WE FOLLOW OUR LEADER
There was Pee-wee, sprawled on the straw inside the little car, sound
asleep. The funny-bone hike had been too much for him, I guess. Hervey
got a stick and pushed with it against the rail right near the edge of
the turntable. We had to all get sticks and push before we could budge
it.
It squeaked as it went around, the part underneath was so rusty. We
brought it to one full turn so that the car stood with the long coupling
at the opposite side from where it had been before. We thought we might
as well let Pee-wee sleep a little longer so we went to a tree that
Hervey knew about and got some apples. Then we went back and sat in a
line on the edge of the car with our feet hanging inside and started
eating apples. After a little while we began singing, _Follow your
leader_, and that woke Pee-wee up.
He opened one eye, then he stretched his arm, then opened the other eye
and sat up, staring.
“Wheredgerget thabbles?” he wanted to know, rubbing his eyes.
I said, “Here, catch this and eat it.” Then I said, “Scout Harris of the
raving Raven patrol, alias the Animal Cracker, you have been elected by
an unanimous majority to lead the funny-bone hike. What say you? Yes or
yes? Do you know the way to Temple Camp?”
“A fool knows the way to Temple Camp,” he said, very disgusted like.
“And you claim you’re a fool?” Warde asked him.
“I claim you’re a lot of lunatics,” Pee-wee said, sitting there and
yawning and trying to eat an apple at the same time.
“It’s your turn to lead,” Garry said. “Our career of glory is over and
we want to go home.”
“I’m tired of this crazy stuff and I don’t believe anybody here knows
the way to camp,” Bert said.
“This branch crosses the turnpike,” Pee-wee said. “Don’t you know the
little wooden bridge where the tracks cross the road?”
“Oh yes, the dear little wooden place,” I said; “how well I remember
it!”
“You turn left on the turnpike and go through Leeds,” the kid said.
“Ah, but suppose the turnpike shouldn’t be there any more?” Garry said.
“Some strange things have happened since we started in a north southerly
direction from Catskill.”
“That’s because you had crazy leaders,” Pee-wee shot back. “If you’re
sensible and want to go back to camp I’ll show you the way.”
“Oh we’re sensible,” I said.
“You’re the worst of the lot,” he shouted.
Hervey said, “My idea is, just like I said, to follow the track right
along the same way we were going and that will bring us out at the
turnpike.”
“If the turnpike hasn’t been turned around,” I said.
“We’ll be careful not to touch it with our hands when we get there,”
Garry said.
“I’ll lead you,” Pee-wee said; “it’s easy from here; I could do it with
my eyes closed.”
“If you’ll keep your mouth closed I’ll be satisfied,” I told him.
“But it isn’t going to be any funny-bone hike,” he said; “I’ll tell you
that.”
“It’ll be a backbone hike—straight,” I said. “There’s no place like
home.”
“Home is all right, it’s a good place to start from,” Hervey said.
“Well, then, take us home; I’m ready,” Bert spoke up. “I don’t want any
more funny-bone hikes wished on me. Wish-bones are good enough, I’m
hungry.”
So Pee-wee climbed over the end of the car, and started along and we all
followed.
“Follow your leader wherever he goes,” I said.
“He’s going straight home,” Pee-wee said.
“Are you sure you got out of the right end of the car?” Hervey asked
him.
Pee-wee was still kind of half-asleep, and he stopped and looked around.
“Sure, we got in at the end where the coupling is,” he said. “Come on,
follow me.”
“You can’t fool Scout Harris,” I said; “not even with a couple of cups
of couplings. Forward march, follow your leader!” And we started
singing:
Where’er we may roam,
There’s no place like home.
Pee-wee marched on ahead like a little soldier, munching an apple.