o bad. You come up to my room when we get back and I'll give you a
dose of medicine. I've got some dandy stuff! Nasty's no name for it, but
it'll do you good."

"Thanks," muttered Roy.

Meanwhile the others were discussing the yielding of the prizes of war.

"They'll probably be around in the morning for them," said one boy. "I
vote we all go down to the landing and receive them."

"Sure; we always do," said another.

"Much you know about it," said a third. "You weren't here two years ago,
and we didn't get them last year."

"Well, I guess I've heard about it, haven't I?" was the indignant
response.

"Easy at the oars, fellows," a voice in the bow cautioned. "We're almost
in."

"Where the deuce are we?" asked another voice.

"Here's the landing over here!" The information came from some distance
down stream and Roy and the other rower headed that way. Then their bow
bumped into one of the other boats, and presently, after several moments
of confused rowing and backing, they were alongside the float. Roy
dropped his oar and sprang out.

"Say, someone strike a light!" suggested a voice. "I'll see if I can
find the boat-house lantern."

An exclamation of pain and a crash told the rest that he had gone in
search of it; and at the same moment Roy's companion shoved the boat
they were in up on shore and rushed toward the platform, leaving Roy
alone with the boat, while the attention of the others was centered upon
the effort to get a light.

"I've got a match," called a boy, and Roy dove wildly into the darkness
just as a tiny point of light flared up. Where he was going he didn't
know; but luckily the branches of a tree whipped his face and he groped
his way into a damp thicket and subsided panting upon the ground. He had
gone some twenty yards. Back on the landing they were lighting the big
square lantern that hung on the front of the boat-house and the radiance
from it allowed Roy to watch what was going on. As nearly as he could
judge there had been fully a dozen boys in the party and now they were
securing their own boats and the Ferry Hill crafts along the edge of the
float.

"I think we ought to put them in the boat-house or somewhere," he heard
one of the crowd say. "Supposing they find out that we've swiped them
and come over here before we're up."

"Oh get out!" someone answered. "They won't know anything about it until
half-past six or seven. We'll be down here by that time."

"Where does this l