CHAPTER XX
IN GREAT PERIL
As those who have had any experience know, a squall on a lake encircled by hills sometimes comes up very quickly, and this is what happened in the present case. Hardly had the two rowboats covered a quarter of the distance to the shore, when the wind came whistling across the bosom of the lake, sending the whitecaps tumbling in all directions.
"Oh, dear, just look how rough the water is getting!" remarked Ruth in alarm.
"And how the wind is blowing!" added May.
In the other boat the girls were even more fearful, and Andy and Randy had all they could do to make them sit still.
"Don't shift," pleaded Randy. "We don't want to ship any water."
"Oh, dear! If only we were safe on shore!" wailed Alice.
"I didn't think it looked like a storm when we left the school," added Annie, in dismay.
"This is only a squall. It may blow itself out in a few minutes," returned Randy, although to himself he admitted that the squall looked as though it might last for some time.
Battling as best they could against the wind and the whitecaps, the Rover boys strove to reach the shore in the vicinity of the girls' school. But the wind was blowing directly down Clearwater Lake and threatened more than once to capsize them.
"Gee, Jack, this is getting serious!" panted Fred, as he looked questioningly at his cousin.
The same thought had come into the minds of each of the boys. Could the girls swim? They wished they knew, but did not dare to ask any questions for fear of further alarming their passengers.
"I guess we had better head up into the wind. It's the safest thing to do," cried Jack. And then, raising his voice to be heard above the whistling of the elements, he added: "Head up! Don't take those waves sideways! Head up!"
The others understood, and in a minute more both of the boats were heading directly into the wind. This prevented either of the craft from swamping, but caused the spray to hit the bow more than once, sending a shower of water over everybody.
"Oh, dear! I'm getting wet!" wailed May.
"Do you think you can reach shore?" questioned Ruth of Jack; and her wide-open eyes showed her terror.
"We can't head for the school just now," he answered. "We'll have to keep pulling up against the wind until it lets up a little."
"Oh, but we sha'n't upset, shall we?" came from Spouter Powell's cousin.
"I don't think so. Anyway, we are going to do our best to prevent it," answered Fred.
Keeping as close together as they dared, the two rowboats continued to head up into the wind, which still blew as hard as ever. In the sky the clouds were shifting, and Jack and his cousins had great hopes that ere long the sudden squall would blow itself out.
"Here comes a motor boat up behind us!" cried Ruth, presently.
All looked in that direction and saw a fair-sized craft coming up the lake. She was making good speed in spite of the whitecaps, and was sending the spray flying in all directions.
"I think that is the boat Jennie Mason was going out in," remarked Annie to Randy. "Yes; I am sure it is," she added a minute later, as the motor boat came closer. "There is Mr. Martell at the wheel now."
The discovery that Nappy Martell was running the oncoming motor boat had also been made by those occupying the other rowboat.
"It's Martell! And there is Slugger Brown with him!" cried Fred.
"Isn't one of those girls Miss Mason?" questioned Jack.
"Yes. And Ida Brierley, one of our girls, is with her," answered Ruth. Her manner indicated that the discovery did not altogether please her.
"Maybe we can get that motor boat to pull us in," suggested May. "They could do it easily enough."
"So they could," answered Fred. "But I doubt if those two fellows who are running it would like to undertake the job. They go to Colby Hall, but they are no friends of ours."
"Yes, but they ought not to let their enmity stand between us in a time like this," said Jack. "If they were in the rowboats and I was in the motor boat, I'd give them help quick enough."
As the motor boat drew nearer, it prepared to pass close to the craft manned by Jack and Fred. As it came closer, Jennie Mason gave a cry of surprise.
"Oh, look! look! There are those Rover boys, and some of our girls are with them!"
"I'm glad I am not out in a rowboat," said Ida Brierley. "I'd be afraid of getting a good ducking."
"Ahoy there, on the motor boat!" sang out Fred, as the craft came alongside. "Can't you fellows give us a tow? We have plenty of rope."
"This motor boat wasn't built for towing," answered Nappy Martell, roughly.
"We're having a terrible time of it against this wind," put in Jack. He would not have asked for assistance on his own account, but he was thinking of the girls. He knew that all of them were badly frightened.
"Oh, yes! please tow us in!" came from May.
"Yes! please do!" added Ruth.
"It's so far to the shore!" came from Annie.
