CHAPTER XXVII
A PRISONER OF THE ENEMY
Never dreaming of the plot hatched out against him, Dick retired as usual that night. Now that the worry over the competitive drill was a thing of the past he realized that he was worn out, and scarcely had his head touched the pillow than he was in the land of Nod.
His awakening was a rude one. He felt himself raised up, a large towel was passed over his face and tied behind his head, and then he was dragged from his cot.
"Don't dare to make a sound!" whispered a low voice in his ear. "If you do, you'll be struck senseless."
"Hullo, I'm about to be hazed," thought Dick, and it must be admitted that he was far from pleased. "They think they are going to do some thing grand to the captain of the company that won the prize. Well, not if I can help it," and he began to struggle to free himself.
But his tormentors were too many for him and almost before he knew it his hands and his feet were made secure and a sack was drawn over his head. Then he was raised up and carried away he knew not to where.
"One thing is certain, they are taking me a long distance from camp," was his thought, when he found himself dumped into a rowboat. "Can they be going to the head of the lake?"
The idea of using the boat had been suggested by Jackson, who said it would bewilder Dick, so he would not know where he was being taken. And Jackson was right, the eldest Rover thought he was a long way from camp when he was placed on shore again.
His feet were now unloosed and he was made to march forward until the vicinity of the hermit's den was reached. Then he was carried into the den and tied fast to a log erected near one of the side walls.
"Take the sack from his head," came in the voice of Lew Flapp, and this was done and then the towel was also removed.
For the moment Dick could see nothing, for the glare of a large lantern was directly in his face. Then he made out half a dozen or more cadets standing around him, each with a red mask over his face, and a red skull cap with horns.
"Hullo, this must be a new secret society," he thought. "I've been initiated into the Order of Black Skulls, but never into the Order of Red Skulls. Wonder what they will want me to do?"
There was a moment of silence and one of the masked cadets stepped to the front.
"Prisoner, are you prepared to meet your doom?" was the question put in a harsh voice.
"Oh, chestnuts!" cried Dick. "I went through that long ago, when I first came to Putnam Hall."
"Bow to your superiors," said another voice.
"Where are the superiors?" asked Dick innocently. "I don't see 'em."
"The prisoner is impertinent! Make him bow!"
At once several sprang behind Dick and forced him to move his head up and down.
"Let up, my head isn't on a hinge!" he cried. "Cut it short, for I'm sleepy."
"Make him drink the poison and at once!" put in another of the masked cadets.
The speaker tried to disguise his tones, but the voice sounded much like that of Lew Flapp and instantly Dick was on the alert.
"How much do you want me to drink?" he asked cheerfully.
"Only one glass, if you drink it without stopping to sneeze," put in another voice, and now Dick was certain that he recognized Rockley.
"These are no friends," he thought. "They are enemies and they intend to play me foul."
"How can I drink with my hands tied behind me?" he asked.
"We will hold the glass for you," said another, and Dick feit almost sure it was Gus Pender who uttered the words.
"It's the whole Flapp crowd," he mused. "I'm in a pickle and no mistake. I suppose they'll half kill me before they let me go."
"Will you drink?" asked another. He was small in size and Dick put him down as being Ben Hurdy.
"I want you to untie my hands."
"Very well, let the prisoner hold the glass," said Flapp.
"Thank you, Flapp."
"Who said I was Flapp?" growled the tall boy, in dismay.
"I say so."
"My name is Brown."
"All right then, Brown let it be," said Dick, not wanting to anger the bully too much.
The prisoner's hands were untied and a glass containing a dark-colored mixture was handed to him. Dick had heard of the "glass of poison" before, said glass containing nothing but mud and water well stirred up. But now he was suspicious. This glass looked as if it might contain something else.
"They'd as soon drug me as not," he thought. "For all I know this may be a dose strong enough to make an elephant sick. I don't think I'll drink it, no matter what they do."
"Prisoner, drink!" was the cry.
"Thanks, but I am not thirsty," answered Dick, as coolly as he could. "Besides, I had my dose of mud and water a long time ago."
"He must drink!" roared Rockley.
"Get the switches!" ordered Lew Flapp, and from a corner a number of long, heavy switches were brought forth and passed around.
Things began to look serious and it must be confessed that Dick's heart beat fast, for he had no desire to undergo a switching at the hands of such a cold-hearted crowd, who would be sure to lay on the strokes heavily.
"Don't you strike me," said Dick, thinking rapidly. "I'll drink fast enough. But I want to know one thing first."
"Well?"
"What are you going to do with me next?"
"Make you take the antidote for the poison," said Flapp.
"And what is that?"
"Another drink."
"They are going to drug me as sure as fate," reasoned Dick. "How can I outwit them?"
While he was deliberating there was a noise outside, as a night bird swept by the entrance to the hermit's den.
All of the masked cadets were startled and looked in that direction.
By inspiration Dick seized the moment to throw the contents of the glass over his shoulder into a dark corner. When the crowd turned back hf had the glass turned up to his mouth and was going through the movement of swallowing.
"Ugh! what ugly stuff," he said, handing the glass to one of the crowd.
"Ha! he has swallowed the poison!" cried Lew Flapp, and nudged Rockley in the ribs. "That was easy, wasn't it?" he whispered.
"Give him the second glass," muttered Rockley. "That will make him as foolish as a fiddler."
Pender already had the glass handy. He passed it to Dick, who suddenly glared at him in an uncertain manner. Dick had smelt the liquor in the first glass and now realized something of the plot to bring him to disgrace.
"Say, but that stuff makes me feel light-headed," he said. "Wasn't so bad, after all."
"Drink this, quick," cried Flapp, more eagerly than ever.
"All right," said Dick, and spilt a little out of the glass onto the floor. "Wonder what makes' my hand shake so?" he murmured.
"Take this and it will brace you up," put in Pender.
"Ha, look there!" yelled Dick, gazing fixedly at the rear of the den. "See the three-headed owl!"
All looked in the direction and again he threw the contents of the glass behind him. Then he pretended to drink, while glaring at the cadets around him.
"Funny, I can't count you any more!" he muttered. "Six, seven, ten, 'leven, nine; Say, I'm all mixed up. Who put me on the merry-go-'round anyway?" He began to stagger. "Guess I'm on a toboggan slide, ain't I?" and he acted as if he could no longer stand up right.
"Cut him loose, fellows!" cried Flapp, and this was done, and Dick staggered to the table, clutched it, slid to the floor and acted as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Say, that was dead easy!" cried Pender gleefully. "Took the stuff like a lamb."
"What's to do next, Flapp?" asked Jackson. "Say, Jackson, don't speak my name, please," cried the tall boy in alarm.
"Oh, what's the odds," put in Pender. "Rover is dead to the world. Rockley knew just how to fix those doses."
"That's right, Gus," came from Rockley.
"We had better not lose time here," went on Flapp presently. "Let us tell Captain Putnam without delay. He'll have Rover brought back to camp just as he is, and that will disgrace him forever."
"Wait till I put the empty bottle near him," said Rockley, and this was done.
Then the crowd of masked cadets left the den, leaving the door wide open behind them.