CHAPTER XX THE ESCAPE FROM THE GUARDROOM
The young major was in no agreeable frame of mind when he found himselflocked in the guardroom. He had been attacked in an underhanded fashionand rather roughly treated, and one button had been torn from hisuniform. He sat down on a chair and shut his teeth tightly.
“This is the limit,” he mused. “When I get out I rather think I’ll makeit warm for both Crabtree and Cuddle! They have no right whatever totreat me in this fashion.”
A quarter of an hour passed—to the young major it appeared a much longertime—when he heard footsteps approaching and the door was unlocked. Hesprang up, hoping for freedom. But he was mistaken, instead anothercadet was thrown into the room, protesting loudly. Then the door wassecured as before.
“Ritter!” exclaimed Jack, in astonishment.
“Oh, so you are here, eh?” cried the school bully. “I thought I was tobe alone. This is a fine way to treat a student.”
“If you mean that for sarcasm I agree with you,” answered the youngmajor.
“Say, was it you gave me away to old Crabtree?” demanded Reff Rittersuddenly.
“I don’t know what you mean, Reff.”
“He sent Peleg Snuggers up to the door of our dormitory, stating hewanted to have a talk with me. As soon as I got to the office Cuddle andsome of those outside guards pounced on me like a lot of wolves. I gaveCuddle a good one in the nose and he hit me over the head with acane—and then I was thrown in here. Somebody must have told them aboutthe inkwell and the hot potatoes and plates. I believe it was you!” AndRitter gave Jack an ugly look.
“I didn’t say a word, Reff—I give my word of honor.”
“I don’t believe you, Jack Ruddy. If you didn’t, why am I here?”
“For that matter, why am I here?”
“I don’t know, excepting as a witness against me.”
“You are mistaken, Reff. Whether you believe it or not, I did not tellCrabtree a word about you—in fact, your name wasn’t mentioned to me. Iwas asked to come down to the office and I went—and then I was attackedfrom behind, made a prisoner, and brought here.”
“Humph!” muttered the bully, and that was all he said for the timebeing.
Several more minutes passed and then from a distance they heard a suddencry for help. Both leaped up from their chairs.
“That was Bob Grenwood’s voice!” exclaimed Jack. “It came from thedirection of the office. Maybe they are serving him as they served us.”
“Maybe,” returned Reff Ritter, and his face lost some of its gloomylook. It was a case of “misery loves company,” with him. The youngmajor’s words proved true, and in a few minutes the former quartermasterof the Hall battalion was thrown violently into the guardroom. Hiscollar was partly torn, and blood was flowing from a scratch on hischeek.
“They must have had quite a time with you, Bob,” said Jack, aftergreeting the new arrival.
“They sure did!” was the reply. “We had a pitched battle in the office,and Crabtree hit me in the mouth and I landed on his left eye. I guesshe’ll carry the eye in mourning for a while.”
“It looks as if they were going to make all of us prisoners one by one,”said Reff Ritter.
“That’s about the size of it.”
“This guardroom won’t hold over a dozen,” said Jack. “What will they dowith the rest? I’ve got an idea!” he added suddenly.
“What’s that?”
“Old Crabtree is sending for the leader of every dormitory. More thanlikely he thinks if he can get the leaders under lock and key the othercadets will knuckle under to him.”
“Maybe they’ll do it,” growled Reff Ritter. “When I came away Mumps andBilly Sabine wanted to give in. Mumps, the sneak, was scared half todeath.”
“If they take the leader from each dormitory you’ll soon see FrankBarringer and Mart Ballock coming along,” said Bob Grenwood.
The three youths talked the situation over until another noise was heardin the hallway. Then Frank Barringer was shoved into the guardroom. Hewas a dignified, gentlemanly youth and showed little resistance.
“Mr. Cuddle, I protest against such rough treatment,” he said. “I shallhold you responsible for what you have done. If Captain Putnam will nottake up the matter, I shall get my father to do so. I thought this was ayoung gentlemen’s school, not a penitentiary.”
