c as usual.

"But the finest exhibition of firemanship was when one of the nozzlemen
let go of the only hose they got on the fire while he hunted through his
pockets for a paper of tobacco or something else just as important," said
Bruce. "Of course the other nozzleman couldn't hold onto the hose alone
and it twisted out of his hands. The thing acted like a big black snake,
fellows, and hit Chief Blaney a whack in the chest that knocked him
sprawling. Then it proceeded to wet down the whole fire department
before some one captured it. It was a scream. Didn't any of you see
it?"

"I reached there in time to see Tom Hogan try to stop it and get a
ducking for his trouble," laughed Nipper Knapp.

"Oh, it is a shame," continued Bruce; "I know it isn't exactly proper to
criticise, but then if they'd had a little system about it old Eli
Osborne's barn would still be standing. Now it's a heap of cinders. I
tell you any ordinary troop of Boy Scouts has more snap than the
Woodbridge Fire Department. I believe-- By Jove, fellows. I've an idea!
Let's organize a fire department of our own. A motorcycle fire
department. I was reading in a magazine only the other day how they
started one over in England somewhere. How about it?"

"Bully--how's it done?" demanded Bud Weir, leader of the Blue Heron Patrol.

"Corking idea; let's get busy," exclaimed Jiminy Gordon.

"Great! Give us the details," shouted Romper.

Bruce wrinkled his brow in deep thought for several moments, then his
face lighted up with a smile.

"Look here, fellows," he said enthusiastically, "three of us have
motorcycles we got for Christmas, and Romper here and Ray Martin of the
Flying Eagles have the machines they built themselves. Then there's 'Old
Nanc,' the automobile we built last Winter. She's good enough to carry
hose and hatchets and a couple of fellows besides. We've the equipment.
What do you say? I'm dead sure my dad will let us borrow some fire
extinguishers from the mill, and he has any amount of hose and other
things to fit up a first-class brigade. We'll get our equipment together
and then drill like the dickens. How about it?"

"And we'll keep it a secret. Won't tell a soul until we get a chance to
spring a surprise on the whole town, eh, fellows?" suggested Bud.

"Let's spring it at the tournament and convention next month. The
Champlain Valley Firemen's Association meets here this year, you know.
Perhaps we can get first