“Maybe I’m wrong,” Warde said, “but I think that the side of the post with dried mud on it should face the road. That mud was spattered by wagons and autos. And I think the side that isn’t sunbaked faced the woods where it’s damp and shady. And I think the board where the paint is faded is the one that faced the sun. And so I think that Cairo is over _there_, and Athens over _there_ and Temple Camp over _there_. See?” “Hip, hip, and a couple of hurrahs!” Hervey Willetts said. “That means we can cut through these woods and come out at the end of the old railroad branch. There’s a big apple tree over there, I fell out of it once. It’s all woods over there and we stand a pretty good chance of getting lost again.” “What kind of apples are they?” Pee-wee wanted to know. “Baked apples,” I told him. So then I started off with the rest of them after me, singing _Follow your leader wherever he goes_. CHAPTER VIII WE DO A GOOD TURN “There ought to be plenty of apples on that branch,” I said, as I went along. “What branch?” the kid wanted to know. “The old railroad branch,” I told him. “Don’t you know that apples grow on a branch?” I guess none of us knew anything about that old branch but Hervey Willetts. That fellow knows about the funniest things and places. He can take you to old shacks in the woods and all places like that. He knows all the farmers for miles around camp. He knows where you can get dandy buttermilk. And he knows where you can get killed by quicksand and a lot of other peachy places. He says that’s the kind of sand he likes because it’s quick. He believes in action, that fellow. I said, “As long as you know where we’re going suppose you be leader for a little while.” “I’ll be leader,” Pee-wee shouted. “Let Hervey be leader,” they all said. So I fell behind and I was glad to get rid of the job of leading for a little while. But, oh boy, it was some job following! That fellow swung up into trees and turned somersaults over stone walls and hopped on one leg over big rocks—good night, we didn’t have any rest. “You wanted ginger,” he said. “Sure, but we didn’t want cayenne pepper,” I told him. “Have a heart.” Gee whiz, that fellow didn’t miss anything, trees, rocks, fences, and all the while he kept singing: Follow your leader, Follow your leader; Follow your leader true. If he starts to roll, Or falls in a hole; Or shins up a tree or a telegraph pole. You have to do it too, you do; You have to do it too. I can’t tell you about all the crazy things that fellow did. It looked awful funny to see the rest of us following, especially Pee-wee with a scowl all over his face. I guessed Hervey knew where he was going all right because no matter what he did he always came back to a trail.