rather long hair, and practically scared him out of his wits. He made wild passes at them with his hands, dancing around in the meanwhile, and in his bewilderment brought down a steel engraving covered with glass with a tremendous crash.
"Mr. Haskers must be going crazy!"
"Perhaps there is a burglar in his room!"
"Look out that you don't get shot!"
"I know what's the matter!" cried one fun-loving student. "He must have the hydrophobia. He said a dog tried to bite him a couple of days ago."
"Oh, if he has gone mad I don't want him to bite me!" shrieked one of the younger students.
"Better chain him up and pour water on him!"
"Mr. Haskers!" thundered the doctor, rattling the doorknob. "Mr. Haskers! What is the matter? Open the door."
But the noise was so fearful that no attention was paid to the request. Then came another crash, as the assistant teacher picked up a book, let it fly at the bats, and sent a big pane of glass in the window into a hundred pieces.
This was too much for Dr. Clay. Satisfied that something dreadful was going on, he put his shoulder to the door and burst it open. As he did this, something whizzed past his ear and made him dodge.
"Stop! Don't throw anything at me!" he called. "What in the world does this mean?"
"I don't know what it means!" roared Job Haskers, who was so bewildered he scarcely knew what he was saying. "Get out of here! Oh, my eye! That's the third time I've been hit!" And he made another sweep at his invisible enemy. Then, as Dr. Clay backed into the hallway, the teacher followed him and ran down the corridor like one gone crazy.
By this time somebody was bringing a lantern, and Andrew Dale had armed himself with a club. The doorway to Job Haskers's room had been left wide open and the sounds within had suddenly ceased. With caution Andrew Dale peered inside.
"I do not see anything out of the ordinary," he announced, looking around with caution.
"Maybe the bats have cleared out!" whispered Roger to Dave.
"I hope they have. See, the window is open from the top, and the bottom glass is broken out."
One after another, teachers and students crowded into the room. Phil spied the battered bird cage resting near the foot of the bed, and, in secret, passed it to Dave, who handed it to Sam. The latter was close to the window, and threw the object out as far as he could. In the meantime the excitement continued.
"I don't see anything."
"Better look for robbers!"
"Maybe somebody is in the closet."
The closet was searched, but nothing out of the ordinary was discovered. The students in the secret looked for bats, but every one of the creatures had taken its departure for parts unknown.
CHAPTER VII
A CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
"Mr. Haskers, I would like to have you explain this affair," said Dr. Clay, after the excitement had died down.
"Have you – have you got them?" faltered the assistant teacher, who was still much bewildered.
"Got what?"
"Why, – er – the – the things that were in my room."
"I can find nothing in your room, and neither can Mr. Dale."
"No – nothing? absolutely nothing, sir?"
"Not a thing out of the ordinary. Did you have a nightmare?" And the worthy master of the Hall looked sternly at his assistant.
"I – er – I don't think I did. I woke up suddenly, sir, and something flew by my head. Then something hit me in the face and got caught in my hair, and after that I – er – I was hit half a dozen times."
"Ahem! This is certainly extraordinary. You are sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I don't think I was, sir."
"Was your window open when you went to bed?"
"Yes, from the top."
"Perhaps a night bird flew in."
"There must have been half a dozen of them."
"Well, whatever it was, it is gone now. You had better go back to bed. You can push the chiffonier against the broken-out window if you wish, to keep out the cold air. Boys, I want you all to retire. We'll have the window and the broken lock mended in the morning."
The doctor turned and waved the students away, and one after another they departed for their dormitories. Then he followed Job Haskers into the latter's bedroom. The door was closed and what was said was not heard by the others.
"Well, that was certainly one on Job Haskers," chuckled Roger, as he followed Dave to bed.
"And I doubt if he ever learns what was the real trouble," answered Dave.
"By the way, I didn't see Gus Plum and Nat Poole," said Phil. "It is queer they didn't come out of their room."
"Maybe they weren't in the building!" cried Sam. "Mr. Dale was watching downstairs for somebody."
"I am not going to bother my head about it," announced the senator's son, as he began to get ready to jump into bed, having disrobed in part before playing the joke on the teacher. "The walk made me tired."
"I am tired, too, and sleepy," said Shadow.
"Ditto here," announced Dave.
All of the students had gone to their dormitories, and once more quiet settled over the Hall. The light that had been lit was extinguished, and one after another the boys hopped into bed and tucked the covers in around them.
"Great hambones! What's this!" came, an instant later, from Phil, and he began to wiggle from head to foot.
"Adam's tombstone, but this is fierce!" cried the senator's son and sat bolt upright.
"I should say it was!" declared Dave, as he also thrashed around. "I can't stand this. Who put something in my bed?"
"I didn't!" declared Buster.
"Nor I!" declared one after another of the occupants of the dormitory.
Once more the boys got up, and the light was again lit. It was soon discovered that a mass of burdock burs had been placed in the beds of Phil, Roger, and Dave. None of the other beds had been touched.
"This is an itchy joke and no mistake," said Dave, with a sickly grin.
"Puts me in mind of a story," began Shadow. "At a school – "
"No stories just now!" cried Dave. "I want to know who did this?"
"I saw some burdock burs yesterday," said Polly Vane. "Little Sammy Bilderman had them."
"Yes, and he gave them to Nat Poole," declared Chip Macklin. "I saw him do it."
"That explains it!" cried Dave.
"Explains
