“That’s because you had crazy leaders,” Pee-wee shot back. “If you’re sensible and want to go back to camp I’ll show you the way.” “Oh we’re sensible,” I said. “You’re the worst of the lot,” he shouted. Hervey said, “My idea is, just like I said, to follow the track right along the same way we were going and that will bring us out at the turnpike.” “If the turnpike hasn’t been turned around,” I said. “We’ll be careful not to touch it with our hands when we get there,” Garry said. “I’ll lead you,” Pee-wee said; “it’s easy from here; I could do it with my eyes closed.” “If you’ll keep your mouth closed I’ll be satisfied,” I told him. “But it isn’t going to be any funny-bone hike,” he said; “I’ll tell you that.” “It’ll be a backbone hike—straight,” I said. “There’s no place like home.” “Home is all right, it’s a good place to start from,” Hervey said. “Well, then, take us home; I’m ready,” Bert spoke up. “I don’t want any more funny-bone hikes wished on me. Wish-bones are good enough, I’m hungry.” So Pee-wee climbed over the end of the car, and started along and we all followed. “Follow your leader wherever he goes,” I said. “He’s going straight home,” Pee-wee said. “Are you sure you got out of the right end of the car?” Hervey asked him. Pee-wee was still kind of half-asleep, and he stopped and looked around. “Sure, we got in at the end where the coupling is,” he said. “Come on, follow me.” “You can’t fool Scout Harris,” I said; “not even with a couple of cups of couplings. Forward march, follow your leader!” And we started singing: Where’er we may roam, There’s no place like home. Pee-wee marched on ahead like a little soldier, munching an apple. CHAPTER X WE RETRACE OUR STEPS He marched along the tracks for about half a mile, through the woods. As he went along I remembered what Uncle Jeb said, that the woods look different when you’re going in the opposite direction from which you came. He said the way a tree looks depends on where you stand. And it’s the same with hills and everything. So that’s why the woods only look familiar when you’re going the same way that you went before. That’s the reason for blazing trails. Uncle Jeb says a person looks different front and back and it’s the same with woods. Pee-wee marched along back the same way we had come, very bold and sure. After a while he said, “I don’t know why we don’t come to the turnpike.” “Maybe it’s because it isn’t here,” I said. “Are you sure you’re going the right way?” Bert asked him. “Sure I’m sure,” he said; “only it’s longer than I thought it was.” “Maybe it got stretched,” I said. Pee-wee just kept trudging along and he said, “Maybe it seems long because we’re kind of played out.” “Oh, we don’t care as long as you get us home,” Garry said. “We trust you implicitly,” Warde told him. “You’re our guiding light,” Garry said.