"And we're afraid we'll get wet through and through!" cried Alice.
"You ought to do something for them," declared Jennie Mason, who had herself become frightened over the roughness of the lake.
"I'm not going to tow those Rovers in," muttered Nappy Martell. "You wouldn't do it, would you, Slugger?"
"Not much! Let 'em take care of themselves," was the heartless answer.
"Oh! but they may be drowned!" gasped Jennie.
"Nothing of the sort. This is only a little wind, and it will soon die down. If those Rovers have to break their backs rowing, it will do 'em good!"
"If you don't tow us in, you'll be the meanest fellow on earth," sang out Andy.
"I wouldn't have your disposition for a million dollars," added his twin.
"Aw! go chase yourselves!" retorted Slugger Brown, heartlessly.
"We're not helping fellows like you," came from Nappy Martell. Then the motor boat passed on and was soon all but lost in the distance.
"Of all the mean people!" cried Ruth.
"I shouldn't think Jennie Mason would stand for such meanness," declared May. "Nor Ida Brierley, either."
The motor boat having gone on and left them to their fate, the Rover boys continued pulling on the oars. It was hard, laborious work, and soon Andy and Fred were all but exhausted. Jack and Randy, however, had now gotten their second wind, so to speak, and they continued their efforts with unabated vigor.
"It was as mean as dirt for them to leave us out here when they could have towed us in with ease," panted Fred. "Just you wait—I'll let the whole school know of this!"
"Don't talk! Save your wind. We can talk afterwards," returned his cousin.
The next quarter of an hour was one which none of the girls or boys ever forgot. The Rovers continued to battle with the wind and the waves with all the energy left to them, while the girls crouched down on the seats almost speechless with fear. Occasionally, the waves would hit the bow of one rowboat or the other, sending a shower of water over the occupants.
"I—think—it's—letting up—a—bit," panted Jack, presently, and glanced up at the sky.
"Oh, if only it would!" breathed Ruth.
The boat containing the others had dropped slightly behind, but now Jack and Fred held back until it was once more alongside.
"Oh, did you ever see such a storm!" wailed Alice.
"I don't think I'll ever want to go out in a rowboat again," was Annie's bitter comment.
"I think the wind is beginning to die down," said Ruth, encouragingly.
"Let—us—hope—so," came in jerks from Jack. He was still rowing, but his arms felt as if they were being torn from their sockets.
They had now covered nearly half the distance to the upper end of the lake, but they were just as far from the western shore as ever. Now, however, as the wind began to die down, they turned slightly in the direction of Haven Point.
"It won't matter where we land," declared Ruth. "We can easily walk back to the school."
The sun was still under a cloud, but now the wind went down more than ever. The surface of the lake, however, was still much troubled, and the boys had all they could do to make any progress towards the shore.
"Oh, you must be very tired!" said Ruth to Jack.
"Never—mind—we'll—reach—shore—somehow," he answered. Then she said no more, because she knew it was painful for him to speak.
The four boys continued to row on, and in about a quarter of an hour came within plain view of the shore, at a point some distance beyond Clearwater Hall and the town.
"Oh, look! Something is the matter down by the lumber yards," remarked Alice, presently. "See the men running!" She pointed, and those in both rowboats looked in that direction.
"I don't see anything wrong," said Ruth.
"I do!" cried May, and gave a little shriek. "Look! look! A whole lot of lumber is drifting this way!"
"Some—thing—broken—lose," gasped Jack. "Maybe—a—lumber—raft."
And that was just what had happened. In a manner to be explained later, a lumber raft being towed up the lake by a steam tug had not only broken away, but likewise had broken apart, and the timbers which had composed it were now floating around over a large area of Clearwater Lake.
In another minute the two rowboats were in the very midst of the drifting timbers and in great danger of being upset.
CHAPTER XXI
ASSISTANCE REFUSED
"My gracious! look at the lumber floating around!"
"Be careful, boys! Don't get hit if you can help it!"
"One of those timbers is heavy enough to send us to the bottom!"
"Oh, dear! Do you think we'll be smashed up?"
Such were some of the cries which rent the air as the Rover boys and the girls with them found themselves in the midst of the wreckage from the broken-apart lumber raft.
On all sides of them heavy sticks of timber were bobbing up and down on the whitecaps, and presently one of these bumped into the craft occupied by Jack and Fred and two of the girls. The rowboat careened so much that quite a large quantity of water was shipped, which made Ruth and May scream in fright.
