“In my opinion—­” interrupted Donald.

“Now for another chunk,” sighed Pepper.

“Order!” called Rand.

“It would no be a bad idea,” went on Donald, “to read over the requirements again, so we will know what we are about.”

“Oh,” protested Pepper, “this is too much.  Say, fellows, wake me up when he gets through.”

“Now,” said Rand, when Donald had finished the reading, “shall we go ahead?”

“How is it, Don?” asked Pepper; “any more objections?”

“I don’t see any,” returned Donald.

“All right, then, Mr. Chairman,” cried Pepper; “let her go!”

“I move that we form a patrol of the Boy Scouts,” said Jack.

“Second it,” cried Gerald.

“Aye!” shouted the boys before Rand had time to put the motion.

“Carried,” decided Rand.  “Now,” he went on, “I wonder how many of you can pass the examination.”

CHAPTER XII

ORGANIZED

“Oh,” returned Pepper, “that’s easy.  First class in Scout lore, stand up!”

“Is it?” asked Rand, “then tell us the composition of the American flag.”

“Red, white and blue,” said Pepper confidently.

“Good—­as far as it goes,” returned Rand, “but that applies just as well to the French tricolor.  What do you say, Jack?”

“Stars and stripes,” replied Jack.

“Good,” said Rand, “but not good enough.  What do you say, Gerald?”

“Forty-six stars representing the forty-six States of the Union, in a blue field in the upper right-hand corner,” replied Gerald, “with thirteen alternate stripes of red and white, representing the thirteen original States.”

“Correct,” commended Rand.  “Now, how many red and how many white stripes?”

“Blessed if I know,” admitted Pepper.

“I thought you said it was easy,” said Rand.  “There are seven red and six white, beginning and ending with red.”

“Gee!” cried Pepper, “there’s a lot more to it than I thought, but I guess we have got it now, all right.”

“Now about the knots,” went on Rand, whereupon they fell to tying the different knots until they had mastered them all before it was time to go home.

“Well, young gentlemen,” began the colonel, a few days later, when the six boys met at his house in the woods to be sworn in as tenderfeet, “I suppose you know the requirements and that you are ail ready?”

“All ready!” responded Pepper.

“Know the Scout law and are willing to obey it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The composition of the American flag.”

“I think we do,” responded Pepper, repeating what he had learned the other night.

“And know how to fly it?”

“Union up,” replied Jack.

“What does it mean with the Union down?”

“Signal of distress.”

“Very good,” commended the colonel, “and now about the knots?” producing some pieces of rope.  “Can you tie them?”