names of the girls who took an active part in
+the rescues. Those who rendered First Aid to the sufferers may be
+awarded minor medals--I am not sure of that yet," explained Mr. Everard.
+
+"But Alec did as much as Jo and I, Gilly," said Julie, "although they
+didn't say much about him in the papers."
+
+"That has been corrected, but you didn't see the papers of the following
+day. And Alec is to receive exactly the same reward as you girls,"
+returned Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Mr. Everard did not mention the amount of money that was likely to
+arrive with the medals, but Mrs. Vernon spoke of it later. The two men
+left camp, and Mr. Everard was taken over to Grey Fox Camp to meet the
+boys.
+
+"Verny, maybe that reward will be the nest-egg of the supply we must
+have to go with Gilly next summer!" declared Julie excitedly, after both
+men had disappeared from view.
+
+"I was thinking of that when Mr. Everard spoke," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I wonder how much they give to one--about a hundred dollars, I
+suppose," ventured Joan.
+
+"Oh, no! I've heard their cash rewards range from a thousand and down to
+five hundred dollars, according to the valor of the deed," replied the
+Captain.
+
+"A thousand!" chorused the scouts in amazement.
+
+"Why, that would take us all on Gilly's trip," said Julie.
+
+"Maybe; but we don't know where he plans to go. If it is around the
+world, I fear the reward will not carry you all that far," rejoined Mrs.
+Vernon, smilingly.
+
+A few days after Mr. Everard's visit at camp, Mr. Gilroy came again.
+"Well, scouts! was I right when I told you not to limit your supply to
+any old-fashioned mill-pond?"
+
+"You're always right--how could you _ever_ be mistaken?" was Julie's
+retort.
+
+He laughed. "Now, this flow of supply from the boundless Source I
+preached about will give you the means to accept my invitation for next
+year."
+
+"We have already accepted, and are arranging to be absent from home for
+the length of time it takes to go to Jericho and back again," answered
+Julie.
+
+"Not to the Far East," laughed Mr. Gilroy, "but to the most wonderful
+mountains on earth, though the public has not realized that fact,
+because they are not yet the fashion. They are fast reaching that
+recognition, however. At present one can go there without being pestered
+by souvenir peddlers."
+
+"Do tell us where it is, now that you've told us this much," begged the
+girls. But Mr. Gilroy shook his head and left them guessing.
+
+The last of August was passing quickly, and the scouts sighed whenever
+they remembered that they must close the wonderful camp the first week
+of September. There was still, however, one delight in store for them.
+That was the County Fair, held the first three days of September. They
+had entered Julia and Antoinette to compete for prizes in their
+individual classes.
+
+The boys, as well as the girls, spent those days at the Fair Grounds,
+showing the tricks Julia and the pig could do, and also going about
+seeking votes for their pets. The result of this faithful work was seen
+when the prizes were awarded.
+
+Dandelion Scout Camp won First Prize of a hundred dollars for having the
+heaviest and finest pig exhibited that year. Another fifty dollars came
+for Antoinette's being the best amateur trick animal shown that year.
+
+Julia won second prize of fifty dollars for having the required number
+of points in breeding and development. Then, after the fair closed, an
+animal trainer who made his living going about giving shows of trick
+animals made an offer for the two pets, saying he had seen them perform
+at the fair.
+
+"What shall we do? Suppose the man is cruel to them?" asked Julie,
+worried over the disposal of Julia and Anty.
+
+"It can't be much worse than sending them to a butcher," remarked Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, mercy! We never could sell them for meat!" cried Joan.
+
+"I shall never eat another mouthful of veal or pork," added Betty,
+fervently.
+
+"None of us will ever eat meat again!" declared the others.
+
+"But that doesn't answer this letter," the Captain reminded them.
+
+"The man offers a good price, girls, and having so much capital
+invested, he will surely take care of the investment," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Y-e-s, that's so! Well, I'll tell you what, girls," said Julie. "Let's
+make him double his offer, and that will make him still more
+appreciative of Julia and Anty. If he takes it, all right. If he
+doesn't, we can write to some other Zoo trainer, now that we know we
+have two fine trained pets."
+
+But the animal trainer expected a "come-back," and was only too glad to
+secure Julia and Anty at the price the scouts mentioned. And that added
+materially to the fund for the next summer's outing--wherever it was to
+be.
+
+The day the trainer came to take possession of his newly acquired pets,
+the girls felt blue over saying good-by to them. Anty had been so
+thoroughly scrubbed that she glistened, and Julia had been brushed and
+currycombed until she looked like satin.
+
+"Oh, Anty! Shake hands just once more," wailed Judith, as she held out
+her hand to the pig.
+
+Anty immediately stood upon her hind legs and held out a hoof that had
+made such distracting imprints for the scouts early in the summer.
+
+"I'll buy the little bark shed, too. I know that all pets love their own
+little sleeping-places and get so used to them they never feel at home
+in new quarters. I'll take the pen with me," said the trainer.
+
+So Anty was the means of adding to the coffer of gold the scouts were
+now dreaming of. And the artistic little bark house was taken away for
+Anty's especial use thereafter.
+
+After the departure of Julia and Antoinette, the scouts felt lonely, and
+the camp was soon dismantled of all the exhibits that had been used for
+decorations that summer. Everything was packed and shipped back home,
+and then came the day when Mr. Bentley came in his touring car to assist
+in the transportation of the campers to their old homes and families.
+
+As they all stood on the verandah of the bungalow shaking hands with Mr.
+Gilroy and telling him what a precious old dear he was to have bothered
+with them all summer, he said:
+
+"But you haven't asked me for the itinerary for next year."
+
+"We have, again and again, but you said it was not yet time for that!"
+exclaimed Julie.
+
+"Well, it _is_ time now. I have to spend all next summer in the Rocky
+Mountains collecting specimens of glacial deposits, so I need your
+company to keep me cheerful. It is up to you to win the consent of your
+people and save the money for the trip."
+
+Such a chorus of youthful voices as greeted that wondrous prospect made
+the adults laugh.
+
+"You seem to welcome the idea of camping in the Rockies?" suggested Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts piled into the cars ready to go home.
+
+"Do we! Well, Gilly, just you wait and see if we are not with you next
+year in those Rockies!" laughed Julie.
+
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+_THIS ISN'T ALL!_
+
+Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in
+this book?
+
+Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and
+experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author?
+
+On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you
+will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same
+store where you got this book.
+
+_Don't throw away the Wrapper_
+
+_Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But
+in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete
+catalog._
+
+
+
+
+GIRL SCOUTS SERIES
+
+By LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY
+
+Author of the "Polly Brewster Books"
+
+    Handsomely Bound. Colored Wrappers. Illustrated.
+    Each Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Here is a series that holds the same position for girls that the Tom
+Slade and Roy Blakeley books hold for boys. They are delightful stories
+of Girl Scout camp life amid beautiful surroundings and are filled with
+stirring adventures.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS AT DANDELION CAMP
+
+This is a story which centers around the making and the enjoying of a
+mountain camp, spiced with the fun of a lively troop of Girl Scouts. The
+charm of living in the woods, of learning woodcraft of all sorts, of
+adventuring into the unknown, combine to make a busy and an exciting
+summer for the girls.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+New scenery, new problems of camping, association with a neighboring
+camp of Boy Scouts, and a long canoe trip with them through the Fulton
+Chain, all in the setting of the marvelous Adirondacks, bring to the
+girls enlargement of horizon, new development, and new joys.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES
+
+On horseback from Denver through Estes Park as far as the Continental
+Divide, climbing peaks, riding wild trails, canoeing through canyons,
+shooting rapids, encountering a landslide, a summer blizzard, a sand
+storm, wild animals, and forest fires, the girls pack the days full with
+unforgettable experiences.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO
+
+The Girl Scouts visit the mountains and deserts of Arizona and New
+Mexico. They travel over the old Santa Fe trail, cross the Painted
+Desert, and visit the Grand Canyon. Their exciting adventures form a
+most interesting story.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE REDWOODS
+
+The girls spend their summer in the Redwoods of California and
+incidentally find a way to induce a famous motion picture director in
+Hollywood to offer to produce a film that stars the Girl Scouts of
+America.
+
+
+
+
+THE LILIAN GARIS BOOKS
+
+    Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Individual Colored Wrappers.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Lilian Garis is one of the writers who always wrote. She expressed
+herself in verse from early school days and it was then predicted that
+Lilian Mack would one day become a writer. Justifying this sentiment,
+while still at high school, she took charge of the woman's page for a
+city paper and her work there attracted such favorable attention that
+she left school to take entire charge of the woman's page for the
+largest daily in an important Eastern city.
+
+Mrs. Garis turned to girls' books directly after her marriage, and of
+these she has written many. She believes in girls, studies them and
+depicts them with pen both skilled and sympathetic.
+
+BARBARA HALE: A DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER
+
+BARBARA HALE AND COZETTE
+
+GLORIA: A GIRL AND HER DAD
+
+GLORIA AT BOARDING SCHOOL
+
+JOAN: JUST GIRL
+
+JOAN'S GARDEN OF ADVENTURE
+
+CONNIE LORING'S AMBITION
+
+CONNIE LORING'S DILEMMA
+
+
+
+
+AMY BELL MARLOWE'S BOOKS FOR GIRLS
+
+Charming, Fresh and Original Stories
+
+    Illustrated. Wrappers printed in colors with individual design for
+    each story
+
+Miss Marlowe's books for girls are somewhat of the
+type of Miss Alcott and also Mrs. Meade; but all are
+thoroughly up-to-date and wholly American in scene and
+action. Good, clean absorbing tales that all girls thoroughly
+enjoy.
+
+THE OLDEST OF FOUR; Or, Natalie's Way Out.
+
+A sweet story of the struggles of a live girl to keep a family from
+want.
+
+THE GIRLS AT HILLCREST FARM; Or, The Secret of the Rocks.
+
+Relating the trials of two girls who take boarders on an old farm.
+
+A LITTLE MISS NOBODY; Or, With the Girls of Pinewood Hall.
+
+Tells of a schoolgirl who was literally a nobody until she solved the
+mystery of her identity.
+
+THE GIRL FROM SUNSET RANCH; Or, Alone in a Great City.
+
+A ranch girl comes to New York to meet relatives she has never seen. Her
+adventures make unusually good reading.
+
+WYN'S CAMPING DAYS; Or, The Outing of the GO-AHEAD CLUB.
+
+A tale of happy days on the water and under canvas, with a touch of
+mystery and considerable excitement.
+
+FRANCIS OF THE RANGES: Or, The Old Ranchman's Treasure.
+
+A vivid picture of life on the great cattle ranges of the West.
+
+THE GIRLS OF RIVERCLIFF SCHOOL; Or, Beth Baldwin's Resolve.
+
+This is one of the most entertaining stories centering about a girl's
+school that has ever been written.
+
+WHEN ORIOLE CAME TO HARBOR LIGHT.
+
+The story of a young girl, cast up by the sea, and rescued by an old
+lighthouse keeper.
+
+WHEN ORIOLE TRAVELED WESTWARD.
+
+Oriole visits the family of a rich ranchman and enjoys herself
+immensely.
+
+
+
+
+THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of the "Bobbsey Twins," "Bunny Brown" Series, Etc.
+
+    Uniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These tales take in the various adventures participated
+in by several bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE;
+    Or, Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE;
+    Or, The Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR;
+    Or, The Haunted Mansion of Shadow Valley.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP;
+    Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice Boats.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA;
+    Or, Wintering in the Sunny South.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW;
+    Or, The Box That Was Found in the Sand.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND;
+    Or, A Cave and What it Contained.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE;
+    Or, Doing Their Bit for Uncle Sam.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE;
+    Or, Doing Their Best For the Soldiers.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT BLUFF POINT;
+    Or, A Wreck and A Rescue.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT WILD ROSE LODGE;
+    Or, The Hermit of Moonlight Falls.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN THE SADDLE;
+    Or, The Girl Miner of Gold Run.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AROUND THE CAMPFIRE;
+    Or, The Old Maid of the Mountains.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON CAPE COD;
+    Or, Sally Ann of Lighthouse Rock.
+
+
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS BOOKS
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+    Individual Colored Wrappers and Text Illustrations by
+    THELMA GOOCH
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself
+
+The Blythe girls, three in number, were left alone in New York City.
+Helen, who went in for art and music, kept the little flat uptown, while
+Margy just out of a business school, obtained a position as a private
+secretary and Rose, plain-spoken and businesslike, took what she called
+a "job" in a department store.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN, MARGY AND ROSE; Or, Facing the Great World.
+
+A fascinating tale of real happenings in the great metropolis.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: MARGY'S QUEER INHERITANCE; Or, The Worth of a Name.
+
+The girls had a peculiar old aunt and when she died she left an unusual
+inheritance. This tale continues the struggles of all the girls for
+existence.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: ROSE'S GREAT PROBLEM; Or, Face to Face With a Crisis.
+
+Rose still at work in the big department store, is one day faced with
+the greatest problem of her life. A tale of mystery as well as exciting
+girlish happenings.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN'S STRANGE BOARDER; Or, The Girl From Bronx Park.
+
+Helen, out sketching, goes to the assistance of a strange girl, whose
+real identity is a puzzle to all the Blythe girls. Who the girl really
+was comes as a tremendous surprise.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: THREE ON A VACATION; Or, The Mystery at Peach Farm.
+
+The girls close their flat and go to the country for two weeks--and fall
+in with all sorts of curious and exciting happenings. How they came to
+the assistance of Joe Morris, and solved a queer mystery, is well
+related.
+
+
+
+
+CAROLYN WELLS BOOKS
+
+    Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers.
+
+THE MARJORIE BOOKS
+
+Marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of
+goodness and sincerity. In her and her friends every girl reader will
+see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure.
+
+    MARJORIE'S VACATION
+    MARJORIE'S BUSY DAYS
+    MARJORIE'S NEW FRIEND
+    MARJORIE IN COMMAND
+    MARJORIE'S MAYTIME
+    MARJORIE AT SEACOTE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE TWO LITTLE WOMEN SERIES
+
+Introducing Dorinda Fayre--a pretty blonde, sweet, serious, timid and a
+little slow, and Dorothy Rose--a sparkling brunette, quick, elf-like,
+high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes.
+
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN AND TREASURE HOUSE
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN ON A HOLIDAY
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE DICK AND DOLLY BOOKS
+
+Dick and Dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks,
+their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories
+"really true" to young readers.
+
+    DICK AND DOLLY
+    DICK AND DOLLY'S ADVENTURES
+
+
+
+
+THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS
+
+For Little Men and Women
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of "The Bunny Brown Series," Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand
+among children and their parents of this generation where the books of
+Louisa May Alcott stood in former days. The haps and mishaps of this
+inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a
+source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere.
+
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE COUNTY FAIR
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS CAMPING OUT
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND BABY MAY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS KEEPING HOUSE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CLOVERBANK
+
+
+
+
+THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of the Popular "Bobbsey Twins" Books, Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These stories by the author of the "Bobbsey Twins" Books are eagerly
+welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. Their
+eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive
+little Bunny Brown and his cunning, trustful sister Sue.
+
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING A SHOW
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE KEEPING STORE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR TRICK DOG
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT A SUGAR CAMP
+
+
+
+
+SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of The Bobbsey Twins Books, The Bunny Brown Series, The Blythe
+Girls Books, Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate
+popularity. To know the six little Bunkers is to take them at once to
+your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute
+sayings. Each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily
+followed--and all are written in Miss Hope's most entertaining manner.
+Clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every
+child in the land.
+
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MAMMY JUNE'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT FARMER JOEL'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MILLER NED'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT INDIAN JOHN'S
+
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+    +-----------------------------------------------------+
+    |Transcriber's Note:                                  |
+    |                                                     |
+    |The word catalogue appears in the main text, but is  |
+    |catalog in the advertisements at the end of the book.|
+    |Raquette Lake is also shown as Racquette Lake.       |
+    +-----------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
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+
+Project Gutenberg's Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks, by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+
+Author: Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+Release Date: August 18, 2008 [EBook #26345]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jacqueline Jeremy, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+<h1 class="title">Girl Scouts<br />
+<em>in the</em><br />
+Adirondacks</h1>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="500" height="600" alt="Girlscouts in the Adirondacks" title="by Lillian E. Roy" />
+</div>
+
+<div class="nh">
+<a name="front" id="front"></a>
+</div>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 396px;">
+<img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="396" height="600" alt="Page 182" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading&quot; &emsp; <a href="#thus">Page 182</a></span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="tpb1">
+<div class="tpb2">
+<p class="tp"><big>GIRL SCOUTS IN<br />
+THE ADIRONDACKS</big><br /><br />
+
+<small><span class="smcap">by</span></small><br />
+LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY<br />
+<br />
+<small><span class="smcap">author of<br />
+the polly brewster books,<br />
+the little washingtons books</span></small><br />
+<br /><br />
+ILLUSTRATED</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/logo.png" width="100" height="79" alt="Publisher's Logo" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="pub">GROSSET &amp; DUNLAP<br />
+<small>PUBLISHERS &emsp; NEW YORK</small></p>
+</div></div>
+
+<h5>Made in the United States of America</h5>
+
+
+<p class="copy"><span class="smcap">Copyright, 1921, by</span><br />
+GEORGE SULLY &amp; COMPANY</p>
+
+<hr class="hr1" />
+
+<h5><em>The Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks</em><br />
+<br /><br />
+<em>Printed in the U. S. A.</em></h5>
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<h2 class="con"><a name="contents" id="contents"></a>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<table summary="Contents">
+<tr>
+<th class="tdl"><small>CHAPTER</small></th>
+<th class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></th>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">I.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Friday Jinx</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#i">1</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">II.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Another Day of Troubles</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ii">24</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">III.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">In the Mountains at Last</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iii">41</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">IV.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Visit to Grey Fox Camp</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#iv">60</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">V.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Story of Creation</span></td>
+<td class="tdr"><a href="#v">72</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">VI.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Lost on the Trail</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vi">91</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">VII.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Little Business</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#vii">106</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">VIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Jake's Interview with a Skunk</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#viii">127</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">IX.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Lessons in Tracking</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#ix">139</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">X.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Girl Scouts Entertain</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#x">157</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">XI.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Canoe Trip</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xi">179</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">XII.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">First Aid</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xii">190</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">XIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Shooting the Rapids&mdash;And Other Things</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiii">204</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdr">XIV.</td>
+<td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Grand Surprise</span></td>
+<td class="tdr2"><a href="#xiv">214</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr />
+
+
+<h2 class="con">ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<table summary="Illustrations">
+<tr>
+<td class="tdl">"Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading"
+(<a href="#thus">page 182</a>)</td>
+<td class="tdr"><em><a href="#front">Frontispiece</a></em></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<th class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></th>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdl">"Would you prefer to sit here and dream,
+Betzy, or go back with me and eat sandwiches"</td>
+<td class="tdr"><a href="#would">16</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdl">"We are lost, come find us"</td>
+<td class="tdr"><a href="#we">98</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td class="tdl">"Where&mdash;which way did you hear them?"
+questioned Joan</td>
+<td class="tdr"><a href="#where">211</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2 class="con"><big><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span>
+<a name="i" id="i"></a>GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS</big></h2>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER ONE<br /><br />
+<small>THE FRIDAY JINX</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Are</span> we ready to start, girls?" called Mrs. Vernon, the Captain of
+Dandelion Troop of Girl Scouts, as she glanced at her proteg&eacute;es seated
+in two large touring cars.</p>
+
+<p>"Ready! Why, Verny, we've been waiting for you these ten minutes,"
+retorted Juliet Lee, one of the original members of the troop.</p>
+
+<p>"And we're just crazy to be off before that black cloud overhead adds to
+mother's fear lest I never come home again," added Ruth Bentley, another
+of the first four girl scouts of Elmertown.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, it seems that all the baggage and outfit we need with us on
+the trip is safely stowed away, eh, Jim?" said Mrs. Vernon, looking at
+the driver of the other car.</p>
+
+<p>"Everything that I found waiting to be packed when I drove up to the
+side door," replied the chauffeur.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"All right! Then we're off, folkses, but we'll send you word the moment
+we arrive at Old Forge in the Adirondacks," called Mrs. Vernon, to the
+crowd of relatives of the various girls, all gathered to watch the
+scouts drive away.</p>
+
+<p>"Good-by! Good-by!" now shouted many girlish voices, and "Good-by!
+Good-by!" was shouted back as the two seven-passenger cars started on
+the long journey.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon led the way in her luxurious automobile, and as they turned
+the bend of the road, where the last of the group still watching on the
+Vernon lawn was lost to sight, she laughingly remarked:</p>
+
+<p>"I never thought a crowd of girls could get ready for such a long outing
+in so short a time."</p>
+
+<p>"It all depends on how badly the girls <em>want</em> to be ready, Captain,"
+retorted Joan Allison, the fourth girl of the number who founded
+Dandelion Camp of Girl Scouts the summer before.</p>
+
+<p>"Say, girls! I just felt a drop of rain from that inky cloud!" Betty Lee
+warned. She was Julie's sister, and they were two who had first
+suggested a scout organization.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon slowed down and turned to the scouts. "Shall we stop to put
+on the rain-curtains?"</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy, no! It's only a sprinkle, and we're not sugar," exclaimed Joan,
+glancing at the sky.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The other girls followed her gaze, and Julie said: "See all the blue
+sky! Enough to make the proverbial 'night-cap'."</p>
+
+<p>In case the reader has not yet met the four girls who had such a
+thrilling time while at camp the previous summer, it will be best to
+make their acquaintance now.</p>
+
+<p>As stated before, Juliet and Elizabeth Lee were the two sisters who
+planned having a scout troop for girls in Elmertown. Joan Allison and
+Ruth Bentley, both schoolmates of the Lee girls, eagerly agreed to add
+their efforts to the others' and secure the interest of enough girls for
+them to be able to apply for a charter from the Girl Scout Headquarters
+in New York City.</p>
+
+<p>Before they closed their camp on "Verny's Mountain" that summer, five
+other girls had been admitted to membership in the young Patrol, namely:
+Hester Wynant, fourteen; Anne Bailey, fourteen; Judith Blake, thirteen;
+her sister, Edith Blake, twelve; and Amy Ward, thirteen.</p>
+
+<p>Then during the winter, other girls who had heard of the good times the
+scouts had had in camp that past summer became so insistent to mothers
+at home that permission to join the organization was granted them.</p>
+
+<p>Having nine girls in their original Patrol, with Julie as Leader, and
+Joan for Corporal, the scouts now felt experienced enough to pass all
+the tests<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> required to apply for a Troop Charter. The young scouts were
+an active group and when the Charter arrived from National Headquarters
+the same day the girls had planned to start for camp, there was great
+rejoicing.</p>
+
+<p>True to his promise given the Girl Scouts the summer previous, Mr.
+Gilroy had sent word to Mrs. Vernon when the camp in the Adirondacks was
+ready for them. When the girls found that Mrs. Vernon planned to use her
+large touring car for half of the number in the Troop to go in, and Ruth
+Bentley's father had offered his car for the other half, thus saving
+them great expense for railroad tickets, and giving them the pleasure of
+autoing the whole long distance, the excitement rose and would not be
+calmed down again.</p>
+
+<p>So it was not only a happy Troop that shouted good-by to relatives, but
+also a flushed, merry group of nine girls who could not keep silent for
+long.</p>
+
+<p>Ruth was in the rear seat of her father's car, which Jim was driving,
+when she suddenly sat up and called out to the chauffeur:</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sure one of our suitcases on the trunk-rack at the back must be
+loose, Jim. I hear it bump about every time you go over a rough place in
+the road."</p>
+
+<p>"It can't be, Miss Ruth," returned Jim, trying to peer out and see the
+baggage; "I strapped 'em on good and tight before we left."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it happens to be my suitcase that's on top,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> and I'm sure I don't
+want to lose it," declared Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe we'd better stop and make sure about it; we can soon catch up
+with Verny again," suggested Judith.</p>
+
+<p>So Jim sprang out to investigate. "The suitcases are all right, Miss
+Ruth, but somethin's wrong in the back all right."</p>
+
+<p>At that Ruth jumped out and joined the man. "What is it?" asked she,
+anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"The sag in that spring 'pears to me to say it is about done for. We'll
+have to travel slow till we find a garage."</p>
+
+<p>"For mercy's sake! Didn't you and Pa's chauffeur overhaul both the cars
+thoroughly when you knew we were going on this trip?"</p>
+
+<p>"Your father sent this machine to the garage in Elmertown, 'cause he
+said they'd know how to do the job up better'n us," explained Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Then it serves Dad right if he has to pay for a new spring! The idea of
+trusting strangers with his car at this important time! But here we are
+with a wornout old spring on our hands!" cried Ruth, stamping her foot
+impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh no, Ruth, not on our hands&mdash;but what is ten times worse&mdash;on the rear
+end of the car," laughed Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we've got to go slow, I suppose, and stop<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> somewhere to replace
+the old thing," grumbled Ruth, climbing back in the car.</p>
+
+<p>"If 'Liza knew of this mischance, wouldn't she gloat over her 'Friday
+Bad Luck' prophecy?" laughed Ann.</p>
+
+<p>Jim started again, but carefully avoided the ruts and bumps in the road
+until he came to a large garage. Fortunately for all, they found a new
+spring in stock and the men were soon at work replacing the bad one.</p>
+
+<p>"Hurrah for us Jinx-breakers! This bit of luck in finding a new spring
+on hand more than offsets a Friday curse," gleefully cried Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"You young ladies sure are lucky, but it will take some time to do the
+work, an' you may as well take a walk and see our nice Jersey town,"
+suggested the proprietor of the garage.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts followed this sensible advice and stopped at a shop where
+they treated each other to soda, candy, and peanuts. There being nothing
+more thrilling to do, they sat down in the Park and ate the plebeian
+delicacy and talked.</p>
+
+<p>"I love peanuts, don't you?" Anne asked of the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but they have to be enjoyed away from home, or folks will make fun
+of you," added Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Not any more, Ruth. When a five-cent bag of peanuts, these days, only
+contains ten nuts that lifts them out of the cheap class," laughed
+Hester.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And makes them a luxury, eh?" added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>By the time the peanuts were gone, Jim signaled the girls and they
+hurried back to the garage. It took but a moment for them to jump in and
+urge Jim to hurry after Verny's car, somewhere in the lead.</p>
+
+<p>Mile after mile of beautiful woodland, with now and then a small town,
+but with many flourishing farms along the way, were reeled off rapidly
+as the machine sped along as if on wings. Finally they reached a
+crossroad where the signboard warned them: "All travel limited to eight
+miles per hour."</p>
+
+<p>"Slow down, Jim, or you'll land us in a county jail," called Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Then Mrs. Vernon must be in jail&mdash;'cause she ain't in sight along the
+road, and to get as far as this she <em>had</em> to speed," declared Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"It's funny she wouldn't stop to find out what became of us, when we
+dropped so far behind," ventured Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"They'll look us up at mealtime, never fear," laughed Anne. "We've got
+the hamper with us, you know."</p>
+
+<p>The others laughed at this remark, but they had not gone much farther
+along the road before they spied the Vernon automobile waiting under a
+great oak tree. When the tardy car came up, both parties began to shout,
+some asking where the delinquents<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> had been, and the unfortunates to
+demand why folks wouldn't look behind once in a while!</p>
+
+<p>Finally Jim could make himself heard, and he explained about the spring
+and where they had to stop to replace the old one.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, <em>we</em> stopped to discuss ways. We ought to decide the route we
+want to take before we reach Jersey City," said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Which is the route you'd chose, Verny?" added Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we can save a lot of time by going along to Edgewater and cross
+on the Fort Lee boat. That takes us right to 130th Street and Broadway,
+New York. We avoid all crowds and city streets, but you will not see
+anything of the life and bustle of New York City."</p>
+
+<p>"How much time will we save?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Because we've lost so much over that old spring," added Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon smiled. "From upper New York we can drive right onto the
+State Road that runs direct to Albany. By selecting that way we will
+save a great deal of time, because traffic in the city is so congested
+that every driver has to travel slow and fall in line back of endless
+cars. At every corner when the signal holds up the entire line one has
+to stop to permit crosstown traffic a chance."</p>
+
+<p>"Then for goodness' sake, let's go through the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> country on this side of
+the Hudson, and cross where you said&mdash;Fort Lee Ferry," declared Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Every one agreeing to this decision, the plan was carried out as
+outlined by the Captain. Once on Broadway, where it passes Van Cortlandt
+Park, the girls called to Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"How about lunch&mdash;we're famished?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, don't let's stop here for lunch. Let's go on till we find a nicer
+spot in the country," returned Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe there won't be any better place," demurred Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, there is. After we leave Yonkers we will find lots of spots,
+Verny says," called Julie, from the first car.</p>
+
+<p>"We need a shady place where a spring will give us water," said Betty.</p>
+
+<p>"A spring failing to bubble up at the proper place, we may have to be
+satisfied with a pump at some farmhouse," retorted her sister.</p>
+
+<p>The two cars sped swiftly along Broadway, through Yonkers,
+Hastings-on-Hudson, and Dobb's Ferry. At this last place the Captain
+pointed out the famous old Headquarters used by General Washington at
+the close of the Revolution.</p>
+
+<p>"Girls, there doesn't seem to be any picnic grounds for us along this
+State Road," remarked Mrs. Vernon. "Suppose we take a bite as we travel
+along,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> and cook a regular dinner when we are out in the country
+somewhere?"</p>
+
+<p>"We're willing, in fact, I am more than willing to eat," called Anne,
+the scout with the healthy appetite.</p>
+
+<p>So they drove on while refreshments were passed around, and every one
+admired the river scenes of the ever-changing panorama of the Hudson.</p>
+
+<p>Just beyond Peekskill the road ran under a culvert and a sharp turn on
+the other side made it impossible to see what was on the road ahead. The
+Captain made the turn very neatly and Jim was about to follow the
+leading car, when several shrill cries from the girls ahead caused him
+to put on the emergency brakes.</p>
+
+<p>The passengers in the second car could just see what had caused the
+frightened shouts from their friends in the first car. A gaunt farm
+horse was standing on his hind legs pawing the air madly, while a
+rickety old spring wagon seesawed uncertainly on the edge of a deep
+ditch beside the road. But the driver of the horse was on the road,
+hanging on to the bridle while plying a stout hickory stick freely over
+the animal's back.</p>
+
+<p>"Git down! Will yuh come to arth, yuh rascal?" shouted the irate woman
+who was garbed in a man's farm hat and a long duster.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you need any assistance?" called Mrs. Vernon, anxiously.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Not ef I kin git him to plant his feet on arth agin. He ain't got no
+spunk left to run away, 'cause he's ben out plowing all day, and it w'ar
+a shame to drive him to the store. But it hed to be, 'cuz the ole man
+tuk t'other hoss to go to a meetin'."</p>
+
+<p>As the unusual character talked, she tugged at the bridle until she
+finally had the horse quieted down again. Then he allowed his long ears
+to droop lazily, his spine to sag in the middle, and his erstwhile
+springy legs to bend as if he felt too weary to stand up.</p>
+
+<p>The woman with the weather-beaten face and toughened hands was a fluent
+speaker, even though she paid little attention to the latest style in
+dress for women. She leaned against the shaft of the wagon and plied her
+questions to the tourists as freely as she had plied the hickory stick
+to the horse.</p>
+
+<p>"Be you-all out fer a lark?" asked she, eyeing the number of girls in
+both cars.</p>
+
+<p>Jim thought to move his car gradually along the road so the scouts in
+his charge could join in the conversation with the woman. But the moment
+the horse saw the automobile crawling towards him, he jumped aside. The
+wagon-wheel turned suddenly and the unexpected happened; the woman who
+had been leaning heavily on the wheel was unceremoniously dropped to a
+sitting posture in the dusty road.</p>
+
+<p>Several of the scouts had to smother with handkerchiefs,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> a keen desire
+to laugh, but the owner of the horse seemed to take the situation
+good-naturedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Wal, ef that ain't jus' like Samson! He does the mos' onexpected
+tricks, so's that he keeps us guessin' what next."</p>
+
+<p>Jim sprang out of the car when he saw the result of his innocent action
+with the engine, but the agile woman was up before he could reach her
+side. She brushed the dust from her long coat and chuckled aloud: "I
+allus said that animal oughter be called Delilah 'cuz <em>she</em> was so sly,
+but my ole man says 'Samson' was close enough to that critter, and this
+animal hez such long hair that it suits with the name."</p>
+
+<p>"You've just had him clipped, I see," ventured Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Not clipped, Captain&mdash;but shorn of his locks like Samson," laughed
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe that's why he feels so tired," added Joan, quickly.</p>
+
+<p>Every one but the farmer's wife laughed. She seemed very serious over
+the conversation, and nodded her head affirmatively.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we have to drive on, madam, but we're sorry to have frightened
+Samson," said Mrs. Vernon, in order to make an end to the scene.</p>
+
+<p>"Say, couldn't you tell us where there is a nice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> picnic place near
+here?" called Jim, as the first car started.</p>
+
+<p>"Yeh&mdash;a few miles furder on. You'll find a nice little brook in a grove
+of sugar-maples, with green grass on all sides."</p>
+
+<p>Jim thanked the woman, and started his car. Mrs. Vernon was informed of
+the grove which was to be a stopping place for dinner, and all were
+eagerly on the lookout for the spot that would offer such an ideal
+resting place.</p>
+
+<p>But it was the longest "few miles" any of the scouts had traveled, for
+the meter showed many, many miles before any grove was seen. There was
+no brook in it, but the grass was very green, and the maple grove, which
+crowded a knoll a short distance from the road, looked cool and
+inviting.</p>
+
+<p>As usual, Julie was the first one out of the cars and over the fence.
+She started to cross the very green grass, but instantly sank into the
+water that was hidden under the green blades.</p>
+
+<p>"Help! Oh, I'm drowning!" shouted she, struggling to pull her feet clear
+of the bog. But she would free one foot, and instantly the other would
+sink. Then she tried to drag that one out, but the first one would go
+down again. Both together she could not get out.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, oh! See the mess poor Julie's in!" called one of the girls.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon was gazing quickly around for some<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> sort of help to get the
+scout out, but the girls stood about the place sympathizing with the
+furious scout.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it like that all over there, Julie?" called Betty, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"How do I know? Come over and find out for yourself!" snapped her
+sister.</p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed at the retort, but Betty added: "I only wanted to know
+if it was safe for me to come over and help you out."</p>
+
+<p>Julie straightened up and glared at her soft-hearted sister. "You sound
+just like our Sunday school teacher when she reads: 'Come over into
+Macedonia and help.'"</p>
+
+<p>Again the audience of girls laughed appreciatively, but Julie was too
+busy keeping her feet "treading water" to pay any attention to their
+enjoyment. Meantime, Jim had removed some rails from the fence and was
+bringing them to the scout's aid.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Miss Julie, when I shove these over, you manage to work an arm
+over each one, and sort of lift yourself out that way. I'll shove others
+over for you to step on next, and in that way you can get out and across
+to us," advised Jim, working as he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>Finally Julie was rescued from the mire, and then the Captain said:
+"Every one walk along that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> elevated bank, over there, to reach the
+grove, as this entire area may be a boggy spring."</p>
+
+<p>But the grass under the trees in the grove was found to be hard and dry,
+and they soon began to prepare luncheon. While Mrs. Vernon unpacked the
+hamper, the scouts were detailed on various duties: some to build a
+fire, some to hunt spring water, some to set table on the grass. But
+Julie was excused from all these tasks, as she had more than enough work
+to do in cleaning the mud from her boots and stockings.</p>
+
+<p>When luncheon was almost ready, Judith and Amy, who had been sent to
+find the spring and bring back drinking water, reported: "We couldn't
+find any spring."</p>
+
+<p>Julie looked up and jeered: "You are fine scouts! Couldn't find a spring
+when all you have to do is to find the source of all that water where I
+went down!"</p>
+
+<p>"Water! That looked like mud," retorted Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go for the water," volunteered Joan, catching hold of Betty's
+sleeve to take her along.</p>
+
+<p>So they started, and as Julie had said, the spring that fed the boggy
+spot was not far back in the grove. The water gurgled down from a cleft
+in a huge rock, and on either side of the small pool wood violets dipped
+their fragrant petals into the sparkling mirror.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Betty sat down upon a flat rock beside the pool to enjoy the scene. But
+practical Joan filled the pail with cold water and then laughed at
+poetical Betty.</p>
+
+<p><a name="would2" id="would2"></a>"Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betty&mdash;or go back with me and
+eat ham sandwiches?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I forgot where I was," laughed Betty, rising reluctantly to help
+carry the pail of water.</p>
+
+<p>"That's what I thought," tittered Joan, "but the rest of the girls
+prefer something more solid than dreams."</p>
+
+<p>During the luncheon the Captain said: "Wouldn't it be splendid if each
+one of us kept a diary of what happens during this summer's camp? Then
+we can rewrite the facts when we go home and make a good story of it.
+Perhaps a real publisher will buy it from us and thus give us a fund for
+next year's outing&mdash;if we have one."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, that is great!" exclaimed several voices with girlish enthusiasm.</p>
+
+<p>"Well then, when we camp to-night, we'll jot down the episodes of the
+day's trip&mdash;not forgetting to dwell at length on 'Samson,' and Julie's
+side-plays," remarked the Captain, smilingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Has any one thought of a stopping place for the night?" asked Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Not definitely, Jim; but I hope to cross the river at Poughkeepsie and
+drive along the west shore as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> far as possible. Then we can pitch camp
+at any good place we find," replied the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>They had not gone much farther before Ruth called: "It looks as if the
+rear tire on Verny's car was flat!"</p>
+
+<p>The Captain slowed up, and every one tried to see the tire. "That's what
+it is, all right, Captain!" ejaculated Jim, impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me! That means another delay!" sighed several girls.</p>
+
+<p>The car had to be jacked up and Jim went to work to mend the puncture in
+the tube, then pumped and pumped until the tire was properly inflated
+once more.</p>
+
+<p>As the tourists climbed into their respective seats in the automobiles,
+Joan said: "Well, Captain, this wasn't such a bad day after all&mdash;in
+spite of being a Friday."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm thankful for it, too," sighed Betty, fervently.</p>
+
+<p>The cars made good time after that and passed over the ferry at
+Poughkeepsie, to travel northward on the road that ran along the west
+shore. They pitched camp in some woods and soon had a fire started to
+heat the canned soup they had brought. When all else was ready, the
+Captain banged upon a tin pan to call the scouts to dine.</p>
+
+<p>"Um! That tomato soup smells good!" exclaimed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> Joan, sniffing audibly,
+as she saw the contents of the pan that stood over the fire.</p>
+
+<p>"Will you serve it, Jo&mdash;you are nearest the pan?" said Mrs. Vernon,
+passing the basket that held the tin cups.</p>
+
+<p>"Here! Everybody hold up a mug to fill, while I come around with the
+pan!" ordered Joan, taking hold of the pan-handle that had been over the
+fire a long time.</p>
+
+<p>"Oo-oouch!" cried the girl, whipping her hand up and down as she danced
+wildly about.</p>
+
+<p>"You didn't spill the soup, I hope!" exclaimed Anne, with deep concern.</p>
+
+<p>"What difference would that make&mdash;a little cheap soup? But my hand&mdash;oh,
+it's got a trail blazed clean across the palm!" wailed Joan, showing her
+red-skinned hand to sympathizing friends.</p>
+
+<p>"Poor old scout! We have to learn all kinds of blazing, I suppose,"
+murmured Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"And the soup <em>is</em> all safe&mdash;Jo never dropped the pan!" declared Anne,
+with gratification in her tones.</p>
+
+<p>"Here, Miss Jo," said Jim, who had gone for a bottle kept in the kit.
+"Pour this olive oil all over the hand and the smart will soon stop."</p>
+
+<p>He hurried to give the bottle to Joan but his toe caught in a bramble
+and tripped him. The bottle flew from his hand and struck the root where
+Joan sat. The glass shattered and the oil ran out the grass at the
+scout's feet.</p>
+
+<div class="nh">
+<a name="would" id="would"></a>&nbsp;
+</div>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 398px;">
+<img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="398" height="600" alt="Page 16" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betzy, or go
+back with me and eat sandwiches&quot; &emsp; <a href="#would2">Page 16</a></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p>
+<p>"Well, well! it must be the Friday Jinx that still pursues us," remarked
+Jim, gazing regretfully at the glistening oil that formed beads on the
+blades of grass.</p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed merrily, but Mrs. Vernon seemed serious. She was about
+to speak, when Amy asked Joan to pass the crackers. She picked up the
+box that was nearest her, and turned to hand them to her next neighbor,
+when her foot slipped on the oily grass and she sat down suddenly upon
+the stump. The box fell in Hester's lap, but Joan clapped a hand over
+her mouth and smothered a howl.</p>
+
+<p>"Goodness me! What's the matter now, Jo!" cried Ruth, seeing the girl's
+convulsed face.</p>
+
+<p>Joan shook her head helplessly, but her eyes were filled with tears.
+Every one wondered what could have happened, and when the scout could
+speak she said thickly: "Oh, that oil! I slipped and bit the end of my
+tongue clear off&mdash;I'm sure of it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Stick it out and let's see," demanded Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"That's what comes of having too much of a good thing!" declared Julie,
+teasingly.</p>
+
+<p>Every one but the Captain laughed, and she said seriously: "Do you know,
+girls, that I've had an idea about all this talk over Friday being a
+'bad luck' day. Of course it is perfectly absurd to intelligent people,
+but there are enough superstitious<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> folk left in the world who actually
+think Friday has some power to bring ill luck with it.</p>
+
+<p>"Now I believe that it is the <em>fear</em> and general belief in the
+superstition that carries any weight with it. If we, as good intelligent
+scouts, will try to break this silly fear for others, we shall have to
+begin with ourselves, by not referring to the superstition with the
+sense of its having <em>any</em> power to act."</p>
+
+<p>The girls listened seriously, as they always did when their Captain
+started one of her "sermonettes" as Julie called them; and when she had
+concluded, Joan said: "In other words, you want us to starve the poor
+wraith still more by withdrawing any thoughts from the matter whatever?"</p>
+
+<p>"Exactly! You've worded it better than I could have done myself,"
+responded the Captain, emphatically.</p>
+
+<p>When supper was over and everything about camp had been prepared for the
+night, Joan suggested taking a stroll down the picturesque country road.</p>
+
+<p>The gloaming was so inviting that the scouts decided to saunter down the
+woodsy road. They continued along the inviting footpath for more than a
+mile before they noticed a heavy fog settling upon everything.</p>
+
+<p>"Better turn and go back, girls. This fog is obscuring<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> everything along
+the way," suggested Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"B-r-r-r! Isn't it damp!" shivered Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and it will be worse before we get home," added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>They retraced their steps, but the fog came thicker and heavier all the
+time, and before they had gone more than half the way back, it was
+necessary for the scouts to go single file in order to keep in the
+footpath that ran along the top of a high grassy bank beside the narrow
+road.</p>
+
+<p>"It would be so much simpler to hike along the road, Verny," suggested
+Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"But there are so many machines traveling back and forth, and we'd have
+to scramble up this wet slippery bank to get out of the way every time
+one rushed past," explained Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Julie was in front, heading the line. Being Scout Leader of the Troop,
+she naturally led in most things. Suddenly she stopped short and warned
+those back of her:</p>
+
+<p>"Look out for this big boulder right in the pathway&mdash;have to detour
+towards the fence!"</p>
+
+<p>"Boulder! Why, there wasn't any boulder here on our way over," argued
+Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"The fog's in Julie's eyes," laughed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe we didn't notice a rock before," ventured Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe we are on the wrong road," said Anne.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We're right, all right, but I see a boulder in the way. If you don't
+believe me, come here and sprain your toe kicking it!"</p>
+
+<p>A few of the scouts crowded in front to peer through the puzzling fog to
+see the questionable boulder, but <span class="smcap">it</span> unexpectedly got upon its clumsy
+feet and started for the girls. In the fog it loomed up as big as an
+elephant.</p>
+
+<p>"Murder! Fire! Help! Help!!" came in confused screams from the scouts in
+front, as they turned precipitously to flee from this unknown danger.
+The confusion, as they fell back upon the scouts behind, while the great
+"boulder" still advanced slowly, was awful!</p>
+
+<p>But the soft earth of the bank had been washed out from under the top
+layer of roots and grass, and when so many stamping, crowding girls
+brought their weight upon the crumbling ground, it caved in with them.
+Jumping, screaming, tumbling scouts now went headlong down the slide of
+five feet into the roadway.</p>
+
+<p>The Captain and Betty had been far enough in the rear to escape this
+general stampede, but they, too, saw the dark object trying to skirt the
+newly broken-down embankment, and they slid quickly down the wet weedy
+bank to get away from this ghostlike creature that crept towards them.</p>
+
+<p>While brave scouts were getting up from the little ditch where they had
+rolled, a plaintive call<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> from the "boulder" above identified the
+creature as belonging to the bovine kingdom. A second "Moo-oo," as the
+cow passed slowly down the bank to the road, where she hoped to find
+some one to lead her home, created a wild laugh from every one.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="ii" id="ii"></a>CHAPTER TWO<br /><br />
+<small>ANOTHER DAY OF TROUBLES</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Early</span> in the morning the scouts heard Jim rattling the pans while he
+essayed to cook breakfast. They were soon up and dressed, and being
+ready for another day's adventuring, they offered their services to the
+cook.</p>
+
+<p>"Last night after you-all went for that hike, I mooned around some
+myself. I saw a little farmhouse over that hill, and I think a couple of
+girls might try to get some milk for breakfast," suggested Jim, pointing
+over the brow of a slight grade.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Hester and I will go for it, Verny!" exclaimed Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"Very well, girls; the rest of us will do what we can to help Jim.
+Breakfast will be all ready by the time you return, so don't dawdle on
+the way, will you?" replied the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Take the big thermos bottle that will keep the milk cold all day, and
+bring the breakfast milk in this pail," suggested Julie, handing the
+girls both articles as she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>Hester and Amy disappeared over the brow of the hill where Jim said the
+farm was located, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> breakfast was ready and waiting a long time
+before a sight of the girls was had again.</p>
+
+<p>Hester carried the pail very carefully, and Amy held the bottle, so it
+was evident that they had milk, but why should they seem to laugh so
+merrily over something, as they drew near the scouts?</p>
+
+<p>"What do you think happened to us?" called Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll never guess&mdash;we got chased by a bull!" added Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, never!" cried the scouts who had been waiting anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, sir! We heard a cow and knew there must be a farm," began Amy
+excitedly, but her companion interrupted her and said: "That wasn't a
+cow we heard, but the bellow of this bull!"</p>
+
+<p>"Do tell us all about how you escaped," chorused the eager voices of
+many girls.</p>
+
+<p>Every one was anxious to wait on the heroines, and after they had been
+served everything at one time, they began to munch and talk.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, first we left here and thrashed through those bushes back there,"
+said Hester, nodding her head towards the alder bushes, "to reach the
+place where we heard the cow&mdash;as we thought."</p>
+
+<p>Here Hester choked over the egg, and Amy quickly took up the story: "And
+we were halfway across a pasture lot when Hester, who was first, yelled
+wildly and waved her arms. I looked up,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> 'cause I was watching where I
+walked, the lot was pawed up into such hummocks, and saw Hester racing
+for the low boughs of an apple-tree. Then I heard a thumping, and saw a
+big bull charging across the meadow, making straight for us!"</p>
+
+<p>Amy gasped and needed a drink of water, then Hester continued the tale:
+"Oh, girls, it was thrilling! I managed to scramble up in the
+apple-tree, and turned to see what had become of Amy. There she was,
+sprinting like a Marathoner for the barbed-wire fence that enclosed the
+lot. She back-trailed over to it, and up over it she went, just like a
+swallow flies, but look at her stockings and skirt!"</p>
+
+<p>Every one looked at Amy's apparel and sympathized with her, yet every
+scout wished she had had such an exciting time.</p>
+
+<p>"Now they can win a badge for story-telling, can't they, Verny?" said
+Betty, glad for her two pals.</p>
+
+<p>"And another one for mending," laughed Julie, vindictively.</p>
+
+<p>"Poor Julie's awful sore about that mud," murmured Amy, winking an eye
+at the others.</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed, but the Captain said: "Go on and finish the yarn."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I left Hester in the tree&mdash;safety first, you know&mdash;with the bull
+standing under it, waiting for her, while I skirted the lot and reached
+the house. When I told the old lady how we happened to be in such a fix,
+she threw her gingham apron<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> over her head and sat down on the doorstep
+to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"I was beginning to feel offended, when she glanced up. She understood,
+and said: 'Deary, that ole bull has to be helped to his stall every
+night after a day in the pastoor. He oughter been butchered years an'
+years ago, but you see he saved me from a wicked tramp one day, an'
+father sayed Bill had earned his life-pension fer that. So Bill's safe
+from the slaughter-house, but he sure is a nuisance these days. Why,
+this mad run of his'n will keep him wheezin' fer a hull week. Now come
+with me an' I'll show you how he's payin' the price fer actin' like a
+three-year-old!"</p>
+
+<p>"I followed the old lady to the fence, and there, sure enough! Bill was
+sprawled out under the tree, puffing for breath, but poor Hester sat in
+the branches wailing because she dared not come down while the bull was
+making such a snorting noise!"</p>
+
+<p>The scouts laughed heartily at the graphic picture of Hester crying up
+in the tree, but the girl retorted, "Well, isn't 'Discretion the better
+part of valor'?"</p>
+
+<p>"Of course it is! We'd have done the same thing," agreed Mrs. Vernon,
+still laughing at Amy's story. Then she suggested breaking camp.</p>
+
+<p>After cleaning away all signs of camping, the scouts climbed into the
+cars which were soon speeding along. They were keen, now, for something
+new that they could write in their diaries, and many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> interesting things
+were seen and dilated upon as they rode past.</p>
+
+<p>As the autos neared Schenectady, one of the scouts began singing; in a
+few moments all the girls were singing with her. But a hound ran out of
+the gate of a farmhouse and barked at the oncoming singers. Then the
+distracted dog sat down and lifted his snout high in the air. His dismal
+prolonged howl of protest at such singing effectually ended the song,
+and Julie called to the animal, "Wise doggy&mdash;to be able to tell singing
+from <em>singing</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>The weather was all that could be desired, and the two cars were in fine
+shape for the run. After they left Amsterdam, where the large
+carpet-mills would have offered interesting entertainment had not the
+scouts a greater ambition in view, that of reaching camp&mdash;they voted to
+stop for no sightseeing along the way. So they kept along the road to
+Fonda. Here they left the railroad turnpike and went northward to
+Johnstown.</p>
+
+<p>At this place Mrs. Vernon made an error in judgment. She should have
+gone westerly, through Rockwood, Lascelville, Oppenheim, and so on to
+Delgeville. But she took the northward road, which looked better and was
+more traveled. Not until she came to Gloversville did she realize the
+mistake. Then she stopped and questioned a policeman how to reach her
+destination. And he explained<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> about the country road she must follow
+due west in order to reach Rockwood, where the state roads would be
+picked up again.</p>
+
+<p>This advice was followed, and they traveled over the bad road until a
+crossroad was reached. There was no mention made of this spot on the
+road-map, and there was no signpost to direct a lost tourist. So the
+Captain said, "We'll take the right-hand turn, it looks best."</p>
+
+<p>Further on, the road descended and ran close to a river. "Dear me, I
+hope we didn't take the wrong turn, anyway!" cried Mrs. Vernon. "That
+officer never told me about a crossroad."</p>
+
+<p>"And it's going to pour, too. Just look at that black cloud," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"It hasn't thundered yet," Hester said, trying to be cheerful.</p>
+
+<p>At the same moment a flash satisfied every one that a shower was
+imminent, and Jim failed to relieve their fears when he said, "We don't
+want to get caught on this low land when it rains. The road is lower
+than the river and will soon be flooded over."</p>
+
+<p>That spurred on the Captain, and she made the car fairly fly, in order
+to reach higher ground before the shower came. But the storm won out.</p>
+
+<p>"I felt a drop of rain!" called Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"So did I&mdash;two drops more!" seconded Ruth.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We'd better stop to button down the rain-curtains, Captain," advised
+Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe we can reach high ground soon, Jim!" called back Mrs. Vernon,
+still speeding along the marshy road.</p>
+
+<p>A loud peal of thunder and inky clouds warned her, however, that this
+would be no trifling shower, so she stopped reluctantly for the curtains
+to be fastened down over the sides of the cars. The girls got out while
+the rain-curtains were sought in the box under the seat, and Jim removed
+numerous items before he reached them in the bottom.</p>
+
+<p>"Gee! everything under the sun was piled in here!" growled he. And by
+the time he did get the covers out, the rain was falling hard.</p>
+
+<p>While Jim and Mrs. Vernon secured the curtains on the buttons, the
+scouts transferred the pyramid of camping necessities back into the
+boxes under the seats. Then when all were snugly sheltered from the
+rain, the Captain proceeded to start her car. It failed to respond,
+however. She tried again, with no success. Then she turned and called to
+Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"Something must be wrong, Jim!"</p>
+
+<p>"Mebbe it's 'cause the wheels is sunk so deep in that soft mud," said
+he. "It's 'most up to the hubs."</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;something is wrong with the engine," returned she.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll slip on my oilskin and see," said Jim, finally.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Jim! Don't slip on it&mdash;just <em>put</em> it on," giggled Julie, the
+irrepressible.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" was all the reply she got at the stale joke.</p>
+
+<p>"Jim, I'll help you," now offered Betty, willingly.</p>
+
+<p>"You gals just sit still, will you?" growled Jim impatiently, as he
+jumped out into the muddy road.</p>
+
+<p>The wind came tearing down the valley that lay between the mountains,
+driving shreds of storm-clouds before it. Gusts of rain dashed against
+Jim's face as he peered and poked about the stubborn engine, but still
+the obstinate machine refused to budge.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't see a durn thing that's the matter with it!" shouted he, trying
+to make himself heard above the whistling of the wind.</p>
+
+<p>"Better get back in your car until the worst is over," called back Mrs.
+Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>So they all waited patiently for the rain to cease, but the storm grew
+worse, while the clouds seemed to fairly empty themselves right over the
+stalled cars. Suddenly Jim gave a frightened cry:</p>
+
+<p>"Great Scott, Captain! The river's overflowin' her banks, and this
+road's gettin' under water!"</p>
+
+<p>"Then we've just <em>got</em> to get out of this fix somehow!" wailed Mrs.
+Vernon, gazing helplessly around for aid.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll try to work my car close up to the other and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> see if I can't push
+you ahead," suggested Jim, starting his engine as he spoke. But this
+idea failed to render the assistance they looked for.</p>
+
+<p>"I think you need a good hard impact to send you out of that mud. The
+wheels are stuck," called Julie, who had been considering the plight.</p>
+
+<p>"But how can we <em>get</em> an impact? Jim can't crush in the radiator on his
+car, you know! And the fender won't do it," said Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Let a few of us get some of those stout rails from that fence and shove
+them under the back of the machine. The rest of the girls can tie a rope
+to the front and pull. Then when we give a signal, Jim can push with his
+machine, while Verny throws hers into high&mdash;something ought to happen
+with all that!" suggested Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Anything seemed better than sitting helplessly while seeing the water
+slowly rising in the roadway. So the plan proposed by Julie was put into
+operation. Two long rails were shoved, one under each side of the back
+of the car, with two scouts ready to apply all their youthful muscle up
+on each rail. Four scouts stood in front holding to a rope, ready to
+pull. The Captain sat at the wheel ready to speed, and Jim waited in his
+car behind, ready to drive on.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, when I yell 'go,' every one strain your muscles fit to crack. It's
+the only way we'll get out of this," ordered Julie.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Tell us when you're going to say 'go'!" begged Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll shout 'One, two, three&mdash;<span class="smcap">go</span>'&mdash;then <em>go</em>!"</p>
+
+<p>Julie braced herself, took a deep breath, and cried, "All ready&mdash;one,
+two, three&mdash;<span class="smcap">go</span>!"</p>
+
+<p>Four in front pulled with might and main. Mrs. Vernon's engine chugged
+ready to break. Jim almost pushed the radiator in, and the four scouts
+pushing on the rails&mdash;well, "they were not."</p>
+
+<p>Jim was heard roaring unrestrainedly, while four girls in front were
+standing and staring as if at an apparition. All the time, the rain fell
+in a deluge, but Mrs. Vernon jumped out into the mud to see what had
+happened at the rear. Then she, too, gasped.</p>
+
+<p>Both the rails were completely worm-eaten, but how should girls have
+known that? They were placed under the car at a dangerous angle for
+their future use in the fence, and when the good strong muscles of four
+scouts brought their weight upon the rails to lift the car somewhat, the
+timber quickly split up and precipitated the four boosters, face
+downward, in the mud.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, dear me! This is the last straw!" moaned Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;the last rails!" sputtered Julie, trying to laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"Girls&mdash;hold your faces up to the rain and it will wash the mud from
+your eyes!" yelled Judith, who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> waited on the running board for further
+developments.</p>
+
+<p>She had hardly spoken when a swift shaft of blinding light and a
+deafening crack of thunder sent a panic into every one. They were
+stunned for a moment, and then such a howl as went up from nine lusty
+throats!</p>
+
+<p>"We're struck!" yelled some.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, we're killed!" added others, but it took only a second after they
+had caught their breaths to pile, willy-nilly, into the cars, where they
+huddled until the fright had subsided.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after the lightning had struck a large tree further up the road,
+the rain suddenly stopped and the sun shone out as hot and bright as
+ever.</p>
+
+<p>"My! I feel like Pollyanna would," sighed Julie. "'I'm glad, <em>glad</em>,
+<span class="smcap">glad</span>' we weren't standing under that tree!"</p>
+
+<p>"We can only die once," responded Ruth, sighing as she gazed down at the
+flooded road.</p>
+
+<p>"Ruth thinks she'd rather die quickly, than by slow degrees in being
+choked in this mud," laughed Julie, catching Ruth's thought.</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed and that made them feel more cheerful. Then just back
+of them came the sound of horses' hoofs and a kindly voice called out,
+"Well, well, this is some plight you-all are in, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>They turned and beheld a nice old man sitting astride one plow-horse and
+leading a second.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Reckon you didn't know this was one of the worst roads in the county
+when it rains."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon explained how it came about that they were there, and the
+old man said, "Fortunately, I cut across that field in order to reach
+home. I was late and, as this is meeting night, I have to leave home
+earlier than usual. Now I can help you pull out, 'cause my team is
+pretty powerful."</p>
+
+<p>He hitched his horses to the front of the stalled car, and it was soon
+pulled up on higher ground where Jim could crawl under and see what was
+wrong with the works.</p>
+
+<p>"We are most grateful to you, sir, for your timely help," said Mrs.
+Vernon. "How much do we owe you for this great service?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad I could help, madam. I am the parson of the district,
+hereabouts, and I try to do good by the wayside as I walk this
+life-road."</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if you will not accept a gift for yourself, you cannot refuse it
+for your flock. We will give to any needy one in your parish," said Mrs.
+Vernon, handing him a folded bill.</p>
+
+<p>Being sent along the right road with the minister's directions and
+blessing, the cars soon reached Rockwood, and from there, followed the
+usual route to Delgeville. The highway now ended, and a pretty country
+road took its place as far as Salisbury, where a turnpike road began and
+continued as far as Middleville. From the latter town onward, the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> roads
+were indifferent or bad as far as Gravesville.</p>
+
+<p>There were many interesting experiences for the scouts to write up in
+their books later on, such as running into a balky herd of cows and
+being threatened for damages by the farmer; holding their breaths when
+Mrs. Vernon ran over a lot of broken glass sprinkled across the
+road&mdash;but the tires held and no damage was done; stopping to bargain for
+a string of fish that a little freckled-face boy had for sale; and last,
+but not least, just before reaching Gravesville, being warned by a girl
+of twelve of a masquerading constable, further up the road, who arrested
+more speeding drivers than any other constable in the county.</p>
+
+<p>When asked why she showed the scouts this partiality, the girl said:
+"Because I'm going to be a scout myself, as soon as that new Manual gets
+here. I wrote fer it t'other day, and I've got five schoolgirls ready to
+start with me. Maw says she will ask the teacher to be our Captain."</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon followed a good scout talk by Mrs. Vernon, the country girl
+listening with all her wits alert.</p>
+
+<p>"How'd you know we were scouts?" asked Julie, curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"By that pennant flyin' in front, of course!" retorted the girl.</p>
+
+<p>As the scouts drove away, Mrs. Vernon said,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> "She'll make a first-class
+scout, because she uses her eyes and other faculties."</p>
+
+<p>After leaving the town of Gravesville, the scouts took a short cut to
+Prospect, but the roads were steep and rough, and it was all the engines
+could do to mount the grades. Then the opposite down slopes were so
+steep and sudden that it was necessary to put on all brakes and shut off
+the engines.</p>
+
+<p>One of these down grades had a sharp turn at the bottom, with a purling
+stream running under a rustic bridge immediately at the base of the
+mountain. On the other side of the bridge, the road rose abruptly up the
+side of another mountain. The descent was made nicely and the Captain's
+car crossed the bridge, but Jim's car stopped unexpectedly just as it
+reached the bridge at the foot of the mountain.</p>
+
+<p>"Another case of push!" laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"All out!" ordered Jim.</p>
+
+<p>"What now?" called Mrs. Vernon, as she also stopped her car to ask what
+was wrong.</p>
+
+<p>"If only your car was behind, you could shove us across the bridge, but
+there isn't enough room in this trap to do anything."</p>
+
+<p>"Every one will have to help, Jim; the girls can push and pull the car
+back to the grade, while you work the engine. Maybe it will start that
+way," suggested Mrs. Vernon, waving her passengers out to help the
+stranded car.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After half an hour's work, Jim suddenly called, "My! what a lot of
+cotton-heads we are! Here, Captain, just back up and give us a tow
+across the bridge&mdash;that's all!" At this simple remedy every one laughed.</p>
+
+<p>The steep climb of the mountain was accomplished without trouble, and
+there the road wound back and forth like a serpent's trail. Rocks,
+weighing tons, overhung with lovely vines, jutted out from the sides of
+the cut-out road that edged the cliff. Again, mossy dells where
+maidenhair fern waved fragile fronds at the girls, nestled under giant
+groups of pines. The chorus of wild birds mingled with the subdued music
+of falling water, to the keen appreciation of the tourists who delighted
+in this impressive scene as only scouts can.</p>
+
+<p>The cars continued slowly through this peaceful place, but Jim's engine
+suddenly stopped short again. He frowned and got out to examine it.</p>
+
+<p>"Gee, Captain! the tank needs gas and no place at hand to buy the feed.
+What shall I do?"</p>
+
+<p>"We didn't cross that other bridge until we came to it," giggled Julie,
+quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose I've got to tow you along until we find gas, somewhere," said
+Mrs. Vernon. So the second car was harnessed to the leader and they
+started again.</p>
+
+<p>In this manner they traveled until they came to a small settlement that
+boasted an "Emporium" where<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> all the "latest styles and goods were
+sold." On the front porch of this store, in a low rocking-chair, sat the
+owner, a lady of doubtful years. She jumped up spryly when the cars
+stopped at the steps, and smiled invitingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you sell gasoline?" asked Mrs. Vernon, politely.</p>
+
+<p>"I guess I kin oblige you," replied the lady, going indoors.</p>
+
+<p>Jim jumped out and began to unscrew the plug on the tank.</p>
+
+<p>"Now who'd a thought we could get gas in this little shop?" declared
+Ruth, surprised.</p>
+
+<p>"You never can tell! I s'pose she wants to make all she can in every
+way," added Hester.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the lady returned to the door and called out, "Won't you please
+step this way?"</p>
+
+<p>Jim thought she had to fill a measure from some barrel in the back, so
+he went in. But the lady was searching diligently along a shelf of
+bottles until she saw the one she wanted.</p>
+
+<p>"Here they be&mdash;I knew I had 'em somewhere. One's ten cents, and the
+other's a twenty-five cent bottle. But you have to take keer of fire,
+you know."</p>
+
+<p>Jim scratched his head, as he said, "I'll take a five-gallon can,
+please, ma'am."</p>
+
+<p>For a second, the old lady was amazed, but she rose to the occasion and
+showed herself a true business woman, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just out of
+that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> size to-day, but can't you come back to-morrow&mdash;I'll have it
+then?"</p>
+
+<p>Jim laughed. "I need it for the tank. The car won't go on nor come back,
+unless I get some gas for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh! I thought you wanted some to clean gloves, or shoes. That's the
+only kind I keep on hand."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe you can tell us where we can get a gallon or so," said Jim,
+trying hard to keep a straight face.</p>
+
+<p>"If you kin wait until Jed gits back I kin send him to Prospeck Junction
+for a gallin. He can't carry five gallins, I fear."</p>
+
+<p>Jim started out and the shopkeeper followed as she spoke. So Mrs. Vernon
+asked, "Where is Prospect Junction?"</p>
+
+<p>"Jus' over yander, a bit of ways. It's quite a gay resort, I've hear'd
+Jed say, where they sells gas to riders what come through. But I hain't
+never gone there, 'cause I don't mingle with society. I am a church
+member and 'tends to my business." The lady tossed her head with a
+self-righteous air as she said the last words.</p>
+
+<p>Jim said: "I'm sorry that four-ounce bottle wouldn't do, Missus." And
+the scouts bowed as they left her standing on the "stoop."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="iii" id="iii"></a>CHAPTER THREE<br /><br />
+<small>IN THE MOUNTAINS AT LAST</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> scouts finally reached Old Forge, where they had been due a full day
+sooner. Mr. Gilroy was worried at their non-appearance and had
+telephoned to their homes to learn that they had left on time. Then he
+followed them along their route and at some places he heard they had
+stopped and gone again, and at others that they had not yet arrived. But
+the moment the girls saw him and heard his complaint, they laughed at
+his concern.</p>
+
+<p>"Nice way to treat your adopted father&mdash;laugh at him, because he worried
+over his girls!" said he in pretended grievance.</p>
+
+<p>"But what could possibly happen when we had Jim and Verny at the
+wheels?" asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"That's just it! With the Captain leading, I was sure you would be
+jailed for speeding, and would need me to bail you out," teased he.</p>
+
+<p>"We needed baling out when we got in the river-flood, but not in jail!"
+laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"If we had dreamed you had a 'phone way up here, we would have called
+you to help us, that time," added Joan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the story of the mud and flood had to be told, while Mr. Gilroy sat
+on the side-door of the car and directed the Captain which road to take
+to reach his bungalow.</p>
+
+<p>"Did our outfits get here all right, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and they have been down at your camp several days now," replied
+their host.</p>
+
+<p>"How far is our camp from your bungalow, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Betty.</p>
+
+<p>"Not very far&mdash;just a nice walk. Your camp is right on the shore of one
+lake, while my bungalow is on the shore of First Lake, one of the Fulton
+Chain, you know."</p>
+
+<p>The scouts then learned that Mr. Gilroy's estate extended from First
+Lake, where his bungalow was built, across country to Little Moose Lake
+where their camp was to be. This was a distance of about three-quarters
+of a mile between the two places.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll stop at the bungalow first and give you a good square meal after
+all your experiences; then we'll go on over to camp. When your baggage
+is all out of the cars, Jim and I will drive back to my garage where the
+machines can stand."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Jim is going back home with Dad's car, to-morrow," said Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"And Verny is going to keep hers here for the summer," added Julie.</p>
+
+<p>The cold luncheon had been waiting a long time,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> and when the scouts
+finally arrived they did justice to the viands. Then, every one being
+eager to see the new camp-site, they started for the Lake. Here
+everything was in order to receive the tenants. Three fine tents, fully
+equipped with every possible comfort for the campers, were waiting for
+the girls, and a smaller tent for the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, how wonderful! Why, this won't be like roughing it," declared
+several of the girls as they inspected their camp.</p>
+
+<p>"Everything is ready but the fancy touches. You girls will have to add
+them as your experiences pile up," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, collections of butterflies, flower-prints, willow-work, and
+birchbark articles&mdash;all these are fancy touches."</p>
+
+<p>It was late in the afternoon when the scouts arrived at the bungalow,
+and it was twilight before they had their baggage all unpacked and in
+their individual tents. Then when the cars were emptied and it was time
+to drive them back to the garage, Mr. Gilroy said:</p>
+
+<p>"As this is your first night, and everything is strange, you'd better
+come back to the house for a light supper. Get your beds all ready to
+turn into, and then let everything else go until morning."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon approved of this plan, so they finished their tasks and
+jumped in the cars to drive<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> back to the bungalow for the evening.
