CHAPTER XXIV
THE FUN OF HALLOWE'EN
"Hallowe'en to-morrow night, boys! So get ready for some real fun!"
"Right you are, Andy! Remember what fun we had last year in New York?"
"And what fun we had down on the farm two years ago, scaring Aleck Pop and Jack Ness nearly to death?" broke in Fred.
"I don't know whether they'll let us have any fun around Colby Hall or not," remarked Jack, but in such a tone of voice that all of the others knew he was fooling.
Several days had passed since the target practice, and the boys were gathered in the room used by Andy and Randy for studying. All were deep in a discussion of what they might do on Hallowe'en, when there came a knock on the door and Dan Soppinger came in.
"Excuse me for interrupting you," commenced Dan, "but I'm up against a hard proposition. Can any of you tell me——"
"Gee! the Human Question Mark is at it again!" broke out Randy.
"Certainly we can tell you," put in Andy; "but please don't ask it."
"Three and three make six, three and three always have made six, and three and three always will make six!" cried Fred in a girlish tone of voice. "So what's the use of asking a question like that?"
"Who said anything about three and three making six?" snorted the Human Question Mark. "What I was going to say was: Can any of you tell me——"
"When Nero discovered the north pole?" interrupted Andy.
"No. He wants to know when Washington first crossed the Pacific in a motor boat," came from Fred.
"No; that isn't it at all," declared Jack, seriously. "Dan wants to know what kind of an automobile Noah took on the ark."
"Great Scott! What do you take me for?" groaned Dan Soppinger, helplessly. "Here I come in to ask you a perfectly simple question, and you start with a lot of foolishness."
"Why, my dear Dan, we are helping you all we can!" cried Andy in deeply injured tones.
"I want to know when Florida was first settled and by whom!" cried Dan, desperately. "I bet ten cents none of you know!"
"Oh, that's easy, Dan," answered Andy, gravely. "Florida was first settled by the alligators, in the year one;" and at this remark there was such a burst of laughter that the Human Question Mark gave it up in despair and fled.
"I've got a great scheme for Hallowe'en," said Andy a little later. He had been walking up and down the room trying to make up his mind what they might do to have some fun. "I wonder if the girls over at Clearwater Hall wouldn't lend us some dresses and some girls' hats for the occasion."
"They might if we agreed to lend them some of our suits in exchange."
"Well, we could do that easily enough," answered Fred. "We hardly ever have a chance to wear anything these days but our uniforms."
"What do you want to do, Andy—dress up as a girl?" questioned Jack.
"That's it. We might have dead loads of fun."
The matter was discussed for a time, and in the end a boy, who often did errands for the cadets, was dispatched to Clearwater Hall with a note to Ruth and her chums. The boy had performed this sort of service before, and knew that he must deliver the note without allowing the communication to go through the school office.
The messenger returned just as the cadets were on the point of retiring, and brought back a letter from the girls in which they agreed to let the boys have what they wanted in return for some suits of male attire. It was agreed that the exchange be made in the afternoon, directly after the school session.
The Rover boys and two of their friends walked to Haven Point, and there invested some of their spending money in the hire of an automobile. Then they rode back to the school, procured several bundles of clothing, and set out for Clearwater Hall.
The girls were waiting for them at a spot secluded from observation, and there an exchange of bundles took place, interspersed with a good deal of laughing by the cadets and giggling on the part of the Clearwater pupils.
"Oh, I'd love to see you dressed up as a girl!" cried Ruth to Jack.
"How about your being dressed up as a boy?" he returned.
"Oh, none of us will dare show ourselves outside the grounds," returned Ruth, blushing. "Miss Garwood wouldn't permit it."
"Well, if we get the chance, we may come up as far as yonder side fence," put in Fred. "If we do, we'll give you the signal—three long whistles."
Nearly all of the cadets at Colby Hall were ready for Hallowe'en fun. They dressed up in all sorts of disguises, including those of monks, Indians, negroes, and ghosts. Lighted pumpkins with grinning faces cut into them were likewise numerous; and one senior trailed around in a silk gown which he had brought from home for this very occasion.
When the Rover boys appeared dressed as young ladies, with girls' hats on their heads and parasols in their hands, they were greeted with a loud cheer, and this was redoubled as they marched around the campus arm in arm with several boys dressed as dudes, and one attired as an admiral.
"Some class to the Rovers, and no mistake!" was Spouter's comment. He had on a pair of long whiskers, a linen duster, farm boots, and a big straw hat.
"How do you do, Uncle Si?" cried Andy, coming up to him and bowing. "How is corn?"
