 Ranger Bill, warrior of the woodland, struggling against extreme odds, traveling dangerous trails, fighting the many enemies of nature. This is the job of the guardian of the forest, Ranger Bill, pouring rain, freezing cold, blistering heat, snow, floods, bears, rattlesnakes, mountain lions. Yes, all this in exchange for the satisfaction and pride of a job well done. Do you know why the boys are excited and jabbering like a barrel full of monkeys? Yes, it's camp time and all the lads of our church are eagerly waiting for the buses to arrive and hustle them off to camp. This camp is a great place for these fellas to spend several weeks, teaches them good sportsmanship and teamwork. Also, they get spiritual training and guidance daily. Instead of the usual once or twice a week, outside of the spiritual health they get at home. Usually the camp session is profitable for not only the boys, but the leaders and counselors as well. And there's always something going on to satisfy the craving for excitement that's part of every boy's makeup. Henry is lifeguard at the camp, I'm the camp master. Grey Wolf is in charge of athletics and Stumpy is in charge of wood lore and outdoor training. And last but not least is Maggie Murphy, who does the cooking. Say, here come the buses down the street now, so we better get a title for this story in a hurry. How about taking this one? Mrs. Murphy's Chowder. Let's have it quiet now fellas, no talking until the bus gets going so we know that everyone has a seat. All right, pile on board now and no rough house. That's it, hold it fellas, this bus is filled. Stand here now until it pulls away and the other one pulls up the load. Are you boys in the bus? Remember, no standing or fooling around. Stay in your seats. Okay, Bill, take them away. Here we go fellas, double time into the bus. Fellas, now remember the rules while you're in the bus. Take them away Neil. There go the little darlings, bless their hearts. After three weeks with that pack of howlin' engines I'll be ready for the rest home. You won't be there alone, Maggie Murphy. There's more energy packed into those small packages of human energy than there is in one of them there, atomic bombs. Yeah, you said it, but I think it'll be worth it. Maybe one or more of the boys will accept the Lord as his savior while he's at camp. Ah, you speak great truth, Henry. All right, let's get in the car folks and head for camp. As soon as the buses get close to camp, all animals in the forest will head for the hills. Wouldn't you do the same thing old timer? Fifty energy packed boys suddenly avalanche out of two buses. Oh boys, bless their dear hearts. Oh, I've got five on my own and they're almost grown men now. But I remember when they were wee smudges. What is a boy made of? Well, let's see now, how does it go? Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood, we find a delightful creature called a boy. Boys come in assorted sizes, weights and colors, but all boys have the same creed to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to protest with noise their only weapon when their last minute is finished and the adult males pack them off to bed at night. Ah yes, boys are found everywhere on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them. Little girls hate them. Older sisters and brothers tolerate them. Adults ignore them and heaven protects them. A boy is truth with dirt on its face, beauty with a cut on its finger, wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket. You can lock them out of the kitchen, but not out of your heart. And when you're mad enough to blister his hide, all he has to do to cool your anger is come up and put his arms around you and say, I love you. Oh, the dear Lord sure created something marvelous when he made boys. Exit swim time! Those of you who were at camp last year know about the buddy system we use when it's time. For you new fellas, it's simply that every boy must have a buddy. Now get your buddies, hold hands and raise your locked hands in the air. Okay, that's fine. Now each fella and his buddy must stay close together in the water. When I blow the whistle, you and your buddy hold up your locked hands so that I can see that every fella's counted for. Well, this is a safety rule. It must be obeyed. Anyone not obeying a rule will lose his swim privilege for three days. A second offense sends a disobedient boy