CHAPTER XXII
UNDER THE STING OF THE LASH
When the crowd reached the camp of the high school boys all wassilent there. From within the tent came the sounds of the heavybreathing of the sleepers.
"Everything is ready, and there isn't even a dog on the place!"was the exultant word passed back.
"Bunch up! Get in close and surround the tent," ordered anothervoice. "We want some of you men behind the tent, so that noneof the youngsters can slip away from us. Come along, now. Don'ttalk! Don't make so much noise. Easy, now!"
Thus the figures continued to gather, like so many evil spiritsof the night.
Here and there one of the rabble fell over something in the dark,or tripped over a root or stone as he moved about among the shadows.
In the intervals of absolute silence the steady breathing of thesix Gridley High School boys could still be heard, until one manin the rabble, less sober than the others, fell over a packing-case,barking his shins and giving vent to a yell of pain.
"What was that?" asked Greg Holmes, waking and rising on one elbow.
Outside all was quiet again.
"Hey, Dave, get up!" Holmes called, shaking the arm of Darry,who lay asleep on the adjoining cot. "I heard something goingon outside. We'll both get up, light a lantern, and-----"
"Yes! Get up and come out!" jeered a voice near the tent door."Come out and have a look at us. The reputable citizens of Fentonare to chase you out of town---and we'll do it, after we get throughwith teaching you manners!"
"Fellows! Hustle!" shouted Greg, leaping from his cot. "Getready for trouble. All the topers and loafers who ever knew Millerare outside to avenge the beating that Miller received from Dick!"
"We'll show you!" came a hoarse yell, and then the foremost ruffiansin the crowd surged in through the tent door.
But Dave had succeeded in lighting a lantern, and this he tooktime to hang from a hook on the nearest pole.
Five boys clad only in their pajamas faced this angry rabble.Dan Dalzell slept through the confusion until Reade, in passinghim, hauled him from bed.
"What are you men doing here?" thundered Reade, striding to thehead of the little group of defenders.
Dick was now beside him like a flash.
"You fellows get out of here!" Prescott ordered, his eyes flaming.
"We'll get out when we get ready!" came the hoarse answer. "Now,friends, show these young imps-----"
But that speaker got no further, for a blow from Tom's fist broughthim to the ground.
All six of Dick & Co. were now on the fistic firing line.
For a few moments they carried all but consternation to theiropponents. As they were forced back from the doorway, however,more and more of the mob poured in.
The very weight of numbers was bound to count against Dick & Co.who were likely to suffer severely at the hands of the miscreants.
Just then there came a flash across the canvas of the tent. Thelight had been thrown by a swiftly-moving automobile. There wasanother automobile directly behind it. Both cars came to a stopat the roadside, while from them leaped more than a dozen men.
These men were armed---each with a horsewhip. In an instant theinvaders found them selves assailed from behind.
Whish! slash! zip!
In another instant all was uproar. Yells of pain from the mobrent the air, for these latest arrivals were laying about themwith their horsewhips with an energy worthy of a good cause.
"Here, you, Andy Hartshorn. Stop that! Don't you hit me! Iknow you, and I'll have the law on you!" shrieked one of thefrightened wretches.
"He who goes to law should have his own hands clean," quoth FarmerHartshorn, as he dealt the fellow a stinging blow on the legs.
Those of the crowd outside the tent fled in every direction, hotlypursued, and again and again they were stung by the lashes.
Those of the invaders still in the tent were now in a panic toget out and away. As they dashed through the doorway they feltthe slashing of horsewhips, while Dick Prescott and his chumshammered them from the rear.
In less than thirty seconds the invaders had been cleared away.They fled in screaming panic, scattering in all directions, someof them being pursued and lashed for a distance of many rods upor down the road.
On all sides the fleeing wretches threatened their persecutorswith the law, but these threats did not stop the punishment.
"I guess it's all right now, boys!" called Farmer Hartshorn grimly,as he strode up to the place where Dick & Co. had gathered justbeyond their tent.
