This started the boys to moving, and soon Cole shut up the barn,
taking extra good care to see that the doors were locked.

"Maybe some members of that jealous bucket brigade might take a notion
to run our engine off," he said to himself.

But no such calamity happened, and the machine was safe in the barn in
the morning when Cole overhauled the valves and fixed them. Bert and
some of his chums called around after breakfast, and they talked fires
and engine to their hearts' content.

In the next few days several meetings were held, and the Boys'
Volunteer Fire Department of Lakeville was formally organized. Because
of his part in starting it, Herbert was unanimously elected captain.
There was a little contest as to who should be the lieutenant, but the
honor went to Vincent in recognition of his good work at the Stimson
barn fire.

Of course, Cole was made engineer, chief mechanic and everything else
that pertained to the actual operation of the engine. He was about the
only boy who could qualify, for only he could take the pumps apart and
get them together again. Tom Donnell was made chief of the "bucket
corps," as the boys decided to call that part of the fire-fighting
force whose duty it was to keep the engine tank filled with water. The
other boys, to the number of a score or more, were made ordinary
firemen, to help haul the engine, pass the buckets or work the
handles.

There was some dispute as to who would be in charge of the hose, at