I remember the time in my boy scout career where I was selected to be a member of the order of the Arrow. This is an honorary group who selects their members from scouts who exemplify the scouting oath and life. It was during a week at Camp Pahoka scout camp in the 1950s. We were sitting around the dining hall when a group of Indian clad young men came out of the woods and surrounded us. They lined us up and proceeded to walk up and down the line looking us in the face. Suddenly one of them knocked me flat. two of hem picked me up and hustled me off into the woods. Holy cow, I had been selected to be on trial to become a member.
I was taken out to a far portion of the camp and told to spend the night meditating on my life. They left me with a paper bag which contained a couple of eggs and two slices of bread. I was then told that I would be brought back in the morning to do a day’s work. I am not sure how much meditating I did, but I finally fell asleep.
Upon awakening i had no idea what to do with the eggs but ate the two slices of bread. It was later in life I learned how to boil eggs in a sack of water over a campfire, but that was of little used to me that day. My escort arrived and took me back to camp side where I spent the day doing a lot of manual labor building and repairing camp facilities.
That evening they held a very secret induction ceremony where I became a member of the Order of the Arrow. I still consider it a great honor.
