Professor Snodgrass wrote to the boys, telling them he hoped soon to pay them a visit. He was finishing cataloging the bugs he had caught on his last trip to Cresville, he stated, and would soon be on the lookout for more.
It was two weeks after Ned’s injury by a bayonet in the hands of Pug Kennedy, and he was fully himself again, that, one afternoon as he and his chums were getting ready for hand grenade drill, a cry came from a section of the camp near the artillery unit. There was a series of shouts following a salvo of heavy guns.
“There’s been an accident!” exclaimed Jerry, as he saw a number of officers and men running.
“Cannon exploded, maybe,” said Bob.
“It didn’t sound so,” remarked Ned. “The noise wasn’t any louder than usual. But it’s something,” he added. “There go the ambulances!”
As he spoke a number of the vehicles dashed across the parade ground toward the place that seemed to be the center of excitement.
“Come on!” cried Ned. “We’ve got to see what this is!”
The motor boys started to run, followed by several of their new chums, and on all sides there were questions.
“What is it? What happened?”
A sentry, who did not leave his post, gave the first information.