"Not over his waist," whispered another voice.

"What! It's twice over his head," was the answer. "I tested the water
this afternoon."

"Never mind, he's got to take the test anyway."

Now Tubbs was by no means a good swimmer, and the idea of being thrown
into the water with his hands tied behind him and his head in a sack
was frightful in the extreme.

"Le--let me go!" he whined. "Let me go, I say!"

"Forward with him!" was the heartless reply, and he was pushed on until
he suddenly found himself in water up to his ankles.

"Stop! stop!" he cried, in a muffled voice. "Stop! I don't want to
drown!"

"Will you obey your superiors?"

"Yes, yes--anything!"

"Will you join the Order of Black Skulls?"

"Anything, I told you, only don't let me drown!" cried the frightened
William Philander.

"And will you promise to keep mum about what has happened here
to-night?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Very well, you shall not be allowed to drown. But you must take the
plunge."

"Oh, dear me! I can't--"

"Forward, and be lively about it. We will fish you out with a crab
net."

"But I--I can't swim with my hands tied behind me!" chattered poor
Tubbs.

"Yes, you can. Forward now! Ha, fellows, he will not go. Jab him with
the pitchfork!"

At this a student stepped behind Tubbs and pricked his back with a pin.

The fashionable youth let out a yell of terror, and then, certain that
he was about to take an awful plunge into some deep part of the lake,
made a desperate leap forward.

A wild shriek of laughter rang out as Tubbs made the leap. He had
jumped across a narrow brook not six inches deep and landed sprawling
on the grass beyond.

"You are now initiated," said one of the masked cadets, when the
laughter had somewhat died away. And at once Tubbs' hands were untied
and the bag was taken from his head.

"Well, I never!" he murmured, as he gazed in amazement at the brook.
"Thought it was the lake front sure!"

"As you are now one of us, Tubbs, you must wear these," said a cadet,
and furnished the fashionable youth with a mask, cap, and pair of
horns.

"We have now disposed of number two," said another cadet. "What of
number three?"

"Number three must--"

At that moment a gun-shot rang out on the still night air.

"Hullo, something is wrong!" cried one of the hazers, in quick alarm.

"There goes the drum, fellows!" came in the unmistakable voice of Sam
Rover. "We've got to hustle back to camp or we'll be exposed!"

"Right you are," came from Songbird Powell. "Come, fellows, and mind
you don't let anybody see the masks and other things."

And away they scooted, under the trees and then along a row of bushes
running fairly close to the first line of tents. In the meantime the
drum continued to roll and the whole camp was astir. Captain Putnam
himself was out and was soon followed by Major Larry and Captain Fred
Garrison. Dick Rover knew what was up and took his time about showing
himself, since he did not wish any of the hazers to be captured.

"Call the roll!" said Major Larry, after making a round of the company
streets. But he himself was in no particular hurry.

Almost out of breath with running, the hazers came into camp,
accompanied by Hans and Tubbs. Masks, caps, and horns were pushed out
of sight under cots, and then all sallied forth to join their various
commands. Calling the roll was already in progress.

"All present or accounted for," came the declaration, five minutes
later.

"All present, eh?" mused Captain Putnam. "That's queer. Who fired that
gun?"

"Private Jackson."

"I will interview Jackson," said the master of the school, and he
ordered Jackson to his private tent.

"What made you raise the alarm, Jackson?" he questioned sharply.

"I thought some of the cadets were out of camp, sir," was the answer.

"Did you see them go?"

"Not exactly, sir, but I thought I saw three or four of them sneaking
along near the woods."

"Humph! You should be sure of what you are doing, Jackson. It is not
commendable to arouse the whole camp at midnight for nothing."

"Well, I thought I was sure," insisted the crestfallen cadet. He knew
for a certainty that some of the cadets had been out but saw no way to
prove it.

"In the future be more careful while on guard duty," said Captain
Putnam coldly; and there the subject was dropped.

"Who fired that shot?" asked Sam, on the morning following the hazing.

"Jackson," replied a cadet named Gilson, who had been one of the
hazers.

"The sneak!" murmured the youngest Rover.

"That's what I say, Rover."

"Guess he did it to get square for losing that swimming race," put in
another of the hazers.

"More than likely. We ought to square up with him for it."

"That's the talk."

"Vat's der madder mit tossing him a blanket up?" asked Hans earnestly.

"Think that's a good way to get square, eh, Hans?" laughed Sam.

"Dot's der vorst bunishments vot I know of," said the German boy with
deep conviction. "Makes you feel like you vos going to preak abard
alretty kvick!"

All of the boys knew that it would not do to try any more hazing for
the next few nights. Even if the guards gave no alarm, Captain Putnam
or one of the teachers might be on the watch to catch them.

On the following day it rained and the majority of the cadets were glad
enough to remain under shelter. A few went bathing or fishing and the
latter brought in quite a respectable mess of fish. Even in fishing the
boys were rivals and a new tin cup was voted to the cadet bringing in
the string that weighed the most.

The rain began about ten o'clock and by noon the water was coming down
in torrents.

"This is beautiful," remarked Tom, as he looked at the puddle in the
company's street.

"We ought to have dug another ditch to let that water run off,"
remarked Dick.

"Well, nobody wants to go out now and dig."

"That is true."

Instead of abating the rain became more violent as the afternoon
advanced.

"This looks as if we were going to have some wind." remarked Major
Larry with a doubtful shake of his head.

"I hope it doesn't blow too heavily," said Captain Putnam.

"Don't you think I had better caution the fellows to pin down their
tents extra hard?"

"It would do no harm, Major Colby."

"Then I'll do it," said Larry, and issued the order without delay. Some
of the cadets grumbled at being driven out into the wet, but the
majority knew they were doing the work for their own good and went at
it without a murmur.

