lies. Serving as dispatch bearers, telegraph and
mail delivery riders; and distributing millions of notices as to
billeting, commandeering, safety precautions, and the like,' How's that
strike you, Tubby?"

"It certainly gives me a thrill," the fat boy replied, "and I envy the
lucky Boy Scouts of Great Britain. I reckon they're doing things like
that down in France. Yes, and in Germany too. Now people will see what
it means to wear the khaki uniform. I'm prouder than ever because I have
that right."

"They say," remarked Rob, chiming in with what knowledge he had picked
up, "that for once the boys are appreciated in these times. They have at
last come into their own. A scout's uniform is regarded in England as a
sign of competence and responsibility. It is treated with the same
respect given to any other official garb."

"This account goes on to say that the boys have developed a wonderful
topographical knowledge," Merritt continued, full of the subject as any
Boy Scout might well be. "They pack ambulances systematically with
instruments and medical supplies, checking off their lists like
experienced quartermasters. Others take charge of the delivery of camp
outfits from the stores to the troops about to embark for the seat of
war. The bicycle corps and mounted squads can care for their machines
and horses, make high speed, and meet emergencies with decision and
intelligence. The signal corps can use the telegraph key, semaphore,
and flags almost as well as veterans, thanks to their training. They can
repair telegraph lines and instruments, and have considerable knowledge
of wireless."

"Hurrah!" exclaimed Tubby. "This is sure the day of the Boy Scout. I
never thought I'd ever live to see him climb to such a dazzling height.
Of course, over in America, scouts have never been trained with any idea
that they might be soldiers; for we don't have a chip on our shoulder
all the time, and feel that we're spoiling for a fight."

"All the same," said Rob, "the time may come when what we've learned
will be of great use to our country. Besides, every boy is ten times
better off for joining the organization."

They had been riding in this fashion for an hour and more, often meeting
parties of fugitives on the road, some of them bearing household
treasures, leading a mooing cow, or driving a spavined old horse that
was attached to a shaky wagon piled up with goods of value to the owners
only.

These sights at first struck