"Stand up in the bow, Fred, and see if you—can—ward—them—off!" gasped Jack as well as his semi-exhausted condition would permit. "I'll stick to—the—oars."
He knew he must keep the rowboat headed up into the wind, for the squall had not yet subsided sufficiently to allow of their taking it sidewise.
A moment later came a cry from the other rowboat as the craft slipped up and over several large sticks of timber.
The craft slipped up and over several large sticks of timber.
The craft slipped up and over several large sticks of timber.Page207
"Gosh! that was a narrow escape!" was Andy's comment, as the craft finally righted itself.
"Oh, dear! if only we were on shore once more!" wailed Annie, for at least the tenth time.
"I never dreamed that we would have such a dreadful experience as this!" came from Alice.
Randy said nothing, but continued to row, while Andy did the same as Fred was doing, both trying their best to ward off the heavy sticks which came floating towards them every minute or two.
Not far away was a steam tug, and presently two other boats came from the shore, both bent upon saving all that was possible of the broken-apart lumber raft.
"We'll pick you up if you have much trouble," cried the captain of the steam tug, as he ran a course between the two rowboats. "But don't ask us to do it unless it's necessary, for we want to round up this floating lumber before it gets away from us, if it can be done."
"Thank you!" gasped out Jack, in return. "Maybe we can—make—the—shore. The wind seems—to—be—going—down."
"Sure, we'll make it!" put in Randy. The fright of the girls in his boat had somewhat nettled him and he was resolved to land them safely without assistance.
But it was a time of peril as well as exhausting effort; and all of the Rovers were glad enough when the last of the drifting lumber was passed and they came within hailing distance of the shore. The wind had now gone down considerably, and most of this was to be felt farther out on the lake.
"Let us take them right down to the school dock," sang out Randy. "We can turn down the lake, and the wind will be just strong enough to help us;" and so it was arranged.
When the two rowboats came within sight of the school dock, those on board found fully a dozen of the scholars there, along with two of the teachers.
"Are you safe?" cried one of the teachers, as soon as the boats came within hailing distance.
"Yes, Miss Glover. We are all right," answered Ruth.
"Only we are rather wet," added May.
"And I'm awfully glad to get back," broke in Annie, who was fairly shivering over her trying experience.
"Well, anyway, I think you cadets did perfectly splendid," remarked Alice.
"Indeed they did!" broke out Ruth, quickly. "I don't believe anyone could have managed these boats better;" and she bestowed a glance of admiration first on Jack and then on his cousins.
"It was a terrible blow, and it came up so quickly that we all grew alarmed for your safety," said Miss Glover.
"And then to think that you must get mixed up with that drifting lumber!" put in the other teacher. "The squall was bad enough without having anything like that happen."
"It's too bad the lumbermen had their big raft go apart like that," was Jack's comment. "I guess those big sticks of timber are worth a good deal of money."
"They couldn't have had the raft chained together very tightly," said Miss Glover, who had come from a lumbering community where rafting was frequent. "I never heard of a raft going to pieces like that."
"Well, I don't know much about lumber rafts," answered Jack.
"Say, can't we leave our two rowboats here and ride back to the Hall?" questioned Randy. "I don't want to do any more rowing if I can help it."
"Of course you can leave your boats here," answered Miss Glover, and she showed where the craft might be stowed away in the boathouse. All of the Rovers were glad enough to give up further work at the oars.
"I am awfully sorry our little outing turned out as it did," remarked Jack to Ruth.
"And it was too bad to frighten you so," added Randy, to all of the girls.
"Oh, it wasn't your fault that the squall came up," answered Ruth. "And, besides that, now it is over I think I rather enjoyed the adventure—that is. I'll enjoy telling about it," she corrected.
"Some day I hope we'll be able to spend a nicer time together," said Jack.
"Perhaps," murmured Ruth, and blushed.
Before the Rovers left for Colby Hall, they asked if Jennie Mason and Ida Brierley had returned.
"They have not come back yet," answered one of the teachers. "We saw them going up the lake against the wind. We were a little bit worried, but I presume the motor boat can take care of itself in quite a blow."
"All they've got to do is to turn on the gasolene, while in a rowboat sometimes a fellow's muscles give out," was Andy's comment, and this caused a smile.
