"Aut'ority is always aut'ority, and I tould him what I knew and had
seen, not forbearin' to mintion the gang and their wild ambitions. And
whin I had finished this man said: 'I shall muster thim in to-morrow. I
happen to be in command of the scouts in this district.'

"'But they haven't their dollars to put in the little bank,' I remarked.
'And they tell me without their dollar they cannot be second-class
scouts, whativer that is.'

"At this a fat man reached for a hat off the hook and put his hand in
his pocket, drew it out and emptied it into the hat, and passed it.

"And while the money jingled into it my respict for the brave lads rose
into me mouth. 'They won't take it,' I said. 'They have refused money
before. 'Tis their oath.'

"The man with authority looked over at me. 'The chief is right,' he
said. 'They have earned only a dollar apiece. Whose launch was that they
took?'

"'Faith and I don't know,' I said. 'They remar-rked that the
owner--Hivin bless him!--had niver forbidden thim to use it.'

"'Thin we must pay the rint of it for the night,' says he. 'But the
bhoys will get only a dollar apiece." Where are they?'

"'They disappeared whin the boat was fast, sir,' says I. 'I think they
wint home. 'Tis bedtime.'

"'D'ye know where the patrol-leader lives?' he demands.

"So we walked up the hill in the darkness and wind till we reached the
house of me bould Tad. A knock at the door brought the missus, with a
towel on her ar-rm. I pushed in. 'We've come to see yer son,' says I.

"We stepped in and saw the young sprig be the fire, on a chair, with his
feet in a bowl of watther and musthard. He was for runnin' whin he saw
us, but cudn't for the lack of clothes. So he scowled at us. 'This is
the commander of the scouts,' I says, inthroducin' me tall companion.
'And here's yer five dollars to put with yer dollar and six bits into
the little bank, so's yez can all of yez be second-class scouts.'

"'We can't take the money,' says he, with a terrible growl. 'The oath
forbids us to take money for savin' life.'

"'Don't be a hero,' I rebukes him. 'Ye're only a small bhoy in his
undherclothes with yer feet in hot watther and musthard. No hero was
ever in such a predicament. This gintleman will infor-rm ye about the
money.'

"Me bould companion looked at the slip of a lad and said sharply:
'Report to me to-morrow morning with yer patrol at sivin o'clock to be
musthered in.'

"With that we mar-rched out in