CHAPTER XXIV AN ATTACK AND A FIGHT
"What's doing, Andy?"
"Wait and see. You won't have to wait long."
The bully of Putnam Hall and his cronies were sleepy and soon tumbled ontheir cots. They had scarcely gotten under the blankets when a generalcry arose.
"Oh, my! I'm stuck full of pins!"
"Ouch! Something is sticking me in the middle of the back!"
"Ker-chew! Who--ker-chew!--put this--ker-chew!--pepper onmy--ker-chew!--cot?"
"My cot is full of burrs!"
"There are thistles in mine!"
Groans and muttered imprecations followed. Dan Baxter and his cronieswere wild with rage. They had to light a lantern and clean their cotsand blankets with care. The boys outside sneaked to their own quarters,laughing heartily to themselves.
"When did you do it, Andy?" asked Dale.
"While the shooting was going on. I got the burrs and thistles while Iwas out walking this afternoon."
"They won't forget this encampment in a hurry," said Pepper, with agrin.
"Look out that they don't pay us back."
There was other fun afloat that night, but our friends did not hear ofit until morning. Then Jack brought the news.
"We are in a pickle now," announced the young major.
"What's up, Jack?" questioned Pepper.
"Every boat is gone."
"The boats gone!" cried Harry Blossom. "Where did they go to?"
"Nobody seems to know."
"Did they drift away?"
"I think not. Mr. Strong and myself saw that they were tied up lastevening."
"Some of the fellows must have used them," said Andy.
"And forgot to tie them fast afterwards," suggested Dale.
"Or else they hid the boats just for fun," said Pepper.
Jack looked at his friends questioningly.
"See here, boys, please remember that I am the major at thisencampment," he began, seriously.
"We know it, Jack," said Andy, quickly. "I, for one, know nothing of theboats."
"And neither do I," came from each of the others.
"Maybe it is the work of the Baxter crowd," said Dale.
Two hours were spent in looking for the boats. Then a farmer was seenapproaching the island in a small scow which had seen better days.
"Say, did you folks lose any boats?" he asked.
"Yes," said George Strong, who was near. "All we had."
"Well, they drifted down to my farm. Shall I bring 'em up?"
"If you will."
"What is it worth, mister?" asked the farmer, who did not believe inworking gratuitously.
Captain Putnam was called, and he told the farmer he would give twodollars to have the boats brought back.
"Can I go along and help, Captain?" asked Andy.
"Yes, you can go, and Conners can go with you," answered Captain Putnam.
The boys were soon in the scow, and the farmer took them to the extremeend of the lake. Here they found all of the boats the school had used,drifted under some overhanging bushes.
"They are all tied together," said Andy. "That looks as if they weretaken away from the island on purpose."
"You didn't take them away, did you?" asked Bart Conners, of the farmer.
"Me? Not much. I was asleep last night," was the answer. "I heard youshootin' over to the island, but I didn't git up."
Andy leaped into one of the boats and picked up a cigarette butt andthen another.
"I guess I know the crowd who did this," said the acrobatic youth.
"Perhaps I do too," said Bart, pointedly. "The same crowd that set theold boathouse on fire, eh?"
"Exactly."
The cadets and the farmer took the boats back to the island. GeorgeStrong came down to inspect the craft and pay the farmer off.
"Humph!" said the teacher, as he saw the remains of the cigarettes. Hesaid no more, but later on talked the matter over with Captain Putnam.
Saturday night found the cadets back at Putnam Hall, safe and sound. Themarch back to the school had been without special incident. The walktold on some of the students, and on Sunday many of them were content todo little but rest and eat their meals. By the majority the outing wasvoted a complete success. Baxter and his cronies did not appreciate itso much and wanted to "get square" with somebody for the tricks that hadbeen played.
Once more the boys settled down to the regular routine. Many of themwanted to make a good showing when it came to the examinations and soapplied themselves diligently to their studies. But some, including ReffRitter and Dan Baxter, cared very little if they came out near the heador not.
"I expect to take a trip with my father before long," said Dan Baxter."I hope he takes me out of the school before the examinations come off."
"Wish I was going away," grumbled Ritter. "It's mighty dull these days."
For some reason Dan Baxter got it into his head that Pepper wasresponsible for all the troubles he had had, and one afternoon, when ina particularly ugly mood, he followed the Imp to the end of the campus.
"Say, Ditmore, you are getting pretty fresh, ain't you?" he blustered.
"Thanks, Baxter, but I certainly shouldn't wish to grow stale," answeredPepper, coolly.
"I don't like the way you are talking about me."
"I don't know as I have talked about you--at least, not lately."
"Oh, you needn't try to crawl out of it," went on the bully in a loudtone, while a crowd began to collect.
"I am not crawling out of anything."
"Maybe you'd like me to give you a good licking, eh?" went on Baxter,working himself up into a rage.
"I have no desire to fight. But if you----"
"Bah! Take that!" cried the bully, and without warning hit Pepper astinging blow on the chin. The Imp was not prepared for the attack andwent flat on his back on the grass.
"For shame, Baxter!" cried Harry Blossom, who had just come up. "Thatwasn't fair at all!"
"You keep your oar out!" snarled the bully. "I know what I am doing."
Slowly Pepper rose to his feet, a good deal dazed.
"Have you had enough?" demanded the bully, striding up with clenchedfists.
"Do you call that fighting fair?" asked Pepper, slowly.
"Oh, I don't want any gas!"
"Baxter you are a bully and a brute!"
The big cadet glared at the speaker in amazement. Then he made anotherlunge forward, but his fist met only the empty air, for Pepper duckedjust in time.
"I'll fix you!" roared Baxter, as he staggered forward and thenrecovered himself.
"I didn't want to fight, but since you force me to defend myself,why--take that!"
As Pepper finished he let out with his right fist and took the bullyfairly and squarely in the ear. Then the Imp swung around his left fistand it came in contact with Baxter's nose and made the blood spurt. Thebully staggered, but before he went down there came another blow thatloosened one of his teeth.
"Now have you had enough?" asked Pepper, standing over the fallen formof the bully.
"No!" snarled Baxter, and as quickly as he could he got on his feet. Butthe instant he was up again, Pepper knocked him down.
"I am going to give you a dose of your own medicine, Baxter," said theImp. "If you try to get up again, down you go once more."
"Boys! boys! what does this mean?" came in a stern voice, and looking upthey saw Captain Putnam approaching.