CHAPTER XXII PRISONERS ON THE SLOOP
A short, sharp fight followed, and Ritter and Coulter were struck overthe head with the hockey sticks. But then Andy slipped and fell andRitter pounced upon him. Then Coulter attacked Pepper from the front andPaxton came up in the rear. Suddenly Paxton pulled the Imp's legs fromunder him, and as he went down his head struck on the guard rail and hewas momentarily stunned. He was thrown into the cuddy and Andy wasthrown after him, and then the tiny door was shut and bolted. To makethe temporary prison more secure the Ritter crowd ran a heavy ropearound the cuddy, just as one would put a rope around a big box.
"Hi, let us out!" shouted Andy and began to pound on the door loudly."If you don't we'll make it hot for you!"
"You've got to stay in there for awhile," answered Ritter, coolly.
Paxton and Coulter were much excited over the turn affairs had taken andwanted to know what was to be done next.
"Let us talk it over," said Ritter. "I didn't expect this any more thanyou did." And he rubbed the lump one of the hockey sticks had raisedover his left ear. "I'll pay Ditmore back for that crack, see if Idon't," he added, bitterly.
"I got one, too, from Snow," growled Coulter.
"We had better move the sloop from shore," went on Ritter. "If we don'tsome others may come down and make it warm for us."
The anchor was hoisted and the line attached to the dock cast off. Thenthey raised the mainsail and stood out into the darkness of the lake.Soon Putnam Hall and the boathouse were lost in the gloom.
"Now lower the sail and let her drift while we talk," said Ritter.
"She may go on the rocks," warned Coulter.
"If she does she won't hit hard enough to hurt. The breeze has aboutdied out."
In the cuddy Pepper had regained his senses. With the door shut theplace was suffocating, and all the two cadets could think of was to getout. They pounded and kicked on the door, but this brought no response.
"We can't stay in here!" gasped Pepper.
"We'll have to stay--unless we can break out," returned his chum. "AndI'd hate to damage the sloop to that extent--right before the race, too."
"But they'll damage her more yet, Andy!"
"If they dare!"
"I believe Ritter would do anything. He is bound to make the _Alice_lose that race."
Several minutes went by, and the two prisoners heard those outsidewalking from end to end of the sloop. Then came a sudden jar, followedby another.
"Hi! Paxton is overboard!" they heard Coulter yell.
"I didn't think we'd hit those rocks so hard," answered Reff Ritter.
"Now is our time to get out--if we can!" cried Pepper. "If we break thedoor we can have it mended."
Both boys braced themselves against the walls of the cuddy and put theirshoulders to the door. It could not stand this strain and in a fewseconds began to crack. Then it flew outward, over the rope with whichit had been held in, and the cadets followed. They saw Coulter andRitter at the bow, bending over to assist Paxton, who was wading inwater up to his neck.
"They are loose!" yelled Coulter, but ere he could say more Andy grabbedhim and pushed him overboard. Pepper caught Ritter and got that youngrascal partly over the rail, but there he clung.
"Help me, Andy!" cried Pepper, and Andy did so by putting his foot onRitter's hand. The bully gave a yell, and a moment later went overbackward with a loud splash.
The _Alice_ had struck several half-submerged rocks, but had not goneupon them. The craft was now drifting further up the lake, leavingRitter, Paxton and Coulter behind.
"Ho there!" roared Paxton, "don't leave us!"
"Come back!" added Ritter and Coulter.
"Not to-night!" answered Pepper, grimly. "Maybe we'll see you in themorning."
"If you don't come back, I'll get square, remember that!" yelled Ritter,in a rage.
"See you to-morrow," sang out Andy.
The rocks upon which the sloop had struck were several in number andwere backed up by a small island situated a hundred feet or more fromthe shore. Peering into the gloom those on the craft saw the others wadeout of the water to the island.
"They are safe," said Pepper. "But they are a good mile and a half fromPutnam Hall."
"And they can't get ashore without swimming," added Andy. "But as theirclothing is already wet, that won't hurt them much."
"What scoundrels they are--to want to injure this boat!"
"That's true. We really ought to report them to Captain Putnam and havethem expelled."
"We might do that if it wasn't for one thing. Remember, we have no rightto be away from the school to-night. We should have obtained permissionto watch the sloop."
"I know it--and that will keep us from reporting Ritter and his cronies.Just the same, we ought to let the others know of this--I don't mean Jackalone, but every one in our crowd."
"We will let them know it. See, here is one of the files they broughtalong."
"And here is the pot of stuff they were going to put on the rudder, andthe drag for the keel. This drag alone would have been enough to makethe boat lose--in a close race."
The boys, while talking, had hoisted the mainsail of the _Alice_, andnow they tacked and stood back in the direction of the school dock. Theydid not go close to shore, however, but anchored at a point quite adistance from the boathouse. They had towed the two rowboats along andleft them floating at the stern.
"Do you think they'll dare to come back?" asked Andy, after hisexcitement had died down.
"I don't think so. If they do we can fight them off, or sail the boataway."
The boys lit a lantern that was on board and by its light inspected thedamage done to the cuddy door. Fortunately the hinges had given way andthese could be renewed with but little cost. The craft had been mussedup a little, but that was all. Where Ritter and his cronies had gone towork on the ropes the damage was slight.
"They struck on the rocks just in time," was Pepper's decision. "Hadthey kept on, these ropes would soon have been ruined, and it would havebeen too late to refit the _Alice_ for that race."
At last the boys settled down for the remainder of the night. They tookturns at sleeping and each got a good nap if nothing more. As soon asthe first bell rang Andy went ashore, sneaked into the school, and up tohis dormitory.
"Any alarm?" asked Jack, who was just getting up.
"I just guess!" answered the acrobatic youth. "If we hadn't remained onboard your cake would have been dough to-day." And then he related whathad occurred. Not only the young major, but all of the others presentlistened with interest. Then a rush was made downstairs and to the boatdock.
"The villains!" was all the young major could say. "I really ought toexpose them. But as you say, it might get you into trouble," and heturned to Andy and Pepper.
"I know why Ritter and his crowd are so anxious to make you lose," saidDale. "I wasn't going to mention it, but now I think it best. That ganghave put money into the hands of Crosby, who runs the store inCedarville, and he is putting it up against Putnam Hall. They want towin a pot of money, I think."
"Then the bitterest pill you can make them swallow is to win the race,"cried Joe Nelson.
"That's the way I figure it," went on Dale. "Do that and you'll probablybreak them."
"A fellow who bets deserves to lose," said Joe Nelson, who never wageredon anything.
The chums wondered if they would see anything of Ritter, Paxton andCoulter at breakfast, but those unworthies managed to keep out of sight.From Billy Sabine they learned that Ritter had been excused from gettingup because of a headache, and the others had asked for permission tomake an early trip to Cedarville.
"They are afraid to show themselves," said Jack, and he was right; noneof the trio mingled with the other cadets until it was time for thegreat race to come off.
It had been decided that each sloop should carry a crew of five, andJack had selected Andy, Pepper, Dale and Stuffer to accompany
him. Thiscrew went out in the _Alice_ during the morning, and learned from thejudges of the race just how the contest was to be sailed. The course wasa triangular one, exactly twelve miles in length. The start was to bemade at exactly two o'clock and if by six o'clock no boat had coveredthe course the race was to be declared off for the day and was to besailed the following Saturday, weather permitting.