tart. As they were packing he noticed a lot of sticks that looked like
rockets.

"What are those?" he asked. "If they're heavy, you're putting that pack
on all wrong."

"These ain't got no weight," said the "guide"; "that's just some
fireworks for the Fourth. We've got a bunch of them along for the little
girl. She's crazy about fireworks."

Wilbur said no more, but waited until the professor came out. Then he
walked up to him.

"I understand," he said, "that you have some fireworks for the Fourth."

The man addressed made no reply, but walked along as though he had not
heard.

"I give you fair warning," said Wilbur, "that you can't set those off in
this forest, Independence Day or no Independence Day."

"We shan't ask your permission," said the old pedant loftily. "In fact,
some will be set off this evening, and some to-morrow, wherever we may
be."

"But don't you understand," the boy said, "that you're putting the
forest in danger, in awful danger of fire? And if a big forest fire
starts, you are just as likely to suffer as any one else. You might
cause a loss of millions of dollars for the sake of a few rockets."

"The man that sold me them," said the other, "said they were harmless,
and he ought to know."

"All right," said Wilbur. "I've been told off to protect this forest
from danger of fire, and if there's any greater danger around than a
bunch like yours I haven't seen it. I reckon I'll camp on your trail
till you're out of my end of the forest, and then I'll pass the word
along and see that there's some one with you to keep you from making
fools of yourselves."

He turned on his heel and commenced to make up a pack for his heavier
horse, intending to ride Kit. He then went to the telephone and, finding
no one at headquarters, called up the old hunter's cabin. The Ranger had
a 'phone put in for Ben, who had learned how to use it, and by good
fortune the half-witted lad knew where to find Rifle-Eye. He explained
to Ben how matters stood, and asked him to get word to the Ranger if
possible. Then Wilbur went back to the party and gave them a hand to
get started.

Although he had been made very angry, Wilbur could see no gain in
sulking and he spent the day trying to establish a friendly relation
with the professor, so that, as he expressed it afterwards, "he could
jolly him out of the fireworks idea." But while this scholastic visitor
was willing to talk about subjects in connection with the governm