"So high, by gosh! y'u can't see the house," answered Spouter in country dialect. "Do tell, leetle gal! but y'u do look mighty purty, y'u do!" and at this there was a general snicker.
At the first opportunity, the Rovers and several of their friends slipped away from the campus and hurried off in the direction of Clearwater Hall. They were lucky enough to meet a big wagon, the driver of which was going to the next town to pick up some young folks for a straw ride. This man took them to the young ladies' school just for the sport of it.
When the Rovers gave the signal, Ruth and her friends came running towards the side fence of the grounds. All were attired in male costumes, wearing exaggerated collars, cuffs and neckties. In addition, Ruth had on a big pair of pick-toed shoes and a silk hat many years out of date. She also carried a silver-headed cane.
"Oh, don't you want to take us out for a walk?" questioned Andy, in a high-pitched, feminine voice.
"Very sorry, my dear, very sorry," came from May Powell, in as deep a voice as she could command. "I have important business to attend to."
"Oh, Jack, what an awfully big girl you do make!" screamed Ruth, when she discovered his identity behind the little mask he wore. "I didn't know you were so large."
"And what a little man you are," he answered, gaily.
"Don't say a word," she returned. "See these sleeves? They are all rolled up; and I had to do the same with the trousers," and she laughed merrily.
Although acting against the rules, the Rovers and their friends found an opening in the fence, and for a brief quarter of an hour mingled with the girls on the campus of the school. They had "a barrel of fun," to use Andy's way of expressing it, and left only because it was getting late and they knew they would have to walk all the way back to Colby Hall.
"This is about the best Hallowe'en fun we ever had," remarked Jack, while he and the others were on the return to the school.
To make time, the boys did not take the regular road through Haven Point to Colby Hall, but tramped along a back highway which was considered something of a short cut. This presently brought them in sight of a large farm which belonged to a hard-fisted man named Elias Lacy.
"Say, we ought to call on old Lacy and give him a scare," said Randy, coming to a halt near the farmhouse.
"It would serve him right!" answered Fred, promptly.
None of the Rovers had a kindly feeling for Elias Lacy, for the reason that the old man had once caught them getting chestnuts from a tree on the corner of his farm and had made them give up all the nuts they had gathered and had then threatened them with the law if they dared to set foot on his premises again.
"I know you cadets," he had snarled. "You are all a pack of petty thieves! I want you to keep away from here."
He had suffered a great deal, some cadets, including Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell, having at various times robbed him of his cherries, his strawberries, and some melons. Of these depredations, however, the Rovers knew nothing.
"Maybe Lacy isn't around," remarked Jack. "He may have gone to town."
They knew that the old man was a bachelor. He had two young men working for him, and also a woman who came in during the day to do the housework, but all of these went home at night.
"I see somebody moving around the house now," answered Randy. "It's Lacy, too!"
"Let's knock on the door and pretend we are young ladies in distress," cried Randy. "Come on! I wonder what he'll do?"
"Don't ask him for any money. He won't give you a cent," chuckled Fred.
"Let's tell him some tramps stopped us and that we want him to go out and fight the fellows," suggested one cadet. "That will show how brave a man Lacy is. We can take off our masks."
So it was arranged, and in a minute more the boys were all on the front piazza of the farmhouse ringing the old doorbell. There was a sound within, and in a moment more Elias Lacy came to the door with a lamp in one hand.
"What do you want?" he asked in astonishment, when he saw what looked to be a number of well-dressed girls confronting him.
"Oh, Mr. Lacy, won't you please protect us?" pleaded Randy, in his best feminine voice.
"Three murderous tramps are after us!" gasped Andy. "Oh, dear! I know I shall faint!"
"The tramps wanted to rob us!" cried Jack.
"They are just outside your fence," put in Fred. "Please go out and chase them away."
Elias Lacy was staggered. He placed his lamp on a little table near by, and looked in wonder at the crowd before him.
"Three tramps, eh? An' goin' to rob you? Why, I never heard of sech a thing!" he shrilled. "Mebbe I'd better git my gun."
"Oh, yes! yes! Get your gun, by all means! Get your gun! And maybe you'd better get a sword, too!" cried Randy.
"Yes! Or a knife or a—a—razor," put in Andy.
"Now, now! don't git so excited!" cried the old man, for the boys insisted upon clinging to his arms and to his shoulders. "Them tramps ain't goin' to eat you up."
He was short-sighted, and, as the lamplight was poor, he had not noticed the boys' somewhat crude make-up. He hurried into a room and came forth presently carrying a shotgun. Then he walked back into his kitchen.
"Great Cæsar! he's got his gun all right enough," said Jack in a low voice.
"Maybe he'll use it on us when he discovers the trick," returned Fred.
