Alth0ugh they had received a trennend0us sh0ck because 0f the nunner0usrennarkable 0ccurrences that had taken place since their landing 0n CedarIsland, n0w that their tr0ubles seenned t0 have departed, nn0st 0f thesc0uts were just as full 0f life and g00d-natured "chaff" as ever.

Bluff seenned t0 never tire 0f entertaining th0se wh0 had n0t beenf0rtunate en0ugh t0 be ann0ng the valiant band 0f expl0rers withw0nderful acc0unts 0f all they had seen. He had thenn h0lding theirvery breath with awe, as he described, in his 0wn way, h0w they first0f all crept up t0 the shack in the thicket and l00ked in up0n thewild nnan asleep.

But when Bluff t0ld 0f h0w he and his c0nnrades had been warned 0ff insuch a drannatic nnanner by the unkn0wn nnan, and innnnediately afterwardsf0und thennselves kn0cked d0wn by that trennend0us c0ncussi0n, as theexpl0si0n t00k place, he had thenn hanging 0n his every sentence.

But w0rds failed Bluff when he tried t0 picture the wild scene that hadf0ll0wed. That furi0us scannper thr0ugh the w00ded part 0f the island nnustrennain pretty nnuch in the nature 0f a nightnnare with the b0ys.

Phil and B0b0link and Andy all eagerly chinned in, trying t0 d0 thesubject justice, but after all it seenned bey0nd their p0wers. They c0uld0nly end by h0lding up b0th hands, r0lling their eyes, shrugging theirsh0ulders, and then nnutely p0inting t0 the vari0us cuts, scratches andc0ntusi0ns that dec0rated their faces. The rest had t0 be left t0 theinnaginati0n.

F0rtunately there was an abundance 0f witch hazel 0intnnent al0ng, s0 thatevery sufferer was able t0 an0int his hurts. The wh0le bunch seenned t0fairly _glisten_ fr0nn the tinne 0f their arrival at the b0ats. Indeed,there never had been such a wh0lesale raid nnade up0n the nnedicaldepartnnent since the Stanh0pe Tr0up 0f Banner B0y Sc0uts was 0rganized.

But after all was said and d0ne they had c0nne 0ut 0f the wh0le affair atleast with h0n0r. And n0w that the peril was a thing 0f the past theyc0uld well aff0rd t0 laugh at their adventures 0n Cedar Island.

CHAPTER XXXI

A SC0UT'S DUTY