Wood had to be quickly gathered, and some sort of fire-place constructed where a blaze must be started without the aid of paper. Then the kettles were to be seated on the stones, and the first one that had water actually boiling, as witnessed by the scout master, would be the victor, and the second called "runner-up."
"Ready, all!" called Mr. Garrabrant, and ten eager pair of eyes watched him closely; "go!"
Immediately there was a race for the lake. One clumsy scout fell down and had to scramble to his feet to take his place at the tail end of the procession. Of course the long-legged Lil Artha easily outran all his mates. He had scooped up his water and was on the way back before the next best arrived.
The wise ones made sure to dip up more than they really needed, so as to make allowances for any that might be spilled on the return flight. The surplus could be easily tipped out before they set the kettle on the fire.
When the whole lot had finally reached the open spot where the competition was to be carried out, the picture was a lively one. Mark was on hand to take a few snapshots, and catch all the humor of the scene.
Now Lil Artha had his fire going, being far in advance of the others. As they hustled to get things moving it was only natural that each fellow cast jealous glances toward those who were getting along faster. In one instance that caused the withdrawal of a competitor, for while paying more attention to what Matty Eggleston was doing than his own business, Larry Billings upset his kettle. After that he gave up with a grunt, for it was the height of folly for him to think of running to the lake for a fresh supply.
Two others used all their three matches and failed to get a fire started, so they also withdrew.
When Arthur Stansbury placed his kettle on his hastily constructed fire-place, long before the rest, it looked as though he had a "walkover."
All at once there arose a shout of boyish glee. In starting to get to his feet, the long-legged one had, as frequently happened, caught his ankles in a hitch, and throwing out one hand to balance he upset the kettle, which came near putting out his fire.
Mr. Garrabrant expected to see him leaping toward the far-off lake in the hope of being yet in the running. To his surprise, Lil Artha snatched up his pail and ran away from the edge of the water! Several were so astonished at this that they suspended operations for a second or two to stare after him.