“Aw, cut it out! Be a sport!” urged Dutch. “It won’t hurt you, and if you can’t swim, we’ll pull you out. You’ve got to take your medicine, and you might as well make up your mind to it. In with him now, fellows!”
“Let her go!” cried Holly.
“No! Don’t! Stop!” cried the Californian, and his voice broke. “Please let me go—consider, fellows—you may regret this!”
“Regret nothing!” cried Dutch. “In with him!”
There was a struggle on the bank of the river, a series of surprised grunts and exclamations. Then a dark body went sailing through the air, and fell with a splash into the stream, while the shout that followed ended in a gurgle.
“There he goes!” cried Phil. “He’s in!”
Another dark body shot from the bank into the water.
“Why—why!” gasped Sid. “They’re hazing two! Who’s the other lad, I wonder?”
The second body made a great splash. Then, before it came to the surface, a third form hurtled through the air and made a great noise in Sunny River.
“Julius Cæsar’s grandmother’s cat’s kittens!” yelled Tom, careless of who heard him. “[Simpson isn’t in the water at all, fellows!] Look! look! There he is! [He’s throwing the others in!] He’s throwing ’em all in!”