After bidding the girls and the others good-bye, the four Rovers walked towards the town. There they were fortunate enough to find the Hall auto-stage, and were soon at the school once more.
"Gee! but my arms ache!" was Fred's remark on the way. "The muscles hurt so I can hardly keep still."
"You'd better bathe them well with witch hazel or alcohol," returned Jack. "My muscles feel sore, too."
"It took the wind right out of me," came from Andy. "Funny, too—with so much wind all around," he added merrily.
"I can't help but think of how Martell and Brown treated us," said Randy, seriously. "It was as mean as dirt!"
"I believe they would have left us there to drown!" added Fred.
"Oh, I wouldn't like to think that of them," broke in Jack. "Just the same, it was a very dirty thing to do. Not on our account so much as on account of the girls."
When the boys got back, the first person they met was Spouter, who wanted to know how his cousin May had enjoyed the outing. He listened in some alarm to the story the Rovers had to relate.
"It was a narrow shave all right," was the comment. And then his face took on a stern look. "And to think Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown treated you that way! Those fellows ought to be run out of this school!"
The squall on the lake had been noticed by some of the other cadets who had been out on the river; and the news soon spread of the danger into which the Rovers and their companions had run. Gif, Ned, Walt, and several others wanted to know the particulars of the affair, and all were loud in their denunciation of the cadets who had been running the motor boat.
"Spouter is right!" declared Gif. "Those fellows ought to be run out of Colby Hall!"
"After this I want nothing more to do with them!" added Ned.
"I wonder what they would say if some of you had been drowned," remarked Walt.
"Makes me want to pitch into 'em," came from Fatty, who was present. "But then, in one way, it's a pity to dirty one's hands on such cattle as that."
Of course, the Rover boys had come in late for supper. Professor Lemm had started to find fault with Andy and Fred for this, but he was quickly stopped by Colonel Colby, who had come up to learn the particulars of what had occurred.
"I heard you were out in that big blow," remarked the colonel. "I trust none of you suffered from it."
"Well, we had rather a narrow escape," answered Fred. Then he and Andy gave a brief outline of what had happened, not forgetting to mention how Martell and Brown had left them to their fate.
"Too bad! too bad!" murmured the colonel, shaking his head slightly. "I did not think that any of our cadets would do such a thing;" and then he walked away in a very thoughtful mood.
"I wonder what he'll say to Brown and Martell," mused Fred, as, after being dismissed by Professor Lemm, they hurried to the mess hall. As they were late, they had missed the parade.
"Maybe he'll give 'em a piece of his mind. I hope he does," answered his cousin.
Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown did not appear until supper was almost over. Both had a gloomy look, as if something had gone decidedly wrong. They glared sourly at the Rover boys and their chums, and then sat down to their meal without saying a word to anybody.
"I'll wager something slipped a cog with them," whispered Fred to Jack.
"I've got an idea," returned the oldest of the Rover boys. "Maybe Jennie Mason and that other girl who were out in the motor boat gave them a piece of their mind for not aiding us."
"Oh, I hope they did, Jack!"
"It wouldn't be anything to wonder at. That Jennie Mason seemed to be a nice girl, and I don't think she would stand for any such meanness."
Jack's surmise concerning what had happened to Nappy and Slugger was correct. The two girls had pleaded with the two cadets to go back and give those in the rowboats aid. And after much argument, in which Nappy and Slugger had proved that they were anything but young gentlemen, the girls had politely asked to be taken ashore. This had brought on something of a quarrel, and in the end the two cadets had taken the girls to a dock near the lumber yards and quite a distance from Clearwater Hall.
"Now you can have the fun of walking to the school," had been Nappy Martell's final words.
"And I don't think you'll go out with us again in a hurry," Slugger Brown had added.
"I'll never go out with you again," Ida Brierley had answered.
"And I'd much prefer to walk to the school alone than to ride any further with you in the motor boat," Jennie Mason had added; and thus the four had parted, the two girls resolving in their hearts never to have anything more to do with Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown.
CHAPTER XXII
THE MEETING WITH HIXLEY HIGH
Football talk now filled the air at Colby Hall, and for the time being most of the cadets forgot about how the Rovers had been treated on the lake by Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown.