"I'll git my lantern, an' then we kin go after them tramps," announced Elias Lacy; and in a moment more he reappeared with a smoky lantern and started for the front door. "Come on, an' show me where them tramps are," he said, determinedly.
CHAPTER XXV
OFF ON A HUNT
"Say, as soon as we are outdoors let us give him the ha-ha and run away," whispered Fred to the others.
"Oh, no! Let's have some more fun," pleaded Randy. "Why! the sport has just begun!"
"That's it!" came from his twin.
"Don't forget we are due at the Hall," remonstrated Jack.
"Now then, show me them tramps!" cried Elias Lacy, as the whole crowd went outdoors and towards the front gate.
"Oh, protect us! Please protect us!" shrieked Randy, and caught hold of the old man's coat-tails.
"Don't let the tramps abduct us! I don't want to live with any tramp! I want to marry a millionaire!" screamed Andy, and began to cling so close to Elias Lacy that the old man could hardly move forward.
The twins cut up so that the others had all they could do to keep from laughing. One boy began to snicker, but promptly clapped his hand over his mouth.
"Don't hang on to me," ordered the old farmer. "I can't use my gun if you clutch my arm like that," and he tried to shake the twins off.
"Oh, there they are—behind the bushes!" screamed Randy, suddenly, pointing off to the left.
"Where?" demanded the old man, holding his lantern over his head. "I don't see nothin'."
"There they are!" screamed Andy. "They've got pistols, too! Oh, save us! Save us!"
"Drat the pesky rascals! I'll fix 'em!" snarled Elias Lacy, and, shaking loose the clinging boys, he ran off, lantern in one hand and shotgun held up to his shoulder with the other.
"Now is our time to skip out!" cried Jack.
"Right you are!" added another of the crowd. And then without waiting for the rest, this cadet let up a cry: "Sold! Mr. Lacy, you are sold!"
"Sold! With the compliments of the Colby Hall cadets!" cried another. And then, seeing that the disguise was at an end, the boys began to shout a variety of things not at all complimentary to the old farmer.
Elias Lacy was thunderstruck by the sudden turn of affairs, and, wheeling around, he stared in open-mouthed wonder at the retreating girlish figures.
"What's that?" he shrilled. "What are you runnin' away fur?"
"Good-bye, Mr. Lacy!" sang out Randy. "We're only having a little fun."
"Don't you know it's Hallowe'en?" queried Andy; and then started to walk off on his hands, but the dress he wore fell down around him and caused him to tumble over on his back. In the gloom, Fred stumbled and fell on top of him.
"Fun! Hallowe'en!" bellowed Elias Lacy, and of a sudden he became filled with rage. "You ain't gals at all! You're only playin' a trick on me!" he snarled.
"Good-bye and pleasant dreams!" shouted Randy.
"Don't tell any of your friends about the young ladies who called on you," advised Jack.
And then the other cadets made various taunting remarks. They had come to a halt to enjoy the old farmer's discomfiture and at the same time to give Andy and Fred a chance to regain their feet.
"Halt!" suddenly commanded Elias Lacy, and set down his lantern on a fence post. "Halt! or I'll shoot some of you!" and he aimed his shotgun at them.
"Don't shoot!" cried several of the cadets in alarm, for they could see that the old man was in a frame of mind to do almost anything.
"Stop! Don't you dare stir a step or I'll shoot as sure as you're standin' there!" continued the old man. And then, as all of the boys halted he went on: "Now come up here where I kin git a good look at you, but don't you come too clost or try to play any more tricks. If you do, somebody'll sure git shot."
There was no help for it, and rather sheepishly the crowd of cadets came forward as he had ordered.
"It was only a bit of Hallowe'en fun. We didn't mean any harm," pleaded Randy.
"Take them bunnets an' things off so I kin see your faces," ordered the old man, at the same time keeping the crowd covered with his shotgun.
With great reluctance one after another the cadets took off their veils and hats. The old man came a step or two closer, looking at each face sharply. His countenance grew even more hateful when he recognized the Rovers.
"Ha! you're the same fellers who robbed my chestnut tree," he snarled. "Didn't I tell you to keep off my premises? I've a good mind to have you locked up."
"Oh, come, Mr. Lacy, it was only a bit of fun," pleaded one lad. "Didn't you go out on Hallowe'ens when you were a boy?"
"No, I didn't! I stayed home an' done my work," was the harsh reply. "Nowadays boys cut up altogether too much."
Had it not been for the shotgun the boys would have taken to their heels; but with the old man thus armed none of them wanted to take any chances. But then came a lucky interruption. From back on the farm came a wild bellowing as if a cow was in trouble. This was followed by the squealing of a number of pigs.