home. Okay, down to the beach and wait for my signal to go in the water. Did you warn the fish, pal? No, I guess I forgot. They'll get the message soon enough, though. Is that any troublemakers yet? Nope. It's about a day too early for the ring leaders to appear, isn't it? Yeah, perhaps. As soon as we find them, the sooner we can set them straight. I'll keep my eyes and ears open. I've got to get to the beach. Yeah, the boys are waiting. They don't like to wait too long. Have fun. Don't worry. We will. Everybody's hands up here. Where's your buddy? Under the water. Under the what? Down there. Under the snorkel. Under the snorkel? Why didn't you tell me that? Tab him on the shoulder. Get him up here. Yes, sir. What's your name, lad? Jim, sir. Thanks for the swim, Jim. I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to be smart. Well, I know you didn't, Jim. Let's just forget it. Okay, boys. Let's go back to swimming. And you and that snorkel. Come up and see what's going on every once in a while, huh? Grease behind it. Hell, Bo Grease. What's that? Don't weep in the year's accumulation of dirt out of this place. Or there'll be no vitals for dinner, I'll tell you. No vitals? Questions, young man. Get me some buckets of water so I can scrub this place down. They'll teach you to be so nosy. Oh, you're right. I'm glad to know. This place is going to be so clean, we can eat off the floor. And nobody's going to get a bite of food until it's fit to work in this squirrel's nest. That's bow heads for prayer now. Heavenly Father, we thank thee for this food. Use it to strengthen these young bodies that they might serve thee. And bless the hands that have prepared our food. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Boys, boys, remember now you're to eat like young gentlemen. There's plenty of food to fill your bottomless stomachs. Now, mind your manners and go ahead and eat. Boys, let's have your attention now. Thank you. Those of you who haven't finished the meal may continue eating quietly. After dinner, we're going to have our campfire and devotions. And it's off to bed for the younger boys and a sniper hunt for you big fellas. Now, you're to go to your cabins, put on your coats, bring a blanket to the campfire, gets mighty chilly up here after dark. After campfire, Mrs. Murphy and I will be around for bed check. No frogs or toads or grass snakes in the beds. And no pillow fights. You'll want to get plenty of sleep, believe me. You'll need it. And no horsing around. Reveille will be early. All right, you're dismissed from dinner. Now, Maggie, that was a delicious meal. I don't know how you do it. Ah, it's just nothing to it, dear. But thank you, just the same. Oh, I'd like to see the little pumpkins eat their tummies near to Burston. Yeah, me like was. What's with these two hungry monsters? That'll be Henry. They did most of the work cleaning up the kitchen in the dining room. After much mouth music, of course, from the old Billy Goat. That's a good name for him, old Billy Goat. Never you mind. That's all Billy Goat will get the first piece of pie. And any extras left over. Oh, that's it. What's the matter? I nearly forgot. I've got to put the fixings together for pies for tomato and bacon yet. Well, Maggie, I'll be glad to help you. Me too of you. But there'll be no samples. Right. Old Timer, you've got to take the boys on their annual snipe hunt. You and Grey Wolf. It smells like a frame up to me, eh, Grey Wolf? Ah, Bill and Henry like to get teeth into Maggie's good pie first. Ah, now be off with you. I'll protect your interest in the samples. I'll leave some pie on the table for you after you get back with your bag full of snipe. That'll be the day. How far we got to go, Mr. Jefferson? Shh. You want to wake up all the critters in the forest, particularly them snipe? Oh, no, sir. Well, then you've got to be quiet. Yes, sir. Let me real quiet. Remember that, you guys? Hear that? What? That old. Oh, yeah, I heard it. That's Grey Wolf and the other boys. That signal means they've got some snipe coming our way. Honest? Yep. Better answer, Grey Wolf. Better get your bag spread out, boys. Are the snipe coming now? Yep. The fellas wait here now and don't move. Are you leaving us alone? Yeah, just for a little while. You got to go around and make sure them snipe don't wander off the trail. How long boys wait for a snipe now? I mean, we better finish snipe