anything about it."

The boys reached the bottom of the hill without further incident and
went on to the little railroad station, hearing the sound of the
expected train as they dismounted and stacked their wheels.

The colored coachman of the Academy, who bore the high-sounding name of
Bucephalus, but who was almost always called Buck by the boys and by the
people of the town at the foot of the hill, sat on his box as if carved
out of black marble and neither looked to the right nor the left,
considering it beneath his dignity to converse with any one in the
village while on duty and seeming to see no one.

"Did you meet a young fellow going up the hill as you were coming down,
Buck?" asked Harry, stepping alongside the big coach. "A new fellow, do
you think, Bucephalus?"

"Ah dunno, sah, Ah done paid no attention to anybody Ah met on de road,
sah. Ah done had 'nuff to do to look aftah mah hosses witho't
catechisin' or scrutinizin' strangers, sah."

The whistle of the train was heard again at that moment and in a short
time it arrived and many of the passengers alighted, among them being
two or three boys who were warmly welcomed by the two students.

"Hello, Dick, back again, eh? Glad of it. How are you, Billy, how do,
Tom? Ready for work, of course?"

"And incidentally, a bit of fun," replied one of the newcomers. "Hope we
will have a good crowd this term. Any new ones to put through their
paces and make toe the mark?"

The boys chatted and laughed at a lively rate while their trunks and
valises were being put on top and behind the coach and then all got
inside, Bucephalus objecting when Harry and Arthur put their wheels on
the rear rack and took their seats with the others.

"Yo' young ge'men am discommodin' de reg'lah passengers an' taking up
mo' room dan Ah speckerlated on," he muttered. "Whyn't yo' go back de
same way yo' come?"

"Walk and wheel our bikes?" cried Harry. "Not much. There's room for all
of us and I want to talk with Dick."

"That's all right, Buck," said Dick Percival, one of the newcomers, a
handsome boy of sixteen, strong, well built and sturdy, slyly passing
something to the coachman. "Come up on the box, Harry. I have a lot to
tell you. Come on, there's lots of room."

The two boys sat on the box alongside the coachman who set off up the
hill for the Academy and Dick at once began to tell of an adventure
which had happened to him during the vacation.

"I was taking a hike up in