"I never bet. I regard it as a
reprehensible practice. I am bitterly opposed under all circumstances to
the hazard of chance."

"All right! Excuse me," he said; "only it seems to me you're taking one
now. Well, good evening, doctor, and good luck to you! Er--you don't
mind my complimenting you on your gameness, do you?"

And so he departed, continuing as long as he remained in my hearing to
reprehend his younger daughter concerning her unseemly and ill-timed
outbursts.

This episode, trifling though it was, served rather to increase than to
diminish my nervousness; but upon my entering the assembly hall, where
my young friends were gathered together awaiting my coming, all sense of
trepidation vanished, so spontaneous and uproarious was their greeting.
The chorus of lusty young voices raised in instantaneous cheering was to
me sufficient reward for all the pains to which I had been put. One and
all, they manifested the deepest interest in the new uniform.

At the request of Master Pope--he to whom I have already referred in
terms of high praise--I, standing on the small raised platform, turned
round and round slowly, in order that he and his fellows might better
study the effect, the enthusiasm increasing all the time until the sound
was really quite deafening in volume. It was, indeed, a refreshing
experience, following so closely on the Pottinger incident; and I
veritably believe that, had I not grown slightly dizzy, those brave boys
would have kept me revolving there for an hour.

"Now, then, my fine fellows," I said, when the noise had died down, "I
shall distribute among you twelve water-colour drawings, done by your
leader's own hand, showing the general plan and colour scheme to be
followed in executing this costume. Master Pope, will you kindly pass
out these copies to your mates?"

This done and the members being warned to have their uniforms speedily
ready, I announced that on the following Thursday we should embark on
our first invasion of the forest primeval, going for a camping
expedition of three days to the shores of Hatcher's Lake, a body of
water situate, as I had previously ascertained, a distance of forty
miles by rail from the city and four miles more from the station at
Hatchersville, a small village.

"We shall proceed to this obscure hamlet on the steam cars," I
explained, "and thence to our appointed place afoot, bearing our camp
baggage and other accoutrements with us."

With an uplift