"Oh, this is something very valuable, Codfish," returned Randy, and
winked at some of the others.

Just for the fun of it, some of the cadets had obtained some potatoes
from the storehouse and started to roast these under one of the
bonfires. Two of the potatoes, quite hot and black, were brought forth
and thrust into Codfish's hands.

"Ouch! What do you mean by handing me red-hot potatoes!" yelled the
sneak, in alarm.

"Oh, we thought you were hungry," cried one of the other cadets.

"You wanted to burn me--that's what you wanted to do!" shrieked
Codfish, who, however, was far more scared than hurt. "I want to get
down!"

"You've got to give us a dance first, Codfish," ordered Randy.

"That's right! Give us a jig!" put in Andy.

"Make it a Boston seven-step," suggested Jack.

"Or a Washington dip," added Fred.

A dozen of the cadets were shouting at poor Codfish to dance, and
presently the excited boy commenced to shuffle his feet.

"Now jump up three times and we'll let you go!" cried Randy.

Codfish made one leap into the air and came down on the barrel top
successfully. Then he tried a second leap, but, as Randy well knew, the
barrel top was weak, and, with a crash, poor Codfish went down straight
into the big barrel up to his armpits.

"Whoop! Codfish has busted the barrel!" cried Fred.

"What do you mean by breaking up housekeeping like that, Codfish?"
demanded Andy.

"Let's do the baker act for him," went on Randy, quickly.

"The baker act?" queried several of the cadets. "What's that?"

"Don't you know the baker loves his rolls?" answered Andy, with a broad
grin.

"That's the talk!" came in a shout. "Let's give Codfish a roll;" and
before the sneak could save himself the barrel was tipped up on its
side and sent rolling over and over towards the parade ground.

"Ouch! Let up! I'll be killed!" screamed the victim. "This barrel may
have a lot of nails in it!"

"Oh, do you think that's true?" asked one of the cadets in fright.

"Nary a nail! I saw to that before we used the barrel," answered Randy.
"Such a rolling won't hurt him a bit;" and the cadets continued their
sport with the barrel, finally sending it down a slight hill in the
direction of the river. Here it lodged against some bushes, and Codfish
was allowed to crawl forth. At once he took to his heels and
disappeared.

It was noticed by many that Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell had not
participated in the festivities of the evening. The two had gone off
for a walk, during which they smoked many cigarettes and talked over
their grievances against the Rovers. On their return they were met by
Codfish, who related to them his tale of woe.

"Oh, we've got to do something," was Nappy Martell's comment. "If we
don't, before we know it the Rovers will be fairly running this
school."

"Well, they won't run me," growled Slugger Brown.

The following Monday found the Rover boys once more hard at work over
their studies. They had now settled down to the regular routine of the
Hall, and were doing very well, not only in their classes, but also in
their training as young soldiers. Each of them could march and handle a
gun as well as anybody, and now they were given the privilege of
practising at target shooting--something which interested them greatly.

"Let's get up a little match among ourselves," said Randy one day; and
this was agreed upon, eight new cadets entering the contest.

The shooting was done at a target set up against a tree some distance
behind the gymnasium building; and the boys did their practising under
the direction of Captain Dale.

"It requires considerable practice to become an expert shot," said the
military instructor. "Once in a while we find someone who is a
natural-born sharpshooter, but that is very rare. Some of the best
shots in the army are men who, at the start, hardly knew how to handle
firearms."

At this target practice a perfect score would have netted twenty-five
points. The contest went on merrily, and at the conclusion it was found
that Andy had scored ten points; Randy, twelve; Jack, eighteen; and
Fred, nineteen. One other cadet, a youth named Lewis Barrow, had scored
twenty.

"Well, the prize goes to Barrow!" cried Jack.

"Yes. But we came pretty close to winning," cried Fred, with
justifiable pride.

"You and Jack needn't complain," was Andy's comment. "Eighteen and
nineteen points out of a possible twenty-five is going some, especially
for beginners."

"If I win the prize, what is it?" questioned Lewis Barrow, a tall,
lanky youth with a rather leathery face. He came from the far West, and
knew much more about firearms than did the Rovers.

"Oh, the prize is first choice of holes in half a dozen doughnuts,"
snickered Andy.

"Holes in doughnuts!" replied Barrow, who was not over-bright.
"Suffering buffaloes! What would a fellow do with holes out of
doughnuts?" and at this there was a little laugh.

