CHAPTER XVIII
HAZERS AT WORK
William Philander Tubbs was dreaming of a fashionable dance he had onceenjoyed when he suddenly found himself bound and gagged and beingcarried he knew not where.
"This is awful!" he thought. "What in the world does it mean?"
Then he remembered that some of the cadets had spoken about hazing, andthe cold perspiration came out on his forehead.
The gag in his mouth was made of nothing more than a knot in a cleantowel, but it worried him a good deal and he was afraid he would bechoked to death by it. But nothing of the sort happened, and soon thegag was removed.
"What does this mean?" he asked, as many cadets had done before him.
He received no answer, and tried to break away from his tormentors. Buttheir hold on him could not be shaken, and before he was set down hefound himself well out of sight and hearing of Camp Putnam, as the spothad been named.
"This is a beastly shame," he murmured. "Why do you dare to break intomy night's rest in this fashion?"
He had heard of the mysterious society of Black Skulls before, but sofar had never been hazed by the members. He looked curiously at themasked cadets, wondering if he could recognize any of them.
"Are you prepared to meet your doom?" he was asked.
"I am prepared to go back to my tent," he answered.
"Away with him!" was the cry.
"Where are you going to take me?" he asked anxiously.
There was no reply, but in a twinkling his hands were caught and boundtightly behind him, and a bag was thrust over his head and fastenedaround his throat. The bag was so thick that he could not see a thingbefore him.
"Let him take the cold water cure," said a voice, and he was forced tomove forward.
"It's rather deep there," whispered a voice, just loud enough for himto hear.
"Not over his waist," whispered another voice.
"What! It's twice over his head," was the answer. "I tested the waterthis afternoon."
"Never mind, he's got to take the test anyway."
Now Tubbs was by no means a good swimmer, and the idea of being throwninto the water with his hands tied behind him and his head in a sackwas frightful in the extreme.
"Le--let me go!" he whined. "Let me go, I say!"
"Forward with him!" was the heartless reply, and he was pushed on untilhe suddenly found himself in water up to his ankles.
"Stop! stop!" he cried, in a muffled voice. "Stop! I don't want todrown!"
"Will you obey your superiors?"
"Yes, yes--anything!"
"Will you join the Order of Black Skulls?"
"Anything, I told you, only don't let me drown!" cried the frightenedWilliam Philander.
"And will you promise to keep mum about what has happened hereto-night?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Very well, you shall not be allowed to drown. But you must take theplunge."
"Oh, dear me! I can't--"
"Forward, and be lively about it. We will fish you out with a crabnet."
"But I--I can't swim with my hands tied behind me!" chattered poorTubbs.
"Yes, you can. Forward now! Ha, fellows, he will not go. Jab him withthe pitchfork!"
At this a student stepped behind Tubbs and pricked his back with a pin.
The fashionable youth let out a yell of terror, and then, certain thathe was about to take an awful plunge into some deep part of the lake,made a desperate leap forward.
A wild shriek of laughter rang out as Tubbs made the leap. He hadjumped across a narrow brook not six inches deep and landed sprawlingon the grass beyond.
"You are now initiated," said one of the masked cadets, when thelaughter had somewhat died away. And at once Tubbs' hands were untiedand the bag was taken from his head.
"Well, I never!" he murmured, as he gazed in amazement at the brook."Thought it was the lake front sure!"
"As you are now one of us, Tubbs, you must wear these," said a cadet,and furnished the fashionable youth with a mask, cap, and pair ofhorns.
"We have now disposed of number two," said another cadet. "What ofnumber three?"
"Number three must--"
At that moment a gun-shot rang out on the still night air.
"Hullo, something is wrong!" cried one of the hazers, in quick alarm.
"There goes the drum, fellows!" came in the unmistakable voice of SamRover. "We've got to hustle back to camp or we'll be exposed!"
"Right you are," came from Songbird Powell. "Come, fellows, and mindyou don't let anybody see the masks and other things."