At about sundown the wind fell and after supper it was as calm as it
had been before the storm started.

"Told you there wasn't any use of getting wet pounding down stakes,"
growled Lew Flapp. He had done his work in a slip-shod fashion,
staying out but a minute or two for that purpose.

It still rained, so building camp-fires was out of the question. This
being so, the cadets turned in early, glad to seek the shelter of their
cots and their warm blankets.

An hour went by, when of a sudden the rain increased once more. Then
came a rush of wind that shook all of the tents violently.

"We are not out of it yet, it would seem," said Dick, as he sat up on
his cot to listen to the flapping of the canvas in the company street.

He had hardly spoken when another gust of wind tore down on the camp.
There was a ripping of cloth and a crashing of poles, and then a cry
for help sounded from several places at once.




CHAPTER XIX

A STORM IN CAMP


"Say, fellows, are we all going up in a balloon!" cried Sam Rover, as
he rolled off his cot in a great hurry.

One whole side of the tent was loose and the structure was in danger of
tumbling down on the inmates' heads.

"Help!" came from the next tent. "I'm being smothered!"

"That's Lew Flapp!" said a cadet. "What's up now, Flapp?" he called
out.

No answer came back, and now canvases could be heard ripping in all
directions.

"Fasten down the pegs!" came the order. "Fasten them down, quick!"

The cadets were already at work, and Sam and his tent-mates set at
their task with a will, realizing that every moment was precious. While
one student held the peg upright the other would pound it down into the
wet ground with a hammer or the back of a spade.

"The confounded pegs won't hold," cried out one cadet. "There she
goes!" and the next instant the tent went flying skyward, to land on
another tent some distance away.

It was still raining "cats, dogs, and hammer handles" as Tom Rover
expressed it. All was dark, the only light being that given forth by
the lantern which had not been blown out. Occasionally came a flash of
lightning, followed by the distant rolling of thunder.

"This is one of the real comforts of camp life," said Songbird Powell
sarcastically. "So much nicer than being under the roof of the Hall,
you know!"

"Never mind, Songbird, you need a washing off at least once a year,"
replied a fellow sufferer.

A minute later came another yell from Lew Flapp. He and his tent-mates
had tried in vain to hold down their canvas. Now it went up with a
rush. One of the peg ropes caught around Flapp's leg and he was dragged
over the wet ground, with his head splashing into every pool of water
that he passed.

"Help me! I'll be killed!" roared the tall youth.

The tent was blowing along the company street and half a dozen cadets
ran to the rescue, Tom with them. Some leaped on the canvas, while
others held Flapp. Then the rope was cut with a knife.

"Wha--what a fearful wind!" groaned the tall boy, when he could speak.
"This is the worst storm I ever saw!"

"Oh, but I'm sorry I ever came to camp," groaned William Philander
Tubbs. "I'm so wet the water is actually running out of my shoetops!"

"Ton't said a vord," came from Hans. "I dink me I half a rifer floating
mine packpone town alretty! Of dis keeps on much longer der whole camp
vos in der schwim, ain't it!"

"I reckon we're in the swim already," broke in Sam. "Some of us had
better bring the rowboats up."

The high wind lasted for fully half an hour and during that time six of
the tents were literally blown to ribbons, while many others suffered
to a lesser extent. A quarter of the shelters laid flat in the mud, and
nothing could be done with these until the wind went down.

"It's the worst blow I have seen since we have held our encampments,"
was Captain Putnam's comment, and he and the teachers went around with
lanterns to aid the students as much as they could.

By three o'clock in the morning the storm was over and the stars began
to peep forth from behind the clouds. As tired as they were the cadets
had to set to work to put up the tents and arrange their cots as best
they could. Camp-fires were lit in half a dozen places and the students
huddled around these to dry themselves and get warm.

"I guess this is a touch of real army life," said Dick. "And I must say
I don't like it overly much."

"We'll have to make the best of it, Dick," answered Tom, who had come
over to see how his brother was getting along.

"How is Sam?"

"Oh, he's all right, although as wet as any of us."

"This storm reminds me of the one we experienced when in the jungles of
Africa," went on the eldest Rover. "Do you remember how it blew, Tom?"

"Indeed I do," was the answer, as Tom's mind went back to that
thrilling experience, as related in "The Rover Boys in the Jungle."

On the following day the cadets were glad enough to remain in camp,
cleaning out their tents and drying the things that had become wet. But
the storm was a thing of the past and the sun shone as brightly as
ever. Big fires were kept burning, and hot coffee could be had whenever
wanted, so scarcely anybody suffered from the drenching received.

The storm had somewhat disarranged the plans made by Flapp, Rockley,
and their particular cronies. But two days later Flapp, Rockley, and
Pender got permission to go to the village of Oakville, two miles
distant, one to buy some corn salve he said he wanted and the others to
do a little trading.

The boys had collected nine dollars from various members of their crowd
and this was to be spent for liquor, cigars, and for several packs of
cards. All of these things were to be smuggled to the hermit's den
Pender had discovered.

"We can get enough to last us during the encampment," said Flapp. "And
then we can have a good time whenever we wish, and Captain Putnam will
never suspect what is going on."

It did not take the cadets long to reach Oakville, a pretty place
located among the hills. There were a dozen stores, a blacksmith shop,
two churches, and perhaps fifty houses. Beyond were farms in a state of
high cultivation, showing that the inhabitants of that section were
thrifty people.

"This town is about as slow as Cedarville," observed Pender, as they
walked up the single street. "How folks can idle their lives away in
such a place is what gets me."

"They don't know anything of the joys of city life," returned Flapp.
"Some of these people have never seen the inside of a real theater."