"What was that mob, anyway?" Dick asked.
"A gang that came after revenge for what you did to Miller to-night,"laughed the farmer.
"I thought as much," muttered Dick.
"They've been gathering at Miller's, and other like places, fora couple of hours," Mr. Hartshorn went on. "But, as is the casewith all such movements, some news of it leaked outside. We gotword a bit late, or we'd have been here before that crowd camealong. When we knew the word was straight some of us telephonedto others, and our crowd was gotten together, but as it is, wegot here in season. Are any of you boys hurt?"
"No, sir; not one of us," Dick declared. "But some of us mighthave been seriously injured if you gentlemen had been delayedfor another minute."
"We'll know the rascals to-morrow," spoke up another of the rescuers."If they appear on the streets at all they'll be recognized.We have marked them up pretty well. They've gone off vowingto have the law on us."
"All they'll do will be to put arnica on themselves," declaredMr. Hartshorn. "And they will send friends to the drugstore forthe arnica. They won't take the risk of being recognized on thestreets. They'll be a shame-faced lot in the morning."
"It was mighty good of you men to come down and help us out,"murmured Dick Prescott gratefully. "We would have had a prettytough time if we had been left to ourselves."
"We'd go further than we've traveled tonight, to help out boyslike you," declared another man present. "Prescott, that wasa fine thing you did to Miller to-night, and Tom Drake will begrateful as long as he lives."
"If Drake keeps away from drink in the future," Dick answered,"he will have reason to congratulate himself."
"Oh, Drake will keep away from the stuff after this," said oneof the citizens. "Young Drake has a head of his own, and we'llsee that he uses it. We'll keep a friendly eye over him. Don'tworry. Young Tom Drake will never associate with any of Miller'skind again."
"Whenever any of you boys want to go to sleep, just say so," urgedMr. Hartshorn, "and we'll run along."
"Why, I believe we're a bit waked up, at present," smiled youngPrescott, as he turned to glance at the others in the light thrownby the automobile lamps.
"I don't feel as though I needed any more sleep," laughed TomReade.
"If you boys are thinking of sitting up to watch against anothersurprise, don't bother about it," advised Mr. Hartshorn. "You'veseen the very last that you'll see of those rascals. Men of thatsort never have nerve enough to attempt a risky thing twice."
"I'm going to put some wood in the stove and make coffee," DannyGrin announced.
"Can't we offer you a cup of coffee, gentlemen?" proposed Prescott."And sandwiches? We have plenty of the fixings for sandwiches."
The idea prevailed to such an extent that Dalzell put on a kettleof water to boil, while Tom and Dave began to slice bread andopen tinned meats.
"I'm going to sit down on the ground and be comfortable," declaredone of the Fentonites, when coffee and food were passed around.
"Do you know, gentlemen," said Tom Reade, as he munched a sandwich,"I'm beginning to like Fenton next to our own town of Gridley."
"Fenton isn't anywhere near as large a place as Gridley," repliedone of the guests.
"No; but for its size Fenton is a lively place," Reade went on."There seems to be something happening here every minute."
"That is when young fellows like you come along and start the
ball rolling," chuckled Farmer Hartshorn. "There has been moreexcitement to-night in Fenton than I can remember during the lastfive years. I've seen you play football, Prescott, and you'rea wonder at the game. Yet what you did to-night for young TomDrake is a bigger thing than winning a whole string of the greatestfootball games of the year."
"Football is more exciting, though," smiled Dick.
"Is it?" demanded Mr. Hartshorn. "More exciting than what you'vebeen through tonight? Then I'll never play football! More excitementthan you've had to-night isn't healthful for any growing youngfellow!"
For fully an hour these men of Fenton remained at the camp, talkingwith their young hosts, and, incidentally, picking up a lot ofinformation about the sports and pastimes that most interest wide-awakeboys of to-day.
At last, however, disclaiming the thanks offered by Dick & Co.,the guests went away in the automobiles that had brought them,while Dick Prescott and his chums prepared to finish out the night'srest.