Dick chuckled over this to Harry and Arthur and Billy, and said:

"Jack is putting his best foot forward, as I hoped he would. He thinks that I will beat him, and so he is doing his best. That's just what I wanted, and I hope he will win the pennant."

"H'm! you talk as if this was a baseball series," laughed Billy.

"Well, you know what I mean anyhow," returned Dick.

The boys put in their poems and the blank sealed envelopes containing their names and the titles of their productions, the envelopes not to be opened till after the prizes were given.

The doctor had all the manuscripts in his study, and was to go over them with the professors, the majority to decide which was the best.

On the night when the various manuscripts were in the doctor's study in the little cottage he occupied in the camp, Billy Manners was a bit restless, not from his literary efforts, but from having eaten something which greatly disagreed with him.

He occupied a tent with young Smith, and at a late hour awoke for the third or fourth time, and suddenly heard some one say in a whisper:

"It's all right, I've got it!"

Billy thought the voice was Herring's, but was not certain in his sleepy condition, and with pains gripping his bowels.

"Can you fix it?" somebody asked, and Billy thought this might be either Holt or Merritt, not being sure which it was, for the same reason that made him uncertain of the other.

"Fix it?" the first speaker retorted with a low chuckle, "of course I can fix it, and fix his winning the prize, too."

"There's some mischief going on," thought the young joker. "I wonder what it is?"

The voices he had heard had come from the next tent, but whether it was the next on the right or the left he could not tell, not knowing whether he may have turned in his sleep or not, having a habit of finding himself in all sorts of queer positions when he awoke.

While he was thinking the matter over, and trying to locate the tent from which the voices proceeded he fell asleep, his pain having left him for a time.

He did not know how long it was when he was awakened again, as well by the pain as by hearing voices.

"That will do first rate," he heard some one say, and then he thought he detected a light in the tent next to his.

Young Smith was fast asleep, and oblivious of everything, "and Billy did not think it worth while to arouse him.

"They won't notice the difference?" asked either Merritt or Holt, Billy was not certain which.

"No, and now to put it back."

"Put what back, I wonder?" said Billy to himself, as he sat up.

"And give the doctor a surprise."

"Huh! he won't be the only one surprised!" growled some one, and Billy thought it was Herring this time.

"That fellow is up to some mischief," he muttered, "and I must find out what it is."

Then he jumped out of bed, put on his trousers and shoes, and crept softly outside.

CHAPTER XIV

BILLY'S NOCTURNAL ADVENTURE

It was dark in the camp, but Billy, as he stole out of the tent, could distinguish a dark form moving swiftly down the camp street, and followed without making any noise, taking care to keep as much as possible in the shadow.

Unless the person he was following should happen to look around, there was very little danger of his being seen, but he took all the precautions he could to avoid being detected.

"It is not a thief," he said to himself, "and it isn't any one who has designs on one of the boats. He left that tent, but who is he and what does he want?"

The silent figure, moving rapidly forward, presently left the line of tents, and made for the cottage occupied by the doctor.

"I wonder if it is the doctor walking in his sleep?" thought Billy.

"That would be a great joke, wouldn't it?"

He thought he saw a flash of light for a moment, but was not sure of this, and hurried on after the midnight prowler, having just time to see him enter the window of the doctor's cottage.

"Can it be the doctor after all?" he muttered.

"That would be funny after all. I wish I had brought my light with me. That's just like me, though, thinking of things when it is too late." He stepped under the front window of the cottage, through which he had seen the figure disappear and listened:

"I don't hear anything," he muttered. "I wonder if it could have been the doctor? Burglars would have no good excuse for coming to the camp. Who is it anyhow?"

Listening intently, he fancied he could hear some one moving about in the cottage, and then the steps approached the window.

He was about to step back, but was a little too late in that, as he had been in thinking of his pocket light.

In another moment some one dropped out of the window, and he was upset most unceremoniously.

The person, whoever it was, had landed on his head and shoulders, and he was thrown down in an instant.

"Hello! who is that?" he exclaimed, as he felt himself lying on the bare and rather damp ground.

Some one was struggling to his feet with a startled exclamation, and Billy snatched quickly at him, and caught a leg or an arm, he could not be certain which.

"I've got you now!" he cried, "and you've got to give an account of yourself, my man!"

The stranger, whoever he was, certainly did give an account of himself, but not in the manner which Billy meant.

There was a sudden shooting out of a brawny fist, and Billy was taken between the eyes, and for a moment saw stars.

"Ouch!" he ejaculated, letting go of the person he had seized,

Then somebody rolled him over with a quick move of the foot, and by the time the unfortunate joker arose his nocturnal combatant was out of sight, as well as hearing.