"For beginners, I think you have all done very well," remarked Captain
Dale. "The lowest score, I see, is nine. Last year when the new cadets
went at practice, we had several fellows who didn't hit the target."

"Gee! I'd hate to go hunting with such chaps," was Andy's dry comment.
"A fellow would have to get right directly in front of 'em to be sure
of not being hit;" and this remark made even the military instructor
laugh.

"I'll be proud of all of you," said Major Ralph Mason, when he heard of
the scores that had been made. "First thing you know, we'll have a
company of genuine sharpshooters."

"This practising at a target will come in fine if we get a chance to do
any hunting this winter," remarked Fred. "Wow! Just think what would
have happened if that target had been a deer, or even a partridge!"

"A deer or a partridge isn't apt to stand still," returned Randy. "If
you want to become expert as a hunting shot, you'll have to practise at
a swinging target."

"Well, that's to come later, so Captain Dale said," was the answer.

"Say, let's go out hunting some day when the season opens!" cried Jack.
"I'd like first rate to bag something, even if it were only a few
rabbits."

"That's the talk!" answered Fred, quickly. "As soon as the hunting
season opens let's go out, by all means."

The target practice had been witnessed by Slugger Brown and Nappy
Martell. Now, when Jack and Fred spoke of hunting, Slugger Brown's face
became thoughtful.

"I think I see a way to square accounts with those Rovers," he remarked
to his crony. "From now on, I'm going to watch 'em pretty closely. If
ever they do go out hunting, I think we'll be able to put one over on
'em they'll never forget."




CHAPTER XXIV

THE FUN OF HALLOWE'EN


"Hallowe'en to-morrow night, boys! So get ready for some real fun!"

"Right you are, Andy! Remember what fun we had last year in New York?"

"And what fun we had down on the farm two years ago, scaring Aleck Pop
and Jack Ness nearly to death?" broke in Fred.

"I don't know whether they'll let us have any fun around Colby Hall or
not," remarked Jack, but in such a tone of voice that all of the others
knew he was fooling.

Several days had passed since the target practice, and the boys were
gathered in the room used by Andy and Randy for studying. All were deep
in a discussion of what they might do on Hallowe'en, when there came a
knock on the door and Dan Soppinger came in.

"Excuse me for interrupting you," commenced Dan, "but I'm up against a
hard proposition. Can any of you tell me----"

"Gee! the Human Question Mark is at it again!" broke out Randy.

"Certainly we can tell you," put in Andy; "but please don't ask it."

"Three and three make six, three and three always have made six, and
three and three always will make six!" cried Fred in a girlish tone of
voice. "So what's the use of asking a question like that?"

"Who said anything about three and three making six?" snorted the Human
Question Mark. "What I was going to say was: Can any of you tell
me----"

"When Nero discovered the north pole?" interrupted Andy.

"No. He wants to know when Washington first crossed the Pacific in a
motor boat," came from Fred.

"No; that isn't it at all," declared Jack, seriously. "Dan wants to
know what kind of an automobile Noah took on the ark."

"Great Scott! What do you take me for?" groaned Dan Soppinger,
helplessly. "Here I come in to ask you a perfectly simple question, and
you start with a lot of foolishness."

"Why, my dear Dan, we are helping you all we can!" cried Andy in deeply
injured tones.

"I want to know when Florida was first settled and by whom!" cried Dan,
desperately. "I bet ten cents none of you know!"

"Oh, that's easy, Dan," answered Andy, gravely. "Florida was first
settled by the alligators, in the year one;" and at this remark there
was such a burst of laughter that the Human Question Mark gave it up in
despair and fled.

"I've got a great scheme for Hallowe'en," said Andy a little later. He
had been walking up and down the room trying to make up his mind what
they might do to have some fun. "I wonder if the girls over at
Clearwater Hall wouldn't lend us some dresses and some girls' hats for
the occasion."

"They might if we agreed to lend them some of our suits in exchange."

"Well, we could do that easily enough," answered Fred. "We hardly ever
have a chance to wear anything these days but our uniforms."

"What do you want to do, Andy--dress up as a girl?" questioned Jack.

"That's it. We might have dead loads of fun."

The matter was discussed for a time, and in the end a boy, who often
did errands for the cadets, was dispatched to Clearwater Hall with a
note to Ruth and her chums. The boy had performed this sort of service
before, and knew that he must deliver the note without allowing the
communication to go through the school office.

