Slowly the mysterious sloop approached the shore and sailed past the Putnam Hall grounds. The men on board looked eagerly toward the academy buildings, and then went up the lake a short distance. A few minutes later they came back, and lowering the mainsail, drew close to shore, a short distance from where Jack and Pepper were in hiding.
“Perhaps our trip will be in vain again,” said one of the men to his companion.
“They cannot all be in vain,” was the answer. “Some day we shall be successful.”
“Are you going to land?”
“Yes. But stand ready to sail when I come back.”
So speaking, one of the men leaped ashore and stole behind a fringe of bushes. From that point he made his way up to a spot back of the gymnasium, and then walked completely around Putnam Hall, taking care to keep out of sight of the cadets who chanced to be roaming about.
“He acts as if he was a robber!” whispered Pepper.
“I don’t think a robber would come here in broad daylight.”
It was quite a while before the man came back. As he boarded the sloop again, his face showed his disappointment.
“Well?” questioned his companion.