It soon became noised about the Hall that the new sloop from Pornell Academy had met Jack’s craft, and more of the cadets were interested in the outcome of the race than they were in the rescue that had taken place.
“Of course it was a great thing to pull those chaps out of the water,” was Andy Snow’s comment. “But I do wish you had beaten them by about a mile, Pep.”
“Well, when the squall came we simply had to call it off—with the other sloop capsized.”
“By the way, Andy,” went on Pepper. “I understand that you have a little contest of your own coming off at the gym.”
“So I have,” answered the acrobatic youth of Putnam Hall.
“What, that bully! I thought you were done with Coulter, Ritter, and that crowd.”
“I thought I was,” said Andy. “But Coulter said I was afraid to meet him in a hand-walking and chinning-the-bar contest, and bragged to all the others what he could do, so I had to take him up.”
“Is he so good at lifting his own weight?”
“I don’t know. Henry Lee told me he saw him chinning the bar nine times.”
“Well, I hope you can do better than that.”
“Perhaps I can. But we are to do some walking on our hands first,” went on Andy. “I’d rather do some stunts on the bars and rings—it is more in my line,” he added. “I wish he would challenge me to do the giant’s swing against him—then I’d feel sure I could beat him.”
It was a jolly crowd that gathered that evening in the dormitory occupied by Jack, Pepper, and their chums. Besides Dale and Stuffer there were Andy, big Bart Conners, the captain of Company B, Joe Nelson, Henry Lee, and Joseph Hogan, an Irish youth who was the soul of good humor and wit.
Of course Jack and the others had to tell every detail of the adventure on the lake and tell all they could about the Pornell Academy sloop.
“Did those chaps say anything about Roy Bock?” asked Andy. He referred to a student of Pornell who had on several occasions caused our friends considerable trouble.
“Maybe they are not friends of Bock and his crowd?” put in Dale.
“Carey and Sedley are that,” answered Hogan. “Didn’t I see them all at Cedarville a couple of Sunday nights ago.”
“On Sunday?” queried Jack. “I didn’t know they were allowed out on Sunday.”
“And how did you come to be out, Emerald?” questioned Pepper.