on soon and get plenty laden. Maybe boys get frightened. Yep. There's one thing I'm going to do first. Oh, what that's nothing? I'm going to get me a bag full of snipe. What? Are you sure you feel okay? It never felt better. Come on, let's go back to the boy. Young fella, how come you still got your light shining down the trail? We haven't seen any snipe yet, Mr. Jenkins. Have you? Nope. I haven't seen any either. Well, I wonder what they are. Say, I think you're kidding us about those snipe. There just ain't no such bird. Yeah, you're right, youngster. There ain't such a bird around these parts. This is kind of an initiation of you fellas that ain't never been on a snipe hunt. Aw, we thought we were really going to catch some. Yeah, you ain't sure that you didn't get none? No, of course not. It's pretty funny. I'm sitting here all this time with a light in a sack waiting for something to come that just wasn't. Well, I'm right proud of you, all of you. You catch something a lot of boys never get a hold of. We didn't catch nothing but air. And mosquito bites. You caught yourselves a bag full of patience and good sportsmanship. That's what you caught. You see, a real sportsman can take a joke and play it on him as well as dish him out. He don't get angry and he smiles and laughs about it. A good sportsman has a lot of friends. A bad sportsman or a poor sportsman has few friends, if any. And patience. That's something we all need a lot of. It makes life much easier if you know how to be patient. You listen to old timer. You wise old man of the forest. You learn much from him that help you all your life. Say, you know, I'm kind of glad we went on this sniper. I learned a lot. I'm glad to hear it. And now we better skidaddle back to camp. With more noise than bullying China, you wake up mad. I can't help it. She promised to leave some pie now on the where it is. If you'd live up to your promises, woman, I wouldn't have to tear the place apart looking for the pie. Looking for the pie? Why, I left it right here on the table. Maggie Murphy, aren't you a little advanced in years to be telling fairy tales? All I see on the table is an empty pie tin. Empty pie tin? Stumpy Jenkins. Did you get me out of a sound sleep to play jokes? If you did, I'll lay this rolling pin alongside your blockhead. You ate the pie. Ate it? I wish I did. Feel the soles of my shoes. They're still warm from hiking through the forest back from that Snipe Hunt. Don't you blardly me, you old billy goat. Stumpy tell truth. We just returned from Snipe Hunt. So you did? All right. In the morning, we're going to find out which one of the little darlings stole the pie. One of them buys is a thief. Well, fellas, we have a problem and it's only our second day at camp. Someone stole half a pie out of the kitchen last night. It's not the loss of the pie that concerns us. It's the principle that's involved. That half a pie didn't eat itself. Someone stole into the kitchen last night after lights were out and removed the pie from the tin. That is stealing. Oh, I'm not going to embarrass any one of you by asking you to own up to taking the pie now. But sometime during the day, I'll expect the guilty party to come to me and tell me all about it. There'll be no punishment this time because someone here doesn't know that stealing is wrong. Okay, you're dismissed. Did any of the boys talk to you, Bill? Not a one, Henry. That is about the missing pie. I see you're mixed with all of them. The pie is natural to tell you. Yeah, I'm trying to do my best to make confession easy. Well, it's time for bed check, William. Maybe we'll find something out as we go from cabin to cabin. Well, this is the last cabin, Maggie. Maybe it's the last one we're looking for. Sounds like one of the boys is crying. Yeah, I think it's this one right here. What's the trouble, laddie? I'm homesick. Here now. That's not the way to feel with all these fine boys and men around you. But I'm still homesick. Do you want to go home, son? No, ma'am. I'm having too much fun. I like it here. But when it gets dark, then you get lonesome for a home. Is that it? Uh-huh. See, what's your name? That's Johnny, Johnny Sebastian. Yes, ma'am. I don't want to be a sissy and have the other guys laugh at me. Well, you tell the other boys that if I catch them laughing at you, I'll give them the back of me hand where it'll do the most good. Some boys wish