“Do you think we ought to tell Major Tireson?” asked Don, of Rhodes. The senior thought it over and then shook his head.
“No, I don’t,” he said. “That might clear things up and then again it might not. What I do think is this, we ought to go through Clanhammer Hall some day ourselves!”
“But not at night!” objected Jim.
“No, that would be foolish. In the first place, we wouldn’t be able to see anything, and in the second place I am no more keen to prowl around there after dark than you are. We’ll simply break in some afternoon, perhaps tomorrow, and look around ourselves. If we are caught there we can simply tell our story and say that we wanted to investigate. They can’t do much to us for that.”
“No, I don’t think they can. Do you want to go through tomorrow afternoon?” asked Don.
After some more talk they all agreed to break into Clanhammer Hall on the following afternoon and then they prepared for supper. The evening passed as usual and they went to bed. How long they had been asleep they did not know, but they were aroused by the furious ringing of the fire gong. With one accord they leaped from their beds.
“Now what is going on?” began Jim, but Terry, who had raced to the window, interrupted him.
“It’s a sure enough fire this time,” he called. “And, by George, it’s Clanhammer Hall!”
They rushed to the window. One corner of the old school building could be seen from there and Terry had spoken the truth. The back of the place was on fire and the flames could be seen curling up against the sky. Already the campus was dotted here and there with cadets who had run out, scantily clothed.
“Come on!” shouted Don, leaping for his clothes. “Let’s get out there! We’ll find out something important now!”