As might be expected, the unworthy cadets lost no time in entering one
of the taverns located in Oakville, and here Flapp treated. Then, after
cigars or cigarettes had been lit, they proceeded to buy the things
desired for the den.

"Laying in quite a stock, ain't ye?" said the tavern keeper.

"Oh, we are getting this for the whole crowd," replied Pender
carelessly. "But, say," he added suddenly.

"What is it?"

"We don't want you to say anything about our buying this stuff."

"All right, I'll be mum," answered the tavern keeper.

From the tavern they proceeded to the general store, where they
purchased the packs of cards and a few other things.

While they were making their purchases two girls came in with a market
basket between them. One was tall and thin and the other short and
rather stout. Yet the girls looked very much alike and were noticeably
pretty.

"Fine girls," whispered Flapp to Rockley, nudging his companion in the
ribs.

"Yes," was the answer, and Rockley began to smile openly on the new
arrivals. As the girls did not appear to notice this, he drew closer
and tipped his cap.

"Fine day after the storm," he said smoothly. "Yes, very," said the
taller of the girls, and turned away.

"I suppose you belong in Oakville," put in Lew Flapp, to the smaller
girl.

"Yes," answered the girl, and turned away to join her companion.

"We are up to the camp on Pine Island," went on Rockley, following the
girls up. "Have you ever been there?"

"Once," said the taller girl, and began to purchase some articles from
the clerk behind the counter.

"You ought to come and take a look at our camp," continued Flapp. "It's
a real interesting sight."

"All the girls are welcome," said Pender, feeling he must say
something.

"We'd be willing to show you the way at any time," added Rockley, and
placed his hand on the arm of one of the girls.

"Please let me be," said the girl, and walked away. A moment later she
left the store, and her companion went with her.

"My, but they were shy!" laughed Pender. "Rockley, you didn't make any
impression at all. Nor you either, Flapp."

"Humph! Wonder who they are?" murmured Lew Flapp.

"Let's ask the storekeeper and find out."

"Those girls are twins," said the proprietor of the establishment.

"Twins!" cried Rockley. "They didn't look it--not by their difference in
sizes."

"But they did in looks," said Pender.

"What are their names?"

"The tall one is Alice Staton and the other is Helen Staton. Their
father is the local constable, although he runs a big farm for a
living."

"Do they come here often?"

"Pretty often. But they are very shy girls and don't hardly speak to
anybody. They are both studying to be school-teachers."

In the meantime Helen Staton and her sister Alice were hurrying down
the main street of Oakville with flushed cheeks.

"I don't think those cadets were very nice," said Helen.

"Certainly they were not very good-looking," replied Alice. "And I
thought they smelt a little of liquor."

"The idea of their saying they would show us the way to the camp! I
guess papa can drive us there if we want to go."

"I'd like to see it. But I shouldn't want to go with those boys," went
on Alice.

"Perhaps papa can take us," said Helen. "But come, we promised mamma
we'd hurry back as soon as we could."

To get home the two girls had to walk for a considerable distance along
the road leading to Bass Lake.

On the way they passed the farm of one Isaac Klem, a man who took great
pride in his poultry and his cattle. Klem had forty cows, and two bulls
which were worth a good deal of money.

One of the bulls, a black, vicious looking fellow, was tied up in a
small lot at the corner of the farm.

The girls were just walking past this lot when Helen happened to glance
over her shoulder and set up a cry of alarm.

"Oh, Alice, Mr. Klem's black bull is loose!"

"Where, Helen?" queried her twin sister.

"There he is, at the fence. See, he is trying to get over!"

The fence she mentioned was of stones piled loosely, one on top of the
other. The bull was striking at the stones with his front hoofs. Soon
some came down, and then the animal leaped out into the roadway. Then
he gave a snort and looked at the girls curiously.

Now as ill luck would have it, each of the twins wore a red
shirt-waist. This color enraged the bull, and with a wild snort, he
lowered his horns and rushed at the pair, as if to gore them through
and through.




CHAPTER XX

THE ROVER BOYS AND THE BULL


About an hour after Lew Flapp and his cronies left camp, Dick Rover and
his brothers received permission to do likewise.

"Let us go to the village," suggested Tom. "I want to buy some cough
drops. My throat is raw from the wet weather."

"And I want to get some reading matter," added Sam. "A good story of
some sort would just suit me."

"I wouldn't mind a magazine or two myself," came from Dick. "But I
don't know if Oakville can supply them."

They were soon on the way, each in the best of spirits. Tom began to
whistle and his brothers joined in.

"Feelin' putty good," queried a farmer, who chanced to be leaning over
his garden gate as they passed.

"Why not?" retorted Tom. "It's better to whistle than to cry."

"Right you are, young man. When one of my hands is whistling I always
know he is pitchin' in."

The way lay over a hill and around a bend where a number of apple trees
lined the road. The apples were within easy reach, and soon each was
chewing on the juicy fruit to his heart's content.

"Wonder where Flapp and his crowd went," came presently from Tom.

"If they went to Oakville they most likely visited the tavern,"
answered Dick.

"It's a shame!" declared Tom. "Drinking and smoking and playing cards
will never do them any good."

Another bend in the road was passed and they came within sight of Isaac
Klem's farm.

"Hullo!" ejaculated Sam, pointing ahead. "What's the matter?"

"Those girls are running for all they are worth!" said Dick.

"A bull is after them!" came from Tom. "My stars! but he seems to mean
business!"

Tom was right, Helen and Alice Staton were running along the highway at
all the speed they could command. Behind them, less than fifty feet
distant, was the enraged black bull, bent on doing all the mischief
possible.

"Those girls will be hurt!" said Dick, running forward.

"Can't we do something?" asked Sam.