+Darkness crept into the woods and everything was silent as they reached
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>While Jim followed the host to the garage with the cars, the scouts sat
+on the verandah and enjoyed the quiet of the woods. The stars now began
+to peep out of the deep blue that could be seen here and there through
+the trees, and the Captain reminded the girls:</p>
+
+<p>"Now that we are here for the summer, you must resume your study of the
+stars. You dropped that, you know, when schoolwork took so much of your
+time."</p>
+
+<p>"Most of us know all the stars by heart, Verny," said Betty.</p>
+
+<p>"The names of them, yes, but how many of you can find them as they are
+placed in the sky?" returned Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"I can show you where the Pole Star is. Look there!" replied Joan,
+running out on the grass to find the bright point of light.</p>
+
+<p>"And I can find Great Bear and The Pointers," added Ruth, joining her
+friend on the grass.</p>
+
+<p>The other scouts now jumped up from the verandah and ran to join the
+first two, so the Captain followed, also.</p>
+
+<p>"I know Alcor, Mizor, and the Square of Pegasus," said Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"That panlike group of stars is known as Andromeda,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> added Julie, not
+to be outdone by her chums. "And those three little stars are called The
+Kids. Off to the left of Perseus&mdash;oh, I forgot to say that Perseus is a
+group of stars at the end of the pan-handle,&mdash;well, to the left of them
+are the bright stars known as Capella."</p>
+
+<p>"Bravo! you scouts are going to be marvelous astronomers some day," came
+the approving voice of Mr. Gilroy, as he joined them.</p>
+
+<p>"I was just telling the girls they would have to take up the study of
+the heavens again," mentioned Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"And we were showing off to let the Captain hear how much we know,"
+laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Who can find The Lady in the Chair or The Guards?" asked Mr. Gilroy of
+the scouts.</p>
+
+<p>The girls eagerly sought for and described these groups, then their host
+asked for the Seven Sisters and Demon's Eye. When they had answered
+these, Ruth said:</p>
+
+<p>"If the trees were not so thick I could show you Orion, Taurus, and lots
+more, like the Lion, the Sickle, Canis Major, etc."</p>
+
+<p>"Hoh! Some of those&mdash;and the Clown, the Ox-Driver, the Southern Cross,
+and the Northern Cross&mdash;can't be seen at this time of year, Ruth," said
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Ruth frowned at the correction, but Mr. Gilroy<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> quickly calmed the
+troubled waters with praise for the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"You scouts certainly know the stars better than the boys of Grey Fox
+Troop. I should like to have the two Troops have a match game about the
+stars, some time."</p>
+
+<p>"Who are the Grey Fox boys, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you remember I told you, last summer, of some Boy Scouts who camped
+in my woods every year? Well, four of those boys are here now. The rest
+of the Troop are coming up in August, but these four have all summer to
+camp in. I'm going to introduce you, soon."</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, why can't we see all the stars all the year?" now asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Because the earth turns on its axis, you know, so that certain planets
+are out of sight for us, and are seen on the other side of the globe.
+Then when the earth turns fully around we see them again."</p>
+
+<p>"And the Pole Star is reckoned to be the center of the star-sky for all
+the others to move about it. The Pole Star is always in the same fixed
+place, so we can always locate it. But not so with the other stars,"
+added Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish some one would tell us a story about the stars," Hester now
+said.</p>
+
+<p>"Who will tell one?" asked Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"I know that Mizor and Alcor were used by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> Turks in past days as a
+test for eyesight. Soldiers who could not sight those two stars were
+disqualified for fighting. But in these times I don't believe a little
+thing like bad eyes will hold up a Turk from fighting!" said Julie,
+comically.</p>
+
+<p>Then Joan added: "The Pole Star and Ursa Major, or The Great Bear as it
+is also called, form a shape like a wagon; so in olden times it was
+called King Charles' Wain. Each star in this constellation is known by a
+Greek letter. The two stars 'a' and 'b' are called the 'Pointers'
+because they point to the Pole Star."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I didn't mean lesson stuff, like this," complained Hester. "I meant
+a real live legend!"</p>
+
+<p>"You tell one, Verny," begged Betty, sweetly.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Gilroy is better able to do it. Besides he is the host and is
+supposed to entertain us," returned Mrs. Vernon, glancing at Mr. Gilroy,
+who was stretched out comfortably upon the short grass.</p>
+
+<p>"Your host claims to be completely disabled for the time being, Captain.
+Pray proceed with the legend yourself," laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mrs. Vernon said: "I never could see why Cassiopeia, or The Lady in
+the Chair, should be named that. To me, the stars look more like a
+tipped-over letter 'W' than a lady in a chair."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you know the story, Verny?" asked Julie, eagerly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You do, so why not tell us?" retorted the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, well, then, all right!" said Julie. So she began:</p>
+
+<p>"Once there was an Ethiopian Queen, the wife of Cepheus, who was very
+proud of their only child, a daughter named Andromeda. They were always
+praising her and speaking of her beauty to every one, so that after a
+time folks who also had lovely daughters felt jealous of the princess.</p>
+
+<p>"In the depths of the Inner Sea, which is now the Mediterranean, lived
+Old Nereus and a number of charming daughters. They heard of the Queen's
+bragging about Andromeda, and they made up their minds to stop it. So
+they got their father to help them.</p>
+
+<p>"Then Nereus and the nymphs sent a flood of water over all the country
+of which Cepheus was king, and devastated the kingdom. This caused
+famine and pestilence, and in the wake of these awful plagues came a
+sea-monster in the form of a dragon. This fearful beast bellowed&mdash;&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>At that moment a deep thrilling call from some creature close by in the
+forest-edge caused every one to jump, and they all huddled together.
+They turned and stared apprehensively at the darkness behind them, but
+Mr. Gilroy instantly whispered, "S-sh! Don't breathe, and you will see a
+sight worth watching for."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The moon now sailed from back of the cloud that had obscured it for a
+time, and its cold white light etched everything it touched. Again the
+strange whistling call sounded directly back of the group, and a
+crashing and tearing of underbrush ended with the sudden spring of a
+fine buck, that landed him out on the grass not twenty feet from the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>At the same moment, a plaintive call came from the direction of Silver
+Falls, which was up on the mountainside in front of the bungalow. The
+buck lifted his gigantic antlers in the moonlight, and his sensitive
+snout sniffed angrily as he sensed the invaders of his range; but
+another imperative call from his mate at the Falls compelled him to
+leave these usurpers; so he wheeled gracefully and, with an answering
+call to let his doe know he was coming, trotted down the trail until he
+reached the stream that came from Silver Falls, and there he disappeared
+in the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"What a wonderful sight!" breathed Mrs. Vernon, when the buck was gone.</p>
+
+<p>The girls listened to the dying echoes of those pounding hoofs, and
+sighed. Mr. Gilroy sat up and spoke eagerly, "That is the first buck
+I've ever seen near my bungalow. There are deer in the Adirondacks, but
+they seldom come near a habitation. It is said that they feed in the
+barnyards in winter, looking for stray grain, but I am not here in
+winter, you see."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"How I would have loved to have had a snapshot of him," said Julie,
+sighing.</p>
+
+<p>"You've all got it in your memory&mdash;the best place to frame a picture for
+all time," replied Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"You know, girls, there is an old hunter's saying, that goes: 'A deer to
+welcome you on your first night will bring luck to you all that year,'"
+said Mr. Gilroy, as he turned to lead the way into the bungalow.</p>
+
+<p>"Wait, Mr. Gilroy; Julie never finished her story. She broke off just
+where the beast bellowed&mdash;then came the buck!" said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"The deer finished the story better than we ever could," laughed the
+Captain, as she followed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"But, at least, tell us what happened to those Nerieds?" asked Betty,
+who wished to see the wicked punished.</p>
+
+<p>So Mrs. Vernon had to end the story, although it was condensed in the
+telling. But Betty persisted, "You haven't told us yet what the Nerieds
+did when they found the wonderful Prince Perseus saved and married to
+the Princess."</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed, but Julie replied, "Why, like most jealous people,
+the Nerieds had to move away from town when every one found out how it
+all had happened!"</p>
+
+<p>The "bite" they had before leaving for camp<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> would have been classed as
+a first-class supper in the city restaurants, and then, when good-nights
+were being said, the host gave Jim a laden basket to carry for the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll be glad of this in the morning, for breakfast. If you need
+anything else, run over here and get it from my man who cooks,"
+explained Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>But next morning, the contents of that basket were found to be more than
+enough for any one breakfast. The fruit, cereal, biscuits, and ham to
+broil, were highly appreciated by the hungry girls. This was soon gone,
+and then Mrs. Vernon said they must buckle down to genuine camp life.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd rather sleep out under the trees, Verny, when the weather is so
+fine," suggested Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"So would we," agreed the other scouts, and the Captain said, "Well, we
+might make willow beds for out-of-doors, and keep the cots as they are."</p>
+
+<p>"How do we know we can find any willows around here?" asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"I saw some early this morning when I was snooping about. I got up at
+dawn and left you girls sleeping, while I investigated the premises.
+Girls, the place is simply perfect for <em>anything</em> we might choose to do
+this summer," declared the Captain, enthusiastically.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell us where the reeds are, and we will get them," said Betty.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"They grow about a spring not far from here. We must follow a
+wild-animal trail along the lake to reach the spot."</p>
+
+<p>So the scouts each took an axe and knife and followed the guide to the
+willow-brook where the reeds grew. Mrs. Vernon showed the girls how to
+select the wands, and then began to cut down her own. She took about six
+dozen reeds as thick as a lead-pencil, and many smaller ones; these were
+bundled together, and then she was ready to start back to camp. Finally
+the girls were ready, also, and they trailed back.</p>
+
+<p>"Now girls, each one must cut notches about three-fourths of an inch
+from the butt-ends of the reeds. Then peel the sticks carefully&mdash;do not
+crack or break them while doing it." Mrs. Vernon did hers as she
+advised.</p>
+
+<p>"Now come with me, and select your posts for the beds. I take four young
+birch saplings for the bed-frame," announced Mrs. Vernon, as she chopped
+down the required birches, "and stout birches about four inches thick
+for my bedposts."</p>
+
+<p>Each scout cut hers and then went back to the camp-ground to begin work
+on the Indian beds.</p>
+
+<p>"Every one measure the birch saplings and have two of them seven feet
+long, and two shorter ones three or four feet long," instructed Mrs.
+Vernon. "Lop off all the twigs, and place the two long ones<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> for sides,
+and the two short ones for top and bottom of the bed-frame.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, this done, watch me carefully, girls. This is the important part
+of making the bed," advised the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon took a ball of heavy twine and doubled a long strand so that
+it was half-length. This was twisted into one strand, and a loop tied in
+the middle. Many of these strands were stretched across the frame at
+equal distances apart, until the entire frame had a warp across it.</p>
+
+<p>"Now I'll weave in the reeds," said the Captain, taking one of the thin
+willows and weaving it in and out of the cords. At the loop, the rod was
+thrust through it to hold it centrally in place, then the weaving
+process went on until the end of the frame was reached.</p>
+
+<p>The weaving of each reed was done the same way until the whole frame was
+crossed with willows held firmly in the middle by the loops in the
+cords.</p>
+
+<p>"Next thing, girls, I will cut the posts as I need them. I want them
+about three feet high. One end of each post must be sharpened so it will
+go down into the ground." This was done and the four stout birch posts
+were driven firmly into the ground where Mrs. Vernon wanted her willow
+bed to stand.</p>
+
+<p>"And next, I tie a loop of heavy cord, or rope, about the top of each
+post, in which I can hang my<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> willow-frame." This was also done, and the
+scouts helped place the woven mat in position.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, isn't that simple, when you know how!" said Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Everything is, my dear," laughed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Your bed is too wide for me. I don't want one four feet wide," said
+Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"You can make it as wide, or as narrow, as you like. I think three feet
+is wide enough for each girl," returned the Captain. "But the best of
+these beds is, that when one is invited to visit, one can roll up the
+mat easily and carry it along to sleep on. They are very light and not
+cumbersome to roll and carry."</p>
+
+<p>All that day was given to weaving the beds, and the scouts not only
+enjoyed the novel employment, but had great fun in joking each other
+over the work. About four o'clock that afternoon a shrill whistle was
+heard from the trail that ran to the bungalow and soon thereafter Mr.
+Gilroy was seen coming down towards camp.</p>
+
+<p>"Hullo, there! I waited all morning for visitors, but at last decided to
+come and see if my tenants had abandoned the premises!" explained he, as
+he went over to the weavers to watch them.</p>
+
+<p>"Now you understand why we couldn't visit," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"I came over to ask how many of you have been fishing? And what did you
+catch?" said he.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"No, we haven't fished yet. We planned to try it the very moment we are
+through with these beds," replied Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Then perhaps you have not been near the lake-cove since you went
+hunting for willows this morning," remarked Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"The cove? I saw two boats there early this morning," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"And now there are two canoes there, also," added Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, really! But how did you manage to get them there&mdash;by paddling in
+from the lake?" asked Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I had them brought from my boathouse this morning. While Jim was
+here, I made use of him by having him help Hiram carry two canoes over
+to the boat-wagon, and then drive down here. Not a soul nor a sound was
+seen or heard about the camp, so I surmised you had all gone on a lark.
+Then we launched the canoes and tied them to a stump to surprise you
+when you should go for the boats. We never dreamed you could keep away
+from temptation so long as this."</p>
+
+<p>"Goody! Then the first scout that finishes her bed can go and catch fish
+for supper," declared Amy, who was the slowest of the weavers.</p>
+
+<p>They all laughed teasingly, and soon afterwards, Julie cried, "I'm done!
+Now for the fish!"</p>
+
+<p>Joan and Ruth soon completed their beds, too, so<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> Mr. Gilroy went out
+with them to fish. That evening he was invited to sup with the scouts,
+and a jolly time they had. In the evening, while sitting about the dying
+campfire, he said to the girls:</p>
+
+<p>"The first rainy day that comes along I want you all to come to the
+bungalow and see my collection of moths, flowers, birds, and
+butterflies. I have a fine exhibit of butterflies, among them are rare
+specimens that have seldom been found in these mountains. You scouts
+will want to start collecting after you see what I have done."</p>
+
+<p>"I shall be delighted to look at them, as I have always wanted my girls
+to do something along those lines," said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"If you know anything about butterflies, you will prize the specimen of
+swallow-tail I found in these woods," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Really! But I've heard they were never found in America, Mr. Gilroy,"
+exclaimed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"I know that is a common belief, but I have one, nevertheless, and a
+friend who devotes his time to studying insect-life assured me that the
+one I caught was genuine. Then, the very next day this friend caught one
+quite near the place where mine was taken. This led us to investigate,
+and we reached the conclusion that there are rare butterflies hatched
+out in isolated sections of this land, but are not found; so, of course,
+no mention is made of them.</p>
+
+<p>"Even if the farmers see a swallow-tail, or any<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> other rare butterfly
+hovering over their gardens, they don't know the difference, and it
+passes safely. If that same farmer knew the value of the specimen he
+would leave all else to chase the gauzy flutterer."</p>
+
+<p>When it came time for the visitor to say good-night, he said, "Oh, I
+forgot all about the very object of my visit!"</p>
+
+<p>"It must have been awfully important," laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, <em>we</em> think it is," chuckled Mr. Gilroy. "The boys of Grey Fox
+Camp sent me to invite you to have dinner with them to-morrow, if it is
+clear."</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Mr. Gilroy!" exclaimed Julie, scarcely believing her idol could
+forget such an important matter.</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed at his guilty look, and Judith teasingly said, "We
+ought to call him 'The Man Who Lost His Memory,' for that!"</p>
+
+<p>"All fooling aside, scouts, I have a suggestion to make on that very
+remark. I've wanted to mention it before, but always there was some
+exciting or important matter that could not be interrupted. Now I wish
+you girls would stop 'mistering' me! I am such an old friend by this
+time, I should think I could be to you as much as the Captain is. She is
+'Verny' instead of 'Mrs. Vernon.'"</p>
+
+<p>Julie was ready with an answer before he had quite finished his
+complaint. "Oh, we would love to give you a pet name, Gilly, because you
+do mean<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> as much to us as our best friends anywhere. By taking a few
+letters away from your proper name and adding a little 'nick' to the
+syllable, we have one ready-made."</p>
+
+<p>"Fine! 'Gilly' it shall be henceforth!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"But it is so disrespectful, I think," remonstrated Mrs. Vernon.
+"Couldn't we find some other affectionate term that will do without
+impressing strangers with our lack of courtesy to our friend?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you object to 'Gilly?'" asked Mr. Gilroy, quizzically.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't really find any tangible excuse, except that it makes me think
+of gilly-flowers, you know," laughed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>Every one joined in the laughter, but Mr. Gilroy said seriously, "Well,
+I am not old enough to be 'Granny' to the girls and I dare not request
+to be called 'Daddy' by them, or their rightful parents will call me out
+to fight a duel, so do let us leave it 'Gilly.' The boys of Grey Fox
+always wanted to use a friendlier name than a 'Mr.' but they never came
+to it. Now we will begin the habit."</p>
+
+<p>Before Mr. Gilroy left the camp, the name was established.</p>
+
+<p>They were to meet at Mr. Gilroy's bungalow early in the morning, so he
+could start them on the right trail. He was going over in the car with
+supplies<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> for the boys, but the hikers preferred the novelty of
+adventuring on foot.</p>
+
+<p>Early the following morning, breakfast being cleared away, each scout
+was advised to take an axe, a clasp-knife, a bit of twine, a tin cup,
+and some waterproof matches.</p>
+
+<p>"But why should we bother with such stuff?" asked Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"One never knows whether one will arrive at the right destination or
+not. Should we get lost, we at least have something with which to get a
+meal," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you going to carry that little bag of flour?" asked Hester,
+curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and a strip of bacon that is wrapped in the paper. I'm not going
+to starve, if worst comes to worst," laughed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"A lot of good a strip of bacon will do for ten of us!" said Judith. But
+she had not been with the scouts when they camped at Verny's Mountain
+the foregoing summer.</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Gilroy heard about the bacon and flour, he laughed. "Why, it is
+only two or three hours' tramp over the ridge, and a big dinner will be
+waiting when you get there."</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon held her peace, but carried the bacon and flour just the
+same. She was not to be jeered out of what she knew to be a wise act,
+whether the food would be needed or not.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="iv" id="iv"></a>CHAPTER FOUR<br /><br />
+<small>A VISIT TO GREY FOX CAMP</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Each</span> girl wore hiking boots, her camp uniform, and carried a light pack
+containing the ax, cup, knife and matches. A few of the girls, secretly
+following the Captain's example, packed a strip of bacon and crackers,
+or other eatables in their packs. Mr. Gilroy saw them safely started on
+the right trail, and then drove away in his car. He followed a
+woodcutters' road that wound around the mountain, but the scouts were to
+use the trail that ran over the crest to the boys' camp.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts were brimming over with spirits (Julie said, "not the kind
+made in the moonshine, either"), and spent so much time examining
+flowers or watching wonderful birds that the time sped by unawares. The
+trail led through small clearings where a brook or waterfall made life
+worth living. But the higher they climbed the more rugged grew the
+trail, until there were long stretches that seemed to be sheer
+wilderness.</p>
+
+<p>At such places, the scouts had to hunt about and find a blaze to guide
+them further. In this way,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> the hours passed and noon came; still the
+hikers were far from Grey Fox Camp.</p>
+
+<p>"And I'm starved to pieces!" Joan assured them all.</p>
+
+<p>"So'm I!" admitted Ruth. Then it was learned that every one present
+would appreciate something to eat.</p>
+
+<p>"But what? We only brought flour and bacon," laughed Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"How would a fine juicy steak taste about this time?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+winking at her old scouts. They knew what she meant.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, 'Home and Mother'!" sighed Judith, rolling her eyes heavenward.</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed, but the Captain added: "I really mean it! We may as
+well stop now to cook that steak as to keep on in a half-fainting
+condition."</p>
+
+<p>"But, Verny! We didn't bring one bit of meat to camp, and the butcher
+drives his rounds once a week," cried Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll just hunt around and chop down a steak," suggested Mrs. Vernon.
+"Who wants to go with me to find the wooden animal that grows a steak
+ready-made?"</p>
+
+<p>Of course, they all went, except Julie and Joan who remained to build a
+fire and start the bacon sizzling in the tiny pan. A scout-twist of
+flour and water was kneaded by Joan and put to bake near<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> the fire, and
+then the girls sat and waited for the others to return.</p>
+
+<p>The Captain blazed a way slowly into the forest wilderness, peering
+under bushes and wherever a tree had been cut down&mdash;on its stump of a
+trunk she always looked eagerly. After about ten minutes' search she saw
+what she wanted.</p>
+
+<p>"Ah! Here it is&mdash;a porterhouse, this time."</p>
+
+<p>The new members saw a great chestnut stump, its jagged spears of wood
+protesting against its untimely end. But all over the trunk grew
+fungi&mdash;some larger, some smaller, and all of the same flat horizontal
+shape, like a huge palm-leaf. These were carefully removed and handed to
+the girls to carry.</p>
+
+<p>"What are they for?" asked Judith, looking at the red juice that ran
+over her fingers when she took the fungus.</p>
+
+<p>"That's your steak&mdash;think it is too big for one?"</p>
+
+<p>"The what?" exclaimed the other new members, skeptically.</p>
+
+<p>"Beefsteak mushroom&mdash;finest steaks ever tasted," came reassuringly from
+the Captain. "The ones growing on a chestnut stump are always the
+sweetest, but the chestnut trees are disappearing so fast that soon we
+will have no such mushrooms from them."</p>
+
+<p>When they had gathered enough steaks for that meal, they returned to the
+clearing where Julie and Joan awaited them. On the way back, Mrs.
+Vernon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> showed the scouts the earmarks of the beefsteak mushroom.</p>
+
+<p>"When I cut these from the tree they bled exactly as flesh will bleed
+when it is cut. Now turn them over and you will see on the under side
+that they have veins of red. That is the life-sap. We will broil or cook
+them exactly as if they were steaks and then you shall judge of their
+flavor."</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't it thrilling to think that man can go right into any wilderness
+and, without carrying food, clothing, or shelter, live with what Nature
+provides," remarked Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and without paying the outrageous prices charged at the present
+time for actual necessities," replied the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>The bread-twist was baked, and when the steaks were washed and sliced,
+Mrs. Vernon dropped them into the hot fat tried out from the bacon.
+Immediately the smell of frying steak made every scout smack her lips in
+anticipation.</p>
+
+<p>"If we weren't sure of such a fine dinner awaiting us, I would have had
+a few of you girls gather young bracken for a fresh green vegetable to
+eat with our steak. But we must not stop and enjoy too much by the
+wayside," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>There was a liberal slice of steak for each one and the girls pronounced
+the taste of it delicious.</p>
+
+<p>"And so tender, too! I never had such a juicy bit of meat," said
+Hester.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Having refreshed themselves considerably, with the fun of finding the
+mushrooms and cooking them, to say nothing of eating them, also, the
+scouts continued the hike along the trail. Just as they reached the
+crest of the mountain, Julie came suddenly upon a fawn, standing in the
+shadow of a tree; it was watching these queer two-legged creatures.</p>
+
+<p>It is hard to say which was most surprised, Julie or the deer, but the
+fawn recovered first and bounded away through the forest.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, shucks! There we've gone and left that camera home again!" cried
+Julie, stamping her foot angrily.</p>
+
+<p>"Wouldn't that have made the most wonderful picture!" added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"No use crying now, but, for goodness sake! Julie, remember to bring it
+next time," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Let <em>every one</em> remember&mdash;the last thing to do when we start anywhere,
+every one is to say to herself: 'Remember the <em>Maine</em>!' then we will
+surely take the camera," giggled Julie.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts now began descending the other side of the crest, and found a
+better trail than on the side they came up. So, being able to go faster,
+they soon reached a lovely camp-site, where the voices of several boys
+announced that Grey Fox Camp was reached.</p>
+
+<p>"We were just being sworn in as deputies to go out and hunt for strayed
+or stolen scouts," called<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> Mr. Gilroy, jocularly, as the girls picked
+their way down from the great rocks that formed a wall back of the
+camp-ground; then he introduced the two Troops to each other.</p>
+
+<p>"You told us it was about a two-hours' hike!" said Ruth, shaking her
+head at Mr. Gilroy, as if in despair of saving his soul.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, so it is, when the boys are in a hurry to get to the bungalow."</p>
+
+<p>"We've been five hours coming, and had to stop for lunch along the way,
+too," said Judith, eager to talk about the beefsteak.</p>
+
+<p>The boys stared. "Why, you were to have dinner with us! Didn't Mr.
+Gilroy tell you that?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but we couldn't wait so long. We're ready for more dinner, now,"
+said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"What did you cook for luncheon?" asked Alec, the oldest boy in the
+Troop.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, only a beefsteak-mushroom and a scout-twist," returned Julie,
+nonchalantly.</p>
+
+<p>The boys exchanged glances. "Did you find the mushrooms along the way?"
+asked another boy named Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure! Did you think they came preserved?" laughed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"No, but <em>we</em> have never found any on this side of the hill. Bob often
+goes out to hunt, but so far we've never seen any," explained another
+boy, Ned Thompson.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"When we go back, you can go with us a ways, and we will show you where
+we found the ones we had for luncheon," said Betty.</p>
+
+<p>"Is dinner ready, boys, or will there be time to show the girls about
+the camp?" asked Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Show them about, as it will take us ten minutes more to finish
+everything in style," replied Alec.</p>
+
+<p>So the girl scouts were invited to pass judgment on the fine camp the
+boy scouts had made. Everything was neat as wax, and the boys had
+constructed many convenient articles from wildwood material only.</p>
+
+<p>"Last year we had eight boys in camp, but this season only four could
+come in the beginning; so they have lots of room in their big tee pee.
+When the other boys come out, they will have to make another tent. They
+made and water-proofed this one themselves," explained Mr. Gilroy,
+showing the visitors the fine big tent.</p>
+
+<p>"They built this dining-room, too, to use if the weather is very bad. I
+told the boys about your corduroy floor that you made in your huts last
+summer, so they tried it here with very good result."</p>
+
+<p>The girl scouts now saw their own idea put into use in a different
+manner. The log floor was hard and dry, but at each corner rose a stout
+pole, and upon the tops of the four pole ends was stretched a canvas
+roof, making a shelter underneath.</p>
+
+<p>"Girls, we ought to do the same thing, to use<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> for meal time when it
+rains, or if the rays of the sun are too hot," observed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy then pointed out to the girls how careful the boys had been
+in selecting this camp-site. They had high, dry ground, near plenty of
+fine spring water, on the same lake where the girl scouts camped, but an
+arm of high land extended out into the water and separated the two
+camps.</p>
+
+<p>"You see, they have ample firewood about without cutting down any trees;
+they get the early morning sun, and shade all the rest of the day. They
+ditched the entire place to carry off all the rainwater that might wash
+down from the crest during a heavy storm. And they built a refrigerator
+to keep things cold; and over there they have a chicken-coop."</p>
+
+<p>"A chicken coop! where did they get the chickens?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Ned had some at home and he crated them and brought them along. The
+boys get fresh eggs in this way, and when the season is over, they will
+kill the hens for a special occasion and eat them."</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, that's what we need, a few chickens in camp," was Joan's
+decision, the moment she saw the hens scratching.</p>
+
+<p>"I noticed Gilly had a lot of chickens running about the barnyard. Maybe
+he will loan us a few, just to provide us with eggs this summer. We can
+return them in the fall, you know," ventured Julie, daringly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Who will buy their corn?" asked he, laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>"No one. We will feed them scraps and they can scratch!" promptly
+replied Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"You'll starve them and then they won't lay any eggs," now said Alec,
+joining the party.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll smile on Hiram and get him to bring us some corn from the barn,
+now and then," said Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"I came over to tell you dinner was ready to serve. We had better go
+now, and eat it while it's good," said Alec.</p>
+
+<p>The boys had various things hanging over the fire, but the great novelty
+that caught the girl scouts' attention, at once, was the roaster upon
+which a nice brown chicken was swinging before the fire.</p>
+
+<p>"There! That's a fine idea. How did you make it?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+looking closely at the contraption.</p>
+
+<p>Alec described to the Captain the method of making the roaster. "We took
+a forked stick, as you see there, of about a two-foot length. We drove
+that down into the ground about six inches. Next we took a long pole,
+six or eight feet long, and drove the end down into the ground just back
+of the short stick with the forks. It rested in the crotch made by the
+forks so that its tapering end slanted upward at an angle, as you see
+here.</p>
+
+<p>"From the end of this long pole we hung the cord that holds the chicken.
+Wire is just as good to use. Then we arranged that flat, paddle-like
+fan<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> halfway between the top and the rope end where the roast will hang.
+As your chicken roasts before the fire, that mill-fan keeps it
+perpetually turning about so it browns alike all over."</p>
+
+<p>Julie wanted to make one like it as soon as they went back to their own
+camp, so she hastily sketched a model.</p>
+
+<p>"It is a great stunt, all right, and we've cooked many dandy roasts this
+way, and never scorched any," said Bob, when Alec concluded his
+description.</p>
+
+<p>The dinner began with oyster-mushroom stew, then they had roast chicken,
+baked wild-potatoes, stewed bracken that tasted exactly like young
+spinach, dandelion salad, and scout cakes for dessert.</p>
+
+<p>It was mid-afternoon when the girls finally said good-by to their hosts,
+and invited them soon to visit Dandelion Camp. They started on the
+return hike, but when they reached the highest boulder back of the camp,
+the scouts stood and waved good-by again.</p>
+
+<p>"Come as soon as you can, but give us a whole day's warning, first!"
+shouted Julie, to the four smiling boys below.</p>
+
+<p>They made much better time going back, as the trail from Grey Fox Camp
+was plain, and going down the other side of the crest was much simpler
+than climbing up. They got back to their own camp by seven o'clock, and
+were surprised to find Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> Gilroy there before them, with supper all
+ready to eat.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, this sure is good of you!" sighed Julie, dropping upon the grass
+with healthy fatigue.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought you'd appreciate it; I had no exercise to-day, except what I
+got running the car, so I decided to 'do a good turn' and digest that
+dinner at the same time," said he.</p>
+
+<p>After supper, which was unusually late that night, the tired scouts and
+their visitor were sitting about the campfire hoping some one would tell
+a story, when Julie spoke:</p>
+
+<p>"Last summer, Gilly said he would tell us all sorts of Indian legends
+when we visited camp in the Adirondacks. Now we're here and this is the
+right sort of an evening to tell them."</p>
+
+<p>The other scouts seconded the suggestion, but Mr. Gilroy said: "Funny,
+but I don't remember that promise."</p>
+
+<p>"I told you you've got an awful memory&mdash;didn't I want to dub you 'The
+man-with-a-poor-memory?'" teased Judith.</p>
+
+<p>The guest sat gazing silently into the fire for a few minutes, then he
+began:</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to tell you a story that is told by the Alaskan Indians.
+These ancient legends have been handed down from one generation to
+another, but the original goes back before the days of Moses. I was
+deeply interested in a few of these tales because<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> they sounded so much
+like our story of Creation as told in Genesis, that I wondered if a
+white missionary had sown his seeds of Christianity in the fertile soil
+of the Alaskan Esquimaux' mind.</p>
+
+<p>"But as far as I could ascertain this legend was told many hundreds of
+years before white man ever stepped on Alaskan ground. Recently I
+learned that Iceland has similar legends, and it may be that the Alaskan
+Esquimaux are descended from those of Iceland. It is well known that
+Iceland is the oldest civilized land in the world&mdash;that it was famous
+for its learning before the days of Solomon the Wise."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="v" id="v"></a>CHAPTER FIVE<br /><br />
+<small><a name="story2" id="story2"></a>A STORY OF CREATION<a class="a1" href="#story">*</a></small></h2>
+
+<h3>A Legend of Raven</h3>
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">No</span> one knows just how Raven first came to be, and we have many
+different beginnings to start from, but in Sitka we know that Raven
+never had beginning nor will he have an ending.</p>
+
+<p>"Raven was always the All-in-all, and, as he knew all things and made
+all, he began to wish to have a form of his wisdom that, too, would live
+on with him forever. So it was that he made him a son to help in the
+creation. And the son's name, also, was Raven. And now it is of Raven,
+Son of Raven, that we speak.</p>
+
+<p>"Raven was instructed in every form of knowledge and he was trained in
+every wise thing, so that when he grew up he would have everything
+necessary to make a glorious world, where all beautiful wishes and every
+good idea would be objectified,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> and would remain forever a praise and
+prayer to Raven, the Father Creator.</p>
+
+<p>"So Raven made the world, but he found there was no light with which to
+show the beauty and form of what he had created. Then, after deep
+thinking, he remembered his father to have said that there was a large
+lodge far up the Nass where One kept all the Light that ever could be
+found.</p>
+
+<p>"Raven tried many ways in which to reach this house on the Nass, but the
+way was unknown to every one, so he wandered afar, seeking for the true
+trail. One day he helped an old lame man along the path and, for
+gratitude, the old man said: 'You seek the One of Nass who keeps the
+Light?'</p>
+
+<p>"Raven replied, 'Yea, for many days have I sought Him.'</p>
+
+<p>"Then the lame old man smiled a strange smile, and said, 'I know of but
+one way to bring this great Light into the world you made, and that way
+is to send forth that Light through the daughter of the One with the
+Light.'</p>
+
+<p>"'But, Brother, how do I know there is such a daughter? And if there be,
+how shall I receive the Light through her?'</p>
+
+<p>"'O Raven, thou art a great creator! Thy father is All-in-all of the
+North, and the daughter of Light will joyously send forth this Light you
+need to show the beauties of your world,' said the old wayfarer.</p>
+
+<p>"'Then tell me this, O Brother, for I seem not to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> know how to reach the
+Virgin of the Light, despite all the wisdom I have been taught,'
+anxiously begged Raven.</p>
+
+<p>"'Then hark to my words, O Son of Raven: I will turn you into a small
+drop of water, and fly with you over the House of Light. As I pass the
+pool whence comes the water for drink, I will drop you into a glass the
+Virgin holds ready to quaff. Then you will know what to do.'</p>
+
+<p>"Raven showed his surprise, for he had believed the old man to be lame
+and helpless, and now he found he was a Wise Man who could find his way
+wheresoever he would go.</p>
+
+<p>"Then the old man, with the wonderful drop of water held carefully in
+his palm, flew over the House of Light, and passed low down over the
+pool where the Virgin stood ready to drink.</p>
+
+<p>"As she raised the cup to her lips, the drop of pure water which had
+been Raven, fell into the liquid, and she drank all that the vessel
+held.</p>
+
+<p>"Now this drop of clear water grew and became a man-child, and the
+Virgin knew she was to bring forth the Light unto the World, that all
+might enjoy the beauties of creation. So she was happy and praised Raven
+and the Father of Raven, day and night, for having given himself to
+become a little drop of water that the Light might be born.</p>
+
+<p>"When the time came for the Light to be revealed, the Virgin prepared a
+royal bed of furs of great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> value for the Man of Light to be born on.
+But the babe struggled and refused to be born in a state of riches, and
+he whispered to the Virgin: 'The world of joy and riches needs me not,
+but the world of sorrow and darkness needs me. I will shed this Light on
+such as are heavyladen and weary.' So the Virgin knew the Light must be
+born in meekness and humility, that all brothers could find Raven
+without pomp or pay.</p>
+
+<p>"So the birthplace was lined with common Iceland moss, and the child of
+Light was born thereon. The moss-bed was made up in a room that had been
+used for the humblest things in the Great House of Light: that is, for
+the storing of queer bundles, some large, some small, and all of various
+shapes and colors. And when the babe looked around at the walls of his
+birthplace, his eyes shone like stars and a heavenly smile beamed from
+his face, for <em>he</em> knew what those bundles contained!</p>
+
+<p>"As the child waxed strong and beautiful, the mother saw that it yearned
+for something she had not hitherto given him, so a servant was ordered
+to seek everywhere and find what it was the babe craved.</p>
+
+<p>"Finally, the attendant moved a bundle that hung at the farthest end of
+the room. And as he did so, the child laughed and his eyes shone
+brightly.</p>
+
+<p>"'Bring that bundle here&mdash;it is what the Babe<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> wanted!' declared the
+mother. So the unwieldy bundle was placed upon the bed.</p>
+
+<p>"The mother carefully removed a wrapper, but found still others to undo.
+Finally all the wrappers were taken away and but one remained. This was
+of a wonderful shimmering material such as no one had ever beheld
+before. The mother reverently opened this cover, and lo! there lay
+revealed all the Stars of Heaven!</p>
+
+<p>"The Child gurgled with joy, and took the corner of the shimmering cover
+and drew it, with the contents, over to himself. He looked upwards, and
+with a wonderful expression in his sweet face, suddenly flung the bright
+cover and all the Stars it held, up through the smoke-hole of the lodge.</p>
+
+<p>"With a happy, joyous laugh, he watched the Stars scatter far and wide
+to rest finally in the Firmament, and there they shine to this very day!</p>
+
+<p>"The Virgin Mother then knew that this child truly was Raven, the Son of
+Raven, and she commanded every one to bow down in worship, for he had
+been given the power to bring Light to the world of darkness, and no
+more would darkness cover the people.</p>
+
+<p>"Soon after the Stars were fixed in the Firmament of Heaven, the child
+again yearned and seemed to pine for something. But now the mother knew
+what had to be done, so she commanded an attendant to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> take down the
+bundle that hung in the corner whence the Stars came.</p>
+
+<p>"This bundle was brought over to the mother, but it was smaller than the
+first bundle that had held all the Stars. The Mother carefully undid the
+many wrappings of this bundle, and found the last covering was made of a
+filmy frosty texture which had no opening or end that might be unrolled.</p>
+
+<p>"But the child held out his hands eagerly for the bundle, and the moment
+it had been given him, he found the secret opening and then unrolled the
+cover. When the last frosty bit of gauzy cloud fell away from the
+contents so carefully preserved, every one exclaimed in wonder at the
+beauty they beheld. There was a big Moon, cool and shining, then as now!</p>
+
+<p>"The child clapped his hands with delight, and wafted the Moon with its
+frosty gauze covering up through the smoke-hole of the room and it
+became fixed as the Stars, to give light through the hours of darkness,
+that the earth need not stumble and fall upon a black pathway.</p>
+
+<p>"The third bundle was great and difficult to reach, but the child cried
+for it and the servants had to work and struggle to reach it, until
+finally, down it came. And as it fell, it sent forth sparks of strange
+fire that consumed not a thing, yet prevented any servant from handling
+the bundle.</p>
+
+<p>"The child laughed and clapped his hands, but<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> finding no one could hold
+the flaming bundle, he crept over and took it. The mother stood
+affrighted lest the Child of Light be consumed. But he unwrapped each
+covering himself, and when the last dazzling wrapper was revealed, no
+human being durst gaze upon that Light. But he who was born of Light
+looked upon what was hidden in that covering and flung all up through
+the smoke-hole to take its place in the Firmament of Heaven, where it
+shines like unto a Sun&mdash;to-day, as in those days. And it was given the
+world to shed its rays of Light upon the earth by day, even as the Moon
+shines for Light by night, and the Stars sing for joy and gladness that
+Light came to the world.</p>
+
+<p>"After the Sun, and Moon, and Stars were made, this man-child did many
+wonderful things that astonished all who came to the House of Light to
+hear and see such a marvelous being. But there was still one bundle left
+hanging in a very gloomy corner of the birth-chamber, and this bundle
+was left until the child grew to the stature of a man. Then he demanded
+that it be given him.</p>
+
+<p>"'No, no, my son,' wept the mother, 'do not ask for that&mdash;it contains
+Death.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Know then that <em>I</em> know it,' returned the young man, seriously.
+'Knowest thou not why I came to be born of the Light? Not only that the
+world might have eternal Light, but also to dispel all<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> darkness that
+Eternal Life might come through the overcoming of this Death.</p>
+
+<p>"'The Light I had, and the Light I gave, but through forever closing the
+gates of Death to the world I forever fix this Light of Life in the
+Heavens that no one can darken it more.'</p>
+
+<p>"The mother wept for she knew her son must die if he took down that
+bundle, but he replied: 'For this great mission was I sent to you that,
+through you, should be given birth to Light, and thus establish for all
+time the Light for the world.'</p>
+
+<p>"Sorrowing, the mother herself took down the bundle and brought it to
+her son, and no servant might remain in the room when Raven, Son of
+Raven, removed the coverings of Death. As the last wrapper was removed
+and the mother saw the heavy shroud that folded itself clingingly about
+the ghastly contents of that bundle, she ran weeping from the room, for
+she dared not watch her son accept it.</p>
+
+<p>"So the birth-room remained closed while Raven fought with Death, but
+after three shinings of the Sun, and three shinings of the Moon, and
+with the shining of the Stars as they sang softly, a blinding Light
+shone through all the walls of the House of Light, and the mother with
+her attendants ran to open the door of the birth-chamber, now called the
+Room of Death. But behold! the man Raven himself was revealed in shining
+raiments, shining like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> the Sun, and he smiled upon those who fell down
+in awe at sight of him.</p>
+
+<p>"'I have destroyed Death for all, and now I go to shine in the Heavens
+with this Light of Life that was given me. All who will may follow where
+I go,' said Raven.</p>
+
+<p>"'And at that, he rose through the smoke-hole and took his place in
+Heaven, but his Light shone then and shines now into every corner of
+darkness in the world. And the day is come when there is no more
+darkness, for rich and poor, good and bad, and every created thing made
+by Raven, see the Light that transforms everything into lights that find
+their places in the Firmament of Heaven.'</p>
+
+<p>"Raven, Son of Raven, sat hidden in the Great Light that he received
+when Death was overcome, but he saw that the earth was without form.
+Then he desired to create seas and mountains upon the face of the void,
+and he sat thinking and thinking for many a time.</p>
+
+<p>"Suddenly he remembered that in the House of Light there was a wonderful
+pool of clear water. So he sent a ray from the Sun down through the
+clouds and thereby drew up enough water to drink. But he did not swallow
+the cooling water. He held it in his mouth and flew with it over the
+whole earth which was void of form.</p>
+
+<p>"He spat forth a drop of this water and it became the source of the
+River Nass. Another drop from<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> his mouth became the Stikine River, and
+the third drop became the Taku River. Then followed the Chilkat, the
+Alsek, and finally, all the great rivers of the North.</p>
+
+<p>"But Raven found he would need more water for seas and oceans and lakes,
+so he sat again, and by thinking and thinking he received the idea.</p>
+
+<p>"It was not according to his wish to send a sunbeam to the pool of
+eternal water in the House of Light, to bring up more of that pure water
+to him, and he was happy when he conceived the idea that came to him.
+And this it was:</p>
+
+<p>"'If the rivers I made, run on eternally because their source came from
+the House of Light, why shall I not guide them all to one great
+meeting-place and call that the Ocean? But as they run to this one rest,
+even so will I give them smaller rests along the way, and at these
+resting-places they may spread out upon the bosom of the earth. These
+rests will I call Lakes. Then there will come times when the Ocean,
+which is continually filled from the eternal source of the Rivers, must
+needs overflow its boundaries. And these overflows will fill up the
+great holes in the earth. So these I will call Seas.</p>
+
+<p>"'Even as the Sun sent his ray to carry me the drink from the pool that
+is in the House of Light, so will I command the Sun and the Moon and the
+Stars to govern the waters of the earth, and thus the Lights in the
+Firmament of the Heavens will<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> draw up any surplus overflows, that these
+may turn to moisture in the cloudy coverings that wrapped the Lights
+before they became fixed in the Firmament. The Clouds will rain down
+refreshing drink upon all lands on the earth, that all things may
+replenish themselves and so live eternally, in one grand bond of
+Brotherhood, loving and helping each other, from the Great to the Small,
+and from Small to Great.'</p>
+
+<p>"And it was as Raven desired. So to this day, the Sun and Moon and all
+the Stars work together in harmony to keep the Rivers and Lakes, and
+Seas, and Ocean within their bounds and to replenish all things.</p>
+
+<p>"But Raven found afterwhile that so much water flowing ceaselessly from
+the Source, and the rain that fell from the Clouds upon the land, made
+the earth so wet that it was not a good place to dwell upon. Then he
+began to think and think again, of how he might create something to dry
+up the surplus moisture.</p>
+
+<p>"Now he was walking by a great ocean, one day, still thinking of plans
+to dry away any unpleasant dampness, when he saw a Petrel sitting on a
+rocky promontory.</p>
+
+<p>"'Brother,' called Raven to the bird, 'how came you here?'</p>
+
+<p>"'I? Oh, I was born when the waters were sent to earth. How came you
+here&mdash;and where were you born?' asked the Petrel.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"'I? Oh, I was born before the world was thought of, so I have no
+beginning and no end,' replied Raven.</p>
+
+<p>"'Ha! Tis well said, but rings not true,' the Petrel jeered. 'No one
+ever was before this world was created, and no one ever shall remain
+when this world ends.'</p>
+
+<p>"'I am Raven, Son of Raven, and because you know not the Truth of
+Creation, but believe the Lie, you shall henceforth go about in a fog.
+Your name shall be earth-made, and you shall dream dreams in this fog,
+but you may not see the Light until that day when the whole world shall
+be freed from all forms of darkness!'</p>
+
+<p>"And instantly, a fog-cover fell over Petrel, because he knew not the
+Truth told by Raven, Son of Raven. And the fog so hid from the eyes of
+Petrel the Sun and Moon and Stars that came from the House of Light,
+that he believed <em>them</em> to be controlled by a Lie, also.</p>
+
+<p>"But Raven learned that the fog he had called forth from the waters on
+the earth made the place still more moist and not good for a place of
+sojourn. Then he planned to dry it away quickly.</p>
+
+<p>"Petrel, the earth-bound, was left groping in the fog for the Truth he
+had scorned and now could not find, and Raven passed to a place where he
+saw something floating on the wave not far from shore.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> He failed to
+recognize it as of his creating, so he wished to reach it.</p>
+
+<p>"While looking about for something to use to reach it, he saw a bird
+with a very long bill, watching him. This bird was not like anything he
+had created so he knew it must be an offspring of the fog, mist-made,
+and related to Petrel.</p>
+
+<p>"Raven then commanded this bird, 'Fly out over the water and bring back
+yon floating object.'</p>
+
+<p>"The bird with a long bill was a chicken-hawk, and it lived by killing
+weaker and smaller birds than itself. Raven knew this was its way the
+moment he saw it was mist-made, and so he sent it on this errand.</p>
+
+<p>"The chicken-hawk dared not refuse to go after the bright object
+floating on the wave, but he said to himself, 'I'll drop it if it is not
+good for me to carry!'</p>
+
+<p>"Raven knew this evil intent, and said, 'When you have taken hold of the
+object, do not drop it till you have brought it ashore.'</p>
+
+<p>"So the chicken-hawk left in no good humor, and flew out to the wave,
+where he found a mass of fire floating there. He was a coward, such as
+all mist-made creatures are, and he feared to bring in the great ball of
+fire, yet he dared not disobey the command of a superior being like
+Raven. So he tore off a mouthful only, and that is how he came to be so
+badly burned. Had he caught hold of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> the whole mass of flame, the
+outside of which really had been cooled as it rolled about upon the
+waves, he could have escaped without an injury.</p>
+
+<p>"He brought the piece of fire to shore, and Raven said, 'Because you
+were cowardly and obeyed me only through fear, your beak shall remain
+forever burned off and short as it now is.'</p>
+
+<p>"And so it is to this day, and shall be until Light redeems all things.</p>
+
+<p>"Raven then took some chips of red cedar and some white stones, and
+mixed them in the fire. These were distributed over all the earth, so
+that many great forests grew up from the cedar shavings, and thus
+absorbed the surplus moisture on the land. And mighty volcanoes were
+formed of the red-hot stones, and these, in consuming the water under
+the surface, steamed and spewed forth the massive rocks and varied-hued
+stones that gave peaks and cliffs as pleasant places for deer and sheep
+to roam upon.</p>
+
+<p>"Thus, with the face of the earth so beauteous, Raven sat down and
+rejoiced. But Petrel and Chicken-hawk were left to wander in the fog.</p>
+
+<p>"Finally, Raven's mother died, and he sorrowed greatly, for she saw not
+the Great Light that he had established to overcome the darkness of
+Death. Still, because she had always dwelt in the House of Light and had
+given birth to Raven, Son of Raven, she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> was given an honorable place in
+the Firmament of Heaven.</p>
+
+<p>"And Raven, as the custom was in the realm where his mother had lived,
+prepared a great feast in honor of his mother. But he began thinking how
+he might honor her in a different way. So he cut a witch-hazel wand with
+which to point at anything he wished to use in the preparation of this
+feast. Thus he collected wood and stones and many things on the face of
+the earth. And when all this was assembled he built him a great house.</p>
+
+<p>"Then he called the rain and sunshine to hide the house until he was
+ready for the feast. He then sat down to think and think, and this is
+what he thought, and what came of it.</p>
+
+<p>"'I want fish to swim in the waters, and birds to fly in the skies, and
+creatures to live in the forests, and beings to live on the land, to be
+found in this house when it is opened. And they will all be perfect,
+lovely, and good, to live with this creation I have made.'</p>
+
+<p>"Thus, having thought all these things, Raven stood up and stretched out
+his hand that held the wand, and pointed it over the house that was
+hidden as yet by rain and clouds.</p>
+
+<p>"And, suddenly, the rain ceased its downpour, the sun smiled, and the
+house stood revealed in all its beauty. Then Raven sang:</p>
+
+<p>"'This made I for an honor to my mother!'<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"And as he sang his song of honor and praise, the house opened and all
+manner of living creatures came forth&mdash;beautiful, perfect, and an honor
+to the earth upon which they would dwell.</p>
+
+<p>"So it is that even to this day, when one makes a feast to honor a dead
+person who will sit in a place in the firmament, the house of the living
+is opened to all, from the greatest to the least of the earth.</p>
+
+<p>"When the feast was over Raven wished to leave an eternal monument to
+his mother, the Virgin who gave birth to the Light, so he called to him
+the four winds to help.</p>
+
+<p>"'South Wind, in the spring and summer when all the sun's rays are warm,
+blow gently upon the earth and sing of my mother.'</p>
+
+<p>"'North Wind, sit on top of the ice-mountain yonder, and when the earth
+is chill and sorrowing for my mother, blow fiercely from your snow-laden
+hills and sing over her grave.'</p>
+
+<p>"'East Wind, when the earth-people weep salt-water over the biers of
+their dead, and sigh because of their loss, sing to them of my mother.'</p>
+
+<p>"'West Wind, when you blow gently, and tell the earth that storms and
+cold and sorrow may come but Light shines in the end to bring them joy
+and peace, sing low and sweetly of my mother.'</p>
+
+<p>"Thus the four winds came to earth to sing to the peoples dwelling here,
+and every one heard of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> mother who gave birth to Light&mdash;Raven, Son
+of Raven.</p>
+
+<p>"But after all these things were done, Raven sat down and thought and
+thought deeply, and as he thought he called upon his father, the Great
+Raven, the All-in-all, for advice.</p>
+
+<p>"And having received advice, Raven stood up and lifted his hands to the
+Heavens, and sang with a loud voice:</p>
+
+<p>"'I shall make men in my image and likeness, and they shall dwell in the
+Light and be given dominion over all this earth I have made for my joy
+and pleasure. Thus we shall be happy and live forever!'</p>
+
+<p>"So Raven made all men like unto himself. They were good and perfect and
+beautiful and they all dwelt in love in the Light. And thus they dwelt
+many, many days, and were happy.</p>
+
+<p>"But the fog which had been called out for Petrel's error harbored many
+birds of evil omen, and these, guided by Petrel, swept through the fog
+and attacked the Men of the Light. The fog covered all things and caused
+every one to grope about, seeking to find one another and escape from
+the mist that hid the Shining Light.</p>
+
+<p>"And thus any one who had the slightest degree of fear or greed or
+malice or lying in his heart, breathed in the fog and thenceforth lived
+in a dream. They were thenceforth born of the fire of wrath<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> that the
+Chicken-hawk tore apart from the floating mass, and were consumed with
+fear. They lived their days in the fog that came upon Petrel when he
+believed a lie, and they suffered and sorrowed and died, all in a dream
+caused by the fog; and afterwhile these mist-men forgot there ever had
+been a perfect earth created by Raven, Son of Raven, where love and
+beauty and joy rule everything.</p>
+
+<p>"So Petrel ruled his world of fog, where hate and sin and death were his
+servants, and thus it happened that a Petrel is the sign of storm and
+trouble and blinding mist, but the Raven is known to be wise and patient
+for it knows where its Light dwells.</p>
+
+<p>"So Raven sits, and patiently waits for Petrel's dreams to lose
+themselves in the fog, for such will surely come about. And as the
+Lights ruled by Raven shine stronger, the fog grows fainter and still
+lighter, until breaks the Day when all mist vanishes and Raven's
+Creation is seen forever beautiful and perfect."</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Gilroy concluded his beautiful legend, the scouts were silent.
+It was the greatest praise they could bestow at the moment, for the
+story was not one to call forth applause and noise. Then they began to
+speak, but in soft voices.</p>
+
+<p>"And to think that this story of creation, so similar in many ways to
+our Bible Stories, was handed down from ancient days," remarked Mrs.
+Vernon, thrilled by the realization.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I find many interesting similarities between our Bible and the Holy
+Legends reverently told by the Esquimaux. But this one always struck me
+as being as fine as any. That is why I told it," explained Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>Then their Camp Entertainer, as Julie now named Mr. Gilroy, bid them all
+good-night and went up the trail. And the scouts were soon in bed, their
+last waking thoughts being of Raven, Son of Raven, the All-in-all of
+Creation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr class="hr4" />
+
+<div class="foot"><a name="story" id="story"></a>
+<p><a class="a1" href="#story2">*</a>This legend, given in various ways by different tribes of
+the Icelandic and Alaskan Indians, each with its own variations,
+but all with one thread of similarity woven through the
+tales&mdash;was partly interpreted and grouped by the author into
+the legend that appears in this book. It is said to date back
+thousands of years before Abraham and our Bible. Acknowledgments
+for original texts and tales are due the Smithsonian Institute.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="vi" id="vi"></a>CHAPTER SIX<br /><br />
+<small>LOST ON THE TRAIL</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">A few</span> days after the girl scouts' visit to Grey Fox Camp, they were
+agreeably surprised by having the boys visit them. Mr. Gilroy was with
+them, and as each boy carried an ax and a woodman's knife, the girls
+knew they came to work.</p>
+
+<p>"We decided to cut a shorter trail over the crest, and as to-day is so
+cool, we thought it would be a fine time for work," explained Alec, the
+leader in the boys' camp.</p>
+
+<p>"One day's as good as another! We're ready to help any time," replied
+Julie, as leader of the Girl Scouts' Troop.</p>
+
+<p>"Why didn't you let us know, then we might have blazed the trail up our
+side of the mountain, and you boys would have worked from your side.
+When we met on top, we might have celebrated with a feast," ventured
+Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>So the girls ran for axes and knives, and all began work together, back
+of Dandelion Camp. They cut and chopped, and blazed a fine trail up past
+Silver Falls, where the doe had called to her mate the first night the
+girls were at Camp, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> so on to the top of the mountain. But it took
+the greater part of that morning to go as far as they did.</p>
+
+<p>"We'd better stop here, and go back to see how the trail seems,"
+suggested Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not finish the job, now that we're on top?" asked Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Because you boys can easily blaze from here on to your camp, and I am
+beginning to worry lest my dinner is burning," laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"<em>Your</em> dinner! Where's the Indian cook?" asked Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"He's cooking for fifteen! I have invited guests coming to dine at the
+bungalow this evening," returned Mr. Gilroy, meaningly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, hurrah! Isn't that fine? Now we won't have to wash any
+supper-dishes!" exclaimed Ruth, who still disliked doing dishes.</p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed, for they understood, but Alec said, "Why talk about a
+supper so distant! I'd rather plan about something to eat this minute."</p>
+
+<p>"So would we all. I guess we are nearly starved," said Ned.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not stop work and cook a few steaks?" suggested Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"You boys have done all the talking about something to eat, but the
+girls said nothing. Maybe they are not hungry!" ventured Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Hungry! We're too <em>weak</em> to speak," sighed Julie, rubbing the spot
+under her belt.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I can eat reindeer moss without its being cooked," said Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"That settles it! Cook we must, but what?" declared Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, some of us will hunt up the mushrooms; some must gather bracken,
+some, the lichen; and Gilly can hunt up the coffee beans, <em>alias</em> roots
+and acorns," said Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"What will <em>you</em> be doing, meantime?" retorted Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I'll just remove that package of flour from your pocket and use
+this strip of bacon that I lifted from Dandelion larder; and when the
+steaks come back, I'll have bread and fat ready over a fine fire."</p>
+
+<p>"Bacon! When did you manage to steal that?" demanded the Captain,
+amazed.</p>
+
+<p>The boys laughed, for Alec's clever sleight-of-hand was an endless
+source of fun for them.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't all hunt together. Divide your strength and see that results come
+back with you," advised Alec, rolling up his sleeves preparatory to
+starting his fire.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't fish like the other boys, so I'll go with the girls who are
+going for the beefsteaks," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"All right. And where will you go, Captain?" asked Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"If Gilly is sent for coffee, I shall hunt for tea. I do not care for
+his brand of coffee, but I <em>do</em> know<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> where to find the ingredients for
+a nice fragrant cup of tea."</p>
+
+<p>A laugh circled the group, and Mr. Gilroy said, "All right. Now see to
+it that you don't ask for a drop of my coffee, hereafter."</p>
+
+<p>So they separated, some of the scouts going with Mrs. Vernon; Bob and
+Ned going for trout; Hester and Amy with Mr. Gilroy; and Julie, Joan and
+Judith with Dick, for mushrooms.</p>
+
+<p>After breaking a way through a dense jungle, the latter four scouts came
+out to a small clearing, but they had not seen any mushrooms.</p>
+
+<p>"What a fine baseball diamond this clearing would make!" said Julie, as
+they looked around.</p>
+
+<p>"And there are some chestnut stumps&mdash;on the far side of the clearing!"
+exclaimed Dick, crossing to the spot.</p>
+
+<p>But they found no mushrooms on the stumps, much to their chagrin.
+"There'll be other trees about here, where we're sure to find what we
+need," said Dick, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>So into the woods they plunged, winding about here and there, but not
+finding what they sought. None of them thought to blaze a trail as they
+wandered, consequently had no means of telling how far or in what
+direction they had gone before Dick found a few small mushrooms.</p>
+
+<p>"Only enough for a few of us. We need more than these," he remarked.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"There's sure to be more where these are. Let's keep on hunting," urged
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>So they kept on winding through the underbrush, but with no good
+results. Finally Dick found a plant that he believed to be a wild
+potato.</p>
+
+<p>"No, it is not. It hasn't the leaves or blossom of the Indian potato,"
+declared Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"That may be, but when it grows old it dries up, you know," argued Dick,
+beginning to dig at the root.</p>
+
+<p>The girls wandered about seeking for signs of more mushrooms, but could
+find none. Then Dick stood up and stretched his back-muscles.</p>
+
+<p>"My that was tough digging when you have no tool. And it wasn't a potato
+after all."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we've been gone a long time now. Suppose we go back with what we
+have," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes; even if we can't fill up on steaks to-day, let us eat more of the
+greens," added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>So they turned to go back to camp. They climbed over the boulders
+similar to those over which they had already climbed, over similar
+fallen timber, and finally came to a stream.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't remember a brook when we came," remarked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Neither do I," added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"All places look alike when you're hunting anything. We may have crossed
+a bog or a brook and never have noticed it," said Dick.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I would have noticed it! I wouldn't be such a poor scout as not to
+know where I was going," returned Julie, defensively.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, Dick, I'm sure there was no bog where we came through, but here's
+one right ahead of us," called Joan, who was a few paces ahead.</p>
+
+<p>"No, there was no bog!" affirmed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you bring a compass?" now asked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"No, we never thought of being lost," murmured Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"We're not lost, just strayed a bit," Dick assured them.</p>
+
+<p>"'Lost, Strayed or Stolen'&mdash;it's all the same if we have to miss our
+dinner," sighed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>They managed to cross the boggy spot and then trailed to a place that
+Dick claimed was the clearing. But it turned out to be a little fen made
+by a tiny spring.</p>
+
+<p>"What we should have done was to leave our marks as we came
+through&mdash;broken twigs, or trampled grass, or some such signs," said
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"But we didn't, and now is no time to talk of it!" Dick said
+impatiently, for he began to realize that they really were lost.</p>
+
+<p>"We can begin right now, however, and then not keep circling around
+without recognizing that we were there before!" snapped Julie.</p>
+
+<p>So the girls began, then and there, to leave their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> signs as they
+followed after Dick, who really knew not where he was leading.</p>
+
+<p>"Had we better separate and go in different directions to hunt the
+camp?" asked Dick finally.</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy, no! Better be lost together than get lost each one alone!"
+exclaimed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Sort of 'United we stand,' etc.," chuckled Julie, in spite of her
+concern over not finding the way.</p>
+
+<p>They kept on forcing a way through the thick bush and resting now and
+then when they found a little clearing; but finally Judith cried:
+"You'll have to go without me! I'm so weak from hunger I can't walk
+another step."</p>
+
+<p>"Girls, suppose we stop and cook the steaks?" asked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"I say so, too," agreed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>So they cleared a little space in the woods and with two rubbing-sticks
+soon produced fire. While two of the girls were doing this, Dick washed
+the mushrooms in the little spring they had seen, and then sliced them
+with his knife.</p>
+
+<p>"We haven't any salt or bacon, but they'll taste good to starved
+wanderers," said Dick, holding one over the fire to cook.</p>
+
+<p>Each girl spiked one on a sharpened stick and held it out to broil. When
+the mushrooms were cooked they each ate until they felt better. Then
+Dick made a suggestion.</p>
+
+<p>"Making this fire gave me an idea. Why not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> make 'two smokes' for
+signals. If Alec or any one else is looking for us, they can see them."</p>
+
+<p>"Why didn't we think of that before! Fine idea, Dick," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"What will 'two smokes' mean?" asked Judith.</p>
+
+<p><a name="we2" id="we2"></a>"Means 'we are lost,' come find us," said Dick, busy with two heaps of
+firewood.</p>
+
+<p>"But you can't signal here under these trees, Dick! We've got to find an
+open place where the smoke can rise up above the tree-tops, you know,"
+advised Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Dick realized he had been caught napping by a girl, and he didn't like
+it very much but he could not show his annoyance, for Julie was right.
+So he stood up and said: "I'll shout as loud as possible,&mdash;maybe they
+will hear us." So he shouted until he was hoarse.</p>
+
+<p>"In this dense forest, where the trees break every sound, the smoke
+signal is as good as any other. Let us find a clearing," suggested
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>So they sought again, and soon found an open spot where the sky was
+visible without any obstructing tree-branches overhead.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, this looks like the same clearing that I said would make a fine
+baseball diamond," declared Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"So it does! And here is a broken twig where we went out," said Joan.</p>
+
+<div class="nh">
+<a name="we" id="we"></a>&nbsp;
+</div>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 396px;">
+<img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="396" height="596" alt="Page 98" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;We are lost, come find us&quot; &emsp; <a href="#we2">Page 98</a></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p>
+<p>"Then we can't be many miles from home," laughed Julie, her spirits
+rising again at the slightest encouragement.</p>
+
+<p>They made two smokes, however, and waited to watch the thin spirals rise
+above the trees, side by side, until they dispersed in the blue ether
+far overhead. But no sound came in answer to the signals.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe no one remembered the smoke idea," ventured Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"And they'd have to be in the open, or climb a tree, to see it,"
+asserted Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe they made signals, too, and are waiting for us to answer them.
+Did you bring a rifle, Dick?" said Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"No, none of us did. But I can climb one of these trees and see if the
+others made any smokes."</p>
+
+<p>"Choose that towering pine,&mdash;you ought to be able to see everything from
+that high top," advised Julie.</p>
+
+<p>So Dick climbed the tall pine, but after he had reached the top he saw
+nothing that might lead him to find the other campers. He shouted and
+whistled as shrilly as he could from the lofty perch, but no answering
+sound came to his ears, so he slid down again.</p>
+
+<p>"See anything at all, Dick?" asked Julie, the moment he came down.</p>
+
+<p>"A great sea of waving green tops, one wave back of the other, without a
+break," said he.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, what now? Shall we keep on hunting for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> the way back from this
+clearing, or just sit and let them find us?" asked Joan, despondently.</p>
+
+<p>"You know they say a flock of ducks will always fly towards water. Now,
+I saw some ducks flying in one direction when I sat up in that tree,"
+remarked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Then you <em>did</em> see something other than waves of green! Why didn't you
+say so!" snapped Julie, impatient with his poor scouting sense.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought they might be flying down towards Little Moose Lake, where
+Dandelion Camp is, and we want to find our party," said Dick, in
+justification.</p>
+
+<p>"Anything to get out of this tangle. We'd just as lief wind up at
+Dandelion Camp as elsewhere," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"All right then, follow me and we will go in the direction the birds
+flew," said Dick, and he started down hill.</p>
+
+<p>Down and down they tramped, chopping away smaller obstructions, until
+they were stopped by a wide fen that belted the section. Advance was
+impossible, for every time one tried to step upon the ooze the foot
+would begin to sink in.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, how awful!" wailed Judith, ready to cry.</p>
+
+<p>"How can we cross? If only we could find a fallen tree that happened to
+fall right across," sighed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"If only we had a drink of cold water I'd be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> thankful," declared Julie,
+mopping her warm face.</p>
+
+<p>"That's the easiest part of the whole trouble," quickly said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean? I wouldn't drink that slimy liquid for anything,"
+said Julie, frowning at the water.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, just wait a second and you'll see what I can do with that water!"
+bragged Dick, glad to redeem his reputation as a scout.</p>
+
+<p>With hands and a stick he quickly dug a hole to the depth of the marsh.
+Then he squinted carefully at his well, then at the marsh, and back
+again. The girls watched him curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Guess I can go a few inches deeper,&mdash;the well has to be about six
+inches below the surface of the nearby pool, you know."</p>
+
+<p>He dug deeper and soon the well began filling with muddy water. "There,
+now I've got it!" said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you expect us to drink <em>that</em>!" scorned Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"No, but wait." Dick hurriedly baled out the well until it was almost
+emptied. Then he allowed it to fill again.</p>
+
+<p>He baled it out a second time, and permitted it to fill again. The third
+time the water was almost clear, so he baled once more, and this time
+the water filtered in as clear as crystal.</p>
+
+<p>He stooped, drank from it, and said: "It's cold and pure!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then the girls drank, and found it most refreshing to their parched
+tongues and throats.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I never knew that before! We've learned two things by being lost
+with Dick as guide," said Julie frankly, and Dick was delighted to hear
+such nice things about himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Shall we try to circle this fen and get across, or go back again?" now
+asked Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"It's hard to tell just what is best to do," murmured Julie, puckering
+her brow in thought.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly two shots echoed down the mountainside, and after an interval
+of six seconds a third shot rang out.</p>
+
+<p>"There! Alec's seen our smoke. His signal means 'Where are you?' What
+shall we do?" cried Dick, excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>"How can we answer them?" wondered the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have to back-trail to our clearing. That's where the shots
+sounded from," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me, if only we had waited there, they would have found us,"
+complained Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"But we didn't, so the next best thing to do is to get back as soon as
+we can, or they'll go away again," declared Julie.</p>
+
+<p>They climbed, scrambled and tumbled up the rugged slope, keeping as far
+as they could to the rough trail they had made in coming down. When they
+thought they were near the clearing, they shouted with all their
+lung-power, and the welcome<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> sound of answering calls soon greeted their
+ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Dick, give that cat-call again so they will know we're on our way,"
+asked Julie, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>So Dick gave his ear-splitting whistle by placing his fingers between
+his lips and blowing through the crevices. In less than ten seconds
+afterwards, two shots sounded in quick succession.</p>
+
+<p>"That means they've heard us and are waiting," cried Dick. "Come this
+way,&mdash;that echo is misleading."</p>
+
+<p>So the girls followed their young guide, and soon they broke through the
+fringe of great trees into the clearing where the rest of the party
+stood. Alec gave them no time to explain. He was angry, and no mistaking
+it!</p>
+
+<p>"Dick, can you tell me of any concession made to you that allows you to
+start two fires and then go away and leave them to work their will in
+these forests? If we had not found the fires you left, what might have
+resulted to this area of mountain land?"</p>
+
+<p>The girls and Dick stood amazed, for they had forgotten all about the
+fires started as smoke signals.</p>
+
+<p>"When I broke through the underbrush into this clearing, the fires were
+blazing away like fury. They had encroached upon all the brush and handy
+leaves, and were eating a way to the timber-line. In half an hour more
+those same <em>little</em> fires would be raging over the crest and destroying
+acres and acres of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> forest-trees, to say nothing of causing the work all
+the farmers and forest-rangers would have in trying to control it. Just
+because a brainless scout <em>forgot</em> his duty!" The scorn in Alec's last
+words was cutting.</p>
+
+<p>Dick began to apologize, but Alec held up a hand. "No apology will
+answer for such a thing." Then he turned to Ned and said: "Put Dick down
+for penance at camp."</p>
+
+<p>"We ought to be punished as well as Dick," said Julie. "We never
+remembered the fires, either."</p>
+
+<p>"That's up to your Captain,&mdash;I am merely doing my duty to <em>my</em> Troop,"
+returned Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Had anything to eat?" asked Anne, who always felt sorry for any one who
+was hungry.</p>
+
+<p>"We ate the mushrooms we found," meekly replied Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Then come back and eat what we left for you. We had fish and greens and
+biscuit," said Hester.</p>
+
+<p>While they were munching the cold food, Alec questioned them further.
+"Why didn't you use what scout-sense you had? You know you could have
+found the way you came through those woods by looking for broken cobwebs
+across the bushes; by overturned stones with the damp under side
+showing; or by broken twigs and crushed blades of grass; and last, but
+hardest, you might have looked to see where leaves on trees and bushes
+were turned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> awry from your brushing against them. They do not right
+themselves immediately, you know."</p>
+
+<p>"We never heard of that before," admitted Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"But Dick has, even though he has forgotten it," said Alec. "He had to
+learn it from the Manual&mdash;what he would do in case of being lost in a
+forest."</p>
+
+<p>"But even if you knew nothing about that, you all knew it would simplify
+things for us if you were to blaze a way to guide us the way you went.
