The other boys all said the same.
"It seems to be unanimous," said Mr. Norton. "I thought that probably you would feel that way. Well, this is what I have in mind, in case you decide to take the trip, instead of remaining near home. What do you say to hiking straight east over Florida Mountain, as far as Deerfield and the Connecticut River? We can get a horse and carry our camping outfit and supplies in a wagon. We can take turns driving. It will rest us, and if anybody should give out the wagon will come in handy. We can take as long a time as we want on the way, camping out each night."
Mr. Norton stopped and looked at us to see how we liked the plan. Say, it didn't take him long to find out. Every boy jumped to his feet and shouted. Skinny forgot that he was chairman and started to march around the room, shooting and striking at the enemy, and we all fell in line after him except Bill. He stood on his hands, kicked his feet in the air, and whistled through his teeth.
Mr. Norton looked pleased.
"Mr. Chairman," he said, as soon as we had taken our places again. "I hardly think it necessary to put that to a vote except, perhaps, as a matter of form. The next question is, will your folks let you go? Sometimes fathers and mothers have very decided notions about what they want their boys to do and more especially what they don't want them to do."
I told him what Pa had said about being willing to have us go anywhere with him, and the other boys said that their folks felt the same way.
"Good! We'll consider that settled and get down to details as quickly as possible. I should like to get started in about two weeks, which will be early in August. We'll call another meeting in a few days and I'll have a list of the articles needed and their cost ready to submit to you. I know where we can get tents, but there are a whole lot of things we shall need in the woods, besides things to eat. Is there any more business to come before the meeting, Mr. Chairman?"
"There is," said Skinny, who had been scribbling something on a piece of paper. He handed it to me to read, and this is what it said:
"Resolved, that Mr. Norton is great stuff."
"All that are in favor of the motion salute the Scoutmaster."