"Hello! Those town boys must have come over after your cattle after all!" cried Jack, struck by a sudden idea.
"My cattle! What do you know about my cattle?" questioned Elias Lacy, quickly.
"That's it! The town boys are after the cows and pigs!" broke in Fred, quick to catch Jack's idea.
"You'll lose them all if you don't look out, Mr. Lacy!" put in Randy.
"They sha'n't tech my cows, nor my pigs neither!" snarled the old farmer; and, taking up his lantern, he left the cadets and ran off towards the rear of the premises. Fortunately, nothing serious had happened to his stock.
"Now's the time to skip out!" cried Jack, and led the way, and the others lost no time in following. The cadets had to hold their skirts high to keep from tripping as they sped along. They reached Colby Hall in safety, and lost no time in rejoining their friends. A little later the Hallowe'en celebration came to an end.
"Old Lacy will remember us," was Andy's comment, in speaking of the affair the next day. "He'll have it in for us."
"I'm afraid so," replied Jack, seriously.
The main topic of conversation at the school now was the football game which was to take place with the eleven of the Clearwater Country Club on the following Saturday. This was another gala occasion for the school, and once more the boys had the pleasure of escorting the girls to and from the conflict.
"I hope we can do them up as we did Hixley High," remarked Jack. But this was not to be. The Clearwater Country Club eleven were much older than the cadets and much heavier, and all the Colby Hall team could do was to hold them down to a score of 16 to 10.
"Well, that's not so bad but what it might be worse," remarked Gif, when the defeated eleven had returned to Colby Hall. "I did hope, however, that we might hold them to at least a tie."
"They carried too much weight for us," replied Jack. "Even Slugger Brown couldn't do anything against them." For Slugger had been used as a substitute in the third and fourth quarters. But the big cadet had failed to show either form or efficiency. He had been warned by the umpire, because of an unfair tackle, and this had put him in anything but a good humor.
"I won't play again so long as Gif Garrison is captain!" cried Slugger to Nappy Martell; and that evening he sent in his resignation, which Gif promptly accepted.
The game with Columbus Academy was not to take place until two weeks later, so that, although they kept at their practice, the football players had considerable time for other things. Jack and his cousins had continued their target practice, and their shooting was now so accurate that Captain Dale complimented them upon it.
"The hunting season opens to-morrow," announced Jack one day, as he came back from an errand to the town. "How I'd like to go out and try my luck!"
"I'd like to go myself," spoke up Fred.
A number of the senior cadets had received permission to go hunting and Jack spoke to one of these youths about the prospects.
"I'd like first rate to have you come with me, Rover," said the cadet, Frank Newberry by name; "and if your cousin Fred wants to come along, he can do so."
"We'd have to get permission first, and also permission to use a couple of the shotguns," answered Jack. The gun rack at Colby Hall boasted a number of these weapons, but none of them could be taken out and used without special permission from Captain Dale.
It was no easy matter for Jack and Fred to gain the desired permission, but when Colonel Colby heard from Captain Dale what good shots the boys had proved to be, he said they might go out, along with Frank Newberry and some of the others.
"But I want you to be very careful," said the colonel impressively. "I wouldn't have an accident happen to you for the world. Don't fire a charge until you are absolutely sure of what you're firing at. Never point your gun at anybody else; and be very careful how you handle your weapon in climbing a fence or leaping over rocks or brushwood."
The twins were a bit envious over the prospects for their cousins, but they wished Jack and Fred the best of luck. All of the cadets who were to go out had lessons in the morning, but they departed directly after dinner, and were told that they could remain out as long as they pleased.
"Now, don't forget to bring back a deer or a bear," cried Andy.
"And if you can, bag a buffalo or a hippopotamus," added his twin.
"We'll be lucky if we bag some rabbits and a squirrel or two or some woodcock," answered Jack. "Big game doesn't exist around here any more. The farms are too thick."
"Well, be sure and bring down a pink canary bird, anyway," advised Andy; and at this there was a general laugh.
Frank Newberry had been out the year before, and consequently knew much about the lay of the land.
"We'll go down into the woods directly back of Haven Point," he announced. "Last year the hunting there was much better than it was up the Rick Rack River."
And then off the cadets started on the hunt. Much that was unusual lay in store for them.
CHAPTER XXVI
FROM ONE TROUBLE TO ANOTHER
Half an hour of tramping brought the two Rover boys and their friends into the heart of the big woods Frank Newberry had mentioned. They had entered it by way of the road they had used on Hallowe'en, and were now almost directly behind Elias Lacy's farm. In fact, although they were not aware of this, a large section of the woods belonged to the old farmer.
