Camp Fires of the Wolf Patrol

by Captain Alan Douglas

"That's just it," smiled the gentleman. "You failed to grasp all there was in that rule, while Arthur analyzed it. He undoubtedly laid his plans beforehand, in which he proved himself a true scout, preparing for eventualities, even though he may not have expected to meet with such an accident. He remembered that little stream, and even the fact that there was a small basin scooped out where a pail could be quickly dipped in and filled. All the more credit to Arthur for his forethought. He doubly deserves the honor he has won, and I congratulate him on his victory. It will be an object lesson to the rest of you. In time of peace prepare for war. And now we will turn our attention to another test. Perhaps some of the rest may excel in that. I want everyone to do his very best, and earn marks that will help to take you out of the tenderfoot class and make second-class scouts."

It was now the turn of Elmer to interest his camp-mates. He had been looking around before this, and laid his plans, so that he was able to lead the entire bunch to a neighboring gully, where in the soft mud alongside a stream he had discovered several distinctly separate sets of animal tracks.

Here he pointed out to them the marked difference between the trail of a muskrat from that of a mink, and even went so far as to tell a number of things which the latter cautious animal had probably done in his passage down the ravine in search of food.

Mr. Garrabrant listened carefully himself, and nodded approvingly from time to time, to show how much he liked Elmer's way of reasoning.

"You can see, boys," he remarked finally, when the lesson was over for that occasion, "what a vast amount of mighty interesting information can be drawn from so simple a sign as the spoor of a little slender-bodied mink. Elmer has made a study of the animal, and knows his ways to a dot. I think he described all that the mink did on his way along here, just as it actually occurred. And the deeper one dips into such woods' lore, the more fascinating it is found. All around you are dozens of things that strike the educated eye as deeply interesting and worthy of study, but which would never be seen by the tenderfoot. And it is this power of observation that we wish our boy scouts to employ constantly. Once the fever takes hold, a new life opens up for the lover of Nature."

After that they busied themselves around the camp doing various things until lunch time. About the middle of the afternoon three relays, of two boys each, were sent out in as many different directions. They were not to take paper or pencil along, but simply to try to impress various interesting things they happened to meet with, upon their memories, and after they had returned to camp they would be given a chance to note these down on paper. The one of each pair who could excel in his description as to the number and interest of the things seen, would receive merit marks. And later on the three victors might be pitted against each other again.

While the six boys were absent, for they had a couple of hours in which to accomplish their end, those left in camp found plenty to do. Mark spent some time in developing the films he had exposed thus far, having a daylight developing bath along with him. In this way he could find a possible chance to duplicate any pictures that, for some unknown cause, failed to do justice to the subject. If he waited until they returned home to get to work, the chances would have gone forever.

Everybody seemed happy but Ted Burgoyne, and he went about with an expression of gloom on his face that of course may have been assumed.

"Didn't think you took it to heart so, Ted," remarked Elmer, as he confronted the other, while the rest of the stay-at-homes were busily debating some question near the camp fire.

"Oh!" exclaimed the scowling one, disconsolately; "it ain't about losing my chance in that blooming old competition, by falling all over mythelf in the thtart! Oh! no, that doethn't bother me one little bit, becauth you thee, I just knew I had no chance against thuch a hustler as Lil Artha."