voice; "Which one first, general?"

"Rube!" Benz shouted, sternly. "Here's where he shows the yellow
streak," he said to himself. "Before all these fellows, too! ...
Rube, you being the main offender, you must pay the penalty with your
life. Carry him up to the rail, men!"

The fellows obeyed, soberly.

"You're not goin' to throw me in with my feet tied, are you?" asked
Judd, calmly, without an effort to struggle. It was quite dark save
for the reflection cast by the moon.

"We sure are!" Benz winked at the crowd that stood just behind,
watching proceedings. "Any word you wish to leave for friends or
relatives? Any directions as to how you want your earthly goods
disposed of?"

"No, I reckon I'm ready to die now. The sooner the better," replied
Judd, undaunted.

Benz hesitated. His bluff was not having the desired effect. "Why
don't he beg for mercy?" Benz asked himself. "Isn't that guy afraid of
anything?"

Then Benz did a daring thing. Without stopping to think of the
consequences he seized Judd's shackled feet and lifted them over the
low rail. A dozen hands assisted in hoisting Judd's big body up and
over. Here was the critical moment. Would he beg now? If not, the
fellows must pull him back and acknowledge that he was real stuff.

"How about it, Rube?" asked Benz, watching Judd's face closely, as he
helped hold him, suspended, over the river. Not a muscle in Judd's
body so much as quivered.

"You might untie my legs,..." he said again, quietly. "I never tried
to swim that way."

Splash! It was done! Judd had dropped, how, no one knew, ... except
Benz. There were wild cries and shouts; fellows crossed on both sides
of the river to try and get trace of him. It was so dark no one saw
him reappear, if he did reappear; after he struck the water. Benz, his
teeth chattering with fright, ran back and forth upon the bridge not
knowing what to do.

"He's drowned!" shouted McCabe, "No man can swim with his feet tied in
that river! Benz, your practical joke worked this time!"

"The falls!" somebody shrieked. "They're just a little below that
bend. He'll go over them and into the mill pond sure!"

Fellows began running along the river bank below the bend.

"If we only had a lantern!" another cried, frantically.

Several commenced calling Judd's name in the hope that he might hear
and answer them.

"I can never go back to college after this!" Benz breathed,
hysterically. "He's dr