inds of scouts, aren't there?" Pee-wee asked
vociferously. "Regular scouts and sea scouts. Sea scouts are supposed
to live on the water and regular scouts are supposed to live under the
trees, like. So we can do both and we'll be combination scouts. We'll
be the Combination Scouts of America, hey? Will you?"

"I'll be anything as long as it's Saturday; I'm not particular," said
Roly Poly.

"Because my father knows a man that's a lawyer and he'll stick up for
us," Pee-wee continued excitedly. "Because old Trimmer hasn't got any
deed that says he owns an island, has he? All right, this is an island
in Bridgeboro. You can't deny that, can you? Let's hear you deny
that. All right, then, if he comes and tries to get this island, he'll
be trespassing, won't he? And so we'll start the Combination Scouts of
America and we'll call ourselves the--the--the----"

"The Sardine Patrol," suggested Roly.

"We'll call ourselves the Crab-apple Patrol," said Pee-wee, "because
apples are on land and crabs are in the water. Will you?"

"I see a sail on the horizon," said Roly.

"If it's old Trimmer let me handle him," said Pee-wee.

"It's the rest of the patrol," said Roly. "Do you see those two canoes
coming around the bend? We'll have a meeting of the general staff and
decide what to do."

"Whatever we do, we'll do something, hey?" said Pee-wee.

"More than that," said Roly.

"Anyway, we'll start a patrol or something, hey?"

"Oh, we'll start something, leave it to us," said Roly Poly.

CHAPTER X

THE OTHERS ARRIVE

The arrival of the five North Bridgeboro scouts was the occasion of
much merriment and banter. These boys from the small village up the
river had formed themselves into a patrol but they were two members
short of the required number and they had no scoutmaster.

Whether they took scouting seriously it would be hard to say; if so it
must have been a great comfort to them to have wished upon their
budding organization such an instructor and propagandist as the
diminutive genius whom they were now about to meet. Whatever material
they had among them for progress in the scouting field, they gave every
indication of possessing that quality of unholy mirth which
distinguished the notorious Silver Foxes. Perhaps their silver was not
quite so bright, but they gave promise.

"Hey, where are you going with the apple tree?" one of them called from
the nearest canoe. "What are you trying to do?