But perhaps the most wonderful of all is the sign of the "Swastika,"
which we Scouts use as our "Badge of Brotherhood."
Nobody knows the exact history of where it came from, or what it
means; but it is found in almost every part of the world, and is very,
very old.
Rudyard Kipling believes it was made by a man in ancient days, who put
two twigs crossed on the ground and trod them down into the mud so as
to leave a mark to act as a guide to others, like a Scout's
ground-mark.
But another story is this:
Where the Atlantic Ocean now is, people in old days believed that
there was a great land called Atlantis, which has since sunk under the
sea.
This land was watered by four great rivers, which ran across the whole
in different directions--north, south, east, and west. This cross is
meant for the four rivers, and is the crest of the Continent of
Atlantis.
But whatever the meaning of it was, the Swastika Cross is found in all
parts of the world as an ancient mark.
Thus, in Norway it appears on the sword-scabbard of the ancient
Norsemen as a sign to bring good luck; also in Iceland, Germany, and
France on old pottery.
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