"Oh, I was only telling the fellows how Sam and Nick acted this summer," proceeded our hero. "And, as I was saying," he resumed, "they captured Bert, Jack and my friend, from home, Dick Jones.
"They sneaked up on 'em while I was away from camp, mauled 'em something fierce, and tied 'em up. Then they held em prisoners for several days———"
"On bread and water," interrupted Jack. "Don't forget that, Tommy my boy!"
"That's right," added Bert with a sorrowful sigh at the recollection.
"I was nearly starved before you rescued us."
"And that's what they did," concluded Tom, telling the final details. "Now the question is, what had we better do to such cads when they come back to school and expect to be treated decently? What ought we to do?"
There was silence for a moment, and then Bruce Bennington asked quietly:
"May I say something?"
"Surest thing you know!" came promptly from Tom.
"Then I'm going to give you a bit or advice," went on the older lad. "You may follow it, or not, but I feel it's my duty to offer it. And it's this. I've heard the whole story now, and I know how you fellows must feel. But my advice is—to do nothing at all to Sam and Nick."