and pieces of rope, and two large baskets whose contents were
concealed by a cloth.

"Come, boys," squeaked Captain Clark, a short, thickset fellow who
looked much older than the others and who spoke in a peculiar cracked
voice. "Come, let's begin by bracing them up."

"Bracing" was a process adopted for the purpose of making the patient
assume the position of a soldier, only very much exaggerated--a
position which after a few minutes becomes almost intolerable. Cleary
and Sam were promptly taken and tied back to back to an upright stake
which had escaped their observation. They were tied at the ankle, knee,
waist, under the arms, and at the chin and forehead. By tightening
these ropes as desired and placing pieces of wood in between, against
the back, the hazers made each victim stand with the chest pushed
preternaturally forward and the chin and abdomen drawn preternaturally
back. Cleary found this position irksome from the start, and soon
decidedly painful, but Sam was proof against it. In fact, he had been
practising just this position for eight or ten years, and it now came
to him naturally. Cleary soon showed marks of discomfort. It was a warm
night, and the sweat began to stand out on his forehead. As far as he
was concerned the hazing was already a success, but Sam evidently
needed something more.

"Here, give me the tabasco bottle," whispered Clark to Smith.

As the latter brought the article from one of the baskets, Sam said to
him in a low voice,

"Did General Gramp take it out of that same bottle?"

"Yes," said Smith; "strange to say, it's the very same one, and all
through his life afterward he took tabasco three times a day."

Sam rolled his eyes painfully to catch a glimpse of the historic
bottle. Clark took it and applied it to Sam's lips. It was red-hot
stuff, and the whole audience rose to watch its effect upon the victim
at the stake. Sam swallowed it as if it had been lemonade. In fact, he
was only aware of the honor that he was receiving. He had only enough
earthly consciousness left to notice that one of the cadets in the
crowd was photographing him with a kodak, and accordingly he did not
even wink.

"By Jove, he's lined with tin," ejaculated Saunders, whose deflected
nose gave him a sinister expression. "You ought to have had his
plumbing, Clark."

"Shut up and mind your own business," said Clark. "Come, let's give him
the tub. This won't do. That