+You could easily have broken twigs and left them hanging, or piled
+little heaps of stones along the trail you took."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, for goodness sake! Let up on us now, and wait until <em>you</em> are lost,
+will you?" cried Julie, placing her palms over her ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it's so easy to tell the other feller what to do!" was all the
+retort Dick made.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, children, after all I have my inning!" declared Mr. Gilroy,
+chuckling.</p>
+
+<p>"What's that?" demanded every one.</p>
+
+<p>"I wanted you to come home and dine with me, but no! you must stop to
+cook in the woods. Now you'll all be glad enough to hurry home and come
+to my party. And the dinner won't be slighted, either, from so much
+overeating up here!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="vii" id="vii"></a>CHAPTER SEVEN<br /><br />
+<small>A LITTLE BUSINESS</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">At</span> breakfast the day following the "Lost Scouts'" adventure, Mrs. Vernon
+remarked: "Girls, yesterday's experience taught me an important thing,
+and that is, we need a set of rules for camp, so that every member of
+Dandelion Troop will have her proper share of work and duty to perform.</p>
+
+<p>"We have been keeping house in a haphazard way, with no responsibility
+attached to any one but Julie and me. Now, each day there must be some
+sort of regulations and punishments, if duties are neglected. The fire
+yesterday showed me that that system was good."</p>
+
+<p>"Your idea is all right, Verny, but what will the rules cover, and why
+have punishments?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Because every day will probably bring new problems to us, so that set
+rules will not do, but each day must have added rules. If these rules
+are not obeyed, the scout who is negligent ought to be made to pay for
+her lack of obedience."</p>
+
+<p>"Have you formulated any plan to begin with?" asked Joan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I thought that Julie, as Scout Leader, could consult with me about
+that. Although I think we ought to select a new orderly for each day, to
+see that the other scouts do what is required of them. If we begin with
+Ruth, Betty next day, and so on through the new membership, one each
+day, it brings us to the eighth day. Of course Julie, Joan and I will
+not be orderlies. But the Leader and Corporal are over the Orderly, and
+the Captain over all of you."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you expect the Orderly to do, Verny?" asked Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"She will read the rules for the day immediately after breakfast. Every
+scout must take turns in being cook for camp one day. One must be
+wood-gatherer, one must see that food supplies are on hand, some must do
+the fishing, and so on through the entire housekeeping list. This trains
+every one alike, and no partiality will be shown one who is a fine cook
+or one who is an awful one!"</p>
+
+<p>The girls laughed, and the Captain continued: "Then, we don't expect one
+to do all the heavy work while another goes free, and by partitioning
+the work and control each one does her bit. In case of any gross
+negligence or breaking of rules, the Officer of the Day, the Corporal
+and the Leader will decide the punishment. Should need arise, the whole
+Troop may act as a jury to judge the matter."</p>
+
+<p>After the Captain had finished speaking, the scouts sat down and
+compiled a set of Camp Rules,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> and Ruth was asked to print them neatly
+on cardboard, because Ruth was the artistic scout of the group.</p>
+
+<p>This business disposed of, Julie said: "Now what shall we do to-day,
+girls?"</p>
+
+<p>"But you haven't chosen an Orderly for the Day!" called Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, that's so! Well, it lies between Ruth and Amy, as they are the more
+experienced scouts, to act the first day."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't choose me. I've got my work cut out already, if you expect these
+rules nicely printed," declared Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, then; it's Amy. No partiality meant, girls," Julie reminded
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"More like 'malice aforethought,'" giggled Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Why? Isn't it an honor to be the Orderly?" demanded Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"It may <em>seem</em> like an honor, but when it is thoroughly investigated it
+turns out to be just plain old hard work!"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure, Julie! Don't you see, all the other scouts go scot free for the
+day, while the Orderly has to see that everything is done properly and
+then take the blame if nothing is right," laughed Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Amy is able to carry the burden, and it is only for a day; then
+another one has to do it," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>When the weighty business of selecting rules and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> deciding on a
+recreation for the day was over, Mrs. Vernon said, "Which did you decide
+to do first, hike or swim?"</p>
+
+<p>"Is Mr. Gilroy coming over to visit us to-day?" asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"He invited himself to supper to-night, but I doubt if we see him before
+that time. Why?" answered the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Because if he was coming, he would hike with us, and we'd rather wait
+for him, and swim first. But it doesn't matter now."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go for the hike first, and when we get back a fine, cool swim
+will feel good," suggested the Orderly for the day.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, do you know of any places one might choose for an objective on a
+hike?" asked Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, Mr. Gilroy gave me a county map that shows every good trail within
+twenty miles of here. I'll get it and we'll look it over." So saying,
+the Captain went to her tent for the paper.</p>
+
+<p>They all sat about Mrs. Vernon as she studied the map and read aloud of
+various trails that sounded interesting. At last she said: "Here's one
+that seems inviting. It is named 'River Bend,' and the trail winds along
+one of the streams that is an outlet of our lake. The description says
+the blazes are old but distinct, and no one can miss the may. Shall we
+try that trail?"</p>
+
+<p>"Where does it end?" questioned Hester.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"How long is it to anywhere?" asked Anne.</p>
+
+<p>"It's seven miles, and forks when one reaches the hut of an Indian
+canoe-builder. One fork runs to River Bend village, and the other to a
+ravine that is said to be most picturesque."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll take that trail and decide which place we prefer to see, the
+village or the ravine, after we have hiked a while," said the Orderly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not take a little flour and fat and catch some fish at noon, and
+sup while on the trail?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not carry our dinner stuff and have a <em>regular</em> meal while we are
+about it," said Anne, who could not forego a dinner.</p>
+
+<p>The other scouts laughed, and Mrs. Vernon replied, "All right, it sounds
+inviting."</p>
+
+<p>So each scout carried a tin cup and platter, while the Orderly saw to it
+that each one carried part of the dinner material. It fell to the
+Captain's lot to carry the frying-pan, and to Anne to carry the
+two-quart pail; the others had the flour, bacon, potatoes, etc.</p>
+
+<p>River Bend trail led down to the end of the lake, where the stream
+started. It wound in and out, as it followed the uneven edges of Little
+Moose Lake, running over mossy knolls, through rivulets, past
+waterfalls, and around impassable obstructions. Thus the detouring added
+greatly to the distance the map had vouched for.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The scouts had paper and pencils in case they wished to sketch anything
+interesting, but most of the paper was used in writing notes along the
+way, to be entered later in their records. They had gone about two miles
+when Julie stopped short and held up a warning hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, listen! I heard a baby crying pitifully over in those high
+bushes."</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy me! Do you suppose there can be any gypsies here?" cried Amy, the
+timid.</p>
+
+<p>"Gypsies&mdash;nothing! But how could a baby get in that jungle?" retorted
+Joan.</p>
+
+<p>Then they distinctly heard the plaintive wail, as of a very young child
+in fear and distress. Even Mrs. Vernon turned pale at the picture that
+presented itself to her thought.</p>
+
+<p>"Girls, we've got to investigate this. It doesn't seem plausible that
+any one would bring a kidnapped child to this wilderness to lose it, but
+one can never tell!" declared Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"It's a baby, that we know, so it's up to us to save it," added Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"The poor little dear!" wept Betty, the tender-hearted.</p>
+
+<p>So the scouts began cutting a way through the almost impenetrable growth
+that divided the trail from the place whence came the cries. But as they
+went deeper in the jungle and got nearer the spot they were aiming for,
+the cries ceased.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Dear, dear! I hope the little thing isn't past aid?" murmured the
+Captain, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>That urged the scouts to greater endeavor, and finally Julie broke into
+a tiny clearing of about three feet across, and saw a little grey
+rabbit, which had been caught in an old mesh-wire trap set by some one
+long before and forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you poor little creature!" cried Julie, falling upon her knees to
+rescue the soft little thing.</p>
+
+<p>"Is it alive, Jule?" asked a chorus of anxious voices.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but it is awfully afraid of me. I can't do anything for it."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe it will bite you&mdash;do be careful, Jule!" called Amy, deliciously
+thrilled at this fearful risk her friend was taking.</p>
+
+<p>"Bite!" scorned Julie. "It's starved, and too weak to even nibble."</p>
+
+<p>"Wait, Julie! Let me throw my hat over it so it won't see what we are
+doing. Then it won't feel so frightened. Remember the 'Boulder' we all
+saw, and when it moved we had a panic? Well, our sense of sight was all
+that caused that fear. It is the same now&mdash;what the rabbit doesn't see
+it won't fear," explained Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>While it was hidden under the broad-brimmed scout hat, the rabbit was
+not aware of the willing rescuers, and soon Julie had the snare open,
+and Mrs. Vernon held the little creature in her hat.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Shall we let it go now?" asked some of the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"It may have an injured leg where the trap caught it. I think we will
+carry it home and feed it well, and then if it is all right, it can run
+away. It is sure to be caught by some larger animal if it is unable to
+jump or run," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"This will make a dandy story to write down in our record book, Verny,
+won't it?" asked Ruth, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but it will also show how inexperienced we are in wildwood
+sounds,&mdash;to mistake the rabbit's cry for a child's wail."</p>
+
+<p>"But it <em>did</em> sound exactly like a baby, there's no denying that!"
+exclaimed Julie, frowning as she realized how they all were caught
+napping.</p>
+
+<p>"This reminds me of a story Alec told us yesterday when we were waiting
+at the campfire for you lost scouts," said Hester. "He and his Troop
+went on a three days' hike in the country last year, and at night they
+found an old abandoned barn where they decided to sleep. The floor was
+in good condition, with a bit of hay piled up in one corner. But the
+loft overhead was in such bad condition that in many places the flooring
+was broken down completely. As there was no ladder or stairway to reach
+it, the boys concluded there was no use in examining it&mdash;no one would be
+up there!</p>
+
+<p>"So they stretched out on the hay and were soon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> sound asleep. But some
+time after that&mdash;no one knew how long they had been asleep&mdash;Ned nudged
+Alec and whispered: 'Some one's in the loft!'</p>
+
+<p>"Alec sat up and listened. Sure enough, he could hear a man snoring as
+distinctly as he could hear Dick breathe.</p>
+
+<p>"So he roused the other scouts, and they very quietly crept over to the
+side where they could get a grip on the joists to help themselves up.
+Each scout had armed himself in some way. One had an old pitchfork with
+but one prong. Another had a rake handle, one found the curved handle of
+a feed-grinder, and so on.</p>
+
+<p>"When they got to the shaky, decayed floor above, the snoring had
+stopped, so they knew the tramp was aware of their approach. They had to
+be awfully careful, too, so as not to fall through any of the broken
+places in the floor. But they each had their lanterns, and used them
+before they took a step. Alec went first, and threw the light back and
+forth to avoid a sudden surprise from the tramp.</p>
+
+<p>"'There's something moving over on that pile of old burlap sacks!'
+whispered Alec, the instant he saw a creeping movement there.</p>
+
+<p>"Several of the boys then jumped and began beating up the sacks
+violently. But as suddenly, a pair of wings flapped up in their faces
+with a whirring sound, and a barn-owl began to screech<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> madly as she
+rose and flew through a hole in the roof."</p>
+
+<p>Hester laughed as she reached this part of the story, and all the scouts
+joined in. Julie, who had not heard it before, said:</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness, we girls are not the only ones to be taken in, then!"</p>
+
+<p>"Alec said there are lots of wild creatures that make sounds exactly
+like human beings. And that owl snored just like a man."</p>
+
+<p>By this time they had regained the trail, and Mrs. Vernon tenderly
+adjusted the trembling rabbit. The hat so covered it that it could curl
+inside and not see a thing to cause it any fear, and thus it was carried
+along, to be cared for later on and then regain its freedom.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts found many interesting subjects for discussion along the
+trail, until they reached a wide shallow stream that came down the steep
+mountainside and emptied into the river.</p>
+
+<p>"It's not on the map, and it sure cuts off further progress," said the
+Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"It's shallow&mdash;we can wade it," suggested Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Let us go upstream and find a narrow ford, or some rocks that we can
+cross on," added Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>They went up on the near side of the stream, but the banks became so
+rocky and impassable that they found it was useless to try to climb
+them. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> scenery was wild and wonderful, so several good pictures were
+taken of the tumbling waters and rocks, and then they all retraced their
+steps.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, it's wade or go back," declared Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Stuff your stockings down in your boots and sling them about your necks
+by the strings," advised Julie.</p>
+
+<p>This was done, and one after another the scouts waded through the
+stream, shouting, screaming if one slipped on a stone, laughing when one
+stepped in a hole and got wet to the waist, but having plenty of fun.</p>
+
+<p>"How did bunny stand the voyage?" called Julie, the moment the Captain
+stepped up on the bank.</p>
+
+<p>"Bunny is curled up fast asleep, I guess," said she.</p>
+
+<p>"I wish it was noon. Did any one hear the twelve o'clock whistle blow?"
+laughed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Why&mdash;are you hungry?" questioned Anne.</p>
+
+<p>"Aren't you?" retorted the Orderly.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure! I always am," laughed Anne, frankly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then why not say it is dinner-time, Verny?" asked Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"You must be hungry, too!" declared Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"I bet we all are, if Verny will take the count," asserted Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, we may as well stop here beside this stream and eat, as to go on
+and fare worse," admitted the Captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Some one's got to fish," said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not all fish and the sooner catch what is needed?" advised Mrs.
+Vernon. So this suggestion was followed out.</p>
+
+<p>Four goodly sized fish rewarded the combined efforts of the fishermen
+that time, and then two scouts were detailed to clean them, while two
+went to build a fire. Others were tolled off to attend to other work,
+and in half an hour a savory meal was ready.</p>
+
+<p>When all signs of cooking and eating were cleaned away, Mrs. Vernon took
+the bunny again and said they had best go on.</p>
+
+<p>"Outdoor cooking and eating always makes me feel fine. I can walk a
+hundred miles now, and feel it no more than if it were a trifle," said
+Julie, taking a deep breath.</p>
+
+<p>"All the same, we haven't gone five miles yet, according to Verny's map,
+and there is still that walk home, so don't brag too much, Julie,"
+advised Betty, seriously.</p>
+
+<p>"We haven't voted yet whether we want to go on to the village or to the
+ravine," now said Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd like to visit the old Indian canoe-maker, and have a chat with
+him," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"His time is money, so he will charge us for chatting," returned Julie,
+grinning.</p>
+
+<p>"I think Joan's idea of visiting the Indian a good<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> one, girls; why not
+go there instead of to either of the other places?"</p>
+
+<p>The Captain's suggestion was agreed upon, and the scouts turned in at
+the willow-arched walk that led to the Indian's hut. A wide brook ran
+under the willows, and here they saw several canoes waiting to be used.
+The pathway that ran alongside the brook was littered with rubbish of
+all kinds,&mdash;the accumulation of years of slovenly housekeeping and lazy
+carpenter work out of doors.</p>
+
+<p>But it was evident that the Indian was neither slovenly nor lazy when it
+pertained to making canoes. Every canoe there was a splendid example of
+workmanship. When the scouts reached the door, the owner came out to see
+them.</p>
+
+<p>"Morn'," said he, bowing seriously to his visitors.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you Mike, the Indian?" asked Mrs. Vernon, after acknowledging the
+salutation.</p>
+
+<p>"Me Mike&mdash;wan'da canoe?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, we came to visit you. We are friends of Mr. Gilroy's," explained
+the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Huh! Mees'er Gilloy use Mike's canoes."</p>
+
+<p>"So he told us. He says they are the finest anywhere," said Julie,
+ingratiatingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Bedder buy one," came from the Indian.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, we might <em>rent</em> another one&mdash;we only have two in the lake, you
+know, and we all prefer canoes to boats," whispered Joan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"We can't afford any added expense," replied Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>But Mike understood the meaning of that whisper, so he wisely said:
+"Come see fine canoes."</p>
+
+<p>He led the way to his shop on the banks of the little stream and
+displayed the various methods of his trade. The girls found it all very
+instructive and interesting. Then he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Mike take canoe to lake fer leddy&mdash;no charge."</p>
+
+<p>"What do you mean by that?" wondered Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Mike give fine canoe&mdash;one week try; leddy not like, Mike come take him
+home. No pay."</p>
+
+<p>"But we don't want any more canoes. We have two now," asserted Mrs.
+Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>Mike shrugged his shoulders silently.</p>
+
+<p>"How much you rent canoe for?" asked Julie, believing the Indian could
+comprehend better if she used bad English.</p>
+
+<p>"Mike no rent his canoe&mdash;sell him cheap."</p>
+
+<p>"We can't afford to buy one, but we might rent it if you make a low
+price," bargained Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Mike shook his head decidedly. "No rent&mdash;onny buy."</p>
+
+<p>"Come, girls! We must start on, now that we've had our visit," said the
+Captain, turning to go.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts reluctantly turned also, but Mike saw their faces, and also
+knew that the lady was boss. So he seemed to reconsider.</p>
+
+<p>"Mike got good fren' by Mees'er Gilloy. Mebbe<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> fren's of him be fren's
+of Mike. How much you give for rent canoe?"</p>
+
+<p>Every one turned suddenly at that hope held forth.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you ask?" countered Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Got money now to pay?" asked Mike, cutely.</p>
+
+<p>Julie exclaimed, "Certainly!" But the Captain saw through the shrewd
+bargainer, and said: "We'll have Mr. Gilroy do this business for us."</p>
+
+<p>Now Mike had no idea of losing these customers, nor of having to deal
+with a good business man like Mr. Gilroy, so he said guilelessly: "Solly
+dese gals no paddle home in dis canoe."</p>
+
+<p>Several of the scouts instantly wished to do so, but the Captain said:
+"Corporal, see that your Troop does not fall for this enticing snare."</p>
+
+<p>The scouts laughed when they comprehended Mike's intentions, and Mrs.
+Vernon courageously walked away. But Mike followed.</p>
+
+<p>"Canoe rent for four dollah week."</p>
+
+<p>"What! that's sixteen a month! I guess not!" cried Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Fren's of Mees'er Gilloy get him fer tree dollah week."</p>
+
+<p>"No sir-ee!" retorted Julie. "Mike, I'll pay you two dollah week&mdash;or six
+dollah mont&mdash;or feefteen dollah season. What you take?"</p>
+
+<p>All the scouts laughed, but Mike frowned. "Me tak feefteen dollah now to
+Augus' furst," said he.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Every one hushed to get every word of this bargaining.</p>
+
+<p>"We want him in Augus', too. Him worth feefteen dollah, no more, till
+September ten," declared Julie, slapping her palms together to emphasize
+her words.</p>
+
+<p>Mike sighed audibly. "All light. But Mike no carry him an' lose day.
+Gals mus' tak now an' pay down."</p>
+
+<p>Then every one turned to every one else, and word ran round: "Who's got
+any money?"</p>
+
+<p>"I've got three dollars&mdash;that's all," said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Mike, we got tree dollahs only. Come to camp and get rest," said Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"You tak him along?" asked Mike, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Are you 'fraid to trust us?" countered Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no! Mike no wan' trouble carry him so far, da's all."</p>
+
+<p>So the three dollars was paid down, balance to be paid when Mike called
+for it; canoe to be taken along with no added work expected of Mike.</p>
+
+<p>Mike launched the canoe in the stream that passed his shop, and several
+of the girls squatted in the bottom. But it proved overweighted for such
+a shallow stream, and two had to get out again. Julie and Joan then
+paddled it safely to the deeper river, where Amy and Judith, being
+lightest of the scouts, got in and sat in the bottom.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon and the rest of the Troop stood watching eagerly while the
+two girls paddled silently and swiftly up the river to the place where
+the tumbling stream joined River Bend. Here they halted to allow their
+other friends to catch up with them.</p>
+
+<p>Julie and Joan were complimented upon their prowess, and when Ruth and
+Betty exchanged places with Amy and Judith, the canoe went on its way up
+the river, while the other scouts continued hiking back towards camp.</p>
+
+<p>"It wouldn't take us long to reach home if we were all in canoes," said
+Anne.</p>
+
+<p>"It would if <em>you</em> were in one&mdash;you are so heavy!" laughed Hester.</p>
+
+<p>A titter sounded from the girls, but Mrs. Vernon held up a hand for
+silence. "Was that thunder I heard from over the mountain?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, that was only Julie's paddle echoing down the stream," giggled
+Judith. But a louder rumble told the Captain she was right in her
+surmise.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me! I hope we won't be caught in another thunder-storm," said she,
+holding the bunny closer to her side.</p>
+
+<p>But in answer to her fear, a sudden flash and a nearer peal of thunder
+warned them all to seek shelter if possible.</p>
+
+<p>"If it rains we're bound to be soaked!" sighed Anne.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You big silly! Did any of us think water was dry?" asked Hester,
+scornfully.</p>
+
+<p>"I do wish those girls hadn't left us in the canoe! If it rains they may
+upset," worried the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"They didn't leave <em>us</em> in the canoe, Captain. And we are just as likely
+to meet with mishap as they," laughed Judith, to cheer every one up.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it's going to break mighty quick! See that inky cloud scudding
+across there?" exclaimed Amy, pointing at the sky.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, why not make a quick shelter to crawl under?" suggested Anne.</p>
+
+<p>"Think you can do it?" answered the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Hester's got the rubber cover that Mike gave us for the canoe when it
+is not in use, and we might stretch that between four trees," added
+Anne.</p>
+
+<p>"That's so. Let's try it!" agreed Hester, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>Quickly, then, the scouts chopped down the scrub bush where four young
+trees were found for the corners, and then, while Anne and Hester
+secured the four corners of the cover, the other girls ditched around
+the spot so the rain would run off and not soak their camping place.</p>
+
+<p>Anne and Hester completed their work before the others, and then hastily
+bunched a mass of chopped-down bushes all around the temporary tent to
+break the driving rain when it came. The spot thus enclosed was not
+large, but by huddling together they managed to keep dry.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"How nice it is to sit in a dry place and watch everything else
+gradually soak with the rain," ventured Amy, comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>"No one would have dreamed that a shower would come up to-day, the
+weather was so perfect when we left camp," said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Do any of you girls understand weather-lore?" asked Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>No one did, so the Captain continued: "If you study wind and cloud,
+wildwood creatures and other animals, you will find much to interest you
+in the weather.</p>
+
+<p>"When rain is coming you will see the sheep turn their tails to
+windward, but if the day is to be fine the sheep will graze with faces
+to the wind.</p>
+
+<p>"Cows always gather and huddle together at a sheltered end of the
+pasture lot when a storm is approaching. Cattle are restless and uneasy
+before a storm breaks. And cows will fling up their heels, or sheep will
+gambol as if to make the most of the sunshine just before a prolonged
+spell of bad weather. Pigs, too, will grunt loudly and cavort about
+uneasily in their pens, carrying bits of straw from their bedding in
+their mouths, before a heavy rainstorm.</p>
+
+<p>"With wild creatures you will find partridges sitting in the fields when
+thunder is in the air. But the moment the storm blows over, the birds
+are alive with energy again. Rabbits and other night-feeders<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> can be
+found out hunting on a sunny day, but that means there will be a wet
+night.</p>
+
+<p>"Most of our birds in field and forest know when a storm is brewing, and
+they can be seen seeking for extra food to carry home, or, perhaps,
+devouring it quickly, storing it up against the time everything is
+soaked with the rain.</p>
+
+<p>"Bees seldom fly far from the hive when rain is threatening; flies are
+annoying and sting sharply before rain, and many times they cling
+tenaciously to wall or furniture,&mdash;that is to keep flat to a surface, so
+their bodies will not become damp.</p>
+
+<p>"A large ring can be found to encircle the moon the night preceding a
+rainstorm. Should the storm be two or three days off, the ring is wider
+and you will find fainter shadows inside the main circle,&mdash;one for each
+day.</p>
+
+<p>"Mountain moss is found to be soft and limp, and smoke generally beats
+downward when the East Wind presages rain. Callouses on the feet will
+ache painfully; spiders will be seen strengthening their webs against
+moisture-weight; morning-glories will close up tightly; mushrooms are
+found to be numerous; and there are a dozen other weather-signs that I
+forget now."</p>
+
+<p>The scouts had listened with interest, for this was new to them,
+although Hester added: "I've heard the saying, 'Mackerel sky, twelve
+hours dry.'"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and another one goes, 'Rain before seven, fine before eleven,'"
+said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"You will find in summer that heavy dews in the night mean fine weather
+the following day," added Mrs. Vernon. "Also any thunder-storm that
+comes with the wind soon passes away, but let it come against the wind,
+and it is apt to last."</p>
+
+<p>"This one came with the wind and is blowing away already. See!"
+exclaimed Amy, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, girls, now we can do as the Arabs&mdash;fold our tent and steal away,"
+said Mrs. Vernon, rising carefully so as not to jar the bunny which had
+remained very quiet all this time.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder what the girls in the canoe did while the rain was falling,"
+said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Leave it to Julie to find a way. I'll say she landed them all on the
+bank and then turned the canoe upside down over their heads," laughed
+Hester.</p>
+
+<p>When the canoeists arrived at camp, sometime after the hikers got there,
+they exchanged experiences. Hester's surmise turned out to be exactly
+right, and the girls in the canoe were as dry as those who sat under the
+rubber cover.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="viii" id="viii"></a>CHAPTER EIGHT<br /><br />
+<small>JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Gilly</span>, do you know of any vegetable dye we can find in the woods to dye
+some burlap for decorations?" asked Julie one day.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you can take the berries and leaves of red or staghorn sumac and
+boil them together to make a black dye, or ink. If you need ink in a
+hurry, you can take the <em>Genus Coprinus</em>, commonly known as the ink
+mushroom, and pluck it at the end of its first day. The spores are
+black, and the gills turn into a black fluid at the last. This produces
+a splendid writing ink, or will dye grass, quills, and other wildwood
+stuffs."</p>
+
+<p>"Speaking of quills, Gilly&mdash;why can't we have chickens as the Grey Fox
+boys have?" asked Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"What would you do if they got the gapes, and no one would feed them
+chopped onions?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm not looking for trouble, but for pets to have about camp," retorted
+Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"I'd hardly call a chicken a pet!" laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Even so, Julie, it would cluck and <em>appear</em> to be friendly, even it
+wasn't."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What you scouts need is a good frisky dog for a pet. You can have
+chickens, if you like, but they are a nuisance. They stray away to lay
+their eggs, and if they were kept cooped you'd have to spend valuable
+time making a suitable inclosure. But a dog will go hiking with you,
+guard you at night from elephants and other prowling animals of the
+jungle, and be a fine old pal to boot," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, why didn't we think to bring Jippy," exclaimed Amy. Jip was a
+little poodle of about fifteen years and had had the rickets for the
+past five years, so he had to be carried about.</p>
+
+<p>The moment the scouts saw that Amy was in earnest they fairly roared,
+and Judith finally said: "Oh, Amy's catching the <em>ing&eacute;nue</em> habit from
+Betty! What shall we do with two of them on hand?"</p>
+
+<p>"Had we but known of this dire need of a dog, we would have brought
+Towser&mdash;had he lived. He was only twenty-two this March, and had full
+use of his bark even though he had no teeth or eyesight. But, alas!
+alas! Towser is no more!" sighed Julie, rolling her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>As Towser had been one of the "old settlers" in Elmertown, he was known
+to every man, woman and child there. Many a time, because he was
+stone-deaf and had not heard the blast from the horn, some one would
+have to rush out to rescue him from a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> passing automobile. So Julie's
+lament caused a new burst of merriment.</p>
+
+<p>"Stop all fooling now, scouts, and listen to me," said Mr. Gilroy. "I
+mean a regular dog&mdash;an Irish terrier, or a bulldog, to chum with and be
+of some good to you. How'd you like it?"</p>
+
+<p>"There ain't no sech critter in camp," retorted Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"But I know where to get one! His name is Jake, and he is very fond of
+the ladies, I'm told."</p>
+
+<p>"His name sounds dreadfully rakish, Gilly," teased Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"If Jacob is as faithful as his name would imply, we'd like to meet
+him," added Mrs. Vernon, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>"You shall. He lives at the farm where my overseer is, and the next time
+Mr. Benson is due here, I'll see that Jake accompanies him. If both
+sides are mutually attracted, the dog shall stay to give you scouts
+something to do," declared Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"What kind of a dog is he, Gilly?" asked Betty, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"He is a prize Airedale. But he is so clever that he tries to run
+everything on the farm, consequently Mr. Benson always has to separate
+Jake from the other dogs in the neighborhood."</p>
+
+<p>For the next two days the scouts were kept busy constructing a fine
+kennel for Jake to live in when<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> he joined their camp. Everything
+imaginable was done to add to the comfort and luxury of this "dog's
+life"; and the third day they started for the bungalow to be introduced
+to Jake, who was expected to arrive that morning.</p>
+
+<p>It was a warm, drowsy day, and the wildwood creatures seemed to be
+keeping quiet. Even the bees hummed less noisily over the flowers they
+were robbing of nectar. The girls strolled slowly along the pathway,
+stopping now and then to watch a bird or examine a flower. They were
+just passing the bend where the tumbling brook could be plainly seen
+from the trail when, suddenly, Julie held up a warning hand for quiet.</p>
+
+<p>Every one stopped short and waited. She pointed silently across the
+bushes in the direction of a long fallen tree that lay on the bank of
+the stream. The scouts looked, but saw nothing to cause this interest.
+Then she whispered warily, "I saw a big creature creeping along that
+log!"</p>
+
+<p>"Really!"</p>
+
+<p>"What did it look like? Which way did it go?" were questions hoarsely
+whispered.</p>
+
+<p>"It crawled on that log and suddenly disappeared. Maybe it jumped into
+the water when it saw us. I am thinking it was a beaver," returned
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, how wonderful! If we could only see it at work," cried some of the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"How big was it, Julie?" now asked Mrs. Vernon.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"It went so fast that I couldn't see well, but I should say it was about
+as big as a very large cat,&mdash;maybe larger if we were closer," said
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me, if we didn't have to go for Jake we might sit and wait for it
+to appear again. If it is a beaver, I'd love to watch it build a dam,"
+sighed Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"I hope Jake won't want to chase it, on our way back," Betty worried, as
+the thought struck her.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll hold Jake on a leash. And if he doesn't make a fuss we might
+creep over and watch for the animal's appearance again," added Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Then the sooner we go and get Jake, the sooner we'll be back here," was
+the sensible remark of Joan.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts now hurried along the trail and soon reached the bungalow,
+where a splendid Airedale was sleeping in the sunshine. He was stretched
+out full length right in the way where one would have to pass to go up
+the steps to the verandah.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, are you Jake?" called Julie quickly, when she saw the dog.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't he a beaut?" cried Joan, admiring the shapely form as it jumped
+up to growl at the visitors.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, Jake, don't begin our relations with a growl! Don't you know we
+have to keep the peace all summer?" laughed Julie, snapping her fingers
+to the dog.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy heard voices and came out on the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> verandah. The moment he
+greeted the scouts familiarly, Jake wagged his stump of a tail and ran
+up to show his friendship for his master's friends.</p>
+
+<p>The girls fussed over the dog immediately, and Mr. Gilroy smiled. "Well,
+what do you think of him, scouts? Is he homely enough to win your pity?
+You know it is said, 'Pity is akin to love.'"</p>
+
+<p>"He's a regular peach, Gilly!" exclaimed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Just what we need at camp," added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>And in the next ten minutes the dog had won high favor with his future
+companions. Then the scouts told about the animal they believed to be a
+beaver, so they wanted to hurry back and watch.</p>
+
+<p>"But hold to the leash if you go near the log. Jake is a born hunter,"
+advised Mr. Benson.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, he is very obedient if you speak sternly to him," added Mr. Gilroy.
+"If he tugs or wants to run, just command in severe tones, 'To heel,
+Jake,' and he will obey like a lamb."</p>
+
+<p>Jake wagged his tail as he watched Mr. Gilroy, and when the order was
+given, 'To heel, Jake,' he crept behind his master.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, the darling! Doesn't he mind splendidly!" cried several of the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll come along pretty soon. Wait for me near the log where you saw the
+beaver. I'll finish up with Benson and then join you there," said Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts started down the trail again, leading Jake by the
+leash.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Every one was delighted with the meek and obedient dog, and the fussing
+was accepted by him as his due, but he paid no attention to the numerous
+pats and endearing names given him as they walked along. Then they
+reached the open space where the log bounded the edge of the running
+water. It was about a hundred yards from the trail and distinctly
+visible because the brook was lower than the footpath where the scouts
+stood.</p>
+
+<p>"There it is! I saw it!" exclaimed Joan, excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>At the same moment Jake also saw something doubtful moving swiftly out
+of sight back of the log. The girls ran over to the bushes to see the
+better, and Julie's hold on the leash relaxed unconsciously. In that
+same second, Jake took mean advantage of her inattention to him and
+darted away.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, oh! Come back here, Jake!" yelled Julie instantly.</p>
+
+<p>But the dog stood upon a rock, his ears erect, his nose sniffing as he
+pointed it in the direction of the log. His tail trembled spasmodically
+and the hair along his spine stood up stiffly.</p>
+
+<p>"I say, to heel, Jake. Come back, to heel!" shouted every scout in the
+group. But Jake was deaf to their calls.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Captain called to him, but he bounded from the rock and managed
+to force his way through<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> the bushes, the leash catching here and there
+on stumps, on sharp rocks, or on bushes.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do? Now he'll kill the little beaver!" wailed Betty,
+wringing her hands.</p>
+
+<p>"Some one run back and get Gilly! <em>He'll</em> make him mind," ordered Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Who's Orderly for the Day? I want to wait and watch what he does," said
+Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, pshaw! I'm Orderly, and I s'pose I've got to go," declared Judith,
+impatiently.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll go for you, Judy, 'cause I can't bear to wait here and see Jake
+kill anything," said Betty, deeply distressed.</p>
+
+<p>"All right, Judy,&mdash;let Betty go instead, if she likes," agreed the
+Corporal. So Betty ran swiftly away while the other scouts resumed their
+coaxings to draw Jake away from the log.</p>
+
+<p>Julie now started to break away through the bush to get the dog, and
+several of the girls followed closely at her heels. When they reached
+the place where they had seen something move, they also saw tracks in
+the soft soil.</p>
+
+<p>"It really is a wild animal," said Julie, excited at sight of the
+footprints.</p>
+
+<p>"But what? Do you know?" asked Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"No, but it must be a beaver&mdash;or a fox. I don't know which," confessed
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>But they couldn't get at Jake. He was racing excitedly up and down on
+the log, his nose close<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> to the strangely odorous scent, and all the
+commands and persuasions from the scouts failed to make the least
+impression on him. His nervous short yelps showed how keen he was to
+have a face-to-face bout with the animal.</p>
+
+<p>Julie tried to step on the leash, but he dragged her foot so that she
+suddenly sat down violently on the ground. Then he nosed under the grass
+that hung over the brook, and finally swam over to the other side. There
+he stood and watched nervously, but the girls could not get him back
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"Talk about his minding! Why, he's the cussedest dog I ever saw!"
+complained Julie, as she got up and shook her clothes free of the
+briars.</p>
+
+<p>"There's no use standing in this baking sun to look at Jake standing on
+the other bank!" exclaimed Joan, angrily eying the disobedient dog.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll go back to the shady trail and watch for Gilly," said Julie,
+starting back to join the Captain. But they kept calling to Jake as they
+retraced their steps.</p>
+
+<p>When they got back to the slight elevation where Mrs. Vernon and Amy had
+waited, anxiously watching results, they saw Jake make a leap and swim
+quickly back across the brook to the log.</p>
+
+<p>"He must have seen or heard something that time," whispered Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, 'cause he's stretched out on that log nervously<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> wagging his tail
+with his eyes glued on something," admitted Amy.</p>
+
+<p>Then they caught their breath. The scouts saw a movement in the green
+leaves at the end of the log and then&mdash;Jake was creeping stealthily
+across that log, as if he also saw what he wanted to pounce upon.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, oh! Jake's got it! He's jumped upon it!" screamed Julie,
+frantically.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, it's a great big tomcat! They're fighting!" cried Hester, too
+excited to stand still, but jumping up and down.</p>
+
+<p>"A cat! Gilly hasn't a cat that color!" declared Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Girls!" fairly hissed Julie. "I bet it's a wildcat&mdash;and it will kill
+Jake as sure as anything!"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no! Oh, girls, I just saw it, too! It's a skunk! Run, run&mdash;for your
+lives!" cried Mrs. Vernon, turning to run up the trail towards the
+bungalow.</p>
+
+<p>But several of the scouts would not desert the dog. He had carried the
+skunk off its feet with his unexpected leap upon it, and the two rolled
+and fought madly for supremacy. The leash, instead of tripping Jake, got
+tangled in the skunk's legs, and both animals rolled back and forth.</p>
+
+<p>The enraged beast fired the deadly fluid to blind her antagonist, but it
+drenched the fallen tree only. Then Jake caught a grip on her throat and
+shook<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> her head; still she was game and kept on struggling.</p>
+
+<p>Again they rolled over together, the skunk trying to get to the brink of
+the water, where she would manage to roll them both in. But Jake
+understood that motive, too, and braced his feet against the stones in
+their way.</p>
+
+<p>A second volley of the ill-smelling spray from the skunk struck at
+random, and then Jake gave her neck another sudden shake. This time it
+was effective, and the head suddenly hung limp. Jake had broken her
+neck, and was the victor!</p>
+
+<p>He now took great pains to drag the trophy through the brush to present
+to his friends in the roadway. The leash caught several times and almost
+snapped his own neck, and the skunk was heavy, but he managed to drag it
+along.</p>
+
+<p>When Julie saw his intent she screamed and warned the girls to flee! And
+in running up the trail they met Mr. Gilroy, who had been summoned by
+half-crazed Betty's crying, "Jake and the beaver are killing each
+other!"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy did not stop to hear what Julie tried to gasp, but he ran
+down and saw Jake bringing the skunk out into the pathway.</p>
+
+<p>"To heel! to heel, Jake!" shouted Mr. Gilroy, holding his nose when the
+dog tried to jump upon him in the ecstasy of having achieved such a
+great deed.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do with him? He can't sleep at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> Dandelion camp to-night,"
+wailed the girls, as they, too, held their noses.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll have to take him back to the barn and have Hiram turn the hose on
+him for twenty-four hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't there a reward for skunks in the country?" now asked the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Not only a reward, but the pelts are valuable since they became so
+fashionable," remarked Mr. Gilroy, complacently.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Jake's earned his keep to-day, then," declared Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"But it will cost more than the skunk brings to pay for the nine hundred
+and ninety-nine bottles of <em>fleur-de-lis</em> toilet water Gilly will have
+to use to change Jake's scent!" laughed Julie.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="ix" id="ix"></a>CHAPTER NINE<br /><br />
+<small>LESSONS IN TRACKING</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Well</span>, scouts! That shows us how little we know about wild animal's
+tracks," remarked Mrs. Vernon, after Jake had been made to go back to
+the bungalow, and the Troop went on to camp.</p>
+
+<p>"I could have sworn that skunk's footprints were a coon's or a
+fox's,&mdash;or something big!" exclaimed Julie, trying to justify her
+mistake.</p>
+
+<p>"To me, the tracks in the soil looked like a lynx's, or something,"
+added Joan, hoping to cover the ignominy of having unearthed a skunk
+without knowing the animal.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't there some sort of book that will teach us how to recognize
+tracks, girls?" asked Hester.</p>
+
+<p>"Is there, Verny? Maybe we can get one at the bungalow," added Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know of any at this moment, but Mr. Gilroy surely will know,"
+replied the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>So they all went to the bungalow the next morning to inquire after
+Jake's scent, and also to borrow any books on the subject they had
+discussed.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, I have several books, and let me tell you they are precious, too.
+There are but few on this<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> subject, and the one I consider the best was
+compiled by Ernest Seton-Thompson under great difficulties. He had to
+gather all information from plaster casts made in the tracks themselves,
+or from sketches, or from camera pictures taken on the spot.</p>
+
+<p>"As every different animal leaves a different track, there are many
+illustrations necessary in such a work, and that makes the book most
+desirable and also very expensive. But it is great fun to study the
+pictures and then try to recognize the tracks in the woods."</p>
+
+<p>"We haven't found any about camp," said Judith, regretfully.</p>
+
+<p>"There must be all sorts of tracks there, but you don't know how to find
+them. Now, if you want to study this book and then practice early some
+morning, I'll come down and help find the tracks," Mr. Gilroy said.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, great! Will you come to-morrow morning?" asked the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"Hadn't we better study the book first, scouts, and let Gilly know when
+we are ready to go tracking?" suggested the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>So for a time every one was busy reading the book and trying to discover
+a track in the woods near camp. But Julie laughed as she said, "It isn't
+likely that a wild animal will prowl close to our camp at night. We'll
+have to hunt one some distance away."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy overheard the remark as he came down the trail. "Sometimes
+the animals will come quite close to camp just to find out what it is
+that is intruding on their forest domain."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, I wish they'd hurry and come here!" declared Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"When you are ready to hunt tracks, I'll arrange some baits around your
+camp grounds; and the next morning I'll vow you'll see that you've had
+callers while you slept. So quiet are they that you won't hear them,
+either," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"We are ready to hunt now, Gilly. We know everything in the book and are
+crazy to test it," said Joan, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I'll tell you what we might do. I was going over to Grey Fox Camp,
+but if you girls will deliver a message for me, I will go home and
+attend to the bait I spoke of. Hiram and I will do the rest."</p>
+
+<p>"All right&mdash;what do you want us to say to the boys?" agreed the scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, listen! Tell them that I want them to start out at dawn in the
+morning and hunt up all the tracks they can trace about their camp. Then
+to-morrow afternoon they are to come over here with their reports and
+have a match with you girls. The side showing the best results and most
+interesting experience shall have a prize. How does it strike you?" Mr.
+Gilroy glanced at the pleased faces as he concluded.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Fine! Do they know much about tracks?" returned Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, but then you must understand that they have been scouting for
+more than four years. Tell them that this is your first summer in a
+genuine forest camp, and they need not expect you to accomplish wonders.
+Then you girls must turn in and do your best!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts were most enthusiastic, and gaily agreed to follow Mr.
+Gilroy's suggestions. When they were ready to hike over the crest, the
+Captain said, "We may as well invite the boys to supper to-morrow and
+make a party of it."</p>
+
+<p>"That will be splendid. And I'll contribute my quota to the dinner
+instead of eating it at home," added Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"We may have quail or partridge for dinner if we track the birds
+carefully," suggested Joan, giggling.</p>
+
+<p>"Venison steaks are better," hinted Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"What's the matter with bear steaks, while we're about it? They're said
+to be gamier in flavor," laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have all three, and serve a ten-course dinner to the boys," added
+Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>With light banter the scouts left Mr. Gilroy where the trails
+diverged,&mdash;they to cross the crest and invite the boys over for supper
+the next day, and Mr. Gilroy to go home to find the "bait."</p>
+
+<p>Dandelion Camp was abandoned for a long time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> that day, and it was too
+late in the afternoon when the scouts returned, to ask what had been
+done in the woods during their absence; but a great deal had taken place
+there, as Hiram and his master could have told had they been so
+inclined. Even Jake could have testified to mysterious actions, and many
+queer maneuvers of familiar animals from the barnyard, but the girls
+never asked <em>him</em>. Their faith in Mr. Gilroy was sublime!</p>
+
+<p>While the Dandelioners sat eating their camp supper, they discussed the
+boys they had visited that day.</p>
+
+<p>"I declare! I wonder if we ever <em>will</em> know as much about the woods as
+those Grey Fox boys do," sighed Hester, taking a bite of baked potato.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure! We know almost as much as they do already," bragged Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"They gave us a lovely luncheon&mdash;and all with nothing to do it with,"
+added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"And it's up to us, girls, to give them a dinner that will make their
+eyes pop out to-morrow!" declared Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's plan it now, and do as much towards it as possible, then we can
+give that much extra time to tracking," suggested Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"And, scouts! I want you to display every bit of fine work you have done
+since we've been in camp, and all the work we did at camp last summer,
+as well, and brought with us this year," advised the Captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we don't want those boys to think we don't know a thing! The stuff
+we've made is so different from what they have, too," admitted the
+leader.</p>
+
+<p>So the evening was employed in arranging many exhibits to impress the
+visitors the following afternoon. Then the scouts rolled into bed.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, you'd better set the alarm clock for four in the morning,"
+called Julie, the last thing.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, we want to be up and ready to start when Gilly comes for us,"
+added Joan, the Corporal.</p>
+
+<p>"All right. Go to sleep now, or you'll all over-sleep," laughed the
+Captain from her tent.</p>
+
+<p>But there was no need of an alarm clock. The girls were up half an hour
+before it rang, and were impatiently waiting for the arrival of their
+instructor in tracking. Some of the scouts had gone into the bushes to
+begin a search, but had found nothing.</p>
+
+<p>It took but a few moments after Mr. Gilroy arrived to outline his plans
+for the work and fun. "We will scatter in couples to hunt for any sort
+of track whatever. The first couple that discovers any genuine track
+must call out, then we all will run and study it for what it is, or
+where it leads to. Now, pair off, scouts, but the Captain and I will
+follow at a distance and hurry to the first pair who find a track."</p>
+
+<p>"There are nine of us&mdash;how about the odd one?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Let the three youngest go together," returned<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> the Captain. So Amy,
+Betty and Judith hunted in trio.</p>
+
+<p>It was a "still hunt" for a time, since every one was too intent on
+finding a track to speak. Most of the scouts took to the dense bushes
+and woods, but the Leader sought in a clearing and was the first to
+summon the others.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come, every one! We've found a great big track!" called Julie, as
+she and her companion knelt to inspect the prints.</p>
+
+<p>Every one raced wildly to the clearing, and, sure enough, there were
+hoof prints distinctly marked in the soil. The trail led across the
+clearing into the dense forest.</p>
+
+<p>"Aren't they big?" excitedly asked Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"They're made by a deer!" said Julie, boastfully.</p>
+
+<p>"Are they, Gilly?" asked the girls as the Judge came up.</p>
+
+<p>He pretended to study them carefully, and then said: "I shall have to
+wait and compare them with those in the book."</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe it is a reindeer?" suggested Betty, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Mercy no! We don't have reindeers south of the Pole!" declared her
+sister.</p>
+
+<p>"Look here, girls! This creature only had two legs&mdash;it left only two
+hoofmarks, one for each side," cried Judith now.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I know what it was! It was that familiar animal that carries a
+pitchfork, smells of sulphur<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> and is known to have hoofs," retorted
+Julie, making them all laugh merrily.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sure I have no desire to trail <em>him</em>!" said the Captain, holding up
+both hands as if to ward off such a danger. "Let him go to his lair in
+peace!"</p>
+
+<p>"All joking aside, girls, this is a queer track&mdash;only two feet instead
+of four. Let's follow and see where it goes," suggested Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>So they trailed the plainly visible tracks, and after a distance, Julie
+said: "Whatever it is, it couldn't have traveled so far as this if it
+was a cripple. It just <em>couldn't</em> walk on two hind legs all this way."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy had to laugh loudly at this, but he said, "No, but don't give
+up hope! You may stumble right over the prostrate buck."</p>
+
+<p>But the trail now crossed itself several times, and the scouts wondered
+which way the two-legged creature finally went, for all tracks were
+obliterated after that criss-cross place in a tiny clearing.</p>
+
+<p>The Corporal was determined to pick it up again somewhere, so she
+finally came out to the trail that ran from the camp to the bungalow.
+Here she wandered up and down for a short distance, and then spied the
+tracks again.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I've got him again. He goes right up this trail," so she followed.</p>
+
+<p>The others followed at a distance, and then she shouted, "He prowled
+around Gilly's house, too, last night, for I see the hoofmarks here."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Julie would have gone after the tracks to the right "lair," but Hiram
+came forward from the barnyard to meet her. He had heard her call to the
+others, and offered a solution to the problem.</p>
+
+<p>"I seen them tracks this mornin', too, Miss Julie, and I'm sure that
+animal come to the barnyard las' night to feed offen the hay and corn he
+could find around there."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, really! Would one do that?" asked Julie, amazed.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure he would, if he was a deer. An' them tracks ain't no grizzly, er
+fox, er other critter, you know."</p>
+
+<p>"No; of course, it is a deer, as one can see by the tracks. But I'm
+sorry we have to end in such an ordinary place as the barnyard," sighed
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"I see'd some queer tracks down by that log where Jake caught the
+skunk," now hinted Hiram.</p>
+
+<p>That was enough! In another moment every scout was bounding down the
+trail in order to reach the spot first and win honor by knowing the
+track correctly.</p>
+
+<p>Hester found these tracks first, and shouted to her friends, "This has
+small cloven feet, but there are only two legs, also! Now and then you
+can see where one track looks as if a hind foot had broken in on another
+one!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, girls! That explains that other two-footed animal!" now exclaimed
+Julie, quickly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What, what?" demanded every one eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Most likely the deer stepped daintily with its hind feet directly in
+the same track made by its forefeet. It said something about that in the
+book, you know."</p>
+
+<p>"Do you think that is it, Gilly?" now asked several anxious voices.</p>
+
+<p>"Exactly! I was hoping you'd find that out," agreed he.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, does this creature show any unusual tendencies, girls, by which
+you can recognize it?" laughed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a thing! It starts from the trail and goes right through the brush
+where we broke a way that day the skunk was killed, and it stopped to
+question nothing. It must have been in a hurry to get a drink,"
+explained Joan.</p>
+
+<p>The trail plainly led to the brook, and ended there. No sign of anything
+going back again could be found, although the girls looked carefully
+over the entire place. Then Julie thought she saw something in the soft
+soil upon the opposite bank. To make sure, she waded through the shallow
+but swiftly running water, and there, on the steep bank, she saw the
+tracks again.</p>
+
+<p>"Ha! I found 'em! plain as day. Come and follow!" called she. And off
+she started.</p>
+
+<p>Not more than a dozen yards along the top of the bank she found the
+tracks go down again; and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> through the brook she went, up the other
+side, and back to the brush-clearing on a new trail, following the
+cloven-footed tracks. Out on the hard trail they were lost.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, that makes two I've trailed and lost. It's a shame!" cried Julie,
+stamping her foot.</p>
+
+<p>"'Better to have trailed and lost than never to have found at all,'"
+misquoted Mrs. Vernon, laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>"If the first one was a deer, this second one must have been a little
+fawn," said Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Is there any other animal that wears hoofs?" asked Ruth, of no one in
+particular.</p>
+
+<p>Now, Mr. Gilroy must have dreaded the reply, for he quickly changed the
+subject. "How many of you brought the plaster and bottle of water?"
+Every one had.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, why not make a little cast of both the tracks you do not
+recognize and then compare them with those in the book when we go back
+to camp?"</p>
+
+<p>This sounded fine, so the scouts were soon busy making casts of the
+tracks. When hard, they were handed to the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to
+carry carefully until they all reached camp.</p>
+
+<p>Quite near the camp ground Hester made a discovery. "Oh, come and see!
+Here is something with toes. As big as a wildcat, or maybe a little
+bear!"</p>
+
+<p>Yes, there were toes in this animal's tracks&mdash;as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> plain as could be. So
+the scouts guessed every animal known, excepting the coyote and
+water-loving creatures. After many futile suggestions, they made a
+plaster cast of these tracks also.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm going to carry this load back to camp, girls, and be ready for the
+next one you give me," announced Mr. Gilroy, starting to go down the
+trail.</p>
+
+<p>The next two tracks, one that of a large-toed animal and the other of
+one whose tracks showed how the hair grew down low on the hind
+legs,&mdash;for the hair showed in several of the imprints made of
+plaster,&mdash;strangely ended near the bungalow, and on the other side of
+the hard trail again, they ran as far as the barnyard.</p>
+
+<p>"I never saw the beat of it! Any one would think Gilly hung the bait on
+the barn door to entice the animals here," said Julie, who was angry at
+winding up at such a place three times running. Mr. Gilroy had to laugh
+in spite of himself.</p>
+
+<p>"Say, where did you put that bait, anyway, Gilly?" demanded the scout
+leader, watching the man skeptically.</p>
+
+<p>"Where we knew it would attract the best results."</p>
+
+<p>"Gilly, I verily believe you are hoaxing us!" cried Julie. Mrs. Vernon
+smiled at her bright scout, but Mr. Gilroy shook his head protestingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why should I hoax any one? I was laughing at the way you brave scouts
+dodged when Joan said<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> the animal they lost might be crouching on a
+bough of the trees."</p>
+
+<p>"No, that wasn't what made you laugh." Then Julie went over and held a
+secret conference with her corporal and Ruth, and they, grinning, urged
+her to do as she suggested.</p>
+
+<p>So Julie took a sample of the different casts made in the tracks, and
+left the others engaged in finding new and intricate tracks. Mr. Gilroy
+and the Captain were not taken into the three scouts' confidence, but
+they must have suspected where Julie proposed going, for soon after she
+had gone Mrs. Vernon said:</p>
+
+<p>"Girls, if we expect to entertain the Grey Fox boys at dinner this
+afternoon, we'd better go back now and begin work."</p>
+
+<p>"Without a clue to any wild animal we tracked?" sighed Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, Judy&mdash;we've got some fine clues, and by the time we're at camp
+and have our books out, Julie will be back with proofs! Come on," was
+Joan's assurance to the girls.</p>
+
+<p>On the way, the scouts discussed the last track they had discovered. "I
+was sure it was a crow's," asserted Amy.</p>
+
+<p>"No, it was more like a chicken-hawk's," Hester added.</p>
+
+<p>"There wouldn't be any chicken-hawk around here in these woods," said
+Joan.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Maybe it was the American Eagle," laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it got tired of sitting on the flagpole where the colors have hung
+for four days without being taken in at night, as they should be,"
+remarked the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me, Verny, there is so much to remember in camp. We always
+remember the flag after we are in bed at night," complained Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"The Orderly will have to appoint a flagman for each day after this,"
+said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>They finally reached camp, and had a light luncheon ready before Julie
+returned. She came down the trail sprightly, with one hand holding
+something behind her, and singing as she came.</p>
+
+<p>"Where have you been, Julie?" asked several of the scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you find out what you went for?" asked others.</p>
+
+<p>"Yep! I learned that we have among us the queerest sort of creature,
+girls. It really walks on two legs, holds its head upright, and belongs
+to the fox class. I tracked it right to our midst," laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts seemed perplexed, and Julie, too full of her discoveries to
+tease very long, said, "His name is 'Foxy Grandpa,' and you all know him
+well!"</p>
+
+<p>Every eye glanced at Mr. Gilroy, and he laughingly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> replied, "Why do you
+all seem to think I am that animal?"</p>
+
+<p>"Because you are, Gilly!" retorted Julie. "And I'll prove it now, to
+every one's satisfaction."</p>
+
+<p>"First, then: Did Hiram miss any calves or pigs or other domestic
+animals from his barnyard yesterday?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy threw up both hands in submission when he saw the knowing
+look in the leader's eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"Because here are the molds we made of the tracks found in the forest,
+girls. And here are molds I made of the heifer, a pig, the Great Dane,
+and a chicken, at the bungalow. Can you find any difference?"</p>
+
+<p>Both the Captain and Mr. Gilroy laughed, but the scouts gasped in
+unbelief, "Would Gilly do such a thing?"</p>
+
+<p>Not one bit of difference was found when comparing the molds of each
+animal, and then Mr. Gilroy had to tell how he did it. Of course, the
+scouts laughed mirthlessly, for they were thinking of how those Grey Fox
+boys would jeer at their woodcraft. But Julie now brought out in front,
+the hand which had held something behind her.</p>
+
+<p>"Here is the hawk&mdash;or American Eaglet. I brought it with me for dinner
+to-night. To Gilly it will be crow-pie, but to us it will be spring
+chicken." And the Leader tossed a dead chicken upon the grass. Then she
+added:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"That's what happens to all 'critters' that trespass on our land. Hiram
+tells me that when a farmer catches an animal on his land, he generally
+holds it for ransom, or for food for himself, so we have not fared so
+badly, scouts, in this day's work!</p>
+
+<p>"Behold the other trophies coming! I took them because they broke the
+law and trespassed on our estates last night." Julie waved a hand
+dramatically towards the trail, and every one turned to look.</p>
+
+<p>Hiram was slowly advancing toward camp, leading with one hand a
+fractious pig, and with the other hand dragging an unwilling half-grown
+heifer on a chain. Jake was jumping about and barking excitedly as they
+came over and stood like prisoners at the bar.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Foxy Grandpa," began Julie, as severely as she could, "because of
+your crime of misleading trusting scouts into a snare, I pronounce this
+judgment upon you, and therefore levy upon your property to satisfy the
+judgment.</p>
+
+<p>"This wild deer and its little fawn shall henceforth be the property of
+the injured ones&mdash;insulted past all forgiveness by your fraud. And the
+innocent victims used to perpetrate your schemes, being as free from
+guile as the scouts themselves, shall dwell henceforth together in peace
+and tranquillity!"</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed heartily at the d&eacute;nouement for it was so like Julie;
+but Mrs. Vernon added, "Julie you speak exactly like the millennial
+times, when the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> lion and the lamb shall dwell in love and peace
+together."</p>
+
+<p>"The lion will dwell with the lamb, all right, but the lamb will be the
+<em>piece</em> inside the lion," added Mr. Gilroy; "just as this pig will live
+in camp! Such a life as it will lead you!"</p>
+
+<p>"No good talking 'sour grapes', now, Gilly," advised Julie, wisely. "The
+calf and the pig remain, no matter what sort of life they lead us."</p>
+
+<p>"What can you expect to do with two such pets?" asked Mr. Gilroy, who
+was honestly amazed at the scouts' unexpected appropriation.</p>
+
+<p>"First, build a pen for them, and second, have veal and pork before we
+leave for home!" retorted Julie. She then ordered all the scouts to fall
+to work and construct a temporary shelter for the two creatures.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy seemed too surprised to comment, and when Hiram finally
+delivered the calf and pig into Julie's custody, Mr. Gilroy turned to
+her and said, "Do you <em>really</em> mean to keep the beasts, here in camp?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, of course! Why should we go to all this fuss for nothing?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I can't see, yet, why you should?"</p>
+
+<p>When the calf and pig were temporarily tied to a tree, where they seemed
+as much at home as back in the barnyard, Julie said, "By the way, Gilly,
+what did you call the pets when they were yours?"</p>
+
+<p>"They have never been christened, because I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> waited for an opportune
+time. It is here now!" returned Mr. Gilroy, picking up one of the
+bottles of water that had done duty to make plaster casts that morning.</p>
+
+<p>He held it over the calf's head and poured half of its contents out
+while he said solemnly:</p>
+
+<p>"Dear little deer, henceforth you shall be known as Julia, in honor of
+the intrepid scout that captured you, single-handed.</p>
+
+<p>"Likewise, this sweet little fawn, known by its tracks through the
+wilderness, shall be named Ant-and-ett because of its peculiar
+habits,&mdash;busy as an ant and eats all that comes its way!" Then the rest
+of the water was emptied over the pig's head.</p>
+
+<p>"<em>Antoinette</em> it shall be, now and forever," declared Julie, while the
+other scouts laughed uproariously. But the two names stuck, and
+thereafter the calf was "Julia" and the pig was generally called by the
+name of "Anty."</p>
+
+<p>After the christening Mr. Gilroy beckoned for the Captain to join him
+where the girls could not over-hear his conversation. "You don't suppose
+the girls are in earnest about keeping the pig and calf at camp, do
+you?" asked he, anxiously.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, certainly," laughed Mrs. Vernon. "You don't know girls of this
+age, or you'd understand that they enjoy all these silly pranks
+thoroughly, and really, they act as safety-valves."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="x" id="x"></a>CHAPTER TEN<br /><br />
+<small>THE GIRL SCOUTS ENTERTAIN</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Now</span>, Gilly, you've got to help us build the sheds for Julia and Anty,
+or go home until its time for the party," exclaimed the Leader, calling
+to the still-wondering man.</p>
+
+<p>"If we're to have any dinner ready for the Grey Foxes; I think Hiram and
+Gilly ought to do the building of the sheds, and let us get busy with
+the cooking," added the Corporal.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, that's a better plan," admitted Julie. "Come on, now, Gilly, don't
+shirk your duty!"</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Gilroy and his man were set to do construction work, while the
+scouts ran to and fro, fetching and carrying, arranging exhibits,
+baking, cooking, and what-not, that Dandelion Troop need not take a
+"back seat" in comparison with the Grey Foxes.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny," whispered Julie, soon after the two men were sawing and nailing
+at the sheds, "it's as plain as the nose on my face, that Gilly thinks
+those boys are far cleverer than we girls."</p>
+
+<p>"What makes you think so, Julie?" asked Joan, who was passing at the
+time.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Never mind, now, Jo, but we've just got to show him, as well as his
+boys, that girl scouts know a heap more than they talk about. That's why
+I'm anxious to make a 'ten-strike' with dinner!"</p>
+
+<p>"It is too bad we were tricked with false tracks," said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't believe those boys would have known any better, under the
+circumstances, but of course, they won't admit it."</p>
+
+<p>"Forget it!" said Julie, shortly. "And listen to me. Take all the
+contents of our boxes out upon the cots, and call upon all the girls you
+need to help in the work. Turn the packing cases upside down and cover
+them with some of our embroidered covers; then arrange to the best
+advantage, everything we can show for our past year in scoutdom.</p>
+
+<p>"Try to group our exhibits according to their relationship with each
+other, but leave all the Indian pots and dishes scattered about
+carelessly as if we were accustomed to using them daily. The birchbark
+baskets and articles can be hung about on tents or trees where they will
+show off best,&mdash;but don't let it look as if the stunt was done on
+purpose for this occasion&mdash;see?"</p>
+
+<p>Joan smiled. "Yes, I see! Leave it to the Girl Scouts!"</p>
+
+<p>So, although there was plenty of activity before, now there was no end
+of rushing and laughing and planning between the scouts. The pots and
+dishes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> Julie spoke of were left to Mrs. Vernon to place, and she
+accomplished the task of studying carefully the apparent carelessness of
+leaving the vessels about.</p>
+
+<p>These Indian pots and dishes were the most interesting things the scouts
+had made. It was simple work, and took but little time and no cost to
+produce the results. And most effective they were.</p>
+
+<p>They took a lump of clay and worked out all the hard bits, and sticks or
+stones, then shaped it for the bottom of a bowl or pot. In its first
+step it looked like a flat saucer, then it was left an hour or two,
+according to the thickness of the clay, to dry well. After that the
+sides were built up on this saucerlike bottom.</p>
+
+<p>It was shaped the desired form, and patted into the thickness required,
+then smoothed out nicely, both inside and out, and again dried as
+before. Now it was baked in a hot fire for several hours, so that when
+it was cool it was a fireproof bowl.</p>
+
+<p>The only trouble the girls had had with this interesting art was the
+carelessness of a few of them in cooling the dishes too quickly. They
+found the clay invariably cracked when the pots were too quickly cooled
+after taking them from the fire. But by slow degrees of cooling, which
+took about three hours, they came out perfect.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts had decorated their pots as they felt inclined, so that they
+presented a varied and pleasing array as they stood about camp, in
+places where the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> eye would see them to their best advantage. Some were
+painted with wood-dyes, and others were etched in relief patterns.</p>
+
+<p>When the Captain had finished her task, she silently drew the attention
+of the scouts to the groups, and they all stood and smiled proudly at
+their handiwork.</p>
+
+<p>"We didn't see anything like that at Grey Fox Camp," bragged Judith to
+Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"No sir! Nor did they have a cookstove like ours! Alec may have made a
+roasting-fan such as we never heard of before, but we can show him a
+thing or two when he comes over!" exclaimed Joan.</p>
+
+<p>At this moment Julie was heard calling the Orderly.</p>
+
+<p>"How about that chicken? Some one's got to draw it so it can be cooked.
+It ought to go on the fire in another half hour."</p>
+
+<p>At this Mr. Gilroy called out, "You're not going to eat my chicken, are
+you?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure! That's why I had Hiram wring its neck. I knew the poor thing
+wouldn't object to being cooked if once its breath was gone," laughed
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me! It's my turn to draw the fowl and I hate it!" complained Ruth.</p>
+
+<p>"S-sh!" warned Julie, waving a frying-pan at Ruth, "it is for the Cause
+of Woman this time, so don't cry, Ruthy!"</p>
+
+<p>"I'll help do it, Ruth," Betty now offered kindly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> "I know how you
+dislike the work, but 'Liza showed me how to do it so that it really
+isn't half bad."</p>
+
+<p>Betty poured scalding water over the chicken, and the feathers came off
+easily. Then she slit the throat and breast and removed the entrails
+without causing any repulsion in Ruth. When it was ready, Ruth admitted
+that she knew she could do the work the next time without a qualm.</p>
+
+<p>The cookstove the scouts were so proud of was a remarkable affair&mdash;even
+Mr. Gilroy admitted that. Mrs. Vernon had discovered a heap of fine flat
+stones, such as a surveyor uses for his "corners," and these were used.
+The largest stones were placed against a tree that would act as draught
+to the fire, and the mound was built up until it was a convenient height
+to use without bending uncomfortably low, as is necessary with
+campfires.</p>
+
+<p>Through the center of this mound was a well, and on four sides of the
+rounded mound were windowlike openings backed with tin; in these niches
+various pots or pans could be kept hot while other viands were cooking
+on top of the stove.</p>
+
+<p>The top was made of a sheet of thin stove-iron which the Captain had
+brought from home, and near the bottom of the mound was a tipping-stone
+upon which the fire was laid. When the fire was out, its ashes could be
+removed by tipping the flat stone over and letting the cinders fall to
+the bottom, where they could be raked away quite easily.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>This opening provided draught for the fire, and at the back, from the
+fire-stone, an opening had been left, and here to several feet above the
+top of the stove, a length of stove-pipe carried all smoke out and above
+the heads of the scouts.</p>
+
+<p>The girls had also built a fireless cooker in the ground just beside
+their stove, where fish, or any article needing steady heat, could be
+placed. This cooking-pit was constructed after the plan adopted by most
+scouts, and described fully in the manual.</p>
+
+<p>While Ruth and Betty were busy preparing the chicken, Mrs. Vernon built
+a good fire in the stove, and had several of the girls heat the stones
+in the fireless cooker, to be ready for use.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy had donated several fine lake trout that day, so these were
+cleaned and washed and placed in the cooker-pit, where they would need
+no watching but be done to a turn when wanted.</p>
+
+<p>The chicken was cut up for a fricasee, and diced onions and potatoes
+were prepared to add to the boiling liquid about an hour before serving.
+This would provide not only soup for the first course, but chicken with
+dumplings for a third course. They proposed having the fish with butter
+sauce for the second course.</p>
+
+<p>Just as Julie added the diced potatoes, Hester exclaimed, "Oh, Jule!
+what did you do that for? Those duck-potatoes were meant to make the
+boys' eyes bulge!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What duck-potatoes? I never touched them!" declared Julie, defensively.</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't you cut them up and use them just now?"</p>
+
+<p>"I should say not! After all the work we had in finding and digging
+them! Why, they ought to be preserved&mdash;not eaten," laughed the Leader.</p>
+
+<p>"Thank goodness!" sighed Hester, in such evident relief that every one
+laughed sympathetically.</p>
+
+<p>"Who's doing the Indian cucumbers?" called the Corporal.</p>
+
+<p>"I am!" answered Judith. "They're all peeled and sliced ready to serve.
+And Amy gathered the dandelion greens to go with them."</p>
+
+<p>"Fine! Verny is making a mayonnaise to use with the salad. My! Won't
+those boys have the wind taken out of their sails when they see the duck
+potatoes and Indian cucumbers!" giggled Joan.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy had not missed much of all this whispering and joyous
+confusion, and he chuckled to himself as he and Hiram finished nailing
+the last boards on the sheds and turned Julia into her new home. The
+small pigsty was soon completed, and then a fence was built about it,
+but it was not calculated to keep a full-grown pig in bounds; it was
+strong enough for Antoinette, however, at that time.</p>
+
+<p>Before the pig-pen was quite finished, the scouts heard the whistles and
+calls from the Grey Fox boys, as they hiked over the crest trail. So
+they fluttered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> about anxiously to see that not an item on the programme
+was forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Hiram was on his way to the bungalow, and Mr. Gilroy had hurried down to
+the lake to wash up and make his dinner toilet, when the boys came gaily
+into camp. After greeting their hostesses, the Grey Fox scouts looked
+around.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, guess you girls are planning to spread yourselves for dinner,
+eh?" asked Alec, jocularly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, nothing more than usual; we live high every day," returned Julie,
+tossing her head.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing more was said about dinner just then, but a loud call from
+"Julia" drew all attention to her shed. The boys stared in surprise at
+the two buildings they had never noticed before.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't that a pig&mdash;in that pen?" asked Ned, amazedly.</p>
+
+<p>"No, it's Antoinette&mdash;our latest girl scout!" giggled Amy.</p>
+
+<p>The boys laughed, for the name struck them as awfully funny for a pig.
