“It means when a general promises not to interfere with anybody, even an enemy. He gives them safe conduct; that means that they can go ahead and not worry about being pinched, see? These people gave us safe conduct and they’re not bothering us, because they know the scouts are all right. It’s on account of the way I talked to them. I came along first like a kind of a—you know—a what-d’ye-call-it——” “I don’t know _what_ to call it,” I said. “A herald,” he blurted out. “Well,” I said, “you look more like the funny page in the Journal to me. Don’t talk too loud, the danger isn’t passed.” By that time we had got about fifty yards past the Post Office and I was feeling kind of nervous, but just the same I knew the danger was over. Pee-wee said, “Do you mean to tell me that those people would let a couple of kids like us go by driving a big van, and never ask them any questions, if they didn’t know that we were all right? I fixed it all right, while you and Brent were worrying your lives out in the van. Now we’re safe.” I said, “Oh, you’re the little fixer, all right.” Just then, _good night_, one of those men came running after us calling, “Hi thar, wait a minute, you youngsters!” Oh, boy, a cold shudder ran down my back. I said, “We’re pinched. I knew it was too good to be true.” I stopped the car and when the man caught up with us he said, all out of breath, “What’s this here talk one of you youngsters were givin’ us ’baout good turns? Allus ready ter do a favor, as I understand?” Oh, bibbie, wasn’t I relieved. “That’s our middle name,” Pee-wee said. “Wall then, haow abaout doin’ one naow?” the man said. By that time there were about a dozen people standing around in the road and I gave Pee-wee a nudge and said, “Watch your step; let me do the talking.” But he didn’t pay any attention to me. Off he went with a lot of stuff out of the handbook and wound up by saying how scouts were supposed to help strangers. “Sure, we’ll do anything you want,” he said; “all you have to do is to ask us.” “Wall then,” the man said, “here’s a lot of folks wantin’ to go to the reunion at the Crossroads and we was thinkin’ as haow you might pack ’em inter this here van of yourn as long as the trains ain’t runnin’.” _Jumping jiminies!_ I nearly fell through the seat. XXIV—SNOOZER SETTLES IT That was a home-run all right I said, all flabbergasted. “You see, the only trouble is I’m not an experienced driver and these are—they’re pretty rough roads—and—eh—” “That’s one thing about us,” Pee-wee piped up; “we’re not as smart as we look. Maybe it seems as if we could do most anything, but we can’t. That’s one thing about a scout, he has to admit it if he doesn’t know everything. He has to—he has to—eh—he has to safeguard the lives of others. See? Suppose we ran into a ditch and upset the car and everybody got killed. They wouldn’t thank us, would they?” One of the ladies said, “Oh, isn’t he just too funny for anything!”