CHAPTER VI
THE FUN OF A NIGHT
"My gracious, Plum acts as if he was scared to death," observed Phil,after the bully and his companion had departed, leaving the others aclear field.
"He certainly was worked up," returned Dave. "I wonder what he'll haveto say to-morrow?"
There was no answering that question, and the two boys hurried to wherethey had left Sam without attempting to reach a conclusion. They foundtheir chum watching out anxiously.
"Well?" came from his lips as soon as he saw them.
"It's all right," answered Dave, and told as much as he deemednecessary. "Come, we must hurry, or Job Haskers will get back before wecan fix things."
"This ram is going to be something to handle," observed Phil. "No 'meekas a lamb' about him."
"I'll show you how to do the trick," answered the boy from the country,and with a dexterous turn of the horns, threw the ram over on one side."Now sit on him, until I tie his legs with the straps."
In a few minutes Dave had the animal secured, and the blanket was placedover the ram's head, that he might not make too much noise. Then theyhoisted their burden up between them and started toward the Hall.
It was no easy matter to get the ram upstairs and into Job Haskers'room. On the upper landing they were met by Roger and Buster Beggs, whodeclared the coast clear. Once in the room of the assistant teacher,they cleared out the bottom of the closet and then, releasing the animalfrom his bonds, thrust him inside and shut and locked the door, leavingthe key in the lock.
"Now, skip!" cried Dave, in a low voice. "He may cut up high-jinks inanother minute."
"Here is an apple he can have--that will keep him quiet for awhile,"said Roger, and put it in the closet, locking the door as before. Theram was hungry, and began to munch the fruit with satisfaction.
A few minutes more found the boys safe in their dormitory, where theywaited impatiently for the second assistant teacher to get back to OakHall. At last they heard him unlock the front door and come up the broadstairs. Then they heard his room door open and shut.
"Now for the main act in the drama," whispered Roger. "Come on, butdon't dare to make any noise."
All of the boys, including little Macklin and Polly Vane, were soonoutside of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12--the two rooms the "crowd"occupied. They went forth on tiptoe, scarcely daring to breathe.
Arriving at Job Haskers' door, they listened and heard the teacherpreparing to go to bed. One shoe after another dropped to the floor, andthen came a creaking of the bed, which told that he had lain down.
"That ram isn't going to do anything," began Sam, in disgust, when therecame a bang on the closet door that caused everybody to jump.
"Wha-what's that?" cried Job Haskers, sitting up in bed. He fanciedsomebody had knocked on the door to the hall.
Another bang resounded on the closet door. The ram had finished theapple, and wanted his freedom. The teacher leaped to the middle of thebedroom floor.
"Who is in there?" he demanded, walking toward the closet. "Who isthere, I say?"
Getting no answer, he paused in perplexity. Then a grin overspread hiscrafty face, and he slipped on some of his clothing.
"So I've caught you, eh?" he observed. "Going to play some trick on me,were you? I am half of a mind to make you stay there all night, nomatter who you are. I suppose you thought I wouldn't get back quite soearly. In the morning, I'll----"
Another bang on the door cut his speculations short. He struck a matchand lit the light, and then unlocking the closet door, threw it wideopen.
What happened next came with such suddenness that Job Haskers was takencompletely by surprise. As soon as the door was opened, the ram leapedout. He caught one glimpse of the teacher, and, lowering his head, hemade a plunge and caught Job Haskers fairly and squarely in the stomach,doubling up the man like a jack-knife. Haskers went down in a heap, and,turning, the ram gave him a second prod in the side.
"Hi! stop! murder! help!" came in terror. "Stop it, you beast! Hi! callhim off, somebody! Oh, my!" And then Job Haskers tried to arise andplace a table between himself and the ram. But the animal was nowthoroughly aroused, and went at the table with vigor, upsetting it onthe teacher and hurling both over into a corner.
By this time the noise had aroused nearly the entire school, and pupilsand teachers came hurrying from all directions.
"What is the trouble here?" demanded Andrew Dale, as he came up to whereDave was standing.
"Sounds like a bombardment in Mr. Haskers' room, sir," was the answer.
"Mr. Haskers is trying some new gymnastic exercises," came from astudent in the rear of the crowd.
"Maybe he has got a fit," suggested another. "He didn't look well atsupper time."
The racket in the room continued, and now Doctor Clay, arrayed in adressing-gown and slippers, came upon the scene, followed by PopSwingly, the janitor.