"We can try," said Tom. "Get a rock, or something," and he picked up a
sharp stone which lay handy. Sam did likewise.

By this time the twins were almost upon the boys.

"Chase the bull away!" panted Helen, who was ready to drop from
exhaustion.

"Yes! yes!" gasped Alice. "Please don't let him touch us!"

"Jump the fence!" said Dick. "Quick, I'll help you over!"

He caught each girl by the hand and turned toward the low stone fence.
At the same time Tom and Sam let fly the two sharp stones. One took the
bull in the nose and the other struck the creature in the eye.

With a snort the animal came to a halt and viewed the boys curiously.
He had evidently not expected the attack, and the wound in the eye hurt
not a little. Tom and Sam lost no time in providing themselves with
more stones.

By this time Dick was at the wall and in another moment he had
assisted the girls over. Both had lost their hats and also dropped the
market basket filled with things from the store.

"Oh, be careful," said Alice. "That bull will try to kill you."

"We'll look out for ourselves," answered Dick, and picked up a bit of
fence rail lying near. "Did he chase you far?"

"From that lot yonder," answered Helen.

The bull had turned toward the fence, and watching his chance, Dick
struck out with the bit of rail. His aim was good and the animal
received a sharp blow directly across the nostrils. Then Sam and Tom
let fly more stones, and the bull was hit in the mouth, the leg, and
the side. He stood his ground for a moment and then began to retreat.

"Hurrah! we've got him on the run!" cried Tom. "Give it to him!" and he
let go another stone, which hit the bull in the tail and made him throw
up his rear hoofs in a most alarming fashion.

"You had better come over into the lot!" said one of the girls. "He may
come back."

"Here comes Mr. Klem with a pitchfork," said the other.

A farmer was rushing down the road, with a pitchfork in one hand and a
rope in the other. He ran up to the bull and slipped the rope over the
animal's neck. Then he tied the creature to a tree.

"Pretty savage animal you've got," observed Tom as he came up.

"Is them gals hurt?" demanded the farmer.

"I don't think so. But they are pretty well out of breath and scared."

"Don't know how the pesky critter got loose," said Isaac Klem. "First
thing I see he was after them gals lickety-split. I was out hayin', and
I didn't wait, but picked up a pitchfork and a rope and run."

"The girls lost their hats," said Sam, who had also come up.

"Yes, they're in the road up yonder, along with a basket o' stuff they
had."

"Let us get the things," said Sam, and he and Tom started after the
hats and the basket. The things which had been in the basket were
scattered in all directions, and the boys picked them up.

Dick remained with the girls, doing what he could to quiet them. They
were so exhausted they could not stand and each sat on a rock panting
for breath.

"It was simply dreadful!" declared Helen. "I thought every moment the
bull would catch me and toss me up into the air."

"He didn't like the sight of your red shirt-waists," was Dick's
comment.

"That must be it," put in Alice. "After this, I don't think I'll go
near him when I have a red waist on."

"Perhaps the farmer will be more careful and keep him roped up."

When Tom and Sam came up with the hats and the basket Isaac Klem
accompanied them.

"All right, Helen?" he asked. "And you too, Alice?"

"Yes, Mr. Klem," said the tall girl. "But it was a narrow escape. The
bull would have gored us if it hadn't been for these young gentlemen."

The girls thanked Tom and Sam for what they had brought.

"Who be you young fellows?" asked Isaac Klem curiously.

"I am Dick Rover, and these are my brothers Tom and Sam. We belong to
the cadets of Putnam Hall."

"The young sodgers up to Bass Lake?"

"Yes."

"I see. Well, it was gritty o' you to face my bull, and I give ye
credit for it. My name's Isaac Klem, and thet's my farm over yonder.
These gals is Helen and Alice Staton, and they live down the road a
piece."

The boys tipped their caps and the girls smiled.

"We are very thankful to you," said Alice and Helen, almost in a
breath.

"You are welcome to the little I did," returned Dick.

"It was fun to pelt the old bull with rocks," put in Tom. "I'll do as
much for you any time," and this caused a laugh.

Isaac Klem went off to drive his bull home and the girls also prepared
to depart.

"When you are coming back this way you can stop at our house if you
wish," said Alice Staton. "It's the yellow one with honeysuckle growing
over the porch."

"I remember it," said Sam. "Thank you," and the others also gave thanks
for the invitation. A moment later the two parties separated.

"What a difference between those cadets and the ones we met at the
store," said Helen to her twin sister when they were out of hearing.

"Yes, indeed," said Alice. "The Rovers are gentlemen, while those at
the store were--were rude."

"Two nice girls," declared Tom. "How much alike their faces are!"

"Tom is smitten," cried Sam. "Going to forget all about Nellie Laning,
Tom?" he went on quizzically.

"Oh, you needn't talk!" cried Tom, growing red in the face. "You were
just as attentive as a dancing master yourself."

"Don't quarrel about it," put in Dick good naturedly. "You can be
pleasant to them without forgetting all about Grace and Nellie Laning,
I think."

"Or Dora Stanhope either," put in Sam slyly. "Shall we stop at the
house on the way back?"

"Why not? They may offer us a piece of pie," said Tom.

"I don't know. We can walk by slowly. They may be on the lookout for
us, you know."

Once again the boys set their faces toward Oakville, and soon reached
the outskirts of the town.

They were passing some of the stores when Lew Flapp caught sight of
them.

"Hullo!" cried the tall boy. "I declare! there are the three Rover
brothers. What brought them to Oakville?"

"We had better not let them see us with this stuff," said Pender
hurriedly. "We'll get into hot water if they do."

They lost no time in putting their purchases out of sight. Then they
walked out on the street and stood leaning against the posts of a
wooden awning.

