And thus the captured sophomores were borne in triumph out to East Rock, and as they were the ones who engaged the hack, they paid for their own conveyance.

Never before had anything like it happened at Yale.  It was an event that was bound to go down in history as the most audacious and daring piece of work ever successfully carried through by freshmen in that college.

And Frank Merriwell was to receive the credit of being the originator of the scheme and the general who carried it out successfully.

CHAPTER VIII.

The “Roast” At East Rock.

A strange and remarkable scene was being enacted in the peaceable and civilized State of Connecticut—­a scene which must have startled an accidental observer and caused him to fancy for a moment the hand of time had turned back two centuries.

Near a bright fire that was burning on the ground squatted a band of hideously-painted fellows who seemed to be redskins, while close at hand, bound and helpless, were a number of palefaces, plainly the captives of the savages.

That a council of war was taking place seemed apparent.  And still the savages seemed waiting for something.

At length, out of the darkness advanced a tall, well-built warrior, the trailing plumes of whose war bonnet reached quite to the ground.  If anything, this fellow was more hideously painted than any of the others, and there was an air of distinction about him that proclaimed him a great chief.

“Ugh!” he grunted.  “I am here.”

The savages arose, and one of them said: 

“Fellow warriors, the mighty chief Fale-in-his-Hoce—­I mean Hole-in-his-Face—­has arrived.”

Then a wild yell of greeting went up to the twinkling stars, and every savage brandished a tomahawk, scalping knife, or some other kind of weapon.

“Brothers,” said Hole-in-his-Face, “I see that I am welcome in your midst, as any up-to-date country newspaper reporter would say.  You have received me with great eclat—­excuse my French; I was educated abroad—­in New Jersey.”

“Go back to Princeton!” cried one of the captives.

“Fellow warriors,” continued Hole-in-his-Face, without noticing the interruption, “I am heap much proud to be with you on this momentous occasion.”

“Yah! yah! yah!” yelled the savages.

“And now,” the chief went on, “if you will proceed to squat on your haunches I will orate a trifle.”

Once more the redskins sat down on the ground, and then the late arrival struck an attitude and began his oration: 

“Warriors of my people, why are we assembled together to-night?”

“Because we couldn’t assemble apart,” murmured a voice.