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ETHNOGRAPHY 91

‘invisibly’, by example and imitation, without a phase of a general talk by the
leaders to the collectivity. This activity was the clearest index, during the camp,
of a traditional Scouting approach and style. As the wood fire had been replaced
in the troop’s repertoire by the gas stove, backwoods cooking distinctively
evoked the atmosphere of the founding text, Scouting for Boys.
Hence the camp saw instances of two different forms of creative activity—the
balloon construction and the backwoods cooking. While the balloon recalled the
primitive days of flight, the cooking symbolized the primitive romance of the
backwoods. The cooking has a highly traditional character, which yokes it, in a
literal bond, to that form of Scouting which developed in the hands of its
founder. Thus Pat’s traditionalist style often favoured this suitable programme
item. The oversight of (and participation in) these craft tasks by leaders was
observed on other occasions, especially when the tasks were unfamiliar or
required considerable strength, as some projects do. This sharing of tasks recalls
the structure of avuncularity referred to earlier.
Observation and interaction during the weekend produced some interesting
data which may contribute to a more in-depth account of informal or
subterranean values in Scouting.
Sunday afternoon had a certain desultory quality, once the troop had returned
from their activities outside the camp. The weather was very hot, baking the
grass to a stiff dryness. Shirts had been discarded in the attempt to mitigate the
effects of the heat. As I was casually standing about, with the Scouters by my side,
I noticed a group of lads approach, one or two of them carrying billycans. They
walked towards us, laughing and joking. Suddenly I noticed that Freddie, an
APL, was coming towards me, a bucket of water in his hand. I suddenly felt
myself isolated. With a smile he showed me the water in the bucket, and I smiled
and looked unperturbed, thinking I was safe. Suddenly he made a move and,
unable to step out of the way quickly enough, I was drenched with water.
Simultaneously, the other lads attacked. I immediately raced after Freddie’s
rapidly retreating back. I knew that I had to make a positive, physical response to
his provocation; what I had underestimated was the speed of his flight. I finally
had to give up the chase after about thirty seconds, when a Scouter from a
different troop suddenly warned us away from the region of his car. I had
thought to retain my adult status, my symbolic invulnerability, and failed, while
the echo of this sense of status made me ashamed to be treated by the Scouter as
if I was a boy. Freddie had given me a challenge, thrown down the gauntlet, and
engaged me in a conflict of physical mastery; I had accepted the invitation to
enter his own terrain and, for the moment, had lost. Thereafter we developed
something of a relationship out of this incident because he teased me about it.
The water fight at this moment became a general conflict, with groups of
laughing lads running around, water canisters in their hands. But immediately the
fight developed into a struggle between the adults and the boys. Each side tried
to get hold of the supplies of water and store up ‘ammunition’; then there would
be running skirmishes, with attempts to isolate and then drench those who