+Then they walked from Anty's pen to the shed, which had a door swung on
+leather hinges, but it was closed.</p>
+
+<p>"And what sort of scout do you lock up in here?" asked Bob,
+condescendingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Bob Veal!" retorted Julie, causing every one to roar at the questioner.</p>
+
+<p>Bob flushed, but walked over to the stove where the Captain stood
+stirring the dumplings in the chicken<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> soup. "That's a fine stove,
+Captain," ventured he.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it is something like the one we built last year in camp. That was
+so convenient we decided to have another this summer. Wouldn't you boys
+like to examine it closely?"</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon the Grey Foxes did examine it closely, much to their advantage
+on useful ideas of kitchen equipment. Then they saw the fireless cooker
+that was in use for the time being; so they passed on to inspect the
+various birchbark hanging-baskets filled with flowers; the rustic
+fern-boxes, and all the useful articles the scouts had manufactured of
+birchbark and acorns.</p>
+
+<p>"It takes a girl to do fancywork, all right. Now, we boys are not gifted
+that way, you see, but we can make other things, instead," remarked
+Alec, bestowing a male's compliments on feminine accomplishments.</p>
+
+<p>"Just what can you make, or have done, that we girls are not able to
+do?" demanded Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I wasn't personal in any way,&mdash;I just meant that it is quite
+natural for women to do the light things while men have to look after
+the business of life!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, the quicker you open your eyes to facts, and see that we women of
+the present age are fast outstripping the men in <em>every</em> calling, the
+better it will be for your own good!" said Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Just glance around, boys, and tell us if you can<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> make a better showing
+for <em>your</em> four years," added Joan, waving her hand at the various
+exhibits.</p>
+
+<p>It happened that the girls had each been given a cue by Julie, so that
+when the Grey Fox boys came into camp, Judith was found sweeping
+carefully with a camp-made broom, Amy and Betty were placing a tabletop
+upon its legs and then starting to set the table, and the other scouts
+were busy with other unusual things. Now Dick walked over to Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"How did you know you could make a broom like this?" said he.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, this is an old one made the first day we came to camp. You ought
+to see our new ones. They are fine!"</p>
+
+<p>Dick examined the broom, and called Alec over. "They can make brooms,
+all right, Alec!" said he, showing the article in question. It was made
+of long hickory shavings, well bound about a good handle, and promised
+to outlast any dozen store brooms.</p>
+
+<p>"But why sweep this grass,&mdash;that's foolish," said Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"No, because this is where we will sit about the table. We always sweep
+away the crumbs or trash that fall during mealtime, so the ants and
+other insects won't annoy us. This morning, however, we were in such a
+hurry to get out with Gilly, that we forgot the usual routine work in
+camp," explained Judith.</p>
+
+<p>The two boys exchanged glances, but Judith saw<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> them. Alec then said,
+smilingly, "Oh, yes! How did that track-hunt come off? I suppose you
+scouts knew every animal, eh?"</p>
+
+<p>Judith now realized that Mr. Gilroy had had the whole joke planned out
+with the Grey Fox boys, and that the boys were only waiting to have a
+good old laugh on the girls. So she deliberately told a lie,&mdash;fervently
+praying that it be forgiven for the "Cause of Women."</p>
+
+<p>She glanced roguishly up at Alec, and winked one eye. "Wasn't it too
+funny for anything,&mdash;the way we led Gilly about by the nose?"</p>
+
+<p>The boys stared in surprise for a moment, then Dick said, "What do you
+mean? Didn't you scouts go out at dawn with Gilly to study tracks?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure! But didn't you boys know about the joke we made up on him about
+those tracks? That's why he is so late to dinner."</p>
+
+<p>"Tell us about it?" eagerly begged both boys.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh! I can't. I thought you knew something about it or you wouldn't have
+grinned the way you did. I'm so sorry I let the cat out of the bag, for
+likely, our Leader wants to tell you the story while we all are at
+dinner," cried Judith, the picture of regret.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, come on and tell! Now that you've said so much!" coaxed Dick.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you boys walk around and look over our work and I'll run and ask
+Julie if I may tell you the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> story," whispered Judith, giggling, and
+running over to the Leader's side.</p>
+
+<p>When Julie heard the truth from Judith, she was furious, but she soon
+saw that she must thrust anger behind her, and plan some clever way to
+reverse the joke and make it fall upon the originator. In fact, at that
+moment, the scouts wished all kinds of dreadful things upon their
+benefactor, Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>He, however, unaware of their ire, was walking up the trail from the
+lake to the camp-site. And the boys, who were told to amuse themselves
+for a time, were certainly finding more good ideas put into useful form
+at that camp than they ever dreamed of.</p>
+
+<p>The large square table was constructed of the boards removed from a
+piano-case which Gilly had at the barn. These were all nailed to a frame
+and furnished a strong, heavy top that could be placed, at will, on the
+four sturdy posts that were driven into the ground. These table-legs
+were only fifteen inches above the ground, so one could sit on the grass
+and conveniently use the top.</p>
+
+<p>The four boys met at a large rustic shelf-cupboard, constructed of
+short-length boards taken from a cereal box, and placed so as to make
+four shelves. Two sides were made of boards that came from one of the
+packing-cases from the city. This cupboard stood against a great pine
+tree that furnished the backing, and on the shelves were the array of
+lanterns and candlesticks made and used in camp.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Gee! They've got the bottle-neck holder, the tin-can lantern, and all
+the rest. It seems they know the scout stunts, all right," whispered
+Ned.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and look at these candles! Do you suppose they made them in camp?
+They look like hand-dipped products," added Alec, examining the tallow
+candles.</p>
+
+<p>"We won't let on that we're curious, but we'll find out from Gilly just
+how they made these candles," suggested Bob.</p>
+
+<p>From the shelves that held candles and some clay ornaments the boys
+wandered over to the sun-dial.</p>
+
+<p>"It's better than the one we made," admitted Ned.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph! So it is," said Alec, reluctantly, but willing to be just.</p>
+
+<p>"Whoever did that burnt-wood etching around the edge sure made a fine
+job of it. And the numerals are very good," added Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"Gilly said Ruth is the artist of the Troop," said Dick.</p>
+
+<p>But the Grey Foxes never found out that the Indian Clock had been made
+during the previous winter when there was ample time to spend over such
+a work. The large wooden slab was sent to camp with many other highly
+decorative things made the same winter.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy now joined the boys and offered to act as official guide in
+viewing everything. So interested were the boys in all they saw that
+they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> temporarily forgot about the joke of the tracking.</p>
+
+<p>"Come and see the Indian willow beds the scouts made the first day in
+camp," said Mr. Gilroy, boastfully, now that he wanted to impress the
+boys.</p>
+
+<p>So the beds, the weaving looms, the birdhouses here and there, and other
+things were duly seen and admired. But the exhibit that interested the
+boys as much as anything that day was the neat and beautiful work done
+with wild flowers and a deal of patience. There were blue-prints of
+delicate flowers, as well as shadow-work and pressed and mounted
+flower-groups.</p>
+
+<p>Alec recognized the three-leaved arrow-head, and showed it to the other
+boys who had never seen it before. This particular specimen was white
+and waxen in contrast to the indigo-hued paper.</p>
+
+<p>The spiderwort was a rich blue with its two large petals rounded, while
+the third one was tiny and colorless. There was also a purple variety
+known as "Job's Tears."</p>
+
+<p>The wild leek and garlic flowers made dainty blue-prints, scarcely
+recognizable as coming from such humble family trees as the despised
+onion. Wild spikenard, with its crown of tiny white flowers, also
+reproduced beautifully in the blue-print. The Seal of Solomon and purple
+Twisted Stalk made scraggy pictures easy to identify.</p>
+
+<p>Betty had pressed a white trillium that made an imposing picture,
+retaining all its beauty and lines.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> The boys had the painted trillium
+in their collection but had never seen the white one.</p>
+
+<p>In the flower collection made by the other scouts were many
+orchids,&mdash;fringed-purple, ragged-fringed, yellow-fringed, and others.
+Also the Indian pink, the rattlesnake plantain, the pink snake-mouth,
+monkshood, bloodroot, pitcher plant, and numerous others that formed a
+wonderful exhibit which it would take a long time to do justice to.</p>
+
+<p>While the Grey Foxes were poring over the flower books, Mrs. Vernon came
+up beside them. "When you boys are through here, we will sit down to
+dinner, as everything is ready to serve."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, we'll look at the rest of these another time," said Bob, quickly.</p>
+
+<p>So the Captain led them over to the table, where the appearance of the
+festive board caused them to smack their lips. Mr. Gilroy and the Grey
+Fox boys were seated according to Julie's directions, then the girls all
+went over to the cookstove.</p>
+
+<p>At each place on the table sat a flat clay-made plate that was to do
+service for many needs. Beside the plate were the birchbark cup to drink
+water from, a birchbark napkin ring that held a paper napkin, and the
+usual knife, fork and spoon.</p>
+
+<p>In the center of the table stood a lovely fern centerpiece, the holder
+woven of split willows, and the fern dug up in the woods and
+transplanted into a tin pail that did not show inside the basket.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The fernery was flanked by two other handwoven baskets of sweet-grass.
+One held the scout-biscuits just baked, while the other was piled high
+with light little puff-cakes. On either side of the centerpiece stood
+two large flat clay platters,&mdash;one held the Indian cucumber salad, and
+the other a dandelion salad.</p>
+
+<p>"Aren't the girls going to sit down, too?" called Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, but each girl has to serve a boy's soup as well as her own. Then
+we will sit down," answered Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime Joan was whispering anxiously, as each girl held out the clay
+bowls for soup, "Now remember! Leave the tracking tale to Julie, and
+agree with her everytime! Don't you dare be caught napping this time!"</p>
+
+<p>And as each scout left the stove with her two bowls of soup, she
+whispered. "No, leave it to me! We'll get the best of Gilly for this
+joke."</p>
+
+<p>The chicken soup was highly praised, and truly it was a good broth and
+deserved all praise. Then came the fish,&mdash;all done to a turn and served
+piping hot with butter sauce. The Indian cucumber went well with the
+lake trout, and here the boys had another surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Indian cucumbers! We never knew they grew around here," ventured Alec,
+but delighting in the salad just the same.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, didn't you? Well, you see, it takes a girl's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> fancy touches to
+secure these sort of things. You boys, of course, have to give your time
+to doing big things," was Julie's sarcastic reply.</p>
+
+<p>The third course consisted of the chicken and dumplings, stewed bracken,
+and a side dish of vegetable that looked for all the world like small
+potatoes. The boys studied these curiously.</p>
+
+<p>"It's quite digestible," laughed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"But be sure to appreciate them,&mdash;they are the only Wapitos we've ever
+found!" declared Joan, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>"Wapitos! You don't mean it!" exclaimed Alec, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, where did you find them?" asked the other boys.</p>
+
+<p>"One morning when we were out tracking," said Julie, with a careless
+manner. Then quickly added, "Oh, Captain, where are the Brussels
+sprouts? We almost forgot that vegetable."</p>
+
+<p>The Orderly jumped up and ran to the stove where, in one of the niches,
+stood the bowl of charlock hearts, a wild green that tastes exactly like
+tender sprouts. These are easy to cultivate in a garden, too, and are
+not as expensive as Brussels sprouts.</p>
+
+<p>"My, what a spread this is!" sighed Bob, ecstatically.</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed, for Bob and Anne were the gourmands of the two
+troops, and were never ashamed to admit when they enjoyed a thing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, it's some dinner, all right. Made a lot of work, didn't it?" added
+Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, not so much as usual," returned Julie. "We really had planned a
+more elaborate affair, but the joke we played on Gilly took longer than
+we allowed for it, and so we had to scramble the dinner."</p>
+
+<p>Julie smiled benignly upon the guests, but they exchanged looks with Mr.
+Gilroy at the mention of a joke. So she continued:</p>
+
+<p>"Because of that joke, you have ordinary chicken for a meat course,
+whereas I had hoped to give you a real dainty, stewed wild rabbit. But
+our snares were left unbaited while we planned to come in first on Gilly
+and his proposed prank. I don't suppose you know a thing about it, do
+you?"</p>
+
+<p>The girls gasped at their Leader's mention of a rabbit snare,&mdash;this was
+the first they knew of such a thing! And since Bunty Grey had taken up
+his residence nearby their camp, after his recovery from the old trap
+down on River Bend, not one scout girl could be made to taste rabbit.</p>
+
+<p>The boys were keen to hear about the joke on their friend Gilroy, but
+<em>he</em> wanted to know about rabbits. So he asked:</p>
+
+<p>"Where did you set any snares? This is news to me!"</p>
+
+<p>"Is it? Why we caught a rabbit in a snare set down by River Bend, but we
+haven't stewed it yet," returned Julie, smiling angelically at Mr.
+Gilroy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Never mind snares, but tell us about the tracking," now urged Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"There isn't much to tell&mdash;excepting that we let him indulge himself in
+the belief that he was fooling us," began Julie. "While we were at your
+camp, to invite you here to-day, Gilly had all his hands turn the
+barnyard beasts out and led them a dance about our campgrounds,
+believing we would fall for his little game.</p>
+
+<p>"He took so much pains and trouble over the joke, that we hadn't the
+heart to undeceive him, so we played the game through.</p>
+
+<p>"But it was hard work to keep straight faces, wasn't it, girls?" Julie
+appealed to her companions.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, indeed! And when Julie left us to bring back the proof of his
+joking, that was best of all," added Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, you see I got him to say that hunters who found a wild animal
+could claim it, if it was in season, so I went to the barn where I
+<em>knew</em> our 'wild animals' would be, and not only found them, but caught
+them, also. Being in season, we claimed them. Thus we turned Gilly's
+joke on himself, as he sure was amazed to find that we took him at his
+word, and kept the 'ferocious' beasts!" Julie laughed so heartily that
+every one joined in, never doubting but that the merriment was natural
+and genuine.</p>
+
+<p>"So that is how we became owners of the calf,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> the pig, and the nice
+spring chicken you just finished," added Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy now cleared his throat to say something in self-defence, but
+every one laughed loudly again, the boys believing Julie's tale, and the
+girls hoping to keep up the deception.</p>
+
+<p>"Poor dear old Gilly! We renamed him this morning. He is to be Foxy
+Grandpa hereafter, you know; not alone because he told the Grey Foxes
+what he was going to do, but because he planned such a beautiful snare
+and ran into it himself," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"As if you boys would believe we were 'greenies' in camplife! Why, just
+look around and see our work! Is there anything here to prove we are
+such ignoramuses as to believe a calf-track could possibly be a
+deer-print?" asked Julie, scornfully.</p>
+
+<p>"You're right, you girls sure can do scout things," said Alec,
+admiringly.</p>
+
+<p>"This dinner alone would prove it!" exclaimed Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"Any one who can find Indian cucumbers and Wapitos, when we boys have
+hunted and hunted, and never succeeded, is a first-class scout, and no
+mistake about it!" declared Dick, enthusiastically. So Mr. Gilroy
+decided not to speak in self-defence any more.</p>
+
+<p>The dinner wound up with wild-current tarts, puff-cakes, and coffee made
+from roots and roasted acorns, pulverized.</p>
+
+<p>"Lady Scouts, let me toast you for this wonderful<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> success, not only in
+culinary art, but also in founding a curious menagerie," said Mr.
+Gilroy, standing and holding up his coffee before drinking it.</p>
+
+<p>"Before we adjourn from this feast, let me ask one question," said Alec,
+as they prepared to get up from the table.</p>
+
+<p>"What was it in that salad dressing that gave such a palatable flavor? I
+never tasted anything like it before."</p>
+
+<p>The scouts smiled with pleasure, and Mrs. Vernon said, "That taste was
+given by adding a few leaves of burnet to the salad. It was not the
+dressing; but few people know what a wonderful flavor burnet gives to
+salad. It would be used more often did chefs know this simple little
+wildwood fact."</p>
+
+<p>While the girls were clearing away the dishes, Mrs. Vernon spoke very
+seriously to Julie about the tale she told. "You did not tell an
+absolute untruth, yet you did not voice the truth, because we all <em>were</em>
+taken in by those tracks!"</p>
+
+<p>"But, Verny! surely you wouldn't have these mere males <em>think</em> we were
+such gullible scouts, would you? It would be a disgrace for the whole
+organization!" cried Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"I never advocate self-righteousness in covering up an error of judgment
+or knowledge. The Scout Committee on Ideals would not approve of the
+tale<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> you told to vindicate the 'Cause of Women,' as you claim."</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose you are right in your viewpoint, Verny, but it wasn't fair of
+Gilly to play that prank on us, and tell those boys beforehand, too,"
+pouted Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, let it pass this time, Verny, and we'll promise never to be
+guilty of misappropriating the truth again," said Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"And don't give us away to the Grey Foxes!" added Judith.</p>
+
+<p>The Captain shook her head in disapproval, but she said nothing more, so
+the girls ran off to whisper to Mr. Gilroy that he was the cause of a
+dreadful quarrel!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="xi" id="xi"></a>CHAPTER ELEVEN<br /><br />
+<small>A CANOE TRIP</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> scouts were so busy with canoeing, swimming, and hiking, during the
+week following the dinner-party that they saw very little of Mr. Gilroy,
+although they knew whenever he called at the camp, because he generally
+brought feed for the calf and pig. These two unusual pets were becoming
+quite sociable, and would follow the girls around the clearing when
+meals were being prepared. Jake always went wherever the scouts went,
+and he particularly enjoyed the long walks. But he ignored the calf and
+pig completely when in camp.</p>
+
+<p>About a week after the Grey Fox boys had visited Dandelion Camp, Mr.
+Gilroy came down early in the morning.</p>
+
+<p>"I have to get up at dawn if I want a word with you scouts, these
+times," laughed he, as he caught them eating breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>"Sit down and have some," Julie invited, making room for him beside her.</p>
+
+<p>"Can't&mdash;haven't time. I've got an important engagement with the Grey Fox
+boys, but you were first on my calling list."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The girls all halted further progress on the breakfast and listened
+intently. "What have you plotted, now?" asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Gilroy laughed as he remembered the tracking joke. "I'm almost
+afraid to tell you." But after much coaxing he spoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, I am going on a little fishing trip to Racquette Lake, so I
+wondered if you scouts wouldn't like to canoe with the party and spend a
+few days that way?"</p>
+
+<p>The girls gave such a chorus of approval that Mr. Gilroy pretended to
+stop both ears.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, do tell them all about it, Gilly, or we'll be deaf!" begged Mrs.
+Vernon, laughing at the commotion.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Gilroy described the itinerary to the great delight of his
+hearers. "But remember, girls, no extra baggage is allowed. You wear
+your uniforms, take bathing suits, and sandals, a wide soft hat that
+will stick to your head, as few toilet requisites as possible;
+individual eating outfit, blanket and sleeping-bag, fishing tackle, and
+your powder puffs."</p>
+
+<p>The last item caused a jeer, for the girls hadn't thought of
+beautifiers, other than those Nature presented, since they joined the
+scout organization. Nor did they need any,&mdash;they were all fine and rosy,
+with perfect complexions and good health.</p>
+
+<p>"My Indian, Yhon, is going in a canoe with the cooking outfit and other
+necessities for so large a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> party. He is a splendid guide, you know, and
+knows the country like a book."</p>
+
+<p>"What can we do about our pets?" Betty asked, concernedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Jake will go with us, of course, and Julia and Anty will have to
+depend on Gilly's man for meals. They will learn to appreciate us if we
+are absent a few days," replied Julie, audaciously.</p>
+
+<p>"When did you plan to start?" now asked the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>"Day after to-morrow, as early in the morning as we can. That gives you
+all day to-morrow to get ready and come up to the bungalow for supper at
+night. Yhon will be ready with the canoes at dawn in the morning, and we
+start from our boathouse. The canoe-wagon is coming here to-day to carry
+your three canoes over to First Lake so as to be in good shape for the
+trip. Yhon will overhaul them all, and look after any caulking or
+repairs."</p>
+
+<p>"Dear me, I can't wait for the time to come!" exclaimed several of the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"And if you become seasick on the voyage, you'll be just as anxious to
+get back," laughed Mr. Gilroy, causing the girls to giggle in chorus at
+his ridiculous speech.</p>
+
+<p>So on the morning mentioned, a merry crowd of girls and boys followed
+the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to the boathouse on the lake. Yhon was
+waiting with everything ready, but it was still dim and misty<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> over the
+water, as the daylight was not yet strong.</p>
+
+<p>Jake instantly jumped into Yhon's canoe as if he knew it paid to be near
+the larder. Mr. Gilroy arranged the party so that one lightweight member
+was in each canoe with one of the heavier girls, and one of the boys. He
+took charge of another canoe with two girls in it, while the Captain
+managed still another one with two in it.
+<a name="thus" id="thus"></a>Thus they started in a line,
+Yhon leading.</p>
+
+<p>As they moved noiselessly out from the shadow of the overhanging rocks
+and foliage, the dew sparkled like silver drops on all the leaves; every
+now and then a hungry fish would leap up to bite the paddles, and then
+whisk its tail angrily as it flashed away again.</p>
+
+<p>The newly awakened sun had not yet risen high enough to cast its rays
+upon the lake, and the mountain that threw somber shadows over the face
+of the lake, still hid the shining of the orb of day. The expectancy and
+hush that always precedes the bursting forth of shining light,
+enthralled all the wild creatures in the woods.</p>
+
+<p>Yhon had been silently guiding his flock over the water, closely hugging
+the shore all the way, when the high treble call of a young fawn echoed
+far over the lake. It was so unexpected that the scouts were startled,
+but the Indian called over his shoulder, "Li'l deer lose mammy&mdash;call her
+back!"</p>
+
+<p>Then, not twenty yards further on, Yhon stopped paddling, and pointed
+with a long finger towards the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> shore. There stood the fawn on a rock
+near the water's edge, its head held high as it gazed with consternation
+at so many queer things floating on the lake.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Vernon took a splendid picture of the deer, before a crashing of
+branches and the rattle of pebbles announced that the doe was leaping to
+the rescue of her little one. But she could not be seen, as she was wise
+in woodlore and remained safely screened from men. Possibly she knew
+that a human carried a death-dealing weapon when he sought her in the
+forests.</p>
+
+<p>The canoes passed through First Lake, then through Second Lake, and at
+last through Third Lake&mdash;all of which were really one large continuous
+sheet of water. Where Third Lake Creek emptied into the large body of
+water, Yhon led the canoes close to shore. He knew that the best lake
+trout were to be caught where the creek emptied, and here he proposed to
+fish for the dinner supply.</p>
+
+<p>"But we don't want dinner, yet, Yhon," called Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"We eat on Cedar Islan' but him got no fish dere. Get my fish here,"
+explained Yhon, as he jumped ashore.</p>
+
+<p>All were glad of an opportunity to stretch their legs, and then they
+tried their luck at fishing, also. After a time this became monotonous
+for the active young ones, and they started up the Creek to adventure.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
+The Third Lake Creek came down over moss-covered rocks, which were held
+in place by gnarled roots of giant trees. These ancient foresters stood
+looking benignly down upon the placid waters of the lake, as if watching
+the play of a little child.</p>
+
+<p>Where the Creek swirled out to join Third Lake, the purplish circles
+made there gradually lost their foaming haste and gently merged into the
+wavelets of clear cold water.</p>
+
+<p>As the scouts climbed up the rugged bank of the Creek, the towering
+trees were not the only things that watched silently. Although the happy
+young mortals were deaf and blind to the many alert curious eyes that
+followed their movements, still those eyes were there, wondering at this
+daring trespass over their domains. Some of these wildwood inhabitants
+were furtively anxious, some hostile, but all were curious to follow the
+movements of these queer creatures.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the scouts could not penetrate further, and they retraced their
+steps. Yhon had caught enough fish for the day's needs, and was ready to
+continue the trip.</p>
+
+<p>From Third Lake Creek he paddled across to the opposite shore and thence
+through Fourth Lake. They stopped at Skensowane to purchase crackers,
+candy, and other sweets, while Yhon took on a supply of staples.</p>
+
+<p>Cedar Island was at the extreme upper end of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> Fourth Lake, and long
+before the scouts saw the green knob standing plainly up from the water,
+they were hungry enough to eat the grass on the island. So every one
+assisted with the dinner to facilitate the eating of it.</p>
+
+<p>Yhon was one of the best guides in the mountains, and his experience in
+cooking was unsurpassed; hence the scouts enjoyed an exceptional dinner.</p>
+
+<p>When all were ready to continue the trip, Yhon led across from Cedar
+Island to Inlet, where there was a "carry" of a mile to reach Sixth
+Lake.</p>
+
+<p>"Phew! Carry the canoes a mile in the hot sun!" cried Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"That's part of the fun in canoeing," remarked Mr. Gilroy, as they
+disembarked and prepared to carry.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad of the change," said Judith. "My knees are all out of joint
+from sitting with them doubled under me."</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon every one declared it a relief to walk and get the kinks out
+of the leg-muscles. But after a mile in the heat, with canoe and outfit
+to carry, every one was just as glad to get back and sit down in the
+canoes.</p>
+
+<p>The trip through Sixth and Seventh Lakes was wonderful. The grandeur of
+the mountains and the marvelous greens of their verdure reflected in the
+narrow lakes, made the water seem a dark emerald green as clear and
+transparent as a perfect jewel.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Occasionally, faint shadows of birds flying overhead, or deer leaping on
+the rocks on the banks were reflected in the water as the canoeists
+silently paddled along, and such entrancing pictures seen in the placid
+lake thrilled the scouts with delight.</p>
+
+<p>Here and there, where a stream rushed down into the lake, the scouts
+could look up through the wide rifts cleft between the forest-trees, and
+the eye could follow up where falls tumbled over boulders; or to the
+higher view, where the blue sky showed a tiny streak between the pines.</p>
+
+<p>Once a flight of wild ducks suddenly rose from the lake, quacking
+noisily. The boys called to Yhon to shoot, but he held up a warning hand
+to show that this was no season for duck-hunting.</p>
+
+<p>In nearing the upper end of Seventh Lake where the inlet empties into
+it, Yhon called out, "Nudder carry&mdash;mile to Eight Lake."</p>
+
+<p>But before they reached land, the Captain called for a halt. She wanted
+to take a snapshot of the picture made by the inlet, seemingly in such a
+hurry to reach the lake, yet making no noise nor showing any froth in
+its haste. The Lake seemed to draw its shores close together to hug the
+Inlet, just as a mother draws her babe to her bosom in love. In small
+coves on either side of the Inlet were patches of green marsh grass and
+cattails, the home of the wild ducks which rose to escape the coming of
+the canoeists.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>As the faint odorous whiff of marshgrass reached the nostrils of the
+scouts, they wanted to paddle in and cut cattails, but Yhon said there
+was no time then. "Plenty time on home trip."</p>
+
+<p>Through Eighth Lake to Brown's Inlet Carry was a distance of about two
+miles, and when they reached shore on Brown's Inlet, Yhon called out,
+"Nudder carry&mdash;mile-half dis time to Brown Tract Inlet."</p>
+
+<p>The command to carry began to sound tiresome to the scouts, and they
+were glad to hear Mr. Gilroy say that this carry would be the last one,
+as Brown's Tract Inlet brought them right to Racquette Lake where they
+planned to camp for the night.</p>
+
+<p>It was quite late when they reached the lower end of Racquette Lake,
+because the progress had been slow and safe. Mr. Gilroy had not
+telephoned for accommodations at any hotel, as they planned to camp at
+night.</p>
+
+<p>But the wind that came with the setting of the sun also threatened a
+storm during the night, and Mr. Gilroy thought it best to find a place
+near a large hotel, in case they had to seek shelter. So they paddled to
+find a grove quite near one of the larger hotels. The scouts were eager
+to land and get their camp ready before darkness handicapped them, so
+when within a few yards of land, Hester turned to pull out her blankets.</p>
+
+<p>The sudden motion overturned the canoe, and all three occupants went
+headlong into the water. The<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> frightened screams of the three scouts
+caused consternation in the others, and many turned around quickly to
+see what had happened behind them. Thus, two more canoe-loads were
+unexpectedly emptied into the lake.</p>
+
+<p>They were soon out on shore, but drenched and shivering from the cold
+water. "Now, isn't that the worst thing that could happen to us, at
+night!" sighed Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"We'll have to stop at a hotel, now, and let the scouts get in bed while
+their clothing dries," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>So the wet ones were advised to dance about to keep warm, while Alec and
+Mr. Gilroy hurried over to the hotel to engage rooms. But they soon came
+back with surprised looks.</p>
+
+<p>"Not a corner to be had, and the manager called up other large places
+along the shore only to get the same answer&mdash;no room. He said there was
+a family boarding-house some distance along, where we might get in. The
+woman, a Mrs. Dickens, was a nice landlady and might tuck us in
+somewhere. Shall we try it?" said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"It is so dark now, and we haven't started supper or found a spot to
+camp, so I think we had best try Mrs. Dickens," replied the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>In chilly silence the entire party got back into its canoes and skirted
+the shore until Mr. Gilroy called out to Yhon, "This must be the spot
+where I was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> told to land. The house is back from the lake, a bit."</p>
+
+<p>The canoeists had no difficulty in locating the boarding-house, but they
+were too late for a hot dinner, although the cold supper served was very
+good, especially to hungry young people.</p>
+
+<p>"I haven't any rooms left in the main house," explained Mrs. Dickens,
+"but I can give you several rooms in the annex. That used to be the
+help's cottage, but I had it done over to rent this season."</p>
+
+<p>"'Any port in a storm,' madam, and our 'storm' consists of several
+soaking suits that have to be dried," returned Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"The cottage has a small kitchen where you can quickly light a fire in
+the stove and dry everything. I think you will be very comfortable
+there," said Mrs. Dickens. So arrangements were made for the use of the
+cottage for that night.</p>
+
+<p>As they planned to start early in the morning again, the entire party
+retired soon after supper. The wet clothing had been hung on lines about
+the kitchen, where a servant had built a roaring fire. Although they had
+to "double up" in bed, or sleep on the floor, they were too healthily
+sleepy to mind such little things, and before ten o'clock every one was
+asleep.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="xii" id="xii"></a>CHAPTER TWELVE<br /><br />
+<small>FIRST AID</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mrs. Vernon</span> was a very light sleeper, consequently she was aroused a
+short time after midnight by cries and calls for help. She sprang from
+the bed and ran to a side window that opened towards the kitchen side of
+the boarding-house. All she could see was a dull glare that filled the
+kitchen windows. But she understood.</p>
+
+<p>Instantly, she ran to Mr. Gilroy's room and knocked loudly while she
+cried, "Get up&mdash;everybody&mdash;the boarding-house, next door, is on fire!"</p>
+
+<p>In a moment Mr. Gilroy jumped up and shouted, "All right&mdash;we'll be out
+in a jiffy!" Then Mrs. Vernon ran back to pull the girls out of bed and
+have them dress as speedily as possible.</p>
+
+<p>The clothing in the kitchen was dry, and soon the girls were dressing
+and, at the same time, talking excitedly of the fire.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sorry Mrs. Dickens has had this misfortune, but as long as it
+happens while we are here, we must try to earn a medal," said Mrs.
+Vernon, as she breathlessly pulled a middy-blouse over her head.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"What can girls do?" asked Amy, eagerly.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know yet, but every little thing helps in a time like this.
+Just obey orders from Mr. Gilroy or me, and follow the example Julie is
+sure to give you," said Mrs. Vernon, glancing at the scout she
+mentioned, because Julie might run unnecessary risks for herself, but if
+she thought she was responsible for the other girls her zeal would be
+tempered wisely.</p>
+
+<p>"What do they give scouts a medal for, Verny?" now asked Judith, as she
+twisted her long hair up in a tight coil on her head.</p>
+
+<p>"If occasion arises for a scout to display great heroism, or if she
+faces extreme danger in trying to save a life, she can have the bronze
+medal&mdash;the highest award given. If she does a brave deed with
+considerable danger to herself, she wins a silver cross. But no scout is
+to run needless risk just to win a medal of any kind."</p>
+
+<p>While the Captain spoke, the scouts finished their hurried dressing and
+now followed her out to the lawn in front of the large house.</p>
+
+<p>Here the scene was one of great confusion and panic. Men were hastily
+moving articles of furniture and boarders' personal effects out of the
+three-storied building. Smoke poured from all the rear windows, and the
+roof seemed enveloped in heavy smoke-clouds.</p>
+
+<p>"Isn't there any volunteer fire department?" called Julie, to every one
+in general and no one in particular.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Where is it?" asked Alec of a man standing next to him.</p>
+
+<p>"We got a ring and hammer up yonder, and a hand-engine, but I hain't
+hear'n no one strike the signal," said he.</p>
+
+<p>"Come along, show me where it is," ordered Alec, catching hold of the
+man's sleeve and pulling him away from the staring crowd.</p>
+
+<p>Once the man had broken away from the mesmeric influence of the
+fire-watchers, he ran quickly with Alec to the knoll where a metal hoop
+and hammer were kept for the purpose of alarm in case of fire. Almost
+before the two reached the spot, Alec caught the hammer and was striking
+the metal at regular intervals. The man then offered to remain and send
+the volunteer firemen to the place where they were needed, so Alec ran
+back to help as best he could.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime, the girl scouts realized there was much to do to help others,
+and the Captain ordered every one to use the utmost presence of mind in
+doing anything they were called upon to do.</p>
+
+<p>Julie hastily whispered to Joan, "I'm going to run to the cottage and
+get that coil of rope we brought from the canoe last night, we may need
+it."</p>
+
+<p>"I'll run with you, Julie, for we must tie wet towels over our mouths,
+if we have to go inside there," added Joan.</p>
+
+<p>Both girls raced to their room, and when they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> came out they were
+provided with the rope, and the dripping towels were tied across their
+nostrils and mouths. As they stood momentarily on the little porch of
+the cottage to see where they might render the best service, the uproar
+from the upper stories in the rear was awful.</p>
+
+<p>"There may be some people trapped in their rooms up there!" exclaimed
+Julie to her companion.</p>
+
+<p>"We can climb up this rose-trellis quite easily, Jule, and get in at the
+windows of the second story where the piazza roof gives us a foothold,"
+hastily returned Joan.</p>
+
+<p>In another moment both girls were quickly climbing up the strong
+trellis, and as soon as they reached the tin roof they ran to the
+window. Here they found a young mother sitting on the floor, rocking a
+baby back and forth while she cried wildly with hysteria. The child was
+held so tightly that it, too, was screaming.</p>
+
+<p>While Julie uncoiled the rope, Joan ran to the washstand and dipped a
+towel in the pitcher. But Julie called to her, "Bring the jug of water
+here, we've got to break this hysteric spell!"</p>
+
+<p>Joan carried the towel in one hand and the pitcher in the other, so
+Julie caught the jug from her, and dashed the water in the woman's face.
+The sudden choking and shock broke the spell. Then the towel was hastily
+pinned over the lower part of her face and she was hurried to the door.
+But the smoke and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> heat caused the girls to slam the door to again and
+run to the window.</p>
+
+<p>"Hey&mdash;down there!" yelled Julie, to a group of men on the flower-bed.
+"Hold out a blanket while we drop the baby down."</p>
+
+<p>"No&mdash;no!" screamed the mother, trying to get away from the grasp of
+strong young Joan. "You'll kill it!"</p>
+
+<p>"Give me the child, I'll carry it down the trellis," said Julie, but the
+mother would not relax her grip on her baby.</p>
+
+<p>"Where's that rope, Jo?" now asked Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Over by the window we went in at," cried Joan, having all she could do
+to restrain the woman from throwing herself and babe down from the roof.</p>
+
+<p>So in another moment, Julie had the rope tied to a window shutter, and
+with the other end in hand was over by the woman.</p>
+
+<p>"Here&mdash;stand still, will you, while we fix this and let you down to the
+ground!" commanded she, and the woman instantly obeyed.</p>
+
+<p>Then both girls lowered the two slowly over the edge of the roof, down
+to where willing hands were raised to catch them. There was a wild
+acclaim as mother and child were saved, but the two scouts were not
+aware of it, as they were back inside the room again, taking their
+precious rope with them. Before they could determine what to do next, a
+queer form burst into the room.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Where's the rope you've been using, girls?" demanded the voice of Alec.
+But he was completely covered by his rubber sleeping-bag, in which he
+had slit holes for his feet and arms.</p>
+
+<p>Had it been any other time than such a moment, both girls must have
+doubled over in merriment at his appearance.</p>
+
+<p>"Here it is, Alec. Where did you come from?" cried both scouts in one
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Upstairs. I got up on the roof by climbing the water-spout, and in a
+dormer-room up there I found an old crippled woman, crying for help, but
+with no one to hear her until I climbed in from the scuttle-hole. A
+little old-fashioned stairway runs from the third floor down into the
+closet in this room. But I can't get her down those narrow stairs, and
+the other stairway and halls are a mass of fire. I've got to lower her
+from the roof, but I need help."</p>
+
+<p>"We'll help!" eagerly offered both the girls. So, with the coil of rope,
+they followed Alec through the smoke-filled room into the large dark
+closet, and thus, up the scuttle-hole stairs that had been abandoned for
+many years,&mdash;perhaps forgotten entirely, until this need.</p>
+
+<p>In the front end of the third story there was not much smoke as yet, so
+the three could see their way plainly. And in a small gable-room having
+a small window high from the floor moaned an old woman of more than
+seventy years. The moment she saw<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> Alec return with two girls to help,
+she stopped wailing and tried to be courageous.</p>
+
+<p>"Now we may hurt you some when you are being moved, but you must bear
+it, Gran'ma," said Alec, gently. The old lady smiled reassuringly.</p>
+
+<p>"Children, anything is better than being roasted up in this little room.
+Don't worry over hurting me but do whatever is necessary," quavered the
+sweet old voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Now, girls, I'm going to shinny up the scuttle-hole in the roof and
+carry the rope with me. I'll tie it securely to the chimney on the roof
+and let down the other end. Fasten this about Grandma's waist and we'll
+try to lift her out that way. You two must help by holding her as much
+as possible, and by boosting from below."</p>
+
+<p>While Alec climbed up the wall-ladder and got out to the roof, Julie and
+Joan made a roll of blankets and placed it about the old lady's form
+under the arms. Then they looped the rope over this and secured it also
+under her arms.</p>
+
+<p>"All ready, Alec!" called Julie, holding her charge by one arm while
+Joan held her by the other.</p>
+
+<p>As Alec hauled, hand over hand on the rope, the two scouts beneath
+lifted and then boosted the old lady until she was safely through the
+opening in the roof. Then Alec leaned over and called to them:</p>
+
+<p>"If you can manage to run down and get through that room again, escape
+by way of the piazza-roof<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> and send the firemen up from the outside with
+their ladders. I'll wait on the front roof with Grandma."</p>
+
+<p>So Julie and Joan rushed down the little attic-stairs, back through the
+smoke-filled room which was now dreadfully hot from the fire, and out of
+the other room window to the piazza roof. Once on the ground, a curious
+mob tried to surround them to ask all sorts of foolish questions, but
+Julie was equal to two mobs. With muscular arms and fists striking right
+and left, she quickly forced a passage and made her way to the spot
+where the Fire-Chief was ordering the men about.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Chief, run a ladder up to the roof where you see that scout
+standing. He's got an old crippled woman to save. Maybe the rope will
+reach and maybe it won't, so use your own judgment," called Julie,
+pointing up to where Alec could be dimly seen through the smoke.</p>
+
+<p>"Hoist a ladder, boys! See that scout up on the roof with Mrs. Dickens'
+mother?" shouted the Chief, anxiously watching the roof.</p>
+
+<p>While every one stood and in breathless suspense watched the firemen run
+up a long ladder and assist Alec in saving the poor helpless woman, Mrs.
+Dickens came distractedly from the rear of the house and ran about
+seeking for her mother. When she learned that it was her mother they
+were trying to save, she fainted with fright. But the old lady was
+safely brought to the ground, and a great fuss was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> made over Alec. Then
+Mrs. Dickens was revived, and when she found her aged mother beside her
+on the grass, she almost fainted again from joy and gratitude.</p>
+
+<p>The house was doomed even before the firemen reached the scene, for it
+was constructed, as so many summer boarding-houses are at seashore and
+mountain resorts, of thin novelty-siding outside and oil-stained ceiling
+boards inside; these act like kindling wood once they are ignited.</p>
+
+<p>The crowd stood, now, and watched the flames lick up everything in
+sight, but every one was thankful that no lives were lost. The scouts,
+both girls and boys, had worked so faithfully that all the silver and
+linen were saved, and the men had removed much of the best furniture in
+the ground-floor rooms.</p>
+
+<p>The sun, that morning, rose on a scene of confusion and pathos. Guests
+who had been able to save most of their effects were assisting less
+fortunate ones to dress in all kinds of apparel. Neighbors from nearby
+cottages were caring for the homeless boarders, until order could be
+brought out of the chaotic condition.</p>
+
+<p>But the cottages were few, and the guests many, so some one must suggest
+a plan to meet the immediate needs. It was Mr. Gilroy who thought of a
+way.</p>
+
+<p>"We all sympathize with Mrs. Dickens in her distress, but it might have
+been worse, friends,&mdash;we all realize that,&mdash;and so we feel grateful that
+no lives<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> were lost. But here it is breakfast-time, and there are many
+hungry mouths to fill, and I would suggest that you accept a scout
+breakfast with us as soon as it is ready."</p>
+
+<p>Every one responded to such a hearty invitation, and Mr. Gilroy added,
+"Then we'll show you how to prepare a good meal with no stove or
+kitchen, and with but few pots or pans."</p>
+
+<p>The boys were sent out on the lake to get the fish; the girls were told
+to knead the dough for scout-twists, and place them at the fire Mr.
+Gilroy was building. To interest the weary boarders, Mr. Gilroy had
+started his campfire with rubbing-sticks and had arranged the
+bread-sticks upon which the dough was twined, to the best advantage for
+all to watch while the twists baked.</p>
+
+<p>Most of the dishes had been saved from the fire, and these were now used
+for breakfast. Several large tablecloths had been spread out upon the
+smooth grass, and plates set around on the squares of linen.</p>
+
+<p>The fish had been cleaned by Yhon when caught, and now the boys returned
+with a nice mess&mdash;enough for every one that morning. Mrs. Dickens kept
+all her extra stock of food in the little loft of the cottage, and as
+this annex was spared any damage by the fire, there was a supply of
+cereals, flour, bacon, and other necessities for meals. With the thrift
+of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> a good housekeeper, Mrs. Dickens had laid in a stock of purchases
+when the Army Supply had been sold off at auction in the city. So Mrs.
+Vernon found gallon cans of stewed prunes and other food-products on
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of all trouble and perplexities that morning, breakfast was a
+cheerful meal. Prunes for fruit; hominy and other prepared cereals for a
+second course; then fresh fish, fried in corn-meal jackets and browned
+in bacon-fat, furnished a delicious third course with the hot
+scout-bread. And all this was topped off with fragrant coffee.</p>
+
+<p>Naturally, the conversation was about one thing&mdash;the fire and the
+courage shown by the three scouts. The equally helpful work done by Mrs.
+Vernon and the other scouts in caring for those who were rescued,
+received but small notice. But they never as much as thought of it&mdash;with
+Julie and Joan in a fair way to win a medal that would lift the entire
+Troop to recognition at Headquarters in New York.</p>
+
+<p>When breakfast was over, Mr. Gilroy expressed his other idea. "I have a
+plan that may meet with general approval, but that remains to be seen.
+Now listen carefully, while I speak, and then do as you like afterwards.
+My boys and these girls are willing to teach you how to do what I am
+about to propose, and help in any way we can to make every one
+comfortable for the time being.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"You have no house to sleep in, and Mrs. Dickens will have no boarders
+to help her meet her expenses and loss, unless we immediately find some
+way to change all this seeming trouble. So this is my suggestion:</p>
+
+<p>"We scouts are accustomed to sleeping out-of-doors and thus we know how
+to make the finest beds out of the material Nature provides. We will
+show every one how to weave these balsam beds that are superior to any
+handmade spring and hair mattress.</p>
+
+<p>"While you people are completing your beds, we will paddle up to a place
+Yhon told me about, where a number of Indians camp. They make and sell
+tents to parties coming to the Adirondacks for the summer. Then at the
+end of the season they will buy them back and pay prices according to
+the condition the tents are in. Perhaps we can rent a number of tents,
+as the summer is now half over.</p>
+
+<p>"If enough boarders agree to this plan, and will insure the risk to Mrs.
+Dickens by advancing the money necessary to pay for the tents, we scouts
+will go after the tents for you and bring them back in our canoes.</p>
+
+<p>"Mrs. Dickens says she can quickly have a pavilion built that will
+answer for a dining-room, but any one who does not care for 'roughing'
+it in tent-life must find other accommodations. All such can have meals
+in the pavilion, but must take second table as boarders<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> remaining in
+camp will naturally have first claim on the hostess' service."</p>
+
+<p>After a noisy debate, in which most of the ousted guests found these
+plans and future delights pleasant to discuss, the majority voted to
+remain and take up tent-life. Thus it happened that Mrs. Dickens was
+helped out of the financial ruin that had stared her in the face a few
+hours before, and the guests were treated to a rare experience,&mdash;living
+in the open in the wonderful woods.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts started every one cutting the young tips of the balsams for
+their bedding, then paddled after Yhon in the canoes, up the Marion
+River to Bear Creek, where the guide knew several of his friends to have
+camps for the summer. They had tents to hire or for sale, and were only
+too glad to furnish all that were needed for the houseless boarders at
+Dickens' Landing.</p>
+
+<p>The tent-outfits were carefully packed inside the canoes, and the scouts
+joyfully paddled back, realizing that "What blesses one, blesses all" in
+this working out of a good idea.</p>
+
+<p>When the scouts landed with the tents and found that enough balsam had
+been stripped for the beds, they began to weave the tips as all scouts
+know how to do. Meantime, Mr. Gilroy, Yhon, and several of the men
+raised the tents and secured them in such places as Mrs. Dickens
+selected. The balsam beds were then made up in the tents, and before
+evening,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> every one was provided with room and beds, thanks to the
+scouts.</p>
+
+<p>As the canoes left that shore, they were sped with many blessings, for
+they had done a great thing for those standing on the rocks, watching
+them depart.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="xiii" id="xiii"></a>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<br /><br />
+<small>SHOOTING THE RAPIDS&mdash;AND OTHER THINGS</small></h2>
+
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Well</span>, 'where do we go from here, boys?'" called Mr. Gilroy, laughingly,
+as he looked back over his shoulder at the scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"Anywhere but home!" exclaimed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Why not there? Don't you like my camp-ground?" asked Mr. Gilroy,
+teasingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, but after such a night and day we won't want to settle down
+again into quiet life. We have to let ourselves down gradually," laughed
+Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, we'll ask Yhon where to go to-day," agreed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Ride the rapids," returned Yhon, as if that was enough said.</p>
+
+<p>Such a shout that greeted this suggestion proved he was right in his
+surmise. Finally, when Mrs. Vernon could be heard, she asked, "Where are
+they&mdash;far from Raquette Lake?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yhon, I suppose you mean those on the route to Forked Lake, through
+Raquette River to Long Lake, eh?" said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Um! Up Raquette Fall to Corey an' 'en to Sar'nac."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Saranac Lake! Oh, I've always wanted to see it!" cried Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Do let's go, Gilly!" begged other voices.</p>
+
+<p>"Shall we take a vote on it?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Why waste time&mdash;it is unanimously decided already," retorted Alec for
+the boys.</p>
+
+<p>"Yhon, I'm afraid you've let me in for trouble!" cried Mr. Gilroy, but
+he turned his canoe just the same, and led the way.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts now followed Mr. Gilroy and Yhon across the mouth of the
+Marion River, and rounded Woods' Point. Across Boulder Bay, to Bluff
+Point, they paddled, and carefully rounding this point they entered
+Outlet Bay. Then the usual route was taken up the bay until they reached
+Forked Lake Carry.</p>
+
+<p>They were all in high spirits and the short carry only added to their
+enjoyment. The canoes were launched again in Forked Lake waters and they
+paddled until the end of the lake was reached. Where it joins Raquette
+River was a carry of a mile and a half, and seeing that it was noon and
+time for luncheon, Mr. Gilroy said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why not have something to eat first, and carry afterwards?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, that will add to the work of carrying," retorted Julie. "Not only
+canoes but food!"</p>
+
+<p>But the boys were for eating, so they scanned the shore carefully as
+they slowly moved through the water, until Yhon saw a place he
+considered suitable<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> for camp. Here a fire was soon started, and the
+four boys were sent out to fish. The girls were left to bake the bread
+and prepare the rest of the meal.</p>
+
+<p>In spite of their most skillful efforts, the boys did not have good
+luck, and returned with but a small catch of fish. Hilarity due to the
+way the boys told how they had to fish made up for the lack and for
+everything else. When everything was packed neatly again, and all were
+ready to start, Jake gave a wild leap and landed too near the edge of
+Yhon's canoe. Over it went, staples and outfits all going down into the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, all our sugar and salt&mdash;and everything!" cried Julie.</p>
+
+<p>Yhon never changed a muscle of his face, although he must have been
+taken by surprise when he was precipitated into the water. The outfits,
+hampers, and other things were quickly salvaged and restored to the
+canoe, but Jake sat in disgrace on the bank, and hung his head as if he
+understood just what he had done.</p>
+
+<p>So much time had been used in rescuing Yhon, in fishing their food-stock
+out of the water, and coaxing Jake back into the canoe, that it was late
+when the scouts reached Deerland Lodge.</p>
+
+<p>"What say you, scouts,&mdash;shall we stop at the Lodge, or take a chance up
+Long Lake until we reach a point where we can strike off to reach
+Hendrick<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> Spring, the fountainhead of the Hudson River?" asked Mr.
+Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"And where shall we camp?" asked Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"It might be nice to camp at the spring," suggested Alec.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, let's do that, Gilly!" cried several voices.</p>
+
+<p>So they kept right on, paddling swiftly along until they reached a place
+on the shore where Yhon said they must land if they proposed going to
+Hendrick Spring.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, I thought we could canoe there," ventured Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"No, we must leave Yhon here to watch the canoes while we hike along the
+trail that goes there. We can carry our sleeping-bags and take enough
+food for supper, then come back early in the morning for a good
+breakfast with Yhon," explained Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Is there no way we might take to return to Fulton Chain Lakes other
+than going back the same route?" questioned Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"No, we shall have to go the way we come, or be willing to <em>carry</em>
+overland for many miles, from one water to the other."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, that is out of the question," said the Captain.</p>
+
+<p>So each scout took a sleeping-bag and cup and plate, while the boys
+carried the extra cooking outfit, and Alec his rifle.</p>
+
+<p>The trail led through a most wonderful primeval<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> forest where lichened
+stones, moss-clothed fallen trees and luxuriant foliage of standing
+timber furnished homes for countless wild creatures.</p>
+
+<p>They had not gone far before a ruddy-hued fox tried to back out of their
+way on the trail, and managed successfully to merge his color with that
+of the yellow-brown verdure about him. Further on, Alec suddenly lifted
+his rifle and aimed, but the furtive mottled animal that had been
+crouching along the mottled limb of a tree leaped back with the least
+possible noise or disturbance of the foliage, and was gone!</p>
+
+<p>"That was <em>some</em> wildcat, but she was too slick for me!" said Alec, when
+questioned about missing it.</p>
+
+<p>The scouts saw so many unfamiliar birds that they wished they had
+carried a bird book on the trip to help them identify all they now saw.
+Notes were taken, however, to help them look up and catalogue the
+varieties, later, in camp. There were many other interesting living
+creatures, also; some half-hid under leaves or twigs, others squatting
+daringly in the open, with questioning eyes fixed on these clumsy
+intruders.</p>
+
+<p>Finally the scouts reached Hendrick Springs, but to their consternation
+the place was already tenanted with undesirable tramps. Mr. Gilroy
+politely questioned the three men who claimed to be timber-jacks, but
+their empty package that had contained<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> food and the quart bottle that
+had once been filled with whiskey, now also empty, belied their story.</p>
+
+<p>Their hardened faces, unkempt appearance, and other earmarks caused a
+little apprehension in the hearts of the girls and Mrs. Vernon; but soon
+after the new arrivals started their fire to cook supper, the three
+tramps got up and quietly left.</p>
+
+<p>Scanty beds of balsam were soon made for the night for the girls, but
+the boys preferred to sleep upon the grass. After a few campfire tales,
+they decided who was to keep the fire burning all night to ward off any
+wild animals, and also to guard against the return of the evil-looking
+tramps.</p>
+
+<p>"We girls want to take our turn in watching, as well as the boys,
+Gilly!" declared Joan, when she heard how the guard was to be divided up
+for the night.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, you girls need sleep, but we don't," said Bob.</p>
+
+<p>"We are just as hale as any of you boys, and we want to do our bit!"
+exclaimed Julie, decidedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, if you must, you will!" sighed Mr. Gilroy, comically. "Now
+I have to begin all over again and figure out this problem. Let's see:</p>
+
+<p>"First, Alec and Bob mount guard two hours; then Dick and Ned guard for
+two more; then Julie and Joan; and lastly, all the other girls and
+myself. How is that?"</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed, for Julie and Joan were now<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> getting all they
+bargained for. So Alec and Bob went on duty, while the rest stretched
+out and fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>At eleven o'clock the next two boys were called; but at one o'clock,
+when it was time to rouse Julie and Joan, Mr. Gilroy crept over and
+motioned the boys to let him mount duty for a time. It was nearly three
+when Julie woke up and rubbed her eyes. She instantly realized that no
+one had called her, so she nudged Joan and got her up. Then they crept
+over to the campfire and scolded Mr. Gilroy for breaking faith with
+them. He laughed and gladly went back to finish his night's repose.</p>
+
+<p>Having been so sound asleep just before going on duty, and being utterly
+tired out with the day's experiences, the two girls sat by the fire
+endeavoring to keep each other fully awake. But the Sand Man was too
+powerful for them to resist his dreamy influence, and soon Joan dozed
+while Julie yawned and did her best to keep her eyelids open.</p>
+
+<p>An hour passed and Joan was sweetly sleeping, while Julie was nodding,
+heavy with sleep. Suddenly a crackling of branches behind them caused
+Julie to start wide awake.</p>
+
+<p>"Joan, are you awake?" whispered Julie fearfully, shaking her friend.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure&mdash;why?" mumbled Joan, sitting up to rub her eyes.</p>
+
+<div class="nh">
+<a name="where" id="where"></a>&nbsp;
+</div>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 395px;">
+<img src="images/illus4.jpg" width="395" height="600" alt="Page 211" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;Where&mdash;which way did you hear them?&quot; questioned Joan
+&emsp; <a href="#where2">Page 211</a></span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p>
+<p>"I heard some one&mdash;maybe those tramps are back to do something,"
+whispered Julie, trying to peer through the misty night.</p>
+
+<p><a name="where2" id="where2"></a>"Where&mdash;which way did you hear them?" questioned Joan, now fully awake,
+too.</p>
+
+<p>"See those long shadows by the trees, over there?" returned Julie. "I'll
+pile a lot more wood on the fire and make it blaze so we can see them if
+they come nearer."</p>
+
+<p>So saying, she threw so much wood on the fire that it instantly
+smothered the red glow and began smoking like a chimney. The smoke drove
+the girls from that side of the fire and caused them to cough violently,
+while there was a lively scrambling of feet over by the trees, and both
+girls began calling:</p>
+
+<p>"Gilly! Gilly, wake up! The tramps are here!"</p>
+
+<p>That cry brought every one to his feet, and the moment all heads got the
+benefit of the smoke, every one began coughing. But they managed to
+creep along the ground to the side of the fire, where the two girls
+stood gazing at the trees in question.</p>
+
+<p>Just as Alec crept up beside the scouts with rifle up ready to aim at
+whatever he found skulking about them, there sounded a frightful
+screeching, and hoarse calls came from the lower branches of the tree.</p>
+
+<p>"I knew it! I saw them creep over and heard them climb," cried Julie,
+quaking with excitement.</p>
+
+<p>"They planned to drop something on our heads,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> I guess," added Joan, her
+eyes bulging as she tried to see into the foliage.</p>
+
+<p>Just as Alec decided to take aim and fire haphazardly, knowing that he
+could not see in the dark but could frighten the tramps, Bob caught hold
+of his arm. He was unaware that it held a gun that was cocked ready to
+fire.</p>
+
+<p>The rifle went off prematurely, the shot hit the mark without Alec's
+trying for it, and a heavy thud informed the scouts that the bullet was
+fatal! Instantly, however, there was such a commotion in the leaves, and
+such a Bedlam of screeching! Finally a great flock of crows swept out of
+the high tree and flew away to find a less dangerous roost.</p>
+
+<p>The first streaks of dawn were penetrating the forest's darkness when
+the offended crows left their ancestral tree; and the scouts looked at
+each other in surprise. But Alec was sure it was not a crow he had
+downed&mdash;it was too heavy for that!</p>
+
+<p>So the boys crept carefully over to the place where they thought to find
+the body of a tramp, while the girls followed at a respectful distance.
+Then the relieved cry from Alec, and the laughing calls from the other
+boys, hurried the girls to join their friends.</p>
+
+<p>There they saw a dead wildcat of truly awesome size. In its clenched
+teeth it still held the young nestling&mdash;the object of its nocturnal
+climb into the tree. Alec's unexpected shot had hit true and had done
+for the crafty animal.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, this is some trophy to carry back home, eh?" cried Alec
+delightedly, as he turned the cat over with his foot.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad you didn't kill anything more than the wildcat," added Mrs.
+Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"If you boys intend carrying that back to camp, you'll have to skin it
+now and take only the pelt. You can't be bothered with the heavy beast
+itself. Leave the carcass for the wild denizens that will be glad to
+feed on this, their enemy," advised Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"And do give us the crow! If it hadn't been for Joan and me you wouldn't
+have had the wildcat!" exclaimed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"If it hadn't been for you two imaginative scouts we all would still be
+snoozing peacefully beside the fire," laughed Alec.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="back"><a href="#contents">Back to Contents</a></p>
+
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2><a name="xiv" id="xiv"></a>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<br /><br />
+<small>THE GRAND SURPRISE</small></h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">When</span> the scouts returned to their camp beside Little Moose Lake, they
+were impressed anew with the peace and beauty of the spot. The canoe
+trip had been delightful and exciting, but all were glad to get back to
+a simple life once more.</p>
+
+<p>Having seen the scout girls safely back home, and their canoes in the
+lake for future use, Mr. Gilroy sighed and said, "Now I shall take a
+long rest and recover from the past few days' work!"</p>
+
+<p>A few days after their return from the "voyage," as they called it, the
+scout girls received a bundle of mail. In it were newspapers, many
+letters, and other interesting items. The papers were all "marked
+copies," and the mail proved to be letters filled with congratulations
+and words of praise for the brave girls.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, they must be crazy! Every one's writing about what we did at the
+fire!" laughed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, just listen to this from 'Liza, every one!" called out Betty. And
+she read: "'So I sez to yer Pa, yu've got two fine scouts in them girls,
+Mister Lee, and this proves it. Any girl what will climb the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> side of a
+house to save folkses from burning, is wuth a lot of lazy,
+good-fer-nothin' boys, I sez.'"</p>
+
+<p>Every one laughed heartily at the praise thus bestowed upon them; but
+Betty said regretfully, "It's too bad I didn't do as much as Julie did
+at that fire. Daddy won't feel very proud of me, I'm afraid!"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, but you did, Betty! You ran for the Captain and did all sorts of
+stunts we couldn't have done. But not every one could climb like Jo and
+I do!" said Julie, soothingly.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, girls!" exclaimed the Captain, who had been hurriedly glancing over
+one of the papers received. "Listen to this from a New York paper. Oh, I
+am so proud of you all!" Then she read:</p>
+
+<p>"'At a recent fire that destroyed Dickens' Hotel at Raquette Lake,
+Adirondacks, a group of girl scouts known as the Dandelion Troop saved
+many lives and did heroic work in saving property. One of the hotel
+guests told our local reporter the story and we print his own words.'"</p>
+
+<p>Then followed an account of the fire, and how it started because of a
+defective flue in the kitchen chimney. It told in detail all that the
+girls did, but the story merely mentioned Alec and <em>his</em> courageous act.
+At the last of the story, a full description was given of how the balsam
+beds were made, and how the boarders were now enjoying themselves in
+tent-life and out-of-door camp cooking. And all this was due, it said,
+to the Girl Scouts being<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> able to teach the homeless boarders how to
+help themselves with the bountiful supply from Nature.</p>
+
+<p>That morning, Mr. Gilroy came down to the camp to hear the news, for he
+also had received several papers with the story of the fire in them.
+After the excitement of reading it all over again to him, the girls
+quieted down to hear what he wished to say.</p>
+
+<p>"I came to see about your plans for next summer's outing," said he.</p>
+
+<p>The girls looked at him quizzically, for they thought he was joking.
+Mrs. Vernon gasped, "Next summer! We're not through with this year yet!"</p>
+
+<p>"I know that, but 'In times of peace prepare for war,' you know,"
+laughed he.</p>
+
+<p>"Tell us why you asked?" demanded Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Because I am planning a trip for my next outing, and I am debating
+whether to invite any girl scouts to go with me."</p>
+
+<p>"Where? Aren't you going to stay here next summer?" was the answer from
+several girls.</p>
+
+<p>"No, I have had an important letter to-day. And I am going to accept the
+offer made me by the Government, but it will cost any girl scout more to
+go with <em>me</em> than it did to come to the Adirondacks."</p>
+
+<p>"Then that settles our going! We haven't a cent left over after this
+outing. If it hadn't been for those escaped felons last year we wouldn't
+have been here, I suppose!" sighed Julie.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"If it had not been the reward for the capture of the two felons that
+proved to be the means to bring you to the Adirondacks, there would have
+been some other way of finding the supply for you. You see, girls, there
+is always plenty of everything for you when the Source is unlimited,"
+said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Not one of us in Dandelion Troop have such a banker," laughed Judith.</p>
+
+<p>"Then, if this is so, why need we worry about expenses for next summer's
+outing with you?" added Joan, in response to his remark.</p>
+
+<p>"I didn't ask you to worry," retorted Mr. Gilroy. "I only asked you to
+remember that you have the invitation, but it is up to you to find the
+channel of supply and break down the dam, so the supply will run
+smoothly and continuously for your needs."</p>
+
+<p>"How much shall we need, Gilly?" asked Julie, deeply interested in his
+words.</p>
+
+<p>"More than a thousand dollars for you all, I know that! But how much
+more depends upon our itinerary, and that depends on the Captain."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, does she know about it?" chorused the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"Not yet, but she will, shortly," laughed Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>All the coaxings from nine persuasive girls failed to move Mr. Gilroy
+from the stand he had taken&mdash;not to tell about the next summer's plans.</p>
+
+<p>But a week later, when the scouts were well nigh forgetting all about
+his conversation, he brought a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> pleasant-faced gentleman to the camp to
+visit the girls.</p>
+
+<p>"This is Mr. Everard, scouts. He is anxious to meet Julia and
+Antoinette, since I told him what clever rascals they are. Do you think
+they will do their tricks for company?"</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Everard laughed merrily, and it was readily seen that he had not
+come to see the calf and pig do the little tricks which the scouts had
+taught them. However, the calf and pig were brought out, and they
+performed as they had been trained to do, during many strenuous hours,
+and they won the applause of the stranger. Then he spoke of the real
+cause of his visit.</p>
+
+<p>"I am one of the investigators of the Carnegie Reward Society, and
+having heard of your bravery in the recent fire at Raquette Lake, I was
+sent here to ascertain various facts. From all accounts, the rescues you
+made were not only courageous and daring, but spectacular as well. It
+made a fine tale for the newspapers. One of the leading men on a
+metropolitan daily sent us a note asking whether such deeds were not
+rewarded by us."</p>
+
+<p>The scouts were too amazed to speak, but Mrs. Vernon spoke for them. She
+thanked Mr. Everard for coming, and said how pleased they all were that
+others appreciated the deeds performed by the Dandelion Scouts.</p>
+
+<p>"The medal will be given at the same time the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> reward of money is
+presented. So I need the names of the girls who took an active part in
+the rescues. Those who rendered First Aid to the sufferers may be
+awarded minor medals&mdash;I am not sure of that yet," explained Mr. Everard.</p>
+
+<p>"But Alec did as much as Jo and I, Gilly," said Julie, "although they
+didn't say much about him in the papers."</p>
+
+<p>"That has been corrected, but you didn't see the papers of the following
+day. And Alec is to receive exactly the same reward as you girls,"
+returned Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Everard did not mention the amount of money that was likely to
+arrive with the medals, but Mrs. Vernon spoke of it later. The two men
+left camp, and Mr. Everard was taken over to Grey Fox Camp to meet the
+boys.</p>
+
+<p>"Verny, maybe that reward will be the nest-egg of the supply we must
+have to go with Gilly next summer!" declared Julie excitedly, after both
+men had disappeared from view.</p>
+
+<p>"I was thinking of that when Mr. Everard spoke," said Mrs. Vernon.</p>
+
+<p>"I wonder how much they give to one&mdash;about a hundred dollars, I
+suppose," ventured Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no! I've heard their cash rewards range from a thousand and down to
+five hundred dollars, according to the valor of the deed," replied the
+Captain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"A thousand!" chorused the scouts in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, that would take us all on Gilly's trip," said Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Maybe; but we don't know where he plans to go. If it is around the
+world, I fear the reward will not carry you all that far," rejoined Mrs.
+Vernon, smilingly.</p>
+
+<p>A few days after Mr. Everard's visit at camp, Mr. Gilroy came again.
+"Well, scouts! was I right when I told you not to limit your supply to
+any old-fashioned mill-pond?"</p>
+
+<p>"You're always right&mdash;how could you <em>ever</em> be mistaken?" was Julie's
+retort.</p>
+
+<p>He laughed. "Now, this flow of supply from the boundless Source I
+preached about will give you the means to accept my invitation for next
+year."</p>
+
+<p>"We have already accepted, and are arranging to be absent from home for
+the length of time it takes to go to Jericho and back again," answered
+Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Not to the Far East," laughed Mr. Gilroy, "but to the most wonderful
+mountains on earth, though the public has not realized that fact,
+because they are not yet the fashion. They are fast reaching that
+recognition, however. At present one can go there without being pestered
+by souvenir peddlers."</p>
+
+<p>"Do tell us where it is, now that you've told us this much," begged the
+girls. But Mr. Gilroy shook his head and left them guessing.</p>
+
+<p>The last of August was passing quickly, and the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> scouts sighed whenever
+they remembered that they must close the wonderful camp the first week
+of September. There was still, however, one delight in store for them.
+That was the County Fair, held the first three days of September. They
+had entered Julia and Antoinette to compete for prizes in their
+individual classes.</p>
+
+<p>The boys, as well as the girls, spent those days at the Fair Grounds,
+showing the tricks Julia and the pig could do, and also going about
+seeking votes for their pets. The result of this faithful work was seen
+when the prizes were awarded.</p>
+
+<p>Dandelion Scout Camp won First Prize of a hundred dollars for having the
+heaviest and finest pig exhibited that year. Another fifty dollars came
+for Antoinette's being the best amateur trick animal shown that year.</p>
+
+<p>Julia won second prize of fifty dollars for having the required number
+of points in breeding and development. Then, after the fair closed, an
+animal trainer who made his living going about giving shows of trick
+animals made an offer for the two pets, saying he had seen them perform
+at the fair.</p>
+
+<p>"What shall we do? Suppose the man is cruel to them?" asked Julie,
+worried over the disposal of Julia and Anty.</p>
+
+<p>"It can't be much worse than sending them to a butcher," remarked Mr.
+Gilroy.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Oh, mercy! We never could sell them for meat!" cried Joan.</p>
+
+<p>"I shall never eat another mouthful of veal or pork," added Betty,
+fervently.</p>
+
+<p>"None of us will ever eat meat again!" declared the others.</p>
+
+<p>"But that doesn't answer this letter," the Captain reminded them.</p>
+
+<p>"The man offers a good price, girls, and having so much capital
+invested, he will surely take care of the investment," said Mr. Gilroy.</p>
+
+<p>"Y-e-s, that's so! Well, I'll tell you what, girls," said Julie. "Let's
+make him double his offer, and that will make him still more
+appreciative of Julia and Anty. If he takes it, all right. If he
+doesn't, we can write to some other Zoo trainer, now that we know we
+have two fine trained pets."</p>
+
+<p>But the animal trainer expected a "come-back," and was only too glad to
+secure Julia and Anty at the price the scouts mentioned. And that added
+materially to the fund for the next summer's outing&mdash;wherever it was to
+be.</p>
+
+<p>The day the trainer came to take possession of his newly acquired pets,
+the girls felt blue over saying good-by to them. Anty had been so
+thoroughly scrubbed that she glistened, and Julia had been brushed and
+currycombed until she looked like satin.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Anty! Shake hands just once more," wailed Judith, as she held out
+her hand to the pig.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Anty immediately stood upon her hind legs and held out a hoof that had
+made such distracting imprints for the scouts early in the summer.</p>
+
+<p>"I'll buy the little bark shed, too. I know that all pets love their own
+little sleeping-places and get so used to them they never feel at home
+in new quarters. I'll take the pen with me," said the trainer.</p>
+
+<p>So Anty was the means of adding to the coffer of gold the scouts were
+now dreaming of. And the artistic little bark house was taken away for
+Anty's especial use thereafter.</p>
+
+<p>After the departure of Julia and Antoinette, the scouts felt lonely, and
+the camp was soon dismantled of all the exhibits that had been used for
+decorations that summer. Everything was packed and shipped back home,
+and then came the day when Mr. Bentley came in his touring car to assist
+in the transportation of the campers to their old homes and families.</p>
+
+<p>As they all stood on the verandah of the bungalow shaking hands with Mr.
+Gilroy and telling him what a precious old dear he was to have bothered
+with them all summer, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"But you haven't asked me for the itinerary for next year."</p>
+
+<p>"We have, again and again, but you said it was not yet time for that!"
