“That’s just like Sobber,” was Dick’s comment.

“He wouldn’t tell me where he was going or what he was going to do, but he did let drop a remark or two about the fortune you discovered on Treasure Isle.  He said that he was firmly convinced that the money belonged to him and to his uncle’s estate, and that he meant some day to make a fight for it.”

“In the courts?” asked Tom.  “If he does that he’ll get beaten.  Father says the treasure belongs to the Stanhope estate and to nobody else.”

“No, he didn’t say he was going to court about it, but he said he was bound to get hold of it some day.”

“I hope he doesn’t try to get it by force,” said Sam.  “That would mean trouble for the Stanhopes and the Lanings.”

“The money is in the banks now, Sam,” said Dick.  “He couldn’t get hold of it excepting on an order from those to whom it belongs.”

“And they’ll never give him any such order,” added Tom.

“Do you suppose he was going to see the Stanhopes and the Lanings?” questioned the oldest Rover anxiously.

“He didn’t say, I wanted to question him further, but a man who was standing on a corner, some distance away, beckoned to him, and he left me and joined the man, and the two walked off.”

“Who was the man?”

“I don’t know.”

The boys talked the matter over for some time, but Songbird had nothing more to tell, and at last the subject was dropped.  Songbird was introduced to Stanley, Max, and a number of the other students, and soon he felt quite at home.

That evening there was a bit of hazing.  Dick and Tom escaped, but Sam, Songbird and Stanley were caught in the lower hallway by a number of the sophomores and carried bodily to the gymnasium.  Here they were tossed in blankets and then blindfolded.

“We’ll take them to the river,” said one of the sophomores.  “A bath will do them good.”

“Let’s give ’em a rubbing down with mud!” cried Jerry Koswell.  He had some tar handy, and if the mud was used he intended to mix some of the tar with it on the sly.

“That’s the talk!” cried Larkspur, who knew about the tar, he having purchased it for Koswell and Flockley.  The three had at first intended to smear the beds of the Rovers with it, but had gotten no chance.

“Give them a good dose!” said Dudd Flockley.  He had joined in the blanket-tossing with vigor.

Sam, Songbird and Stanley were being led to the river when Max came rushing up to Tom and Dick, who happened to be in the library, looking over some works of travel.

“Come on mit you!” he cried excitedly in broken English.  “Da have got Sam and Stanley and dot friend of yours alretty!  Hurry up, or da was killed before we git to help ’em!”

“They?  Who?” asked Dick, leaping up.

“Sophs—­down by der gym!” And then Max cooled down a bit and related what he had seen.

“We must surely go to the rescue!” cried Tom.  “Wait!  I’ll get clubs for all hands!” And he rushed up to his room, where in a clothing closet lay the end of the hose he had taken away from the sophomores.  With his knife he cut the section of hose into eight “clubs,” and With these in his hands he hurried below again.