CHAPTER XXI SURPRISES OF A NIGHT
Ritter, Paxton and Coulter had arranged their plans with care, and theywere practically certain that the _Alice_ would lose the boat race. As aconsequence the three unworthies did not hesitate to go around and laywagers that either the _Ajax_ or the _Neptune_ would win. As they didnot wish to bet openly against their own school, so to speak, they madethe most of their wagers through a man in Cedarville named Crosby--afellow who kept a variety store, including sporting goods and fishingtackle.
"We'll make Jack Ruddy and his chums feel sick, and rake in some goodshekels in the bargain," said Reff Ritter.
"We must be careful in our work," cautioned Paxton. "If we get caughtthere's no telling what they'll do to us."
"Oh, don't croak before you're hurt, Nick."
"Do you want to get caught?"
"Certainly not--and we won't be. This work is to be done in the dark andwhile we are disguised. At the first alarm we can skip. But I don't lookfor any alarm," concluded Ritter.
It was well that Andy and Pepper pretended to go to bed with the others,for Ritter and his cohorts were on the watch.
"I told you the coast would be clear," said Ritter. "All the same, Iguess we had better lay low until about midnight."
It was nearly eleven when Andy and Pepper arose, donned their clothing,and taking their shoes in their hands, stole from the dormitory andcrept downstairs to a side door of the Hall. Nobody saw them, and in amoment more they were walking rapidly over the school grounds in thedirection of the lake.
"This may be a fool's errand after all," said Pepper. "But it is betterthan running the risk of having somebody injure the sloop."
"We should have come armed," returned his chum. "Anybody who wouldinjure a boat just before a race ought to be shot."
"We'll arm ourselves when we get down to the boathouse."
Reaching the building, they went inside and procured some old hockeysticks that chanced to be handy. Then they entered a rowboat at the dockand poled over to the _Alice_. Clambering aboard, they tied the rowboatto the stern. As chance would have it, the gentle breeze that wasblowing sent the small craft around to the lake side of the sloop, sothe rowboat was not visible from the shore.
The two cadets had put in rather a strenuous day and were consequentlysleepy. They wanted to get what rest they could for the morrow and sodecided to watch by turns, two hours at a stretch. It was a clear night,with countless stars overhead, and the day for the great race promisedto be all that could be desired.
The _Alice_ had a little cuddy, just large enough to accommodate two,and into this the boys crawled, to get out of the night air, which wasdamp. Andy was the first to rest, while Pepper sat up, his eyes trainedon the dimly-lit shore.
An hour passed and the Imp was growing decidedly sleepy. He scanned hiswatch closely by the light of the stars and saw it was not yet time toawaken his companion. Then he trained his eyes on shore once more.
What was that, a dog or a person, crawling steadily forward from behindthe trees which lined that side of the campus? He sat up and peeredforth eagerly. Then another figure appeared and soon a third. They werecoming straight for the boathouse.
"Something doing," he mused. "Wonder if I had better call Andy?"
He decided to wait. The three figures came closer and soon stood besidethe boathouse. He now saw that they were three persons wearing blackgowns and black hoods.
"Andy!" he whispered, and pinched his chum's arm. At once the acrobaticyouth awoke and started to speak. But Pepper put his hand over hischum's mouth.
"Three persons are coming--let us lay low and see what they want to do,"whispered Pepper. "Don't make any noise."
Andy understood. "Who are they?" he asked, after a few seconds ofsilence, during which he peered over the guard rail of the sloop at thethree figures.
"I don't know--but I guess we'll soon find out."
After that the two cadets on the _Alice_ kept quiet. In the meantimeRitter and his cronies walked up and down the boat dock, inspecting thesloop from that point.
"Anybody on board?" asked Paxton, in a voice which trembled slightly.
"Don't see anybody," answered Ritter.
"Thought we weren't to do any talking," came from Coulter.
"We'll shut up--if anybody appears," said the leader of the unworthies.
With great caution they got out a rowboat and entered it. Then theypoled silently to the side of the _Alice_ and peered over the guardrail. Andy and Pepper were out of sight, under some sailcloth. But theireyes and ears were on the alert in the semi-darkness.
"I guess the coast is clear," they heard Ritter say. "Come on aboard. Wecan doctor up those ropes and the rudder in no time if we get right atthem."
"Did you bring your file?" asked Paxton.
"Yes. I hope you didn't forget yours."
"I've got it."
"And I've got mine," put in Coulter. "And here is the pot of stuff forthe rudder."
"I'll put that drag on the keel the last thing," said Ritter. "I'll haveto strip to do it, I suppose."
"Will it hold?" questioned Paxton.
"Trust me for that," answered Reff Ritter.
Not without difficulty he crawled aboard the sloop and his croniesfollowed. They gave a brief look into the cuddy, but did not discoverthose in hiding.
"Now, let us go at the ropes first," said Ritter. "Mind, don't file themtoo thin. We don't want them to break until the race is on."
"I'd like to put a hole in the sloop's bottom and sink her," growled GusCoulter.
"If you did that, the race would be off," said Ritter. "No, we want herto go in and lose."
The three plotters moved to various parts of the _Alice_ and with largefiles began to saw on several of the ropes used for hoisting themainsail and jib.
"I guess we have heard enough," whispered Pepper. "You recognize them,don't you?"
"Ritter, Coulter and Paxton," said Andy, promptly.
"Correct."
"Shall we dash at them with our sticks?"
"Let us scare them first--make out we are officers of the law."
"All right."
Throwing the sailcloth aside Pepper and Andy leaped to their feet,brandishing the hockey sticks over their heads.
"Surrender, in the name of the law!" shouted the Imp, in the most manlytone he could command.
"Throw up your hands, or we'll fire on you!" yelled Andy, and pointedthe handle of a bailing dipper at Ritter.
"We're discovered!" screamed Paxton, and dropped the file he was using."Oh, what shall we do?"
"It's the police!" faltered Gus Coulter. "We have been trapped!"
"Don't fire!" gasped Ritter, falling back at the sight of the dipperhandle, which gleamed slightly in the starlight. "We don't mean anyharm. This is--er--only a joke."
"You'll find it a joke, when you are in the Ithaca jail," said Andy, ina bass voice.
"Oh, they are going to lock us up!" screamed Paxton. Then he gave acloser look at who was before him. "Why, it's Andy Snow!" he gasped.
"Andy Snow and, yes, Pepper Ditmore!" said Reff Ritter, and his voiceshowed how disgusted he felt over being deceived.
"That's only a dipper!" came from Coulter. "Think you are great to scareus, don't you?" he sneered.
"You get off of this sloop, and in a hurry, too!" cried Pepper. "If youdon't we'll give you the thrashing of your lives."
"Thrashing, eh?" demanded Reff Ritter, throwing back his black hood."Perhaps two can play at that game."
"That's right--and the two will be Pepper and myself," put in Andy."Leave this sloop at once, or take the consequences."
"How many of you on board?" asked Coulter, trying to look into thecuddy.
"None of your business."
"I believe they are alone," said Ritter. "And if so we are three to two.What's the matter with capturing 'em?" he added, struck by a suddenidea.
"Capturing 'em?" repeated his cronies.
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"Exactly. Then we'll fix it so they won't squeal on us."
"That's the talk!" cried Coulter. "Let us capture 'em by all means!"
And then the three unworthies advanced on Andy and Pepper to make themprisoners.
The Putnam Hall Champions; or, Bound to Win Out Page 22