Nappy was particularly angry, because of the way he had been treated by Jennie Mason, on whom he had been sweet ever since they had become acquainted. Slugger, too, was hurt over what the girls had said about his meanness. But he was far more put out over the fact that he could act only as a substitute on the regular eleven, and that Gif Garrison had finally concluded to put Jack in his place. Fred had not won out for the first eleven, but Gif had told him he stood so high on the scrub that he might possibly make the team before the season came to an end.
"It's all those Rovers' fault," growled Slugger Brown to Martell.
"Of course it is!" was the unreasonable reply. "I'll tell you, Slug, we ought to do something to get square with those chaps."
"If I break loose and do that, it'll be something they'll remember as long as they live!" declared Slugger Brown, vehemently.
Nappy Martell looked at his crony knowingly, and then glanced around to see if anybody was listening.
"Let's do it right now, Slug," he said in a low voice. "I don't care what it is, so long as we can get the best of those Rovers."
"We'll think it over, Nap. This isn't to be any one-cent, every-day affair, you know."
"Right you are! I'm game for anything—just remember that!" added the other cadet.
As Gif Garrison had said, there were three football games scheduled for Colby Hall that Fall. The first of these was to be with Hixley High School, located in a town at the other end of the lake. Then would follow a game of more importance with the Clearwater Country Club, at their beautiful grounds on the outskirts of Haven Point. And then the last and most important game of all—that with Columbus Academy, located about ten miles away. Whether the last named game would be played at Colby Hall or at the Columbus Academy grounds, was still a question.
In a few days Jack recovered completely from the spiking he had received from Slugger Brown, and then he went at his football practice with greater vigor than ever. He took Slugger's place on the regular eleven, as already mentioned, and in his first game they beat the scrub team by a score of 32 to 12.
"Now, that's better!" declared Gif. "You didn't let the scrub walk all over you."
Fred had been on the scrub team, and, although that eleven had been defeated, he was in a rather happy frame of mind, for the reason that out of the twelve points scored he had been directly responsible for six points.
"I think Fred is going some," remarked Jack to Gif, later on when he had a chance to speak to the football captain privately.
"You're right, Jack," was the answer. "And I've got my eye on him."
The game with Hixley High was not a very important one, yet it was made the occasion for quite a gala day by not only the boys of both schools but likewise the girls attending the high school and also the young ladies of Clearwater Hall. The Rover boys and some of their chums invited Ruth and her several friends, including Jennie Mason and Ida Brierley, to be present, and this invitation was gladly accepted.
"I don't wonder that Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell look so glum occasionally," remarked Spouter to Jack the day after the invitations had been given and accepted. "I just had a talk with my cousin May, and she says Jennie Mason and Ida Brierley are through with those two cadets. They told Nappy and Slugger they thought they were nothing but cowards for the way they treated you Rovers on the lake."
"Well, I'm glad they've given up going with that pair," announced Jack.
The last game with Hixley High had been played on the grounds of that institution, so that the game this year was to take place at Colby Hall.
"You fellows will have the honor of bringing the girls over from Clearwater Hall," remarked Jack to his cousins and his chums. "I'll have to stay here and do a bit of practising."
The auto-stage and a number of automobiles and carriages had been requisitioned, and also a number of motor boats on the lake, and in these the young folks from Hixley High School and from Clearwater Hall journeyed to Colby Hall.
Jack was on the lookout for Ruth and the others, and lost no time in greeting the girl as soon as she appeared.
"I'm so glad that you're on hand to encourage us to win," said he, as he took Ruth's hand.
"Thank you. But how are you sure I am here to encourage you?" she questioned mischievously. "Maybe I'm going to root for Hixley High."
"You dare!" he returned earnestly, and then they both laughed and hurried towards the grandstand, where seats had been reserved for the entire party.
"Whoop her up for Hixley High!" was the cry. And then those in favor of the high school took up the slogan:
"Do or die!Hixley High! Hixley High!"
"Do or die!Hixley High! Hixley High!"
"Do or die!
Hixley High! Hixley High!"
"They mean to win if yelling will do it," was May Powell's comment.
"Oh, I guess the cadets of Colby Hall can yell, too," responded Fred. And he was right, for a moment later there boomed out this refrain:
"Who are we?Can't you see?Colby Hall!Dum! Dum! Dum, dum, dum!Here we come with fife and drum!Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"
"Who are we?Can't you see?Colby Hall!Dum! Dum! Dum, dum, dum!Here we come with fife and drum!Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"
"Who are we?
Can't you see?
Colby Hall!
Dum! Dum! Dum, dum, dum!
