The Wizard of the Sea | Page 7

go with his friends and show them
where the root-beer and soda-water bottles were hidden.
Loaded down with the stuff, the crowd returned to the Hall, and the
feast began.
Nearly all of the boys of Mont's age had been invited in a general way,
and a lively time was had for fully an hour.
Hoke Ummer could not stand it to see his rival triumph over him, and
so slipped down to the room occupied by Moses Sparks, one of the
under teachers.
"Mont Folsom and his crowd are having a feast in one of the upper
rooms," he said.
At once Moses Sparks prepared to investigate.
The feast was at its height when a footstep was heard.
"Scatter!" whispered Carl Barnaby, who caught the sounds first, and all
of the boys hurried from the bedroom by side doors and managed to get
to their own rooms.
When Moses Sparks came up they seemed to be sleeping like so many
lambs.
"Ummer has been fooling me," muttered the under teacher. "Or else he

was mistaken." And he went off and left the boys to finish the feast in
peace.
CHAPTER VI.
OUT ON THE BAY.
In a general way Mont suspected Hoke Ummer, not of the dastardly
trick he had played, but of playing the sneak and telling Moses Sparks.
"I'll get square," he said to Link and Carl.
Out in the fields he had picked up a dead snake, and he now resolved to
make use of it in a truly original manner. As soon as it was time to
retire that night Mont slipped upstairs and into the dormitory occupied
by Hoke Ummer, Goul, and their chums.
He had the dead snake with him, and put the reptile in the bully's bed.
Five minutes later he was in his own room awaiting developments.
They were not long in coming.
A murmur of voices ended in a wild shriek of terror.
"A snake!" yelled Hoke. "It's in my bed! Save me! I'm a dead boy!"
His cry aroused everyone, and soon Nautical Hall was in a commotion.
"What's the matter with Hoke?"
"He's got 'em bad!"
"A snake!" roared the bully. "Take it away."
He ran out into the corridor, and soon a crowd began to collect.
In the meantime Mont slipped into the room and threw the dead reptile
out of the window.

Captain Hooper tried to get at the bottom of the affair, but failed.
"You must have been dreaming, Ummer," he said at last, and sent all of
the boys off to bed.
During the following week Nautical Hall was closed up, and the
schoolboy cadets marched to the head of the bay.
Here they went into camp for a month, part of the time being spent on
the bay and the ocean beyond in learning how to sail both large and
small boats.
The sailing of the boats particularly interested Mont and Carl Barnaby.
Link did not care very much for the water, for when the sea was rough
he was inclined to grow seasick.
One day Mont and Carl obtained permission to hire a sloop at the town,
and go out for an all-day cruise over the bay and back.
They took with them a young fellow from Nautical Hall named John
Stumpton, a handy lad who generally went by the name of Stump.
Since Mont had arrived at the Hall, Stump had taken to him greatly,
and would do almost anything that Mont asked of him. Stump was also
a great friend to Carl.
They sailed out of sight of the camp, and gradually crept up to a large
excursion boat which was just leaving one of the docks of the town.
The steamboat was overcrowded, every deck being full of humanity
bent on having a good time.
Some musicians were playing on the forward deck, and they drew quite
close to hear what was going on.
Suddenly a cry of horror arose.
A young girl had been standing close to the rail on a camp chair at the
bow of the boat.

It was Alice Moore.
As the steamboat swung around the girl lost her balance.
She tried to save herself, and, failing, pitched headlong into the water.
Our hero saw her go under the waves.
"She'll be struck by the paddle wheel," he yelled, and then, splash! he
was overboard himself.
Bravely he struck out to save the maiden.
The order was given to back the steamboat.
The wheels churned up the water into a white foam, but still the
momentum carried the large craft on.
In the meantime our hero came up and struck out valiantly for the girl,
who was now going down for a second time.
"Save her! Save her!" shrieked Judge Moore, who was with his
daughter.
Half a