“That’s all right, J.W., it’s as well you did, for now I think we will get at the bottom of this affair,” said Percival in decided tones.

CHAPTER XVII

A PUZZLING MATTER SETTLED

At the same time that Jack Sheldon, Dick Percival and young Smith were on the river together, Billy Manners, Arthur Warren and Harry Dickson were going up the road leading to the Van der Donk house, although they had no idea of going there.

When they were well away from the camp and there were no other boys in sight, Billy stopped short suddenly, and said: 

“Funny thing about Herring’s recognizing that girl’s poem in Jack’s verses, wasn’t it?”

“Why, I saw those verses two weeks ago, and knew they were Jack’s,” replied Harry.

“Funny about my getting that black eye the other night, too, wasn’t it?” Billy went on.

“Yes, but what has that got to do with-----”

“I’ll tell you.  That night I woke up and heard some one say in the next tent to ours:  ‘it’s all right, I’ve got it,’ and somebody else asked, ‘can you fix `t?’ and the first fellow answered, ’fix it?  Of course I can fix it, and fix his winning the prize, too.’  That’s all I heard then.”

“In the next tent?” said Arthur.  “Who is in the next tent?”

“Herring and Merritt on one side and Seymour and Blaisdell on the other.  It was not them I heard.  It was Herring and Merritt.  I was not sure of it at the time, being half asleep, but from what has happened since-----”

“Hello!” exclaimed Arthur.  “This is getting interesting.  Go on to how you got the black eye, Billy.”

“Well, I knew that there was mischief of some sort going on, but I did not bear any more and fell asleep.  Later I woke up again and heard one of the fellows say, ‘That will do first rate,’ and the other one asked, ‘They, won’t notice the difference?’ and the first one, Herring I am sure, said:  ‘No, and now to put it back.’  Then they said something about the doctor being surprised, and I knew that there was some mischief on foot and I jumped out of bed and went out.”

“Well, and what then?” asked Arthur.

“I saw somebody hurrying along, and followed till I came to the doctor’s cottage when I stood just under the open window.  I could hear some one inside and finally came to the window.  I was too late, and the first thing I knew somebody jumped out and upset me.  I grabbed him by the leg, and he gave me a crack in the eye that made me see stars.  Then he got away, and I found myself in your tent at last instead of my own, and later I fell over the tent rope and got another bump.”

“And what do you make out the fellow was doing in the doctor’s cottage?” asked Harry.

“Putting back the manuscript he had fixed up.  He had written in the lines he thought were some one else’s, and then he put it back.  He must have just come from taking it away when I first heard him.”