Immediately everybody took to his heels, and as the roar of the cannons rolled away, the sharp nasal bray of horns reëchoed from every quarter of the campus, dying away in the recesses of the various buildings whither the crowd had taken flight. It was “every man for himself” in that scramble, and for my part, the shortest route to my room in Colver Hall was what suited me best, so off I dashed.
Unfortunately I had to pass near the college offices. I thought I was in safety, and was about to pass my entry when a rough hand was laid on my collar. I was brought to a sudden and unexpected stop, the shock of which nearly jerked my head off. I struggled to free myself, but in vain, so, turning about to see who my captor was, I discovered to my dismay that I was standing face to face with proctor Murray.
CHAPTER XII
A PRISONER
The fatal power and tenacity of proctor Murray’s grasp was known to every student of Belmont College, if not by personal experience, at least by reputation. From the moment I discovered that it was his hand upon my shoulder, I realized that further resistance would be worse than useless, so I stood perfectly still, and endeavored to accept the situation calmly. Still holding me firmly with one hand, he coolly scratched a match with the other, held it close to my face for an instant, and then extinguished it.
“Oh, it’s you, is it, Mr. Elder?” he said. “This is the first time I ever caught you in a scrape.”
“Yes, Dan,” I answered, “and no one regrets it more than I do. If I could have had only fifteen seconds’ more start, I’ll venture to say you never would have caught me.”
“Perhaps not,” he said, with a short laugh, “but here you are all the same. You’re a Junior, Mr. Elder. That’s pretty late in your college life to be out on a spree.”
“I own that, Dan, and the worst of it is that I never knew there was going to be any mischief until I found myself in the midst of it——”