CHAPTER XI
A FIGHT AND ITS RESULT
"Dave, if you fight, and Doctor Clay hears of it, you'll get intotrouble," whispered Roger. "You know what his rules are."
"I am not going to fight, but I'll defend myself," was the calm answer.
"Maybe you're afraid to fight," sneered Nat Poole, who stood close by.
Before the country youth could answer, Gus Plum sprang forward and aimedanother blow at Dave's face. Dave ducked, but was not quite quickenough, and the fist of his enemy landed on his ear.
This aroused the boy from Crumville as never before. The look on thebully's face was such as to nerve him to do his best, and, castingprudence to the winds, he "sailed in" with a vigor that astonished allwho beheld it. One fist landed on Plum's nose and the other on thebully's chin, and down he went in a heap against the boathouse.
"Have you had enough?" demanded Dave, his eyes fairly flashing.
"No!" roared the bully, and scrambling up, he rushed at Dave, and thepair clenched. Around and around the little dock they wrestled, firstone getting a slight advantage and then the other.
"Break away!" cried some of the students. "Break away!"
"I'll break, if he'll break!" panted Dave. Plum said nothing, for he wasdoing his best to get the country boy's head in chancery, as it istermed; that is, under his arm, where he might pummel it to hissatisfaction.
But Dave was on his guard, and was not to be easily caught. He knew atrick or two, and, watching his opportunity, led Plum to believe that hewas getting the better of the contest. Then, with remarkable swiftness,he made a half-turn, ducked and came up, and sent the bully flying cleanand clear over his shoulder. When this happened both were close to theedge of the dock, and, with a cry and a splash, Gus Plum went over intothe river.
"Gracious! did you see that fling!"
"Threw him right over his head into the river!"
"The fellow who tackles Dave Porter has his hands full every time!"
So the comments ran on. In the meantime Dave stood quietly on the edgeof the dock, watching for the bully, and trying to regain his breath.
Plum had disappeared close to the edge of the dock, and all thebystanders expected him to reappear almost immediately. But, to theirsurprise, he did not show himself.
"Where is he? Why doesn't he come up?"
"He must be playing a trick on Porter. Maybe he is under the dock."
"No, he can't get under the dock. It is all boarded up."
"He must have struck his head on something, or got a cramp, being soheated up."
Dave continued to wait, and as his enemy did not come to light, a coldchill ran over him. What if Plum was really hurt, or in trouble underwater? He knew that the bully was not the best of swimmers.
"There he is!" came in a shout from one of the boys, and he pointed outinto the stream, to where Gus Plum's body was floating along, facedownward.
Dave gave one look and his heart seemed to leap into his throat. By theside of the dock was a rowboat, with the oars across the seats. He madea bound for it.
"Come," he said, motioning to Roger, and the senator's son followed himinto the craft. They shoved off with vigor, and Dave took up the oars.Then another boat put off, containing Poole and two other students.
A few strokes sufficed to bring the first rowboat up alongside of theform of the bully. Plum had turned partly over and was on the point ofsinking again, when Roger reached out and caught him by the foot. ThenDave swung the rowboat around, and after a little trouble the two gotthe soaked one aboard.
Gus Plum was partly unconscious, and a bruise on his left temple showedwhere his head had struck some portion of the dock in falling. As theyplaced him across the seats of the rowboat, he gasped, spluttered, andattempted to sit up.
"Better keep still," said Dave, kindly. "We don't want the boat to goover."
"Where am I? Oh, I know now! You knocked me over."
"Don't talk, Plum; wait till we get back to shore," warned Roger.
A few strokes took the boat back to the dock, and Dave and Rogerassisted the dripping youth to land. Gus Plum was so weak he had to sitdown on a bench to recover.
"You played me a mean trick," he spluttered, at last. "A mean trick!"
"That's what he did," put in Nat Poole, who had also returned to thedock. "I guess he was afraid to fight fair."
"I suppose you wanted to drown me," went on the bully of Oak Hall.
"I didn't want to drown you, Plum--I didn't even want to push youoverboard. I didn't think we were so close to the dock's edge."
"Humph! It's easy enough to talk!" Gus Plum gazed ruefully at hissomewhat loud summer suit. "Look at my clothes. They are just aboutruined!"
"Nonsense," came from Roger. "They need drying, cleaning, and pressing,that's all. You can get the job done down in Oakdale for a dollar and ahalf."
"And who is going to pay the bill?"
"Well, if you are too poor to do it, I'll do so," answered Roger.
This reply made the bully grow very red, and he shook his fist at thesenator's son.
"None of your insinuations!" he roared. "I am not poor, and I want youto know it. My father may have lost some money, but he can still buy andsell your father. And as for such a poorhouse nobody as your intimatefriend there, Porter----"
"For shame, Plum!" cried several.
"Oh, go ahead and toady to him, if you want to. I shan't stop you. ButI'd rather pick my company."
"And so would I," added Nat Poole. "I once heard of a poorhouse boy whowas the son of a thief. I'd not want to train with a fellow of thatsort."
Dave listened to the words, and they seemed to burn into his very heart.He came forward with a face as white as death itself.
"Nat Poole, do you mean to insinuate that I am the son of a thief?" hedemanded.