they had a home to cry about. Really? Sure they do. Now, you lay your head down and Mother Murphy will ask the dear lord to help you. Thank you, Mother Murphy. Dear lord, I ask that you comfort one wee smudgeon of a lad who gets lonesome in the dark night. Make him feel he's not alone. Make him feel your presence, dear lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. The wee lad is fast asleep. Let's get out of here. You're a real comfort to these lads, Maggie. And I know that isn't the first homesickness while you've come for me. Ah, there are such dear things. Johnny has a lot of courage. Yeah. He's afraid of the night, yet he doesn't want to leave. That's the kind of thing that makes summer camp so worthwhile. You get very close to these young lads. Out here there's no cup cup to see each boy and his knees. Yes. And many of the dear lads need so much, especially the lord. William, maybe the boy who took the pie has learned his lesson and we'd best forget about it. Perhaps you're right, Maggie. Should we drop it? Yes, I think so. I know these wee smudgeons are just youngsters. They learn from their mistakes. I have to get up early and bake bread. Good night, Bill. Good night, Maggie. Morning, Stumpy. Yeah, bread smells mighty good. Well, there's no punishment for smelling, but there is for touching. No, don't worry about me touching. You're too good a shot with that rolling pin. I have to go to the cabin and get a few things, Stumpy. You keep your eye on the oven while I'm gone. Yes, ma'am, I'll sure do that. And don't try to make off with any of the loaves on the table because I counted them. Stumpy chickens, come here this moment. Oh, what's got you temperature up? I told you to leave the bread alone. I didn't leave it alone. You worked pretty hard baking it. Don't smooth talk me. There's two loaves missing. Stumpy, where did you put the mix and spoons? I didn't touch them. They should be where they always are. I'm joking. Maybe you think one of the boys took them for canoe paddles. Isn't the dish towns for shoe rags? Look, what happens around here? I'm maple syrup from this pitcher. Oh, sure I did. Can't you see it's running all over me, Chin? I wish you'd reconsider, Maggie. No, you don't. You haven't lifted a finger to find the boys who are raiding my kitchen. I've tried to appeal to the boys' honor and sense of right. No one appreciates how hard I work around here. Up. And all I get for is a lot of favor and mischief. I wish you would reconsider, though. We need you here, Maggie. I know it hasn't been easy, but I'll try to work on it. When? Tonight. Is that the promise, young man? It's a promise. Slumpy and I'll sit up all night if necessary. To catch the thief or thieves. All right. I'll stay one more day. I'm going to bake bread tonight. And if there's so much as a crumb of bread missing, I'll head for home so fast it'll make your head swim. And I'm just mad enough to walk the 50 miles to home every inch of it. All the boys are in bed now. Good. Now we'll go to bed in a few minutes and then we'll come back to the kitchen one by one and take our posts. Thief work at night only. We're careful. We should catch him. Better. We'll lose the best cook this side of the Mississippi. What time is it? Half past midnight. I hope the thief gets hungry pretty soon. Maybe, maybe he dreams he's hungry. And walks in his sleep. Hey, somebody's coming. Ready to grab him. Slumpy, get away. Dan, hurry up. Don't try to run for it. A mother Murphy would like to talk to you before we have our breakfast. Vise, I... I have a confession to make. And it's... Well, it's... I falsely accused all of your terrible... I falsely accused all of your terrible... I called your thieves and hoodlums. Did she call them? Yes, yes I did. Not to your faces, mind, but behind your back. I... I hope you'll forgive a foolish old woman because, well, the real thieves are a raccoon, a skunk, and a squirrel. I beg you to forgive me. Hooray for mother Murphy! Yes! Thank you very much. Well, tonight I'm going to make your favorite dish here at camp. My chowder. Hooray! Maggie, what's wrong? Come here and see what's wrong. What's this? What's wrong? Jumping catfish. Somebody put overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder. Well, that's the story of Mrs. Murphy's chowder and those overalls turned out to be stumpies. See you next week for more adventure with... Ranger!