Here we come with fife and drum!
Colby! Colby! Colby Hall!"
And this the cadets repeated over and over again until they were hoarse.
"Well, I've got to go now," said Jack, reluctantly, as word came for the team to gather in the dressing room for final instructions.
"Good-bye then," said Ruth, sweetly. And then, looking Jack full in the eyes, she added earnestly: "Oh, I do hope you'll win!"
They were simple words, but the way in which they were spoken, and the look that accompanied them, thrilled the youth to the heart, and he went down to the dressing room on feet that seemed to be walking on air.
"Now then, boys, I expect every one of you to do his level best," said Gif. "Hixley High has been bragging everywhere that it has a superior team this year and is going to walk all over us. I want you to play with vigor from the very start;" and then followed a number of directions concerning plays and signals, to all of which his eleven listened earnestly.
When the Colby Hall team came forth, they were given a loud round of applause, and this was repeated when Hixley High showed itself. The high school boys were nearly all seniors, and a glance sufficed to show that, player for player, they were quite a few pounds heavier than the cadets.
"If our eleven wins this game they will be going some," was Fatty's whispered comment to a fellow cadet.
"You're right there," was the answer. "Those chaps certainly look pretty husky."
It is not my intention here to give the particulars of this game with Hixley High, interesting as it proved to be. It was not the big game of the season—that was to come later. During the first quarter, the playing on both sides was rather rough and ragged, each school doing its best to wear its opponent out at the very start. In these onslaughts the weight carried by Hixley High told, so that when the whistle blew the score was 6 to 3.
"Hurrah! Hurrah!" came from the supporters of the high school. And again and again they boomed out with their slogan.
"This game isn't over yet!" cried one of the followers of Colby Hall.
"We haven't begun to play yet! Just watch us in the second half!" added another cadet.
"Oh, dear! I thought Colby Hall would score, sure!" pouted Ruth.
"Those Hixley High boys are awfully big fellows," answered May.
The second quarter opened with a good deal of cheering for each side. The playing now became more settled, and the ball went back and forth from the 20-yard line on one side to the 30-yard line on the other. Then came a mix-up, in the midst of which Jack managed to get the ball and start with it for the goal.
"Rover has it!"
"Run, Jack, run! Leg it for all you're worth!"
And Jack did run, making the best of his opportunity. Three of the Hixley High players did their utmost to down him, but when the third laid him low, he was directly over the chalk mark.
"A touchdown!" was the cry from the Colby Hall cadets. And then they gave vent to their feelings by tooting their horns and sounding their rattles.
The touchdown was followed by a skilful kick for goal, and with this in their favor, Colby Hall went at the game with renewed vigor, so that when the whistle blew for the ending of the second half the score stood 13 to 6 in favor of Colby Hall.
"That's the way to do it!"
"Keep it up, boys!"
"Oh, wasn't that a splendid run by Jack?" cried Ruth, enthusiastically.
"It certainly was!" answered one of the other girls.
With the score piling up against them, Hixley High grew fairly frantic in the third quarter. As a consequence, their play became rougher than ever, and twice they had to be called to order, and once they were penalized. But their vigor told, and in spite of all Colby Hall could do to hold them back, they gained constantly, and when the end of the third quarter was reached the score was a tie.
"Thirteen to thirteen! What do you think of that?"
"Some playing, eh?"
Each side cheered its own, but many were the anxious faces when the two elevens lined up for the final quarter.
"Now then, boys, dig into them!" cried Mr. Crews, earnestly. "Show them what Colby Hall can do!"
"Watch 'em—watch 'em closely!" cautioned Gif. "They may try to pull off some new stunt at the last minute."
Once more the two teams went at it "hammer and tongs." It was certainly a battle royal, and on more than one occasion it looked as if some of the players might be seriously injured. As it was, Hixley High had to put in one substitute, and Colby Hall took on two. But the fighting blood of the cadets was now up, and with a great rush they carried the ball over the Hixley High line. They failed, however, to kick the goal, much to the regret of their followers.
"Never mind, boys," said Gif, encouragingly. "Hold 'em now! That is all I ask of you—hold 'em!"
And hold them Colby did, although the high school lads fought like demons to carry the ball across the cadets' territory. Back and forth went the play, the crowd meanwhile yelling itself hoarse. The ball was on the Colby Hall 15-yard line when the whistle blew and the game was over.
