Free Theodore Boone: The Activist by John Grisham Page A

any problems.
    However, Theo suspected trouble.
    The Major asked Woody to go first and tell what happened. Woody gave a true and accurate account of the encounter with the copperhead. When he finished, the Major sent him back to the campsite. Cal went next with his story, then left. He was followed by Phillip, then Oliver, then the rest.
    Suddenly, Theo was alone. Just him and the Major, who, at the moment, was looking at the moon’s reflection across the lake. “Do you agree with everyone else, Theo?” he asked.
    Without hesitation, Theo answered, “Yes sir.”
    The Major turned around and sat down next to Theo on the log. He cleared his throat and asked, “As a patrol leader, what are you supposed to do when your patrol confronts a dangerous animal?”
    “Depends on the animal,” Theo replied.
    “And in this case, it was a poisonous snake.”
    “Then I’m supposed to immediately warn my patrol to move away from the snake and leave the site as soon as possible.”
    “And is that what you did, Theo?”
    Theo swallowed hard and said, “No sir.”
    “Did you immediately recognize the snake to be a copperhead?”
    “Yes sir.”
    “How many poisonous snakes do we have in this part of the country?”
    “Three. Copperhead, coral snake, and the timber rattler.”
    “And you knew this through your study for the Nature merit badge?”
    Theo had watched enough
Perry Mason
reruns and real-live courtroom trials to know the Major was setting him up for the kill. Slowly, he answered, “Yes sir.”
    There was a long, painful pause as they watched the moonlit lake and waited for the Major to speak next. Finally, he said, “So, Theo, it looks as though the Falcon Patrol, while hiking in an area well-known for copperheads, actually encountered such a snake, and a large one, and instead of immediately taking steps to avoid the snake, did just the opposite. The patrol instantly moved closer, for a closer look, and at some point Percy picked up a stick and decided to agitate the snake. You, as a patrol leader, finally had the presence of mind to order everyone back, but by then, Percy, who we all know is probably not the most reliable Scout in the troop, somehow lost his balance, fell forward, practically on top of the snake, and was bitten. Is this a fair summary, Theo?”
    Theo would probably change a word or two, but it seemed like a bad time to quibble. The Major had the important points dead center.
    Theo bit his lip and said, “Yes sir.”
    Another long pause. There was laughter in the distance from the campfire. Lucky guys.
    The Major said, “Okay, Theo, pretend you’re a lawyer and give me your best defense.”
    Finally, Theo thought to himself, and he did not waste a second. “The story you’ve heard is a correct version of what happened, but there were a few other factors involved. First, we were naturally on the lookout for copperheads, and most of the Falcons had snakebite kits in their backpacks. The wrong kind of kits, but let’s just say we were prepared. So when we actually saw a copperhead, and one that was so big and so beautiful it was impossible not to stop for a second to admire it, that’s what we did. We stopped to admire it. Don’t you think that’s human nature? You’re in the woods, looking for adventure, looking for excitement, and, suddenly you find it in the form of a dangerous snake. You can’t believe your good luck. You gotta stop for a second and stare at it. Everyone does that, or at least every Boy Scout. Sure we moved a little closer, but I did not lead my patrol into a dangerous situation. No sir. From where we were standing, the snake could not have struck us, and it was not moving toward us. We were not in danger; close, maybe, but not within striking range. The snake was stretched out on the narrow ledge, and when it slowly coiled itself up, either in defense or offense, don’t know for sure because how can you ever know for sure, I told the patrol to back away. For a second,