"Has Mr. Haskers caught a burglar?" asked the janitor.
"That's it!" shouted Phil, with a wink at his friends. "Look out,Swingly, that you don't get shot!"
"Shot?" gasped the janitor, who was far from being a brave man. "I don'twant to get shot, not me!" and he edged behind some of the boys.
Doctor Clay hurried to the door of the room, only to find it locked fromthe inside.
"Mr. Haskers, what is the trouble?" he demanded.
Another bang and a thump was the only reply, accompanied by severalyells. Then, of a sudden, came a crash of glass and an exclamation ofwonder.
"Something has gone through the window, as sure as you are born!"whispered Dave to Roger.
"Oh, Dave, you don't suppose it was Haskers? If he fell to the ground,he'd be killed!"
"Open the door, or I shall break in!" thundered Doctor Clay, and thenthe door was thrown open and Job Haskers stood there, a look of miseryon his face and trembling from head to foot.
"What is the trouble?" asked the doctor.
"The ram--he butted me--knocked me down--nearly killed me!" splutteredthe assistant teacher.
"The ram--what ram?"
"He's gone now--hit the window and jumped out."
"Mr. Haskers, have you lost your senses?"
"No, sir. There was a ram in this room--in the closet. I heard him, andopened the door--I--oh! I can feel the blow yet. He was a--a terror!"
"Do you mean a real, live ram?" questioned Andrew Dale, with a slightsmile on his face--that smile which made all the boys his friends.
"I should say he was alive! Oh, it's no laughing matter!" growled JobHaskers. "He nearly killed me!"
"An' did he go through the winder?" asked Pop Swingly, as he stepped tothe broken sash.
"He did--went out like a rocket. Look at the wreck of the table! I amthankful I wasn't killed!"
"How did the ram get here?" asked Doctor Clay.
"How should I know? He was in the closet when I came in. Some of thosevillainous boys--"
"Gently, Mr. Haskers. The boys are not villains."
"Well, they put the ram there, I am sure of it."
The doctor turned to the janitor.
"Swingly, go below and see if you can see anything of the ram. He may belying on the ground with a broken leg, or something like that. If so,we'll have to kill him, to put him out of his misery."
The janitor armed himself with a stout cane and went downstairs, andafter him trooped Andrew Dale and fully a score of boys. But not a signof the ram was to be seen, only some sharp footprints where he hadlanded.
"Must have struck fair an' square, an' run off," observed the janitor."Rams is powerful tough critters. I knowed one as fell over a stonecliff, an' never minded it at all."
"Let us take a look around," said the first assistant. "Boys, get tobed, you'll take cold in this night air." And then the students troopedback into the Hall.
Upstairs they found that Job Haskers and Doctor Clay had gotten into awrangle. The assistant wanted an examination of the boys at once,regardless of the hour of the night, but Doctor Clay demurred.<
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"We'll investigate in the morning," said he. "And, as the window isbroken out, Mr. Haskers, you may take the room next to mine, which isjust now vacant."
"Somebody ought to be punished----"
"We'll investigate, do not fear."
"It's getting worse and worse. By and by there won't be any managingthese rascals at all," grumbled the assistant teacher. "Some of themought to have their necks wrung!"
"There, that is enough," returned the doctor, sternly. "I think we canmanage them, even at such a time as this. Now, boys," he continued, "goto bed, and do not let me hear any more disturbances." And he waved thestudents to their various dormitories.
"Say, but isn't old Haskers mad!" exclaimed Roger, when he and his chumswere in their dormitory. "He'd give a good bit to find out who playedthe joke on him."
"I hope that ram got away all right," came from Dave. "I didn't want tosee the animal injured."
"I think Pop Swingly is right, animals like that are tough," was BusterBeggs' comment. "More than likely he is on his way back to FarmerCadmore's farm."
"We'll find out later on," put in Sam Day.
"There is another thing to consider," continued Dave. "It wouldn't beright to let Doctor Clay stand for the expense of that broken window. Ithink I'll send him the price of the glass out of my pocket money."
"Not a bit of it!" exclaimed Phil. "Let us pass around the hat. We areall in this as deep as you." And so it was decided that all of thestudents of dormitories Nos. 11 and 12 should contribute to the fund formending the broken sash. Then, as Andrew Dale came around on a tour ofinspection, all hopped into bed and were soon sound asleep.
Dave Porter in the South Seas; or, The Strange Cruise of the Stormy Petrel Page 9