“But this doesn’t mean that that banner is already yours, remember, Alec,” warned Billy Worth, as he came upon the excited leader of the Otters, moving up and down and starting new salvos of cheering, which was of course sweet music in his ears. “To-night comes the gathering at the hall, where in the presence of all the scouts, and as many outsiders as can crowd in, the head of the committee will announce what things the several patrols have been doing these weeks past to merit points, according to the schedule laid out.”
“Yes,” added “Spike” Welling, one of the Foxes, “and Blake Merton has promised to sing several of his best songs between the readings, so as to sort of break up the monotony.”
“Which is about the only prime thing the poor Hawks will show up in this trip,” remarked Cooper Fennimore, his chum; “but I hear they’ve determined to wake up and do better next time. Better bottle up some of that enthusiasm, Alec, till you hear what the returns to-night tell. Then if you win you’ll have breath to shout; and if you get left at the stake, you’ll be glad you didn’t count your chickens before they were hatched.”
“Oh! I’m not worrying about that,” came the quick answer from the confident Alec. “We’ve got it all cut and dried long ago. Wait till you hear how we picked up points by fives and tens here and there, doing lots of wonderful things that count. You’ll be willing to give me credit for being a good general; and perhaps you’ll wish a certain election had gone differently.”
Spike and Cooper, getting the wink from Billy, and seeing how Alec frowned as he followed Hugh’s form around, seemed to understand how the matter lay. They knew Alec’s failing of old, and saw that envy was again torturing him.
“One thing has been settled,” observed Billy just then. “You know that there’s a chance for eight scouts to be allowed to accompany the members of the Naval Reserve aboard the vessel that the U. S. Government puts at their disposal for practice week after next. And one of the rewards given by the committee is that the highest individual marks, two to each patrol, are going to entitle those lucky fellows to the great honor of going to sea with our Coast Guard. If I strike that prize I’ll be the happiest boy in seven counties, you hear me mention it; but I’ve got little hope myself even before the individual records are made up.”