On their way into the timber they had heard various shots at a distance, showing that other hunters were abroad. Then came a report so close at hand, it made Fred jump.
"You want to be very careful so that you don't mistake some other hunter for game," cautioned Frank Newberry.
"Exactly!" grumbled Fred. "And I want the other hunters to be careful that they don't shoot me for a deer or a bear."
The cadets continued to advance into the woods, and then crossed an open space. Here they were fortunate enough to stir up quite a few rabbits, and Jack, after an hour's hunt, had the pleasure of bringing down two, while one was laid low by Fred.
So far the cadets had kept together, but presently the party managed to catch sight of game in two directions, and soon Frank Newberry and the seniors with him were hurrying off to the southward while the Rover boys went after game that had gone northward.
"Come right back to this spot!" cried Frank Newberry to the Rovers.
"All right," answered Jack.
Their sporting blood, aroused by the game already brought down, urged Jack and Fred forward, and almost before they knew it they had covered a long distance. They presently came to another clearing, bordering a good-sized pond. Here they stirred up half a dozen rabbits and also some squirrels, and each succeeded in bringing down more than half the game sighted.
"Say, this is the finest sport ever!" declared Fred, as he looked at his game with deep satisfaction. "Won't the others envy us when we get back to the Hall with these!"
"It's sport enough for us," returned Jack. "I don't know what the rabbits and squirrels think about it though," he added dryly.
From a distance the boys had seen more game and they began to circle the pond. Then they heard a strange whirring in some bushes a distance further on.
"Maybe we'll come across some wild turkeys or something like that," said Fred.
"I don't believe there are any wild turkeys around here," answered Jack.
"Oh! wouldn't it be fine if we sighted a deer or a bear?" sighed Fred.
"You don't want much for your money, do you?" laughed his cousin. "I rather think if a bear came after you you'd take to your heels."
"Maybe I would—if he was a big one."
On and on went the two boys, and presently were rewarded by the sight of several small woodcock. Both fired almost at the same instant, and two of the birds came fluttering down, to thrash around in the bushes until put out of misery by the young hunters.
"Two of 'em! Think of that!" chuckled Fred. "Oh! this is simply glorious!"
So far the two boys had not met any of the strange hunters, but now they came across two men well loaded down with rabbits. They did not know it, but one of the men was a farm hand employed by Elias Lacy.
"You'd better keep away from the Lacy place," said the man, with a sarcastic look at the Rovers. He had been on hand when the lads had had the chestnuts taken away by the old farmer, and had also heard about the joke on Hallowe'en.
"Don't you worry. We've no use for Mr. Lacy," returned Fred, crossly.
"He's the meanest man we ever met," added Jack. At this the farm hand only grinned, and then he and his companion disappeared once more into the woods.
So far the day had been typical of the Autumn season, somewhat gray, with only an occasional showing of the sun. Now, however, it became rapidly darker, and presently a few flakes of snow sifted down through the air.
"Hello! What do you know about this!" cried Jack, looking up. "I guess we're going to have a snowstorm."
"Oh, I hope it doesn't snow very heavily—at least not until we get back to school," returned Fred, quickly.
"A little snow won't hurt us, Fred."
"But if it got too thick, Jack, we might lose our way."
"I don't believe it will come down as heavily as all that—not at this season of the year."
With the sky growing darker, and the flakes of snow coming down thicker than ever, the two boys sought to retrace their steps in the direction of the pond. But in their eagerness to sight something at which to shoot, they had not noted their path very carefully, and as a consequence they now found themselves somewhat bewildered.
"If the sun was only out we'd know in what direction to steer," remarked Jack. "But when the sky is this way, a fellow is apt to get completely turned around."
"It's too bad we didn't bring a pocket compass."
"That's true. However, we haven't got one, so we'll have to make the best of it. Come on!"
They had paused for a moment to rest and to survey their surroundings. Now they continued their tramping, and at length came out on the edge of a sheet of water which they at first took to be the pond they had previously visited.
"There they go! Quick, Jack!" sang out Fred, and blazed away with his shotgun. His cousin followed suit, and soon they found they had bagged two additional rabbits—one the largest yet brought low.
"This isn't the pond at all!" cried Jack, in some disappointment, after the excitement of shooting the rabbits had subsided. "I never saw this spot before."
"Nor I! What do you make of it, Jack?"
"Don't ask me! It looks as if we were lost."
"Hark! I heard a shot!" cried Fred, a minute later, while the pair were looking around trying to make up their minds in what direction to proceed next. "Maybe those are our fellows shooting."
