“Hurrah for Preparedness!” shouted Roy, throwing his hat in the air.
They had been a rather sober party of voyagers during this last part of their trip and Roy’s accustomed spirit seemed to have gone from him, but it came back now with a rush and as usual it had a contagious effect on the others.
“Hurrah for Uncle Sam!” shouted Pee-wee, grabbing the naval flag from the stern and waving it frantically.
“They look like scouts, don’t they?” said Mr. Ellsworth.
“Oh, cracky,” enthused Pee-wee. “I’m glad we came!”
“Altogether!” called Mr. Ellsworth, looking over to the smaller boat. “Hoop it up, Tom! Hurrah for Preparedness!”
“We thought of it first,” called Connie. “Uncle Sam swiped it from us. Come on, let’s give ’em our own call!”
“Be prepared! Be prepared! Be prepared!”
And so, shouting lustily the motto of the scouts the boats came alongside the landing and were met by several smiling rookies, off duty.
“Are we pinched?” asked Mr. Ellsworth, laughing as he stepped ashore.