The messenger returned just as the cadets were on the point of
retiring, and brought back a letter from the girls in which they agreed
to let the boys have what they wanted in return for some suits of male
attire. It was agreed that the exchange be made in the afternoon,
directly after the school session.

The Rover boys and two of their friends walked to Haven Point, and
there invested some of their spending money in the hire of an
automobile. Then they rode back to the school, procured several bundles
of clothing, and set out for Clearwater Hall.

The girls were waiting for them at a spot secluded from observation,
and there an exchange of bundles took place, interspersed with a good
deal of laughing by the cadets and giggling on the part of the
Clearwater pupils.

"Oh, I'd love to see you dressed up as a girl!" cried Ruth to Jack.

"How about your being dressed up as a boy?" he returned.

"Oh, none of us will dare show ourselves outside the grounds," returned
Ruth, blushing. "Miss Garwood wouldn't permit it."

"Well, if we get the chance, we may come up as far as yonder side
fence," put in Fred. "If we do, we'll give you the signal--three long
whistles."

Nearly all of the cadets at Colby Hall were ready for Hallowe'en fun.
They dressed up in all sorts of disguises, including those of monks,
Indians, negroes, and ghosts. Lighted pumpkins with grinning faces cut
into them were likewise numerous; and one senior trailed around in a
silk gown which he had brought from home for this very occasion.

When the Rover boys appeared dressed as young ladies, with girls' hats
on their heads and parasols in their hands, they were greeted with a
loud cheer, and this was redoubled as they marched around the campus
arm in arm with several boys dressed as dudes, and one attired as an
admiral.

"Some class to the Rovers, and no mistake!" was Spouter's comment. He
had on a pair of long whiskers, a linen duster, farm boots, and a big
straw hat.

"How do you do, Uncle Si?" cried Andy, coming up to him and bowing.
"How is corn?"

"So high, by gosh! y'u can't see the house," answered Spouter in
country dialect. "Do tell, leetle gal! but y'u do look mighty purty,
y'u do!" and at this there was a general snicker.

At the first opportunity, the Rovers and several of their friends
slipped away from the campus and hurried off in the direction of
Clearwater Hall. They were lucky enough to meet a big wagon, the driver
of which was going to the next town to pick up some young folks for a
straw ride. This man took them to the young ladies' school just for the
sport of it.

When the Rovers gave the signal, Ruth and her friends came running
towards the side fence of the grounds. All were attired in male
costumes, wearing exaggerated collars, cuffs and neckties. In addition,
Ruth had on a big pair of pick-toed shoes and a silk hat many years out
of date. She also carried a silver-headed cane.

"Oh, don't you want to take us out for a walk?" questioned Andy, in a
high-pitched, feminine voice.

"Very sorry, my dear, very sorry," came from May Powell, in as deep a
voice as she could command. "I have important business to attend to."

"Oh, Jack, what an awfully big girl you do make!" screamed Ruth, when
she discovered his identity behind the little mask he wore. "I didn't
know you were so large."

"And what a little man you are," he answered, gaily.

"Don't say a word," she returned. "See these sleeves? They are all
rolled up; and I had to do the same with the trousers," and she laughed
merrily.

Although acting against the rules, the Rovers and their friends found
an opening in the fence, and for a brief quarter of an hour mingled
with the girls on the campus of the school. They had "a barrel of fun,"
to use Andy's way of expressing it, and left only because it was
getting late and they knew they would have to walk all the way back to
Colby Hall.

"This is about the best Hallowe'en fun we ever had," remarked Jack,
while he and the others were on the return to the school.

To make time, the boys did not take the regular road through Haven
Point to Colby Hall, but tramped along a back highway which was
considered something of a short cut. This presently brought them in
sight of a large farm which belonged to a hard-fisted man named Elias
Lacy.

"Say, we ought to call on old Lacy and give him a scare," said Randy,
coming to a halt near the farmhouse.

"It would serve him right!" answered Fred, promptly.

None of the Rovers had a kindly feeling for Elias Lacy, for the reason
that the old man had once caught them getting chestnuts from a tree on
the corner of his farm and had made them give up all the nuts they had
gathered and had then threatened them with the law if they dared to set
foot on his premises again.