"There is Flapp and his crowd now," said Tom, catching sight of the
trio.

"We want nothing to do with them," said Dick. "They are not our kind at
all."

"Hullo, Rovers!" cried Pender as they came up.

"Hullo, yourself," returned Tom coldly.

"What brought you to town?" asked Rockley.

"My feet."

"Thanks. I thought it might have been your ears. They're big enough."

At this sally both Flapp and Pender began to laugh.

"That's a good one," said Flapp.

"I suppose you used your tongue for a walking stick when you came
over," said Tom. "It's long enough."

"Bah!" cried Rockley, and turned away in disgust.

"Those Rover boys have got the swelled head," muttered Flapp. "But
we'll turn 'em down before the encampment is over, eh, fellows?"

"That's what," replied Rockley.

While the Rover boys were making their purchases Lew Flapp and his
cronies turned back into the tavern. There was a billiard room in the
rear and here they began to play billiards.

"We'll let the Rovers start for home first," said Rockley. "It will be
safer."




CHAPTER XXI

A TUG OF WAR


When the Rover boys reached the vicinity of the Staton cottage they
found Alice and Helen in the dooryard, watching for them.

"Mamma says you must come in," said Alice. "She wishes to see you."

"And papa wants to see you, too," added Helen.

"Thank you, we won't mind resting a bit," answered Dick. "The sun is
rather hot."

They were soon seated on the broad porch, and here Mrs. Staton and her
husband were introduced. They proved to be nice people, and both
thanked the boys warmly for what they had done on the road.

"I've told Isaac Klem about that bull," said Mr. Staton. "Some day
he'll do a whole lot of damage."

"We are going to keep a good lookout for him in the future," put in
Alice. "I don't wish to be scared out of my wits again."

Before the boys left Mrs. Staton insisted on treating each to a piece
of apple pie and a glass of milk.

"What did I tell you about pie?" whispered Tom. "Say, but it's all
right, isn't it?"

"Yes, indeed!" whispered Sam.

The girls had a set of croquet on the lawn and asked the boys to play,
but they had to decline for want of time.

All had moved to the rear of the cottage, under a wide-spreading tree,
when Dick chanced to look toward the roadway and uttered an
exclamation:

"Here come the other fellows now!"

"Yes, and look at the packages they are carrying," added Sam.

"And the bottles," came from Tom significantly.

Dick was about to step forward when Tom caught him by the arm.

"Let us keep shady, Dick."

"All right, Tom, if you say so."

Sam noticed that the faces of the two girls fell when Flapp and his
cronies went past.

"Those are some of your chums, I suppose?" said Helen.

"They are some of the cadets, but no chums of ours," replied Dick.

"Oh!"

"They belong to a little crowd of their own." explained Tom. "We don't
hitch very well, so that is why we let them go by unnoticed."

"We met them at the store in Oakville," said Alice.

"Did they speak to you?"

"Yes, but--but we did not want them to."

"Humph!" said Dick, and then the subject was changed.

Having invited the girls to come and look at the camp some pleasant day
the Rover boys left the cottage and hurried along the road after Lew
Flapp and his cronies.

"I'll wager those fellows made themselves obnoxious to the girls," said
Tom. "You could tell that by the way the girls looked."

"What do you think they are going to do with the stuff they are
carrying?" came from Sam.

"I believe they intend to smuggle it into camp," replied Dick. "And if
that is so, I don't know but what it is my duty to report them."

"If you do that, Flapp will consider you the worst kind of a spy,
Dick."

"Perhaps, but as a captain of the command it is my duty to see that
such things are kept out of camp."

"Well, do what you think is best."

"Better make sure that the stuff they are carrying isn't all right,"
said Sam. "They may have nothing but soda in those bottles."

They hurried along faster than ever but, strange to say, failed to
catch up to Lew Flapp and his cronies, who were making for the hermit's
den with all possible speed.

"Maybe they got scared, thinking we might be spying on them," suggested
Tom, and hit upon the exact truth of the matter.

After that nearly a week passed in camp without anything unusual
happening. Lew Flapp and his cronies kept their distance, and so strict
was the guard set by Captain Putnam and his assistants that hazing
became, for the time being, out of the question.

To pass the time more pleasantly some of the cadets organized several
tug-of-war teams. This sort of thing pleased Tom very much and he
readily consented to act as anchor man on one of the teams. Another
team had Pender for an anchor man, with Rockley and seven others on the
rope.

"Let us have a regular contest," said one of the cadets, and all was
arranged for a match on the following morning after drill.

The students were enthusiastic over the match, some thinking one side
would win and others favoring the opponents.

"Tom's crowd will win that match," said Sam.

"What makes you so sure?" questioned Ben Hurdy.

"Oh, Tom knows how to pull and how to manage the others."

"And so does Rockley know how to pull," continued Hurdy. "And what is
more, he knows a trick or two that will pull your fellows over the line
in no time."

"I don't believe it, Hurdy."

"Want to bet?"

"No, I don't bet. Just the same, I think Rockley's crowd will lose."

Although Sam would not bet, some of the other students did, so that by
the time the match was to come off quite a sum was up.

George Strong had been chosen as starter and umpire. On the green a
line of white was laid down, and the team pulling the other over this
line would be the winner.

For the contest Captain Putnam provided a new rope of proper size. To
each end was attached a belt for the anchor men, and there was ample
room on each side of the line for the eight cadets on the rope.

"All ready?" questioned George Strong, when the time had come for the
contest.

"All ready on this end," replied Tom, seeing to it that each of his
team was in his proper position and had a proper hold on the rope.

"All ready here," said Rockley, a few seconds later.

