"Roddy Bitts, do you solemnly swear?"

"Well, all right," said the voice of Roddy, somewhat breathless.

"How many fingers you see before your eyes?"

"Can't see any," Roddy returned. "How could I, with this thing over my
eyes, and laying down on my stummick, anyway?"

"Then the time has come," Penrod announced in solemn tones. "The time
has come."

Whack!

Evidently a broad and flat implement was thereupon applied to Roddy.

"OW!" complained the candidate.

"No noise!" said Penrod sternly, and added: "Roddy Bitts must now say
the oath. Say exackly what I say, Roddy, and if you don't--well, you
better, because you'll see! Now, say 'I solemnly swear--'"

"I solemnly swear--" Roddy said.

"To keep the secrets--"

"To keep the secrets--" Roddy repeated.

"To keep the secrets in infadelaty and violate and sanctuary."

"What?" Roddy naturally inquired.

Whack!

"OW!" cried Roddy. "That's no fair!"

"You got to say just what _I_ say," Penrod was heard informing him.
"That's the rixual, and anyway, even if you do get it right, Verman's
got to hit you every now and then, because that's part of the rixual,
too. Now go on and say it. 'I solemnly swear to keep the secrets in
infadelaty and violate and sanctuary."'

"I solemnly swear--" Roddy began.

But Maurice Levy was tired of being no party to such fascinating
proceedings, and he began to hammer upon the door.

"Sam! Sam Williams!" he shouted. "Lemme in there! I know lots about
'nishiatin'. Lemme in!"

The door was flung open, revealing Roddy Bitts, blindfolded and bound,
lying face down upon the floor of the shack; but Maurice had only a
fugitive glimpse of this pathetic figure before he, too, was recumbent.
Four boys flung themselves indignantly upon him and bore him to earth.

"Hi!" he squealed. "What you doin'? Haven't you got any SENSE?"

And, from within the shack, Roddy added his own protest.

"Let me up, can't you?" he cried. "I got to see what's goin' on out
there, haven't I? I guess I'm not goin' to lay here all DAY! What you
think I'm made of?"

"You hush up!" Penrod commanded. "This is a nice biznuss!" he continued,
deeply aggrieved. "What kind of a 'nishiation do you expect this is,
anyhow?"

"Well, here's Maurice Levy gone and seen part of the secrets," said Sam,
in a voice of equal plaintiveness. "Yes; and I bet he was listenin' out
here, too!"

"Lemme up!" begged Maurice, half stifled. "I didn't do any harm to your
old secrets,