Good night, that kid was the limit!

"I don't mean that way," I told him, "but you have to _stalk_. That means to follow a bird or an animal and watch them without them knowing anything about it--see?"

He said, all excited like, "I can sneak up on 'em, so then can I have the badge--for sneaking--like you said?"

Gee whiz, I just sat back and laughed. Then I said, "_Stalking badge_; not sneaking, but _stalking_. That's the badge you're after. So that's the one you want to think about. Don't think about a whole lot of things but just think about that."

He said, "I like you a whole lot, and that's the one I'm going to get, because you say so."

Just then I noticed Stut Moran (we call him that because he stutters) going past the window. Pretty soon I noticed him pa.s.sing again and walking very slow.

"You just keep your mind on that one badge and remember those letters,"

I said; "and for goodness' sake don't talk about badges for sneaking.

Because, you take a tip from me, you can only do one thing at a time."

He said, "The poultry badge is a good one. It's got a picture of a rooster on it."

"You should worry about pictures of roosters," I said, "just keep thinking about that one badge, you take my advice. Because you're good on keeping your eyes open and that's the badge for you. And you're small and kind of thin and that's good in stalking, too, because you can hide behind trees and things." Then I said, "If you'll make me a promise that you'll just think about that one badge and not about a lot of others all at once, when we get up to camp, I'll make you a basket out of a peach-pit to hang around your neck."

Just then the door of the galley opened and in came Connie Bennett.

Right behind him were Vic Norris and Stut Moran. Connie is leader of the Elks and the other two fellows are Elks, too. Right away he began and I saw he was mad.

"That's a good thing you're talking about--_sneaking_" he said.

I said, "What do you mean?"

"He's getting a good lesson in sneaking all right," he shot right back at me.

"Gee whiz, I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Oh, no," he said, all the while sort of sneering at me; "I suppose you didn't bring him in here so you could be where n.o.body else heard you.

Maybe you think you own the galley."

"Sure I brought him in here so we could be alone," I said.

"_Sure you did_," he said, "just so you could start him after the stalker's badge. We heard you make him promise to go after that and not think about anything else. He's easy, that kid is."

"Why should I--" I began.

"You know well enough why," he said; "who started the rule about not having two of the same merit badges in a patrol?"

"I did," I told him.

"Yes," he said, "and now you're trying to rush this kid through just so you can get even with Vic. What have _you_ got to do with our patrol anyway? Don't you think we're old enough to take care of our new members? All because you and Vic were on the outs last summer."

Jingo, that made me mad. "I forgot all about that," I said; "didn't Vic treat me to a soda only last week? It wasn't a quarrel anyway. I should worry about who has the stalker's badge in your patrol. I didn't even know Vic was after it. You know yourself the kid hasn't begun his second-cla.s.s tests yet. What chance does _he_ stand if Vic is after it?

I only thought I'd try to do a good turn. Cracky, it's hard enough to think up anything to do out here on a Sunday afternoon--you know that yourself. I was waiting all day for somebody to fall overboard, so I could jump in and save them. You're a lot of old grandmothers in your patrol. If that's all you've got to complain about, you'd better go and sweep the wind off the deck."

"You mean to tell me to go and sweep the wind off the deck?" Connie said, coming right up close to me.

"Sure," I said, "and when you get through with that go and clean the reflection out of the water. I should worry. Here, take your new member. If I'd known Vic was after the badge, I wouldn't have said a word about it, you can bet. You ought to know me well enough to know I was just giving him a few tips. Did I have any quarrel with you, Vic?"

Honest, would you believe it, none of them said a word except, "Come ahead, Skinny," and the poor kid followed them out, not knowing what to think, I guess.

"End of a perfect day," I said.

CHAPTER VII

TELLS ABOUT MY MERIT BADGE

Wasn't that a crazy thing? Just because last summer I put a stalking sign on one of Vic's trees. How did I know it was his? As soon as he told me, I marked off my claim the same as any scout would. Maybe I ought to have remembered that he was out for the stalker's badge, but believe me, I have enough to remember with the Silver Fox patrol.

Gee whiz, n.o.body can say that I ever b.u.t.t in when a patrol is breaking in a tenderfoot. That's one thing I wouldn't do. I wouldn't even have bothered to tell you about it at all, except that it had _momentous consequences_--that's what Pee-wee said.

At supper there was a big round flat piece of wood tied with a rope at my place and on it was printed "_Sneaker's Badge_." It must have been cut out of a piece of wood from a grocery box, because I noticed on the other side of it, it said "_Honey Boy_" I suppose it meant some kind of cookies or crackers or soap maybe. So just for the fun of it I stood up and said.

"Friends and enemies: Ever since about five o'clock this afternoon I've been hunting for a chance to do a good turn. The first one I tried to do didn't pan out. So here's my chance to do a good turn and I have to thank the honorable Elk Patrol for giving me the chance." Then I turned the big wooden medal over so the other side showed and everybody read "_Honey Boy_" and began to laugh. Even Vie Norris had to laugh. "If it wasn't for the Elks I'd have to go to bed without doing a good turn."

Crink.u.ms, you ought to have seen Mr. Ellsworth laugh. All the time he knew something was wrong, I guess, but he never bothered with things like that. "Settle your own disputes," that's what he always said. The only fellow that didn't take it as a joke was Connie Bennett and just for that reason you'll have to hear more about it.

One thing more happened that day. When it was nearly dark Westy Martin (he's my special chum) came to me and said, "There's a boat coming this way and I think it's coming here." I went over to the rail where all of the fellows were watching and there was a rowboat with two men in it, headed straight for us. Pretty soon they came alongside and, oh, boy, I was so shaky that I just held onto the rail with my hand trembling.

Because they had badges on and I knew they were men belonging to the government.

Good night, I said to myself, it's all up now; they're after Lieutenant Donnelle. They're going to search the house-boat and ask a lot of questions and I'll have to tell.

When they got on board one of them said, "We just want to give you the once over, mate."

Oh, didn't my heart go down to my feet. I thought it would be all right if I didn't stay around because they couldn't ask me any questions if I wasn't there. And I was on the side of Lieutenant Donnelle, I didn't care what. So I went into the galley and began straightening things out there. After a little while Westy came and stuck his head in through the window.

"Are they gone?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said.

Then I said, "What did they want?"

"They were only just inspectors," he said; "and they wanted to know if we had power."

"You mean an engine?" I asked him. "Sure," he said, "because if a boat has a _fixed engine_, it has to have a license and a certain kind of whistle and bell and lights and all that."

"A fixed engine?" I said, "if we had one it probably wouldn't be fixed."

"They meant a stationary engine," he said, "you crazy Indian."

"What else did they say?" I asked, because I was still kind of nervous.

"They told us we should have a life preserver for everybody on board and a fog horn."