"Drop!" cried the teacher, and down went the two teams like a flash,
each pulling for all it knew how. But neither gained an inch at the
fall, so the start-off was perfect.

"Now pull for all you're worth, Rovers!" cried one cadet.

"Haul 'em over, Rockleys!" cried another.

"Steady, boys!" whispered Tom. "Don't get nervous. There is lots of
time."

He was almost flat on his back, with both feet braced firmly in the
soil. Rockley was also down, and it looked as if it might be well-nigh
impossible to budge either.

"This is a dandy tug of war," said Fred Garrison. "Neither has got an
inch of advantage."

"The Rovers will beat!"

"The Rockleys will win!"

"I think it will be a tie," said another.

The strain was terrific and soon each member of the two teams was
bathed in perspiration.

"Here is where you earn your rations!" cried one cadet, and this caused
a general laugh.

"Watch your chances, Tom," whispered Dick, and his brother nodded to
show that he understood.

Both sides were glaring at each other. The strain was beginning to
tell, but so far nobody had thought of letting up in the least.

But now Tom saw two of Rockley's men "getting their wind" as it is
called. They still held on to the rope, but were hardly pulling at all.

"Up!" cried Tom suddenly, and his men went up like a flash. "Down!"
came the cry, an instant later, and down they went, before Rockley's
men could recover.

"Hurrah! the Rovers have gained four inches!" came the shout. And then
those who favored that team set up a cheer.

It was true, the rope had shifted over four inches. Rockley was angry,
but could do nothing.

"Mind yourselves, Wilson and Brady!" he whispered. "Don't let up a
minute."

"I didn't let up," growled Wilson. "It was Chambers."

"Not much!" growled Chambers. "I wasn't--"

"Up!" cried Tom again. "Down! Up! Pull, pull! pull! Down!"

Up and down went the team twice, the second time hauling the rope
forward over a foot. Then they went down once more and anchored as
firmly as ever.

"Good!" shouted Sam enthusiastically. "You're doing it, boys! Keep it
up!"

"Are they?" sneered Lew Flapp. "Just you wait and see."

He had a little roll of paper in his hand, and watching his opportunity
he blew the contents into the air, directly over the team led by Tom
Rover. The paper contained pepper and it set several of Tom's men to
sneezing.

This trick had been arranged between Flapp and Rockley, the latter
feeling certain that Tom and his followers could not sneeze and pull at
the same time.

"Up!" yelled Rockley. "Pull! pull! pull!"

"Stay down!" roared Tom. "Down! Don't give in an inch!"

But the cry could not be obeyed. Half the team was up and sneezing and
before order could be restored the rope had gone over to the Rockleys'
side a distance of two and a half feet.

"Hurrah, the Rockleys are winning!" yelled Ben Hurdy. "Haul 'em over,
boys!"

"Down!" ordered Tom.

"What on earth made the men sneeze?" demanded Dick, gazing around
sharply.

"Smells like pepper," replied Major Larry Colby, who was close at hand.

"Would anybody be mean enough to use that?"

"Perhaps."

"Up!" cried Rockley once more. "Pull! pull! pull!"

His team gave a savage haul as ordered, and up came Tom's men in spite
of themselves. Then began a tug of war in dead earnest, with the rope
nearly three feet in the Rockleys' favor.




CHAPTER XXII

A SWIM AND SOME SNAKES


The majority of the cadets were now inclined to think that Rockley's
team would win the contest. They had seen Tom's followers sneezing,
but thought this might come from the dampness of the ground.

"Don't give in, Tom!" cried Sam, dancing around. "You've got to beat
him!"

"Bah! you act like a monkey," said Lew Flapp. "Rockley's fellows are
bound to win."

In the meantime the rope was moving rapidly backward and forward. Once
Rockley and his men had Tom's team dangerously close to the line. But
Tom ordered a drop and there the team clung, refusing to budge an inch
further.

"Time is almost up," said George Strong. "Three minutes more!"

"Up!" cried Rockley.

"Up and pull for all you are worth!" cried Tom. "Pull, I tell you! Make
every ounce of muscle count!"

And pull Tom's team did as never before, and Tom with them, watching
for the first sign of returning weakness. But the team was now on its
mettle and made the Rockleys come over the line in spite of the frantic
orders from Rockley himself to drop.

"It's ours!" screamed Tom, and with a final haul brought the opponents
over the line with a rush. Rockley, flat on his back on the grass,
trying in vain to dig his heels into the soil, and the others
floundering just as vainly.

A cheer went up for Tom's team, while Rockley and his followers left
the field in disgust.

"It was well won, Tom!" said Dick enthusiastically. "I never saw a
better tug of war in my life."

"I'd like to know who threw that pepper," answered Tom, with an angry
glance toward Lew Flapp and his cronies.

"Did somebody throw pepper?" asked Mr. Strong.

"I think they did, although I'm not sure. Anyway, something came along
and made the most of us sneeze."

"It's too bad, Rover. I'll try to make sure of this," said the teacher.
But though he made an investigation nothing came of it.

Some of the cadets were so delighted with the success of Tom's team
that they took Tom on their shoulders and marched around the entire
encampment with him.

"I tell you, Rockley feels sore," said Sam, a little later.

"Around the belt?" asked Tom with a grin.

"I mean in his mind. He and Lew Flapp are having a regular quarrel over
the contest. I guess Flapp lost some money."

"Perhaps, if he has, it will cure him of betting," put in Dick.

Sam and Tom had received permission to go to the upper end of the lake
in one of the rowboats on the following afternoon. Songbird Powell and
Fred Garrison went along, and all took their fishing outfits and plenty
of bait.

"Bring home a nice mess of fish," said Dick, on parting with his
brothers. "Sorry I can't go with you."

