“Don’t be so sure of that, Jack. Some of the other fellows may have followed us,” answered Pepper. He was down on his knees on the floor, pulling at an iron ring with all his strength. “Maybe you want to try this,” he added, as he gave an additional tug.
The young major of the school cadets leaped from the bottom of the ladder and took hold of the iron ring, which was set in the edge of a heavy trap door. He pulled with might and main, but the trap door refused to budge.
“Regular tug-of-war!” he panted. “Say, if we can’t get this door open what are we to do?”
“Don’t ask me.”
“It’s the only way out of the belfry, Pep.”
“I know that—unless we climb out of one of the windows.”
“Ugh! I don’t care to risk my neck in that manner.” And Jack Ruddy gave a slight shiver as he spoke.
“Well, we’ve got to get out somehow,” continued Pepper, making a wry face. “We don’t want to stay here all night.”
“If some of the other fellows played this trick on us——”
“They ought to be hammered for it.”