The shot had come from their right, and was presently followed by another. Thinking their friends might be close at hand, the Rovers started off as well as they could through the brushwood and between the trees. But then they came to some rough ground covered with rocks, and here further progress was all but impossible. In the meanwhile, no further reports had reached their ears.
"We are sure up against it," remarked Jack, after he and his cousin had looked at each other rather helplessly. It was darker than ever, and the snow still continued to sift down through the trees.
"Maybe we'll have to stay out here all night," said Fred, after consulting his watch. "It's half past five now."
"We ought to be on the way back to the Hall if we expect any supper," replied his cousin.
Being unable to advance further in that direction, the Rover boys sought to retrace their steps, and after considerable trouble managed to return to the sheet of water they had left a while before. But by this time the darkness of night had fallen.
"It's no use!" cried Fred, helplessly. "We're lost, that's all there is to it!"
"It was bad enough while it was daylight, Fred. I really don't know what we are going to do now it's dark," answered Jack, seriously.
On the return to the little pond Fred had stumbled over some tree roots, and this had lamed him a little.
"I can't walk very much further," he said, with a sigh. And then he added quickly: "Jack, have you any matches?"
"Oh, yes! I put a box in my pocket before we started."
"Good! Then if we have to stay here we can build a fire and maybe cook something."
The boys tried the water of the pond, and finding it fairly good drank their fill. Then they sat down to discuss the situation. Both were hungry, and in the end they gathered some dry sticks, started a fire, and cooked one of the rabbits and also a squirrel, which they ate with much satisfaction.
"We'll freeze to death if we stay here all night," was Fred's dismal comment.
"Oh, no—not if we keep the fire going."
"Then let's do that by all means. It will not only keep us warm, but it may be the means of directing somebody to this place."
It was a long night for both of the boys. They took turns at resting and at replenishing the fire, and it is doubtful if either of them got much real sleep. Once, in the early morning, came an alarm, and Fred imagined a bear was in the bushes. But the animal, or whatever it was, soon went away, and that was the end of the disturbance.
"Thank goodness! it has stopped snowing!" remarked Jack, when the cousins were preparing a breakfast of another squirrel.
The snow had not amounted to much, being less than an inch in depth. The storm had cleared away entirely, and at the proper time the sun came up over the hills beyond Clearwater Lake.
Long before that time the two young hunters were once more on their way. They had tramped along for fully half an hour when suddenly Jack let up a shout of joy.
"Hurrah! we've struck a road at last! Now we'll find out where we are!"
The road was little more than a trail through the woods, evidently made by the wagon or sled of some woodcutter. It ran down a slight hill, and the two boys lost no time in following it.
"I hope it brings us into Haven Point," remarked Fred, as they strode along. "I'm getting tired of walking and of carrying the shotgun. I'd rather have a ride."
"Let us be thankful to get out of the woods, Fred. We might have gotten so mixed up that we'd have had to spend another night there."
The two lads continued to follow the woods road, and presently came into sight of several farm buildings, including a corncrib and a long, low cowshed.
"Oh, for the love of doughnuts!" cried Jack an instant later. "Fred, do you know where we are?"
"No, I don't. Where?"
"Right in the back of old Lacy's place! There is his house;" and the oldest Rover boy pointed with his hand.
"You're right, Jack! Gee! we almost ran into the old man again, didn't we?" gasped Fred. "We had better get out of here as quick as we can!"
"Now you're saying something!" returned his cousin. "Come on, before he catches sight of us!"
The two boys had just started to leave the road on which they had been traveling when a shout reached their ears. The next moment another shout rent the frosty morning air, and then two men came running towards the lads, one carrying a gun and the other a pitchfork.
"Stop there! you young rascals! Stop!" roared out the voice of Elias Lacy. "Stop, I tell you! Caleb, cover 'em with your gun!"
"I'm doin' it, Mr. Lacy," replied the other man, and leveled his gun at the boys. He was the same man the Rovers had met in the woods the afternoon before.
With the weapon of the farm hand pointed at them the two Rover boys came to a halt. In a minute more the others came up, Elias Lacy puffing because of his exertions.
"Now I've caught you!" he snarled. "I didn't think it was goin' to be so easy."
"You're certainly in luck, Mr. Lacy," grinned Caleb Boggs. "I didn't think they'd stay roun' here after doin' it."
"They came back jest to have the laugh on me!" snarled the old farmer. "I know 'em! I s'pose they did it 'cause I took them chestnuts away from 'em, an' on account o' the way I treated 'em Hallowe'en night. But I'll fix 'em now! I'll have the law on 'em! I'll send 'em to state's prison for ten years! Jest you see if I don't!" and thus the old man spluttered on, saying many things the boys could not understand.
