Butter, jam, crackers, and canned milk added the “class” to the meal, for which Billy carefully measured out the rations, that they might not encroach upon to-morrow’s supplies, for there would be no time for fishing: a more serious business claimed them.
Around the camp-fire they sat a while, toasting and drying, for the night was damp and chilly. Billy insisted on some speech, song, or story from each one, knowing that would help to banish the gloom. He called for opinions or stories regarding the Scouts’ motto, “Be prepared,” showing how it might become more of a talisman to them, how it could become a continual incentive to effort.
“You never know when knowledge is going to come handy,” Redtop said. “That reminds me of a story of the desert country over east of the mountains, where the ranches are fenced with barbed wire. They run their telephones by means of them now; but some years back before any one had thought of that, some miscreants planned to rob a place, and cut the telephone wires that their escape might be easy. A bright boy discovered the cut, suspected some deviltry was up, and connected up the wires by tying the cut ends to the fence. The robbers did not discover the trap, and when they went to loot the house they met the police, and were caught.”
“A good story,” Billy declared; “I wonder how that boy saved himself a shock?”
“Rubber would do it,” Redtop answered; “and glass, though that would be hard to manage.”
“The shock from telephone wires wouldn’t be much,” Mumps said.
Billy called for a count of things each had noticed in the woods that day, Redtop to keep the count, and was pleased when Hugh outdid all in original observation.
“Some of those things have never been reported in any book that I ever read,” Bump declared. “You’ll make a boss scout, Fairy. I never can get the hang of making fire the way you do.”
“If I live long enough,” Hugh gloomed; “I’m big as sixteen and not twelve yet; just a baby.”
“No matter, kid. Put your thinker to something else. Who’s trying for the city flag design? September will be here before you know it.”