And away they scooted, under the trees and then along a row of bushesrunning fairly close to the first line of tents. In the meantime thedrum continued to roll and the whole camp was astir. Captain Putnamhimself was out and was soon followed by Major Larry and Captain FredGarrison. Dick Rover knew what was up and took his time about showinghimself, since he did not wish any of the hazers to be captured.
"Call the roll!" said Major Larry, after making a round of the companystreets. But he himself was in no particular hurry.
Almost out of breath with running, the hazers came into camp,accompanied by Hans and Tubbs. Masks, caps, and horns were pushed outof sight under cots, and then all sallied forth to join their variouscommands. Calling the roll was already in progress.
"All present or accounted for," came the declaration, five minuteslater.
"All present, eh?" mused Captain Putnam. "That's queer. Who fired thatgun?"
"Private Jackson."
"I will interview Jackson," said the master of the school, and heordered Jackson to his private tent.
"What made you raise the alarm, Jackson?" he questioned sharply.
"I thought some of the cadets were out of camp, sir," was the answer.
"Did you see them go?"
"Not exactly, sir, but I thought I saw three or four of them sneakingalong near the woods."
"Humph! You should be sure of what you are doing, Jackson. It is notcommendable to arouse the whole camp at midnight for nothing."
"Well, I thought I was sure," insisted the crestfallen cadet. He knewfor a certainty that some of the cadets had been out but saw no way toprove it.
"In the future be more careful while on guard duty," said CaptainPutnam coldly; and there the subject was dropped.
"Who fired that shot?" asked Sam, on the morning following the hazing.
"Jackson," replied a cadet named Gilson, who had been one of thehazers.
"The sneak!" murmured the youngest Rover.
"That's what I say, Rover."
"Guess he did it to get square for losing that swimming race," put inanother of the hazers.
"More than likely. We ought to square up with him for it."
"That's the talk."
"Vat's der madder mit tossing him a blanket up?" asked Hans earnestly.
"Think that's a good way to get square, eh, Hans?" laughed Sam.
"Dot's der vorst bunishments vot I know of," said the German boy withdeep conviction. "Makes you feel like you vos going to preak abardalretty kvick!"
All of the boys knew that it would not do to try any more hazing forthe next few nights. Even if the guards gave no alarm, Captain Putnamor one of the teachers might be on the watch to catch them.
On the following day it rained and the majority of the cadets were gladenough to remain under shelter. A few went bathing or fishing and thelatter brought in quite a respectable mess of fish. Even in fishing theboys were rivals and a new tin cup was voted to the cadet bringing inthe string that weighed the most.
The rain began about ten o'clock and by noon the water was coming downin torrents.
"This is beautiful," remarked Tom, as he looked at the puddle in thecompany's street.
"We ought to have dug another ditch to let that water run off,"remarked Dick.
"Well, nobody wants to go out now and dig."
"That is true."
Instead of abating the rain became more violent as the after
noonadvanced.
"This looks as if we were going to have some wind." remarked MajorLarry with a doubtful shake of his head.
"I hope it doesn't blow too heavily," said Captain Putnam.
"Don't you think I had better caution the fellows to pin down theirtents extra hard?"
"It would do no harm, Major Colby."
"Then I'll do it," said Larry, and issued the order without delay. Someof the cadets grumbled at being driven out into the wet, but themajority knew they were doing the work for their own good and went atit without a murmur.
At about sundown the wind fell and after supper it was as calm as ithad been before the storm started.
"Told you there wasn't any use of getting wet pounding down stakes,"growled Lew Flapp. He had done his work in a slip-shod fashion,staying out but a minute or two for that purpose.
It still rained, so building camp-fires was out of the question. Thisbeing so, the cadets turned in early, glad to seek the shelter of theircots and their warm blankets.
An hour went by, when of a sudden the rain increased once more. Thencame a rush of wind that shook all of the tents violently.
"We are not out of it yet, it would seem," said Dick, as he sat up onhis cot to listen to the flapping of the canvas in the company street.
He had hardly spoken when another gust of wind tore down on the camp.There was a ripping of cloth and a crashing of poles, and then a cryfor help sounded from several places at once.