"That's right enough, J.W., and we agree with you."
"Do you remember a night or so ago when Billy Manners had the black eye?" asked the young fellow suddenly. "He said he must have got it tripping over a tent rope, and Harry said he got into their tent by mistake. I asked him what he was doing outside, and at first he would not tell me, but afterward he said there was some funny business going on the night before, and he thought that Herring and Merritt were in it, but he could not tell what it was."
"Well?" asked Percival.
"Then he told me that he had gone to the doctor's cottage, and that some one got out the window, fell over him and gave him a black eye. Herring, as he thinks, said that he would fix somebody and keep him from getting the prize. He told me not to say anything, but——-"
"That's all right, J.W., it's as well you did, for now I think we will get at the bottom of this affair," said Percival in decided tones.
CHAPTER XVII
A PUZZLING MATTER SETTLED
At the same time that Jack Sheldon, Dick Percival and young Smith were on the river together, Billy Manners, Arthur Warren and Harry Dickson were going up the road leading to the Van der Donk house, although they had no idea of going there.
When they were well away from the camp and there were no other boys in sight, Billy stopped short suddenly, and said:
"Funny thing about Herring's recognizing that girl's poem in Jack's verses, wasn't it?"