“It was just as well that I thought there might be something of this sort and got ready for it,” thought Jack, but as far as any of the boys could see he was entirely unsuspicious of their pleasant intentions.
He undressed himself quietly, now and then saying something to one or another of the boys who addressed him, and then, just before he got into bed, quietly dropped something on the floor on each side of the bed without being noticed.
He had taken whatever it was from his suitcase and had not been observed, his motions being quick and with no appearance of stealth or a suspicion of the other boys’ designs.
All the boys were in bed a few minutes before the electric lights were extinguished and talked among themselves on matters of little importance, Jack saying little, however, but calculating how long it would take the nearest boy to reach him and fixing the position of the water jug well in his mind without turning to look at it.
The lights were extinguished from a switch-board in the doctor’s room as soon as the clock struck, so that it was not necessary to go up to the dormitories at all.
There would be no one in the hall outside, therefore, and so whatever noise the boys might make would not be heard by the doctor or any of the professors.
The clock struck ten and as the last stroke sounded the lights went out and in a moment all was dark in the dormitory.
Then there was a sudden rush and Jack sat up in bed, turned and reached for the water jug which was just behind him.
Swift but light footsteps were heard approaching the bed on three sides and then there was a sudden howl, or chorus of howls from all sides.
“Wow! what’s that?”