+exclaimed Julie.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it <em>is</em> time now. I have to spend all next summer in the Rocky
+Mountains collecting specimens of glacial deposits, so I need your
+company to keep<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> me cheerful. It is up to you to win the consent of your
+people and save the money for the trip."</p>
+
+<p>Such a chorus of youthful voices as greeted that wondrous prospect made
+the adults laugh.</p>
+
+<p>"You seem to welcome the idea of camping in the Rockies?" suggested Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts piled into the cars ready to go home.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p><p>"Do we! Well, Gilly, just you wait and see if we are not with you next
+year in those Rockies!" laughed Julie.</p>
+
+
+<div class="q">
+<hr class="hr5" />
+
+<h2><em>This Isn't All!</em></h2>
+
+<p>Would you like to know what
+became of the good friends you
+have made in this book?</p>
+
+<p>Would you like to read other
+stories continuing their adventures
+and experiences, or other books
+quite as entertaining by the same
+author?</p>
+
+<p>On the <em>reverse side</em> of the wrapper
+which comes with this book,
+you will find a wonderful list of
+stories which you can buy at the
+same store where you got this book.</p>
+
+<h3><em>Don't throw away the Wrapper</em></h3>
+
+<p><em>Use it as a handy catalog of the books
+you want some day to have. But in
+case you do mislay it, write to the
+Publishers for a complete catalog.</em></p>
+
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>
+GIRL SCOUTS SERIES</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">By LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY</p>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">Author of the "Polly Brewster Books"</p>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3"><div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Handsomely Bound. Colored Wrappers. Illustrated.<br />
+Each Volume Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Here is a series that holds the same position for girls that
+the Tom Slade and Roy Blakeley books hold for boys.
+They are delightful stories of Girl Scout camp life amid
+beautiful surroundings and are filled with stirring adventures.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi">GIRL SCOUTS AT DANDELION CAMP</p>
+
+<p>This is a story which centers around the making and the
+enjoying of a mountain camp, spiced with the fun of a lively
+troop of Girl Scouts. The charm of living in the woods, of
+learning woodcraft of all sorts, of adventuring into the unknown,
+combine to make a busy and an exciting summer
+for the girls.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi">GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS</p>
+
+<p>New scenery, new problems of camping, association with
+a neighboring camp of Boy Scouts, and a long canoe trip
+with them through the Fulton Chain, all in the setting of
+the marvelous Adirondacks, bring to the girls enlargement
+of horizon, new development, and new joys.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi">GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES</p>
+
+<p>On horseback from Denver through Estes Park as far as
+the Continental Divide, climbing peaks, riding wild trails,
+canoeing through canyons, shooting rapids, encountering a
+landslide, a summer blizzard, a sand storm, wild animals,
+and forest fires, the girls pack the days full with unforgettable
+experiences.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi">GIRL SCOUTS IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO</p>
+
+<p>The Girl Scouts visit the mountains and deserts of Arizona
+and New Mexico. They travel over the old Santa Fe
+trail, cross the Painted Desert, and visit the Grand Canyon.
+Their exciting adventures form a most interesting story.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi">GIRL SCOUTS IN THE REDWOODS</p>
+
+<p>The girls spend their summer in the Redwoods of California
+and incidentally find a way to induce a famous motion
+picture director in Hollywood to offer to produce a
+film that stars the Girl Scouts of America.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span>
+THE LILIAN GARIS BOOKS</h2>
+</div></div>
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Individual Colored Wrappers.<br />
+Every Volume Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Lilian Garis is one of the writers who always
+wrote. She expressed herself in verse from early
+school days and it was then predicted that Lilian
+Mack would one day become a writer. Justifying
+this sentiment, while still at high school, she took
+charge of the woman's page for a city paper and her
+work there attracted such favorable attention that she
+left school to take entire charge of the woman's page
+for the largest daily in an important Eastern city.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Garis turned to girls' books directly after her
+marriage, and of these she has written many. She
+believes in girls, studies them and depicts them with
+pen both skilled and sympathetic.</p>
+
+<div class="block2">
+<ul>
+<li>BARBARA HALE: A DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER</li>
+
+<li>BARBARA HALE AND COZETTE</li>
+
+<li>GLORIA: A GIRL AND HER DAD</li>
+
+<li>GLORIA AT BOARDING SCHOOL</li>
+
+<li>JOAN: JUST GIRL</li>
+
+<li>JOAN'S GARDEN OF ADVENTURE</li>
+
+<li>CONNIE LORING'S AMBITION</li>
+
+<li>CONNIE LORING'S DILEMMA</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<div class="adb5">
+<div class="adb2">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Amy Bell Marlowe's Books<br />
+for Girls</span></h2>
+</div>
+
+<div class="adb4">
+<h4 class="mtmb">Charming, Fresh and Original Stories</h4>
+</div>
+
+<h5 class="mtmb">Illustrated. Wrappers printed in colors with individual design for each story</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Miss Marlowe's books for girls are somewhat of the type of Miss Alcott
+and also Mrs. Meade; but all are thoroughly up-to-date and wholly
+American in scene and action. Good, clean absorbing tales that all girls
+thoroughly enjoy.</p>
+
+<p class="hang"><b>THE OLDEST OF FOUR;<br />
+<small>Or, Natalie's Way Out.<br />
+A sweet story of the struggles of a live girl to keep a family from
+want.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>THE GIRLS AT HILLCREST FARM;<br />
+<small>Or, The Secret of the Rocks.<br />
+Relating the trials of two girls who take boarders on an old farm.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>A LITTLE MISS NOBODY;<br />
+<small>Or, With the Girls of Pinewood Hall.<br />
+Tells of a schoolgirl who was literally a nobody until she solved the
+mystery of her identity.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>THE GIRL FROM SUNSET RANCH;<br />
+<small>Or, Alone in a Great City.<br />
+A ranch girl comes to New York to meet relatives she has never seen. Her
+adventures make unusually good reading.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>WYN'S CAMPING DAYS;<br />
+<small>Or, The Outing of the GO-AHEAD CLUB.</small></b><br />
+<small>A tale of happy days on the water and under canvas, with a touch of
+mystery and considerable excitement.</small></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>FRANCIS OF THE RANGES:<br />
+<small>Or, The Old Ranchman's Treasure.<br />
+A vivid picture of life on the great cattle ranges of the West.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>THE GIRLS OF RIVERCLIFF SCHOOL;<br />
+<small>Or, Beth Baldwin's Resolve.<br />
+This is one of the most entertaining stories centering about a girl's
+school that has ever been written.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>WHEN ORIOLE CAME TO HARBOR LIGHT.<br />
+<small>The story of a young girl, cast up by the sea, and rescued by an old
+lighthouse keeper.</small></b></p>
+
+
+<p class="hang"><b>WHEN ORIOLE TRAVELED WESTWARD.<br />
+<small>Oriole visits the family of a rich ranchman and enjoys herself immensely.</small></b></p>
+
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span>
+THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">Author of the "Bobbsey Twins," "Bunny Brown" Series, Etc.</p>
+</div></div>
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+
+<h5 class="mtmb">Uniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers. Every Volume
+Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>These tales take in the various adventures participated in by several
+bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE;<br />
+Or, Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE;<br />
+Or, The Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR;<br />
+Or, The Haunted Mansion of Shadow Valley.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP;<br />
+Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice Boats.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA;<br />
+Or, Wintering in the Sunny South.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW;<br />
+Or, The Box That Was Found in the Sand.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND;<br />
+Or, A Cave and What it Contained.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE;<br />
+Or, Doing Their Bit for Uncle Sam.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE;<br />
+Or, Doing Their Best For the Soldiers.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT BLUFF POINT;<br />
+Or, A Wreck and A Rescue.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT WILD ROSE LODGE;<br />
+Or, The Hermit of Moonlight Falls.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN THE SADDLE;<br />
+Or, The Girl Miner of Gold Run.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AROUND THE CAMPFIRE;<br />
+Or, The Old Maid of the Mountains.</p>
+
+<p class="noi">THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON CAPE COD;<br />
+Or, Sally Ann of Lighthouse Rock.</p>
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS BOOKS</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">By LAURA LEE HOPE</p>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Individual Colored Wrappers and Text Illustrations by<br />
+THELMA GOOCH<br />
+Every Volume Complete in Itself</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+
+<p>The Blythe girls, three in number, were left alone in New York City.
+Helen, who went in for art and music, kept the little flat uptown, while
+Margy just out of a business school, obtained a position as a private
+secretary and Rose, plain-spoken and businesslike, took what she called
+a "job" in a department store.</p>
+
+
+<p class="noi mtmb">THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN, MARGY AND ROSE;<br />
+Or, Facing the Great World.</p>
+
+<p class="mb"><small>A fascinating tale of real happenings in the great metropolis.</small></p>
+
+
+<p class="noi mtmb">THE BLYTHE GIRLS: MARGY'S QUEER INHERITANCE;<br />
+Or, The Worth of a Name.</p>
+
+<p class="mb"><small>The girls had a peculiar old aunt and when she died she left an unusual
+inheritance. This tale continues the struggles of all the girls for
+existence.</small></p>
+
+
+<p class="noi mtmb">THE BLYTHE GIRLS: ROSE'S GREAT PROBLEM;
+Or, Face to Face With a Crisis.</p>
+
+<p class="mb"><small>Rose still at work in the big department store, is one day faced with
+the greatest problem of her life. A tale of mystery as well as exciting
+girlish happenings.</small></p>
+
+
+<p class="noi mtmb">THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN'S STRANGE BOARDER;
+Or, The Girl From Bronx Park.</p>
+
+<p class="mb"><small>Helen, out sketching, goes to the assistance of a strange girl, whose
+real identity is a puzzle to all the Blythe girls. Who the girl really
+was comes as a tremendous surprise.</small></p>
+
+
+<p class="noi mtmb">THE BLYTHE GIRLS: THREE ON A VACATION;
+Or, The Mystery at Peach Farm.</p>
+
+<p class="mb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>
+<small>The girls close their flat and go to the country for two weeks&mdash;and fall
+in with all sorts of curious and exciting happenings. How they came to
+the assistance of Joe Morris, and solved a queer mystery, is well
+related.</small></p>
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb">CAROLYN WELLS BOOKS</h2>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<h3>THE MARJORIE BOOKS</h3>
+
+<p><big>Marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of
+goodness and sincerity. In her and her friends every girl reader will
+see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure.</big></p>
+
+<div class="block">
+<ul>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE'S VACATION</li>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE'S BUSY DAYS</li>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE'S NEW FRIEND</li>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE IN COMMAND</li>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE'S MAYTIME</li>
+<li class="none">MARJORIE AT SEACOTE</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<h3>THE TWO LITTLE WOMEN SERIES</h3>
+
+<p><big>Introducing Dorinda Fayre&mdash;a pretty blonde, sweet, serious, timid and a
+little slow, and Dorothy Rose&mdash;a sparkling brunette, quick, elf-like,
+high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes.</big></p>
+
+<div class="block3">
+<ul>
+<li class="none">TWO LITTLE WOMEN</li>
+<li class="none">TWO LITTLE WOMEN AND TREASURE HOUSE</li>
+<li class="none">TWO LITTLE WOMEN ON A HOLIDAY</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr class="hr3" />
+
+<h3>THE DICK AND DOLLY BOOKS</h3>
+
+<p><big>Dick and Dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks,
+their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories
+"really true" to young readers.</big></p>
+
+<div class="block2">
+<ul>
+<li class="none">DICK AND DOLLY</li>
+<li class="none">DICK AND DOLLY'S ADVENTURES</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
+THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">For Little Men and Women<br />
+By LAURA LEE HOPE<br />
+Author of "The Bunny Brown Series," Etc.</p>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.<br />
+Every Volume Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>These books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand
+among children and their parents of this generation where the books of
+Louisa May Alcott stood in former days. The haps and mishaps of this
+inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a
+source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere.</p>
+
+<div class="block3">
+<ul>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE COUNTY FAIR</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS CAMPING OUT</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND BABY MAY</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS KEEPING HOUSE</li>
+<li>THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CLOVERBANK</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>
+THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">By LAURA LEE HOPE<br />
+Author of the Popular "Bobbsey Twins" Books, Etc.</p>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.<br />
+Every Volume Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>These stories by the author of the "Bobbsey Twins"
+Books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about
+five to ten years of age. Their eyes fairly dance with delight
+at the lively doings of inquisitive little Bunny Brown
+and his cunning, trustful sister Sue.</p>
+
+<ul>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING A SHOW</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE KEEPING STORE</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR TRICK DOG</li>
+<li class="li2">BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT A SUGAR CAMP</li>
+</ul>
+
+
+
+<div class="adb1">
+<div class="adb2">
+<h2 class="mtmb"><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span>
+SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES</h2>
+
+<p class="center mtmb">By LAURA LEE HOPE<br />
+Author of The Bobbsey Twins Books, The Bunny
+Brown Series, The Blythe Girls Books, Etc.</p>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="adb3">
+<div class="adb4">
+<h5 class="mtmb">Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.<br />
+Every Volume Complete in Itself.</h5>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung
+into immediate popularity. To know the six little Bunkers
+is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely
+human, so full of fun and cute sayings. Each story has a
+little plot of its own&mdash;one that can be easily followed&mdash;and
+all are written in Miss Hope's most entertaining manner.
+Clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf
+of every child in the land.</p>
+
+<div class="block2">
+<ul>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MAMMY JUNE'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT FARMER JOEL'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MILLER NED'S</li>
+<li class="li2">SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT INDIAN JOHN'S</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+<div class="adb7">
+<div class="adb8">
+<h4 class="mtmb smcap">Grosset &amp; <span class="pubend">Dunlap, Publishers, New</span> York</h4>
+</div></div>
+
+<div class="tn">
+<p class="center">Transcriber's Note:</p>
+
+<p>The word catalogue appears in the main text, but is
+catalog in the advertisements at the end of the book.
+Raquette Lake is also shown as Racquette Lake.</p>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
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+Project Gutenberg's Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks, by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+
+Author: Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+Release Date: August 18, 2008 [EBook #26345]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Jacqueline Jeremy, and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading" ... Page 182]
+
+
+
+
+    GIRL SCOUTS IN
+    THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+    BY
+    LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY
+
+    AUTHOR OF
+    THE POLLY BREWSTER BOOKS,
+    THE LITTLE WASHINGTONS BOOKS
+
+    ILLUSTRATED
+
+    GROSSET & DUNLAP
+    PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+    Made in the United States of America
+
+
+    COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY
+    GEORGE SULLY & COMPANY
+
+    _The Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks_
+
+    _Printed in the U. S. A._
+
+
+
+
+    CONTENTS
+
+
+    CHAPTER                                                         PAGE
+
+       I. THE FRIDAY JINX                                              1
+
+      II. ANOTHER DAY OF TROUBLES                                     24
+
+     III. IN THE MOUNTAINS AT LAST                                    41
+
+      IV. A VISIT TO GREY FOX CAMP                                    60
+
+       V. A STORY OF CREATION                                         72
+
+      VI. LOST ON THE TRAIL                                           91
+
+     VII. A LITTLE BUSINESS                                          106
+
+    VIII. JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK                              127
+
+      IX. LESSONS IN TRACKING                                        139
+
+       X. THE GIRL SCOUTS ENTERTAIN                                  157
+
+      XI. A CANOE TRIP                                               179
+
+     XII. FIRST AID                                                  190
+
+    XIII. SHOOTING THE RAPIDS--AND OTHER THINGS                      204
+
+     XIV. THE GRAND SURPRISE                                         214
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+"Thus they started in a line, Yhon leading" (page 182)    _Frontispiece_
+
+                                                                    PAGE
+
+"Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betzy, or go back
+with me and eat sandwiches"                                           16
+
+"We are lost, come find us"                                           98
+
+"Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned Joan                211
+
+
+
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE
+
+THE FRIDAY JINX
+
+
+"Are we ready to start, girls?" called Mrs. Vernon, the Captain of
+Dandelion Troop of Girl Scouts, as she glanced at her protegees seated
+in two large touring cars.
+
+"Ready! Why, Verny, we've been waiting for you these ten minutes,"
+retorted Juliet Lee, one of the original members of the troop.
+
+"And we're just crazy to be off before that black cloud overhead adds to
+mother's fear lest I never come home again," added Ruth Bentley, another
+of the first four girl scouts of Elmertown.
+
+"Well, then, it seems that all the baggage and outfit we need with us on
+the trip is safely stowed away, eh, Jim?" said Mrs. Vernon, looking at
+the driver of the other car.
+
+"Everything that I found waiting to be packed when I drove up to the
+side door," replied the chauffeur.
+
+"All right! Then we're off, folkses, but we'll send you word the moment
+we arrive at Old Forge in the Adirondacks," called Mrs. Vernon, to the
+crowd of relatives of the various girls, all gathered to watch the
+scouts drive away.
+
+"Good-by! Good-by!" now shouted many girlish voices, and "Good-by!
+Good-by!" was shouted back as the two seven-passenger cars started on
+the long journey.
+
+Mrs. Vernon led the way in her luxurious automobile, and as they turned
+the bend of the road, where the last of the group still watching on the
+Vernon lawn was lost to sight, she laughingly remarked:
+
+"I never thought a crowd of girls could get ready for such a long outing
+in so short a time."
+
+"It all depends on how badly the girls _want_ to be ready, Captain,"
+retorted Joan Allison, the fourth girl of the number who founded
+Dandelion Camp of Girl Scouts the summer before.
+
+"Say, girls! I just felt a drop of rain from that inky cloud!" Betty Lee
+warned. She was Julie's sister, and they were two who had first
+suggested a scout organization.
+
+Mrs. Vernon slowed down and turned to the scouts. "Shall we stop to put
+on the rain-curtains?"
+
+"Mercy, no! It's only a sprinkle, and we're not sugar," exclaimed Joan,
+glancing at the sky.
+
+The other girls followed her gaze, and Julie said: "See all the blue
+sky! Enough to make the proverbial 'night-cap'."
+
+In case the reader has not yet met the four girls who had such a
+thrilling time while at camp the previous summer, it will be best to
+make their acquaintance now.
+
+As stated before, Juliet and Elizabeth Lee were the two sisters who
+planned having a scout troop for girls in Elmertown. Joan Allison and
+Ruth Bentley, both schoolmates of the Lee girls, eagerly agreed to add
+their efforts to the others' and secure the interest of enough girls for
+them to be able to apply for a charter from the Girl Scout Headquarters
+in New York City.
+
+Before they closed their camp on "Verny's Mountain" that summer, five
+other girls had been admitted to membership in the young Patrol, namely:
+Hester Wynant, fourteen; Anne Bailey, fourteen; Judith Blake, thirteen;
+her sister, Edith Blake, twelve; and Amy Ward, thirteen.
+
+Then during the winter, other girls who had heard of the good times the
+scouts had had in camp that past summer became so insistent to mothers
+at home that permission to join the organization was granted them.
+
+Having nine girls in their original Patrol, with Julie as Leader, and
+Joan for Corporal, the scouts now felt experienced enough to pass all
+the tests required to apply for a Troop Charter. The young scouts were
+an active group and when the Charter arrived from National Headquarters
+the same day the girls had planned to start for camp, there was great
+rejoicing.
+
+True to his promise given the Girl Scouts the summer previous, Mr.
+Gilroy had sent word to Mrs. Vernon when the camp in the Adirondacks was
+ready for them. When the girls found that Mrs. Vernon planned to use her
+large touring car for half of the number in the Troop to go in, and Ruth
+Bentley's father had offered his car for the other half, thus saving
+them great expense for railroad tickets, and giving them the pleasure of
+autoing the whole long distance, the excitement rose and would not be
+calmed down again.
+
+So it was not only a happy Troop that shouted good-by to relatives, but
+also a flushed, merry group of nine girls who could not keep silent for
+long.
+
+Ruth was in the rear seat of her father's car, which Jim was driving,
+when she suddenly sat up and called out to the chauffeur:
+
+"I'm sure one of our suitcases on the trunk-rack at the back must be
+loose, Jim. I hear it bump about every time you go over a rough place in
+the road."
+
+"It can't be, Miss Ruth," returned Jim, trying to peer out and see the
+baggage; "I strapped 'em on good and tight before we left."
+
+"Well, it happens to be my suitcase that's on top, and I'm sure I don't
+want to lose it," declared Ruth.
+
+"Maybe we'd better stop and make sure about it; we can soon catch up
+with Verny again," suggested Judith.
+
+So Jim sprang out to investigate. "The suitcases are all right, Miss
+Ruth, but somethin's wrong in the back all right."
+
+At that Ruth jumped out and joined the man. "What is it?" asked she,
+anxiously.
+
+"The sag in that spring 'pears to me to say it is about done for. We'll
+have to travel slow till we find a garage."
+
+"For mercy's sake! Didn't you and Pa's chauffeur overhaul both the cars
+thoroughly when you knew we were going on this trip?"
+
+"Your father sent this machine to the garage in Elmertown, 'cause he
+said they'd know how to do the job up better'n us," explained Jim.
+
+"Then it serves Dad right if he has to pay for a new spring! The idea of
+trusting strangers with his car at this important time! But here we are
+with a wornout old spring on our hands!" cried Ruth, stamping her foot
+impatiently.
+
+"Oh no, Ruth, not on our hands--but what is ten times worse--on the rear
+end of the car," laughed Hester.
+
+"Well, we've got to go slow, I suppose, and stop somewhere to replace
+the old thing," grumbled Ruth, climbing back in the car.
+
+"If 'Liza knew of this mischance, wouldn't she gloat over her 'Friday
+Bad Luck' prophecy?" laughed Ann.
+
+Jim started again, but carefully avoided the ruts and bumps in the road
+until he came to a large garage. Fortunately for all, they found a new
+spring in stock and the men were soon at work replacing the bad one.
+
+"Hurrah for us Jinx-breakers! This bit of luck in finding a new spring
+on hand more than offsets a Friday curse," gleefully cried Ruth.
+
+"You young ladies sure are lucky, but it will take some time to do the
+work, an' you may as well take a walk and see our nice Jersey town,"
+suggested the proprietor of the garage.
+
+The scouts followed this sensible advice and stopped at a shop where
+they treated each other to soda, candy, and peanuts. There being nothing
+more thrilling to do, they sat down in the Park and ate the plebeian
+delicacy and talked.
+
+"I love peanuts, don't you?" Anne asked of the girls.
+
+"Yes, but they have to be enjoyed away from home, or folks will make fun
+of you," added Ruth.
+
+"Not any more, Ruth. When a five-cent bag of peanuts, these days, only
+contains ten nuts that lifts them out of the cheap class," laughed
+Hester.
+
+"And makes them a luxury, eh?" added Judith.
+
+By the time the peanuts were gone, Jim signaled the girls and they
+hurried back to the garage. It took but a moment for them to jump in and
+urge Jim to hurry after Verny's car, somewhere in the lead.
+
+Mile after mile of beautiful woodland, with now and then a small town,
+but with many flourishing farms along the way, were reeled off rapidly
+as the machine sped along as if on wings. Finally they reached a
+crossroad where the signboard warned them: "All travel limited to eight
+miles per hour."
+
+"Slow down, Jim, or you'll land us in a county jail," called Ruth.
+
+"Then Mrs. Vernon must be in jail--'cause she ain't in sight along the
+road, and to get as far as this she _had_ to speed," declared Jim.
+
+"It's funny she wouldn't stop to find out what became of us, when we
+dropped so far behind," ventured Hester.
+
+"They'll look us up at mealtime, never fear," laughed Anne. "We've got
+the hamper with us, you know."
+
+The others laughed at this remark, but they had not gone much farther
+along the road before they spied the Vernon automobile waiting under a
+great oak tree. When the tardy car came up, both parties began to shout,
+some asking where the delinquents had been, and the unfortunates to
+demand why folks wouldn't look behind once in a while!
+
+Finally Jim could make himself heard, and he explained about the spring
+and where they had to stop to replace the old one.
+
+"Well, _we_ stopped to discuss ways. We ought to decide the route we
+want to take before we reach Jersey City," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Which is the route you'd chose, Verny?" added Ruth.
+
+"Well, we can save a lot of time by going along to Edgewater and cross
+on the Fort Lee boat. That takes us right to 130th Street and Broadway,
+New York. We avoid all crowds and city streets, but you will not see
+anything of the life and bustle of New York City."
+
+"How much time will we save?" asked Julie.
+
+"Because we've lost so much over that old spring," added Ruth.
+
+Mrs. Vernon smiled. "From upper New York we can drive right onto the
+State Road that runs direct to Albany. By selecting that way we will
+save a great deal of time, because traffic in the city is so congested
+that every driver has to travel slow and fall in line back of endless
+cars. At every corner when the signal holds up the entire line one has
+to stop to permit crosstown traffic a chance."
+
+"Then for goodness' sake, let's go through the country on this side of
+the Hudson, and cross where you said--Fort Lee Ferry," declared Julie.
+
+Every one agreeing to this decision, the plan was carried out as
+outlined by the Captain. Once on Broadway, where it passes Van Cortlandt
+Park, the girls called to Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"How about lunch--we're famished?"
+
+"Oh, don't let's stop here for lunch. Let's go on till we find a nicer
+spot in the country," returned Joan.
+
+"Maybe there won't be any better place," demurred Judith.
+
+"Oh, yes, there is. After we leave Yonkers we will find lots of spots,
+Verny says," called Julie, from the first car.
+
+"We need a shady place where a spring will give us water," said Betty.
+
+"A spring failing to bubble up at the proper place, we may have to be
+satisfied with a pump at some farmhouse," retorted her sister.
+
+The two cars sped swiftly along Broadway, through Yonkers,
+Hastings-on-Hudson, and Dobb's Ferry. At this last place the Captain
+pointed out the famous old Headquarters used by General Washington at
+the close of the Revolution.
+
+"Girls, there doesn't seem to be any picnic grounds for us along this
+State Road," remarked Mrs. Vernon. "Suppose we take a bite as we travel
+along, and cook a regular dinner when we are out in the country
+somewhere?"
+
+"We're willing, in fact, I am more than willing to eat," called Anne,
+the scout with the healthy appetite.
+
+So they drove on while refreshments were passed around, and every one
+admired the river scenes of the ever-changing panorama of the Hudson.
+
+Just beyond Peekskill the road ran under a culvert and a sharp turn on
+the other side made it impossible to see what was on the road ahead. The
+Captain made the turn very neatly and Jim was about to follow the
+leading car, when several shrill cries from the girls ahead caused him
+to put on the emergency brakes.
+
+The passengers in the second car could just see what had caused the
+frightened shouts from their friends in the first car. A gaunt farm
+horse was standing on his hind legs pawing the air madly, while a
+rickety old spring wagon seesawed uncertainly on the edge of a deep
+ditch beside the road. But the driver of the horse was on the road,
+hanging on to the bridle while plying a stout hickory stick freely over
+the animal's back.
+
+"Git down! Will yuh come to arth, yuh rascal?" shouted the irate woman
+who was garbed in a man's farm hat and a long duster.
+
+"Do you need any assistance?" called Mrs. Vernon, anxiously.
+
+"Not ef I kin git him to plant his feet on arth agin. He ain't got no
+spunk left to run away, 'cause he's ben out plowing all day, and it w'ar
+a shame to drive him to the store. But it hed to be, 'cuz the ole man
+tuk t'other hoss to go to a meetin'."
+
+As the unusual character talked, she tugged at the bridle until she
+finally had the horse quieted down again. Then he allowed his long ears
+to droop lazily, his spine to sag in the middle, and his erstwhile
+springy legs to bend as if he felt too weary to stand up.
+
+The woman with the weather-beaten face and toughened hands was a fluent
+speaker, even though she paid little attention to the latest style in
+dress for women. She leaned against the shaft of the wagon and plied her
+questions to the tourists as freely as she had plied the hickory stick
+to the horse.
+
+"Be you-all out fer a lark?" asked she, eyeing the number of girls in
+both cars.
+
+Jim thought to move his car gradually along the road so the scouts in
+his charge could join in the conversation with the woman. But the moment
+the horse saw the automobile crawling towards him, he jumped aside. The
+wagon-wheel turned suddenly and the unexpected happened; the woman who
+had been leaning heavily on the wheel was unceremoniously dropped to a
+sitting posture in the dusty road.
+
+Several of the scouts had to smother with handkerchiefs, a keen desire
+to laugh, but the owner of the horse seemed to take the situation
+good-naturedly.
+
+"Wal, ef that ain't jus' like Samson! He does the mos' onexpected
+tricks, so's that he keeps us guessin' what next."
+
+Jim sprang out of the car when he saw the result of his innocent action
+with the engine, but the agile woman was up before he could reach her
+side. She brushed the dust from her long coat and chuckled aloud: "I
+allus said that animal oughter be called Delilah 'cuz _she_ was so sly,
+but my ole man says 'Samson' was close enough to that critter, and this
+animal hez such long hair that it suits with the name."
+
+"You've just had him clipped, I see," ventured Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Not clipped, Captain--but shorn of his locks like Samson," laughed
+Julie.
+
+"Maybe that's why he feels so tired," added Joan, quickly.
+
+Every one but the farmer's wife laughed. She seemed very serious over
+the conversation, and nodded her head affirmatively.
+
+"Well, we have to drive on, madam, but we're sorry to have frightened
+Samson," said Mrs. Vernon, in order to make an end to the scene.
+
+"Say, couldn't you tell us where there is a nice picnic place near
+here?" called Jim, as the first car started.
+
+"Yeh--a few miles furder on. You'll find a nice little brook in a grove
+of sugar-maples, with green grass on all sides."
+
+Jim thanked the woman, and started his car. Mrs. Vernon was informed of
+the grove which was to be a stopping place for dinner, and all were
+eagerly on the lookout for the spot that would offer such an ideal
+resting place.
+
+But it was the longest "few miles" any of the scouts had traveled, for
+the meter showed many, many miles before any grove was seen. There was
+no brook in it, but the grass was very green, and the maple grove, which
+crowded a knoll a short distance from the road, looked cool and
+inviting.
+
+As usual, Julie was the first one out of the cars and over the fence.
+She started to cross the very green grass, but instantly sank into the
+water that was hidden under the green blades.
+
+"Help! Oh, I'm drowning!" shouted she, struggling to pull her feet clear
+of the bog. But she would free one foot, and instantly the other would
+sink. Then she tried to drag that one out, but the first one would go
+down again. Both together she could not get out.
+
+"Oh, oh! See the mess poor Julie's in!" called one of the girls.
+
+Mrs. Vernon was gazing quickly around for some sort of help to get the
+scout out, but the girls stood about the place sympathizing with the
+furious scout.
+
+"Is it like that all over there, Julie?" called Betty, anxiously.
+
+"How do I know? Come over and find out for yourself!" snapped her
+sister.
+
+The girls laughed at the retort, but Betty added: "I only wanted to know
+if it was safe for me to come over and help you out."
+
+Julie straightened up and glared at her soft-hearted sister. "You sound
+just like our Sunday school teacher when she reads: 'Come over into
+Macedonia and help.'"
+
+Again the audience of girls laughed appreciatively, but Julie was too
+busy keeping her feet "treading water" to pay any attention to their
+enjoyment. Meantime, Jim had removed some rails from the fence and was
+bringing them to the scout's aid.
+
+"Now, Miss Julie, when I shove these over, you manage to work an arm
+over each one, and sort of lift yourself out that way. I'll shove others
+over for you to step on next, and in that way you can get out and across
+to us," advised Jim, working as he spoke.
+
+Finally Julie was rescued from the mire, and then the Captain said:
+"Every one walk along that elevated bank, over there, to reach the
+grove, as this entire area may be a boggy spring."
+
+But the grass under the trees in the grove was found to be hard and dry,
+and they soon began to prepare luncheon. While Mrs. Vernon unpacked the
+hamper, the scouts were detailed on various duties: some to build a
+fire, some to hunt spring water, some to set table on the grass. But
+Julie was excused from all these tasks, as she had more than enough work
+to do in cleaning the mud from her boots and stockings.
+
+When luncheon was almost ready, Judith and Amy, who had been sent to
+find the spring and bring back drinking water, reported: "We couldn't
+find any spring."
+
+Julie looked up and jeered: "You are fine scouts! Couldn't find a spring
+when all you have to do is to find the source of all that water where I
+went down!"
+
+"Water! That looked like mud," retorted Judith.
+
+"We'll go for the water," volunteered Joan, catching hold of Betty's
+sleeve to take her along.
+
+So they started, and as Julie had said, the spring that fed the boggy
+spot was not far back in the grove. The water gurgled down from a cleft
+in a huge rock, and on either side of the small pool wood violets dipped
+their fragrant petals into the sparkling mirror.
+
+Betty sat down upon a flat rock beside the pool to enjoy the scene. But
+practical Joan filled the pail with cold water and then laughed at
+poetical Betty.
+
+"Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betty--or go back with me and
+eat ham sandwiches?"
+
+"Oh, I forgot where I was," laughed Betty, rising reluctantly to help
+carry the pail of water.
+
+"That's what I thought," tittered Joan, "but the rest of the girls
+prefer something more solid than dreams."
+
+During the luncheon the Captain said: "Wouldn't it be splendid if each
+one of us kept a diary of what happens during this summer's camp? Then
+we can rewrite the facts when we go home and make a good story of it.
+Perhaps a real publisher will buy it from us and thus give us a fund for
+next year's outing--if we have one."
+
+"Oh, that is great!" exclaimed several voices with girlish enthusiasm.
+
+"Well then, when we camp to-night, we'll jot down the episodes of the
+day's trip--not forgetting to dwell at length on 'Samson,' and Julie's
+side-plays," remarked the Captain, smilingly.
+
+"Has any one thought of a stopping place for the night?" asked Jim.
+
+"Not definitely, Jim; but I hope to cross the river at Poughkeepsie and
+drive along the west shore as far as possible. Then we can pitch camp
+at any good place we find," replied the Captain.
+
+They had not gone much farther before Ruth called: "It looks as if the
+rear tire on Verny's car was flat!"
+
+The Captain slowed up, and every one tried to see the tire. "That's what
+it is, all right, Captain!" ejaculated Jim, impatiently.
+
+"Dear me! That means another delay!" sighed several girls.
+
+The car had to be jacked up and Jim went to work to mend the puncture in
+the tube, then pumped and pumped until the tire was properly inflated
+once more.
+
+As the tourists climbed into their respective seats in the automobiles,
+Joan said: "Well, Captain, this wasn't such a bad day after all--in
+spite of being a Friday."
+
+"I'm thankful for it, too," sighed Betty, fervently.
+
+The cars made good time after that and passed over the ferry at
+Poughkeepsie, to travel northward on the road that ran along the west
+shore. They pitched camp in some woods and soon had a fire started to
+heat the canned soup they had brought. When all else was ready, the
+Captain banged upon a tin pan to call the scouts to dine.
+
+"Um! That tomato soup smells good!" exclaimed Joan, sniffing audibly,
+as she saw the contents of the pan that stood over the fire.
+
+"Will you serve it, Jo--you are nearest the pan?" said Mrs. Vernon,
+passing the basket that held the tin cups.
+
+"Here! Everybody hold up a mug to fill, while I come around with the
+pan!" ordered Joan, taking hold of the pan-handle that had been over the
+fire a long time.
+
+"Oo-oouch!" cried the girl, whipping her hand up and down as she danced
+wildly about.
+
+"You didn't spill the soup, I hope!" exclaimed Anne, with deep concern.
+
+"What difference would that make--a little cheap soup? But my hand--oh,
+it's got a trail blazed clean across the palm!" wailed Joan, showing her
+red-skinned hand to sympathizing friends.
+
+"Poor old scout! We have to learn all kinds of blazing, I suppose,"
+murmured Julie.
+
+"And the soup _is_ all safe--Jo never dropped the pan!" declared Anne,
+with gratification in her tones.
+
+"Here, Miss Jo," said Jim, who had gone for a bottle kept in the kit.
+"Pour this olive oil all over the hand and the smart will soon stop."
+
+He hurried to give the bottle to Joan but his toe caught in a bramble
+and tripped him. The bottle flew from his hand and struck the root where
+Joan sat. The glass shattered and the oil ran out the grass at the
+scout's feet.
+
+    [Illustration: "Would you prefer to sit here and dream, Betzy,
+    or go back with me and eat sandwiches" ... Page 16]
+
+"Well, well! it must be the Friday Jinx that still pursues us," remarked
+Jim, gazing regretfully at the glistening oil that formed beads on the
+blades of grass.
+
+The girls laughed merrily, but Mrs. Vernon seemed serious. She was about
+to speak, when Amy asked Joan to pass the crackers. She picked up the
+box that was nearest her, and turned to hand them to her next neighbor,
+when her foot slipped on the oily grass and she sat down suddenly upon
+the stump. The box fell in Hester's lap, but Joan clapped a hand over
+her mouth and smothered a howl.
+
+"Goodness me! What's the matter now, Jo!" cried Ruth, seeing the girl's
+convulsed face.
+
+Joan shook her head helplessly, but her eyes were filled with tears.
+Every one wondered what could have happened, and when the scout could
+speak she said thickly: "Oh, that oil! I slipped and bit the end of my
+tongue clear off--I'm sure of it!"
+
+"Stick it out and let's see," demanded Ruth.
+
+"That's what comes of having too much of a good thing!" declared Julie,
+teasingly.
+
+Every one but the Captain laughed, and she said seriously: "Do you know,
+girls, that I've had an idea about all this talk over Friday being a
+'bad luck' day. Of course it is perfectly absurd to intelligent people,
+but there are enough superstitious folk left in the world who actually
+think Friday has some power to bring ill luck with it.
+
+"Now I believe that it is the _fear_ and general belief in the
+superstition that carries any weight with it. If we, as good intelligent
+scouts, will try to break this silly fear for others, we shall have to
+begin with ourselves, by not referring to the superstition with the
+sense of its having _any_ power to act."
+
+The girls listened seriously, as they always did when their Captain
+started one of her "sermonettes" as Julie called them; and when she had
+concluded, Joan said: "In other words, you want us to starve the poor
+wraith still more by withdrawing any thoughts from the matter whatever?"
+
+"Exactly! You've worded it better than I could have done myself,"
+responded the Captain, emphatically.
+
+When supper was over and everything about camp had been prepared for the
+night, Joan suggested taking a stroll down the picturesque country road.
+
+The gloaming was so inviting that the scouts decided to saunter down the
+woodsy road. They continued along the inviting footpath for more than a
+mile before they noticed a heavy fog settling upon everything.
+
+"Better turn and go back, girls. This fog is obscuring everything along
+the way," suggested Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"B-r-r-r! Isn't it damp!" shivered Joan.
+
+"Yes, and it will be worse before we get home," added Judith.
+
+They retraced their steps, but the fog came thicker and heavier all the
+time, and before they had gone more than half the way back, it was
+necessary for the scouts to go single file in order to keep in the
+footpath that ran along the top of a high grassy bank beside the narrow
+road.
+
+"It would be so much simpler to hike along the road, Verny," suggested
+Hester.
+
+"But there are so many machines traveling back and forth, and we'd have
+to scramble up this wet slippery bank to get out of the way every time
+one rushed past," explained Julie.
+
+Julie was in front, heading the line. Being Scout Leader of the Troop,
+she naturally led in most things. Suddenly she stopped short and warned
+those back of her:
+
+"Look out for this big boulder right in the pathway--have to detour
+towards the fence!"
+
+"Boulder! Why, there wasn't any boulder here on our way over," argued
+Ruth.
+
+"The fog's in Julie's eyes," laughed Joan.
+
+"Maybe we didn't notice a rock before," ventured Amy.
+
+"Maybe we are on the wrong road," said Anne.
+
+"We're right, all right, but I see a boulder in the way. If you don't
+believe me, come here and sprain your toe kicking it!"
+
+A few of the scouts crowded in front to peer through the puzzling fog to
+see the questionable boulder, but IT unexpectedly got upon its clumsy
+feet and started for the girls. In the fog it loomed up as big as an
+elephant.
+
+"Murder! Fire! Help! Help!!" came in confused screams from the scouts in
+front, as they turned precipitously to flee from this unknown danger.
+The confusion, as they fell back upon the scouts behind, while the great
+"boulder" still advanced slowly, was awful!
+
+But the soft earth of the bank had been washed out from under the top
+layer of roots and grass, and when so many stamping, crowding girls
+brought their weight upon the crumbling ground, it caved in with them.
+Jumping, screaming, tumbling scouts now went headlong down the slide of
+five feet into the roadway.
+
+The Captain and Betty had been far enough in the rear to escape this
+general stampede, but they, too, saw the dark object trying to skirt the
+newly broken-down embankment, and they slid quickly down the wet weedy
+bank to get away from this ghostlike creature that crept towards them.
+
+While brave scouts were getting up from the little ditch where they had
+rolled, a plaintive call from the "boulder" above identified the
+creature as belonging to the bovine kingdom. A second "Moo-oo," as the
+cow passed slowly down the bank to the road, where she hoped to find
+some one to lead her home, created a wild laugh from every one.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO
+
+ANOTHER DAY OF TROUBLES
+
+
+Early in the morning the scouts heard Jim rattling the pans while he
+essayed to cook breakfast. They were soon up and dressed, and being
+ready for another day's adventuring, they offered their services to the
+cook.
+
+"Last night after you-all went for that hike, I mooned around some
+myself. I saw a little farmhouse over that hill, and I think a couple of
+girls might try to get some milk for breakfast," suggested Jim, pointing
+over the brow of a slight grade.
+
+"All right, Hester and I will go for it, Verny!" exclaimed Amy.
+
+"Very well, girls; the rest of us will do what we can to help Jim.
+Breakfast will be all ready by the time you return, so don't dawdle on
+the way, will you?" replied the Captain.
+
+"Take the big thermos bottle that will keep the milk cold all day, and
+bring the breakfast milk in this pail," suggested Julie, handing the
+girls both articles as she spoke.
+
+Hester and Amy disappeared over the brow of the hill where Jim said the
+farm was located, but breakfast was ready and waiting a long time
+before a sight of the girls was had again.
+
+Hester carried the pail very carefully, and Amy held the bottle, so it
+was evident that they had milk, but why should they seem to laugh so
+merrily over something, as they drew near the scouts?
+
+"What do you think happened to us?" called Amy.
+
+"You'll never guess--we got chased by a bull!" added Hester.
+
+"Oh, never!" cried the scouts who had been waiting anxiously.
+
+"Yes, sir! We heard a cow and knew there must be a farm," began Amy
+excitedly, but her companion interrupted her and said: "That wasn't a
+cow we heard, but the bellow of this bull!"
+
+"Do tell us all about how you escaped," chorused the eager voices of
+many girls.
+
+Every one was anxious to wait on the heroines, and after they had been
+served everything at one time, they began to munch and talk.
+
+"Well, first we left here and thrashed through those bushes back there,"
+said Hester, nodding her head towards the alder bushes, "to reach the
+place where we heard the cow--as we thought."
+
+Here Hester choked over the egg, and Amy quickly took up the story: "And
+we were halfway across a pasture lot when Hester, who was first, yelled
+wildly and waved her arms. I looked up, 'cause I was watching where I
+walked, the lot was pawed up into such hummocks, and saw Hester racing
+for the low boughs of an apple-tree. Then I heard a thumping, and saw a
+big bull charging across the meadow, making straight for us!"
+
+Amy gasped and needed a drink of water, then Hester continued the tale:
+"Oh, girls, it was thrilling! I managed to scramble up in the
+apple-tree, and turned to see what had become of Amy. There she was,
+sprinting like a Marathoner for the barbed-wire fence that enclosed the
+lot. She back-trailed over to it, and up over it she went, just like a
+swallow flies, but look at her stockings and skirt!"
+
+Every one looked at Amy's apparel and sympathized with her, yet every
+scout wished she had had such an exciting time.
+
+"Now they can win a badge for story-telling, can't they, Verny?" said
+Betty, glad for her two pals.
+
+"And another one for mending," laughed Julie, vindictively.
+
+"Poor Julie's awful sore about that mud," murmured Amy, winking an eye
+at the others.
+
+Every one laughed, but the Captain said: "Go on and finish the yarn."
+
+"Well, I left Hester in the tree--safety first, you know--with the bull
+standing under it, waiting for her, while I skirted the lot and reached
+the house. When I told the old lady how we happened to be in such a fix,
+she threw her gingham apron over her head and sat down on the doorstep
+to laugh.
+
+"I was beginning to feel offended, when she glanced up. She understood,
+and said: 'Deary, that ole bull has to be helped to his stall every
+night after a day in the pastoor. He oughter been butchered years an'
+years ago, but you see he saved me from a wicked tramp one day, an'
+father sayed Bill had earned his life-pension fer that. So Bill's safe
+from the slaughter-house, but he sure is a nuisance these days. Why,
+this mad run of his'n will keep him wheezin' fer a hull week. Now come
+with me an' I'll show you how he's payin' the price fer actin' like a
+three-year-old!"
+
+"I followed the old lady to the fence, and there, sure enough! Bill was
+sprawled out under the tree, puffing for breath, but poor Hester sat in
+the branches wailing because she dared not come down while the bull was
+making such a snorting noise!"
+
+The scouts laughed heartily at the graphic picture of Hester crying up
+in the tree, but the girl retorted, "Well, isn't 'Discretion the better
+part of valor'?"
+
+"Of course it is! We'd have done the same thing," agreed Mrs. Vernon,
+still laughing at Amy's story. Then she suggested breaking camp.
+
+After cleaning away all signs of camping, the scouts climbed into the
+cars which were soon speeding along. They were keen, now, for something
+new that they could write in their diaries, and many interesting things
+were seen and dilated upon as they rode past.
+
+As the autos neared Schenectady, one of the scouts began singing; in a
+few moments all the girls were singing with her. But a hound ran out of
+the gate of a farmhouse and barked at the oncoming singers. Then the
+distracted dog sat down and lifted his snout high in the air. His dismal
+prolonged howl of protest at such singing effectually ended the song,
+and Julie called to the animal, "Wise doggy--to be able to tell singing
+from _singing_!"
+
+The weather was all that could be desired, and the two cars were in fine
+shape for the run. After they left Amsterdam, where the large
+carpet-mills would have offered interesting entertainment had not the
+scouts a greater ambition in view, that of reaching camp--they voted to
+stop for no sightseeing along the way. So they kept along the road to
+Fonda. Here they left the railroad turnpike and went northward to
+Johnstown.
+
+At this place Mrs. Vernon made an error in judgment. She should have
+gone westerly, through Rockwood, Lascelville, Oppenheim, and so on to
+Delgeville. But she took the northward road, which looked better and was
+more traveled. Not until she came to Gloversville did she realize the
+mistake. Then she stopped and questioned a policeman how to reach her
+destination. And he explained about the country road she must follow
+due west in order to reach Rockwood, where the state roads would be
+picked up again.
+
+This advice was followed, and they traveled over the bad road until a
+crossroad was reached. There was no mention made of this spot on the
+road-map, and there was no signpost to direct a lost tourist. So the
+Captain said, "We'll take the right-hand turn, it looks best."
+
+Further on, the road descended and ran close to a river. "Dear me, I
+hope we didn't take the wrong turn, anyway!" cried Mrs. Vernon. "That
+officer never told me about a crossroad."
+
+"And it's going to pour, too. Just look at that black cloud," said Joan.
+
+"It hasn't thundered yet," Hester said, trying to be cheerful.
+
+At the same moment a flash satisfied every one that a shower was
+imminent, and Jim failed to relieve their fears when he said, "We don't
+want to get caught on this low land when it rains. The road is lower
+than the river and will soon be flooded over."
+
+That spurred on the Captain, and she made the car fairly fly, in order
+to reach higher ground before the shower came. But the storm won out.
+
+"I felt a drop of rain!" called Julie.
+
+"So did I--two drops more!" seconded Ruth.
+
+"We'd better stop to button down the rain-curtains, Captain," advised
+Jim.
+
+"Maybe we can reach high ground soon, Jim!" called back Mrs. Vernon,
+still speeding along the marshy road.
+
+A loud peal of thunder and inky clouds warned her, however, that this
+would be no trifling shower, so she stopped reluctantly for the curtains
+to be fastened down over the sides of the cars. The girls got out while
+the rain-curtains were sought in the box under the seat, and Jim removed
+numerous items before he reached them in the bottom.
+
+"Gee! everything under the sun was piled in here!" growled he. And by
+the time he did get the covers out, the rain was falling hard.
+
+While Jim and Mrs. Vernon secured the curtains on the buttons, the
+scouts transferred the pyramid of camping necessities back into the
+boxes under the seats. Then when all were snugly sheltered from the
+rain, the Captain proceeded to start her car. It failed to respond,
+however. She tried again, with no success. Then she turned and called to
+Jim.
+
+"Something must be wrong, Jim!"
+
+"Mebbe it's 'cause the wheels is sunk so deep in that soft mud," said
+he. "It's 'most up to the hubs."
+
+"No--something is wrong with the engine," returned she.
+
+"I'll slip on my oilskin and see," said Jim, finally.
+
+"Oh, Jim! Don't slip on it--just _put_ it on," giggled Julie, the
+irrepressible.
+
+"Humph!" was all the reply she got at the stale joke.
+
+"Jim, I'll help you," now offered Betty, willingly.
+
+"You gals just sit still, will you?" growled Jim impatiently, as he
+jumped out into the muddy road.
+
+The wind came tearing down the valley that lay between the mountains,
+driving shreds of storm-clouds before it. Gusts of rain dashed against
+Jim's face as he peered and poked about the stubborn engine, but still
+the obstinate machine refused to budge.
+
+"I can't see a durn thing that's the matter with it!" shouted he, trying
+to make himself heard above the whistling of the wind.
+
+"Better get back in your car until the worst is over," called back Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+So they all waited patiently for the rain to cease, but the storm grew
+worse, while the clouds seemed to fairly empty themselves right over the
+stalled cars. Suddenly Jim gave a frightened cry:
+
+"Great Scott, Captain! The river's overflowin' her banks, and this
+road's gettin' under water!"
+
+"Then we've just _got_ to get out of this fix somehow!" wailed Mrs.
+Vernon, gazing helplessly around for aid.
+
+"I'll try to work my car close up to the other and see if I can't push
+you ahead," suggested Jim, starting his engine as he spoke. But this
+idea failed to render the assistance they looked for.
+
+"I think you need a good hard impact to send you out of that mud. The
+wheels are stuck," called Julie, who had been considering the plight.
+
+"But how can we _get_ an impact? Jim can't crush in the radiator on his
+car, you know! And the fender won't do it," said Ruth.
+
+"Let a few of us get some of those stout rails from that fence and shove
+them under the back of the machine. The rest of the girls can tie a rope
+to the front and pull. Then when we give a signal, Jim can push with his
+machine, while Verny throws hers into high--something ought to happen
+with all that!" suggested Julie.
+
+Anything seemed better than sitting helplessly while seeing the water
+slowly rising in the roadway. So the plan proposed by Julie was put into
+operation. Two long rails were shoved, one under each side of the back
+of the car, with two scouts ready to apply all their youthful muscle up
+on each rail. Four scouts stood in front holding to a rope, ready to
+pull. The Captain sat at the wheel ready to speed, and Jim waited in his
+car behind, ready to drive on.
+
+"Now, when I yell 'go,' every one strain your muscles fit to crack. It's
+the only way we'll get out of this," ordered Julie.
+
+"Tell us when you're going to say 'go'!" begged Ruth.
+
+"I'll shout 'One, two, three--GO'--then _go_!"
+
+Julie braced herself, took a deep breath, and cried, "All ready--one,
+two, three--GO!"
+
+Four in front pulled with might and main. Mrs. Vernon's engine chugged
+ready to break. Jim almost pushed the radiator in, and the four scouts
+pushing on the rails--well, "they were not."
+
+Jim was heard roaring unrestrainedly, while four girls in front were
+standing and staring as if at an apparition. All the time, the rain fell
+in a deluge, but Mrs. Vernon jumped out into the mud to see what had
+happened at the rear. Then she, too, gasped.
+
+Both the rails were completely worm-eaten, but how should girls have
+known that? They were placed under the car at a dangerous angle for
+their future use in the fence, and when the good strong muscles of four
+scouts brought their weight upon the rails to lift the car somewhat, the
+timber quickly split up and precipitated the four boosters, face
+downward, in the mud.
+
+"Oh, dear me! This is the last straw!" moaned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No--the last rails!" sputtered Julie, trying to laugh.
+
+"Girls--hold your faces up to the rain and it will wash the mud from
+your eyes!" yelled Judith, who waited on the running board for further
+developments.
+
+She had hardly spoken when a swift shaft of blinding light and a
+deafening crack of thunder sent a panic into every one. They were
+stunned for a moment, and then such a howl as went up from nine lusty
+throats!
+
+"We're struck!" yelled some.
+
+"Oh, we're killed!" added others, but it took only a second after they
+had caught their breaths to pile, willy-nilly, into the cars, where they
+huddled until the fright had subsided.
+
+Shortly after the lightning had struck a large tree further up the road,
+the rain suddenly stopped and the sun shone out as hot and bright as
+ever.
+
+"My! I feel like Pollyanna would," sighed Julie. "'I'm glad, _glad_,
+GLAD' we weren't standing under that tree!"
+
+"We can only die once," responded Ruth, sighing as she gazed down at the
+flooded road.
+
+"Ruth thinks she'd rather die quickly, than by slow degrees in being
+choked in this mud," laughed Julie, catching Ruth's thought.
+
+Every one laughed and that made them feel more cheerful. Then just back
+of them came the sound of horses' hoofs and a kindly voice called out,
+"Well, well, this is some plight you-all are in, eh?"
+
+They turned and beheld a nice old man sitting astride one plow-horse and
+leading a second.
+
+"Reckon you didn't know this was one of the worst roads in the county
+when it rains."
+
+Mrs. Vernon explained how it came about that they were there, and the
+old man said, "Fortunately, I cut across that field in order to reach
+home. I was late and, as this is meeting night, I have to leave home
+earlier than usual. Now I can help you pull out, 'cause my team is
+pretty powerful."
+
+He hitched his horses to the front of the stalled car, and it was soon
+pulled up on higher ground where Jim could crawl under and see what was
+wrong with the works.
+
+"We are most grateful to you, sir, for your timely help," said Mrs.
+Vernon. "How much do we owe you for this great service?"
+
+"I'm glad I could help, madam. I am the parson of the district,
+hereabouts, and I try to do good by the wayside as I walk this
+life-road."
+
+"Then, if you will not accept a gift for yourself, you cannot refuse it
+for your flock. We will give to any needy one in your parish," said Mrs.
+Vernon, handing him a folded bill.
+
+Being sent along the right road with the minister's directions and
+blessing, the cars soon reached Rockwood, and from there, followed the
+usual route to Delgeville. The highway now ended, and a pretty country
+road took its place as far as Salisbury, where a turnpike road began and
+continued as far as Middleville. From the latter town onward, the roads
+were indifferent or bad as far as Gravesville.
+
+There were many interesting experiences for the scouts to write up in
+their books later on, such as running into a balky herd of cows and
+being threatened for damages by the farmer; holding their breaths when
+Mrs. Vernon ran over a lot of broken glass sprinkled across the
+road--but the tires held and no damage was done; stopping to bargain for
+a string of fish that a little freckled-face boy had for sale; and last,
+but not least, just before reaching Gravesville, being warned by a girl
+of twelve of a masquerading constable, further up the road, who arrested
+more speeding drivers than any other constable in the county.
+
+When asked why she showed the scouts this partiality, the girl said:
+"Because I'm going to be a scout myself, as soon as that new Manual gets
+here. I wrote fer it t'other day, and I've got five schoolgirls ready to
+start with me. Maw says she will ask the teacher to be our Captain."
+
+Thereupon followed a good scout talk by Mrs. Vernon, the country girl
+listening with all her wits alert.
+
+"How'd you know we were scouts?" asked Julie, curiously.
+
+"By that pennant flyin' in front, of course!" retorted the girl.
+
+As the scouts drove away, Mrs. Vernon said, "She'll make a first-class
+scout, because she uses her eyes and other faculties."
+
+After leaving the town of Gravesville, the scouts took a short cut to
+Prospect, but the roads were steep and rough, and it was all the engines
+could do to mount the grades. Then the opposite down slopes were so
+steep and sudden that it was necessary to put on all brakes and shut off
+the engines.
+
+One of these down grades had a sharp turn at the bottom, with a purling
+stream running under a rustic bridge immediately at the base of the
+mountain. On the other side of the bridge, the road rose abruptly up the
+side of another mountain. The descent was made nicely and the Captain's
+car crossed the bridge, but Jim's car stopped unexpectedly just as it
+reached the bridge at the foot of the mountain.
+
+"Another case of push!" laughed Julie.
+
+"All out!" ordered Jim.
+
+"What now?" called Mrs. Vernon, as she also stopped her car to ask what
+was wrong.
+
+"If only your car was behind, you could shove us across the bridge, but
+there isn't enough room in this trap to do anything."
+
+"Every one will have to help, Jim; the girls can push and pull the car
+back to the grade, while you work the engine. Maybe it will start that
+way," suggested Mrs. Vernon, waving her passengers out to help the
+stranded car.
+
+After half an hour's work, Jim suddenly called, "My! what a lot of
+cotton-heads we are! Here, Captain, just back up and give us a tow
+across the bridge--that's all!" At this simple remedy every one laughed.
+
+The steep climb of the mountain was accomplished without trouble, and
+there the road wound back and forth like a serpent's trail. Rocks,
+weighing tons, overhung with lovely vines, jutted out from the sides of
+the cut-out road that edged the cliff. Again, mossy dells where
+maidenhair fern waved fragile fronds at the girls, nestled under giant
+groups of pines. The chorus of wild birds mingled with the subdued music
+of falling water, to the keen appreciation of the tourists who delighted
+in this impressive scene as only scouts can.
+
+The cars continued slowly through this peaceful place, but Jim's engine
+suddenly stopped short again. He frowned and got out to examine it.
+
+"Gee, Captain! the tank needs gas and no place at hand to buy the feed.
+What shall I do?"
+
+"We didn't cross that other bridge until we came to it," giggled Julie,
+quickly.
+
+"I suppose I've got to tow you along until we find gas, somewhere," said
+Mrs. Vernon. So the second car was harnessed to the leader and they
+started again.
+
+In this manner they traveled until they came to a small settlement that
+boasted an "Emporium" where all the "latest styles and goods were
+sold." On the front porch of this store, in a low rocking-chair, sat the
+owner, a lady of doubtful years. She jumped up spryly when the cars
+stopped at the steps, and smiled invitingly.
+
+"Do you sell gasoline?" asked Mrs. Vernon, politely.
+
+"I guess I kin oblige you," replied the lady, going indoors.
+
+Jim jumped out and began to unscrew the plug on the tank.
+
+"Now who'd a thought we could get gas in this little shop?" declared
+Ruth, surprised.
+
+"You never can tell! I s'pose she wants to make all she can in every
+way," added Hester.
+
+Meantime the lady returned to the door and called out, "Won't you please
+step this way?"
+
+Jim thought she had to fill a measure from some barrel in the back, so
+he went in. But the lady was searching diligently along a shelf of
+bottles until she saw the one she wanted.
+
+"Here they be--I knew I had 'em somewhere. One's ten cents, and the
+other's a twenty-five cent bottle. But you have to take keer of fire,
+you know."
+
+Jim scratched his head, as he said, "I'll take a five-gallon can,
+please, ma'am."
+
+For a second, the old lady was amazed, but she rose to the occasion and
+showed herself a true business woman, "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just out of
+that size to-day, but can't you come back to-morrow--I'll have it
+then?"
+
+Jim laughed. "I need it for the tank. The car won't go on nor come back,
+unless I get some gas for it."
+
+"Oh! I thought you wanted some to clean gloves, or shoes. That's the
+only kind I keep on hand."
+
+"Maybe you can tell us where we can get a gallon or so," said Jim,
+trying hard to keep a straight face.
+
+"If you kin wait until Jed gits back I kin send him to Prospeck Junction
+for a gallin. He can't carry five gallins, I fear."
+
+Jim started out and the shopkeeper followed as she spoke. So Mrs. Vernon
+asked, "Where is Prospect Junction?"
+
+"Jus' over yander, a bit of ways. It's quite a gay resort, I've hear'd
+Jed say, where they sells gas to riders what come through. But I hain't
+never gone there, 'cause I don't mingle with society. I am a church
+member and 'tends to my business." The lady tossed her head with a
+self-righteous air as she said the last words.
+
+Jim said: "I'm sorry that four-ounce bottle wouldn't do, Missus." And
+the scouts bowed as they left her standing on the "stoop."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE
+
+IN THE MOUNTAINS AT LAST
+
+
+The scouts finally reached Old Forge, where they had been due a full day
+sooner. Mr. Gilroy was worried at their non-appearance and had
+telephoned to their homes to learn that they had left on time. Then he
+followed them along their route and at some places he heard they had
+stopped and gone again, and at others that they had not yet arrived. But
+the moment the girls saw him and heard his complaint, they laughed at
+his concern.
+
+"Nice way to treat your adopted father--laugh at him, because he worried
+over his girls!" said he in pretended grievance.
+
+"But what could possibly happen when we had Jim and Verny at the
+wheels?" asked Ruth.
+
+"That's just it! With the Captain leading, I was sure you would be
+jailed for speeding, and would need me to bail you out," teased he.
+
+"We needed baling out when we got in the river-flood, but not in jail!"
+laughed Julie.
+
+"If we had dreamed you had a 'phone way up here, we would have called
+you to help us, that time," added Joan.
+
+Then the story of the mud and flood had to be told, while Mr. Gilroy sat
+on the side-door of the car and directed the Captain which road to take
+to reach his bungalow.
+
+"Did our outfits get here all right, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Ruth.
+
+"Yes, and they have been down at your camp several days now," replied
+their host.
+
+"How far is our camp from your bungalow, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Betty.
+
+"Not very far--just a nice walk. Your camp is right on the shore of one
+lake, while my bungalow is on the shore of First Lake, one of the Fulton
+Chain, you know."
+
+The scouts then learned that Mr. Gilroy's estate extended from First
+Lake, where his bungalow was built, across country to Little Moose Lake
+where their camp was to be. This was a distance of about three-quarters
+of a mile between the two places.
+
+"We'll stop at the bungalow first and give you a good square meal after
+all your experiences; then we'll go on over to camp. When your baggage
+is all out of the cars, Jim and I will drive back to my garage where the
+machines can stand."
+
+"Oh, Jim is going back home with Dad's car, to-morrow," said Ruth.
+
+"And Verny is going to keep hers here for the summer," added Julie.
+
+The cold luncheon had been waiting a long time, and when the scouts
+finally arrived they did justice to the viands. Then, every one being
+eager to see the new camp-site, they started for the Lake. Here
+everything was in order to receive the tenants. Three fine tents, fully
+equipped with every possible comfort for the campers, were waiting for
+the girls, and a smaller tent for the Captain.
+
+"Oh, how wonderful! Why, this won't be like roughing it," declared
+several of the girls as they inspected their camp.
+
+"Everything is ready but the fancy touches. You girls will have to add
+them as your experiences pile up," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"What do you mean?" asked Julie.
+
+"Oh, collections of butterflies, flower-prints, willow-work, and
+birchbark articles--all these are fancy touches."
+
+It was late in the afternoon when the scouts arrived at the bungalow,
+and it was twilight before they had their baggage all unpacked and in
+their individual tents. Then when the cars were emptied and it was time
+to drive them back to the garage, Mr. Gilroy said:
+
+"As this is your first night, and everything is strange, you'd better
+come back to the house for a light supper. Get your beds all ready to
+turn into, and then let everything else go until morning."
+
+Mrs. Vernon approved of this plan, so they finished their tasks and
+jumped in the cars to drive back to the bungalow for the evening.
+Darkness crept into the woods and everything was silent as they reached
+the house.
+
+While Jim followed the host to the garage with the cars, the scouts sat
+on the verandah and enjoyed the quiet of the woods. The stars now began
+to peep out of the deep blue that could be seen here and there through
+the trees, and the Captain reminded the girls:
+
+"Now that we are here for the summer, you must resume your study of the
+stars. You dropped that, you know, when schoolwork took so much of your
+time."
+
+"Most of us know all the stars by heart, Verny," said Betty.
+
+"The names of them, yes, but how many of you can find them as they are
+placed in the sky?" returned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I can show you where the Pole Star is. Look there!" replied Joan,
+running out on the grass to find the bright point of light.
+
+"And I can find Great Bear and The Pointers," added Ruth, joining her
+friend on the grass.
+
+The other scouts now jumped up from the verandah and ran to join the
+first two, so the Captain followed, also.
+
+"I know Alcor, Mizor, and the Square of Pegasus," said Amy.
+
+"That panlike group of stars is known as Andromeda," added Julie, not
+to be outdone by her chums. "And those three little stars are called The
+Kids. Off to the left of Perseus--oh, I forgot to say that Perseus is a
+group of stars at the end of the pan-handle,--well, to the left of them
+are the bright stars known as Capella."
+
+"Bravo! you scouts are going to be marvelous astronomers some day," came
+the approving voice of Mr. Gilroy, as he joined them.
+
+"I was just telling the girls they would have to take up the study of
+the heavens again," mentioned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"And we were showing off to let the Captain hear how much we know,"
+laughed Julie.
+
+"Who can find The Lady in the Chair or The Guards?" asked Mr. Gilroy of
+the scouts.
+
+The girls eagerly sought for and described these groups, then their host
+asked for the Seven Sisters and Demon's Eye. When they had answered
+these, Ruth said:
+
+"If the trees were not so thick I could show you Orion, Taurus, and lots
+more, like the Lion, the Sickle, Canis Major, etc."
+
+"Hoh! Some of those--and the Clown, the Ox-Driver, the Southern Cross,
+and the Northern Cross--can't be seen at this time of year, Ruth," said
+Julie.
+
+Ruth frowned at the correction, but Mr. Gilroy quickly calmed the
+troubled waters with praise for the girls.
+
+"You scouts certainly know the stars better than the boys of Grey Fox
+Troop. I should like to have the two Troops have a match game about the
+stars, some time."
+
+"Who are the Grey Fox boys, Mr. Gilroy?" asked Julie.
+
+"Do you remember I told you, last summer, of some Boy Scouts who camped
+in my woods every year? Well, four of those boys are here now. The rest
+of the Troop are coming up in August, but these four have all summer to
+camp in. I'm going to introduce you, soon."
+
+"Verny, why can't we see all the stars all the year?" now asked Ruth.
+
+"Because the earth turns on its axis, you know, so that certain planets
+are out of sight for us, and are seen on the other side of the globe.
+Then when the earth turns fully around we see them again."
+
+"And the Pole Star is reckoned to be the center of the star-sky for all
+the others to move about it. The Pole Star is always in the same fixed
+place, so we can always locate it. But not so with the other stars,"
+added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"I wish some one would tell us a story about the stars," Hester now
+said.
+
+"Who will tell one?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I know that Mizor and Alcor were used by the Turks in past days as a
+test for eyesight. Soldiers who could not sight those two stars were
+disqualified for fighting. But in these times I don't believe a little
+thing like bad eyes will hold up a Turk from fighting!" said Julie,
+comically.
+
+Then Joan added: "The Pole Star and Ursa Major, or The Great Bear as it
+is also called, form a shape like a wagon; so in olden times it was
+called King Charles' Wain. Each star in this constellation is known by a
+Greek letter. The two stars 'a' and 'b' are called the 'Pointers'
+because they point to the Pole Star."
+
+"Oh, I didn't mean lesson stuff, like this," complained Hester. "I meant
+a real live legend!"
+
+"You tell one, Verny," begged Betty, sweetly.
+
+"Mr. Gilroy is better able to do it. Besides he is the host and is
+supposed to entertain us," returned Mrs. Vernon, glancing at Mr. Gilroy,
+who was stretched out comfortably upon the short grass.
+
+"Your host claims to be completely disabled for the time being, Captain.
+Pray proceed with the legend yourself," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Then Mrs. Vernon said: "I never could see why Cassiopeia, or The Lady in
+the Chair, should be named that. To me, the stars look more like a
+tipped-over letter 'W' than a lady in a chair."
+
+"Don't you know the story, Verny?" asked Julie, eagerly.
+
+"You do, so why not tell us?" retorted the Captain.
+
+"Oh, well, then, all right!" said Julie. So she began:
+
+"Once there was an Ethiopian Queen, the wife of Cepheus, who was very
+proud of their only child, a daughter named Andromeda. They were always
+praising her and speaking of her beauty to every one, so that after a
+time folks who also had lovely daughters felt jealous of the princess.
+
+"In the depths of the Inner Sea, which is now the Mediterranean, lived
+Old Nereus and a number of charming daughters. They heard of the Queen's
+bragging about Andromeda, and they made up their minds to stop it. So
+they got their father to help them.
+
+"Then Nereus and the nymphs sent a flood of water over all the country
+of which Cepheus was king, and devastated the kingdom. This caused
+famine and pestilence, and in the wake of these awful plagues came a
+sea-monster in the form of a dragon. This fearful beast bellowed----"
+
+At that moment a deep thrilling call from some creature close by in the
+forest-edge caused every one to jump, and they all huddled together.
+They turned and stared apprehensively at the darkness behind them, but
+Mr. Gilroy instantly whispered, "S-sh! Don't breathe, and you will see a
+sight worth watching for."
+
+The moon now sailed from back of the cloud that had obscured it for a
+time, and its cold white light etched everything it touched. Again the
+strange whistling call sounded directly back of the group, and a
+crashing and tearing of underbrush ended with the sudden spring of a
+fine buck, that landed him out on the grass not twenty feet from the
+scouts.
+
+At the same moment, a plaintive call came from the direction of Silver
+Falls, which was up on the mountainside in front of the bungalow. The
+buck lifted his gigantic antlers in the moonlight, and his sensitive
+snout sniffed angrily as he sensed the invaders of his range; but
+another imperative call from his mate at the Falls compelled him to
+leave these usurpers; so he wheeled gracefully and, with an answering
+call to let his doe know he was coming, trotted down the trail until he
+reached the stream that came from Silver Falls, and there he disappeared
+in the forest.
