An hour passed and the Imp was growing decidedly sleepy. He scanned his watch closely by the light of the stars and saw it was not yet time to awaken his companion. Then he trained his eyes on shore once more.
What was that, a dog or a person, crawling steadily forward from behind the trees which lined that side of the campus? He sat up and peered forth eagerly. Then another figure appeared and soon a third. They were coming straight for the boathouse.
“Something doing,” he mused. “Wonder if I had better call Andy?”
He decided to wait. The three figures came closer and soon stood beside the boathouse. He now saw that they were three persons wearing black gowns and black hoods.
“Andy!” he whispered, and pinched his chum’s arm. At once the acrobatic youth awoke and started to speak. But Pepper put his hand over his chum’s mouth.
“Three persons are coming—let us lay low and see what they want to do,” whispered Pepper. “Don’t make any noise.”
Andy understood. “Who are they?” he asked, after a few seconds of silence, during which he peered over the guard rail of the sloop at the three figures.
“I don’t know—but I guess we’ll soon find out.”
After that the two cadets on the Alice kept quiet. In the meantime Ritter and his cronies walked up and down the boat dock, inspecting the sloop from that point.
“Anybody on board?” asked Paxton, in a voice which trembled slightly.