"DEAR FELLOWS:--I shall be at home in a few days and should like to have a meeting of Raven Patrol to talk up our camping trip. Are you thinking about it and planning where to go? The pasture above Peck's Falls would make an ideal camp. There is water and sunshine and shade and old Greylock. That would suit me pretty well, but it is so near home it might not suit you. If not, I have a regular trip over the mountain in mind, one that will take a hike of several days to get us there. Talk it over among yourselves and ask your folks about it. Then meet at my house next Saturday night. We'll decide the matter and begin to get ready. Yours sincerely, "CHARLES NORTON, Scoutmaster." "Ain't he a brick?" said Skinny, when he had finished reading. "What do you say, old Scout?" "I say hike," I told him. "That pasture above Peck's Falls is where Tom Chapin tried to paralyze a bull by the power of the human eye, like the school reader says, and got thrown over the stone wall by the critter. No more of that for muh!" "We'd have a rope along, you know." "Yes, and who'd tie it and what would the bull be doing all that time?" "I'd rather go over the mountain on a hike, myself," he said. "Come on, let's ask the other boys." "Wait a minute while I fill the woodbox," I told him. Skinny helped me do that and we were soon on our way. The other boys felt just as we did about it. Of course, it is always fun to be near our cave and it is a fine place to get into when it rains, but we could go there any old time. The folks seemed to think near home would be better, until we told them about the bull and how near we all came to getting killed. They had forgotten about that and so had we, almost. Finally Pa settled it for me. "I am willing to leave it to Mr. Norton," he said. "As long as he goes with you I don't care much where you go, for I know that he will take as good care of you as I could myself. His hold on you boys is remarkable and I am willing to back him in anything that he wants to do. I'll say this much, however. He is going to have his hands full when he undertakes to look after you boys for a week or two at a time." We hardly could wait until Saturday night to hear Mr. Norton's plan and decide what to do. He seemed glad to see us when the time came, only he wouldn't hurry the meeting or leave anything out. Skinny, being patrol leader, always acted as chairman and pounded the table, when he could find one to pound. "The meetin' will come to order," said he, looking around for something to thump and not finding anything but Bill Wilson, who dodged out of the way. "The secretary will call the roll." I called the names of the boys, and each one in turn arose and gave the Scout salute, first to Mr. Norton, then to Skinny.