+
+"What a wonderful sight!" breathed Mrs. Vernon, when the buck was gone.
+
+The girls listened to the dying echoes of those pounding hoofs, and
+sighed. Mr. Gilroy sat up and spoke eagerly, "That is the first buck
+I've ever seen near my bungalow. There are deer in the Adirondacks, but
+they seldom come near a habitation. It is said that they feed in the
+barnyards in winter, looking for stray grain, but I am not here in
+winter, you see."
+
+"How I would have loved to have had a snapshot of him," said Julie,
+sighing.
+
+"You've all got it in your memory--the best place to frame a picture for
+all time," replied Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"You know, girls, there is an old hunter's saying, that goes: 'A deer to
+welcome you on your first night will bring luck to you all that year,'"
+said Mr. Gilroy, as he turned to lead the way into the bungalow.
+
+"Wait, Mr. Gilroy; Julie never finished her story. She broke off just
+where the beast bellowed--then came the buck!" said Joan.
+
+"The deer finished the story better than we ever could," laughed the
+Captain, as she followed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"But, at least, tell us what happened to those Nerieds?" asked Betty,
+who wished to see the wicked punished.
+
+So Mrs. Vernon had to end the story, although it was condensed in the
+telling. But Betty persisted, "You haven't told us yet what the Nerieds
+did when they found the wonderful Prince Perseus saved and married to
+the Princess."
+
+Every one laughed, but Julie replied, "Why, like most jealous people,
+the Nerieds had to move away from town when every one found out how it
+all had happened!"
+
+The "bite" they had before leaving for camp would have been classed as
+a first-class supper in the city restaurants, and then, when good-nights
+were being said, the host gave Jim a laden basket to carry for the
+scouts.
+
+"You'll be glad of this in the morning, for breakfast. If you need
+anything else, run over here and get it from my man who cooks,"
+explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+But next morning, the contents of that basket were found to be more than
+enough for any one breakfast. The fruit, cereal, biscuits, and ham to
+broil, were highly appreciated by the hungry girls. This was soon gone,
+and then Mrs. Vernon said they must buckle down to genuine camp life.
+
+"I'd rather sleep out under the trees, Verny, when the weather is so
+fine," suggested Julie.
+
+"So would we," agreed the other scouts, and the Captain said, "Well, we
+might make willow beds for out-of-doors, and keep the cots as they are."
+
+"How do we know we can find any willows around here?" asked Ruth.
+
+"I saw some early this morning when I was snooping about. I got up at
+dawn and left you girls sleeping, while I investigated the premises.
+Girls, the place is simply perfect for _anything_ we might choose to do
+this summer," declared the Captain, enthusiastically.
+
+"Tell us where the reeds are, and we will get them," said Betty.
+
+"They grow about a spring not far from here. We must follow a
+wild-animal trail along the lake to reach the spot."
+
+So the scouts each took an axe and knife and followed the guide to the
+willow-brook where the reeds grew. Mrs. Vernon showed the girls how to
+select the wands, and then began to cut down her own. She took about six
+dozen reeds as thick as a lead-pencil, and many smaller ones; these were
+bundled together, and then she was ready to start back to camp. Finally
+the girls were ready, also, and they trailed back.
+
+"Now girls, each one must cut notches about three-fourths of an inch
+from the butt-ends of the reeds. Then peel the sticks carefully--do not
+crack or break them while doing it." Mrs. Vernon did hers as she
+advised.
+
+"Now come with me, and select your posts for the beds. I take four young
+birch saplings for the bed-frame," announced Mrs. Vernon, as she chopped
+down the required birches, "and stout birches about four inches thick
+for my bedposts."
+
+Each scout cut hers and then went back to the camp-ground to begin work
+on the Indian beds.
+
+"Every one measure the birch saplings and have two of them seven feet
+long, and two shorter ones three or four feet long," instructed Mrs.
+Vernon. "Lop off all the twigs, and place the two long ones for sides,
+and the two short ones for top and bottom of the bed-frame.
+
+"Now, this done, watch me carefully, girls. This is the important part
+of making the bed," advised the Captain.
+
+Mrs. Vernon took a ball of heavy twine and doubled a long strand so that
+it was half-length. This was twisted into one strand, and a loop tied in
+the middle. Many of these strands were stretched across the frame at
+equal distances apart, until the entire frame had a warp across it.
+
+"Now I'll weave in the reeds," said the Captain, taking one of the thin
+willows and weaving it in and out of the cords. At the loop, the rod was
+thrust through it to hold it centrally in place, then the weaving
+process went on until the end of the frame was reached.
+
+The weaving of each reed was done the same way until the whole frame was
+crossed with willows held firmly in the middle by the loops in the
+cords.
+
+"Next thing, girls, I will cut the posts as I need them. I want them
+about three feet high. One end of each post must be sharpened so it will
+go down into the ground." This was done and the four stout birch posts
+were driven firmly into the ground where Mrs. Vernon wanted her willow
+bed to stand.
+
+"And next, I tie a loop of heavy cord, or rope, about the top of each
+post, in which I can hang my willow-frame." This was also done, and the
+scouts helped place the woven mat in position.
+
+"Well, isn't that simple, when you know how!" said Julie.
+
+"Everything is, my dear," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Your bed is too wide for me. I don't want one four feet wide," said
+Ruth.
+
+"You can make it as wide, or as narrow, as you like. I think three feet
+is wide enough for each girl," returned the Captain. "But the best of
+these beds is, that when one is invited to visit, one can roll up the
+mat easily and carry it along to sleep on. They are very light and not
+cumbersome to roll and carry."
+
+All that day was given to weaving the beds, and the scouts not only
+enjoyed the novel employment, but had great fun in joking each other
+over the work. About four o'clock that afternoon a shrill whistle was
+heard from the trail that ran to the bungalow and soon thereafter Mr.
+Gilroy was seen coming down towards camp.
+
+"Hullo, there! I waited all morning for visitors, but at last decided to
+come and see if my tenants had abandoned the premises!" explained he, as
+he went over to the weavers to watch them.
+
+"Now you understand why we couldn't visit," said Joan.
+
+"I came over to ask how many of you have been fishing? And what did you
+catch?" said he.
+
+"No, we haven't fished yet. We planned to try it the very moment we are
+through with these beds," replied Joan.
+
+"Then perhaps you have not been near the lake-cove since you went
+hunting for willows this morning," remarked Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"The cove? I saw two boats there early this morning," said the Captain.
+
+"And now there are two canoes there, also," added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, really! But how did you manage to get them there--by paddling in
+from the lake?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No, I had them brought from my boathouse this morning. While Jim was
+here, I made use of him by having him help Hiram carry two canoes over
+to the boat-wagon, and then drive down here. Not a soul nor a sound was
+seen or heard about the camp, so I surmised you had all gone on a lark.
+Then we launched the canoes and tied them to a stump to surprise you
+when you should go for the boats. We never dreamed you could keep away
+from temptation so long as this."
+
+"Goody! Then the first scout that finishes her bed can go and catch fish
+for supper," declared Amy, who was the slowest of the weavers.
+
+They all laughed teasingly, and soon afterwards, Julie cried, "I'm done!
+Now for the fish!"
+
+Joan and Ruth soon completed their beds, too, so Mr. Gilroy went out
+with them to fish. That evening he was invited to sup with the scouts,
+and a jolly time they had. In the evening, while sitting about the dying
+campfire, he said to the girls:
+
+"The first rainy day that comes along I want you all to come to the
+bungalow and see my collection of moths, flowers, birds, and
+butterflies. I have a fine exhibit of butterflies, among them are rare
+specimens that have seldom been found in these mountains. You scouts
+will want to start collecting after you see what I have done."
+
+"I shall be delighted to look at them, as I have always wanted my girls
+to do something along those lines," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"If you know anything about butterflies, you will prize the specimen of
+swallow-tail I found in these woods," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Really! But I've heard they were never found in America, Mr. Gilroy,"
+exclaimed Julie.
+
+"I know that is a common belief, but I have one, nevertheless, and a
+friend who devotes his time to studying insect-life assured me that the
+one I caught was genuine. Then, the very next day this friend caught one
+quite near the place where mine was taken. This led us to investigate,
+and we reached the conclusion that there are rare butterflies hatched
+out in isolated sections of this land, but are not found; so, of course,
+no mention is made of them.
+
+"Even if the farmers see a swallow-tail, or any other rare butterfly
+hovering over their gardens, they don't know the difference, and it
+passes safely. If that same farmer knew the value of the specimen he
+would leave all else to chase the gauzy flutterer."
+
+When it came time for the visitor to say good-night, he said, "Oh, I
+forgot all about the very object of my visit!"
+
+"It must have been awfully important," laughed Julie.
+
+"Well, _we_ think it is," chuckled Mr. Gilroy. "The boys of Grey Fox
+Camp sent me to invite you to have dinner with them to-morrow, if it is
+clear."
+
+"Why, Mr. Gilroy!" exclaimed Julie, scarcely believing her idol could
+forget such an important matter.
+
+Every one laughed at his guilty look, and Judith teasingly said, "We
+ought to call him 'The Man Who Lost His Memory,' for that!"
+
+"All fooling aside, scouts, I have a suggestion to make on that very
+remark. I've wanted to mention it before, but always there was some
+exciting or important matter that could not be interrupted. Now I wish
+you girls would stop 'mistering' me! I am such an old friend by this
+time, I should think I could be to you as much as the Captain is. She is
+'Verny' instead of 'Mrs. Vernon.'"
+
+Julie was ready with an answer before he had quite finished his
+complaint. "Oh, we would love to give you a pet name, Gilly, because you
+do mean as much to us as our best friends anywhere. By taking a few
+letters away from your proper name and adding a little 'nick' to the
+syllable, we have one ready-made."
+
+"Fine! 'Gilly' it shall be henceforth!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"But it is so disrespectful, I think," remonstrated Mrs. Vernon.
+"Couldn't we find some other affectionate term that will do without
+impressing strangers with our lack of courtesy to our friend?"
+
+"Why do you object to 'Gilly?'" asked Mr. Gilroy, quizzically.
+
+"I can't really find any tangible excuse, except that it makes me think
+of gilly-flowers, you know," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+Every one joined in the laughter, but Mr. Gilroy said seriously, "Well,
+I am not old enough to be 'Granny' to the girls and I dare not request
+to be called 'Daddy' by them, or their rightful parents will call me out
+to fight a duel, so do let us leave it 'Gilly.' The boys of Grey Fox
+always wanted to use a friendlier name than a 'Mr.' but they never came
+to it. Now we will begin the habit."
+
+Before Mr. Gilroy left the camp, the name was established.
+
+They were to meet at Mr. Gilroy's bungalow early in the morning, so he
+could start them on the right trail. He was going over in the car with
+supplies for the boys, but the hikers preferred the novelty of
+adventuring on foot.
+
+Early the following morning, breakfast being cleared away, each scout
+was advised to take an axe, a clasp-knife, a bit of twine, a tin cup,
+and some waterproof matches.
+
+"But why should we bother with such stuff?" asked Amy.
+
+"One never knows whether one will arrive at the right destination or
+not. Should we get lost, we at least have something with which to get a
+meal," said the Captain.
+
+"Are you going to carry that little bag of flour?" asked Hester,
+curiously.
+
+"Yes, and a strip of bacon that is wrapped in the paper. I'm not going
+to starve, if worst comes to worst," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"A lot of good a strip of bacon will do for ten of us!" said Judith. But
+she had not been with the scouts when they camped at Verny's Mountain
+the foregoing summer.
+
+When Mr. Gilroy heard about the bacon and flour, he laughed. "Why, it is
+only two or three hours' tramp over the ridge, and a big dinner will be
+waiting when you get there."
+
+Mrs. Vernon held her peace, but carried the bacon and flour just the
+same. She was not to be jeered out of what she knew to be a wise act,
+whether the food would be needed or not.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR
+
+A VISIT TO GREY FOX CAMP
+
+
+Each girl wore hiking boots, her camp uniform, and carried a light pack
+containing the ax, cup, knife and matches. A few of the girls, secretly
+following the Captain's example, packed a strip of bacon and crackers,
+or other eatables in their packs. Mr. Gilroy saw them safely started on
+the right trail, and then drove away in his car. He followed a
+woodcutters' road that wound around the mountain, but the scouts were to
+use the trail that ran over the crest to the boys' camp.
+
+The scouts were brimming over with spirits (Julie said, "not the kind
+made in the moonshine, either"), and spent so much time examining
+flowers or watching wonderful birds that the time sped by unawares. The
+trail led through small clearings where a brook or waterfall made life
+worth living. But the higher they climbed the more rugged grew the
+trail, until there were long stretches that seemed to be sheer
+wilderness.
+
+At such places, the scouts had to hunt about and find a blaze to guide
+them further. In this way, the hours passed and noon came; still the
+hikers were far from Grey Fox Camp.
+
+"And I'm starved to pieces!" Joan assured them all.
+
+"So'm I!" admitted Ruth. Then it was learned that every one present
+would appreciate something to eat.
+
+"But what? We only brought flour and bacon," laughed Amy.
+
+"How would a fine juicy steak taste about this time?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+winking at her old scouts. They knew what she meant.
+
+"Oh, 'Home and Mother'!" sighed Judith, rolling her eyes heavenward.
+
+Every one laughed, but the Captain added: "I really mean it! We may as
+well stop now to cook that steak as to keep on in a half-fainting
+condition."
+
+"But, Verny! We didn't bring one bit of meat to camp, and the butcher
+drives his rounds once a week," cried Amy.
+
+"We'll just hunt around and chop down a steak," suggested Mrs. Vernon.
+"Who wants to go with me to find the wooden animal that grows a steak
+ready-made?"
+
+Of course, they all went, except Julie and Joan who remained to build a
+fire and start the bacon sizzling in the tiny pan. A scout-twist of
+flour and water was kneaded by Joan and put to bake near the fire, and
+then the girls sat and waited for the others to return.
+
+The Captain blazed a way slowly into the forest wilderness, peering
+under bushes and wherever a tree had been cut down--on its stump of a
+trunk she always looked eagerly. After about ten minutes' search she saw
+what she wanted.
+
+"Ah! Here it is--a porterhouse, this time."
+
+The new members saw a great chestnut stump, its jagged spears of wood
+protesting against its untimely end. But all over the trunk grew
+fungi--some larger, some smaller, and all of the same flat horizontal
+shape, like a huge palm-leaf. These were carefully removed and handed to
+the girls to carry.
+
+"What are they for?" asked Judith, looking at the red juice that ran
+over her fingers when she took the fungus.
+
+"That's your steak--think it is too big for one?"
+
+"The what?" exclaimed the other new members, skeptically.
+
+"Beefsteak mushroom--finest steaks ever tasted," came reassuringly from
+the Captain. "The ones growing on a chestnut stump are always the
+sweetest, but the chestnut trees are disappearing so fast that soon we
+will have no such mushrooms from them."
+
+When they had gathered enough steaks for that meal, they returned to the
+clearing where Julie and Joan awaited them. On the way back, Mrs.
+Vernon showed the scouts the earmarks of the beefsteak mushroom.
+
+"When I cut these from the tree they bled exactly as flesh will bleed
+when it is cut. Now turn them over and you will see on the under side
+that they have veins of red. That is the life-sap. We will broil or cook
+them exactly as if they were steaks and then you shall judge of their
+flavor."
+
+"Isn't it thrilling to think that man can go right into any wilderness
+and, without carrying food, clothing, or shelter, live with what Nature
+provides," remarked Judith.
+
+"Yes, and without paying the outrageous prices charged at the present
+time for actual necessities," replied the Captain.
+
+The bread-twist was baked, and when the steaks were washed and sliced,
+Mrs. Vernon dropped them into the hot fat tried out from the bacon.
+Immediately the smell of frying steak made every scout smack her lips in
+anticipation.
+
+"If we weren't sure of such a fine dinner awaiting us, I would have had
+a few of you girls gather young bracken for a fresh green vegetable to
+eat with our steak. But we must not stop and enjoy too much by the
+wayside," said the Captain.
+
+There was a liberal slice of steak for each one and the girls pronounced
+the taste of it delicious.
+
+"And so tender, too! I never had such a juicy bit of meat," said
+Hester.
+
+Having refreshed themselves considerably, with the fun of finding the
+mushrooms and cooking them, to say nothing of eating them, also, the
+scouts continued the hike along the trail. Just as they reached the
+crest of the mountain, Julie came suddenly upon a fawn, standing in the
+shadow of a tree; it was watching these queer two-legged creatures.
+
+It is hard to say which was most surprised, Julie or the deer, but the
+fawn recovered first and bounded away through the forest.
+
+"Oh, shucks! There we've gone and left that camera home again!" cried
+Julie, stamping her foot angrily.
+
+"Wouldn't that have made the most wonderful picture!" added Judith.
+
+"No use crying now, but, for goodness sake! Julie, remember to bring it
+next time," said Joan.
+
+"Let _every one_ remember--the last thing to do when we start anywhere,
+every one is to say to herself: 'Remember the _Maine_!' then we will
+surely take the camera," giggled Julie.
+
+The scouts now began descending the other side of the crest, and found a
+better trail than on the side they came up. So, being able to go faster,
+they soon reached a lovely camp-site, where the voices of several boys
+announced that Grey Fox Camp was reached.
+
+"We were just being sworn in as deputies to go out and hunt for strayed
+or stolen scouts," called Mr. Gilroy, jocularly, as the girls picked
+their way down from the great rocks that formed a wall back of the
+camp-ground; then he introduced the two Troops to each other.
+
+"You told us it was about a two-hours' hike!" said Ruth, shaking her
+head at Mr. Gilroy, as if in despair of saving his soul.
+
+"Well, so it is, when the boys are in a hurry to get to the bungalow."
+
+"We've been five hours coming, and had to stop for lunch along the way,
+too," said Judith, eager to talk about the beefsteak.
+
+The boys stared. "Why, you were to have dinner with us! Didn't Mr.
+Gilroy tell you that?"
+
+"Yes, but we couldn't wait so long. We're ready for more dinner, now,"
+said Joan.
+
+"What did you cook for luncheon?" asked Alec, the oldest boy in the
+Troop.
+
+"Oh, only a beefsteak-mushroom and a scout-twist," returned Julie,
+nonchalantly.
+
+The boys exchanged glances. "Did you find the mushrooms along the way?"
+asked another boy named Bob.
+
+"Sure! Did you think they came preserved?" laughed Joan.
+
+"No, but _we_ have never found any on this side of the hill. Bob often
+goes out to hunt, but so far we've never seen any," explained another
+boy, Ned Thompson.
+
+"When we go back, you can go with us a ways, and we will show you where
+we found the ones we had for luncheon," said Betty.
+
+"Is dinner ready, boys, or will there be time to show the girls about
+the camp?" asked Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Show them about, as it will take us ten minutes more to finish
+everything in style," replied Alec.
+
+So the girl scouts were invited to pass judgment on the fine camp the
+boy scouts had made. Everything was neat as wax, and the boys had
+constructed many convenient articles from wildwood material only.
+
+"Last year we had eight boys in camp, but this season only four could
+come in the beginning; so they have lots of room in their big tee pee.
+When the other boys come out, they will have to make another tent. They
+made and water-proofed this one themselves," explained Mr. Gilroy,
+showing the visitors the fine big tent.
+
+"They built this dining-room, too, to use if the weather is very bad. I
+told the boys about your corduroy floor that you made in your huts last
+summer, so they tried it here with very good result."
+
+The girl scouts now saw their own idea put into use in a different
+manner. The log floor was hard and dry, but at each corner rose a stout
+pole, and upon the tops of the four pole ends was stretched a canvas
+roof, making a shelter underneath.
+
+"Girls, we ought to do the same thing, to use for meal time when it
+rains, or if the rays of the sun are too hot," observed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+Mr. Gilroy then pointed out to the girls how careful the boys had been
+in selecting this camp-site. They had high, dry ground, near plenty of
+fine spring water, on the same lake where the girl scouts camped, but an
+arm of high land extended out into the water and separated the two
+camps.
+
+"You see, they have ample firewood about without cutting down any trees;
+they get the early morning sun, and shade all the rest of the day. They
+ditched the entire place to carry off all the rainwater that might wash
+down from the crest during a heavy storm. And they built a refrigerator
+to keep things cold; and over there they have a chicken-coop."
+
+"A chicken coop! where did they get the chickens?" asked Julie.
+
+"Ned had some at home and he crated them and brought them along. The
+boys get fresh eggs in this way, and when the season is over, they will
+kill the hens for a special occasion and eat them."
+
+"Verny, that's what we need, a few chickens in camp," was Joan's
+decision, the moment she saw the hens scratching.
+
+"I noticed Gilly had a lot of chickens running about the barnyard. Maybe
+he will loan us a few, just to provide us with eggs this summer. We can
+return them in the fall, you know," ventured Julie, daringly.
+
+"Who will buy their corn?" asked he, laughingly.
+
+"No one. We will feed them scraps and they can scratch!" promptly
+replied Julie.
+
+"You'll starve them and then they won't lay any eggs," now said Alec,
+joining the party.
+
+"We'll smile on Hiram and get him to bring us some corn from the barn,
+now and then," said Ruth.
+
+"I came over to tell you dinner was ready to serve. We had better go
+now, and eat it while it's good," said Alec.
+
+The boys had various things hanging over the fire, but the great novelty
+that caught the girl scouts' attention, at once, was the roaster upon
+which a nice brown chicken was swinging before the fire.
+
+"There! That's a fine idea. How did you make it?" asked Mrs. Vernon,
+looking closely at the contraption.
+
+Alec described to the Captain the method of making the roaster. "We took
+a forked stick, as you see there, of about a two-foot length. We drove
+that down into the ground about six inches. Next we took a long pole,
+six or eight feet long, and drove the end down into the ground just back
+of the short stick with the forks. It rested in the crotch made by the
+forks so that its tapering end slanted upward at an angle, as you see
+here.
+
+"From the end of this long pole we hung the cord that holds the chicken.
+Wire is just as good to use. Then we arranged that flat, paddle-like
+fan halfway between the top and the rope end where the roast will hang.
+As your chicken roasts before the fire, that mill-fan keeps it
+perpetually turning about so it browns alike all over."
+
+Julie wanted to make one like it as soon as they went back to their own
+camp, so she hastily sketched a model.
+
+"It is a great stunt, all right, and we've cooked many dandy roasts this
+way, and never scorched any," said Bob, when Alec concluded his
+description.
+
+The dinner began with oyster-mushroom stew, then they had roast chicken,
+baked wild-potatoes, stewed bracken that tasted exactly like young
+spinach, dandelion salad, and scout cakes for dessert.
+
+It was mid-afternoon when the girls finally said good-by to their hosts,
+and invited them soon to visit Dandelion Camp. They started on the
+return hike, but when they reached the highest boulder back of the camp,
+the scouts stood and waved good-by again.
+
+"Come as soon as you can, but give us a whole day's warning, first!"
+shouted Julie, to the four smiling boys below.
+
+They made much better time going back, as the trail from Grey Fox Camp
+was plain, and going down the other side of the crest was much simpler
+than climbing up. They got back to their own camp by seven o'clock, and
+were surprised to find Mr. Gilroy there before them, with supper all
+ready to eat.
+
+"Well, this sure is good of you!" sighed Julie, dropping upon the grass
+with healthy fatigue.
+
+"I thought you'd appreciate it; I had no exercise to-day, except what I
+got running the car, so I decided to 'do a good turn' and digest that
+dinner at the same time," said he.
+
+After supper, which was unusually late that night, the tired scouts and
+their visitor were sitting about the campfire hoping some one would tell
+a story, when Julie spoke:
+
+"Last summer, Gilly said he would tell us all sorts of Indian legends
+when we visited camp in the Adirondacks. Now we're here and this is the
+right sort of an evening to tell them."
+
+The other scouts seconded the suggestion, but Mr. Gilroy said: "Funny,
+but I don't remember that promise."
+
+"I told you you've got an awful memory--didn't I want to dub you 'The
+man-with-a-poor-memory?'" teased Judith.
+
+The guest sat gazing silently into the fire for a few minutes, then he
+began:
+
+"I'm going to tell you a story that is told by the Alaskan Indians.
+These ancient legends have been handed down from one generation to
+another, but the original goes back before the days of Moses. I was
+deeply interested in a few of these tales because they sounded so much
+like our story of Creation as told in Genesis, that I wondered if a
+white missionary had sown his seeds of Christianity in the fertile soil
+of the Alaskan Esquimaux' mind.
+
+"But as far as I could ascertain this legend was told many hundreds of
+years before white man ever stepped on Alaskan ground. Recently I
+learned that Iceland has similar legends, and it may be that the Alaskan
+Esquimaux are descended from those of Iceland. It is well known that
+Iceland is the oldest civilized land in the world--that it was famous
+for its learning before the days of Solomon the Wise."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE
+
+A STORY OF CREATION*
+
+A Legend of Raven
+
+    *This legend, given in various ways by different tribes of
+     the Icelandic and Alaskan Indians, each with its own variations,
+     but all with one thread of similarity woven through the
+     tales--was partly interpreted and grouped by the author into
+     the legend that appears in this book. It is said to date back
+     thousands of years before Abraham and our Bible. Acknowledgments
+     for original texts and tales are due the Smithsonian
+     Institute.
+
+
+"No one knows just how Raven first came to be, and we have many
+different beginnings to start from, but in Sitka we know that Raven
+never had beginning nor will he have an ending.
+
+"Raven was always the All-in-all, and, as he knew all things and made
+all, he began to wish to have a form of his wisdom that, too, would live
+on with him forever. So it was that he made him a son to help in the
+creation. And the son's name, also, was Raven. And now it is of Raven,
+Son of Raven, that we speak.
+
+"Raven was instructed in every form of knowledge and he was trained in
+every wise thing, so that when he grew up he would have everything
+necessary to make a glorious world, where all beautiful wishes and every
+good idea would be objectified, and would remain forever a praise and
+prayer to Raven, the Father Creator.
+
+"So Raven made the world, but he found there was no light with which to
+show the beauty and form of what he had created. Then, after deep
+thinking, he remembered his father to have said that there was a large
+lodge far up the Nass where One kept all the Light that ever could be
+found.
+
+"Raven tried many ways in which to reach this house on the Nass, but the
+way was unknown to every one, so he wandered afar, seeking for the true
+trail. One day he helped an old lame man along the path and, for
+gratitude, the old man said: 'You seek the One of Nass who keeps the
+Light?'
+
+"Raven replied, 'Yea, for many days have I sought Him.'
+
+"Then the lame old man smiled a strange smile, and said, 'I know of but
+one way to bring this great Light into the world you made, and that way
+is to send forth that Light through the daughter of the One with the
+Light.'
+
+"'But, Brother, how do I know there is such a daughter? And if there be,
+how shall I receive the Light through her?'
+
+"'O Raven, thou art a great creator! Thy father is All-in-all of the
+North, and the daughter of Light will joyously send forth this Light you
+need to show the beauties of your world,' said the old wayfarer.
+
+"'Then tell me this, O Brother, for I seem not to know how to reach the
+Virgin of the Light, despite all the wisdom I have been taught,'
+anxiously begged Raven.
+
+"'Then hark to my words, O Son of Raven: I will turn you into a small
+drop of water, and fly with you over the House of Light. As I pass the
+pool whence comes the water for drink, I will drop you into a glass the
+Virgin holds ready to quaff. Then you will know what to do.'
+
+"Raven showed his surprise, for he had believed the old man to be lame
+and helpless, and now he found he was a Wise Man who could find his way
+wheresoever he would go.
+
+"Then the old man, with the wonderful drop of water held carefully in
+his palm, flew over the House of Light, and passed low down over the
+pool where the Virgin stood ready to drink.
+
+"As she raised the cup to her lips, the drop of pure water which had
+been Raven, fell into the liquid, and she drank all that the vessel
+held.
+
+"Now this drop of clear water grew and became a man-child, and the
+Virgin knew she was to bring forth the Light unto the World, that all
+might enjoy the beauties of creation. So she was happy and praised Raven
+and the Father of Raven, day and night, for having given himself to
+become a little drop of water that the Light might be born.
+
+"When the time came for the Light to be revealed, the Virgin prepared a
+royal bed of furs of great value for the Man of Light to be born on.
+But the babe struggled and refused to be born in a state of riches, and
+he whispered to the Virgin: 'The world of joy and riches needs me not,
+but the world of sorrow and darkness needs me. I will shed this Light on
+such as are heavyladen and weary.' So the Virgin knew the Light must be
+born in meekness and humility, that all brothers could find Raven
+without pomp or pay.
+
+"So the birthplace was lined with common Iceland moss, and the child of
+Light was born thereon. The moss-bed was made up in a room that had been
+used for the humblest things in the Great House of Light: that is, for
+the storing of queer bundles, some large, some small, and all of various
+shapes and colors. And when the babe looked around at the walls of his
+birthplace, his eyes shone like stars and a heavenly smile beamed from
+his face, for _he_ knew what those bundles contained!
+
+"As the child waxed strong and beautiful, the mother saw that it yearned
+for something she had not hitherto given him, so a servant was ordered
+to seek everywhere and find what it was the babe craved.
+
+"Finally, the attendant moved a bundle that hung at the farthest end of
+the room. And as he did so, the child laughed and his eyes shone
+brightly.
+
+"'Bring that bundle here--it is what the Babe wanted!' declared the
+mother. So the unwieldy bundle was placed upon the bed.
+
+"The mother carefully removed a wrapper, but found still others to undo.
+Finally all the wrappers were taken away and but one remained. This was
+of a wonderful shimmering material such as no one had ever beheld
+before. The mother reverently opened this cover, and lo! there lay
+revealed all the Stars of Heaven!
+
+"The Child gurgled with joy, and took the corner of the shimmering cover
+and drew it, with the contents, over to himself. He looked upwards, and
+with a wonderful expression in his sweet face, suddenly flung the bright
+cover and all the Stars it held, up through the smoke-hole of the lodge.
+
+"With a happy, joyous laugh, he watched the Stars scatter far and wide
+to rest finally in the Firmament, and there they shine to this very day!
+
+"The Virgin Mother then knew that this child truly was Raven, the Son of
+Raven, and she commanded every one to bow down in worship, for he had
+been given the power to bring Light to the world of darkness, and no
+more would darkness cover the people.
+
+"Soon after the Stars were fixed in the Firmament of Heaven, the child
+again yearned and seemed to pine for something. But now the mother knew
+what had to be done, so she commanded an attendant to take down the
+bundle that hung in the corner whence the Stars came.
+
+"This bundle was brought over to the mother, but it was smaller than the
+first bundle that had held all the Stars. The Mother carefully undid the
+many wrappings of this bundle, and found the last covering was made of a
+filmy frosty texture which had no opening or end that might be unrolled.
+
+"But the child held out his hands eagerly for the bundle, and the moment
+it had been given him, he found the secret opening and then unrolled the
+cover. When the last frosty bit of gauzy cloud fell away from the
+contents so carefully preserved, every one exclaimed in wonder at the
+beauty they beheld. There was a big Moon, cool and shining, then as now!
+
+"The child clapped his hands with delight, and wafted the Moon with its
+frosty gauze covering up through the smoke-hole of the room and it
+became fixed as the Stars, to give light through the hours of darkness,
+that the earth need not stumble and fall upon a black pathway.
+
+"The third bundle was great and difficult to reach, but the child cried
+for it and the servants had to work and struggle to reach it, until
+finally, down it came. And as it fell, it sent forth sparks of strange
+fire that consumed not a thing, yet prevented any servant from handling
+the bundle.
+
+"The child laughed and clapped his hands, but finding no one could hold
+the flaming bundle, he crept over and took it. The mother stood
+affrighted lest the Child of Light be consumed. But he unwrapped each
+covering himself, and when the last dazzling wrapper was revealed, no
+human being durst gaze upon that Light. But he who was born of Light
+looked upon what was hidden in that covering and flung all up through
+the smoke-hole to take its place in the Firmament of Heaven, where it
+shines like unto a Sun--to-day, as in those days. And it was given the
+world to shed its rays of Light upon the earth by day, even as the Moon
+shines for Light by night, and the Stars sing for joy and gladness that
+Light came to the world.
+
+"After the Sun, and Moon, and Stars were made, this man-child did many
+wonderful things that astonished all who came to the House of Light to
+hear and see such a marvelous being. But there was still one bundle left
+hanging in a very gloomy corner of the birth-chamber, and this bundle
+was left until the child grew to the stature of a man. Then he demanded
+that it be given him.
+
+"'No, no, my son,' wept the mother, 'do not ask for that--it contains
+Death.'
+
+"'Know then that _I_ know it,' returned the young man, seriously.
+'Knowest thou not why I came to be born of the Light? Not only that the
+world might have eternal Light, but also to dispel all darkness that
+Eternal Life might come through the overcoming of this Death.
+
+"'The Light I had, and the Light I gave, but through forever closing the
+gates of Death to the world I forever fix this Light of Life in the
+Heavens that no one can darken it more.'
+
+"The mother wept for she knew her son must die if he took down that
+bundle, but he replied: 'For this great mission was I sent to you that,
+through you, should be given birth to Light, and thus establish for all
+time the Light for the world.'
+
+"Sorrowing, the mother herself took down the bundle and brought it to
+her son, and no servant might remain in the room when Raven, Son of
+Raven, removed the coverings of Death. As the last wrapper was removed
+and the mother saw the heavy shroud that folded itself clingingly about
+the ghastly contents of that bundle, she ran weeping from the room, for
+she dared not watch her son accept it.
+
+"So the birth-room remained closed while Raven fought with Death, but
+after three shinings of the Sun, and three shinings of the Moon, and
+with the shining of the Stars as they sang softly, a blinding Light
+shone through all the walls of the House of Light, and the mother with
+her attendants ran to open the door of the birth-chamber, now called the
+Room of Death. But behold! the man Raven himself was revealed in shining
+raiments, shining like the Sun, and he smiled upon those who fell down
+in awe at sight of him.
+
+"'I have destroyed Death for all, and now I go to shine in the Heavens
+with this Light of Life that was given me. All who will may follow where
+I go,' said Raven.
+
+"'And at that, he rose through the smoke-hole and took his place in
+Heaven, but his Light shone then and shines now into every corner of
+darkness in the world. And the day is come when there is no more
+darkness, for rich and poor, good and bad, and every created thing made
+by Raven, see the Light that transforms everything into lights that find
+their places in the Firmament of Heaven.'
+
+"Raven, Son of Raven, sat hidden in the Great Light that he received
+when Death was overcome, but he saw that the earth was without form.
+Then he desired to create seas and mountains upon the face of the void,
+and he sat thinking and thinking for many a time.
+
+"Suddenly he remembered that in the House of Light there was a wonderful
+pool of clear water. So he sent a ray from the Sun down through the
+clouds and thereby drew up enough water to drink. But he did not swallow
+the cooling water. He held it in his mouth and flew with it over the
+whole earth which was void of form.
+
+"He spat forth a drop of this water and it became the source of the
+River Nass. Another drop from his mouth became the Stikine River, and
+the third drop became the Taku River. Then followed the Chilkat, the
+Alsek, and finally, all the great rivers of the North.
+
+"But Raven found he would need more water for seas and oceans and lakes,
+so he sat again, and by thinking and thinking he received the idea.
+
+"It was not according to his wish to send a sunbeam to the pool of
+eternal water in the House of Light, to bring up more of that pure water
+to him, and he was happy when he conceived the idea that came to him.
+And this it was:
+
+"'If the rivers I made, run on eternally because their source came from
+the House of Light, why shall I not guide them all to one great
+meeting-place and call that the Ocean? But as they run to this one rest,
+even so will I give them smaller rests along the way, and at these
+resting-places they may spread out upon the bosom of the earth. These
+rests will I call Lakes. Then there will come times when the Ocean,
+which is continually filled from the eternal source of the Rivers, must
+needs overflow its boundaries. And these overflows will fill up the
+great holes in the earth. So these I will call Seas.
+
+"'Even as the Sun sent his ray to carry me the drink from the pool that
+is in the House of Light, so will I command the Sun and the Moon and the
+Stars to govern the waters of the earth, and thus the Lights in the
+Firmament of the Heavens will draw up any surplus overflows, that these
+may turn to moisture in the cloudy coverings that wrapped the Lights
+before they became fixed in the Firmament. The Clouds will rain down
+refreshing drink upon all lands on the earth, that all things may
+replenish themselves and so live eternally, in one grand bond of
+Brotherhood, loving and helping each other, from the Great to the Small,
+and from Small to Great.'
+
+"And it was as Raven desired. So to this day, the Sun and Moon and all
+the Stars work together in harmony to keep the Rivers and Lakes, and
+Seas, and Ocean within their bounds and to replenish all things.
+
+"But Raven found afterwhile that so much water flowing ceaselessly from
+the Source, and the rain that fell from the Clouds upon the land, made
+the earth so wet that it was not a good place to dwell upon. Then he
+began to think and think again, of how he might create something to dry
+up the surplus moisture.
+
+"Now he was walking by a great ocean, one day, still thinking of plans
+to dry away any unpleasant dampness, when he saw a Petrel sitting on a
+rocky promontory.
+
+"'Brother,' called Raven to the bird, 'how came you here?'
+
+"'I? Oh, I was born when the waters were sent to earth. How came you
+here--and where were you born?' asked the Petrel.
+
+"'I? Oh, I was born before the world was thought of, so I have no
+beginning and no end,' replied Raven.
+
+"'Ha! Tis well said, but rings not true,' the Petrel jeered. 'No one
+ever was before this world was created, and no one ever shall remain
+when this world ends.'
+
+"'I am Raven, Son of Raven, and because you know not the Truth of
+Creation, but believe the Lie, you shall henceforth go about in a fog.
+Your name shall be earth-made, and you shall dream dreams in this fog,
+but you may not see the Light until that day when the whole world shall
+be freed from all forms of darkness!'
+
+"And instantly, a fog-cover fell over Petrel, because he knew not the
+Truth told by Raven, Son of Raven. And the fog so hid from the eyes of
+Petrel the Sun and Moon and Stars that came from the House of Light,
+that he believed _them_ to be controlled by a Lie, also.
+
+"But Raven learned that the fog he had called forth from the waters on
+the earth made the place still more moist and not good for a place of
+sojourn. Then he planned to dry it away quickly.
+
+"Petrel, the earth-bound, was left groping in the fog for the Truth he
+had scorned and now could not find, and Raven passed to a place where he
+saw something floating on the wave not far from shore. He failed to
+recognize it as of his creating, so he wished to reach it.
+
+"While looking about for something to use to reach it, he saw a bird
+with a very long bill, watching him. This bird was not like anything he
+had created so he knew it must be an offspring of the fog, mist-made,
+and related to Petrel.
+
+"Raven then commanded this bird, 'Fly out over the water and bring back
+yon floating object.'
+
+"The bird with a long bill was a chicken-hawk, and it lived by killing
+weaker and smaller birds than itself. Raven knew this was its way the
+moment he saw it was mist-made, and so he sent it on this errand.
+
+"The chicken-hawk dared not refuse to go after the bright object
+floating on the wave, but he said to himself, 'I'll drop it if it is not
+good for me to carry!'
+
+"Raven knew this evil intent, and said, 'When you have taken hold of the
+object, do not drop it till you have brought it ashore.'
+
+"So the chicken-hawk left in no good humor, and flew out to the wave,
+where he found a mass of fire floating there. He was a coward, such as
+all mist-made creatures are, and he feared to bring in the great ball of
+fire, yet he dared not disobey the command of a superior being like
+Raven. So he tore off a mouthful only, and that is how he came to be so
+badly burned. Had he caught hold of the whole mass of flame, the
+outside of which really had been cooled as it rolled about upon the
+waves, he could have escaped without an injury.
+
+"He brought the piece of fire to shore, and Raven said, 'Because you
+were cowardly and obeyed me only through fear, your beak shall remain
+forever burned off and short as it now is.'
+
+"And so it is to this day, and shall be until Light redeems all things.
+
+"Raven then took some chips of red cedar and some white stones, and
+mixed them in the fire. These were distributed over all the earth, so
+that many great forests grew up from the cedar shavings, and thus
+absorbed the surplus moisture on the land. And mighty volcanoes were
+formed of the red-hot stones, and these, in consuming the water under
+the surface, steamed and spewed forth the massive rocks and varied-hued
+stones that gave peaks and cliffs as pleasant places for deer and sheep
+to roam upon.
+
+"Thus, with the face of the earth so beauteous, Raven sat down and
+rejoiced. But Petrel and Chicken-hawk were left to wander in the fog.
+
+"Finally, Raven's mother died, and he sorrowed greatly, for she saw not
+the Great Light that he had established to overcome the darkness of
+Death. Still, because she had always dwelt in the House of Light and had
+given birth to Raven, Son of Raven, she was given an honorable place in
+the Firmament of Heaven.
+
+"And Raven, as the custom was in the realm where his mother had lived,
+prepared a great feast in honor of his mother. But he began thinking how
+he might honor her in a different way. So he cut a witch-hazel wand with
+which to point at anything he wished to use in the preparation of this
+feast. Thus he collected wood and stones and many things on the face of
+the earth. And when all this was assembled he built him a great house.
+
+"Then he called the rain and sunshine to hide the house until he was
+ready for the feast. He then sat down to think and think, and this is
+what he thought, and what came of it.
+
+"'I want fish to swim in the waters, and birds to fly in the skies, and
+creatures to live in the forests, and beings to live on the land, to be
+found in this house when it is opened. And they will all be perfect,
+lovely, and good, to live with this creation I have made.'
+
+"Thus, having thought all these things, Raven stood up and stretched out
+his hand that held the wand, and pointed it over the house that was
+hidden as yet by rain and clouds.
+
+"And, suddenly, the rain ceased its downpour, the sun smiled, and the
+house stood revealed in all its beauty. Then Raven sang:
+
+"'This made I for an honor to my mother!'
+
+"And as he sang his song of honor and praise, the house opened and all
+manner of living creatures came forth--beautiful, perfect, and an honor
+to the earth upon which they would dwell.
+
+"So it is that even to this day, when one makes a feast to honor a dead
+person who will sit in a place in the firmament, the house of the living
+is opened to all, from the greatest to the least of the earth.
+
+"When the feast was over Raven wished to leave an eternal monument to
+his mother, the Virgin who gave birth to the Light, so he called to him
+the four winds to help.
+
+"'South Wind, in the spring and summer when all the sun's rays are warm,
+blow gently upon the earth and sing of my mother.'
+
+"'North Wind, sit on top of the ice-mountain yonder, and when the earth
+is chill and sorrowing for my mother, blow fiercely from your snow-laden
+hills and sing over her grave.'
+
+"'East Wind, when the earth-people weep salt-water over the biers of
+their dead, and sigh because of their loss, sing to them of my mother.'
+
+"'West Wind, when you blow gently, and tell the earth that storms and
+cold and sorrow may come but Light shines in the end to bring them joy
+and peace, sing low and sweetly of my mother.'
+
+"Thus the four winds came to earth to sing to the peoples dwelling here,
+and every one heard of the mother who gave birth to Light--Raven, Son
+of Raven.
+
+"But after all these things were done, Raven sat down and thought and
+thought deeply, and as he thought he called upon his father, the Great
+Raven, the All-in-all, for advice.
+
+"And having received advice, Raven stood up and lifted his hands to the
+Heavens, and sang with a loud voice:
+
+"'I shall make men in my image and likeness, and they shall dwell in the
+Light and be given dominion over all this earth I have made for my joy
+and pleasure. Thus we shall be happy and live forever!'
+
+"So Raven made all men like unto himself. They were good and perfect and
+beautiful and they all dwelt in love in the Light. And thus they dwelt
+many, many days, and were happy.
+
+"But the fog which had been called out for Petrel's error harbored many
+birds of evil omen, and these, guided by Petrel, swept through the fog
+and attacked the Men of the Light. The fog covered all things and caused
+every one to grope about, seeking to find one another and escape from
+the mist that hid the Shining Light.
+
+"And thus any one who had the slightest degree of fear or greed or
+malice or lying in his heart, breathed in the fog and thenceforth lived
+in a dream. They were thenceforth born of the fire of wrath that the
+Chicken-hawk tore apart from the floating mass, and were consumed with
+fear. They lived their days in the fog that came upon Petrel when he
+believed a lie, and they suffered and sorrowed and died, all in a dream
+caused by the fog; and afterwhile these mist-men forgot there ever had
+been a perfect earth created by Raven, Son of Raven, where love and
+beauty and joy rule everything.
+
+"So Petrel ruled his world of fog, where hate and sin and death were his
+servants, and thus it happened that a Petrel is the sign of storm and
+trouble and blinding mist, but the Raven is known to be wise and patient
+for it knows where its Light dwells.
+
+"So Raven sits, and patiently waits for Petrel's dreams to lose
+themselves in the fog, for such will surely come about. And as the
+Lights ruled by Raven shine stronger, the fog grows fainter and still
+lighter, until breaks the Day when all mist vanishes and Raven's
+Creation is seen forever beautiful and perfect."
+
+When Mr. Gilroy concluded his beautiful legend, the scouts were silent.
+It was the greatest praise they could bestow at the moment, for the
+story was not one to call forth applause and noise. Then they began to
+speak, but in soft voices.
+
+"And to think that this story of creation, so similar in many ways to
+our Bible Stories, was handed down from ancient days," remarked Mrs.
+Vernon, thrilled by the realization.
+
+"I find many interesting similarities between our Bible and the Holy
+Legends reverently told by the Esquimaux. But this one always struck me
+as being as fine as any. That is why I told it," explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Then their Camp Entertainer, as Julie now named Mr. Gilroy, bid them all
+good-night and went up the trail. And the scouts were soon in bed, their
+last waking thoughts being of Raven, Son of Raven, the All-in-all of
+Creation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX
+
+LOST ON THE TRAIL
+
+
+A few days after the girl scouts' visit to Grey Fox Camp, they were
+agreeably surprised by having the boys visit them. Mr. Gilroy was with
+them, and as each boy carried an ax and a woodman's knife, the girls
+knew they came to work.
+
+"We decided to cut a shorter trail over the crest, and as to-day is so
+cool, we thought it would be a fine time for work," explained Alec, the
+leader in the boys' camp.
+
+"One day's as good as another! We're ready to help any time," replied
+Julie, as leader of the Girl Scouts' Troop.
+
+"Why didn't you let us know, then we might have blazed the trail up our
+side of the mountain, and you boys would have worked from your side.
+When we met on top, we might have celebrated with a feast," ventured
+Mrs. Vernon.
+
+So the girls ran for axes and knives, and all began work together, back
+of Dandelion Camp. They cut and chopped, and blazed a fine trail up past
+Silver Falls, where the doe had called to her mate the first night the
+girls were at Camp, and so on to the top of the mountain. But it took
+the greater part of that morning to go as far as they did.
+
+"We'd better stop here, and go back to see how the trail seems,"
+suggested Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Why not finish the job, now that we're on top?" asked Alec.
+
+"Because you boys can easily blaze from here on to your camp, and I am
+beginning to worry lest my dinner is burning," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"_Your_ dinner! Where's the Indian cook?" asked Alec.
+
+"He's cooking for fifteen! I have invited guests coming to dine at the
+bungalow this evening," returned Mr. Gilroy, meaningly.
+
+"Oh, hurrah! Isn't that fine? Now we won't have to wash any
+supper-dishes!" exclaimed Ruth, who still disliked doing dishes.
+
+The girls laughed, for they understood, but Alec said, "Why talk about a
+supper so distant! I'd rather plan about something to eat this minute."
+
+"So would we all. I guess we are nearly starved," said Ned.
+
+"Why not stop work and cook a few steaks?" suggested Bob.
+
+"You boys have done all the talking about something to eat, but the
+girls said nothing. Maybe they are not hungry!" ventured Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Hungry! We're too _weak_ to speak," sighed Julie, rubbing the spot
+under her belt.
+
+"I can eat reindeer moss without its being cooked," said Amy.
+
+"That settles it! Cook we must, but what?" declared Joan.
+
+"Well, some of us will hunt up the mushrooms; some must gather bracken,
+some, the lichen; and Gilly can hunt up the coffee beans, _alias_ roots
+and acorns," said Alec.
+
+"What will _you_ be doing, meantime?" retorted Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, I'll just remove that package of flour from your pocket and use
+this strip of bacon that I lifted from Dandelion larder; and when the
+steaks come back, I'll have bread and fat ready over a fine fire."
+
+"Bacon! When did you manage to steal that?" demanded the Captain,
+amazed.
+
+The boys laughed, for Alec's clever sleight-of-hand was an endless
+source of fun for them.
+
+"Don't all hunt together. Divide your strength and see that results come
+back with you," advised Alec, rolling up his sleeves preparatory to
+starting his fire.
+
+"I can't fish like the other boys, so I'll go with the girls who are
+going for the beefsteaks," said Dick.
+
+"All right. And where will you go, Captain?" asked Alec.
+
+"If Gilly is sent for coffee, I shall hunt for tea. I do not care for
+his brand of coffee, but I _do_ know where to find the ingredients for
+a nice fragrant cup of tea."
+
+A laugh circled the group, and Mr. Gilroy said, "All right. Now see to
+it that you don't ask for a drop of my coffee, hereafter."
+
+So they separated, some of the scouts going with Mrs. Vernon; Bob and
+Ned going for trout; Hester and Amy with Mr. Gilroy; and Julie, Joan and
+Judith with Dick, for mushrooms.
+
+After breaking a way through a dense jungle, the latter four scouts came
+out to a small clearing, but they had not seen any mushrooms.
+
+"What a fine baseball diamond this clearing would make!" said Julie, as
+they looked around.
+
+"And there are some chestnut stumps--on the far side of the clearing!"
+exclaimed Dick, crossing to the spot.
+
+But they found no mushrooms on the stumps, much to their chagrin.
+"There'll be other trees about here, where we're sure to find what we
+need," said Dick, eagerly.
+
+So into the woods they plunged, winding about here and there, but not
+finding what they sought. None of them thought to blaze a trail as they
+wandered, consequently had no means of telling how far or in what
+direction they had gone before Dick found a few small mushrooms.
+
+"Only enough for a few of us. We need more than these," he remarked.
+
+"There's sure to be more where these are. Let's keep on hunting," urged
+Julie.
+
+So they kept on winding through the underbrush, but with no good
+results. Finally Dick found a plant that he believed to be a wild
+potato.
+
+"No, it is not. It hasn't the leaves or blossom of the Indian potato,"
+declared Joan.
+
+"That may be, but when it grows old it dries up, you know," argued Dick,
+beginning to dig at the root.
+
+The girls wandered about seeking for signs of more mushrooms, but could
+find none. Then Dick stood up and stretched his back-muscles.
+
+"My that was tough digging when you have no tool. And it wasn't a potato
+after all."
+
+"Well, we've been gone a long time now. Suppose we go back with what we
+have," said Joan.
+
+"Yes; even if we can't fill up on steaks to-day, let us eat more of the
+greens," added Judith.
+
+So they turned to go back to camp. They climbed over the boulders
+similar to those over which they had already climbed, over similar
+fallen timber, and finally came to a stream.
+
+"I don't remember a brook when we came," remarked Julie.
+
+"Neither do I," added Judith.
+
+"All places look alike when you're hunting anything. We may have crossed
+a bog or a brook and never have noticed it," said Dick.
+
+"Oh, I would have noticed it! I wouldn't be such a poor scout as not to
+know where I was going," returned Julie, defensively.
+
+"Now, Dick, I'm sure there was no bog where we came through, but here's
+one right ahead of us," called Joan, who was a few paces ahead.
+
+"No, there was no bog!" affirmed Julie.
+
+"Did you bring a compass?" now asked Dick.
+
+"No, we never thought of being lost," murmured Julie.
+
+"We're not lost, just strayed a bit," Dick assured them.
+
+"'Lost, Strayed or Stolen'--it's all the same if we have to miss our
+dinner," sighed Joan.
+
+They managed to cross the boggy spot and then trailed to a place that
+Dick claimed was the clearing. But it turned out to be a little fen made
+by a tiny spring.
+
+"What we should have done was to leave our marks as we came
+through--broken twigs, or trampled grass, or some such signs," said
+Julie.
+
+"But we didn't, and now is no time to talk of it!" Dick said
+impatiently, for he began to realize that they really were lost.
+
+"We can begin right now, however, and then not keep circling around
+without recognizing that we were there before!" snapped Julie.
+
+So the girls began, then and there, to leave their signs as they
+followed after Dick, who really knew not where he was leading.
+
+"Had we better separate and go in different directions to hunt the
+camp?" asked Dick finally.
+
+"Mercy, no! Better be lost together than get lost each one alone!"
+exclaimed Joan.
+
+"Sort of 'United we stand,' etc.," chuckled Julie, in spite of her
+concern over not finding the way.
+
+They kept on forcing a way through the thick bush and resting now and
+then when they found a little clearing; but finally Judith cried:
+"You'll have to go without me! I'm so weak from hunger I can't walk
+another step."
+
+"Girls, suppose we stop and cook the steaks?" asked Dick.
+
+"I say so, too," agreed Julie.
+
+So they cleared a little space in the woods and with two rubbing-sticks
+soon produced fire. While two of the girls were doing this, Dick washed
+the mushrooms in the little spring they had seen, and then sliced them
+with his knife.
+
+"We haven't any salt or bacon, but they'll taste good to starved
+wanderers," said Dick, holding one over the fire to cook.
+
+Each girl spiked one on a sharpened stick and held it out to broil. When
+the mushrooms were cooked they each ate until they felt better. Then
+Dick made a suggestion.
+
+"Making this fire gave me an idea. Why not make 'two smokes' for
+signals. If Alec or any one else is looking for us, they can see them."
+
+"Why didn't we think of that before! Fine idea, Dick," said Joan.
+
+"What will 'two smokes' mean?" asked Judith.
+
+"Means 'we are lost,' come find us," said Dick, busy with two heaps of
+firewood.
+
+"But you can't signal here under these trees, Dick! We've got to find an
+open place where the smoke can rise up above the tree-tops, you know,"
+advised Julie.
+
+Dick realized he had been caught napping by a girl, and he didn't like
+it very much but he could not show his annoyance, for Julie was right.
+So he stood up and said: "I'll shout as loud as possible,--maybe they
+will hear us." So he shouted until he was hoarse.
+
+"In this dense forest, where the trees break every sound, the smoke
+signal is as good as any other. Let us find a clearing," suggested
+Julie.
+
+So they sought again, and soon found an open spot where the sky was
+visible without any obstructing tree-branches overhead.
+
+"Why, this looks like the same clearing that I said would make a fine
+baseball diamond," declared Julie.
+
+"So it does! And here is a broken twig where we went out," said Joan.
+
+    [Illustration: "We are lost, come find us" ... Page 98]
+
+"Then we can't be many miles from home," laughed Julie, her spirits
+rising again at the slightest encouragement.
+
+They made two smokes, however, and waited to watch the thin spirals rise
+above the trees, side by side, until they dispersed in the blue ether
+far overhead. But no sound came in answer to the signals.
+
+"Maybe no one remembered the smoke idea," ventured Judith.
+
+"And they'd have to be in the open, or climb a tree, to see it,"
+asserted Joan.
+
+"Maybe they made signals, too, and are waiting for us to answer them.
+Did you bring a rifle, Dick?" said Julie.
+
+"No, none of us did. But I can climb one of these trees and see if the
+others made any smokes."
+
+"Choose that towering pine,--you ought to be able to see everything from
+that high top," advised Julie.
+
+So Dick climbed the tall pine, but after he had reached the top he saw
+nothing that might lead him to find the other campers. He shouted and
+whistled as shrilly as he could from the lofty perch, but no answering
+sound came to his ears, so he slid down again.
+
+"See anything at all, Dick?" asked Julie, the moment he came down.
+
+"A great sea of waving green tops, one wave back of the other, without a
+break," said he.
+
+"Well, what now? Shall we keep on hunting for the way back from this
+clearing, or just sit and let them find us?" asked Joan, despondently.
+
+"You know they say a flock of ducks will always fly towards water. Now,
+I saw some ducks flying in one direction when I sat up in that tree,"
+remarked Dick.
+
+"Then you _did_ see something other than waves of green! Why didn't you
+say so!" snapped Julie, impatient with his poor scouting sense.
+
+"I thought they might be flying down towards Little Moose Lake, where
+Dandelion Camp is, and we want to find our party," said Dick, in
+justification.
+
+"Anything to get out of this tangle. We'd just as lief wind up at
+Dandelion Camp as elsewhere," said Joan.
+
+"All right then, follow me and we will go in the direction the birds
+flew," said Dick, and he started down hill.
+
+Down and down they tramped, chopping away smaller obstructions, until
+they were stopped by a wide fen that belted the section. Advance was
+impossible, for every time one tried to step upon the ooze the foot
+would begin to sink in.
+
+"Oh, how awful!" wailed Judith, ready to cry.
+
+"How can we cross? If only we could find a fallen tree that happened to
+fall right across," sighed Joan.
+
+"If only we had a drink of cold water I'd be thankful," declared Julie,
+mopping her warm face.
+
+"That's the easiest part of the whole trouble," quickly said Dick.
+
+"What do you mean? I wouldn't drink that slimy liquid for anything,"
+said Julie, frowning at the water.
+
+"Now, just wait a second and you'll see what I can do with that water!"
+bragged Dick, glad to redeem his reputation as a scout.
+
+With hands and a stick he quickly dug a hole to the depth of the marsh.
+Then he squinted carefully at his well, then at the marsh, and back
+again. The girls watched him curiously.
+
+"Guess I can go a few inches deeper,--the well has to be about six
+inches below the surface of the nearby pool, you know."
+
+He dug deeper and soon the well began filling with muddy water. "There,
+now I've got it!" said Dick.
+
+"Do you expect us to drink _that_!" scorned Joan.
+
+"No, but wait." Dick hurriedly baled out the well until it was almost
+emptied. Then he allowed it to fill again.
+
+He baled it out a second time, and permitted it to fill again. The third
+time the water was almost clear, so he baled once more, and this time
+the water filtered in as clear as crystal.
+
+He stooped, drank from it, and said: "It's cold and pure!"
+
+Then the girls drank, and found it most refreshing to their parched
+tongues and throats.
+
+"Well, I never knew that before! We've learned two things by being lost
+with Dick as guide," said Julie frankly, and Dick was delighted to hear
+such nice things about himself.
+
+"Shall we try to circle this fen and get across, or go back again?" now
+asked Dick.
+
+"It's hard to tell just what is best to do," murmured Julie, puckering
+her brow in thought.
+
+Suddenly two shots echoed down the mountainside, and after an interval
+of six seconds a third shot rang out.
+
+"There! Alec's seen our smoke. His signal means 'Where are you?' What
+shall we do?" cried Dick, excitedly.
+
+"How can we answer them?" wondered the girls.
+
+"We'll have to back-trail to our clearing. That's where the shots
+sounded from," said Dick.
+
+"Dear me, if only we had waited there, they would have found us,"
+complained Judith.
+
+"But we didn't, so the next best thing to do is to get back as soon as
+we can, or they'll go away again," declared Julie.
+
+They climbed, scrambled and tumbled up the rugged slope, keeping as far
+as they could to the rough trail they had made in coming down. When they
+thought they were near the clearing, they shouted with all their
+lung-power, and the welcome sound of answering calls soon greeted their
+ears.
+
+"Oh, Dick, give that cat-call again so they will know we're on our way,"
+asked Julie, anxiously.
+
+So Dick gave his ear-splitting whistle by placing his fingers between
+his lips and blowing through the crevices. In less than ten seconds
+afterwards, two shots sounded in quick succession.
+
+"That means they've heard us and are waiting," cried Dick. "Come this
+way,--that echo is misleading."
+
+So the girls followed their young guide, and soon they broke through the
+fringe of great trees into the clearing where the rest of the party
+stood. Alec gave them no time to explain. He was angry, and no mistaking
+it!
+
+"Dick, can you tell me of any concession made to you that allows you to
+start two fires and then go away and leave them to work their will in
+these forests? If we had not found the fires you left, what might have
+resulted to this area of mountain land?"
+
+The girls and Dick stood amazed, for they had forgotten all about the
+fires started as smoke signals.
+
+"When I broke through the underbrush into this clearing, the fires were
+blazing away like fury. They had encroached upon all the brush and handy
+leaves, and were eating a way to the timber-line. In half an hour more
+those same _little_ fires would be raging over the crest and destroying
+acres and acres of forest-trees, to say nothing of causing the work all
+the farmers and forest-rangers would have in trying to control it. Just
+because a brainless scout _forgot_ his duty!" The scorn in Alec's last
+words was cutting.
+
+Dick began to apologize, but Alec held up a hand. "No apology will
+answer for such a thing." Then he turned to Ned and said: "Put Dick down
+for penance at camp."
+
+"We ought to be punished as well as Dick," said Julie. "We never
+remembered the fires, either."
+
+"That's up to your Captain,--I am merely doing my duty to _my_ Troop,"
+returned Alec.
+
+"Had anything to eat?" asked Anne, who always felt sorry for any one who
+was hungry.
+
+"We ate the mushrooms we found," meekly replied Joan.
+
+"Then come back and eat what we left for you. We had fish and greens and
+biscuit," said Hester.
+
+While they were munching the cold food, Alec questioned them further.
+"Why didn't you use what scout-sense you had? You know you could have
+found the way you came through those woods by looking for broken cobwebs
+across the bushes; by overturned stones with the damp under side
+showing; or by broken twigs and crushed blades of grass; and last, but
+hardest, you might have looked to see where leaves on trees and bushes
+were turned awry from your brushing against them. They do not right
+themselves immediately, you know."
+
+"We never heard of that before," admitted Julie.
+
+"But Dick has, even though he has forgotten it," said Alec. "He had to
+learn it from the Manual--what he would do in case of being lost in a
+forest."
+
+"But even if you knew nothing about that, you all knew it would simplify
+things for us if you were to blaze a way to guide us the way you went.
+You could easily have broken twigs and left them hanging, or piled
+little heaps of stones along the trail you took."
+
+"Oh, for goodness sake! Let up on us now, and wait until _you_ are lost,
+will you?" cried Julie, placing her palms over her ears.
+
+"Yes, it's so easy to tell the other feller what to do!" was all the
+retort Dick made.
+
+"Well, children, after all I have my inning!" declared Mr. Gilroy,
+chuckling.
+
+"What's that?" demanded every one.
+
+"I wanted you to come home and dine with me, but no! you must stop to
+cook in the woods. Now you'll all be glad enough to hurry home and come
+to my party. And the dinner won't be slighted, either, from so much
+overeating up here!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN
+
+A LITTLE BUSINESS
+
+
+At breakfast the day following the "Lost Scouts'" adventure, Mrs. Vernon
+remarked: "Girls, yesterday's experience taught me an important thing,
+and that is, we need a set of rules for camp, so that every member of
+Dandelion Troop will have her proper share of work and duty to perform.
+
+"We have been keeping house in a haphazard way, with no responsibility
+attached to any one but Julie and me. Now, each day there must be some
+sort of regulations and punishments, if duties are neglected. The fire
+yesterday showed me that that system was good."
+
+"Your idea is all right, Verny, but what will the rules cover, and why
+have punishments?" asked Julie.
+
+"Because every day will probably bring new problems to us, so that set
+rules will not do, but each day must have added rules. If these rules
+are not obeyed, the scout who is negligent ought to be made to pay for
+her lack of obedience."
+
+"Have you formulated any plan to begin with?" asked Joan.
+
+"I thought that Julie, as Scout Leader, could consult with me about
+that. Although I think we ought to select a new orderly for each day, to
+see that the other scouts do what is required of them. If we begin with
+Ruth, Betty next day, and so on through the new membership, one each
+day, it brings us to the eighth day. Of course Julie, Joan and I will
+not be orderlies. But the Leader and Corporal are over the Orderly, and
+the Captain over all of you."
+
+"What do you expect the Orderly to do, Verny?" asked Joan.
+
+"She will read the rules for the day immediately after breakfast. Every
+scout must take turns in being cook for camp one day. One must be
+wood-gatherer, one must see that food supplies are on hand, some must do
+the fishing, and so on through the entire housekeeping list. This trains
+every one alike, and no partiality will be shown one who is a fine cook
+or one who is an awful one!"
+
+The girls laughed, and the Captain continued: "Then, we don't expect one
+to do all the heavy work while another goes free, and by partitioning
+the work and control each one does her bit. In case of any gross
+negligence or breaking of rules, the Officer of the Day, the Corporal
+and the Leader will decide the punishment. Should need arise, the whole
+Troop may act as a jury to judge the matter."
+
+After the Captain had finished speaking, the scouts sat down and
+compiled a set of Camp Rules, and Ruth was asked to print them neatly
+on cardboard, because Ruth was the artistic scout of the group.
+
+This business disposed of, Julie said: "Now what shall we do to-day,
+girls?"
+
+"But you haven't chosen an Orderly for the Day!" called Judith.
+
+"Oh, that's so! Well, it lies between Ruth and Amy, as they are the more
+experienced scouts, to act the first day."
+
+"Don't choose me. I've got my work cut out already, if you expect these
+rules nicely printed," declared Ruth.
+
+"All right, then; it's Amy. No partiality meant, girls," Julie reminded
+them.
+
+"More like 'malice aforethought,'" giggled Joan.
+
+"Why? Isn't it an honor to be the Orderly?" demanded Julie.
+
+"It may _seem_ like an honor, but when it is thoroughly investigated it
+turns out to be just plain old hard work!"
+
+"Sure, Julie! Don't you see, all the other scouts go scot free for the
+day, while the Orderly has to see that everything is done properly and
+then take the blame if nothing is right," laughed Judith.
+
+"Well, Amy is able to carry the burden, and it is only for a day; then
+another one has to do it," said the Captain.
+
+When the weighty business of selecting rules and deciding on a
+recreation for the day was over, Mrs. Vernon said, "Which did you decide
+to do first, hike or swim?"
+
+"Is Mr. Gilroy coming over to visit us to-day?" asked Ruth.
+
+"He invited himself to supper to-night, but I doubt if we see him before
+that time. Why?" answered the Captain.
+
+"Because if he was coming, he would hike with us, and we'd rather wait
+for him, and swim first. But it doesn't matter now."
+
+"We'll go for the hike first, and when we get back a fine, cool swim
+will feel good," suggested the Orderly for the day.
+
+"Verny, do you know of any places one might choose for an objective on a
+hike?" asked Joan.
+
+"Yes, Mr. Gilroy gave me a county map that shows every good trail within
+twenty miles of here. I'll get it and we'll look it over." So saying,
+the Captain went to her tent for the paper.
+
+They all sat about Mrs. Vernon as she studied the map and read aloud of
+various trails that sounded interesting. At last she said: "Here's one
+that seems inviting. It is named 'River Bend,' and the trail winds along
+one of the streams that is an outlet of our lake. The description says
+the blazes are old but distinct, and no one can miss the may. Shall we
+try that trail?"
+
+"Where does it end?" questioned Hester.
+
+"How long is it to anywhere?" asked Anne.
+
+"It's seven miles, and forks when one reaches the hut of an Indian
+canoe-builder. One fork runs to River Bend village, and the other to a
+ravine that is said to be most picturesque."
+
+"We'll take that trail and decide which place we prefer to see, the
+village or the ravine, after we have hiked a while," said the Orderly.
+
+"Why not take a little flour and fat and catch some fish at noon, and
+sup while on the trail?" asked Julie.
+
+"Why not carry our dinner stuff and have a _regular_ meal while we are
+about it," said Anne, who could not forego a dinner.
+
+The other scouts laughed, and Mrs. Vernon replied, "All right, it sounds
+inviting."
+
+So each scout carried a tin cup and platter, while the Orderly saw to it
+that each one carried part of the dinner material. It fell to the
+Captain's lot to carry the frying-pan, and to Anne to carry the
+two-quart pail; the others had the flour, bacon, potatoes, etc.
+
+River Bend trail led down to the end of the lake, where the stream
+started. It wound in and out, as it followed the uneven edges of Little
+Moose Lake, running over mossy knolls, through rivulets, past
+waterfalls, and around impassable obstructions. Thus the detouring added
+greatly to the distance the map had vouched for.
+
+The scouts had paper and pencils in case they wished to sketch anything
+interesting, but most of the paper was used in writing notes along the
+way, to be entered later in their records. They had gone about two miles
+when Julie stopped short and held up a warning hand.
+
+"Verny, listen! I heard a baby crying pitifully over in those high
+bushes."
+
+"Mercy me! Do you suppose there can be any gypsies here?" cried Amy, the
+timid.
+
+"Gypsies--nothing! But how could a baby get in that jungle?" retorted
+Joan.
+
+Then they distinctly heard the plaintive wail, as of a very young child
+in fear and distress. Even Mrs. Vernon turned pale at the picture that
+presented itself to her thought.
+
+"Girls, we've got to investigate this. It doesn't seem plausible that
+any one would bring a kidnapped child to this wilderness to lose it, but
+one can never tell!" declared Julie.
+
+"It's a baby, that we know, so it's up to us to save it," added Ruth.
+
+"The poor little dear!" wept Betty, the tender-hearted.
+
+So the scouts began cutting a way through the almost impenetrable growth
+that divided the trail from the place whence came the cries. But as they
+went deeper in the jungle and got nearer the spot they were aiming for,
+the cries ceased.
+
+"Dear, dear! I hope the little thing isn't past aid?" murmured the
+Captain, anxiously.