"See here, Mr. Lacy! What are you so mad about?" queried Jack, finally. "Can't you stand a little fun?"
"Stand a little fun!" yelled the excited old man, fairly beside himself with rage. "It ain't no fun to kill two o' my cows!" He shook his bony fist at the boys. "I'll have the law on you, so I will! I'll send you both to state's prison for ten years!"
CHAPTER XXVII
ELIAS LACY'S DEMAND
The two Rover boys stared at Elias Lacy in open-mouthed amazement.
"What did you say about killing two cows?" questioned Jack.
"Have two of your cows been killed?" came from Fred.
At these questions the old farmer seemed to become more enraged than ever. He raised his pitchfork as if to use it on the cadets.
"You can't play innercent with me!" he fairly screamed. "I know you! You shot them cows, an' I'm a-goin' to send you to state's prison fur it!"
"It's a purty serious business—killin' a man's cattle like that," added Caleb Boggs, with a shake of his head. He still held his shotgun so as to cover the two boys.
"I don't know a thing about your cows, and I certainly haven't shot at them," answered Jack, indignantly.
"We haven't been anywhere near your cow pasture, or your cowshed, either," said Fred. "We've been hunting up in the woods yonder. Your man saw us."
"We got lost up there after it began to snow, and we had to camp out all night," explained Jack. "We just found that road and were trying to get back to Haven Point and Colby Hall."
"It ain't so! It ain't so!" snarled Elias Lacy. "You come over to my cow paster yesterday afternoon an' shot both o' them cows and then you run away. One o' my men seen you."
"He never did!" burst out Jack. "I tell you we weren't near your place."
"We went out hunting with a number of other cadets, and we can prove it!" added his cousin.
"Huh! where are them other cadets now?" demanded the old farmer.
"We got separated in the woods—they going off for some rabbits in one direction and we going off after some other rabbits in another direction," explained the oldest Rover boy. "I don't know where those other cadets are now. Probably they went back to the school."
"You ain't got no right to hunt on my grounds."
"We were out in the open woods, Mr. Lacy, where we had a perfect right to be."
"Well, we won't talk about that now," snarled the old man. "I'm a-goin' to fix you for shootin' them cows. They was two of the best cows I had, an' they was wuth a lot o' money."
A wordy war followed, during which the boys became almost as angry as the old farmer. They insisted upon it that they had not been near his farm during the afternoon of the day before, but he did not believe a word they said.
"I'm a-goin' to have the law on you!" he cried. "I'm a-goin' to have you arrested! An' I'll make your folks pay fur them cows!"
"Hadn't we better march 'em down to the barn?" suggested the hired man. "Then I kin hitch up the horses and we kin take 'em down to the town lock-up."
"Oh, Jack, don't let them lock us up!" whispered Fred, in horror.
"If you lock us up, Mr. Lacy, you'll suffer for it," said Jack. "I'll get my father to sue you for damages."
"Don't you talk to me like that, you young whipper-snapper!" cried the old man. "I know what I'm a-doin'. I'm a-goin' to turn you over to the town authorities, an' that's all there is to it!"
The old man was obdurate, and he and the hired man forced the boys into the barn, where the farmer stood guard with the shotgun while the hired man hooked up a team of horses to one of the farm wagons. Then the lads were told to get into the turnout.
"I don't think I'll get in," said Jack.
"Yes, you will!" snarled Elias Lacy; and then followed a lively scuffle. But the two boys were no match for the men, and they were quickly disarmed. Then, being covered by the hired man's shotgun, they had to get up into the wagon. The hired man drove, while Elias Lacy sat in the rear, the shotgun ready for action so that the boys might not escape. Their own guns, along with their game, were placed on the bottom of the wagon under a blanket.
It must be confessed that Jack and Fred were in no enviable frame of mind as the wagon with the two prisoners aboard headed in the direction of Haven Point. They knew that news of their arrest would spread rapidly, and they wondered what their friends, and especially the girls at Clearwater Hall, would think of it.
"Gee, but we're in a pickle!" commented Fred, dismally.
"Yes. And the worst of it is, I don't know how we are going to clear ourselves," answered his cousin. "As near as I can learn, those cows were shot while you and I were off by ourselves in the woods. The hired man says the other man who works on the place saw two cadets disappearing between the trees."
"Who can those fellows be, Jack?"
"Don't ask me! Probably two of our fellows who have some grudge against Lacy."
This talk was carried on in an undertone, so that neither the old farmer nor his hired man could understand what was said.
"You needn't plan no trick to escape," warned Elias Lacy, raising his shotgun slightly.
"Mr. Lacy, what did you do with the two cows that were shot?" asked Jack, suddenly.
