“The best possible place,” said Jack. “The house is supposed to be haunted and nobody ever goes there.”
Rowing swiftly, the cadets soon reached the vicinity of the so-called haunted house. They took their bags ashore and carried them up to the old dwelling, which was almost ready to fall down. In an upper room they found a big clothing closet and in this they placed all the trophies and closed and barred the door on them.
“Now let the Pornellites find them—if they can,” declared Pepper. “I rather think they’ll have a long hunt to do it.”
Then the cadets hurried back to the lake, rowed to the Putnam Hall dock, and lost no time in creeping into the school and up to their dormitories. Five minutes later all were in bed and trying to get to sleep.
CHAPTER XXVIII
AN UNLOOKED-FOR DISAPPEARANCE
The excitement at Putnam Hall over the disappearance of the cannon and the flagstaff was fully duplicated at Pornell Academy when it was discovered that the trophy room had been looted of its entire contents.
“This is an outrage!” stormed Doctor Pornell. “An outrage! I shall put somebody in prison for it!”
“Something has been left behind,” said a teacher who chanced to be with the doctor. “A toy flag and a toy cannon.”
“What!”
“See for yourself, Doctor.”