"But he could swim, couldn't he?" persisted the professor, hopefully.
"Perhaps he …"
"That's just it!" interrupted Benz, despairingly. "He might have had a good chance if he could … but you see … his feet were tied!"
"Feet tied!" President Windell laid a hand upon Benz and shook him. "See here—what were you young men up to? … That's not much short of murder!"
"I know … it sounds almost like it," admitted Benz.
"It's apt to go pretty hard with you," snapped the president, "Wait here until I go and dress. I want you to take me to where this happened. And while you're waiting, put in a call for the sheriff at Tarlton. He'll have to investigate anyway and the sooner he's on the job the better."
The professor disappeared upstairs. Benz hesitated a moment, his hands twitching nervously. Then he picked up the telephone and asked for long distance in a voice that faltered brokenly.
* * * * *
At breakfast that morning tense excitement reigned. News of the tragedy had just been spread broadcast and there were many vacant chairs. A great number of students had rushed for the river but a few of the calmer ones and those who loved their appetites above all else, answered the roll call and contented themselves in stowing away the usual number of pancakes.
Just as the meal was about over, Bartz staggered in, weak and exhausted. He had run many miles up and down the river bank in the hopes of discovering Judd—but a needle in a haystack might have been more readily found than Judd's corpse in a river bed.
A great crowd thronged about Bartz, asking him hundreds of different questions, excitedly. He made no attempt to answer them; in fact, his one desire seemed to be to get a bite to eat and steady his nerves. All he would say was: "Let me alone, fellows. I'm tired. Been up all night. No, we haven't found his body yet. Yes … the sheriff's placed us all under temporary arrest. He's got our names an' he's coming after the bunch of us and take us down to Tarlton for a hearing at nine o'clock this morning. Oh, they'll drag the river all day if they don't find him. Yes, we're going to wire his folks in a couple of hours. For heaven's sake, guys, let me be! I need a rest!"