der of the Royal Bengal Tigers, Eagle Scout and winner
of the Gold Cross, Bert Winton.

"What's this? The annual electrical show?" he asked. "What's the matter
with you kids? Lost, strayed or stolen? Who's this fellow?"

"Look at the bridge, it's gone!" said Roy. "Don't bother to look at it.
It isn't there anyway. We're a couple of pickets--I mean sentinels."

"Well, you guided us through the woods, anyway," said Tom.

"The pleasure is ours," said Roy. "We can sit in a car and guide people
through the woods; we're real heroes. What's the news?"

"Do you know anything about the stage?" Tom asked.

"We know _all_ about it. It's right over there. This fellow comes from
Hillsburgh. He got out and walked ahead and stopped it. Didn't you?
Hervey Willetts blew in from somewhere or other and they're carrying him
to camp. Nothing serious. Got any candy?"

"The crowd from the bus is all right then?"

"Positively guaranteed."

"And Hervey?"

"He's used up another one of his lives, he's only got three left now. He
must have hit the trail after Westy and I left the cove. He's going to
get called down to-morrow. He should worry, he's used to that."

"Where did they run into him?" Tom asked.

"They found him hanging onto one of the horses. Curry thought he was a
ghost, that's all _I_ know. This fellow went ahead and shouted back that
the bridge had sneaked off. Didn't you, Gilly?" It was characteristic of
Roy that he had already found a nickname for Gilbert Tyson.

"Hervey say anything?"

"Mumbled something, I don't know what."

Tom pondered a few moments. "Humph," said he, "that's all right."

He was satisfied about Hervey. The other phases of the episode did not
interest him. What scoutmasters said and thought did not greatly concern
him. He did not give two thoughts to the fact that Hervey was to be
"called down." He had known scouts to be called down before. He had
known credit and glory to miscarry. Hervey had done this thing and that
was all that the young camp assistant cared about. It would not hurt
Hervey to be called down.

The picturesque young assistant, the very spirit and embodiment of
adventure and romance, made a good deal of allowance for visiting
scoutmasters and handbook scouts. He was broad and kind as the trees are
broad and kind; exacting about big things, careless about little things.
They knew all about scouting. He was the true scout. They had their
manuals and handbooks. The great spirit o