n explanation that doesn't explain
anything. It's a fool answer. How does the woodchuck, if he digs up
from the bottom of the hole, ever manage to get to the bottom of the
hole to make his start there?"

"Oh, well," answered Dan slowly, "that's your question, Mr. Barnes."

"My question?" retorted the lieutenant. "What do you mean?"

"If I understand aright," Dan went on, "you asked how the woodchuck
manages to get to the bottom of the hole before he begins to dig."

"That's right," nodded the lieutenant, stiffly.

"That's just the idea," Dan grinned. "I am calling upon you to answer
the question that you just asked. You must tell us how the woodchuck
manages to get to the bottom of the hole in order to start digging
upward."

It required perhaps two seconds for the joke to dawn on the other
officers at the long mess table. Then an explosion of laughter
sounded, and every eye was turned toward Lieutenant Barnes.

"That isn't fair!" roared the lieutenant, leaping to his feet. "That
was a trap! It wasn't a fair catch."

Barnes's face was very red. His voice quivered with indignation.

But Dan Dalzell was smiling coolly as he retorted:

"I'll leave it to the mess if Barnes hasn't asked a question that he
can't answer."

"You're caught, Barnes!" roared half a dozen voices, and more laughter
followed.

"You asked a question, Barnes, and you can't answer it," came from
others.

"That thirty-three dollars will come in handy," called another.

"Pay up like a man, Barnes."

"That's right. Pay up! You're caught."

The lieutenant's face grew redder, but he sat down and tried to
control his wrath.

"It doesn't seem like a fairly incurred penalty," declared Barnes, as
soon as he could make himself heard, "but of course I'll abide by the
decision of the mess."

"Then I move," suggested Wales, "that we leave the question to a
committee of three to decide whether Mr. Barnes has been properly
caught in the fine that he himself was the one to propose. For
committee I would suggest the executive officer, the paymaster and the
chaplain."

Informally that suggestion was quickly adopted. The three officers
named withdrew to a corner of the ward-room, where they conversed in
low tones, after which they returned to their seats.

"Gentlemen," announced the executive officer, "the committee has
discussed the problem submitted to it, and the members of the
committee are unanimously agreed that Mr. Barnes fairly and fully