"I know you cadets," he had snarled. "You are all a pack of petty
thieves! I want you to keep away from here."

He had suffered a great deal, some cadets, including Slugger Brown and
Nappy Martell, having at various times robbed him of his cherries, his
strawberries, and some melons. Of these depredations, however, the
Rovers knew nothing.

"Maybe Lacy isn't around," remarked Jack. "He may have gone to town."

They knew that the old man was a bachelor. He had two young men working
for him, and also a woman who came in during the day to do the
housework, but all of these went home at night.

"I see somebody moving around the house now," answered Randy. "It's
Lacy, too!"

"Let's knock on the door and pretend we are young ladies in distress,"
cried Randy. "Come on! I wonder what he'll do?"

"Don't ask him for any money. He won't give you a cent," chuckled Fred.

"Let's tell him some tramps stopped us and that we want him to go out
and fight the fellows," suggested one cadet. "That will show how brave
a man Lacy is. We can take off our masks."

So it was arranged, and in a minute more the boys were all on the front
piazza of the farmhouse ringing the old doorbell. There was a sound
within, and in a moment more Elias Lacy came to the door with a lamp in
one hand.

"What do you want?" he asked in astonishment, when he saw what looked
to be a number of well-dressed girls confronting him.

"Oh, Mr. Lacy, won't you please protect us?" pleaded Randy, in his best
feminine voice.

"Three murderous tramps are after us!" gasped Andy. "Oh, dear! I know I
shall faint!"

"The tramps wanted to rob us!" cried Jack.

"They are just outside your fence," put in Fred. "Please go out and
chase them away."

Elias Lacy was staggered. He placed his lamp on a little table near by,
and looked in wonder at the crowd before him.

"Three tramps, eh? An' goin' to rob you? Why, I never heard of sech a
thing!" he shrilled. "Mebbe I'd better git my gun."

"Oh, yes! yes! Get your gun, by all means! Get your gun! And maybe
you'd better get a sword, too!" cried Randy.

"Yes! Or a knife or a--a--razor," put in Andy.

"Now, now! don't git so excited!" cried the old man, for the boys
insisted upon clinging to his arms and to his shoulders. "Them tramps
ain't goin' to eat you up."

He was short-sighted, and, as the lamplight was poor, he had not
noticed the boys' somewhat crude make-up. He hurried into a room and
came forth presently carrying a shotgun. Then he walked back into his
kitchen.

"Great Cæsar! he's got his gun all right enough," said Jack in a low
voice.

"Maybe he'll use it on us when he discovers the trick," returned Fred.

"I'll git my lantern, an' then we kin go after them tramps," announced
Elias Lacy; and in a moment more he reappeared with a smoky lantern and
started for the front door. "Come on, an' show me where them tramps
are," he said, determinedly.




CHAPTER XXV

OFF ON A HUNT


"Say, as soon as we are outdoors let us give him the ha-ha and run
away," whispered Fred to the others.

"Oh, no! Let's have some more fun," pleaded Randy. "Why! the sport has
just begun!"

"That's it!" came from his twin.

"Don't forget we are due at the Hall," remonstrated Jack.

"Now then, show me them tramps!" cried Elias Lacy, as the whole crowd
went outdoors and towards the front gate.

"Oh, protect us! Please protect us!" shrieked Randy, and caught hold of
the old man's coat-tails.

"Don't let the tramps abduct us! I don't want to live with any tramp! I
want to marry a millionaire!" screamed Andy, and began to cling so
close to Elias Lacy that the old man could hardly move forward.

The twins cut up so that the others had all they could do to keep from
laughing. One boy began to snicker, but promptly clapped his hand over
his mouth.

"Don't hang on to me," ordered the old farmer. "I can't use my gun if
you clutch my arm like that," and he tried to shake the twins off.

"Oh, there they are--behind the bushes!" screamed Randy, suddenly,
pointing off to the left.

"Where?" demanded the old man, holding his lantern over his head. "I
don't see nothin'."

"There they are!" screamed Andy. "They've got pistols, too! Oh, save
us! Save us!"

"Drat the pesky rascals! I'll fix 'em!" snarled Elias Lacy, and,
shaking loose the clinging boys, he ran off, lantern in one hand and
shotgun held up to his shoulder with the other.

"Now is our time to skip out!" cried Jack.

"Right you are!" added another of the crowd. And then without waiting
for the rest, this cadet let up a cry: "Sold! Mr. Lacy, you are sold!"

