CHAPTER III
HAZED?
At the long supper table in the spacious basement of the dormitory, manycurious glances were aimed at Bill and Gus, and many a terse remark wasshot at them respecting their departure from the honorable ways and therules of the school. Most pronounced were the expressions of wonder overthe fact that the carrier of concealed weapons had not been expelled, orsuspended at once. Finally a sophomore whose influence seemed to countmost gave voice to the prevailing sentiment:
"Well, I must say if that gun had been pulled on me, I'd have made thecad use it."
"I'll bet you would, too, Siebold!" declared an admirer.
Bill got on his feet and there was an instant hush. There was somethingto expect from the daring and apparently successful gunman. He laughed,and that also charged the atmosphere. When he spoke he had undividedattention:
"You would have run like any other scared puppy," Bill said to Siebold."We would have listened to you ki-yi-ing for about a mile. Say, lookhere, you hazers: You're a bunch of muts! Hear me? The whole lot of youcouldn't haze anybody that puts up a fight, if you played anyway fairand gave a little notice. We'll give you a dare, Siebold, you and allyour deputies, though I suppose you'll send them and hang back yourself.We'll be ready to take all the hazing you fellows can give to-morrowafternoon at about three o'clock; only there isn't one of you who willhave the nerve to show up. Oh, 'no weapons?' That was only a cigar caseI pulled on you to-day. It wouldn't shoot, but, by cracky, it worked!"And Bill laughed, with Gus and a few others who admired the boy's nerve.
There was a sensation at once. Never before in the history of the schoolhad a freshman dared the upper classmen to haze him, or had named thetime and place. Would such a plan hold out?
It would, and it did. The very novelty of the thing had assured it, asBill expected. Some little time before the hour given, a number ofwould-be spectators began to gather in the hallway, as Bill and Gus,studying in their room, could tell from the tramping of feet outsidetheir door. Then there was the louder tramp of feet coming nearer andwithout a preliminary call or knock the door flew open. The chums lookedup from their books with well simulated surprise. In the doorway andcrowding behind stood several upper classmen and easy confidence waswritten all over their eager faces.
"Come right in, gentlemen; we are at your service," said Bill.
"Ho, men! What's this? Wire entanglements?"
The question was opportune; flimsily stretched across in front of theattacking party and about shoulder high were some copper wires, andabout equally spaced below were others. It could be seen that theseoffered no serious check, as anyone could spread them apart and pushthrough. It was evidently with this intention that the hazers fairlystruggled through the door in the effort of each to be first--at leasthalf a dozen youths had their hands on the wires. Then Bill leaned backagainst the wall and his hand came in contact with a button.
Pandemonium! Cries of distress, yells of something more than discomfort,howls of dismay, calls for succor--the S O S in other than code signals.This was a very pretty chorus increased by some others who, hastilycoming to the rescue, also became entangled. The rest, chieflyonlookers, refrained from too close acquaintance with the very apparentcause of all the trouble. But the truly crucial part of the crisis wasdue to the fact that those who suffered by contact with the wires foundit impossible to get away from the source of distress.