Talk about a _sauve qui peut_! the wonder is that any one survived the stampede which followed.

The youngsters turned and flew down the stairs at break-neck speed, and hardly had they started when the door of the "Main-top" was flung open, and its two occupants rushed down after them.

As though to ensure the retreat being nothing less than a regular rout, Mugford, who was leading, missed his footing on the last step, causing every one to fall over him in turn, until all five boys were sprawling together in a mixed heap upon the floor.
Freeing themselves with some little difficulty from the general entanglement, they rose to their feet, and after surveying each other for a moment in silence, gave vent to a simultaneous ejaculation of "_The ghost_!" "What were you fellows doing up there ?" asked Kennedy.
"Why, we came up to have a joke with you," answered Vance; "but just when we got up to the landing, it--it made that noise!" There was the sound of the key turning in the lock of Mr.Blake's door.
"_Cave_!" whispered Mugford.
"Tell him about it," added Vance; and giving Diggory a push, they all three darted into their room just as the master emerged from his, arrayed in dressing-gown and slippers.
"Now, then," exclaimed the latter, holding his candle above his head, and peering down the passage, "what's the meaning of this disturbance?
I thought the whole house was falling down .-- Come here, you two, and explain yourselves!" "Please, sir," answered Kennedy and Jacobs in one breath, "it's the ghost!" "The ghost! What ghost?
What d'you mean ?" The two "Main-top" men began a hasty account of the cause of their sudden fright, taking care, however, to make no mention of the three hostile visitors who had shared in the surprise.
Mr.Blake listened to their story in silence, then all at once he burst out laughing, and without a word turned on his heel and went quickly upstairs.

He entered the attic, and in about half a minute they heard him coming back.
"Ha, ha! I've got your ghost; I've been trying to lay him for some time past." The jingle of a chain was distinctly audible; Mr.Blake was evidently bringing the spectre down in his arms! Diggory and Vance could no longer restrain their curiosity; they hopped out of bed and glanced round the corner of the door.

The master held in his hand a rusty old gin, the iron jaws of which were tightly closed upon the body of an enormous rat.
"There's a monster for you!" he said; "I think it's the biggest I ever saw.