"Sold! With the compliments of the Colby Hall cadets!" cried another.
And then, seeing that the disguise was at an end, the boys began to
shout a variety of things not at all complimentary to the old farmer.

Elias Lacy was thunderstruck by the sudden turn of affairs, and,
wheeling around, he stared in open-mouthed wonder at the retreating
girlish figures.

"What's that?" he shrilled. "What are you runnin' away fur?"

"Good-bye, Mr. Lacy!" sang out Randy. "We're only having a little fun."

"Don't you know it's Hallowe'en?" queried Andy; and then started to
walk off on his hands, but the dress he wore fell down around him and
caused him to tumble over on his back. In the gloom, Fred stumbled and
fell on top of him.

"Fun! Hallowe'en!" bellowed Elias Lacy, and of a sudden he became
filled with rage. "You ain't gals at all! You're only playin' a trick
on me!" he snarled.

"Good-bye and pleasant dreams!" shouted Randy.

"Don't tell any of your friends about the young ladies who called on
you," advised Jack.

And then the other cadets made various taunting remarks. They had come
to a halt to enjoy the old farmer's discomfiture and at the same time
to give Andy and Fred a chance to regain their feet.

"Halt!" suddenly commanded Elias Lacy, and set down his lantern on a
fence post. "Halt! or I'll shoot some of you!" and he aimed his shotgun
at them.

"Don't shoot!" cried several of the cadets in alarm, for they could see
that the old man was in a frame of mind to do almost anything.

"Stop! Don't you dare stir a step or I'll shoot as sure as you're
standin' there!" continued the old man. And then, as all of the boys
halted he went on: "Now come up here where I kin git a good look at
you, but don't you come too clost or try to play any more tricks. If
you do, somebody'll sure git shot."

There was no help for it, and rather sheepishly the crowd of cadets
came forward as he had ordered.

"It was only a bit of Hallowe'en fun. We didn't mean any harm," pleaded
Randy.

"Take them bunnets an' things off so I kin see your faces," ordered the
old man, at the same time keeping the crowd covered with his shotgun.

With great reluctance one after another the cadets took off their veils
and hats. The old man came a step or two closer, looking at each face
sharply. His countenance grew even more hateful when he recognized the
Rovers.

"Ha! you're the same fellers who robbed my chestnut tree," he snarled.
"Didn't I tell you to keep off my premises? I've a good mind to have
you locked up."

"Oh, come, Mr. Lacy, it was only a bit of fun," pleaded one lad.
"Didn't you go out on Hallowe'ens when you were a boy?"

"No, I didn't! I stayed home an' done my work," was the harsh reply.
"Nowadays boys cut up altogether too much."

Had it not been for the shotgun the boys would have taken to their
heels; but with the old man thus armed none of them wanted to take any
chances. But then came a lucky interruption. From back on the farm came
a wild bellowing as if a cow was in trouble. This was followed by the
squealing of a number of pigs.

"Hello! Those town boys must have come over after your cattle after
all!" cried Jack, struck by a sudden idea.

"My cattle! What do you know about my cattle?" questioned Elias Lacy,
quickly.

"That's it! The town boys are after the cows and pigs!" broke in Fred,
quick to catch Jack's idea.

"You'll lose them all if you don't look out, Mr. Lacy!" put in Randy.

"They sha'n't tech my cows, nor my pigs neither!" snarled the old
farmer; and, taking up his lantern, he left the cadets and ran off
towards the rear of the premises. Fortunately, nothing serious had
happened to his stock.

"Now's the time to skip out!" cried Jack, and led the way, and the
others lost no time in following. The cadets had to hold their skirts
high to keep from tripping as they sped along. They reached Colby Hall
in safety, and lost no time in rejoining their friends. A little later
the Hallowe'en celebration came to an end.

"Old Lacy will remember us," was Andy's comment, in speaking of the
affair the next day. "He'll have it in for us."

"I'm afraid so," replied Jack, seriously.

The main topic of conversation at the school now was the football game
which was to take place with the eleven of the Clearwater Country Club
on the following Saturday. This was another gala occasion for the
school, and once more the boys had the pleasure of escorting the girls
to and from the conflict.

"I hope we can do them up as we did Hixley High," remarked Jack. But
this was not to be. The Clearwater Country Club eleven were much older
than the cadets and much heavier, and all the Colby Hall team could do
was to hold them down to a score of 16 to 10.

