now."

"We never heard of that before," admitted Julie.

"But Dick has, even though he has forgotten it," said Alec. "He had to
learn it from the Manual--what he would do in case of being lost in a
forest."

"But even if you knew nothing about that, you all knew it would simplify
things for us if you were to blaze a way to guide us the way you went.
You could easily have broken twigs and left them hanging, or piled
little heaps of stones along the trail you took."

"Oh, for goodness sake! Let up on us now, and wait until _you_ are lost,
will you?" cried Julie, placing her palms over her ears.

"Yes, it's so easy to tell the other feller what to do!" was all the
retort Dick made.

"Well, children, after all I have my inning!" declared Mr. Gilroy,
chuckling.

"What's that?" demanded every one.

"I wanted you to come home and dine with me, but no! you must stop to
cook in the woods. Now you'll all be glad enough to hurry home and come
to my party. And the dinner won't be slighted, either, from so much
overeating up here!"

CHAPTER SEVEN

A LITTLE BUSINESS

At breakfast the day following the "Lost Scouts'" adventure, Mrs. Vernon
remarked: "Girls, yesterday's experience taught me an important thing,
and that is, we need a set of rules for camp, so that every member of
Dandelion Troop will have her proper share of work and duty to perform.

"We have been keeping house in a haphazard way, with no responsibility
attached to any one but Julie and me. Now, each day there must be some
sort of regulations and punishments, if duties are neglected. The fire
yesterday showed me that that system was good."

"Your idea is all right, Verny, but what will the rules cover, and why
have punishments?" asked Julie.

"Because every day will probably bring new problems to us, so that set
rules will not do, but each day must have added rules. If these rules
are not obeyed, the scout who is negligent ought to be made to pay for
her lack of obedience."

"Have you formulated any plan to begin with?" asked Joan.

"I thought that Julie, as Scout Leader, could consult with me about
that. Although I think we ought to select a new orderly for each day, to
see that the other scouts do what is required of them. If we begin with
Ruth, Betty next day, and so on through the new membership, one each
day, it brings us to the eighth day. Of course Julie, Joan and I will
not be orderlies. But the Leader and Corporal are over the Orde