At that time a squall on the lake and an encounter with a log raft had placed all of the young people in great peril, from which Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had refused to rescue them.
It had been decided that the boys should row from Colby Hall down the lake to the dock at Clearwater Hall and there take the girls on board. They had three boats, one containing Jack and Fred, another the twins, and a third Gif and Spouter.
"It's certainly one grand day for this outing," remarked Fred, as they set off. All were good oarsmen, so the rowboats made rapid progress in the direction of the girls' school.
"I had the day made to order," sang out Andy. And then he added, with a grin: "It never rains when I go out unless the water happens to be coming down."
The cadets had informed Martha and the others when they would arrive, and when they reached the dock they found six girls waiting for them, each with a carefully-tied-up shoebox under her arm.
"Yum, yum! I smell something good to eat!" exclaimed Andy, on catching sight of the boxes.
"Got any mustard pie?" added Randy. "Excuse me, I mean custard pie."
"No, we've got straw pie for you, Mr. Smarty," called out Alice Strobell.
Jack noticed that Martha and Mary looked rather thoughtful when they got into the rowboat manned by Spouter and Gif.
"Anything wrong?" he asked anxiously.