"Well, that's not so bad but what it might be worse," remarked Gif,
when the defeated eleven had returned to Colby Hall. "I did hope,
however, that we might hold them to at least a tie."

"They carried too much weight for us," replied Jack. "Even Slugger
Brown couldn't do anything against them." For Slugger had been used as
a substitute in the third and fourth quarters. But the big cadet had
failed to show either form or efficiency. He had been warned by the
umpire, because of an unfair tackle, and this had put him in anything
but a good humor.

"I won't play again so long as Gif Garrison is captain!" cried Slugger
to Nappy Martell; and that evening he sent in his resignation, which
Gif promptly accepted.

The game with Columbus Academy was not to take place until two weeks
later, so that, although they kept at their practice, the football
players had considerable time for other things. Jack and his cousins
had continued their target practice, and their shooting was now so
accurate that Captain Dale complimented them upon it.

"The hunting season opens to-morrow," announced Jack one day, as he
came back from an errand to the town. "How I'd like to go out and try
my luck!"

"I'd like to go myself," spoke up Fred.

A number of the senior cadets had received permission to go hunting and
Jack spoke to one of these youths about the prospects.

"I'd like first rate to have you come with me, Rover," said the cadet,
Frank Newberry by name; "and if your cousin Fred wants to come along,
he can do so."

"We'd have to get permission first, and also permission to use a couple
of the shotguns," answered Jack. The gun rack at Colby Hall boasted a
number of these weapons, but none of them could be taken out and used
without special permission from Captain Dale.

It was no easy matter for Jack and Fred to gain the desired permission,
but when Colonel Colby heard from Captain Dale what good shots the boys
had proved to be, he said they might go out, along with Frank Newberry
and some of the others.

"But I want you to be very careful," said the colonel impressively. "I
wouldn't have an accident happen to you for the world. Don't fire a
charge until you are absolutely sure of what you're firing at. Never
point your gun at anybody else; and be very careful how you handle your
weapon in climbing a fence or leaping over rocks or brushwood."

The twins were a bit envious over the prospects for their cousins, but
they wished Jack and Fred the best of luck. All of the cadets who were
to go out had lessons in the morning, but they departed directly after
dinner, and were told that they could remain out as long as they
pleased.

"Now, don't forget to bring back a deer or a bear," cried Andy.

"And if you can, bag a buffalo or a hippopotamus," added his twin.

"We'll be lucky if we bag some rabbits and a squirrel or two or some
woodcock," answered Jack. "Big game doesn't exist around here any more.
The farms are too thick."

"Well, be sure and bring down a pink canary bird, anyway," advised
Andy; and at this there was a general laugh.

Frank Newberry had been out the year before, and consequently knew much
about the lay of the land.

"We'll go down into the woods directly back of Haven Point," he
announced. "Last year the hunting there was much better than it was up
the Rick Rack River."

And then off the cadets started on the hunt. Much that was unusual lay
in store for them.




CHAPTER XXVI

FROM ONE TROUBLE TO ANOTHER


Half an hour of tramping brought the two Rover boys and their friends
into the heart of the big woods Frank Newberry had mentioned. They had
entered it by way of the road they had used on Hallowe'en, and were now
almost directly behind Elias Lacy's farm. In fact, although they were
not aware of this, a large section of the woods belonged to the old
farmer.

On their way into the timber they had heard various shots at a
distance, showing that other hunters were abroad. Then came a report so
close at hand, it made Fred jump.

"You want to be very careful so that you don't mistake some other
hunter for game," cautioned Frank Newberry.

"Exactly!" grumbled Fred. "And I want the other hunters to be careful
that they don't shoot me for a deer or a bear."

The cadets continued to advance into the woods, and then crossed an
open space. Here they were fortunate enough to stir up quite a few
rabbits, and Jack, after an hour's hunt, had the pleasure of bringing
down two, while one was laid low by Fred.

So far the cadets had kept together, but presently the party managed to
catch sight of game in two directions, and soon Frank Newberry and the
seniors with him were hurrying off to the southward while the Rover
boys went after game that had gone northward.

"Come right back to this spot!" cried Frank Newberry to the Rovers.

"All right," answered Jack.

