“Say, but this water’s cold!” came from Ned shiveringly.
“Silence!” was shouted, and with the word the lights flashed up and the boys found themselves in a tank, from which the water was rapidly running, as they could see by the lowering level. They looked about them. Standing up on the edge of the tank stood a figure in pure white, with head and body covered with a long cloak.
“Come up from the tank and put on these,” the figure said, indicating some dry underwear, towels and other robes on chairs at the edge of the tank.
The lights went out for an instant, and when they went up again there was no one in the room but the three chums, and the tank was almost empty. They were standing on the bottom of it. They saw some steps which led up out of the tank, and going up these they changed to dry garments.
Once more the lights went out, and when they glowed again there stood a figure in red.
“Ye are to be blindfolded, candidates,” came in deep tones, “and now for the test by blood. Ye have well withstood the test by water. That by fire is yet to come.”
Ned, Bob and Jerry allowed themselves to be blindfolded and were once more led forward. They could tell that lights were glowing in the room now, for faint gleams came under the blinding cloths. And there were subdued whisperings, denoting that there were many in the apartment.
“Hold out your right arms,” came the command. The boys obeyed. They could feel their sleeves being pulled up, and a moment later there was a sharp pain. They could feel that their skin had been pricked, though only enough to permit a drop of blood to flow.
“Silence!” came the command. “And for that _you_ must be punctured again.”
This time Bob grimly tightened his lips and said nothing.
The initiates suddenly felt a sensation as though a sharp knife had been drawn across their arms, and a voice said:
The three chums might have imagined that they really had been cut, but they knew something of initiations, and they realized that a piece of ice drawn over the skin may feel like a knife, while water dripping into a basin has the same sound as blood. So they were not at all alarmed.
“They are standing the blood-test well,” said a solemn voice. “And now for the test by fire.”