Backing to the door, the four hold-up individuals slipped quickly out of it, and locked it after them, making the group of Freshmen and hazers prisoners. At once there burst out a riot of talk in the room, succeeded by chuckles of mirth from the quartette.
"Say, it went off like apple pie," said one of the masked figures.
"Couldn't have been better," added another.
"Someone's coming!" was the sudden warning.
All but one of the figures swung out of sight around the corner of the corridor. This figure, still holding the object that had cowed the students, was in full view of a hall light as someone advanced. Then, seeing that the newcomer was a pupil, the masked figure, making a threatening gesture, commanded:
"Hands up!"
The effect of the order was startling. The student with a quick motion fairly leaped at the masked figure, knocking the shining object to one side, at the same time exclaiming:
"Ha! So you thought you'd catch me off my guard, eh? You thought you could sneak in here and get it? Well, I've fooled you. I've been looking for you the last three days. I expected you'd come East after me. But it won't do you any good. Now I'm going to give the alarm!"
There was so much of menace and threat in the voice and action of the student that the masked figure gasped. There was a fierce struggle, and as the new student took a long breath in readiness to sound the cry of alarm, the masked one called out:
"Hold on, old man! It's only a joke. We're doing a hazing stunt. No harm intended. Let go my shoulder. You're needlessly alarmed. It's only a joke, I tell you."