I said, “I accept your apology for using the word silence. I never thought you knew there was such a word. But you’re wrong as I usually never am. If that rock is in the tent, we are the ones who put it there—deny it if you can. If we didn’t put the rock in the tent, then how did the tent get outside the rock? It’s as clear as mud, I’ll leave it to Sandy.”
By that time Dub and Sandy were both laughing because they had Pee-wee and me started.
I said, very sober like, “We can claim that we lifted a rock weighing about a quarter of a ton because we put it in that tent and we did not have a derrick. Therefore by the same line of reasoning we’re stronger than mustard. Am I right?”
“Sure you are,” Dub said.
“You couldn’t be righter,” Sandy said.
I said, “Now I have a peach of an idea and it will cause a great sensation in scout circles throughout the civilized world—”
“You think you’re smart using big words,” Pee-wee shouted.
I said, “As long as you have your camera with you, Dub, we’ll let Pee-wee take our pictures standing on the rock inside the tent and we’ll write underneath it, Picture shows three Boy Scouts standing on huge rock which they put inside camping tent without the aid of a derrick. Then we’ll send it to Boys’ Magazine and they’ll print it. What do you say?”
“It’s a fine idea,” Dub said.
“We ought to have our coats off showing our sinewy arms,” Sandy said.