"Just because I choose to," I told him.

"That's a good reason," he said.

"It's all the reason you'll get," I blurted out.

"All right," he said, very nice and polite, "only then don't go around
thinking you're a better friend to him than I am. I know this camp and
I know those fellows across the lake and I know page fifty-one of the
Handbook, and I've seen the kid once or twice."

"I suppose you think I don't know what's on page fifty-one of the
Handbook," I said, getting mad; "it's the tracking badge--pathfinding--
so there. And I see you have it on your sleeve, too."

"That's where it belongs," he said.

"Well, then, if you think it was so important to track him, why didn't
you track him?" I blurted at him, for I was good and mad.

"I did," he said.

CHAPTER XIX

TELLS ABOUT A VISIT FROM ACROSS THE LAKE

Now at last I knew for sure that I hated that fellow. And I said to
myself, "You can bet I'll never have anything more to do with _him_."

When I got to our cabin all the fellows were asleep, except Westy, and
I said to him, "Do you know that scout who's patrol leader in the Ohio
troop?"

He said, "You mean Winton?"

"That's him," I said; "I hate him so much that it makes me hate the
whole state of Ohio. I wouldn't even go canoeing on the Ohio River."

He didn't say anything--I guess he was sleepy. "I even hate the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad," I said.

The next morning just as we were going in for a swim, we saw the canoe
coming across the lake again. When it got near enough, we could see
that another fellow was in it. We all went over to the landing to ask
him how his pal was getting along. Right away he asked if he could see
Mr. Ellsworth.

I said, "Sure you can; I guess he's in the tepee, writing."

I felt sort of glad, because I thought probably it meant something good
for Skinny. All morning he was sure one hero, and at the time the
camper came he was off with the Elks somewhere, stalking I guess, and I
was mighty glad of it.

The tepee is a little tent where the scoutmasters always go when they
want to be alone, so as to write up troop stuff. Nobody ever bothers
them in there unless it's important, and even then only one fellow
goes.

I said, "Sure, come ahead, I'll find him for you."

He was a pretty nice fellow, I could see that, even if he _was_ a
tenderfoot, and he spoke mighty friendly, sort of, to me.

He said, "You have a wonderful little life saver here--with a bull dog