“Don’t talk to me, sir, don’t talk to me!” spluttered Pluxton Cuddle. “Iknow what I am doing!” And then the door was banged into Frank’s face.
“Number Four!” cried Jack. “We are gradually filling the ranks. Beforelong we’ll have enough recruits for an awkward squad!” And he smiledfaintly.
“Mart Ballock next,” said Bob Grenwood, and he was right, the cadetmentioned was thrown into the guardroom a few minutes later. Then cametwo more cadets, the head lads in two other dormitories.
“Boys, I’ve got a scheme,” said Jack. “There are now seven of us here.Why not try to break away when they come with the next cadet? I’d ratherbe out of the school than in such a gloomy hole as this.”
“I am with you!” answered Bob Grenwood.
“It may mean some fighting,” mused Frank Barringer.
“What of it?” blustered Reff Ritter. “I’ll fight if the rest will. Letus give it to ’em good when they come!”
“But if we get away, where are we to go to?” questioned Mart Ballock. “Ihaven’t a cent of money with me.”
“We can camp out, if we can’t do anything else,” said Jack. “We couldget a tent or two, some provisions, and go up the lake shore——”
“Hurrah! that’s the idea!” exclaimed another cadet. “We could remain outtill Captain Putnam came back.”
“What of the other fellows?” asked Reff Ritter.
“They can join us if they want to,” answered the young major.
“That will be a regular rebellion,” said Frank Barringer.
“Don’t you think we are justified, Frank?”
“Oh, yes, Jack—under the circumstances we are justified in doing almostanything. Besides, if we get away, I’ll have a chance to send thattelegram to Captain Putnam. It ought to be sent at once.”
“We ought to have some plan of action,” said Bob Grenwood. “After webreak away what shall we do?”
“We ought to fix it so that the fellows left behind will know what weare up to,” said the young major. “Perhaps they might get out tonightand follow us—if they wanted to.”
After considerable discussion it was decided that, given the chance,each cadet should get out of the Hall as best he could. All were to meetlater at the ruins of an old barn, half a mile up the lake shore.
“Don’t be worried if I don’t show up on time,” said Jack. “If I can Iwant to let the other fellows know what is going on.” And then he toldof the hole in the closet ceiling and of how it led to the trunk roomabove.
There was little time to say more, for soon more footsteps sounded inthe hallway and again the door was opened. This time the prisoner wasFred Century.
“Now, boys, all together!” shouted Jack, and leaped for the half-closeddoor. “Come on, Fred!” he added. “We are off for Bailey’s old barn.” Hespoke the last words softly, so that those outside might not hear.
Then came a wild rush, and blows were freely exchanged between theguards and Pluxton Cuddle and the cadets. One of the guards was throwndown and the other received a kick in the shins that made him roar withpain. Cuddle made a grab for Jack, but Reff Ritter caught him by theankles and threw him on his back, where he lay for the moment, his windknocked out of him.
The encounter made considerable noise, and before the cadets could getaway Josiah Crabtree and one of the guards from upstairs appeared on thescene. Crabtree held a cane in his hand and struck several lads. ThenJack caught hold of the cane and wrenched it from the teacher’s grasp.
“Don’t—don’t hit me, Ruddy!” gasped the teacher, as he saw the cane goup
.
“Then get out of our way!” answered the young major, and Josiah Crabtreeshrank back in terror. The next moment Jack was bounding through thehallway, and the other cadets scattered in several directions. Some wentinto the classrooms and out of the windows while two ran out of a sidedoor. Jack mounted a side stairs, skipped past a guard who lookedbewildered and frightened, and then sped for the trunk room. But as hereached the door his heart failed him. He remembered how the door hadbeen barricaded from the inside by a heavy trunk.
“If I can’t shove it back, I can’t get in!” he thought, and tried thedoor. Just as he did so it came open, and to his surprise he foundhimself confronted by Pepper.
“Jack!” gasped The Imp. “Where have you been? I was just going on ascouting expedition after you.”
“Shut the door—and push the trunk back into place,” answered the youngmajor. “I’ve got a great story to tell,” he added. “We are now in openrebellion!”