"Oh, you'll have company enough," declared Sam. "I heard that some of
the country folks are going to visit the encampment to-day and perhaps
those Staton girls will be among them."

The four boys were soon on the way, two rowing at a time. The weather
was ideal, and the water as smooth as that of a mill pond.

"What a beautiful spot this is," declared Fred, as they glided long.
"I'm sure Captain Putnam could not have selected a better."

"I have already gotten some splendid pictures," returned Powell, who
possessed a good snap-shot camera, now lying on the stern seat of the
boat. "I'm going to take some more pictures to-day."

On the way to the upper end of the lake Sam did a little fishing and
brought in one bass of fair size.

"This makes a fellow feel like a true poet," murmured Powell, gazing
dreamily at the water, and then he went on:

  "I love to glide,
   By the green-clad side
   Of the glassy lake,
   And there to take
   My ease with book
   Or line and hook,
   And spend the day
   Far, far away
   From care and toil,
   On Nature's soil."

"Just to listen to Songbird!" cried Tom. "He grinds it out like a
regular sausage-making machine," and then he went on gayly:

  "I love to swim,
   In Nature's soil,
   By the green-clad side,
   Of a mountain wide,
   And there to bake,
   My little toes,
   On a garden rose,
   And take a hose,
   And wet the lake
   With a hot snowflake,
   In the middle of June--
   If that isn't too soon--
   And sail to the moon
   In a big balloon--"

"Oh, Tom, let up!" roared Fred. "Talk about a sausage-making machine--"

  "And when in the moon,
   I'd drive a stake,
   And tie my lake
   Fast to a star,
   Or a trolley car,
   Then jump in a sack
   And ride right back--"

  "To where you belong,
   And stop that song!"

finished Sam. "Oh, but that's the worst yet. Shall we duck him, Fred?"

"No, don't pollute the water," answered Garrison.

"He ought to be ducked," came from Powell, in disgust. "Whenever I have
a poetic streak--"

"It's catching, as the fly-paper said to the fly," finished Tom. "Let's
call it square and take a new tack. Who's in for a swim when we reach
the end of the lake?"

"I am!" was the united cry from the others. They were passing several
small islands and now came to another turn in Bass Lake. Just beyond
this was a small sandy beach, backed up by a mass of rocks and
brushwood.

"That looks like a good place for a swim," said Powell, forgetting all
about his so-called poetry.

"Suits me," returned Tom. "Let's pull ashore and tie the boat fast, and
I'll put up--"

"A peanut reward for the first fellow in," finished Fred. "Caught you
that time, Tom, just as you caught Songbird with his doggerel."

As happy as any boys could be, the four cadets tied up their boat. In
doing this one started to splash in the water, followed by another, and
as a consequence before the cutting-up came to a finish the seats of
the craft were pretty well wetted.

"Never mind," said Tom. "They'll soon dry in the sun. We can put our
clothes on the rocks."

The boys were soon in the water and having a most glorious time. The
lake was fairly deep off the end of the boat and here they took turns
at diving. Fred and Songbird also went in for a race, the former coming
in only a few feet ahead.

"I guess we had better dress now and try our hand at fishing," said Sam
after nearly an hour had passed.

"One more dive!" cried Tom and took one full of grace, to the very
bottom of the lake.

As Tom came up to the surface he heard a cry from Sam, quickly followed
by a yell from Fred.

"What's up?" he called out, swimming toward the shore.

"Land on the boat, Tom!" cried Sam, and leaped into the craft, followed
by Fred and Powell.

"All right; but what is wrong?" asked Tom, and climbed tip over the
stern.

"We can't get our clothes."

"Why not?"

"Look for yourself."

Tom looked and gave a low whistle of astonishment. And not without good
reason, for there on the rocks where they had left their garments
rested a big black snake!

"This is interesting truly," murmured the boy, gazing at his companions
in dismay.

"I'm going to get a rock and throw it at the snake," said Sam.

A stone was close to the boat, and watching his chance, he picked it up
and threw it at the reptile.

The snake darted to one side. It was merely grazed by the rock and now
it hissed viciously.

The hiss appeared to be a signal, and in a moment more another snake
and then another appeared, until fully a dozen reptiles each a yard or
more in length covered the rocks where all of the cadets' wearing
apparel rested!




CHAPTER XXIII

A GLIMPSE OF AN OLD ENEMY


"We are in a pickle now and no mistake!" groaned Fred Garrison. He
hated snakes as much as he did poison.

"It's certainly bad," declared Songbird Powell. "I wonder what we had
best do?"

"Has anybody got a pistol?"

Nobody had, nor was there any weapon handy outside of a jackknife and a
fishing rod.

"If we only had a shot-gun," sighed Sam.

"But we haven't one and we must do the best we can without it,"
answered Tom. "Songbird, supposing you try to charm 'em with some of
that soothing poetry of yours. Or take a picture of 'em."

"This is no joke," growled Powell. "I want my clothes."

"Well, go ahead and take 'em--I shan't stop you."

"I'm going to get another rock," said Sam.

"Let us all get stones," suggested Tom. "Then we can throw together."

This was thought to be a good idea, and soon the stones were secured
and each cadet took careful aim.

Three of the snakes were hit, one quite seriously. These retreated, but
the other snakes remained as defiant as ever.

"There must be a nest under the rocks," said Tom. "Were that not so I
am sure the snakes would leave at once."

"I've got another idea!" cried Fred. "Why didn't we think of it
before?"

"I haven't thought of it yet, Fred," grinned Tom. "What is it?"

"Let us take our fishing rods and tie one fast to another. Then we can
turn the boat around and go fishing on the rocks for our clothes."

"That's the talk," rejoined Powell. "A good idea, Fred."

