s a joyful reunion. The Ranger and his prisoner, the beaver man,
looked on.

Then when Major Henry hauled out the message packet, and saluting and
grinning passed it to the general, our cup was full. I was as glad as if
I had passed it, myself. "One for all, and all for one," is the way we
Scouts work.

"If you hadn't trailed him (the beaver man) and headed him and fixed him
so he couldn't travel fast, he'd have got away from the fire and
wouldn't have run into _us_," claimed Major Henry.

"And if you fellows hadn't held that fire line you wouldn't have seen
him and we might have been burnt or suffocated in the willows," I
claimed back.

So what seems a failure or a bother, when you're trying your best, often
is the most important thing of all, or helps make the chain complete.

But now we didn't take much time to explain to each other or to swap
yarns; for the twilight was gone and the dark was closing in, and we
weren't in the best of shape. The burro Apache was packed with bedding,
mostly, which was a good thing, of course; the Red Fox Scouts had their
outfit; but we Elks were short on grub. That piece of bacon and just
the little other stuff carried by the Major Henry party were our
provisions. Fitz and the poor general were making a hungry camp, when we
had discovered them. And then there was the general, laid up.

"What's the matter with you, kid?" queried the Ranger.

"Sprained ankle, I think."

"That's sure bad," sympathized the Ranger.

And it sure was.

"Boys, I'll have to be traveling for that cabin of mine, to report about
the fire and this man," said the Ranger, after listening to our talk for
a minute. "If you're grub-shy, some of you had better come along and
I'll send back enough to help you out."

That was mighty nice of him. And the general spoke up, weakly. "How far
is the cabin, please?"

"About three miles, straight across."

"If I could make it, could I stay there a little while?"

"Stay a year, if you want to. We'll pack you over, if you'll go. Can you
ride?"

"All right," said the general. "I'll do it. Now, you fellows, listen.
Major Henry, I turn the command and the message over to you. I'm no
good; I can't travel and we've spent a lot of time already, and I'd be
only a drag. So I'll drop out and go over to that cabin, and you other
Scouts take the message."

Oh, we didn't want to do that! Leave the general? Never!

"No, sir, we'll take you along if we have to carry you on