“Hello, Chesty,” said Sam jovially.

“Hello,” answered Chester with vast relief.

“Pretty good game, wasn’t it?”

“Y—yes, pretty fair, Sammy.”

“It was a dandy! And I was glad I got back to see the last of it.”

“If you hadn’t,” said Chester with a grin, “we’d have licked you fellows good and hard.”

“That’s what I thought. So I concluded I’d better leave my cosy quarters and hike back to the field of battle. By the way, I had a dandy dinner, Chesty. Thanks awfully, old man.”

“That’s all right. I say, Sammy, aren’t mad about it, are you?”

“Mad? What for? It was lots of fun. Hope I didn’t do any damage to the place, though.”

“No. But, say, Sammy, I wish you’d tell me how you got out of there.” Sam winked and looked mysterious.