"All the fellers that want to go to Mr. Norton's," said Skinny, as soon as he had found that everybody was there, "to see about this Scout business--and eat ice cream," he added, looking at Bill when he said it, "mark a cross on the floor of the cave with your knives." Everybody marked except Bill. He didn't have his knife with him. "It's all right," said he. "I'll go, anyhow, knife or no knife. I'd rather be an Injun than a Scout any day in the week, but there ain't any use letting that ice cream go to waste." "'Tis well," said Skinny. "We have spoken." CHAPTER II RAVEN PATROL HITS THE TRAIL WHEN Monday night came, the Band met at Skinny's and went from there to Mr. Norton's. He seemed glad to see us and started in for a good time without saying a word about the Scout business. I was just going to ask him about it when Mrs. Norton brought in the ice cream. After that we were too busy to ask anything. When at last we had eaten all that we wanted and Bill had put away three dishes, Mr. Norton gathered us around him and said that he would tell us a story, if we wished to hear it. We told him to go ahead, and, after thinking a moment, he began. "You boys probably do not remember the Boer war in Africa. You were too young at the time. During that war the Boers surrounded a town called Mafeking. All the able-bodied men were needed for fighting in order to defend the city and could not be spared for the work of carrying despatches and things like that. "They had some lively lads in that town. As soon as the boys found out the situation they made up their minds that they could do that kind of work just as well as the men could. They did, too. Back and forth they hurried on bicycles, through a rain of bullets, from fort to fort, carrying messages and scouting. I tell you, those English boys were heroes. I don't see how they escaped being killed. They must have dodged the bullets." When Skinny heard Mr. Norton speak of their being English boys he looked troubled, because Skinny thinks a lot of the United States of America. "Is this an English story, Mr. Norton?" he asked. "Because if it is I don't know about it. How about George Washington, Bunker Hill, seeing the whites of the enemy's eyes, and all those things? We named our boat out on Fox River in Illinois, the 'Paul Revere.'" "Guess what!" put in Benny, laughing at something he was thinking. "Skinny couldn't dodge any bullets? 'Cause why? He's too fat. They couldn't miss him." "Aw, what's the matter with you?" said Skinny. "I could dodge as many as you could, I guess. If a bullet hit you there wouldn't be anything left of you; that's what. Why, I----"