Page:Boy Scouts and What They Do.djvu/86

 poultry; the forked-lightning badge signified an acquaintance with electricity; the grill denoted his talent for cooking; the rose, his knowledge of horticulture; the crossed guns, his ability to score 60 out of a possible 100 at 50 yards with a miniature rifle; the harp, his musicianly achievements; and the—but there I interrupted the Napoleonic narrative.

"'You seem to know a great deal," I said. 'Perhaps you can tell me the true story of the Boy Scouts.'

"'Weel, sir, I canna tell ye; on'y it's just g-r-rand.'

"So I left him watching and waiting to do a good turn to the railway points.

"All the same. I think I got the story of the Boy Scout from him. If you take his phrase. 'It's just grand,' and you apply it to the motives and the growth of the Boy Scouts, you will not be far wrong."

Those responsible for the Imperial Scout Exhibition made a bold experiment when they persuaded a large number of people in the neighbourhood of Birmingham to allow Boy Scouts to the total number of over a thousand to be billeted them for the week; but the experiment proved successful in every way, practically the only complaint being that of a hostess who regretted that the boys did not eat as much as she had expected. Tents, summer arbours, lofts, coachhouses, and many other places were called into use to house the boys, and among the whole of the contingent receiving hospitality, there was not one boy left behind on account of ill-health.