"I left 'em out in the paster, right where they fell," returned the old farmer. "I ain't a-goin' to tech 'em till the authorities have looked 'em over."
"Were they killed with bird shot or with rifle bullets?"
"Bird shot—same as you've been a-usin' in them shotguns of yourn."
A portion of the roadway leading into Haven Point was being repaired and was closed off; so, in order to get down into the town, they had to make something of a detour in the direction of Colby Hall.
"Oh, Jack, hadn't we better ask him to take us to the Hall first?" whispered Fred to his cousin. "Maybe Colonel Colby can fix this up for us."
"I might ask him," returned Jack, in a low tone.
"I ain't a-goin' to Colby Hall," snarled Elias Lacy, after the question had been put to him. "I'm a-goin' to take you to the lock-up."
The journey towards the town was continued, and presently those in the wagon came within sight of a rural free delivery turnout.
"Hello there, Pete! Got any letters for us?" sang out the farm hand.
"One fur Mr. Lacy," replied the post carrier, and, driving closer, he handed it over.
"I ain't got no time to read letters now," announced Elias Lacy, as he thrust the communication into his pocket. "I've got other business to 'tend to."
"Givin' a couple of the Colby cadets a ride, eh?" ventured the carrier.
"I'm a-takin' 'em to the lock-up, Pete. They went an' shot two o' my cows."
"You don't say, 'Lias!" cried the carrier in amazement. "Out huntin' I s'pose, and mistook 'em for deer or bears," and he chuckled over his little joke.
"No; they done it a-purpose," growled the farmer. "They held a grudge agin me, an' they thought they was a-goin' to git square. But I'll show 'em, an' don't you forgit it!"
"We didn't shoot his cows!" came simultaneously from Jack and Fred.
"Bad business! But I've got to be on my way," commented the carrier. "That road bein' closed puts me away off my regular route;" and off he drove.
Three quarters of the distance to Haven Point had been covered when those in the wagon heard a shout, and a moment later Captain Dale came galloping up on horseback.
"Where in the world have you two cadets been?" he cried. "We have been looking all over for you."
"We got lost in the woods and had to camp out all night," explained Jack, and then added: "Did the others get back?"
"Oh, yes. And they fully expected that you would follow them." And then, seeing a peculiar look on the boys' faces, the military instructor of Colby Hall continued: "Nothing wrong, I hope?"
"Yes, there is—a whole lot wrong!" cried Elias Lacy, before the cadets could answer. "They sneaked up to my farm an' shot two o' my cows."
"Impossible!" exclaimed the military man.
"No, it ain't! It's so!" shrilled the old farmer. "They killed the cows, an' I'm on my way to put 'em in the Haven Point lock-up."
"Oh, Captain Dale, don't let him have us arrested!" pleaded Fred. "We do not know anything about his cows, and we certainly did not shoot them."
"Tell me all about this," demanded Captain Dale. And in a highly excited fashion, Elias Lacy told his story, which was corroborated by his hired man.
"Now I'll hear what you have to say," said the captain, turning to Jack and Fred.
They gave him the particulars of what had happened, just as they had already related them to the old farmer. Then Captain Dale asked them a number of questions. Elias Lacy interrupted continually.
"I ain't a-goin' to stand no nonsense," said the old man doggedly. "I'm a-goin' to put 'em in the lock-up, an' do it right now!"
"Mr. Lacy, allow me to tell you something," said the military instructor coolly. "If these boys are guilty you will be justified in having them placed under arrest. But if they are not guilty—and they claim they are innocent—you'll make yourself liable for a big suit for damages."
"I don't care! I know they shot them cows!"
"No, you don't know it. You admit that the farm hand who saw the two cadets did not recognize them. In fact, he wasn't altogether sure that they were cadets. Now, these boys claim they were nowhere near your pasture lot when the cows were shot. I think the best thing you can do is to let them return to the Hall with me. Colonel Colby is away to-day, but I will take the matter up with him just as soon as he returns."
"Mebbe if I let 'em go to the Hall, they'll run away," answered Elias Lacy. The mention of a possible lawsuit for damages had taken some of the aggressiveness out of him.
"I will see to it that they do not run away," answered Captain Dale. "We have a guardroom at the Hall—a sort of lock-up; and if it is necessary I will have them placed there until Colonel Colby can investigate, and until you can make up your mind what you want to do."
The old farmer argued the matter for several minutes, but in the end agreed to let the military instructor take charge of Jack and Fred.
"But remember," he said in parting, "you've got to keep 'em under lock an' key till I see Colonel Colby. I'm a-goin' to make an investigation, an' I'm purty sure I'll be able to prove that they killed them cows."