"Colby Hall wins!"
"Hurrah! Hurrah!"
Then the horns and rattles sounded out louder than ever, and in a twinkling the football field was alive with visitors, and the triumphant eleven was surrounded.
CHAPTER XXIII
TARGET PRACTICE
Colby Hall prepared for a great celebration that night in honor of their victory over Hixley High. Boxes and barrels had been stored away in anticipation of just such an occasion, and these were brought out and stacked up at a safe place along the river front.
"Bonfires to-night—and big ones, too!" cried Andy, and let off his surplusage of spirits by turning several handsprings.
"Look out, Andy!" cried Fred, "or some circus will capture you."
"Sour grapes!" retorted the fun-loving youth.
"Oh, it was grand—the way you held Hixley High back in that last quarter!" remarked Ruth to Jack. "I was so afraid they would break through and score, I could hardly wait for the whistle to blow."
"It was certainly some game!" answered Jack. "You see, they are so much heavier than we are."
The victorious eleven came in for all sorts of congratulations, and Jack was slapped on the back until the wind was almost knocked out of him. As soon as he could escape from his friends, he and the others took the girls down to a waiting automobile and set off for Clearwater Hall. On the way the young folks sang and cut up to their hearts' content, having the best possible time.
The only cadet at Colby Hall who was not elated over the victory was Slugger Brown. Even though two substitutes had been used in the game, and even though the big fellow had repented of his former decision, and agreed to play if called upon, Gif had ignored him and used a player at least ten pounds lighter in weight.
"He doesn't intend to give me a show—and that's all there is to it," remarked Slugger to Nappy Martell, bitterly.
"Well, you told him you wouldn't play unless you could go out at the start of the game," answered his crony.
"I told him that first, but afterwards I agreed to go in as a sub," growled Brown. "But I can see how it is—those Rovers have told Garrison how we acted on the lake, and so Garrison has made up his mind to ignore me entirely, even though I've got the weight and can play as good as any of them."
"Oh, I don't doubt but what it's the Rovers' fault!" retorted Martell. "And that puts me in mind—are we going to do anything to get square or not?"
"Don't worry about that, Nap—we'll do something all right enough! But I want the chance first to think up something that will be worth while," answered Slugger Brown, emphatically.
The bonfires along the river were lit directly after supper, after the cadets had received permission from Colonel Colby. The boys were allowed to do about as they pleased, the only stipulation being that they should avoid anything that might be dangerous or ungentlemanly.
With the bonfires blazing high, throwing a lurid glare over the campus and parade grounds, the cadets sang and danced and then started an impromptu parade which took them around the various buildings of the school. Many carried torches, while four had drums and bugles. There was a good deal of horseplay, and also something in the way of hazing.
"Here is where we get back at Codfish for some of his meanness!" cried Randy, as he and some of the others caught the sneak.
Then Codfish was made to stand up on an unusually large barrel and sing, after which he was told to hold out each hand for a valuable present.
"I don't want any present! I want to get down!" cried the sneak.
"Oh, this is something very valuable, Codfish," returned Randy, and winked at some of the others.
Just for the fun of it, some of the cadets had obtained some potatoes from the storehouse and started to roast these under one of the bonfires. Two of the potatoes, quite hot and black, were brought forth and thrust into Codfish's hands.
"Ouch! What do you mean by handing me red-hot potatoes!" yelled the sneak, in alarm.
"Oh, we thought you were hungry," cried one of the other cadets.
"You wanted to burn me—that's what you wanted to do!" shrieked Codfish, who, however, was far more scared than hurt. "I want to get down!"
"You've got to give us a dance first, Codfish," ordered Randy.
"That's right! Give us a jig!" put in Andy.
"Make it a Boston seven-step," suggested Jack.
"Or a Washington dip," added Fred.
A dozen of the cadets were shouting at poor Codfish to dance, and presently the excited boy commenced to shuffle his feet.
"Now jump up three times and we'll let you go!" cried Randy.
Codfish made one leap into the air and came down on the barrel top successfully. Then he tried a second leap, but, as Randy well knew, the barrel top was weak, and, with a crash, poor Codfish went down straight into the big barrel up to his armpits.
"Whoop! Codfish has busted the barrel!" cried Fred.
"What do you mean by breaking up housekeeping like that, Codfish?" demanded Andy.
"Let's do the baker act for him," went on Randy, quickly.
