me two smaller reports and Dave saw a
fair-sized fire-cracker fly apart.

"Somebody put fire-crackers under the fire," he cried. "Big ones and
little ones." And then, seeing Ben in flames, he rushed to the
assistance of his chum.

It was no easy matter to put out the fire, and before Ben was out of
danger Dave got a blister on one hand. In the meantime Gus Plum had
leaped towards Roger.

"Roll over!" he cried, and tripped the senator's son up. Then he began
to beat the flames out with his hands and with the bag that had been
over his head. Roger had gotten some hot ashes in his face, and he
was confused and half blinded thereby.

The excitement lasted nearly five minutes, and when it was over the boys
stood there with their hoods and robes off, gazing at each other
nervously.

"Who did this?" demanded Phil.

"That was too much of a good thing," said Shadow. "Why, some of us might
have been burned to death."

"Kind of rough initiation," remarked Gus Plum, dryly. "But I didn't
catch it as much as Roger and Ben."

"That wasn't down on the programme," returned Dave. "At least, it wasn't
so far as I am concerned."

"I didn't know of it!" cried Buster Beggs.

"Nor I!" "Nor I!" came from one after another of the other members of
the Gee Eyes.

"Who started the fire?" asked Phil.

"I did," answered Sam Day. "I just got some wood together and lit it,
that's all."

"Was there anything on the ground?"

"Not a thing, so far as I noticed."

"Here is part of a big cannon cracker," said Dave, holding up the still
burning paper. "That was big enough to blow off a fellow's hand or
foot."

"Say, don't you remember those fellows we saw running away!" exclaimed
Roger.

"To be sure!" was the quick answer. "Nat Poole was one."

"Who was the other?"

"He looked like Link Merwell to me," said Buster Beggs.

"Then we've got an account to settle with Poole and Merwell," said
Roger. "Just look at how my hands and my neck are blistered!"

"And my hand," said Ben. "Oh, how it smarts! I'll have to put some oil
and flour on it."

"Let us declare Plum's initiation finished," said Phil. "Then we can
hunt up those fellows who played this dirty trick on us."

Phil's suggestion was at once adopted, and the club members scattered
through the woods, to look for those who had hidden themselves. In a
very few minutes Sam Day set up a shout:

"Here is one of them!"

"And here is the other!" called out Gus Plum and Ben, simul