Their sporting blood, aroused by the game already brought down, urged
Jack and Fred forward, and almost before they knew it they had covered
a long distance. They presently came to another clearing, bordering a
good-sized pond. Here they stirred up half a dozen rabbits and also
some squirrels, and each succeeded in bringing down more than half the
game sighted.

"Say, this is the finest sport ever!" declared Fred, as he looked at
his game with deep satisfaction. "Won't the others envy us when we get
back to the Hall with these!"

"It's sport enough for us," returned Jack. "I don't know what the
rabbits and squirrels think about it though," he added dryly.

From a distance the boys had seen more game and they began to circle
the pond. Then they heard a strange whirring in some bushes a distance
further on.

"Maybe we'll come across some wild turkeys or something like that,"
said Fred.

"I don't believe there are any wild turkeys around here," answered
Jack.

"Oh! wouldn't it be fine if we sighted a deer or a bear?" sighed Fred.

"You don't want much for your money, do you?" laughed his cousin. "I
rather think if a bear came after you you'd take to your heels."

"Maybe I would--if he was a big one."

On and on went the two boys, and presently were rewarded by the sight
of several small woodcock. Both fired almost at the same instant, and
two of the birds came fluttering down, to thrash around in the bushes
until put out of misery by the young hunters.

"Two of 'em! Think of that!" chuckled Fred. "Oh! this is simply
glorious!"

So far the two boys had not met any of the strange hunters, but now
they came across two men well loaded down with rabbits. They did not
know it, but one of the men was a farm hand employed by Elias Lacy.

"You'd better keep away from the Lacy place," said the man, with a
sarcastic look at the Rovers. He had been on hand when the lads had had
the chestnuts taken away by the old farmer, and had also heard about
the joke on Hallowe'en.

"Don't you worry. We've no use for Mr. Lacy," returned Fred, crossly.

"He's the meanest man we ever met," added Jack. At this the farm hand
only grinned, and then he and his companion disappeared once more into
the woods.

So far the day had been typical of the Autumn season, somewhat gray,
with only an occasional showing of the sun. Now, however, it became
rapidly darker, and presently a few flakes of snow sifted down through
the air.

"Hello! What do you know about this!" cried Jack, looking up. "I guess
we're going to have a snowstorm."

"Oh, I hope it doesn't snow very heavily--at least not until we get
back to school," returned Fred, quickly.

"A little snow won't hurt us, Fred."

"But if it got too thick, Jack, we might lose our way."

"I don't believe it will come down as heavily as all that--not at this
season of the year."

With the sky growing darker, and the flakes of snow coming down thicker
than ever, the two boys sought to retrace their steps in the direction
of the pond. But in their eagerness to sight something at which to
shoot, they had not noted their path very carefully, and as a
consequence they now found themselves somewhat bewildered.

"If the sun was only out we'd know in what direction to steer,"
remarked Jack. "But when the sky is this way, a fellow is apt to get
completely turned around."

"It's too bad we didn't bring a pocket compass."

"That's true. However, we haven't got one, so we'll have to make the
best of it. Come on!"

They had paused for a moment to rest and to survey their surroundings.
Now they continued their tramping, and at length came out on the edge
of a sheet of water which they at first took to be the pond they had
previously visited.

"There they go! Quick, Jack!" sang out Fred, and blazed away with his
shotgun. His cousin followed suit, and soon they found they had bagged
two additional rabbits--one the largest yet brought low.

"This isn't the pond at all!" cried Jack, in some disappointment, after
the excitement of shooting the rabbits had subsided. "I never saw this
spot before."

"Nor I! What do you make of it, Jack?"

"Don't ask me! It looks as if we were lost."

"Hark! I heard a shot!" cried Fred, a minute later, while the pair were
looking around trying to make up their minds in what direction to
proceed next. "Maybe those are our fellows shooting."

The shot had come from their right, and was presently followed by
another. Thinking their friends might be close at hand, the Rovers
started off as well as they could through the brushwood and between the
trees. But then they came to some rough ground covered with rocks, and
here further progress was all but impossible. In the meanwhile, no
further reports had reached their ears.

"We are sure up against it," remarked Jack, after he and his cousin had
looked at each other rather helplessly. It was darker than ever, and
the snow still continued to sift down through the trees.

"Maybe we'll have to stay out here all night," said Fred, after
consulting his watch. "It's half past five now."

"We ought to be on the way back to the Hall if we expect any supper,"
replied his cousin.