"The baker act?" queried several of the cadets. "What's that?"
"Don't you know the baker loves his rolls?" answered Andy, with a broad grin.
"That's the talk!" came in a shout. "Let's give Codfish a roll;" and before the sneak could save himself the barrel was tipped up on its side and sent rolling over and over towards the parade ground.
"Ouch! Let up! I'll be killed!" screamed the victim. "This barrel may have a lot of nails in it!"
"Oh, do you think that's true?" asked one of the cadets in fright.
"Nary a nail! I saw to that before we used the barrel," answered Randy. "Such a rolling won't hurt him a bit;" and the cadets continued their sport with the barrel, finally sending it down a slight hill in the direction of the river. Here it lodged against some bushes, and Codfish was allowed to crawl forth. At once he took to his heels and disappeared.
It was noticed by many that Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had not participated in the festivities of the evening. The two had gone off for a walk, during which they smoked many cigarettes and talked over their grievances against the Rovers. On their return they were met by Codfish, who related to them his tale of woe.
"Oh, we've got to do something," was Nappy Martell's comment. "If we don't, before we know it the Rovers will be fairly running this school."
"Well, they won't run me," growled Slugger Brown.
The following Monday found the Rover boys once more hard at work over their studies. They had now settled down to the regular routine of the Hall, and were doing very well, not only in their classes, but also in their training as young soldiers. Each of them could march and handle a gun as well as anybody, and now they were given the privilege of practising at target shooting—something which interested them greatly.
"Let's get up a little match among ourselves," said Randy one day; and this was agreed upon, eight new cadets entering the contest.
The shooting was done at a target set up against a tree some distance behind the gymnasium building; and the boys did their practising under the direction of Captain Dale.
"It requires considerable practice to become an expert shot," said the military instructor. "Once in a while we find someone who is a natural-born sharpshooter, but that is very rare. Some of the best shots in the army are men who, at the start, hardly knew how to handle firearms."
At this target practice a perfect score would have netted twenty-five points. The contest went on merrily, and at the conclusion it was found that Andy had scored ten points; Randy, twelve; Jack, eighteen; and Fred, nineteen. One other cadet, a youth named Lewis Barrow, had scored twenty.
"Well, the prize goes to Barrow!" cried Jack.
"Yes. But we came pretty close to winning," cried Fred, with justifiable pride.
"You and Jack needn't complain," was Andy's comment. "Eighteen and nineteen points out of a possible twenty-five is going some, especially for beginners."
"If I win the prize, what is it?" questioned Lewis Barrow, a tall, lanky youth with a rather leathery face. He came from the far West, and knew much more about firearms than did the Rovers.
"Oh, the prize is first choice of holes in half a dozen doughnuts," snickered Andy.
"Holes in doughnuts!" replied Barrow, who was not over-bright. "Suffering buffaloes! What would a fellow do with holes out of doughnuts?" and at this there was a little laugh.
"For beginners, I think you have all done very well," remarked Captain Dale. "The lowest score, I see, is nine. Last year when the new cadets went at practice, we had several fellows who didn't hit the target."
"Gee! I'd hate to go hunting with such chaps," was Andy's dry comment. "A fellow would have to get right directly in front of 'em to be sure of not being hit;" and this remark made even the military instructor laugh.
"I'll be proud of all of you," said Major Ralph Mason, when he heard of the scores that had been made. "First thing you know, we'll have a company of genuine sharpshooters."
"This practising at a target will come in fine if we get a chance to do any hunting this winter," remarked Fred. "Wow! Just think what would have happened if that target had been a deer, or even a partridge!"
"A deer or a partridge isn't apt to stand still," returned Randy. "If you want to become expert as a hunting shot, you'll have to practise at a swinging target."
"Well, that's to come later, so Captain Dale said," was the answer.
"Say, let's go out hunting some day when the season opens!" cried Jack. "I'd like first rate to bag something, even if it were only a few rabbits."
"That's the talk!" answered Fred, quickly. "As soon as the hunting season opens let's go out, by all means."
The target practice had been witnessed by Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell. Now, when Jack and Fred spoke of hunting, Slugger Brown's face became thoughtful.
"I think I see a way to square accounts with those Rovers," he remarked to his crony. "From now on, I'm going to watch 'em pretty closely. If ever they do go out hunting, I think we'll be able to put one over on 'em they'll never forget."