“Great head!  Great scheme!” the others exclaimed; and they jumped to their feet and indulged in a war-dance that shook the whole building.

When they had done with this jollification, Tug, who objected to doing things by halves, asked: 

“Why not kidnap the whole kit and boodle of them?”

Then there was another merry-go-round.  But they all stopped suddenly, and Quiz expressed the sentiment of all of them when he said: 

“But how are we going to do it?”

Then they all put their heads together for a long and serious debate, the result of which was a plan that seemed to promise success.

The banquet was to be held on the next Friday night at night o’clock, and the Dozen had nearly a week for perfecting their plot.

Sawed-Off suggested the first plan that looked feasible for taking care of the whole crowd of the Crows, about two dozen in number.  The chapel, over which Sawed-Off had his room, had a large bell-tower—­as Sawed-Off well knew, since it was one of his duties to ring the bell on all the many occasions when it was to be rung.  In this cupola there was a loft of good size; it was reached by a heavy ladder, which could be removed with some difficulty.  Under the chapel there was a large cellar, which seemed never to have been used for any particular purpose, though it was divided into a number of compartments separated by the stone walls of the foundation or by heavy boarding.  A few hundred old books from the library were about its only contents.  The only occupant of the chapel, except at morning prayers and on Sundays, was Sawed-Off.  The gymnasium on the ground floor was not lighted up after dark, and so the building was completely deserted every evening.

Some unusual scheme must be devised to enable twelve men to take care of twenty-four.  Fortunately it happened that half a dozen of the twenty-four took the six-o’clock train for their homes in neighboring towns, where they went to spend Saturday and Sunday with their parents.  This reduced the number to eighteen.  Friday evening a number of the Crows appeared at the “Slaughterhouse,” though there was to be a banquet at eight o’clock.  With true boyhood appetite, they felt, that a bun in the hand is worth two in the future; and besides, what self-respecting boy would refuse to take care of two meals where he had been in the habit of only one?  It would be flying in the face of Providence.

Now, Sawed-Off, who, as you know, was paying his way through the Academy, earned his board by waiting on the table.  He had an excellent chance, therefore, for tucking under the plates of all the Crows a note which read: 

  The Crows will meet at the Gymnasium after dark and go to
  Moore’s resteront in a body.

  N.B.  Keep this conphedential.

To half a dozen of the notes these words were added: 

  You are wanted at the Gymnasium at a 1/4 to 7 to serve on a cummitty. 
  Be there sharp.