's regard for his troops.

"Sweet as a butternut, son," rejoined the old man. "Makes the sick
strong and the strong stronger, as the medicine advertisements say."

For the present, the cooking was to be done on a regular camp fire
which was built between two green logs laid lengthwise and converging
toward the end. The tops of these had, under Commodore Wingate's
directions, been slightly flattened with an axe. At each end a forked
branch had been set upright in the ground, with a green limb laid
between them. From this limb hung "cooking hooks," consisting of green
branches with hooked ends at one extremity to hang over the long
timber, and a nail driven in the other from which to hang the pots.

"That's the best form of camp fire, boys," said Commodore--or perhaps
we would better call him scout master now--Wingate, who had accompanied
the boys to see them settled. "Now, then, the next thing to do is to
run up the Stars and Stripes and plant the Eagle flag. Then you'll be
all O.K."

Little Andy Bowles made the woods behind them echo with the stirring
call of "assembly," and halliards were reeved on a previously cut pole,
about fifteen feet in height. The Stars and Stripes were attached, and
while the whole company stood at attention and gave the scout salute,
Scout Master Wingate raised the colors. Three loud, shrill cheers
greeted Old Glory as it blew bravely out against the cloudless blue.

"That's a pretty sight now, shiver my timbers if it ain't," observed
old Captain Hudgins, who had stood, hat in hand, during the ceremony.
"I've seen Old Glory in many a foreign port, and felt like takin' off
my hat and givin' three cheers fer the old flag; but I never seen her
look better or finer than she does a-streakin' out from that there bit
of timber."

"Now, Patrol cooks," was Scout Master Wingate's next command, "it's
only an hour to dinner time, and we want the first mess to be right.
Come on, and we'll get the pot boiling."

Cook duty fell that day to Hiram Nelson and Walter Lonsdale, and under
the scout master's directions they soon had potatoes peeled, beans in
water, and a big piece of stew meat chopped up with vegetables in a
capacious pot.

After every errand to the store tent, Walter was anxious to know if it
was not yet time to light the fire.

"Never be in a hurry to light your fire when you are in the woods,"
rejoined the scout master; "otherwise you will be so busy tending the
fire you won't