taken over the river and dumped in the lumber yard. Here he had
spent the rest of the night and the early morning until found. He
had tried, repeatedly, to free himself, but had failed.

This was all the material on which Captain Vesey, and his superior,
Lieutenant-Colonel Strong, had upon which to work, save for Dodge's
admission that he had been warned, the day before, by Cadets Prescott,
Holmes and Anstey. These three were accordingly summoned to the
O.C.'s tent and asked to explain.

"Mr. Prescott," asked Captain Vesey, "why did you warn Mr.
Dodge? What information had you that such an outrage on a
sentry was being planned?"

"I knew only what Mr. Anstey had told me, sir," replied Dick at
once.

"Mr. Anstey," demanded Captain Vesey, turning to the Virginian,
"what information did you have, and how did you obtain it?"

Back of the O.C. sat the K.C. (commandant of cadets), his dark
eyes fixed upon the witnesses.

"All the information I had, sir, was what a young cit. with whom I
talked yesterday morning told me about pranks that had been
played in past years upon plebes who had the late tour of post
number three."

"Your statement is that you had a conversation with a citizen, and
that he told you of pranks that had been played in former years?"

"Yes, sir; that was the intent of my statement."

"The citizen with whom you talked did not give you any hint that a
trick might be played last night?"

"No, sir; only in the general way that the citizen's stories made me
half suspect that something might be tried last night."

"Because Mr. Dodge was a plebe?"

"Yes, sir.

"And also because the plebe was Mr. Dodge?" Anstey hesitated an
instant, then shot out promptly.

"Yes, sir."

"Why did you think that Mr. Dodge was extremely likely to be
singled out?"

Cadet Anstey flushed and again hesitated.

"You are not required to say anything distinctly to the discredit or
disadvantage of Mr. Dodge, but you are required, Mr. Anstey, to
give any information that will aid the authorities in running down
this outrage and its perpetrators. Again, sir, why did you imagine
that Mr. Dodge would be singled out?"

"I knew, sir, that a good many upper class men regarded Mr.
Dodge as being decidedly b.j.," the Virginian admitted reluctantly.

"Then you attribute this affair to Mr. Dodge's unpopularity with
some of the upper class men?"

"I wouldn't say, sir, that Mr. Dodge is unpopular, but I think, sir,
that some