I took hold of the fellow to help him up and then he looked at me and I just stood there gaping at him. It was Will Dawson. “What--the--” I just started blurting out. “I thought you were at camp-fire. What are you doing here--for--the--love--of--_Go-o-d night_! And you’re one of the best swimmers in the troop!” He said, “A lot of good that does you when you’re all tangled up in a rope. If you want to know what I was doing, I was bobbing for eels. I stood up to throw the anchor out in another spot and my foot got caught in the rope and in I went.” “You’re in all right,” I said. “You’re in bad. Do you know who you saved, Dub? It’s Will Dawson--that’s the one I was telling you about.” “How’s he in bad?” Dub asked. “Oh no! He’s not in bad,” I said. “He’ll go home to Bridgeboro to-morrow morning, that’s how bad he’s in. He’ll get his all right--and you’ll get yours.” “He’ll get the Gold Medal I suppose,” Will said. “You _suppose_!” I shot back at him. “You know blamed well he will--he won it with bells on. Didn’t he go down under the water after you and untangle a lot of rope? The Gold Medal? It’s lucky for you he was here. He’s got twenty merits besides and I bet you they’ll give him his Eagle badge too without going through the test. Jiminy crinkums, wasn’t this test enough? So now you know who you were saved by while you were breaking the rules and getting the whole patrol in Dutch after we made a lot of plans for the end of the season. You were saved by an _Eagle Scout_ that gets the _Gold Medal_ for risking his life on account of _you_. _You suppose!_ Go-o-d _night_! You ought to be proud to be saved by a Scout like that!” “Here you go, Dub,” I said, “here’s one of your shoes. I’ll look for the other. Come ahead into the woods and we’ll start a fire and get dry.” Even while I was holding his shoe I could feel how it was all kind of worn through on the sole. My finger went all the way through it. CHAPTER XXIV SAFE We went up the hill a little ways into the woods and then down into a hollow. I knew about it because I had been there before. It was lucky I had some matches because those two fellows were soaking. “What’s the idea?” Will Dawson asked me. “Any fool would know that,” I told him. “It’s so we can start a fire where they can’t see it from camp. Do you think I want the whole camp coming over here?” “He’ll be found out anyway,” Dub said to me. “Sure he will, he’s a fool,” I said. “But you fellows have got to get dry, haven’t you?” Will Dawson he didn’t say a word, he just stood there. “A fine kind of a Star Scout you’ll make,” I said to him. “All but two badges and then you have to go spoil it all! After Westy and Dorry and all of us were counting on being a Star Patrol--_good night_! Warde Hollister, he wouldn’t even take a tenderfoot stalking for fear he’d get a black mark, he was so anxious on account of our record. Now look what _you_ go and do.” “A lot you care that I didn’t get drowned,” Will said.