CHAPTER XVI OFF ON A LONG MARCH
When the boys returned to Putnam Hall and told about their adventure withthe tiger, they were proclaimed genuine heroes.
"You certainly deserve a great deal of credit," said Captain Putnam."Just the same, had I known the tiger was still at large, I should havekept you at the Hall."
Later on, the circus authorities were communicated with, and from themRossmore Ford obtained the skin of the beast, and had it prepared, withthe head on, for a rug; and it is in his mansion on the floor to thisday.
The cadets of Putnam Hall were now getting ready for an outing to lastseveral days. Before winter set in, the captain wished to give them ataste of camp life, and so decided to make a march to a beautiful valleysome twenty miles away. Here the boys were to go into camp for twonights, returning on the next day.
"That is what I'll like!" exclaimed Stuffer Singleton. "No lessons tostudy. Only to march, get up an appetite, and eat!"
"Especially eat!" said Andy. "That hits Stuffer every time."
"We're to go on army rations," put in Pepper, with a wink at his chums."Pork and beans, and hard-tack."
"No!" exclaimed Stuffer in alarm. "Who told you that?"
"Why, everybody knows it," put in Andy.
"We'll see that you get all the hard-tack you want, Stuffer," went onPepper. "The captain won't want you to go hungry, you know."
"I don't want any hard-tack," growled Stuffer, in disgust. "I thoughtwe'd get the same kind of feed as we get here." The march had suddenlylost all of its interest for him.
"Better take some private rations along," suggested another cadet. "Aloaf of bread, or some dried herrings, or----"
"Oh, you're joking!" exclaimed the boy who loved to eat. "I'm going toask Mr. Strong," and off he ran, while the others set up a loud laugh.
It was a cool, crisp morning when the battalion started. The cadets madea fine showing in their clean, neat uniforms, with buttons and bucklespolished to the last degree. Major Jack was at the head of the column,and he was certainly proud of his position, and had a right to be.
"Shoulder arms, forward, march!" was the command given, and the drumssounded out, and the column moved off. A few people were present to seethem march away, and these gave a cheer.
"Ain't no nicer school in these United States!" exclaimed Peleg Snuggers,enthusiastically. "Them boys is the real thing, right straight through!"
"An' nice boys, too," added Mrs. Green. "God bless 'em, every one!"
For the first mile the route was along the lake shore. Then the battalionturned to the westward, and were soon pursuing a road that wound in andout among the hills. The cadets passed through several small villages,and the inhabitants came out to gaze at them in wonder, while the smallboys set up a cheer.
One of the villages had just been left behind, when those in the front ofthe line of march heard a loud tooting from an automobile horn.
"Here comes one of those big autos," said Pepper. "Say, it's coming at aspanking gait, too."
"Hope it gives us plenty of room," came from another cadet. "I don't liketo meet those big machines, when they are going at a twenty-mile clip."
The automobile was coming around a turn of the road, and soon it wasalmost on top of Company A. The cadets were marching on the right side ofthe road, but the automobile crowded them closely.
"Hi, there, keep to your side of the road!" shouted Jack.
"Go to Halifax!" growled the man who was running the machine, a big burlyfellow, with a red face.
"If you don't keep to your side of the road there will be trouble,"answered Jack, sharply, and then the young major commanded the battalionto halt. He was in sole charge, Captain Putnam and his assistants havinggone ahead to arrange for dinner.
"Look here, young fellow, you can't bulldoze me, even if you are insoldier clothes!" stormed the man, bringing his machine to a standstill.
"Never mind, Carl!" pleaded a lady who sat on the rear seat of theautomobile. "Let us go on."
"I want him to understand he can't bulldoze me, Annie."
"I am not trying to bulldoze you, sir," answered Jack. "We are entitledto half the roadway, and we are going to have it."
"Feel big, don't you?" sneered the automobilist.
"Are you going to give us half the road or not?"
"Give them what they want, Carl!" pleaded the lady.
"I can't give them half the road," growled the man. "I'm not going to runmy wheels into the soft ground for anybody. I might get stuck."
"You can give us half the road and not get stuck either," returned Jack.He knew a little about running an automobile himself.
The machine was standing almost in the middle of the road. Somewhat tothe right was a puddle of water, and had the cadets marched around themachine, they would have had to go directly through the wet spot.