+
+That urged the scouts to greater endeavor, and finally Julie broke into
+a tiny clearing of about three feet across, and saw a little grey
+rabbit, which had been caught in an old mesh-wire trap set by some one
+long before and forgotten.
+
+"Oh, you poor little creature!" cried Julie, falling upon her knees to
+rescue the soft little thing.
+
+"Is it alive, Jule?" asked a chorus of anxious voices.
+
+"Yes, but it is awfully afraid of me. I can't do anything for it."
+
+"Maybe it will bite you--do be careful, Jule!" called Amy, deliciously
+thrilled at this fearful risk her friend was taking.
+
+"Bite!" scorned Julie. "It's starved, and too weak to even nibble."
+
+"Wait, Julie! Let me throw my hat over it so it won't see what we are
+doing. Then it won't feel so frightened. Remember the 'Boulder' we all
+saw, and when it moved we had a panic? Well, our sense of sight was all
+that caused that fear. It is the same now--what the rabbit doesn't see
+it won't fear," explained Mrs. Vernon.
+
+While it was hidden under the broad-brimmed scout hat, the rabbit was
+not aware of the willing rescuers, and soon Julie had the snare open,
+and Mrs. Vernon held the little creature in her hat.
+
+"Shall we let it go now?" asked some of the girls.
+
+"It may have an injured leg where the trap caught it. I think we will
+carry it home and feed it well, and then if it is all right, it can run
+away. It is sure to be caught by some larger animal if it is unable to
+jump or run," said the Captain.
+
+"This will make a dandy story to write down in our record book, Verny,
+won't it?" asked Ruth, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, but it will also show how inexperienced we are in wildwood
+sounds,--to mistake the rabbit's cry for a child's wail."
+
+"But it _did_ sound exactly like a baby, there's no denying that!"
+exclaimed Julie, frowning as she realized how they all were caught
+napping.
+
+"This reminds me of a story Alec told us yesterday when we were waiting
+at the campfire for you lost scouts," said Hester. "He and his Troop
+went on a three days' hike in the country last year, and at night they
+found an old abandoned barn where they decided to sleep. The floor was
+in good condition, with a bit of hay piled up in one corner. But the
+loft overhead was in such bad condition that in many places the flooring
+was broken down completely. As there was no ladder or stairway to reach
+it, the boys concluded there was no use in examining it--no one would be
+up there!
+
+"So they stretched out on the hay and were soon sound asleep. But some
+time after that--no one knew how long they had been asleep--Ned nudged
+Alec and whispered: 'Some one's in the loft!'
+
+"Alec sat up and listened. Sure enough, he could hear a man snoring as
+distinctly as he could hear Dick breathe.
+
+"So he roused the other scouts, and they very quietly crept over to the
+side where they could get a grip on the joists to help themselves up.
+Each scout had armed himself in some way. One had an old pitchfork with
+but one prong. Another had a rake handle, one found the curved handle of
+a feed-grinder, and so on.
+
+"When they got to the shaky, decayed floor above, the snoring had
+stopped, so they knew the tramp was aware of their approach. They had to
+be awfully careful, too, so as not to fall through any of the broken
+places in the floor. But they each had their lanterns, and used them
+before they took a step. Alec went first, and threw the light back and
+forth to avoid a sudden surprise from the tramp.
+
+"'There's something moving over on that pile of old burlap sacks!'
+whispered Alec, the instant he saw a creeping movement there.
+
+"Several of the boys then jumped and began beating up the sacks
+violently. But as suddenly, a pair of wings flapped up in their faces
+with a whirring sound, and a barn-owl began to screech madly as she
+rose and flew through a hole in the roof."
+
+Hester laughed as she reached this part of the story, and all the scouts
+joined in. Julie, who had not heard it before, said:
+
+"Thank goodness, we girls are not the only ones to be taken in, then!"
+
+"Alec said there are lots of wild creatures that make sounds exactly
+like human beings. And that owl snored just like a man."
+
+By this time they had regained the trail, and Mrs. Vernon tenderly
+adjusted the trembling rabbit. The hat so covered it that it could curl
+inside and not see a thing to cause it any fear, and thus it was carried
+along, to be cared for later on and then regain its freedom.
+
+The scouts found many interesting subjects for discussion along the
+trail, until they reached a wide shallow stream that came down the steep
+mountainside and emptied into the river.
+
+"It's not on the map, and it sure cuts off further progress," said the
+Captain.
+
+"It's shallow--we can wade it," suggested Julie.
+
+"Let us go upstream and find a narrow ford, or some rocks that we can
+cross on," added Mrs. Vernon.
+
+They went up on the near side of the stream, but the banks became so
+rocky and impassable that they found it was useless to try to climb
+them. The scenery was wild and wonderful, so several good pictures were
+taken of the tumbling waters and rocks, and then they all retraced their
+steps.
+
+"Now, it's wade or go back," declared Joan.
+
+"Stuff your stockings down in your boots and sling them about your necks
+by the strings," advised Julie.
+
+This was done, and one after another the scouts waded through the
+stream, shouting, screaming if one slipped on a stone, laughing when one
+stepped in a hole and got wet to the waist, but having plenty of fun.
+
+"How did bunny stand the voyage?" called Julie, the moment the Captain
+stepped up on the bank.
+
+"Bunny is curled up fast asleep, I guess," said she.
+
+"I wish it was noon. Did any one hear the twelve o'clock whistle blow?"
+laughed Joan.
+
+"Why--are you hungry?" questioned Anne.
+
+"Aren't you?" retorted the Orderly.
+
+"Sure! I always am," laughed Anne, frankly.
+
+"Then why not say it is dinner-time, Verny?" asked Ruth.
+
+"You must be hungry, too!" declared Judith.
+
+"I bet we all are, if Verny will take the count," asserted Hester.
+
+"Well, we may as well stop here beside this stream and eat, as to go on
+and fare worse," admitted the Captain.
+
+"Some one's got to fish," said Judith.
+
+"Why not all fish and the sooner catch what is needed?" advised Mrs.
+Vernon. So this suggestion was followed out.
+
+Four goodly sized fish rewarded the combined efforts of the fishermen
+that time, and then two scouts were detailed to clean them, while two
+went to build a fire. Others were tolled off to attend to other work,
+and in half an hour a savory meal was ready.
+
+When all signs of cooking and eating were cleaned away, Mrs. Vernon took
+the bunny again and said they had best go on.
+
+"Outdoor cooking and eating always makes me feel fine. I can walk a
+hundred miles now, and feel it no more than if it were a trifle," said
+Julie, taking a deep breath.
+
+"All the same, we haven't gone five miles yet, according to Verny's map,
+and there is still that walk home, so don't brag too much, Julie,"
+advised Betty, seriously.
+
+"We haven't voted yet whether we want to go on to the village or to the
+ravine," now said Ruth.
+
+"I'd like to visit the old Indian canoe-maker, and have a chat with
+him," said Joan.
+
+"His time is money, so he will charge us for chatting," returned Julie,
+grinning.
+
+"I think Joan's idea of visiting the Indian a good one, girls; why not
+go there instead of to either of the other places?"
+
+The Captain's suggestion was agreed upon, and the scouts turned in at
+the willow-arched walk that led to the Indian's hut. A wide brook ran
+under the willows, and here they saw several canoes waiting to be used.
+The pathway that ran alongside the brook was littered with rubbish of
+all kinds,--the accumulation of years of slovenly housekeeping and lazy
+carpenter work out of doors.
+
+But it was evident that the Indian was neither slovenly nor lazy when it
+pertained to making canoes. Every canoe there was a splendid example of
+workmanship. When the scouts reached the door, the owner came out to see
+them.
+
+"Morn'," said he, bowing seriously to his visitors.
+
+"Are you Mike, the Indian?" asked Mrs. Vernon, after acknowledging the
+salutation.
+
+"Me Mike--wan'da canoe?"
+
+"No, we came to visit you. We are friends of Mr. Gilroy's," explained
+the Captain.
+
+"Huh! Mees'er Gilloy use Mike's canoes."
+
+"So he told us. He says they are the finest anywhere," said Julie,
+ingratiatingly.
+
+"Bedder buy one," came from the Indian.
+
+"Verny, we might _rent_ another one--we only have two in the lake, you
+know, and we all prefer canoes to boats," whispered Joan.
+
+"We can't afford any added expense," replied Mrs. Vernon.
+
+But Mike understood the meaning of that whisper, so he wisely said:
+"Come see fine canoes."
+
+He led the way to his shop on the banks of the little stream and
+displayed the various methods of his trade. The girls found it all very
+instructive and interesting. Then he said:
+
+"Mike take canoe to lake fer leddy--no charge."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" wondered Julie.
+
+"Mike give fine canoe--one week try; leddy not like, Mike come take him
+home. No pay."
+
+"But we don't want any more canoes. We have two now," asserted Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+Mike shrugged his shoulders silently.
+
+"How much you rent canoe for?" asked Julie, believing the Indian could
+comprehend better if she used bad English.
+
+"Mike no rent his canoe--sell him cheap."
+
+"We can't afford to buy one, but we might rent it if you make a low
+price," bargained Julie.
+
+Mike shook his head decidedly. "No rent--onny buy."
+
+"Come, girls! We must start on, now that we've had our visit," said the
+Captain, turning to go.
+
+The scouts reluctantly turned also, but Mike saw their faces, and also
+knew that the lady was boss. So he seemed to reconsider.
+
+"Mike got good fren' by Mees'er Gilloy. Mebbe fren's of him be fren's
+of Mike. How much you give for rent canoe?"
+
+Every one turned suddenly at that hope held forth.
+
+"What do you ask?" countered Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Got money now to pay?" asked Mike, cutely.
+
+Julie exclaimed, "Certainly!" But the Captain saw through the shrewd
+bargainer, and said: "We'll have Mr. Gilroy do this business for us."
+
+Now Mike had no idea of losing these customers, nor of having to deal
+with a good business man like Mr. Gilroy, so he said guilelessly: "Solly
+dese gals no paddle home in dis canoe."
+
+Several of the scouts instantly wished to do so, but the Captain said:
+"Corporal, see that your Troop does not fall for this enticing snare."
+
+The scouts laughed when they comprehended Mike's intentions, and Mrs.
+Vernon courageously walked away. But Mike followed.
+
+"Canoe rent for four dollah week."
+
+"What! that's sixteen a month! I guess not!" cried Julie.
+
+"Fren's of Mees'er Gilloy get him fer tree dollah week."
+
+"No sir-ee!" retorted Julie. "Mike, I'll pay you two dollah week--or six
+dollah mont--or feefteen dollah season. What you take?"
+
+All the scouts laughed, but Mike frowned. "Me tak feefteen dollah now to
+Augus' furst," said he.
+
+Every one hushed to get every word of this bargaining.
+
+"We want him in Augus', too. Him worth feefteen dollah, no more, till
+September ten," declared Julie, slapping her palms together to emphasize
+her words.
+
+Mike sighed audibly. "All light. But Mike no carry him an' lose day.
+Gals mus' tak now an' pay down."
+
+Then every one turned to every one else, and word ran round: "Who's got
+any money?"
+
+"I've got three dollars--that's all," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Mike, we got tree dollahs only. Come to camp and get rest," said Julie.
+
+"You tak him along?" asked Mike, anxiously.
+
+"Are you 'fraid to trust us?" countered Julie.
+
+"Oh, no! Mike no wan' trouble carry him so far, da's all."
+
+So the three dollars was paid down, balance to be paid when Mike called
+for it; canoe to be taken along with no added work expected of Mike.
+
+Mike launched the canoe in the stream that passed his shop, and several
+of the girls squatted in the bottom. But it proved overweighted for such
+a shallow stream, and two had to get out again. Julie and Joan then
+paddled it safely to the deeper river, where Amy and Judith, being
+lightest of the scouts, got in and sat in the bottom.
+
+Mrs. Vernon and the rest of the Troop stood watching eagerly while the
+two girls paddled silently and swiftly up the river to the place where
+the tumbling stream joined River Bend. Here they halted to allow their
+other friends to catch up with them.
+
+Julie and Joan were complimented upon their prowess, and when Ruth and
+Betty exchanged places with Amy and Judith, the canoe went on its way up
+the river, while the other scouts continued hiking back towards camp.
+
+"It wouldn't take us long to reach home if we were all in canoes," said
+Anne.
+
+"It would if _you_ were in one--you are so heavy!" laughed Hester.
+
+A titter sounded from the girls, but Mrs. Vernon held up a hand for
+silence. "Was that thunder I heard from over the mountain?"
+
+"No, that was only Julie's paddle echoing down the stream," giggled
+Judith. But a louder rumble told the Captain she was right in her
+surmise.
+
+"Dear me! I hope we won't be caught in another thunder-storm," said she,
+holding the bunny closer to her side.
+
+But in answer to her fear, a sudden flash and a nearer peal of thunder
+warned them all to seek shelter if possible.
+
+"If it rains we're bound to be soaked!" sighed Anne.
+
+"You big silly! Did any of us think water was dry?" asked Hester,
+scornfully.
+
+"I do wish those girls hadn't left us in the canoe! If it rains they may
+upset," worried the Captain.
+
+"They didn't leave _us_ in the canoe, Captain. And we are just as likely
+to meet with mishap as they," laughed Judith, to cheer every one up.
+
+"Well, it's going to break mighty quick! See that inky cloud scudding
+across there?" exclaimed Amy, pointing at the sky.
+
+"Verny, why not make a quick shelter to crawl under?" suggested Anne.
+
+"Think you can do it?" answered the Captain.
+
+"Hester's got the rubber cover that Mike gave us for the canoe when it
+is not in use, and we might stretch that between four trees," added
+Anne.
+
+"That's so. Let's try it!" agreed Hester, eagerly.
+
+Quickly, then, the scouts chopped down the scrub bush where four young
+trees were found for the corners, and then, while Anne and Hester
+secured the four corners of the cover, the other girls ditched around
+the spot so the rain would run off and not soak their camping place.
+
+Anne and Hester completed their work before the others, and then hastily
+bunched a mass of chopped-down bushes all around the temporary tent to
+break the driving rain when it came. The spot thus enclosed was not
+large, but by huddling together they managed to keep dry.
+
+"How nice it is to sit in a dry place and watch everything else
+gradually soak with the rain," ventured Amy, comfortably.
+
+"No one would have dreamed that a shower would come up to-day, the
+weather was so perfect when we left camp," said Judith.
+
+"Do any of you girls understand weather-lore?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+No one did, so the Captain continued: "If you study wind and cloud,
+wildwood creatures and other animals, you will find much to interest you
+in the weather.
+
+"When rain is coming you will see the sheep turn their tails to
+windward, but if the day is to be fine the sheep will graze with faces
+to the wind.
+
+"Cows always gather and huddle together at a sheltered end of the
+pasture lot when a storm is approaching. Cattle are restless and uneasy
+before a storm breaks. And cows will fling up their heels, or sheep will
+gambol as if to make the most of the sunshine just before a prolonged
+spell of bad weather. Pigs, too, will grunt loudly and cavort about
+uneasily in their pens, carrying bits of straw from their bedding in
+their mouths, before a heavy rainstorm.
+
+"With wild creatures you will find partridges sitting in the fields when
+thunder is in the air. But the moment the storm blows over, the birds
+are alive with energy again. Rabbits and other night-feeders can be
+found out hunting on a sunny day, but that means there will be a wet
+night.
+
+"Most of our birds in field and forest know when a storm is brewing, and
+they can be seen seeking for extra food to carry home, or, perhaps,
+devouring it quickly, storing it up against the time everything is
+soaked with the rain.
+
+"Bees seldom fly far from the hive when rain is threatening; flies are
+annoying and sting sharply before rain, and many times they cling
+tenaciously to wall or furniture,--that is to keep flat to a surface, so
+their bodies will not become damp.
+
+"A large ring can be found to encircle the moon the night preceding a
+rainstorm. Should the storm be two or three days off, the ring is wider
+and you will find fainter shadows inside the main circle,--one for each
+day.
+
+"Mountain moss is found to be soft and limp, and smoke generally beats
+downward when the East Wind presages rain. Callouses on the feet will
+ache painfully; spiders will be seen strengthening their webs against
+moisture-weight; morning-glories will close up tightly; mushrooms are
+found to be numerous; and there are a dozen other weather-signs that I
+forget now."
+
+The scouts had listened with interest, for this was new to them,
+although Hester added: "I've heard the saying, 'Mackerel sky, twelve
+hours dry.'"
+
+"Yes, and another one goes, 'Rain before seven, fine before eleven,'"
+said Judith.
+
+"You will find in summer that heavy dews in the night mean fine weather
+the following day," added Mrs. Vernon. "Also any thunder-storm that
+comes with the wind soon passes away, but let it come against the wind,
+and it is apt to last."
+
+"This one came with the wind and is blowing away already. See!"
+exclaimed Amy, eagerly.
+
+"Yes, girls, now we can do as the Arabs--fold our tent and steal away,"
+said Mrs. Vernon, rising carefully so as not to jar the bunny which had
+remained very quiet all this time.
+
+"I wonder what the girls in the canoe did while the rain was falling,"
+said Judith.
+
+"Leave it to Julie to find a way. I'll say she landed them all on the
+bank and then turned the canoe upside down over their heads," laughed
+Hester.
+
+When the canoeists arrived at camp, sometime after the hikers got there,
+they exchanged experiences. Hester's surmise turned out to be exactly
+right, and the girls in the canoe were as dry as those who sat under the
+rubber cover.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT
+
+JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK
+
+
+"Gilly, do you know of any vegetable dye we can find in the woods to dye
+some burlap for decorations?" asked Julie one day.
+
+"Yes, you can take the berries and leaves of red or staghorn sumac and
+boil them together to make a black dye, or ink. If you need ink in a
+hurry, you can take the _Genus Coprinus_, commonly known as the ink
+mushroom, and pluck it at the end of its first day. The spores are
+black, and the gills turn into a black fluid at the last. This produces
+a splendid writing ink, or will dye grass, quills, and other wildwood
+stuffs."
+
+"Speaking of quills, Gilly--why can't we have chickens as the Grey Fox
+boys have?" asked Joan.
+
+"What would you do if they got the gapes, and no one would feed them
+chopped onions?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"I'm not looking for trouble, but for pets to have about camp," retorted
+Joan.
+
+"I'd hardly call a chicken a pet!" laughed Julie.
+
+"Even so, Julie, it would cluck and _appear_ to be friendly, even it
+wasn't."
+
+"What you scouts need is a good frisky dog for a pet. You can have
+chickens, if you like, but they are a nuisance. They stray away to lay
+their eggs, and if they were kept cooped you'd have to spend valuable
+time making a suitable inclosure. But a dog will go hiking with you,
+guard you at night from elephants and other prowling animals of the
+jungle, and be a fine old pal to boot," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, why didn't we think to bring Jippy," exclaimed Amy. Jip was a
+little poodle of about fifteen years and had had the rickets for the
+past five years, so he had to be carried about.
+
+The moment the scouts saw that Amy was in earnest they fairly roared,
+and Judith finally said: "Oh, Amy's catching the _ingenue_ habit from
+Betty! What shall we do with two of them on hand?"
+
+"Had we but known of this dire need of a dog, we would have brought
+Towser--had he lived. He was only twenty-two this March, and had full
+use of his bark even though he had no teeth or eyesight. But, alas!
+alas! Towser is no more!" sighed Julie, rolling her eyes.
+
+As Towser had been one of the "old settlers" in Elmertown, he was known
+to every man, woman and child there. Many a time, because he was
+stone-deaf and had not heard the blast from the horn, some one would
+have to rush out to rescue him from a passing automobile. So Julie's
+lament caused a new burst of merriment.
+
+"Stop all fooling now, scouts, and listen to me," said Mr. Gilroy. "I
+mean a regular dog--an Irish terrier, or a bulldog, to chum with and be
+of some good to you. How'd you like it?"
+
+"There ain't no sech critter in camp," retorted Julie.
+
+"But I know where to get one! His name is Jake, and he is very fond of
+the ladies, I'm told."
+
+"His name sounds dreadfully rakish, Gilly," teased Joan.
+
+"If Jacob is as faithful as his name would imply, we'd like to meet
+him," added Mrs. Vernon, smiling.
+
+"You shall. He lives at the farm where my overseer is, and the next time
+Mr. Benson is due here, I'll see that Jake accompanies him. If both
+sides are mutually attracted, the dog shall stay to give you scouts
+something to do," declared Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"What kind of a dog is he, Gilly?" asked Betty, eagerly.
+
+"He is a prize Airedale. But he is so clever that he tries to run
+everything on the farm, consequently Mr. Benson always has to separate
+Jake from the other dogs in the neighborhood."
+
+For the next two days the scouts were kept busy constructing a fine
+kennel for Jake to live in when he joined their camp. Everything
+imaginable was done to add to the comfort and luxury of this "dog's
+life"; and the third day they started for the bungalow to be introduced
+to Jake, who was expected to arrive that morning.
+
+It was a warm, drowsy day, and the wildwood creatures seemed to be
+keeping quiet. Even the bees hummed less noisily over the flowers they
+were robbing of nectar. The girls strolled slowly along the pathway,
+stopping now and then to watch a bird or examine a flower. They were
+just passing the bend where the tumbling brook could be plainly seen
+from the trail when, suddenly, Julie held up a warning hand for quiet.
+
+Every one stopped short and waited. She pointed silently across the
+bushes in the direction of a long fallen tree that lay on the bank of
+the stream. The scouts looked, but saw nothing to cause this interest.
+Then she whispered warily, "I saw a big creature creeping along that
+log!"
+
+"Really!"
+
+"What did it look like? Which way did it go?" were questions hoarsely
+whispered.
+
+"It crawled on that log and suddenly disappeared. Maybe it jumped into
+the water when it saw us. I am thinking it was a beaver," returned
+Julie.
+
+"Oh, how wonderful! If we could only see it at work," cried some of the
+scouts.
+
+"How big was it, Julie?" now asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"It went so fast that I couldn't see well, but I should say it was about
+as big as a very large cat,--maybe larger if we were closer," said
+Julie.
+
+"Dear me, if we didn't have to go for Jake we might sit and wait for it
+to appear again. If it is a beaver, I'd love to watch it build a dam,"
+sighed Ruth.
+
+"I hope Jake won't want to chase it, on our way back," Betty worried, as
+the thought struck her.
+
+"We'll hold Jake on a leash. And if he doesn't make a fuss we might
+creep over and watch for the animal's appearance again," added Julie.
+
+"Then the sooner we go and get Jake, the sooner we'll be back here," was
+the sensible remark of Joan.
+
+The scouts now hurried along the trail and soon reached the bungalow,
+where a splendid Airedale was sleeping in the sunshine. He was stretched
+out full length right in the way where one would have to pass to go up
+the steps to the verandah.
+
+"Oh, are you Jake?" called Julie quickly, when she saw the dog.
+
+"Isn't he a beaut?" cried Joan, admiring the shapely form as it jumped
+up to growl at the visitors.
+
+"Why, Jake, don't begin our relations with a growl! Don't you know we
+have to keep the peace all summer?" laughed Julie, snapping her fingers
+to the dog.
+
+Mr. Gilroy heard voices and came out on the verandah. The moment he
+greeted the scouts familiarly, Jake wagged his stump of a tail and ran
+up to show his friendship for his master's friends.
+
+The girls fussed over the dog immediately, and Mr. Gilroy smiled. "Well,
+what do you think of him, scouts? Is he homely enough to win your pity?
+You know it is said, 'Pity is akin to love.'"
+
+"He's a regular peach, Gilly!" exclaimed Joan.
+
+"Just what we need at camp," added Judith.
+
+And in the next ten minutes the dog had won high favor with his future
+companions. Then the scouts told about the animal they believed to be a
+beaver, so they wanted to hurry back and watch.
+
+"But hold to the leash if you go near the log. Jake is a born hunter,"
+advised Mr. Benson.
+
+"Oh, he is very obedient if you speak sternly to him," added Mr. Gilroy.
+"If he tugs or wants to run, just command in severe tones, 'To heel,
+Jake,' and he will obey like a lamb."
+
+Jake wagged his tail as he watched Mr. Gilroy, and when the order was
+given, 'To heel, Jake,' he crept behind his master.
+
+"Oh, the darling! Doesn't he mind splendidly!" cried several of the
+scouts.
+
+"I'll come along pretty soon. Wait for me near the log where you saw the
+beaver. I'll finish up with Benson and then join you there," said Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts started down the trail again, leading Jake by the
+leash.
+
+Every one was delighted with the meek and obedient dog, and the fussing
+was accepted by him as his due, but he paid no attention to the numerous
+pats and endearing names given him as they walked along. Then they
+reached the open space where the log bounded the edge of the running
+water. It was about a hundred yards from the trail and distinctly
+visible because the brook was lower than the footpath where the scouts
+stood.
+
+"There it is! I saw it!" exclaimed Joan, excitedly.
+
+At the same moment Jake also saw something doubtful moving swiftly out
+of sight back of the log. The girls ran over to the bushes to see the
+better, and Julie's hold on the leash relaxed unconsciously. In that
+same second, Jake took mean advantage of her inattention to him and
+darted away.
+
+"Oh, oh! Come back here, Jake!" yelled Julie instantly.
+
+But the dog stood upon a rock, his ears erect, his nose sniffing as he
+pointed it in the direction of the log. His tail trembled spasmodically
+and the hair along his spine stood up stiffly.
+
+"I say, to heel, Jake. Come back, to heel!" shouted every scout in the
+group. But Jake was deaf to their calls.
+
+Then the Captain called to him, but he bounded from the rock and managed
+to force his way through the bushes, the leash catching here and there
+on stumps, on sharp rocks, or on bushes.
+
+"What shall we do? Now he'll kill the little beaver!" wailed Betty,
+wringing her hands.
+
+"Some one run back and get Gilly! _He'll_ make him mind," ordered Julie.
+
+"Who's Orderly for the Day? I want to wait and watch what he does," said
+Joan.
+
+"Oh, pshaw! I'm Orderly, and I s'pose I've got to go," declared Judith,
+impatiently.
+
+"I'll go for you, Judy, 'cause I can't bear to wait here and see Jake
+kill anything," said Betty, deeply distressed.
+
+"All right, Judy,--let Betty go instead, if she likes," agreed the
+Corporal. So Betty ran swiftly away while the other scouts resumed their
+coaxings to draw Jake away from the log.
+
+Julie now started to break away through the bush to get the dog, and
+several of the girls followed closely at her heels. When they reached
+the place where they had seen something move, they also saw tracks in
+the soft soil.
+
+"It really is a wild animal," said Julie, excited at sight of the
+footprints.
+
+"But what? Do you know?" asked Judith.
+
+"No, but it must be a beaver--or a fox. I don't know which," confessed
+Julie.
+
+But they couldn't get at Jake. He was racing excitedly up and down on
+the log, his nose close to the strangely odorous scent, and all the
+commands and persuasions from the scouts failed to make the least
+impression on him. His nervous short yelps showed how keen he was to
+have a face-to-face bout with the animal.
+
+Julie tried to step on the leash, but he dragged her foot so that she
+suddenly sat down violently on the ground. Then he nosed under the grass
+that hung over the brook, and finally swam over to the other side. There
+he stood and watched nervously, but the girls could not get him back
+again.
+
+"Talk about his minding! Why, he's the cussedest dog I ever saw!"
+complained Julie, as she got up and shook her clothes free of the
+briars.
+
+"There's no use standing in this baking sun to look at Jake standing on
+the other bank!" exclaimed Joan, angrily eying the disobedient dog.
+
+"We'll go back to the shady trail and watch for Gilly," said Julie,
+starting back to join the Captain. But they kept calling to Jake as they
+retraced their steps.
+
+When they got back to the slight elevation where Mrs. Vernon and Amy had
+waited, anxiously watching results, they saw Jake make a leap and swim
+quickly back across the brook to the log.
+
+"He must have seen or heard something that time," whispered Hester.
+
+"Yes, 'cause he's stretched out on that log nervously wagging his tail
+with his eyes glued on something," admitted Amy.
+
+Then they caught their breath. The scouts saw a movement in the green
+leaves at the end of the log and then--Jake was creeping stealthily
+across that log, as if he also saw what he wanted to pounce upon.
+
+"Oh, oh! Jake's got it! He's jumped upon it!" screamed Julie,
+frantically.
+
+"Why, it's a great big tomcat! They're fighting!" cried Hester, too
+excited to stand still, but jumping up and down.
+
+"A cat! Gilly hasn't a cat that color!" declared Joan.
+
+"Girls!" fairly hissed Julie. "I bet it's a wildcat--and it will kill
+Jake as sure as anything!"
+
+"No, no! Oh, girls, I just saw it, too! It's a skunk! Run, run--for your
+lives!" cried Mrs. Vernon, turning to run up the trail towards the
+bungalow.
+
+But several of the scouts would not desert the dog. He had carried the
+skunk off its feet with his unexpected leap upon it, and the two rolled
+and fought madly for supremacy. The leash, instead of tripping Jake, got
+tangled in the skunk's legs, and both animals rolled back and forth.
+
+The enraged beast fired the deadly fluid to blind her antagonist, but it
+drenched the fallen tree only. Then Jake caught a grip on her throat and
+shook her head; still she was game and kept on struggling.
+
+Again they rolled over together, the skunk trying to get to the brink of
+the water, where she would manage to roll them both in. But Jake
+understood that motive, too, and braced his feet against the stones in
+their way.
+
+A second volley of the ill-smelling spray from the skunk struck at
+random, and then Jake gave her neck another sudden shake. This time it
+was effective, and the head suddenly hung limp. Jake had broken her
+neck, and was the victor!
+
+He now took great pains to drag the trophy through the brush to present
+to his friends in the roadway. The leash caught several times and almost
+snapped his own neck, and the skunk was heavy, but he managed to drag it
+along.
+
+When Julie saw his intent she screamed and warned the girls to flee! And
+in running up the trail they met Mr. Gilroy, who had been summoned by
+half-crazed Betty's crying, "Jake and the beaver are killing each
+other!"
+
+Mr. Gilroy did not stop to hear what Julie tried to gasp, but he ran
+down and saw Jake bringing the skunk out into the pathway.
+
+"To heel! to heel, Jake!" shouted Mr. Gilroy, holding his nose when the
+dog tried to jump upon him in the ecstasy of having achieved such a
+great deed.
+
+"What shall we do with him? He can't sleep at Dandelion camp to-night,"
+wailed the girls, as they, too, held their noses.
+
+"I'll have to take him back to the barn and have Hiram turn the hose on
+him for twenty-four hours."
+
+"Isn't there a reward for skunks in the country?" now asked the Captain.
+
+"Not only a reward, but the pelts are valuable since they became so
+fashionable," remarked Mr. Gilroy, complacently.
+
+"Well, Jake's earned his keep to-day, then," declared Judith.
+
+"But it will cost more than the skunk brings to pay for the nine hundred
+and ninety-nine bottles of _fleur-de-lis_ toilet water Gilly will have
+to use to change Jake's scent!" laughed Julie.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE
+
+LESSONS IN TRACKING
+
+
+"Well, scouts! That shows us how little we know about wild animal's
+tracks," remarked Mrs. Vernon, after Jake had been made to go back to
+the bungalow, and the Troop went on to camp.
+
+"I could have sworn that skunk's footprints were a coon's or a
+fox's,--or something big!" exclaimed Julie, trying to justify her
+mistake.
+
+"To me, the tracks in the soil looked like a lynx's, or something,"
+added Joan, hoping to cover the ignominy of having unearthed a skunk
+without knowing the animal.
+
+"Isn't there some sort of book that will teach us how to recognize
+tracks, girls?" asked Hester.
+
+"Is there, Verny? Maybe we can get one at the bungalow," added Julie.
+
+"I don't know of any at this moment, but Mr. Gilroy surely will know,"
+replied the Captain.
+
+So they all went to the bungalow the next morning to inquire after
+Jake's scent, and also to borrow any books on the subject they had
+discussed.
+
+"Yes, I have several books, and let me tell you they are precious, too.
+There are but few on this subject, and the one I consider the best was
+compiled by Ernest Seton-Thompson under great difficulties. He had to
+gather all information from plaster casts made in the tracks themselves,
+or from sketches, or from camera pictures taken on the spot.
+
+"As every different animal leaves a different track, there are many
+illustrations necessary in such a work, and that makes the book most
+desirable and also very expensive. But it is great fun to study the
+pictures and then try to recognize the tracks in the woods."
+
+"We haven't found any about camp," said Judith, regretfully.
+
+"There must be all sorts of tracks there, but you don't know how to find
+them. Now, if you want to study this book and then practice early some
+morning, I'll come down and help find the tracks," Mr. Gilroy said.
+
+"Oh, great! Will you come to-morrow morning?" asked the girls.
+
+"Hadn't we better study the book first, scouts, and let Gilly know when
+we are ready to go tracking?" suggested the Captain.
+
+So for a time every one was busy reading the book and trying to discover
+a track in the woods near camp. But Julie laughed as she said, "It isn't
+likely that a wild animal will prowl close to our camp at night. We'll
+have to hunt one some distance away."
+
+Mr. Gilroy overheard the remark as he came down the trail. "Sometimes
+the animals will come quite close to camp just to find out what it is
+that is intruding on their forest domain."
+
+"Well, then, I wish they'd hurry and come here!" declared Judith.
+
+"When you are ready to hunt tracks, I'll arrange some baits around your
+camp grounds; and the next morning I'll vow you'll see that you've had
+callers while you slept. So quiet are they that you won't hear them,
+either," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"We are ready to hunt now, Gilly. We know everything in the book and are
+crazy to test it," said Joan, eagerly.
+
+"Then I'll tell you what we might do. I was going over to Grey Fox Camp,
+but if you girls will deliver a message for me, I will go home and
+attend to the bait I spoke of. Hiram and I will do the rest."
+
+"All right--what do you want us to say to the boys?" agreed the scouts.
+
+"Now, listen! Tell them that I want them to start out at dawn in the
+morning and hunt up all the tracks they can trace about their camp. Then
+to-morrow afternoon they are to come over here with their reports and
+have a match with you girls. The side showing the best results and most
+interesting experience shall have a prize. How does it strike you?" Mr.
+Gilroy glanced at the pleased faces as he concluded.
+
+"Fine! Do they know much about tracks?" returned Julie.
+
+"Oh, yes, but then you must understand that they have been scouting for
+more than four years. Tell them that this is your first summer in a
+genuine forest camp, and they need not expect you to accomplish wonders.
+Then you girls must turn in and do your best!" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+The scouts were most enthusiastic, and gaily agreed to follow Mr.
+Gilroy's suggestions. When they were ready to hike over the crest, the
+Captain said, "We may as well invite the boys to supper to-morrow and
+make a party of it."
+
+"That will be splendid. And I'll contribute my quota to the dinner
+instead of eating it at home," added Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"We may have quail or partridge for dinner if we track the birds
+carefully," suggested Joan, giggling.
+
+"Venison steaks are better," hinted Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"What's the matter with bear steaks, while we're about it? They're said
+to be gamier in flavor," laughed Julie.
+
+"We'll have all three, and serve a ten-course dinner to the boys," added
+Ruth.
+
+With light banter the scouts left Mr. Gilroy where the trails
+diverged,--they to cross the crest and invite the boys over for supper
+the next day, and Mr. Gilroy to go home to find the "bait."
+
+Dandelion Camp was abandoned for a long time that day, and it was too
+late in the afternoon when the scouts returned, to ask what had been
+done in the woods during their absence; but a great deal had taken place
+there, as Hiram and his master could have told had they been so
+inclined. Even Jake could have testified to mysterious actions, and many
+queer maneuvers of familiar animals from the barnyard, but the girls
+never asked _him_. Their faith in Mr. Gilroy was sublime!
+
+While the Dandelioners sat eating their camp supper, they discussed the
+boys they had visited that day.
+
+"I declare! I wonder if we ever _will_ know as much about the woods as
+those Grey Fox boys do," sighed Hester, taking a bite of baked potato.
+
+"Sure! We know almost as much as they do already," bragged Joan.
+
+"They gave us a lovely luncheon--and all with nothing to do it with,"
+added Judith.
+
+"And it's up to us, girls, to give them a dinner that will make their
+eyes pop out to-morrow!" declared Ruth.
+
+"Let's plan it now, and do as much towards it as possible, then we can
+give that much extra time to tracking," suggested Julie.
+
+"And, scouts! I want you to display every bit of fine work you have done
+since we've been in camp, and all the work we did at camp last summer,
+as well, and brought with us this year," advised the Captain.
+
+"Yes, we don't want those boys to think we don't know a thing! The stuff
+we've made is so different from what they have, too," admitted the
+leader.
+
+So the evening was employed in arranging many exhibits to impress the
+visitors the following afternoon. Then the scouts rolled into bed.
+
+"Verny, you'd better set the alarm clock for four in the morning,"
+called Julie, the last thing.
+
+"Yes, we want to be up and ready to start when Gilly comes for us,"
+added Joan, the Corporal.
+
+"All right. Go to sleep now, or you'll all over-sleep," laughed the
+Captain from her tent.
+
+But there was no need of an alarm clock. The girls were up half an hour
+before it rang, and were impatiently waiting for the arrival of their
+instructor in tracking. Some of the scouts had gone into the bushes to
+begin a search, but had found nothing.
+
+It took but a few moments after Mr. Gilroy arrived to outline his plans
+for the work and fun. "We will scatter in couples to hunt for any sort
+of track whatever. The first couple that discovers any genuine track
+must call out, then we all will run and study it for what it is, or
+where it leads to. Now, pair off, scouts, but the Captain and I will
+follow at a distance and hurry to the first pair who find a track."
+
+"There are nine of us--how about the odd one?" asked Julie.
+
+"Let the three youngest go together," returned the Captain. So Amy,
+Betty and Judith hunted in trio.
+
+It was a "still hunt" for a time, since every one was too intent on
+finding a track to speak. Most of the scouts took to the dense bushes
+and woods, but the Leader sought in a clearing and was the first to
+summon the others.
+
+"Oh, come, every one! We've found a great big track!" called Julie, as
+she and her companion knelt to inspect the prints.
+
+Every one raced wildly to the clearing, and, sure enough, there were
+hoof prints distinctly marked in the soil. The trail led across the
+clearing into the dense forest.
+
+"Aren't they big?" excitedly asked Joan.
+
+"They're made by a deer!" said Julie, boastfully.
+
+"Are they, Gilly?" asked the girls as the Judge came up.
+
+He pretended to study them carefully, and then said: "I shall have to
+wait and compare them with those in the book."
+
+"Maybe it is a reindeer?" suggested Betty, eagerly.
+
+"Mercy no! We don't have reindeers south of the Pole!" declared her
+sister.
+
+"Look here, girls! This creature only had two legs--it left only two
+hoofmarks, one for each side," cried Judith now.
+
+"Then I know what it was! It was that familiar animal that carries a
+pitchfork, smells of sulphur and is known to have hoofs," retorted
+Julie, making them all laugh merrily.
+
+"I'm sure I have no desire to trail _him_!" said the Captain, holding up
+both hands as if to ward off such a danger. "Let him go to his lair in
+peace!"
+
+"All joking aside, girls, this is a queer track--only two feet instead
+of four. Let's follow and see where it goes," suggested Mr. Gilroy.
+
+So they trailed the plainly visible tracks, and after a distance, Julie
+said: "Whatever it is, it couldn't have traveled so far as this if it
+was a cripple. It just _couldn't_ walk on two hind legs all this way."
+
+Mr. Gilroy had to laugh loudly at this, but he said, "No, but don't give
+up hope! You may stumble right over the prostrate buck."
+
+But the trail now crossed itself several times, and the scouts wondered
+which way the two-legged creature finally went, for all tracks were
+obliterated after that criss-cross place in a tiny clearing.
+
+The Corporal was determined to pick it up again somewhere, so she
+finally came out to the trail that ran from the camp to the bungalow.
+Here she wandered up and down for a short distance, and then spied the
+tracks again.
+
+"Oh, I've got him again. He goes right up this trail," so she followed.
+
+The others followed at a distance, and then she shouted, "He prowled
+around Gilly's house, too, last night, for I see the hoofmarks here."
+
+Julie would have gone after the tracks to the right "lair," but Hiram
+came forward from the barnyard to meet her. He had heard her call to the
+others, and offered a solution to the problem.
+
+"I seen them tracks this mornin', too, Miss Julie, and I'm sure that
+animal come to the barnyard las' night to feed offen the hay and corn he
+could find around there."
+
+"Oh, really! Would one do that?" asked Julie, amazed.
+
+"Sure he would, if he was a deer. An' them tracks ain't no grizzly, er
+fox, er other critter, you know."
+
+"No; of course, it is a deer, as one can see by the tracks. But I'm
+sorry we have to end in such an ordinary place as the barnyard," sighed
+Julie.
+
+"I see'd some queer tracks down by that log where Jake caught the
+skunk," now hinted Hiram.
+
+That was enough! In another moment every scout was bounding down the
+trail in order to reach the spot first and win honor by knowing the
+track correctly.
+
+Hester found these tracks first, and shouted to her friends, "This has
+small cloven feet, but there are only two legs, also! Now and then you
+can see where one track looks as if a hind foot had broken in on another
+one!"
+
+"Oh, girls! That explains that other two-footed animal!" now exclaimed
+Julie, quickly.
+
+"What, what?" demanded every one eagerly.
+
+"Most likely the deer stepped daintily with its hind feet directly in
+the same track made by its forefeet. It said something about that in the
+book, you know."
+
+"Do you think that is it, Gilly?" now asked several anxious voices.
+
+"Exactly! I was hoping you'd find that out," agreed he.
+
+"Well, does this creature show any unusual tendencies, girls, by which
+you can recognize it?" laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"Not a thing! It starts from the trail and goes right through the brush
+where we broke a way that day the skunk was killed, and it stopped to
+question nothing. It must have been in a hurry to get a drink,"
+explained Joan.
+
+The trail plainly led to the brook, and ended there. No sign of anything
+going back again could be found, although the girls looked carefully
+over the entire place. Then Julie thought she saw something in the soft
+soil upon the opposite bank. To make sure, she waded through the shallow
+but swiftly running water, and there, on the steep bank, she saw the
+tracks again.
+
+"Ha! I found 'em! plain as day. Come and follow!" called she. And off
+she started.
+
+Not more than a dozen yards along the top of the bank she found the
+tracks go down again; and through the brook she went, up the other
+side, and back to the brush-clearing on a new trail, following the
+cloven-footed tracks. Out on the hard trail they were lost.
+
+"Now, that makes two I've trailed and lost. It's a shame!" cried Julie,
+stamping her foot.
+
+"'Better to have trailed and lost than never to have found at all,'"
+misquoted Mrs. Vernon, laughingly.
+
+"If the first one was a deer, this second one must have been a little
+fawn," said Judith.
+
+"Is there any other animal that wears hoofs?" asked Ruth, of no one in
+particular.
+
+Now, Mr. Gilroy must have dreaded the reply, for he quickly changed the
+subject. "How many of you brought the plaster and bottle of water?"
+Every one had.
+
+"Well, why not make a little cast of both the tracks you do not
+recognize and then compare them with those in the book when we go back
+to camp?"
+
+This sounded fine, so the scouts were soon busy making casts of the
+tracks. When hard, they were handed to the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to
+carry carefully until they all reached camp.
+
+Quite near the camp ground Hester made a discovery. "Oh, come and see!
+Here is something with toes. As big as a wildcat, or maybe a little
+bear!"
+
+Yes, there were toes in this animal's tracks--as plain as could be. So
+the scouts guessed every animal known, excepting the coyote and
+water-loving creatures. After many futile suggestions, they made a
+plaster cast of these tracks also.
+
+"I'm going to carry this load back to camp, girls, and be ready for the
+next one you give me," announced Mr. Gilroy, starting to go down the
+trail.
+
+The next two tracks, one that of a large-toed animal and the other of
+one whose tracks showed how the hair grew down low on the hind
+legs,--for the hair showed in several of the imprints made of
+plaster,--strangely ended near the bungalow, and on the other side of
+the hard trail again, they ran as far as the barnyard.
+
+"I never saw the beat of it! Any one would think Gilly hung the bait on
+the barn door to entice the animals here," said Julie, who was angry at
+winding up at such a place three times running. Mr. Gilroy had to laugh
+in spite of himself.
+
+"Say, where did you put that bait, anyway, Gilly?" demanded the scout
+leader, watching the man skeptically.
+
+"Where we knew it would attract the best results."
+
+"Gilly, I verily believe you are hoaxing us!" cried Julie. Mrs. Vernon
+smiled at her bright scout, but Mr. Gilroy shook his head protestingly.
+
+"Why should I hoax any one? I was laughing at the way you brave scouts
+dodged when Joan said the animal they lost might be crouching on a
+bough of the trees."
+
+"No, that wasn't what made you laugh." Then Julie went over and held a
+secret conference with her corporal and Ruth, and they, grinning, urged
+her to do as she suggested.
+
+So Julie took a sample of the different casts made in the tracks, and
+left the others engaged in finding new and intricate tracks. Mr. Gilroy
+and the Captain were not taken into the three scouts' confidence, but
+they must have suspected where Julie proposed going, for soon after she
+had gone Mrs. Vernon said:
+
+"Girls, if we expect to entertain the Grey Fox boys at dinner this
+afternoon, we'd better go back now and begin work."
+
+"Without a clue to any wild animal we tracked?" sighed Judith.
+
+"Oh, yes, Judy--we've got some fine clues, and by the time we're at camp
+and have our books out, Julie will be back with proofs! Come on," was
+Joan's assurance to the girls.
+
+On the way, the scouts discussed the last track they had discovered. "I
+was sure it was a crow's," asserted Amy.
+
+"No, it was more like a chicken-hawk's," Hester added.
+
+"There wouldn't be any chicken-hawk around here in these woods," said
+Joan.
+
+"Maybe it was the American Eagle," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Yes, it got tired of sitting on the flagpole where the colors have hung
+for four days without being taken in at night, as they should be,"
+remarked the Captain.
+
+"Dear me, Verny, there is so much to remember in camp. We always
+remember the flag after we are in bed at night," complained Ruth.
+
+"The Orderly will have to appoint a flagman for each day after this,"
+said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+They finally reached camp, and had a light luncheon ready before Julie
+returned. She came down the trail sprightly, with one hand holding
+something behind her, and singing as she came.
+
+"Where have you been, Julie?" asked several of the scouts.
+
+"Did you find out what you went for?" asked others.
+
+"Yep! I learned that we have among us the queerest sort of creature,
+girls. It really walks on two legs, holds its head upright, and belongs
+to the fox class. I tracked it right to our midst," laughed Julie.
+
+The scouts seemed perplexed, and Julie, too full of her discoveries to
+tease very long, said, "His name is 'Foxy Grandpa,' and you all know him
+well!"
+
+Every eye glanced at Mr. Gilroy, and he laughingly replied, "Why do you
+all seem to think I am that animal?"
+
+"Because you are, Gilly!" retorted Julie. "And I'll prove it now, to
+every one's satisfaction."
+
+"First, then: Did Hiram miss any calves or pigs or other domestic
+animals from his barnyard yesterday?"
+
+Mr. Gilroy threw up both hands in submission when he saw the knowing
+look in the leader's eyes.
+
+"Because here are the molds we made of the tracks found in the forest,
+girls. And here are molds I made of the heifer, a pig, the Great Dane,
+and a chicken, at the bungalow. Can you find any difference?"
+
+Both the Captain and Mr. Gilroy laughed, but the scouts gasped in
+unbelief, "Would Gilly do such a thing?"
+
+Not one bit of difference was found when comparing the molds of each
+animal, and then Mr. Gilroy had to tell how he did it. Of course, the
+scouts laughed mirthlessly, for they were thinking of how those Grey Fox
+boys would jeer at their woodcraft. But Julie now brought out in front,
+the hand which had held something behind her.
+
+"Here is the hawk--or American Eaglet. I brought it with me for dinner
+to-night. To Gilly it will be crow-pie, but to us it will be spring
+chicken." And the Leader tossed a dead chicken upon the grass. Then she
+added:
+
+"That's what happens to all 'critters' that trespass on our land. Hiram
+tells me that when a farmer catches an animal on his land, he generally
+holds it for ransom, or for food for himself, so we have not fared so
+badly, scouts, in this day's work!
+
+"Behold the other trophies coming! I took them because they broke the
+law and trespassed on our estates last night." Julie waved a hand
+dramatically towards the trail, and every one turned to look.
+
+Hiram was slowly advancing toward camp, leading with one hand a
+fractious pig, and with the other hand dragging an unwilling half-grown
+heifer on a chain. Jake was jumping about and barking excitedly as they
+came over and stood like prisoners at the bar.
+
+"Mr. Foxy Grandpa," began Julie, as severely as she could, "because of
+your crime of misleading trusting scouts into a snare, I pronounce this
+judgment upon you, and therefore levy upon your property to satisfy the
+judgment.
+
+"This wild deer and its little fawn shall henceforth be the property of
+the injured ones--insulted past all forgiveness by your fraud. And the
+innocent victims used to perpetrate your schemes, being as free from
+guile as the scouts themselves, shall dwell henceforth together in peace
+and tranquillity!"
+
+Every one laughed heartily at the denouement for it was so like Julie;
+but Mrs. Vernon added, "Julie you speak exactly like the millennial
+times, when the lion and the lamb shall dwell in love and peace
+together."
+
+"The lion will dwell with the lamb, all right, but the lamb will be the
+_piece_ inside the lion," added Mr. Gilroy; "just as this pig will live
+in camp! Such a life as it will lead you!"
+
+"No good talking 'sour grapes', now, Gilly," advised Julie, wisely. "The
+calf and the pig remain, no matter what sort of life they lead us."
+
+"What can you expect to do with two such pets?" asked Mr. Gilroy, who
+was honestly amazed at the scouts' unexpected appropriation.
+
+"First, build a pen for them, and second, have veal and pork before we
+leave for home!" retorted Julie. She then ordered all the scouts to fall
+to work and construct a temporary shelter for the two creatures.
+
+Mr. Gilroy seemed too surprised to comment, and when Hiram finally
+delivered the calf and pig into Julie's custody, Mr. Gilroy turned to
+her and said, "Do you _really_ mean to keep the beasts, here in camp?"
+
+"Why, of course! Why should we go to all this fuss for nothing?"
+
+"Well, I can't see, yet, why you should?"
+
+When the calf and pig were temporarily tied to a tree, where they seemed
+as much at home as back in the barnyard, Julie said, "By the way, Gilly,
+what did you call the pets when they were yours?"
+
+"They have never been christened, because I waited for an opportune
+time. It is here now!" returned Mr. Gilroy, picking up one of the
+bottles of water that had done duty to make plaster casts that morning.
+
+He held it over the calf's head and poured half of its contents out
+while he said solemnly:
+
+"Dear little deer, henceforth you shall be known as Julia, in honor of
+the intrepid scout that captured you, single-handed.
+
+"Likewise, this sweet little fawn, known by its tracks through the
+wilderness, shall be named Ant-and-ett because of its peculiar
+habits,--busy as an ant and eats all that comes its way!" Then the rest
+of the water was emptied over the pig's head.
+
+"_Antoinette_ it shall be, now and forever," declared Julie, while the
+other scouts laughed uproariously. But the two names stuck, and
+thereafter the calf was "Julia" and the pig was generally called by the
+name of "Anty."
+
+After the christening Mr. Gilroy beckoned for the Captain to join him
+where the girls could not over-hear his conversation. "You don't suppose
+the girls are in earnest about keeping the pig and calf at camp, do
+you?" asked he, anxiously.
+
+"Yes, certainly," laughed Mrs. Vernon. "You don't know girls of this
+age, or you'd understand that they enjoy all these silly pranks
+thoroughly, and really, they act as safety-valves."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN
+
+THE GIRL SCOUTS ENTERTAIN
+
+
+"Now, Gilly, you've got to help us build the sheds for Julia and Anty,
+or go home until its time for the party," exclaimed the Leader, calling
+to the still-wondering man.
+
+"If we're to have any dinner ready for the Grey Foxes; I think Hiram and
+Gilly ought to do the building of the sheds, and let us get busy with
+the cooking," added the Corporal.
+
+"Yes, that's a better plan," admitted Julie. "Come on, now, Gilly, don't
+shirk your duty!"
+
+So Mr. Gilroy and his man were set to do construction work, while the
+scouts ran to and fro, fetching and carrying, arranging exhibits,
+baking, cooking, and what-not, that Dandelion Troop need not take a
+"back seat" in comparison with the Grey Foxes.
+
+"Verny," whispered Julie, soon after the two men were sawing and nailing
+at the sheds, "it's as plain as the nose on my face, that Gilly thinks
+those boys are far cleverer than we girls."
+
+"What makes you think so, Julie?" asked Joan, who was passing at the
+time.
+
+"Never mind, now, Jo, but we've just got to show him, as well as his
+boys, that girl scouts know a heap more than they talk about. That's why
+I'm anxious to make a 'ten-strike' with dinner!"
+
+"It is too bad we were tricked with false tracks," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I don't believe those boys would have known any better, under the
+circumstances, but of course, they won't admit it."
+
+"Forget it!" said Julie, shortly. "And listen to me. Take all the
+contents of our boxes out upon the cots, and call upon all the girls you
+need to help in the work. Turn the packing cases upside down and cover
+them with some of our embroidered covers; then arrange to the best
+advantage, everything we can show for our past year in scoutdom.
+
+"Try to group our exhibits according to their relationship with each
+other, but leave all the Indian pots and dishes scattered about
+carelessly as if we were accustomed to using them daily. The birchbark
+baskets and articles can be hung about on tents or trees where they will
+show off best,--but don't let it look as if the stunt was done on
+purpose for this occasion--see?"
+
+Joan smiled. "Yes, I see! Leave it to the Girl Scouts!"
+
+So, although there was plenty of activity before, now there was no end
+of rushing and laughing and planning between the scouts. The pots and
+dishes Julie spoke of were left to Mrs. Vernon to place, and she
+accomplished the task of studying carefully the apparent carelessness of
+leaving the vessels about.
+
+These Indian pots and dishes were the most interesting things the scouts
+had made. It was simple work, and took but little time and no cost to
+produce the results. And most effective they were.
+
+They took a lump of clay and worked out all the hard bits, and sticks or
+stones, then shaped it for the bottom of a bowl or pot. In its first
+step it looked like a flat saucer, then it was left an hour or two,
+according to the thickness of the clay, to dry well. After that the
+sides were built up on this saucerlike bottom.
+
+It was shaped the desired form, and patted into the thickness required,
+then smoothed out nicely, both inside and out, and again dried as
+before. Now it was baked in a hot fire for several hours, so that when
+it was cool it was a fireproof bowl.
+
+The only trouble the girls had had with this interesting art was the
+carelessness of a few of them in cooling the dishes too quickly. They
+found the clay invariably cracked when the pots were too quickly cooled
+after taking them from the fire. But by slow degrees of cooling, which
+took about three hours, they came out perfect.
+
+The scouts had decorated their pots as they felt inclined, so that they
+presented a varied and pleasing array as they stood about camp, in
+places where the eye would see them to their best advantage. Some were
+painted with wood-dyes, and others were etched in relief patterns.
+
+When the Captain had finished her task, she silently drew the attention
+of the scouts to the groups, and they all stood and smiled proudly at
+their handiwork.
+
+"We didn't see anything like that at Grey Fox Camp," bragged Judith to
+Joan.
+
+"No sir! Nor did they have a cookstove like ours! Alec may have made a
+roasting-fan such as we never heard of before, but we can show him a
+thing or two when he comes over!" exclaimed Joan.
+
+At this moment Julie was heard calling the Orderly.
+
+"How about that chicken? Some one's got to draw it so it can be cooked.
+It ought to go on the fire in another half hour."
+
+At this Mr. Gilroy called out, "You're not going to eat my chicken, are
+you?"
+
+"Sure! That's why I had Hiram wring its neck. I knew the poor thing
+wouldn't object to being cooked if once its breath was gone," laughed
+Julie.
+
+"Dear me! It's my turn to draw the fowl and I hate it!" complained Ruth.
+
+"S-sh!" warned Julie, waving a frying-pan at Ruth, "it is for the Cause
+of Woman this time, so don't cry, Ruthy!"
+
+"I'll help do it, Ruth," Betty now offered kindly. "I know how you
+dislike the work, but 'Liza showed me how to do it so that it really
+isn't half bad."
+
+Betty poured scalding water over the chicken, and the feathers came off
+easily. Then she slit the throat and breast and removed the entrails
+without causing any repulsion in Ruth. When it was ready, Ruth admitted
+that she knew she could do the work the next time without a qualm.
+
+The cookstove the scouts were so proud of was a remarkable affair--even
+Mr. Gilroy admitted that. Mrs. Vernon had discovered a heap of fine flat
+stones, such as a surveyor uses for his "corners," and these were used.
+The largest stones were placed against a tree that would act as draught
+to the fire, and the mound was built up until it was a convenient height
+to use without bending uncomfortably low, as is necessary with
+campfires.
+
+Through the center of this mound was a well, and on four sides of the
+rounded mound were windowlike openings backed with tin; in these niches
+various pots or pans could be kept hot while other viands were cooking
+on top of the stove.
+
+The top was made of a sheet of thin stove-iron which the Captain had
+brought from home, and near the bottom of the mound was a tipping-stone
+upon which the fire was laid. When the fire was out, its ashes could be
+removed by tipping the flat stone over and letting the cinders fall to
+the bottom, where they could be raked away quite easily.
+
+This opening provided draught for the fire, and at the back, from the
+fire-stone, an opening had been left, and here to several feet above the
+top of the stove, a length of stove-pipe carried all smoke out and above
+the heads of the scouts.
+
+The girls had also built a fireless cooker in the ground just beside
+their stove, where fish, or any article needing steady heat, could be
+placed. This cooking-pit was constructed after the plan adopted by most
+scouts, and described fully in the manual.
+
+While Ruth and Betty were busy preparing the chicken, Mrs. Vernon built
+a good fire in the stove, and had several of the girls heat the stones
+in the fireless cooker, to be ready for use.
+
+Mr. Gilroy had donated several fine lake trout that day, so these were
+cleaned and washed and placed in the cooker-pit, where they would need
+no watching but be done to a turn when wanted.
+
+The chicken was cut up for a fricasee, and diced onions and potatoes
+were prepared to add to the boiling liquid about an hour before serving.
+This would provide not only soup for the first course, but chicken with
+dumplings for a third course. They proposed having the fish with butter
+sauce for the second course.
+
+Just as Julie added the diced potatoes, Hester exclaimed, "Oh, Jule!
+what did you do that for? Those duck-potatoes were meant to make the
+boys' eyes bulge!"
+
+"What duck-potatoes? I never touched them!" declared Julie, defensively.
+
+"Didn't you cut them up and use them just now?"
+
+"I should say not! After all the work we had in finding and digging
+them! Why, they ought to be preserved--not eaten," laughed the Leader.
+
+"Thank goodness!" sighed Hester, in such evident relief that every one
+laughed sympathetically.
+
+"Who's doing the Indian cucumbers?" called the Corporal.
+
+"I am!" answered Judith. "They're all peeled and sliced ready to serve.
+And Amy gathered the dandelion greens to go with them."
+
+"Fine! Verny is making a mayonnaise to use with the salad. My! Won't
+those boys have the wind taken out of their sails when they see the duck
+potatoes and Indian cucumbers!" giggled Joan.
+
+Mr. Gilroy had not missed much of all this whispering and joyous
+confusion, and he chuckled to himself as he and Hiram finished nailing
+the last boards on the sheds and turned Julia into her new home. The
+small pigsty was soon completed, and then a fence was built about it,
+but it was not calculated to keep a full-grown pig in bounds; it was
+strong enough for Antoinette, however, at that time.
+
+Before the pig-pen was quite finished, the scouts heard the whistles and
+calls from the Grey Fox boys, as they hiked over the crest trail. So
+they fluttered about anxiously to see that not an item on the programme
+was forgotten.
+
+Hiram was on his way to the bungalow, and Mr. Gilroy had hurried down to
+the lake to wash up and make his dinner toilet, when the boys came gaily
+into camp. After greeting their hostesses, the Grey Fox scouts looked
+around.
+
+"Well, guess you girls are planning to spread yourselves for dinner,
+eh?" asked Alec, jocularly.
+
+"Oh, nothing more than usual; we live high every day," returned Julie,
+tossing her head.
+
+Nothing more was said about dinner just then, but a loud call from
+"Julia" drew all attention to her shed. The boys stared in surprise at
+the two buildings they had never noticed before.
+
+"Isn't that a pig--in that pen?" asked Ned, amazedly.
+
+"No, it's Antoinette--our latest girl scout!" giggled Amy.
+
+The boys laughed, for the name struck them as awfully funny for a pig.
+Then they walked from Anty's pen to the shed, which had a door swung on
+leather hinges, but it was closed.
+
+"And what sort of scout do you lock up in here?" asked Bob,
+condescendingly.
+
+"Bob Veal!" retorted Julie, causing every one to roar at the questioner.
+
+Bob flushed, but walked over to the stove where the Captain stood
+stirring the dumplings in the chicken soup. "That's a fine stove,
+Captain," ventured he.
+
+"Yes, it is something like the one we built last year in camp. That was
+so convenient we decided to have another this summer. Wouldn't you boys
+like to examine it closely?"
+
+Thereupon the Grey Foxes did examine it closely, much to their advantage
+on useful ideas of kitchen equipment. Then they saw the fireless cooker
+that was in use for the time being; so they passed on to inspect the
+various birchbark hanging-baskets filled with flowers; the rustic
+fern-boxes, and all the useful articles the scouts had manufactured of
+birchbark and acorns.
+
+"It takes a girl to do fancywork, all right. Now, we boys are not gifted
+that way, you see, but we can make other things, instead," remarked
+Alec, bestowing a male's compliments on feminine accomplishments.
+
+"Just what can you make, or have done, that we girls are not able to
+do?" demanded Julie.
+
+"Oh, I wasn't personal in any way,--I just meant that it is quite
+natural for women to do the light things while men have to look after
+the business of life!"
+
+"Well, the quicker you open your eyes to facts, and see that we women of
+the present age are fast outstripping the men in _every_ calling, the
+better it will be for your own good!" said Julie.
+
+"Just glance around, boys, and tell us if you can make a better showing
+for _your_ four years," added Joan, waving her hand at the various
+exhibits.
+
+It happened that the girls had each been given a cue by Julie, so that
+when the Grey Fox boys came into camp, Judith was found sweeping
+carefully with a camp-made broom, Amy and Betty were placing a tabletop
+upon its legs and then starting to set the table, and the other scouts
+were busy with other unusual things. Now Dick walked over to Judith.
+
+"How did you know you could make a broom like this?" said he.
+
+"Why, this is an old one made the first day we came to camp. You ought
+to see our new ones. They are fine!"
+
+Dick examined the broom, and called Alec over. "They can make brooms,
+all right, Alec!" said he, showing the article in question. It was made
+of long hickory shavings, well bound about a good handle, and promised
+to outlast any dozen store brooms.
+
+"But why sweep this grass,--that's foolish," said Alec.
+
+"No, because this is where we will sit about the table. We always sweep
+away the crumbs or trash that fall during mealtime, so the ants and
+other insects won't annoy us. This morning, however, we were in such a
+hurry to get out with Gilly, that we forgot the usual routine work in
+camp," explained Judith.
+
+The two boys exchanged glances, but Judith saw them. Alec then said,
+smilingly, "Oh, yes! How did that track-hunt come off? I suppose you
+scouts knew every animal, eh?"
+
+Judith now realized that Mr. Gilroy had had the whole joke planned out
+with the Grey Fox boys, and that the boys were only waiting to have a
+good old laugh on the girls. So she deliberately told a lie,--fervently
+praying that it be forgiven for the "Cause of Women."
+
+She glanced roguishly up at Alec, and winked one eye. "Wasn't it too
+funny for anything,--the way we led Gilly about by the nose?"
+
+The boys stared in surprise for a moment, then Dick said, "What do you
+mean? Didn't you scouts go out at dawn with Gilly to study tracks?"
+
+"Sure! But didn't you boys know about the joke we made up on him about
+those tracks? That's why he is so late to dinner."
+
+"Tell us about it?" eagerly begged both boys.
+
+"Oh! I can't. I thought you knew something about it or you wouldn't have
+grinned the way you did. I'm so sorry I let the cat out of the bag, for
+likely, our Leader wants to tell you the story while we all are at
+dinner," cried Judith, the picture of regret.
+
+"Oh, come on and tell! Now that you've said so much!" coaxed Dick.
+
+"Well, you boys walk around and look over our work and I'll run and ask
+Julie if I may tell you the story," whispered Judith, giggling, and
+running over to the Leader's side.
+
+When Julie heard the truth from Judith, she was furious, but she soon
+saw that she must thrust anger behind her, and plan some clever way to
+reverse the joke and make it fall upon the originator. In fact, at that
+moment, the scouts wished all kinds of dreadful things upon their
+benefactor, Mr. Gilroy.
+
+He, however, unaware of their ire, was walking up the trail from the
+lake to the camp-site. And the boys, who were told to amuse themselves
+for a time, were certainly finding more good ideas put into useful form
+at that camp than they ever dreamed of.
+
+The large square table was constructed of the boards removed from a
+piano-case which Gilly had at the barn. These were all nailed to a frame
+and furnished a strong, heavy top that could be placed, at will, on the
+four sturdy posts that were driven into the ground. These table-legs
+were only fifteen inches above the ground, so one could sit on the grass
+and conveniently use the top.
+
+The four boys met at a large rustic shelf-cupboard, constructed of
+short-length boards taken from a cereal box, and placed so as to make
+four shelves. Two sides were made of boards that came from one of the
+packing-cases from the city. This cupboard stood against a great pine
+tree that furnished the backing, and on the shelves were the array of
+lanterns and candlesticks made and used in camp.
+
+"Gee! They've got the bottle-neck holder, the tin-can lantern, and all
+the rest. It seems they know the scout stunts, all right," whispered
+Ned.
+
+"Yes, and look at these candles! Do you suppose they made them in camp?
+They look like hand-dipped products," added Alec, examining the tallow
+candles.
+
+"We won't let on that we're curious, but we'll find out from Gilly just
+how they made these candles," suggested Bob.
+
+From the shelves that held candles and some clay ornaments the boys
+wandered over to the sun-dial.
+
+"It's better than the one we made," admitted Ned.
+
+"Humph! So it is," said Alec, reluctantly, but willing to be just.
+
+"Whoever did that burnt-wood etching around the edge sure made a fine
+job of it. And the numerals are very good," added Bob.
+
+"Gilly said Ruth is the artist of the Troop," said Dick.
+
+But the Grey Foxes never found out that the Indian Clock had been made
+during the previous winter when there was ample time to spend over such
+a work. The large wooden slab was sent to camp with many other highly
+decorative things made the same winter.
+
+Mr. Gilroy now joined the boys and offered to act as official guide in
+viewing everything. So interested were the boys in all they saw that
+they temporarily forgot about the joke of the tracking.
+
+"Come and see the Indian willow beds the scouts made the first day in
+camp," said Mr. Gilroy, boastfully, now that he wanted to impress the
+boys.
+
+So the beds, the weaving looms, the birdhouses here and there, and other
+things were duly seen and admired. But the exhibit that interested the
+boys as much as anything that day was the neat and beautiful work done
+with wild flowers and a deal of patience. There were blue-prints of
+delicate flowers, as well as shadow-work and pressed and mounted
+flower-groups.
+
+Alec recognized the three-leaved arrow-head, and showed it to the other
+boys who had never seen it before. This particular specimen was white
+and waxen in contrast to the indigo-hued paper.
+
+The spiderwort was a rich blue with its two large petals rounded, while
+the third one was tiny and colorless. There was also a purple variety
+known as "Job's Tears."
+
+The wild leek and garlic flowers made dainty blue-prints, scarcely
+recognizable as coming from such humble family trees as the despised
+onion. Wild spikenard, with its crown of tiny white flowers, also
+reproduced beautifully in the blue-print. The Seal of Solomon and purple
+Twisted Stalk made scraggy pictures easy to identify.
+
+Betty had pressed a white trillium that made an imposing picture,
+retaining all its beauty and lines. The boys had the painted trillium
+in their collection but had never seen the white one.
+
+In the flower collection made by the other scouts were many
+orchids,--fringed-purple, ragged-fringed, yellow-fringed, and others.
+Also the Indian pink, the rattlesnake plantain, the pink snake-mouth,
+monkshood, bloodroot, pitcher plant, and numerous others that formed a
+wonderful exhibit which it would take a long time to do justice to.
+
+While the Grey Foxes were poring over the flower books, Mrs. Vernon came
+up beside them. "When you boys are through here, we will sit down to
+dinner, as everything is ready to serve."
+
+"Oh, we'll look at the rest of these another time," said Bob, quickly.
+
+So the Captain led them over to the table, where the appearance of the
+festive board caused them to smack their lips. Mr. Gilroy and the Grey
+Fox boys were seated according to Julie's directions, then the girls all
+went over to the cookstove.
+
+At each place on the table sat a flat clay-made plate that was to do
+service for many needs. Beside the plate were the birchbark cup to drink
+water from, a birchbark napkin ring that held a paper napkin, and the
+usual knife, fork and spoon.
+
+In the center of the table stood a lovely fern centerpiece, the holder
+woven of split willows, and the fern dug up in the woods and
+transplanted into a tin pail that did not show inside the basket.
+
+The fernery was flanked by two other handwoven baskets of sweet-grass.
