"Won't they be a surprised lot of chumps in the morning!" asked someone with a laugh.
"They sure will," answered another Hammondite. "They'll be 'very ill' for a long while."
"I never thought we'd do it," said the boy who was working an oar next to Roy. "I don't see yet why they didn't hear us."
"They weren't expecting us," said another. "I tell you that was a foxy idea of Jim's, to find out where they kept the boats from the other shore, now wasn't it?"
"Who went over, Jim?" asked Roy's companion. Roy's heart sank, but luckily someone behind answered for him.
"He went over himself, he and Smith. Rowed over a mile up-river, left the boat, came down across the fields. They watched for an hour and saw the Ferry Hill fellows come back from school and haul the boats out. Oh, it was an all-right scheme!"
Roy looked at the sky, hoping mightily that the moon wouldn't come out until they had reached the other shore. There was still a lighter patch up there, but the moon seemed pretty well extinguished for the time being. If only they wouldn't insist on his talking!
"Roy held his breath and waited."