"Oh, a fellow don't know what to think," replied the Crumvillearistocrat, with a sneer.
"Then take that for your opinion."
It was a telling blow, delivered with a passion that Dave could notcontrol. It took Nat Poole squarely in the mouth, and the aristocratwent down with a thud, flat on his back. His lip was cut and two of histeeth were loosened, while the country's boy's fist showed a skinnedknuckle.
"Whoop! did you see that!"
"My! what a sledge-hammer blow!"
"Poole is knocked out clean!"
Such were some of the comments, in the midst of which Nat Poole sat up,dazed and bewildered. Then he gasped, and ejected some blood from hismouth.
"You--you----" he began.
"Stay where you are, Nat Poole," said Dave, in a voice that was as coldas ice. "Don't you dare to budge!"
"Wha-what?"
"Don't you dare to budge until you have begged my pardon."
"Me? Beg your pardon! I'd like to see myself!"
"Well, that is just what you are going to do! If you don't, do you knowwhat I'll do? I'll throw you into the river and keep you there untilyou do as I say."
"Here, you let him alone!" blustered Plum, starting to rise.
"Keep out of this, Plum, or, as sure as I'm standing here, I'll throwyou in again, too!" said Dave.
"Dave----" whispered Roger. He could see that his friend was almostbeside himself with passion.
"No, Roger, don't try to interfere. This is my battle. They have beentalking behind my back long enough. Poole has got to apologize, or takethe consequences, and so has Plum. I'll make them do it, if I have tofight them both!" And the eyes of the country boy blazed with a firethat the senator's son had never before seen in them. "I don't deny thatI came from the poorhouse, and I don't deny that I know nothing of mypast," went on Dave, speaking to the crowd. "But I am trying to do thefair thing, every boy here knows it, and--and----"
"We are with you, Dave!" came from the rear of the crowd, and LukeWatson pushed his way to the front, followed by Phil, Shadow, and BusterBeggs.
"Dave Porter is one of the best fellows in this school," cried Phil.
"And Plum and Poole a
re a couple of codfish," added Buster.
"I--I--am a codfish, am I?" roared Plum.
"You are, Gus Plum. You say things behind folks' backs and try to bullythe little boys, and in reality you are no better than anybody else, ifas good. You make me sick."
"I'll--I'll hammer you good for that!"
"All right, send me word when you are ready," retorted Buster.
In the meantime Dave was still standing over Nat Poole. Suddenly hecaught the aristocratic youth by the ear and gave that member a twist.
"Ouch! Let go!" yelled Nat Poole. "Let go! Don't wring my ear off!"
"Will you apologize?" demanded Dave, and gave the ear a jerk thatbrought tears to Poole's eyes.
"I--I--oh, you'll have my ear off next! Oh, you wait--oh! oh! If I everget--_ouch_!"
"Say you are sorry you said what you did to me," went on Dave, "or intothe river you go!" And despite Poole's efforts, he dragged thearistocrat toward the edge of the dock.
"No! no! Oh, I say, Porter! Oh, my ear! I don't want to go into theriver! I--I--I take it back--I guess I made a mistake. Oh, let me go!"
"You apologize, then?"
"Yes."
"Then get out, and after this behave yourself," said Dave, and gave NatPoole a fling that sent him up against the boathouse with a bang. Inanother instant he was by Gus Plum's side. "Now it's your turn, youovergrown bully," he continued.
"Wha-what do you mean?" stammered Plum, who had looked on the scene justenacted with a sinking heart.
"I mean you must apologize, just as Poole has done."
"And if I won't?"
"I'll thrash you till you do--no matter what the consequences are," andDave hauled off his jacket and threw off his cap.
"Would you hit a fellow when he is--er--half drowned?" whined the bully.
"You're not half drowned--you're only scared, Plum. Now, then, will youapologize or not?" And Dave doubled up his fists.
"I--I don't have to. I--I--_oh_!"
The words on Plum's lips came to a sudden end, for at that instant thecountry boy caught him by the throat and banged his head up against theboathouse side.
"Now apologize, and be quick about it," said Dave, determinedly.
"Oh, my head! You have cracked my skull! I'll--I'll have the law onyou!"
"Very well, I'm willing. But you must apologize first!" And Plum's headcame into contact with the boathouse side again, and he saw stars.
"Oh! Let up--stop, Porter! Don't kill me! I--I--take it back! I--Iapologize! I--I didn't mean anything! Let up, please do!" shrieked GusPlum, and then Dave let go his hold and stepped back.
"Now, Gus Plum, listen to me," said the country boy. "Let this end itbetween us. If you don't, let me tell you right now that you will getthe worst of it. After this, keep your distance and don't open yourmouth about me. I shan't say anything to Doctor Clay about this, but ifyou say anything, I'll tell him all, and I know, from what he hasalready said, that he will stand by me."
"Maybe he doesn't know----"
"He knows everything about my past, and he has asked me to stay here,regardless of what some mean fellows like you might say about it. But Iam not going to take anything from you and Poole in the future; rememberthat!" added Dave, and then he picked up his cap and jacket, put themon, and, followed by Phil, Roger, and a number of his other friends,walked slowly away.