+One held the scout-biscuits just baked, while the other was piled high
+with light little puff-cakes. On either side of the centerpiece stood
+two large flat clay platters,--one held the Indian cucumber salad, and
+the other a dandelion salad.
+
+"Aren't the girls going to sit down, too?" called Alec.
+
+"Yes, but each girl has to serve a boy's soup as well as her own. Then
+we will sit down," answered Julie.
+
+Meantime Joan was whispering anxiously, as each girl held out the clay
+bowls for soup, "Now remember! Leave the tracking tale to Julie, and
+agree with her everytime! Don't you dare be caught napping this time!"
+
+And as each scout left the stove with her two bowls of soup, she
+whispered. "No, leave it to me! We'll get the best of Gilly for this
+joke."
+
+The chicken soup was highly praised, and truly it was a good broth and
+deserved all praise. Then came the fish,--all done to a turn and served
+piping hot with butter sauce. The Indian cucumber went well with the
+lake trout, and here the boys had another surprise.
+
+"Indian cucumbers! We never knew they grew around here," ventured Alec,
+but delighting in the salad just the same.
+
+"Oh, didn't you? Well, you see, it takes a girl's fancy touches to
+secure these sort of things. You boys, of course, have to give your time
+to doing big things," was Julie's sarcastic reply.
+
+The third course consisted of the chicken and dumplings, stewed bracken,
+and a side dish of vegetable that looked for all the world like small
+potatoes. The boys studied these curiously.
+
+"It's quite digestible," laughed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"But be sure to appreciate them,--they are the only Wapitos we've ever
+found!" declared Joan, proudly.
+
+"Wapitos! You don't mean it!" exclaimed Alec, eagerly.
+
+"Why, where did you find them?" asked the other boys.
+
+"One morning when we were out tracking," said Julie, with a careless
+manner. Then quickly added, "Oh, Captain, where are the Brussels
+sprouts? We almost forgot that vegetable."
+
+The Orderly jumped up and ran to the stove where, in one of the niches,
+stood the bowl of charlock hearts, a wild green that tastes exactly like
+tender sprouts. These are easy to cultivate in a garden, too, and are
+not as expensive as Brussels sprouts.
+
+"My, what a spread this is!" sighed Bob, ecstatically.
+
+Every one laughed, for Bob and Anne were the gourmands of the two
+troops, and were never ashamed to admit when they enjoyed a thing.
+
+"Yes, it's some dinner, all right. Made a lot of work, didn't it?" added
+Alec.
+
+"Oh, not so much as usual," returned Julie. "We really had planned a
+more elaborate affair, but the joke we played on Gilly took longer than
+we allowed for it, and so we had to scramble the dinner."
+
+Julie smiled benignly upon the guests, but they exchanged looks with Mr.
+Gilroy at the mention of a joke. So she continued:
+
+"Because of that joke, you have ordinary chicken for a meat course,
+whereas I had hoped to give you a real dainty, stewed wild rabbit. But
+our snares were left unbaited while we planned to come in first on Gilly
+and his proposed prank. I don't suppose you know a thing about it, do
+you?"
+
+The girls gasped at their Leader's mention of a rabbit snare,--this was
+the first they knew of such a thing! And since Bunty Grey had taken up
+his residence nearby their camp, after his recovery from the old trap
+down on River Bend, not one scout girl could be made to taste rabbit.
+
+The boys were keen to hear about the joke on their friend Gilroy, but
+_he_ wanted to know about rabbits. So he asked:
+
+"Where did you set any snares? This is news to me!"
+
+"Is it? Why we caught a rabbit in a snare set down by River Bend, but we
+haven't stewed it yet," returned Julie, smiling angelically at Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"Never mind snares, but tell us about the tracking," now urged Alec.
+
+"There isn't much to tell--excepting that we let him indulge himself in
+the belief that he was fooling us," began Julie. "While we were at your
+camp, to invite you here to-day, Gilly had all his hands turn the
+barnyard beasts out and led them a dance about our campgrounds,
+believing we would fall for his little game.
+
+"He took so much pains and trouble over the joke, that we hadn't the
+heart to undeceive him, so we played the game through.
+
+"But it was hard work to keep straight faces, wasn't it, girls?" Julie
+appealed to her companions.
+
+"Yes, indeed! And when Julie left us to bring back the proof of his
+joking, that was best of all," added Joan.
+
+"Yes, you see I got him to say that hunters who found a wild animal
+could claim it, if it was in season, so I went to the barn where I
+_knew_ our 'wild animals' would be, and not only found them, but caught
+them, also. Being in season, we claimed them. Thus we turned Gilly's
+joke on himself, as he sure was amazed to find that we took him at his
+word, and kept the 'ferocious' beasts!" Julie laughed so heartily that
+every one joined in, never doubting but that the merriment was natural
+and genuine.
+
+"So that is how we became owners of the calf, the pig, and the nice
+spring chicken you just finished," added Julie.
+
+Mr. Gilroy now cleared his throat to say something in self-defence, but
+every one laughed loudly again, the boys believing Julie's tale, and the
+girls hoping to keep up the deception.
+
+"Poor dear old Gilly! We renamed him this morning. He is to be Foxy
+Grandpa hereafter, you know; not alone because he told the Grey Foxes
+what he was going to do, but because he planned such a beautiful snare
+and ran into it himself," said Joan.
+
+"As if you boys would believe we were 'greenies' in camplife! Why, just
+look around and see our work! Is there anything here to prove we are
+such ignoramuses as to believe a calf-track could possibly be a
+deer-print?" asked Julie, scornfully.
+
+"You're right, you girls sure can do scout things," said Alec,
+admiringly.
+
+"This dinner alone would prove it!" exclaimed Bob.
+
+"Any one who can find Indian cucumbers and Wapitos, when we boys have
+hunted and hunted, and never succeeded, is a first-class scout, and no
+mistake about it!" declared Dick, enthusiastically. So Mr. Gilroy
+decided not to speak in self-defence any more.
+
+The dinner wound up with wild-current tarts, puff-cakes, and coffee made
+from roots and roasted acorns, pulverized.
+
+"Lady Scouts, let me toast you for this wonderful success, not only in
+culinary art, but also in founding a curious menagerie," said Mr.
+Gilroy, standing and holding up his coffee before drinking it.
+
+"Before we adjourn from this feast, let me ask one question," said Alec,
+as they prepared to get up from the table.
+
+"What was it in that salad dressing that gave such a palatable flavor? I
+never tasted anything like it before."
+
+The scouts smiled with pleasure, and Mrs. Vernon said, "That taste was
+given by adding a few leaves of burnet to the salad. It was not the
+dressing; but few people know what a wonderful flavor burnet gives to
+salad. It would be used more often did chefs know this simple little
+wildwood fact."
+
+While the girls were clearing away the dishes, Mrs. Vernon spoke very
+seriously to Julie about the tale she told. "You did not tell an
+absolute untruth, yet you did not voice the truth, because we all _were_
+taken in by those tracks!"
+
+"But, Verny! surely you wouldn't have these mere males _think_ we were
+such gullible scouts, would you? It would be a disgrace for the whole
+organization!" cried Julie.
+
+"I never advocate self-righteousness in covering up an error of judgment
+or knowledge. The Scout Committee on Ideals would not approve of the
+tale you told to vindicate the 'Cause of Women,' as you claim."
+
+"I suppose you are right in your viewpoint, Verny, but it wasn't fair of
+Gilly to play that prank on us, and tell those boys beforehand, too,"
+pouted Julie.
+
+"Well, let it pass this time, Verny, and we'll promise never to be
+guilty of misappropriating the truth again," said Joan.
+
+"And don't give us away to the Grey Foxes!" added Judith.
+
+The Captain shook her head in disapproval, but she said nothing more, so
+the girls ran off to whisper to Mr. Gilroy that he was the cause of a
+dreadful quarrel!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN
+
+A CANOE TRIP
+
+
+The scouts were so busy with canoeing, swimming, and hiking, during the
+week following the dinner-party that they saw very little of Mr. Gilroy,
+although they knew whenever he called at the camp, because he generally
+brought feed for the calf and pig. These two unusual pets were becoming
+quite sociable, and would follow the girls around the clearing when
+meals were being prepared. Jake always went wherever the scouts went,
+and he particularly enjoyed the long walks. But he ignored the calf and
+pig completely when in camp.
+
+About a week after the Grey Fox boys had visited Dandelion Camp, Mr.
+Gilroy came down early in the morning.
+
+"I have to get up at dawn if I want a word with you scouts, these
+times," laughed he, as he caught them eating breakfast.
+
+"Sit down and have some," Julie invited, making room for him beside her.
+
+"Can't--haven't time. I've got an important engagement with the Grey Fox
+boys, but you were first on my calling list."
+
+The girls all halted further progress on the breakfast and listened
+intently. "What have you plotted, now?" asked Julie.
+
+Mr. Gilroy laughed as he remembered the tracking joke. "I'm almost
+afraid to tell you." But after much coaxing he spoke.
+
+"Well, then, I am going on a little fishing trip to Racquette Lake, so I
+wondered if you scouts wouldn't like to canoe with the party and spend a
+few days that way?"
+
+The girls gave such a chorus of approval that Mr. Gilroy pretended to
+stop both ears.
+
+"Oh, do tell them all about it, Gilly, or we'll be deaf!" begged Mrs.
+Vernon, laughing at the commotion.
+
+So Mr. Gilroy described the itinerary to the great delight of his
+hearers. "But remember, girls, no extra baggage is allowed. You wear
+your uniforms, take bathing suits, and sandals, a wide soft hat that
+will stick to your head, as few toilet requisites as possible;
+individual eating outfit, blanket and sleeping-bag, fishing tackle, and
+your powder puffs."
+
+The last item caused a jeer, for the girls hadn't thought of
+beautifiers, other than those Nature presented, since they joined the
+scout organization. Nor did they need any,--they were all fine and rosy,
+with perfect complexions and good health.
+
+"My Indian, Yhon, is going in a canoe with the cooking outfit and other
+necessities for so large a party. He is a splendid guide, you know, and
+knows the country like a book."
+
+"What can we do about our pets?" Betty asked, concernedly.
+
+"Oh, Jake will go with us, of course, and Julia and Anty will have to
+depend on Gilly's man for meals. They will learn to appreciate us if we
+are absent a few days," replied Julie, audaciously.
+
+"When did you plan to start?" now asked the Captain.
+
+"Day after to-morrow, as early in the morning as we can. That gives you
+all day to-morrow to get ready and come up to the bungalow for supper at
+night. Yhon will be ready with the canoes at dawn in the morning, and we
+start from our boathouse. The canoe-wagon is coming here to-day to carry
+your three canoes over to First Lake so as to be in good shape for the
+trip. Yhon will overhaul them all, and look after any caulking or
+repairs."
+
+"Dear me, I can't wait for the time to come!" exclaimed several of the
+scouts.
+
+"And if you become seasick on the voyage, you'll be just as anxious to
+get back," laughed Mr. Gilroy, causing the girls to giggle in chorus at
+his ridiculous speech.
+
+So on the morning mentioned, a merry crowd of girls and boys followed
+the Captain and Mr. Gilroy to the boathouse on the lake. Yhon was
+waiting with everything ready, but it was still dim and misty over the
+water, as the daylight was not yet strong.
+
+Jake instantly jumped into Yhon's canoe as if he knew it paid to be near
+the larder. Mr. Gilroy arranged the party so that one lightweight member
+was in each canoe with one of the heavier girls, and one of the boys. He
+took charge of another canoe with two girls in it, while the Captain
+managed still another one with two in it. Thus they started in a line,
+Yhon leading.
+
+As they moved noiselessly out from the shadow of the overhanging rocks
+and foliage, the dew sparkled like silver drops on all the leaves; every
+now and then a hungry fish would leap up to bite the paddles, and then
+whisk its tail angrily as it flashed away again.
+
+The newly awakened sun had not yet risen high enough to cast its rays
+upon the lake, and the mountain that threw somber shadows over the face
+of the lake, still hid the shining of the orb of day. The expectancy and
+hush that always precedes the bursting forth of shining light,
+enthralled all the wild creatures in the woods.
+
+Yhon had been silently guiding his flock over the water, closely hugging
+the shore all the way, when the high treble call of a young fawn echoed
+far over the lake. It was so unexpected that the scouts were startled,
+but the Indian called over his shoulder, "Li'l deer lose mammy--call her
+back!"
+
+Then, not twenty yards further on, Yhon stopped paddling, and pointed
+with a long finger towards the shore. There stood the fawn on a rock
+near the water's edge, its head held high as it gazed with consternation
+at so many queer things floating on the lake.
+
+Mrs. Vernon took a splendid picture of the deer, before a crashing of
+branches and the rattle of pebbles announced that the doe was leaping to
+the rescue of her little one. But she could not be seen, as she was wise
+in woodlore and remained safely screened from men. Possibly she knew
+that a human carried a death-dealing weapon when he sought her in the
+forests.
+
+The canoes passed through First Lake, then through Second Lake, and at
+last through Third Lake--all of which were really one large continuous
+sheet of water. Where Third Lake Creek emptied into the large body of
+water, Yhon led the canoes close to shore. He knew that the best lake
+trout were to be caught where the creek emptied, and here he proposed to
+fish for the dinner supply.
+
+"But we don't want dinner, yet, Yhon," called Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"We eat on Cedar Islan' but him got no fish dere. Get my fish here,"
+explained Yhon, as he jumped ashore.
+
+All were glad of an opportunity to stretch their legs, and then they
+tried their luck at fishing, also. After a time this became monotonous
+for the active young ones, and they started up the Creek to adventure.
+The Third Lake Creek came down over moss-covered rocks, which were held
+in place by gnarled roots of giant trees. These ancient foresters stood
+looking benignly down upon the placid waters of the lake, as if watching
+the play of a little child.
+
+Where the Creek swirled out to join Third Lake, the purplish circles
+made there gradually lost their foaming haste and gently merged into the
+wavelets of clear cold water.
+
+As the scouts climbed up the rugged bank of the Creek, the towering
+trees were not the only things that watched silently. Although the happy
+young mortals were deaf and blind to the many alert curious eyes that
+followed their movements, still those eyes were there, wondering at this
+daring trespass over their domains. Some of these wildwood inhabitants
+were furtively anxious, some hostile, but all were curious to follow the
+movements of these queer creatures.
+
+Finally the scouts could not penetrate further, and they retraced their
+steps. Yhon had caught enough fish for the day's needs, and was ready to
+continue the trip.
+
+From Third Lake Creek he paddled across to the opposite shore and thence
+through Fourth Lake. They stopped at Skensowane to purchase crackers,
+candy, and other sweets, while Yhon took on a supply of staples.
+
+Cedar Island was at the extreme upper end of Fourth Lake, and long
+before the scouts saw the green knob standing plainly up from the water,
+they were hungry enough to eat the grass on the island. So every one
+assisted with the dinner to facilitate the eating of it.
+
+Yhon was one of the best guides in the mountains, and his experience in
+cooking was unsurpassed; hence the scouts enjoyed an exceptional dinner.
+
+When all were ready to continue the trip, Yhon led across from Cedar
+Island to Inlet, where there was a "carry" of a mile to reach Sixth
+Lake.
+
+"Phew! Carry the canoes a mile in the hot sun!" cried Bob.
+
+"That's part of the fun in canoeing," remarked Mr. Gilroy, as they
+disembarked and prepared to carry.
+
+"I'm glad of the change," said Judith. "My knees are all out of joint
+from sitting with them doubled under me."
+
+Thereupon every one declared it a relief to walk and get the kinks out
+of the leg-muscles. But after a mile in the heat, with canoe and outfit
+to carry, every one was just as glad to get back and sit down in the
+canoes.
+
+The trip through Sixth and Seventh Lakes was wonderful. The grandeur of
+the mountains and the marvelous greens of their verdure reflected in the
+narrow lakes, made the water seem a dark emerald green as clear and
+transparent as a perfect jewel.
+
+Occasionally, faint shadows of birds flying overhead, or deer leaping on
+the rocks on the banks were reflected in the water as the canoeists
+silently paddled along, and such entrancing pictures seen in the placid
+lake thrilled the scouts with delight.
+
+Here and there, where a stream rushed down into the lake, the scouts
+could look up through the wide rifts cleft between the forest-trees, and
+the eye could follow up where falls tumbled over boulders; or to the
+higher view, where the blue sky showed a tiny streak between the pines.
+
+Once a flight of wild ducks suddenly rose from the lake, quacking
+noisily. The boys called to Yhon to shoot, but he held up a warning hand
+to show that this was no season for duck-hunting.
+
+In nearing the upper end of Seventh Lake where the inlet empties into
+it, Yhon called out, "Nudder carry--mile to Eight Lake."
+
+But before they reached land, the Captain called for a halt. She wanted
+to take a snapshot of the picture made by the inlet, seemingly in such a
+hurry to reach the lake, yet making no noise nor showing any froth in
+its haste. The Lake seemed to draw its shores close together to hug the
+Inlet, just as a mother draws her babe to her bosom in love. In small
+coves on either side of the Inlet were patches of green marsh grass and
+cattails, the home of the wild ducks which rose to escape the coming of
+the canoeists.
+
+As the faint odorous whiff of marshgrass reached the nostrils of the
+scouts, they wanted to paddle in and cut cattails, but Yhon said there
+was no time then. "Plenty time on home trip."
+
+Through Eighth Lake to Brown's Inlet Carry was a distance of about two
+miles, and when they reached shore on Brown's Inlet, Yhon called out,
+"Nudder carry--mile-half dis time to Brown Tract Inlet."
+
+The command to carry began to sound tiresome to the scouts, and they
+were glad to hear Mr. Gilroy say that this carry would be the last one,
+as Brown's Tract Inlet brought them right to Racquette Lake where they
+planned to camp for the night.
+
+It was quite late when they reached the lower end of Racquette Lake,
+because the progress had been slow and safe. Mr. Gilroy had not
+telephoned for accommodations at any hotel, as they planned to camp at
+night.
+
+But the wind that came with the setting of the sun also threatened a
+storm during the night, and Mr. Gilroy thought it best to find a place
+near a large hotel, in case they had to seek shelter. So they paddled to
+find a grove quite near one of the larger hotels. The scouts were eager
+to land and get their camp ready before darkness handicapped them, so
+when within a few yards of land, Hester turned to pull out her blankets.
+
+The sudden motion overturned the canoe, and all three occupants went
+headlong into the water. The frightened screams of the three scouts
+caused consternation in the others, and many turned around quickly to
+see what had happened behind them. Thus, two more canoe-loads were
+unexpectedly emptied into the lake.
+
+They were soon out on shore, but drenched and shivering from the cold
+water. "Now, isn't that the worst thing that could happen to us, at
+night!" sighed Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"We'll have to stop at a hotel, now, and let the scouts get in bed while
+their clothing dries," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+So the wet ones were advised to dance about to keep warm, while Alec and
+Mr. Gilroy hurried over to the hotel to engage rooms. But they soon came
+back with surprised looks.
+
+"Not a corner to be had, and the manager called up other large places
+along the shore only to get the same answer--no room. He said there was
+a family boarding-house some distance along, where we might get in. The
+woman, a Mrs. Dickens, was a nice landlady and might tuck us in
+somewhere. Shall we try it?" said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"It is so dark now, and we haven't started supper or found a spot to
+camp, so I think we had best try Mrs. Dickens," replied the Captain.
+
+In chilly silence the entire party got back into its canoes and skirted
+the shore until Mr. Gilroy called out to Yhon, "This must be the spot
+where I was told to land. The house is back from the lake, a bit."
+
+The canoeists had no difficulty in locating the boarding-house, but they
+were too late for a hot dinner, although the cold supper served was very
+good, especially to hungry young people.
+
+"I haven't any rooms left in the main house," explained Mrs. Dickens,
+"but I can give you several rooms in the annex. That used to be the
+help's cottage, but I had it done over to rent this season."
+
+"'Any port in a storm,' madam, and our 'storm' consists of several
+soaking suits that have to be dried," returned Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"The cottage has a small kitchen where you can quickly light a fire in
+the stove and dry everything. I think you will be very comfortable
+there," said Mrs. Dickens. So arrangements were made for the use of the
+cottage for that night.
+
+As they planned to start early in the morning again, the entire party
+retired soon after supper. The wet clothing had been hung on lines about
+the kitchen, where a servant had built a roaring fire. Although they had
+to "double up" in bed, or sleep on the floor, they were too healthily
+sleepy to mind such little things, and before ten o'clock every one was
+asleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE
+
+FIRST AID
+
+
+Mrs. Vernon was a very light sleeper, consequently she was aroused a
+short time after midnight by cries and calls for help. She sprang from
+the bed and ran to a side window that opened towards the kitchen side of
+the boarding-house. All she could see was a dull glare that filled the
+kitchen windows. But she understood.
+
+Instantly, she ran to Mr. Gilroy's room and knocked loudly while she
+cried, "Get up--everybody--the boarding-house, next door, is on fire!"
+
+In a moment Mr. Gilroy jumped up and shouted, "All right--we'll be out
+in a jiffy!" Then Mrs. Vernon ran back to pull the girls out of bed and
+have them dress as speedily as possible.
+
+The clothing in the kitchen was dry, and soon the girls were dressing
+and, at the same time, talking excitedly of the fire.
+
+"I'm sorry Mrs. Dickens has had this misfortune, but as long as it
+happens while we are here, we must try to earn a medal," said Mrs.
+Vernon, as she breathlessly pulled a middy-blouse over her head.
+
+"What can girls do?" asked Amy, eagerly.
+
+"I don't know yet, but every little thing helps in a time like this.
+Just obey orders from Mr. Gilroy or me, and follow the example Julie is
+sure to give you," said Mrs. Vernon, glancing at the scout she
+mentioned, because Julie might run unnecessary risks for herself, but if
+she thought she was responsible for the other girls her zeal would be
+tempered wisely.
+
+"What do they give scouts a medal for, Verny?" now asked Judith, as she
+twisted her long hair up in a tight coil on her head.
+
+"If occasion arises for a scout to display great heroism, or if she
+faces extreme danger in trying to save a life, she can have the bronze
+medal--the highest award given. If she does a brave deed with
+considerable danger to herself, she wins a silver cross. But no scout is
+to run needless risk just to win a medal of any kind."
+
+While the Captain spoke, the scouts finished their hurried dressing and
+now followed her out to the lawn in front of the large house.
+
+Here the scene was one of great confusion and panic. Men were hastily
+moving articles of furniture and boarders' personal effects out of the
+three-storied building. Smoke poured from all the rear windows, and the
+roof seemed enveloped in heavy smoke-clouds.
+
+"Isn't there any volunteer fire department?" called Julie, to every one
+in general and no one in particular.
+
+"Where is it?" asked Alec of a man standing next to him.
+
+"We got a ring and hammer up yonder, and a hand-engine, but I hain't
+hear'n no one strike the signal," said he.
+
+"Come along, show me where it is," ordered Alec, catching hold of the
+man's sleeve and pulling him away from the staring crowd.
+
+Once the man had broken away from the mesmeric influence of the
+fire-watchers, he ran quickly with Alec to the knoll where a metal hoop
+and hammer were kept for the purpose of alarm in case of fire. Almost
+before the two reached the spot, Alec caught the hammer and was striking
+the metal at regular intervals. The man then offered to remain and send
+the volunteer firemen to the place where they were needed, so Alec ran
+back to help as best he could.
+
+Meantime, the girl scouts realized there was much to do to help others,
+and the Captain ordered every one to use the utmost presence of mind in
+doing anything they were called upon to do.
+
+Julie hastily whispered to Joan, "I'm going to run to the cottage and
+get that coil of rope we brought from the canoe last night, we may need
+it."
+
+"I'll run with you, Julie, for we must tie wet towels over our mouths,
+if we have to go inside there," added Joan.
+
+Both girls raced to their room, and when they came out they were
+provided with the rope, and the dripping towels were tied across their
+nostrils and mouths. As they stood momentarily on the little porch of
+the cottage to see where they might render the best service, the uproar
+from the upper stories in the rear was awful.
+
+"There may be some people trapped in their rooms up there!" exclaimed
+Julie to her companion.
+
+"We can climb up this rose-trellis quite easily, Jule, and get in at the
+windows of the second story where the piazza roof gives us a foothold,"
+hastily returned Joan.
+
+In another moment both girls were quickly climbing up the strong
+trellis, and as soon as they reached the tin roof they ran to the
+window. Here they found a young mother sitting on the floor, rocking a
+baby back and forth while she cried wildly with hysteria. The child was
+held so tightly that it, too, was screaming.
+
+While Julie uncoiled the rope, Joan ran to the washstand and dipped a
+towel in the pitcher. But Julie called to her, "Bring the jug of water
+here, we've got to break this hysteric spell!"
+
+Joan carried the towel in one hand and the pitcher in the other, so
+Julie caught the jug from her, and dashed the water in the woman's face.
+The sudden choking and shock broke the spell. Then the towel was hastily
+pinned over the lower part of her face and she was hurried to the door.
+But the smoke and heat caused the girls to slam the door to again and
+run to the window.
+
+"Hey--down there!" yelled Julie, to a group of men on the flower-bed.
+"Hold out a blanket while we drop the baby down."
+
+"No--no!" screamed the mother, trying to get away from the grasp of
+strong young Joan. "You'll kill it!"
+
+"Give me the child, I'll carry it down the trellis," said Julie, but the
+mother would not relax her grip on her baby.
+
+"Where's that rope, Jo?" now asked Julie.
+
+"Over by the window we went in at," cried Joan, having all she could do
+to restrain the woman from throwing herself and babe down from the roof.
+
+So in another moment, Julie had the rope tied to a window shutter, and
+with the other end in hand was over by the woman.
+
+"Here--stand still, will you, while we fix this and let you down to the
+ground!" commanded she, and the woman instantly obeyed.
+
+Then both girls lowered the two slowly over the edge of the roof, down
+to where willing hands were raised to catch them. There was a wild
+acclaim as mother and child were saved, but the two scouts were not
+aware of it, as they were back inside the room again, taking their
+precious rope with them. Before they could determine what to do next, a
+queer form burst into the room.
+
+"Where's the rope you've been using, girls?" demanded the voice of Alec.
+But he was completely covered by his rubber sleeping-bag, in which he
+had slit holes for his feet and arms.
+
+Had it been any other time than such a moment, both girls must have
+doubled over in merriment at his appearance.
+
+"Here it is, Alec. Where did you come from?" cried both scouts in one
+voice.
+
+"Upstairs. I got up on the roof by climbing the water-spout, and in a
+dormer-room up there I found an old crippled woman, crying for help, but
+with no one to hear her until I climbed in from the scuttle-hole. A
+little old-fashioned stairway runs from the third floor down into the
+closet in this room. But I can't get her down those narrow stairs, and
+the other stairway and halls are a mass of fire. I've got to lower her
+from the roof, but I need help."
+
+"We'll help!" eagerly offered both the girls. So, with the coil of rope,
+they followed Alec through the smoke-filled room into the large dark
+closet, and thus, up the scuttle-hole stairs that had been abandoned for
+many years,--perhaps forgotten entirely, until this need.
+
+In the front end of the third story there was not much smoke as yet, so
+the three could see their way plainly. And in a small gable-room having
+a small window high from the floor moaned an old woman of more than
+seventy years. The moment she saw Alec return with two girls to help,
+she stopped wailing and tried to be courageous.
+
+"Now we may hurt you some when you are being moved, but you must bear
+it, Gran'ma," said Alec, gently. The old lady smiled reassuringly.
+
+"Children, anything is better than being roasted up in this little room.
+Don't worry over hurting me but do whatever is necessary," quavered the
+sweet old voice.
+
+"Now, girls, I'm going to shinny up the scuttle-hole in the roof and
+carry the rope with me. I'll tie it securely to the chimney on the roof
+and let down the other end. Fasten this about Grandma's waist and we'll
+try to lift her out that way. You two must help by holding her as much
+as possible, and by boosting from below."
+
+While Alec climbed up the wall-ladder and got out to the roof, Julie and
+Joan made a roll of blankets and placed it about the old lady's form
+under the arms. Then they looped the rope over this and secured it also
+under her arms.
+
+"All ready, Alec!" called Julie, holding her charge by one arm while
+Joan held her by the other.
+
+As Alec hauled, hand over hand on the rope, the two scouts beneath
+lifted and then boosted the old lady until she was safely through the
+opening in the roof. Then Alec leaned over and called to them:
+
+"If you can manage to run down and get through that room again, escape
+by way of the piazza-roof and send the firemen up from the outside with
+their ladders. I'll wait on the front roof with Grandma."
+
+So Julie and Joan rushed down the little attic-stairs, back through the
+smoke-filled room which was now dreadfully hot from the fire, and out of
+the other room window to the piazza roof. Once on the ground, a curious
+mob tried to surround them to ask all sorts of foolish questions, but
+Julie was equal to two mobs. With muscular arms and fists striking right
+and left, she quickly forced a passage and made her way to the spot
+where the Fire-Chief was ordering the men about.
+
+"Mr. Chief, run a ladder up to the roof where you see that scout
+standing. He's got an old crippled woman to save. Maybe the rope will
+reach and maybe it won't, so use your own judgment," called Julie,
+pointing up to where Alec could be dimly seen through the smoke.
+
+"Hoist a ladder, boys! See that scout up on the roof with Mrs. Dickens'
+mother?" shouted the Chief, anxiously watching the roof.
+
+While every one stood and in breathless suspense watched the firemen run
+up a long ladder and assist Alec in saving the poor helpless woman, Mrs.
+Dickens came distractedly from the rear of the house and ran about
+seeking for her mother. When she learned that it was her mother they
+were trying to save, she fainted with fright. But the old lady was
+safely brought to the ground, and a great fuss was made over Alec. Then
+Mrs. Dickens was revived, and when she found her aged mother beside her
+on the grass, she almost fainted again from joy and gratitude.
+
+The house was doomed even before the firemen reached the scene, for it
+was constructed, as so many summer boarding-houses are at seashore and
+mountain resorts, of thin novelty-siding outside and oil-stained ceiling
+boards inside; these act like kindling wood once they are ignited.
+
+The crowd stood, now, and watched the flames lick up everything in
+sight, but every one was thankful that no lives were lost. The scouts,
+both girls and boys, had worked so faithfully that all the silver and
+linen were saved, and the men had removed much of the best furniture in
+the ground-floor rooms.
+
+The sun, that morning, rose on a scene of confusion and pathos. Guests
+who had been able to save most of their effects were assisting less
+fortunate ones to dress in all kinds of apparel. Neighbors from nearby
+cottages were caring for the homeless boarders, until order could be
+brought out of the chaotic condition.
+
+But the cottages were few, and the guests many, so some one must suggest
+a plan to meet the immediate needs. It was Mr. Gilroy who thought of a
+way.
+
+"We all sympathize with Mrs. Dickens in her distress, but it might have
+been worse, friends,--we all realize that,--and so we feel grateful that
+no lives were lost. But here it is breakfast-time, and there are many
+hungry mouths to fill, and I would suggest that you accept a scout
+breakfast with us as soon as it is ready."
+
+Every one responded to such a hearty invitation, and Mr. Gilroy added,
+"Then we'll show you how to prepare a good meal with no stove or
+kitchen, and with but few pots or pans."
+
+The boys were sent out on the lake to get the fish; the girls were told
+to knead the dough for scout-twists, and place them at the fire Mr.
+Gilroy was building. To interest the weary boarders, Mr. Gilroy had
+started his campfire with rubbing-sticks and had arranged the
+bread-sticks upon which the dough was twined, to the best advantage for
+all to watch while the twists baked.
+
+Most of the dishes had been saved from the fire, and these were now used
+for breakfast. Several large tablecloths had been spread out upon the
+smooth grass, and plates set around on the squares of linen.
+
+The fish had been cleaned by Yhon when caught, and now the boys returned
+with a nice mess--enough for every one that morning. Mrs. Dickens kept
+all her extra stock of food in the little loft of the cottage, and as
+this annex was spared any damage by the fire, there was a supply of
+cereals, flour, bacon, and other necessities for meals. With the thrift
+of a good housekeeper, Mrs. Dickens had laid in a stock of purchases
+when the Army Supply had been sold off at auction in the city. So Mrs.
+Vernon found gallon cans of stewed prunes and other food-products on
+hand.
+
+In spite of all trouble and perplexities that morning, breakfast was a
+cheerful meal. Prunes for fruit; hominy and other prepared cereals for a
+second course; then fresh fish, fried in corn-meal jackets and browned
+in bacon-fat, furnished a delicious third course with the hot
+scout-bread. And all this was topped off with fragrant coffee.
+
+Naturally, the conversation was about one thing--the fire and the
+courage shown by the three scouts. The equally helpful work done by Mrs.
+Vernon and the other scouts in caring for those who were rescued,
+received but small notice. But they never as much as thought of it--with
+Julie and Joan in a fair way to win a medal that would lift the entire
+Troop to recognition at Headquarters in New York.
+
+When breakfast was over, Mr. Gilroy expressed his other idea. "I have a
+plan that may meet with general approval, but that remains to be seen.
+Now listen carefully, while I speak, and then do as you like afterwards.
+My boys and these girls are willing to teach you how to do what I am
+about to propose, and help in any way we can to make every one
+comfortable for the time being.
+
+"You have no house to sleep in, and Mrs. Dickens will have no boarders
+to help her meet her expenses and loss, unless we immediately find some
+way to change all this seeming trouble. So this is my suggestion:
+
+"We scouts are accustomed to sleeping out-of-doors and thus we know how
+to make the finest beds out of the material Nature provides. We will
+show every one how to weave these balsam beds that are superior to any
+handmade spring and hair mattress.
+
+"While you people are completing your beds, we will paddle up to a place
+Yhon told me about, where a number of Indians camp. They make and sell
+tents to parties coming to the Adirondacks for the summer. Then at the
+end of the season they will buy them back and pay prices according to
+the condition the tents are in. Perhaps we can rent a number of tents,
+as the summer is now half over.
+
+"If enough boarders agree to this plan, and will insure the risk to Mrs.
+Dickens by advancing the money necessary to pay for the tents, we scouts
+will go after the tents for you and bring them back in our canoes.
+
+"Mrs. Dickens says she can quickly have a pavilion built that will
+answer for a dining-room, but any one who does not care for 'roughing'
+it in tent-life must find other accommodations. All such can have meals
+in the pavilion, but must take second table as boarders remaining in
+camp will naturally have first claim on the hostess' service."
+
+After a noisy debate, in which most of the ousted guests found these
+plans and future delights pleasant to discuss, the majority voted to
+remain and take up tent-life. Thus it happened that Mrs. Dickens was
+helped out of the financial ruin that had stared her in the face a few
+hours before, and the guests were treated to a rare experience,--living
+in the open in the wonderful woods.
+
+The scouts started every one cutting the young tips of the balsams for
+their bedding, then paddled after Yhon in the canoes, up the Marion
+River to Bear Creek, where the guide knew several of his friends to have
+camps for the summer. They had tents to hire or for sale, and were only
+too glad to furnish all that were needed for the houseless boarders at
+Dickens' Landing.
+
+The tent-outfits were carefully packed inside the canoes, and the scouts
+joyfully paddled back, realizing that "What blesses one, blesses all" in
+this working out of a good idea.
+
+When the scouts landed with the tents and found that enough balsam had
+been stripped for the beds, they began to weave the tips as all scouts
+know how to do. Meantime, Mr. Gilroy, Yhon, and several of the men
+raised the tents and secured them in such places as Mrs. Dickens
+selected. The balsam beds were then made up in the tents, and before
+evening, every one was provided with room and beds, thanks to the
+scouts.
+
+As the canoes left that shore, they were sped with many blessings, for
+they had done a great thing for those standing on the rocks, watching
+them depart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN
+
+SHOOTING THE RAPIDS--AND OTHER THINGS
+
+
+"Well, 'where do we go from here, boys?'" called Mr. Gilroy, laughingly,
+as he looked back over his shoulder at the scouts.
+
+"Anywhere but home!" exclaimed Julie.
+
+"Why not there? Don't you like my camp-ground?" asked Mr. Gilroy,
+teasingly.
+
+"Of course, but after such a night and day we won't want to settle down
+again into quiet life. We have to let ourselves down gradually," laughed
+Alec.
+
+"Well, then, we'll ask Yhon where to go to-day," agreed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Ride the rapids," returned Yhon, as if that was enough said.
+
+Such a shout that greeted this suggestion proved he was right in his
+surmise. Finally, when Mrs. Vernon could be heard, she asked, "Where are
+they--far from Raquette Lake?"
+
+"Yhon, I suppose you mean those on the route to Forked Lake, through
+Raquette River to Long Lake, eh?" said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Um! Up Raquette Fall to Corey an' 'en to Sar'nac."
+
+"Saranac Lake! Oh, I've always wanted to see it!" cried Julie.
+
+"Do let's go, Gilly!" begged other voices.
+
+"Shall we take a vote on it?" laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Why waste time--it is unanimously decided already," retorted Alec for
+the boys.
+
+"Yhon, I'm afraid you've let me in for trouble!" cried Mr. Gilroy, but
+he turned his canoe just the same, and led the way.
+
+The scouts now followed Mr. Gilroy and Yhon across the mouth of the
+Marion River, and rounded Woods' Point. Across Boulder Bay, to Bluff
+Point, they paddled, and carefully rounding this point they entered
+Outlet Bay. Then the usual route was taken up the bay until they reached
+Forked Lake Carry.
+
+They were all in high spirits and the short carry only added to their
+enjoyment. The canoes were launched again in Forked Lake waters and they
+paddled until the end of the lake was reached. Where it joins Raquette
+River was a carry of a mile and a half, and seeing that it was noon and
+time for luncheon, Mr. Gilroy said:
+
+"Why not have something to eat first, and carry afterwards?"
+
+"Oh, that will add to the work of carrying," retorted Julie. "Not only
+canoes but food!"
+
+But the boys were for eating, so they scanned the shore carefully as
+they slowly moved through the water, until Yhon saw a place he
+considered suitable for camp. Here a fire was soon started, and the
+four boys were sent out to fish. The girls were left to bake the bread
+and prepare the rest of the meal.
+
+In spite of their most skillful efforts, the boys did not have good
+luck, and returned with but a small catch of fish. Hilarity due to the
+way the boys told how they had to fish made up for the lack and for
+everything else. When everything was packed neatly again, and all were
+ready to start, Jake gave a wild leap and landed too near the edge of
+Yhon's canoe. Over it went, staples and outfits all going down into the
+water.
+
+"Oh, all our sugar and salt--and everything!" cried Julie.
+
+Yhon never changed a muscle of his face, although he must have been
+taken by surprise when he was precipitated into the water. The outfits,
+hampers, and other things were quickly salvaged and restored to the
+canoe, but Jake sat in disgrace on the bank, and hung his head as if he
+understood just what he had done.
+
+So much time had been used in rescuing Yhon, in fishing their food-stock
+out of the water, and coaxing Jake back into the canoe, that it was late
+when the scouts reached Deerland Lodge.
+
+"What say you, scouts,--shall we stop at the Lodge, or take a chance up
+Long Lake until we reach a point where we can strike off to reach
+Hendrick Spring, the fountainhead of the Hudson River?" asked Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"And where shall we camp?" asked Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"It might be nice to camp at the spring," suggested Alec.
+
+"Oh, yes, let's do that, Gilly!" cried several voices.
+
+So they kept right on, paddling swiftly along until they reached a place
+on the shore where Yhon said they must land if they proposed going to
+Hendrick Spring.
+
+"Oh, I thought we could canoe there," ventured Julie.
+
+"No, we must leave Yhon here to watch the canoes while we hike along the
+trail that goes there. We can carry our sleeping-bags and take enough
+food for supper, then come back early in the morning for a good
+breakfast with Yhon," explained Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Is there no way we might take to return to Fulton Chain Lakes other
+than going back the same route?" questioned Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"No, we shall have to go the way we come, or be willing to _carry_
+overland for many miles, from one water to the other."
+
+"Oh, no, that is out of the question," said the Captain.
+
+So each scout took a sleeping-bag and cup and plate, while the boys
+carried the extra cooking outfit, and Alec his rifle.
+
+The trail led through a most wonderful primeval forest where lichened
+stones, moss-clothed fallen trees and luxuriant foliage of standing
+timber furnished homes for countless wild creatures.
+
+They had not gone far before a ruddy-hued fox tried to back out of their
+way on the trail, and managed successfully to merge his color with that
+of the yellow-brown verdure about him. Further on, Alec suddenly lifted
+his rifle and aimed, but the furtive mottled animal that had been
+crouching along the mottled limb of a tree leaped back with the least
+possible noise or disturbance of the foliage, and was gone!
+
+"That was _some_ wildcat, but she was too slick for me!" said Alec, when
+questioned about missing it.
+
+The scouts saw so many unfamiliar birds that they wished they had
+carried a bird book on the trip to help them identify all they now saw.
+Notes were taken, however, to help them look up and catalogue the
+varieties, later, in camp. There were many other interesting living
+creatures, also; some half-hid under leaves or twigs, others squatting
+daringly in the open, with questioning eyes fixed on these clumsy
+intruders.
+
+Finally the scouts reached Hendrick Springs, but to their consternation
+the place was already tenanted with undesirable tramps. Mr. Gilroy
+politely questioned the three men who claimed to be timber-jacks, but
+their empty package that had contained food and the quart bottle that
+had once been filled with whiskey, now also empty, belied their story.
+
+Their hardened faces, unkempt appearance, and other earmarks caused a
+little apprehension in the hearts of the girls and Mrs. Vernon; but soon
+after the new arrivals started their fire to cook supper, the three
+tramps got up and quietly left.
+
+Scanty beds of balsam were soon made for the night for the girls, but
+the boys preferred to sleep upon the grass. After a few campfire tales,
+they decided who was to keep the fire burning all night to ward off any
+wild animals, and also to guard against the return of the evil-looking
+tramps.
+
+"We girls want to take our turn in watching, as well as the boys,
+Gilly!" declared Joan, when she heard how the guard was to be divided up
+for the night.
+
+"Oh, you girls need sleep, but we don't," said Bob.
+
+"We are just as hale as any of you boys, and we want to do our bit!"
+exclaimed Julie, decidedly.
+
+"Well, then, if you must, you will!" sighed Mr. Gilroy, comically. "Now
+I have to begin all over again and figure out this problem. Let's see:
+
+"First, Alec and Bob mount guard two hours; then Dick and Ned guard for
+two more; then Julie and Joan; and lastly, all the other girls and
+myself. How is that?"
+
+Every one laughed, for Julie and Joan were now getting all they
+bargained for. So Alec and Bob went on duty, while the rest stretched
+out and fell asleep.
+
+At eleven o'clock the next two boys were called; but at one o'clock,
+when it was time to rouse Julie and Joan, Mr. Gilroy crept over and
+motioned the boys to let him mount duty for a time. It was nearly three
+when Julie woke up and rubbed her eyes. She instantly realized that no
+one had called her, so she nudged Joan and got her up. Then they crept
+over to the campfire and scolded Mr. Gilroy for breaking faith with
+them. He laughed and gladly went back to finish his night's repose.
+
+Having been so sound asleep just before going on duty, and being utterly
+tired out with the day's experiences, the two girls sat by the fire
+endeavoring to keep each other fully awake. But the Sand Man was too
+powerful for them to resist his dreamy influence, and soon Joan dozed
+while Julie yawned and did her best to keep her eyelids open.
+
+An hour passed and Joan was sweetly sleeping, while Julie was nodding,
+heavy with sleep. Suddenly a crackling of branches behind them caused
+Julie to start wide awake.
+
+"Joan, are you awake?" whispered Julie fearfully, shaking her friend.
+
+"Sure--why?" mumbled Joan, sitting up to rub her eyes.
+
+    [Illustration: "Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned
+    Joan ... Page 211]
+
+"I heard some one--maybe those tramps are back to do something,"
+whispered Julie, trying to peer through the misty night.
+
+"Where--which way did you hear them?" questioned Joan, now fully awake,
+too.
+
+"See those long shadows by the trees, over there?" returned Julie. "I'll
+pile a lot more wood on the fire and make it blaze so we can see them if
+they come nearer."
+
+So saying, she threw so much wood on the fire that it instantly
+smothered the red glow and began smoking like a chimney. The smoke drove
+the girls from that side of the fire and caused them to cough violently,
+while there was a lively scrambling of feet over by the trees, and both
+girls began calling:
+
+"Gilly! Gilly, wake up! The tramps are here!"
+
+That cry brought every one to his feet, and the moment all heads got the
+benefit of the smoke, every one began coughing. But they managed to
+creep along the ground to the side of the fire, where the two girls
+stood gazing at the trees in question.
+
+Just as Alec crept up beside the scouts with rifle up ready to aim at
+whatever he found skulking about them, there sounded a frightful
+screeching, and hoarse calls came from the lower branches of the tree.
+
+"I knew it! I saw them creep over and heard them climb," cried Julie,
+quaking with excitement.
+
+"They planned to drop something on our heads, I guess," added Joan, her
+eyes bulging as she tried to see into the foliage.
+
+Just as Alec decided to take aim and fire haphazardly, knowing that he
+could not see in the dark but could frighten the tramps, Bob caught hold
+of his arm. He was unaware that it held a gun that was cocked ready to
+fire.
+
+The rifle went off prematurely, the shot hit the mark without Alec's
+trying for it, and a heavy thud informed the scouts that the bullet was
+fatal! Instantly, however, there was such a commotion in the leaves, and
+such a Bedlam of screeching! Finally a great flock of crows swept out of
+the high tree and flew away to find a less dangerous roost.
+
+The first streaks of dawn were penetrating the forest's darkness when
+the offended crows left their ancestral tree; and the scouts looked at
+each other in surprise. But Alec was sure it was not a crow he had
+downed--it was too heavy for that!
+
+So the boys crept carefully over to the place where they thought to find
+the body of a tramp, while the girls followed at a respectful distance.
+Then the relieved cry from Alec, and the laughing calls from the other
+boys, hurried the girls to join their friends.
+
+There they saw a dead wildcat of truly awesome size. In its clenched
+teeth it still held the young nestling--the object of its nocturnal
+climb into the tree. Alec's unexpected shot had hit true and had done
+for the crafty animal.
+
+"Well, this is some trophy to carry back home, eh?" cried Alec
+delightedly, as he turned the cat over with his foot.
+
+"I'm glad you didn't kill anything more than the wildcat," added Mrs.
+Vernon.
+
+"If you boys intend carrying that back to camp, you'll have to skin it
+now and take only the pelt. You can't be bothered with the heavy beast
+itself. Leave the carcass for the wild denizens that will be glad to
+feed on this, their enemy," advised Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"And do give us the crow! If it hadn't been for Joan and me you wouldn't
+have had the wildcat!" exclaimed Julie.
+
+"If it hadn't been for you two imaginative scouts we all would still be
+snoozing peacefully beside the fire," laughed Alec.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN
+
+THE GRAND SURPRISE
+
+
+When the scouts returned to their camp beside Little Moose Lake, they
+were impressed anew with the peace and beauty of the spot. The canoe
+trip had been delightful and exciting, but all were glad to get back to
+a simple life once more.
+
+Having seen the scout girls safely back home, and their canoes in the
+lake for future use, Mr. Gilroy sighed and said, "Now I shall take a
+long rest and recover from the past few days' work!"
+
+A few days after their return from the "voyage," as they called it, the
+scout girls received a bundle of mail. In it were newspapers, many
+letters, and other interesting items. The papers were all "marked
+copies," and the mail proved to be letters filled with congratulations
+and words of praise for the brave girls.
+
+"Why, they must be crazy! Every one's writing about what we did at the
+fire!" laughed Julie.
+
+"Yes, just listen to this from 'Liza, every one!" called out Betty. And
+she read: "'So I sez to yer Pa, yu've got two fine scouts in them girls,
+Mister Lee, and this proves it. Any girl what will climb the side of a
+house to save folkses from burning, is wuth a lot of lazy,
+good-fer-nothin' boys, I sez.'"
+
+Every one laughed heartily at the praise thus bestowed upon them; but
+Betty said regretfully, "It's too bad I didn't do as much as Julie did
+at that fire. Daddy won't feel very proud of me, I'm afraid!"
+
+"Oh, but you did, Betty! You ran for the Captain and did all sorts of
+stunts we couldn't have done. But not every one could climb like Jo and
+I do!" said Julie, soothingly.
+
+"Oh, girls!" exclaimed the Captain, who had been hurriedly glancing over
+one of the papers received. "Listen to this from a New York paper. Oh, I
+am so proud of you all!" Then she read:
+
+"'At a recent fire that destroyed Dickens' Hotel at Raquette Lake,
+Adirondacks, a group of girl scouts known as the Dandelion Troop saved
+many lives and did heroic work in saving property. One of the hotel
+guests told our local reporter the story and we print his own words.'"
+
+Then followed an account of the fire, and how it started because of a
+defective flue in the kitchen chimney. It told in detail all that the
+girls did, but the story merely mentioned Alec and _his_ courageous act.
+At the last of the story, a full description was given of how the balsam
+beds were made, and how the boarders were now enjoying themselves in
+tent-life and out-of-door camp cooking. And all this was due, it said,
+to the Girl Scouts being able to teach the homeless boarders how to
+help themselves with the bountiful supply from Nature.
+
+That morning, Mr. Gilroy came down to the camp to hear the news, for he
+also had received several papers with the story of the fire in them.
+After the excitement of reading it all over again to him, the girls
+quieted down to hear what he wished to say.
+
+"I came to see about your plans for next summer's outing," said he.
+
+The girls looked at him quizzically, for they thought he was joking.
+Mrs. Vernon gasped, "Next summer! We're not through with this year yet!"
+
+"I know that, but 'In times of peace prepare for war,' you know,"
+laughed he.
+
+"Tell us why you asked?" demanded Julie.
+
+"Because I am planning a trip for my next outing, and I am debating
+whether to invite any girl scouts to go with me."
+
+"Where? Aren't you going to stay here next summer?" was the answer from
+several girls.
+
+"No, I have had an important letter to-day. And I am going to accept the
+offer made me by the Government, but it will cost any girl scout more to
+go with _me_ than it did to come to the Adirondacks."
+
+"Then that settles our going! We haven't a cent left over after this
+outing. If it hadn't been for those escaped felons last year we wouldn't
+have been here, I suppose!" sighed Julie.
+
+"If it had not been the reward for the capture of the two felons that
+proved to be the means to bring you to the Adirondacks, there would have
+been some other way of finding the supply for you. You see, girls, there
+is always plenty of everything for you when the Source is unlimited,"
+said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Not one of us in Dandelion Troop have such a banker," laughed Judith.
+
+"Then, if this is so, why need we worry about expenses for next summer's
+outing with you?" added Joan, in response to his remark.
+
+"I didn't ask you to worry," retorted Mr. Gilroy. "I only asked you to
+remember that you have the invitation, but it is up to you to find the
+channel of supply and break down the dam, so the supply will run
+smoothly and continuously for your needs."
+
+"How much shall we need, Gilly?" asked Julie, deeply interested in his
+words.
+
+"More than a thousand dollars for you all, I know that! But how much
+more depends upon our itinerary, and that depends on the Captain."
+
+"Oh, does she know about it?" chorused the girls.
+
+"Not yet, but she will, shortly," laughed Mr. Gilroy.
+
+All the coaxings from nine persuasive girls failed to move Mr. Gilroy
+from the stand he had taken--not to tell about the next summer's plans.
+
+But a week later, when the scouts were well nigh forgetting all about
+his conversation, he brought a pleasant-faced gentleman to the camp to
+visit the girls.
+
+"This is Mr. Everard, scouts. He is anxious to meet Julia and
+Antoinette, since I told him what clever rascals they are. Do you think
+they will do their tricks for company?"
+
+Mr. Everard laughed merrily, and it was readily seen that he had not
+come to see the calf and pig do the little tricks which the scouts had
+taught them. However, the calf and pig were brought out, and they
+performed as they had been trained to do, during many strenuous hours,
+and they won the applause of the stranger. Then he spoke of the real
+cause of his visit.
+
+"I am one of the investigators of the Carnegie Reward Society, and
+having heard of your bravery in the recent fire at Raquette Lake, I was
+sent here to ascertain various facts. From all accounts, the rescues you
+made were not only courageous and daring, but spectacular as well. It
+made a fine tale for the newspapers. One of the leading men on a
+metropolitan daily sent us a note asking whether such deeds were not
+rewarded by us."
+
+The scouts were too amazed to speak, but Mrs. Vernon spoke for them. She
+thanked Mr. Everard for coming, and said how pleased they all were that
+others appreciated the deeds performed by the Dandelion Scouts.
+
+"The medal will be given at the same time the reward of money is
+presented. So I need the names of the girls who took an active part in
+the rescues. Those who rendered First Aid to the sufferers may be
+awarded minor medals--I am not sure of that yet," explained Mr. Everard.
+
+"But Alec did as much as Jo and I, Gilly," said Julie, "although they
+didn't say much about him in the papers."
+
+"That has been corrected, but you didn't see the papers of the following
+day. And Alec is to receive exactly the same reward as you girls,"
+returned Mr. Gilroy.
+
+Mr. Everard did not mention the amount of money that was likely to
+arrive with the medals, but Mrs. Vernon spoke of it later. The two men
+left camp, and Mr. Everard was taken over to Grey Fox Camp to meet the
+boys.
+
+"Verny, maybe that reward will be the nest-egg of the supply we must
+have to go with Gilly next summer!" declared Julie excitedly, after both
+men had disappeared from view.
+
+"I was thinking of that when Mr. Everard spoke," said Mrs. Vernon.
+
+"I wonder how much they give to one--about a hundred dollars, I
+suppose," ventured Joan.
+
+"Oh, no! I've heard their cash rewards range from a thousand and down to
+five hundred dollars, according to the valor of the deed," replied the
+Captain.
+
+"A thousand!" chorused the scouts in amazement.
+
+"Why, that would take us all on Gilly's trip," said Julie.
+
+"Maybe; but we don't know where he plans to go. If it is around the
+world, I fear the reward will not carry you all that far," rejoined Mrs.
+Vernon, smilingly.
+
+A few days after Mr. Everard's visit at camp, Mr. Gilroy came again.
+"Well, scouts! was I right when I told you not to limit your supply to
+any old-fashioned mill-pond?"
+
+"You're always right--how could you _ever_ be mistaken?" was Julie's
+retort.
+
+He laughed. "Now, this flow of supply from the boundless Source I
+preached about will give you the means to accept my invitation for next
+year."
+
+"We have already accepted, and are arranging to be absent from home for
+the length of time it takes to go to Jericho and back again," answered
+Julie.
+
+"Not to the Far East," laughed Mr. Gilroy, "but to the most wonderful
+mountains on earth, though the public has not realized that fact,
+because they are not yet the fashion. They are fast reaching that
+recognition, however. At present one can go there without being pestered
+by souvenir peddlers."
+
+"Do tell us where it is, now that you've told us this much," begged the
+girls. But Mr. Gilroy shook his head and left them guessing.
+
+The last of August was passing quickly, and the scouts sighed whenever
+they remembered that they must close the wonderful camp the first week
+of September. There was still, however, one delight in store for them.
+That was the County Fair, held the first three days of September. They
+had entered Julia and Antoinette to compete for prizes in their
+individual classes.
+
+The boys, as well as the girls, spent those days at the Fair Grounds,
+showing the tricks Julia and the pig could do, and also going about
+seeking votes for their pets. The result of this faithful work was seen
+when the prizes were awarded.
+
+Dandelion Scout Camp won First Prize of a hundred dollars for having the
+heaviest and finest pig exhibited that year. Another fifty dollars came
+for Antoinette's being the best amateur trick animal shown that year.
+
+Julia won second prize of fifty dollars for having the required number
+of points in breeding and development. Then, after the fair closed, an
+animal trainer who made his living going about giving shows of trick
+animals made an offer for the two pets, saying he had seen them perform
+at the fair.
+
+"What shall we do? Suppose the man is cruel to them?" asked Julie,
+worried over the disposal of Julia and Anty.
+
+"It can't be much worse than sending them to a butcher," remarked Mr.
+Gilroy.
+
+"Oh, mercy! We never could sell them for meat!" cried Joan.
+
+"I shall never eat another mouthful of veal or pork," added Betty,
+fervently.
+
+"None of us will ever eat meat again!" declared the others.
+
+"But that doesn't answer this letter," the Captain reminded them.
+
+"The man offers a good price, girls, and having so much capital
+invested, he will surely take care of the investment," said Mr. Gilroy.
+
+"Y-e-s, that's so! Well, I'll tell you what, girls," said Julie. "Let's
+make him double his offer, and that will make him still more
+appreciative of Julia and Anty. If he takes it, all right. If he
+doesn't, we can write to some other Zoo trainer, now that we know we
+have two fine trained pets."
+
+But the animal trainer expected a "come-back," and was only too glad to
+secure Julia and Anty at the price the scouts mentioned. And that added
+materially to the fund for the next summer's outing--wherever it was to
+be.
+
+The day the trainer came to take possession of his newly acquired pets,
+the girls felt blue over saying good-by to them. Anty had been so
+thoroughly scrubbed that she glistened, and Julia had been brushed and
+currycombed until she looked like satin.
+
+"Oh, Anty! Shake hands just once more," wailed Judith, as she held out
+her hand to the pig.
+
+Anty immediately stood upon her hind legs and held out a hoof that had
+made such distracting imprints for the scouts early in the summer.
+
+"I'll buy the little bark shed, too. I know that all pets love their own
+little sleeping-places and get so used to them they never feel at home
+in new quarters. I'll take the pen with me," said the trainer.
+
+So Anty was the means of adding to the coffer of gold the scouts were
+now dreaming of. And the artistic little bark house was taken away for
+Anty's especial use thereafter.
+
+After the departure of Julia and Antoinette, the scouts felt lonely, and
+the camp was soon dismantled of all the exhibits that had been used for
+decorations that summer. Everything was packed and shipped back home,
+and then came the day when Mr. Bentley came in his touring car to assist
+in the transportation of the campers to their old homes and families.
+
+As they all stood on the verandah of the bungalow shaking hands with Mr.
+Gilroy and telling him what a precious old dear he was to have bothered
+with them all summer, he said:
+
+"But you haven't asked me for the itinerary for next year."
+
+"We have, again and again, but you said it was not yet time for that!"
+exclaimed Julie.
+
+"Well, it _is_ time now. I have to spend all next summer in the Rocky
+Mountains collecting specimens of glacial deposits, so I need your
+company to keep me cheerful. It is up to you to win the consent of your
+people and save the money for the trip."
+
+Such a chorus of youthful voices as greeted that wondrous prospect made
+the adults laugh.
+
+"You seem to welcome the idea of camping in the Rockies?" suggested Mr.
+Gilroy, as the scouts piled into the cars ready to go home.
+
+"Do we! Well, Gilly, just you wait and see if we are not with you next
+year in those Rockies!" laughed Julie.
+
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+_THIS ISN'T ALL!_
+
+Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in
+this book?
+
+Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and
+experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author?
+
+On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you
+will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same
+store where you got this book.
+
+_Don't throw away the Wrapper_
+
+_Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But
+in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete
+catalog._
+
+
+
+
+GIRL SCOUTS SERIES
+
+By LILLIAN ELIZABETH ROY
+
+Author of the "Polly Brewster Books"
+
+    Handsomely Bound. Colored Wrappers. Illustrated.
+    Each Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Here is a series that holds the same position for girls that the Tom
+Slade and Roy Blakeley books hold for boys. They are delightful stories
+of Girl Scout camp life amid beautiful surroundings and are filled with
+stirring adventures.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS AT DANDELION CAMP
+
+This is a story which centers around the making and the enjoying of a
+mountain camp, spiced with the fun of a lively troop of Girl Scouts. The
+charm of living in the woods, of learning woodcraft of all sorts, of
+adventuring into the unknown, combine to make a busy and an exciting
+summer for the girls.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS
+
+New scenery, new problems of camping, association with a neighboring
+camp of Boy Scouts, and a long canoe trip with them through the Fulton
+Chain, all in the setting of the marvelous Adirondacks, bring to the
+girls enlargement of horizon, new development, and new joys.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES
+
+On horseback from Denver through Estes Park as far as the Continental
+Divide, climbing peaks, riding wild trails, canoeing through canyons,
+shooting rapids, encountering a landslide, a summer blizzard, a sand
+storm, wild animals, and forest fires, the girls pack the days full with
+unforgettable experiences.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO
+
+The Girl Scouts visit the mountains and deserts of Arizona and New
+Mexico. They travel over the old Santa Fe trail, cross the Painted
+Desert, and visit the Grand Canyon. Their exciting adventures form a
+most interesting story.
+
+GIRL SCOUTS IN THE REDWOODS
+
+The girls spend their summer in the Redwoods of California and
+incidentally find a way to induce a famous motion picture director in
+Hollywood to offer to produce a film that stars the Girl Scouts of
+America.
+
+
+
+
+THE LILIAN GARIS BOOKS
+
+    Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Individual Colored Wrappers.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Lilian Garis is one of the writers who always wrote. She expressed
+herself in verse from early school days and it was then predicted that
+Lilian Mack would one day become a writer. Justifying this sentiment,
+while still at high school, she took charge of the woman's page for a
+city paper and her work there attracted such favorable attention that
+she left school to take entire charge of the woman's page for the
+largest daily in an important Eastern city.
+
+Mrs. Garis turned to girls' books directly after her marriage, and of
+these she has written many. She believes in girls, studies them and
+depicts them with pen both skilled and sympathetic.
+
+BARBARA HALE: A DOCTOR'S DAUGHTER
+
+BARBARA HALE AND COZETTE
+
+GLORIA: A GIRL AND HER DAD
+
+GLORIA AT BOARDING SCHOOL
+
+JOAN: JUST GIRL
+
+JOAN'S GARDEN OF ADVENTURE
+
+CONNIE LORING'S AMBITION
+
+CONNIE LORING'S DILEMMA
+
+
+
+
+AMY BELL MARLOWE'S BOOKS FOR GIRLS
+
+Charming, Fresh and Original Stories
+
+    Illustrated. Wrappers printed in colors with individual design for
+    each story
+
+Miss Marlowe's books for girls are somewhat of the
+type of Miss Alcott and also Mrs. Meade; but all are
+thoroughly up-to-date and wholly American in scene and
+action. Good, clean absorbing tales that all girls thoroughly
+enjoy.
+
+THE OLDEST OF FOUR; Or, Natalie's Way Out.
+
+A sweet story of the struggles of a live girl to keep a family from
+want.
+
+THE GIRLS AT HILLCREST FARM; Or, The Secret of the Rocks.
+
+Relating the trials of two girls who take boarders on an old farm.
+
+A LITTLE MISS NOBODY; Or, With the Girls of Pinewood Hall.
+
+Tells of a schoolgirl who was literally a nobody until she solved the
+mystery of her identity.
+
+THE GIRL FROM SUNSET RANCH; Or, Alone in a Great City.
+
+A ranch girl comes to New York to meet relatives she has never seen. Her
+adventures make unusually good reading.
+
+WYN'S CAMPING DAYS; Or, The Outing of the GO-AHEAD CLUB.
+
+A tale of happy days on the water and under canvas, with a touch of
+mystery and considerable excitement.
+
+FRANCIS OF THE RANGES: Or, The Old Ranchman's Treasure.
+
+A vivid picture of life on the great cattle ranges of the West.
+
+THE GIRLS OF RIVERCLIFF SCHOOL; Or, Beth Baldwin's Resolve.
+
+This is one of the most entertaining stories centering about a girl's
+school that has ever been written.
+
+WHEN ORIOLE CAME TO HARBOR LIGHT.
+
+The story of a young girl, cast up by the sea, and rescued by an old
+lighthouse keeper.
+
+WHEN ORIOLE TRAVELED WESTWARD.
+
+Oriole visits the family of a rich ranchman and enjoys herself
+immensely.
+
+
+
+
+THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of the "Bobbsey Twins," "Bunny Brown" Series, Etc.
+
+    Uniform Style of Binding. Individual Colored Wrappers.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These tales take in the various adventures participated
+in by several bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE;
+    Or, Camping and Tramping for Fun and Health.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE;
+    Or, The Stirring Cruise of the Motor Boat Gem.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR;
+    Or, The Haunted Mansion of Shadow Valley.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP;
+    Or, Glorious Days on Skates and Ice Boats.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA;
+    Or, Wintering in the Sunny South.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW;
+    Or, The Box That Was Found in the Sand.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND;
+    Or, A Cave and What it Contained.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE;
+    Or, Doing Their Bit for Uncle Sam.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT THE HOSTESS HOUSE;
+    Or, Doing Their Best For the Soldiers.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT BLUFF POINT;
+    Or, A Wreck and A Rescue.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT WILD ROSE LODGE;
+    Or, The Hermit of Moonlight Falls.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN THE SADDLE;
+    Or, The Girl Miner of Gold Run.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AROUND THE CAMPFIRE;
+    Or, The Old Maid of the Mountains.
+
+    THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON CAPE COD;
+    Or, Sally Ann of Lighthouse Rock.
+
+
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS BOOKS
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+    Individual Colored Wrappers and Text Illustrations by
+    THELMA GOOCH
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself
+
+The Blythe girls, three in number, were left alone in New York City.
+Helen, who went in for art and music, kept the little flat uptown, while
+Margy just out of a business school, obtained a position as a private
+secretary and Rose, plain-spoken and businesslike, took what she called
+a "job" in a department store.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN, MARGY AND ROSE; Or, Facing the Great World.
+
+A fascinating tale of real happenings in the great metropolis.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: MARGY'S QUEER INHERITANCE; Or, The Worth of a Name.
+
+The girls had a peculiar old aunt and when she died she left an unusual
+inheritance. This tale continues the struggles of all the girls for
+existence.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: ROSE'S GREAT PROBLEM; Or, Face to Face With a Crisis.
+
+Rose still at work in the big department store, is one day faced with
+the greatest problem of her life. A tale of mystery as well as exciting
+girlish happenings.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: HELEN'S STRANGE BOARDER; Or, The Girl From Bronx Park.
+
+Helen, out sketching, goes to the assistance of a strange girl, whose
+real identity is a puzzle to all the Blythe girls. Who the girl really
+was comes as a tremendous surprise.
+
+THE BLYTHE GIRLS: THREE ON A VACATION; Or, The Mystery at Peach Farm.
+
+The girls close their flat and go to the country for two weeks--and fall
+in with all sorts of curious and exciting happenings. How they came to
+the assistance of Joe Morris, and solved a queer mystery, is well
+related.
+
+
+
+
+CAROLYN WELLS BOOKS
+
+    Attractively Bound. Illustrated. Colored Wrappers.
+
+THE MARJORIE BOOKS
+
+Marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of
+goodness and sincerity. In her and her friends every girl reader will
+see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure.
+
+    MARJORIE'S VACATION
+    MARJORIE'S BUSY DAYS
+    MARJORIE'S NEW FRIEND
+    MARJORIE IN COMMAND
+    MARJORIE'S MAYTIME
+    MARJORIE AT SEACOTE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE TWO LITTLE WOMEN SERIES
+
+Introducing Dorinda Fayre--a pretty blonde, sweet, serious, timid and a
+little slow, and Dorothy Rose--a sparkling brunette, quick, elf-like,
+high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes.
+
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN AND TREASURE HOUSE
+    TWO LITTLE WOMEN ON A HOLIDAY
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+THE DICK AND DOLLY BOOKS
+
+Dick and Dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks,
+their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories
+"really true" to young readers.
+
+    DICK AND DOLLY
+    DICK AND DOLLY'S ADVENTURES
+
+
+
+
+THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS
+
+For Little Men and Women
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of "The Bunny Brown Series," Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand
+among children and their parents of this generation where the books of
+Louisa May Alcott stood in former days. The haps and mishaps of this
+inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a
+source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere.
+
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE GREAT WEST
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CEDAR CAMP
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE COUNTY FAIR
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS CAMPING OUT
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AND BABY MAY
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS KEEPING HOUSE
+    THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT CLOVERBANK
+
+
+
+
+THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of the Popular "Bobbsey Twins" Books, Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+These stories by the author of the "Bobbsey Twins" Books are eagerly
+welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. Their
+eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive
+little Bunny Brown and his cunning, trustful sister Sue.
+
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE GIVING A SHOW
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CHRISTMAS TREE COVE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE SUNNY SOUTH
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE KEEPING STORE
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR TRICK DOG
+    BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT A SUGAR CAMP
+
+
+
+
+SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES
+
+By LAURA LEE HOPE
+
+Author of The Bobbsey Twins Books, The Bunny Brown Series, The Blythe
+Girls Books, Etc.
+
+    Durably Bound. Illustrated. Uniform Style of Binding.
+    Every Volume Complete in Itself.
+
+Delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate
+popularity. To know the six little Bunkers is to take them at once to
+your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute
+sayings. Each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily
+followed--and all are written in Miss Hope's most entertaining manner.
+Clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every
+child in the land.
+
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT CAPTAIN BEN'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COWBOY JACK'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MAMMY JUNE'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT FARMER JOEL'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT MILLER NED'S
+    SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT INDIAN JOHN'S
+
+
+GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+    +-----------------------------------------------------+
+    |Transcriber's Note:                                  |
+    |                                                     |
+    |The word catalogue appears in the main text, but is  |
+    |catalog in the advertisements at the end of the book.|
+    |Raquette Lake is also shown as Racquette Lake.       |
+    +-----------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Girl Scouts in the Adirondacks
+by Lillian Elizabeth Roy
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GIRL SCOUTS IN THE ADIRONDACKS ***
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