Three of the rods were pieced together, making a fishing pole over
thirty feet long. The boat was then swung around, and while two kept
the craft in place the others went fishing for the clothing.

The task was not so easy as it looked, and the snakes whipped around
and hissed in a most alarming fashion. More than once they had a coat
or other garment on the pole only to drop it again. But they persevered
and soon had everything on board but Fred's shirt and one of Tom's
shoes.

"Here comes the shirt," cried Tom, at last, and landed the garment in
the bow of the rowboat.

"And a snake with it!" screamed Sam. "Look out, everybody!"

Sam was right, the snake was there and in a trice was whipping around
under the seat.

"Stamp on him, Fred!" cried Tom, and Garrison, who had his shoes on,
did so. Then Tom caught the reptile by the tail and flung it into the
lake.

After this there was but little trouble in getting the remaining shoe,
and with this aboard they sent the rowboat out into the lake and lost
no time in finishing their dressing.

"This was a truly horrible experience," was Sam's comment, after the
excitement had died down. "Gracious, I feel as if the snakes were
crawling around me this minute!"

"Don't say that," said Fred with a shudder. "You make me feel as if
there was another snake in my shirt."

"The best thing to do is to forget the snakes," put in Songbird Powell.
"Let us row around to the other side of the lake."

All were willing, and soon the vicinity was left far behind. Then they
came to where a fair sized brook flowed into Bass Lake, and here they
came to anchor and began to fish, while Powell took several
photographs.

"I have always found it good fishing near a brook like that," said Tom.
"The fish come around looking for food from the brook."

Tom's remark was evidently true, for in less than an hour each of the
boys had a good sized string of fish to his credit.

In the excitement of the sport the cadets forgot all about the
adventure with the snakes, nor did they pay much attention to the
flight of time until Fred Garrison glanced at his watch.

"Gee Christopher!" he ejaculated.

"What time is it?" asked Powell.

"Half-past four."

"And we promised to be back at five-thirty!" put in Sam. "We'll have to
hustle, fellows."

"Oh, we can get back in an hour easily enough," put in Tom.

"But we've got to clean out the boat and clean up ourselves," came from
Fred. "Come, fellows, wind up and put away your hooks and poles."

He started and the others followed. Then Fred and Powell took the oars,
and the return to camp was begun. Not caring to go back the same way
they had come, they sped along the opposite shore of the lake, where
were located several coves and cliffs of rock.

"This is as pretty as the other shore," remarked Songbird. And he
began:

"Oh, dreamy days in summer time,
   When purling brooks and shady nooks--"

"If you start up again I'll jump overboard," interrupted Tom.

"Do so, you need a cooling off," grunted Powell; but that was the end
of the poetry for the time being.

They were just passing one of the coves when they caught sight of a man
sitting on an overhanging tree, fishing.

"Hullo, what luck?" cried Fred, good-naturedly.

"Fair," was the somewhat surly answer. Then, as the man caught sight of
the others in the boat, he turned his head away.

"That fellow looks familiar to me," ejaculated Sam, in sudden and
strong excitement.

"And he looks familiar to me, too," exclaimed Tom.

"Do you think it is Arnold Baxter?"

"If it isn't, it's his double," went on Tom. "Row the boat over quick,
boys."

"Who is this Arnold Baxter? The father of Dan Baxter?" questioned Fred.

"The same, Fred."

"The fellow who escaped from prison, or the hospital?" asked Powell.

"That's the chap."

Without delay the rowboat was turned in toward the overhanging tree.

Scarcely had this been done when the fisherman pulled in his line with
all speed, took up his string of fish and ran into the bushes between
two cliffs of rocks.

"He is getting out, and in a hurry too!" said Fred.

"Hi, there, stop! We want to talk to you!" sang out Tom, at the top of
his lungs.

"Ain't got time," roared back the strange fisherman, and on the instant
he was gone.

"It must have been Arnold Baxter, beyond a doubt," said Sam.

"If it was, what is he doing here?" questioned his brother.

"He's keeping out of the reach of the law," answered Powell. "I suppose
he thought he was perfectly safe in such an out-of-the-way place as
this."

"And he was fishing just to kill time," put in Fred.

"I'd like to go after him and make sure," went on Tom. "What do you
say, Sam?"

"I am with you."

"But we may be late--" began Fred.

"Oh, Captain Putnam will excuse us when I tell him what delayed us."

The rowboat soon reached the shore, and Sam and Tom leaped to the
brushwood, where the trail of the vanished fisherman was plainly to be
seen.

It was decided that Fred and Powell should remain in charge of the
rowboat, so that nobody might come and make off with the craft. Leaving
their fishing outfits behind them the two Rover boys struck out through
the bushes, and soon gained a narrow forest path running through the
woods that skirted this section of Bass Lake.

"I wish we could catch Baxter," said Tom, on the way. "It would be a
feather in our cap, Sam."

"We must be careful. More than likely he is armed, and he won't
hesitate to shoot if he is cornered."

"Oh, I know that. The most we can do is to follow him until we reach
some place where we can summon assistance."

The path led deeper and deeper into the woods and then along a
fairsized brook. They kept their eyes wide open, but could see nothing
excepting a number of birds and an occasional squirrel or chipmunk.
Once they heard the distant bark of a fox and this was the only sound
that broke the stillness.

"It's rather a lonely place," said Sam, after a silence lasting several
minutes. "I must say I shouldn't like to meet Arnold Baxter here
alone."

"For all we know he may be watching us from behind some tree."

Several times they got down to examine the path. Footprints could be
seen quite plainly, but neither of the boys was expert enough at
trailing to tell whether these prints had been made recently or not.

"It would take an Indian scout to make sure of these footmarks," said
Tom. "They are beyond me."