The students conducted him to the middle of the bridge, and after halting him, told him to move forward very cautiously by shuffling his feet along on the boards. He did so, and presently was aware that his toes were projecting over the edge of the bridge; that meant that the draw was open. Just below him he could hear the gurgling of the water as it flowed past the piles. He stood there in silence for a few minutes, and then another party approached, bringing with them Rattleton, Diamond, Henderson and Hodge. The five neophytes were then together. A whispered consultation took place among the seniors. Apparently they were trying to prevent the neophytes from hearing them, but as a matter of fact the neophytes heard every word, which was exactly what the seniors intended. The discussion was as to whether the tide had risen far enough, whether the ropes were all right and would hold, and whether any of the neophytes were too nervous to risk the plunge. Of course the waiting neophytes understood it all. They realized that they would be ordered to jump into the water. It was not a pleasant thought. There was not one of the juniors who would not have relished a dive if he had had his eyes open and had been dressed for the occasion, but it is quite another thing to stand bound and blindfolded above a rushing current and leap out into the darkness. At last it was decided that Rattleton should go over first. The seniors talked in low tones and acted generally as if they were greatly excited by the seriousness of the occasion. Even Frank, who was perfectly cool through it all, wondered if everything was so arranged that no accident could occur, and he felt a little sorry for Rattleton, who was so excitable that the sudden shock of jumping and landing in the water might produce unpleasant results. With it all the seniors were very slow in their procedure and every minute of suspense made it harder for the waiting neophytes. At last Baker, in a low tone, reminded Rattleton of his promise to obey orders, and then told him to jump. Frank, of course, could not see a thing, but he heard a little grating sound as Rattleton's feet left the planks. An instant later there was a loud splash in the water. "Pull him in quick!" exclaimed the voice of Rowe, "we don't want him to catch cold. Hurry it up!" "There, he's coming to the surface!" said another voice. This remark was followed instantly by a loud coughing and sniffing. "Poor Harry's got his mouth full of water," thought Frank. "I'll look out for that when I go over." With a great bustling about and a lot of excited exclamations the seniors pulled Rattleton up and started him off as fast as he could go toward the college. CHAPTER XX. THE LAST STAGE. It was Diamond's turn next, and he went off the edge as promptly as Rattleton had. The same sort of action followed his jump, and Frank was surprised that Diamond appeared to have swallowed as much water as Harry had.