"Do you expect us to march through that puddle?" demanded the youngmajor, after a pause.
"You can break ranks and go around the other way," answered the man. Heevidently wanted to make as much trouble for the young soldiers as hecould.
"We are not breaking ranks for that purpose." Jack's face was growingwhite. "I'll give you just two minutes in which to get out of the road.Now be quick, and move on!"
"Ho! do you intend to dictate to me?" growled the man, but looked just abit anxious.
For reply the young major got out his watch. At the same time he turnedto the two companies behind him.
"Support arms!" was the command. "Fix bayonets!" And at the last word thecadets drew their shining bayonets from their scabbards and fastened themto their guns.
"Oh, Carl, do move to one side!" cried the lady, in terror. "They aregoing to charge on us!"
"Hi! hi! don't you charge!" yelled the man. He knew only too well whatbayonets could do to the rubber tires of his automobile.
"Time is up," called out Major Jack. "Are you going to get to your sideof the road or not?"
"Wait--I'll try it," grumbled the man, and turning on the power, he movedto one side, and passed the two companies with ease. Several madeimitation charges on his rubber tires as he passed, much to his alarm.
"What a brute!" was Andy's comment, as the cadets moved on once more. "Isuppose he wanted the whole road to himself."
"A good many folks who own autos forget that other folks have rights onthe road which they are bound to respect," answered Joe Nelson. "If theyhad their way, they'd ride over everything and everybody that camealong."
A short distance further on, the battalion came to another village, andhere the young soldiers stopped for dinner. Without loss of time Jackreported to Captain Putnam.
"I am sorry you had trouble," said the owner of the Hall. "You did rightto demand half the road. If you have more trouble, let me know."
Dinner was had under some large spreading chestnut trees. It was plainbut wholesome, and the long morning march had given everybody a goodappetite.
"Are you enjoying your hard-tack, Stuffer?" asked Pepper, with a wink atthe always-hungry cadet.
"Humph! I knew you fellows were only fooling," was the answer.
At two o'clock the march was resumed, and kept up until half-past five.They had now reached a spot known as Squire's Grove, and here tents werepitched in true military style. Big fires were started, and the cadetshad their first taste of camp life.
"Say, but I'd like about a month of this," was Andy's comment, after eachcadet had been assigned to his quarters.
"Perhaps we couldn't have some fun!" put in Pepper. "As it is, I'm goingto try for some fun to-night."
"Right you are, Pep."
The air was so cool in the evening that the cadets were glad enough togather around the big camp-fires. They told stories, and sang songs, andall too quickly came the hour to turn in.
As Captain Putnam wanted the students to learn what real military lifewas like, each cadet was assigned to two hours of guard duty during thenight. As soon as he hear
d of this, Pepper learned where Mumps would bestationed, and then called Andy to one side.
"Did you hear that ghost story Dale was telling?" he questioned.
"To be sure I did. It fairly made some of the younger lads tremble."
"Did you notice how scared Mumps was?"
"Yes."
"Well, Mumps is going to see a ghost to-night, Andy."
"How do you know?"
"Because we are going to fix one up for him," and then Pepper unfolded aplan that had just entered his head. It met with instant approval, andsoon the two boys started to carry it out.
Taking a tree branch they wrapped it up in a white sheet, and on the topplaced a white duck cap, making the whole look like the ghost of a cadetwhile at a distance. Then they took this out of camp, and placed it atthe end of a strong cord, running up over the limb of a tree. The figurewas pulled up among the branches, out of sight, and this done they soughtout Mumps.
"Say, Mumps, was it you told the fellows that a cadet was once murderedaround here?" questioned Pepper, innocently.
"Murdered?" returned the sneak of the school. "No, I never heard of it."
"They say a cadet was murdered at this place about four years ago, andthat if you watch for it, you can see his ghost among the trees."
"Ah, you can't scare me," returned Mumps.
"I'm not trying to scare you. I thought you told the story yourself," wasthe answer, and then Andy and Pepper strolled on.
"He'll remember that, I'll wager," whispered Pepper.
"We'll know better when he goes on guard," answered Andy, and then theywaited impatiently for the time to come when they could work off theirlittle joke on the sneak.