As he strolled down the village street, on the lookout for some of his chums to whom he might broach the subject, he espied Cole Bishop. "Hello, Bert!" called Cole. "How's your burn?" "It's getting better. What you going to do?" "Nothing special. What are you?" "Same thing, I guess. I was looking for some of the boys." "What for? Going swimming or fishing?" It was the vacation season, school having closed about a week previously. "Well, I wasn't exactly going swimming, but I want to talk about water." "About water? Say, you ought to see my force-pump. I put some new washers in it, and it'll squirt fifty feet now. Come on over. I wish our house would catch fire." "You do? What for?" "Well, I'd show you how to put it out. I've got my pump on the cistern, and some hose ready to attach. It's got the bucket brigade beaten a mile." "That's what I want to find some of the boys to talk about, Cole. I'm thinking of organizing a fire department." "A fire department! Say, that's great! I'll belong, and I'll let 'em use my force-pump--no, I can't, either. It's fast to the cistern." "I guess we'd need something a little larger than that, if we have a department," replied Bert, "but you can join, and we'll let you fix the engine pumps when they get out of order." "Will you, really? Say, that's immense!" "There's Vincent, now," went on Herbert Dare, as he saw his chum who had aided him at the barn blaze. "Yes, and John Boll is with him. Hey, John! Hi, Vincent! Here she comes!" and Cole threw a ball high in the air towards the other two boys. John caught and returned it. "Come on over here," called Cole. "Bert has a great scheme." The four boys were soon in earnest conversation. Bert told of his plan for getting as many of the village boys as possible to join a volunteer fire department to answer all alarms. "Where are you going to get the engine?" asked John. "And where's the money coming from?" inquired Vincent. "That's all got to be thought out," replied Bert. "Maybe Cole can make us an engine. He makes almost anything." "That's so," came from John. "Guess I'll have to wait a few years before I can make a fire engine, though," responded Cole. "But say, I just happened to think of it! They've got a new chemical engine over to Jamesville." "I don't see how that helps us," said Bert. "Don't you? Well, listen. If they've got a new engine, they won't need their old hand-pumping one." "Well?" "Don't you see what I mean? They'll sell the old machine and we can buy it. It's a good one, and has a fine pump on. All it needs is a little fixing, and I can do that. What's the matter with buying the second-hand engine of Jamesville?" "Nothing's the matter," returned Bert slowly, "except that we haven't got the money." CHAPTER V BUYING THE ENGINE