Being unable to advance further in that direction, the Rover boys
sought to retrace their steps, and after considerable trouble managed
to return to the sheet of water they had left a while before. But by
this time the darkness of night had fallen.

"It's no use!" cried Fred, helplessly. "We're lost, that's all there is
to it!"

"It was bad enough while it was daylight, Fred. I really don't know
what we are going to do now it's dark," answered Jack, seriously.

On the return to the little pond Fred had stumbled over some tree
roots, and this had lamed him a little.

"I can't walk very much further," he said, with a sigh. And then he
added quickly: "Jack, have you any matches?"

"Oh, yes! I put a box in my pocket before we started."

"Good! Then if we have to stay here we can build a fire and maybe cook
something."

The boys tried the water of the pond, and finding it fairly good drank
their fill. Then they sat down to discuss the situation. Both were
hungry, and in the end they gathered some dry sticks, started a fire,
and cooked one of the rabbits and also a squirrel, which they ate with
much satisfaction.

"We'll freeze to death if we stay here all night," was Fred's dismal
comment.

"Oh, no--not if we keep the fire going."

"Then let's do that by all means. It will not only keep us warm, but it
may be the means of directing somebody to this place."

It was a long night for both of the boys. They took turns at resting
and at replenishing the fire, and it is doubtful if either of them got
much real sleep. Once, in the early morning, came an alarm, and Fred
imagined a bear was in the bushes. But the animal, or whatever it was,
soon went away, and that was the end of the disturbance.

"Thank goodness! it has stopped snowing!" remarked Jack, when the
cousins were preparing a breakfast of another squirrel.

The snow had not amounted to much, being less than an inch in depth.
The storm had cleared away entirely, and at the proper time the sun
came up over the hills beyond Clearwater Lake.

Long before that time the two young hunters were once more on their
way. They had tramped along for fully half an hour when suddenly Jack
let up a shout of joy.

"Hurrah! we've struck a road at last! Now we'll find out where we are!"

The road was little more than a trail through the woods, evidently made
by the wagon or sled of some woodcutter. It ran down a slight hill, and
the two boys lost no time in following it.

"I hope it brings us into Haven Point," remarked Fred, as they strode
along. "I'm getting tired of walking and of carrying the shotgun. I'd
rather have a ride."

"Let us be thankful to get out of the woods, Fred. We might have gotten
so mixed up that we'd have had to spend another night there."

The two lads continued to follow the woods road, and presently came
into sight of several farm buildings, including a corncrib and a long,
low cowshed.

"Oh, for the love of doughnuts!" cried Jack an instant later. "Fred, do
you know where we are?"

"No, I don't. Where?"

"Right in the back of old Lacy's place! There is his house;" and the
oldest Rover boy pointed with his hand.

"You're right, Jack! Gee! we almost ran into the old man again, didn't
we?" gasped Fred. "We had better get out of here as quick as we can!"

"Now you're saying something!" returned his cousin. "Come on, before he
catches sight of us!"

The two boys had just started to leave the road on which they had been
traveling when a shout reached their ears. The next moment another
shout rent the frosty morning air, and then two men came running
towards the lads, one carrying a gun and the other a pitchfork.

"Stop there! you young rascals! Stop!" roared out the voice of Elias
Lacy. "Stop, I tell you! Caleb, cover 'em with your gun!"

"I'm doin' it, Mr. Lacy," replied the other man, and leveled his gun at
the boys. He was the same man the Rovers had met in the woods the
afternoon before.

With the weapon of the farm hand pointed at them the two Rover boys
came to a halt. In a minute more the others came up, Elias Lacy puffing
because of his exertions.

"Now I've caught you!" he snarled. "I didn't think it was goin' to be
so easy."

"You're certainly in luck, Mr. Lacy," grinned Caleb Boggs. "I didn't
think they'd stay roun' here after doin' it."

"They came back jest to have the laugh on me!" snarled the old farmer.
"I know 'em! I s'pose they did it 'cause I took them chestnuts away
from 'em, an' on account o' the way I treated 'em Hallowe'en night. But
I'll fix 'em now! I'll have the law on 'em! I'll send 'em to state's
prison for ten years! Jest you see if I don't!" and thus the old man
spluttered on, saying many things the boys could not understand.

"See here, Mr. Lacy! What are you so mad about?" queried Jack, finally.
"Can't you stand a little fun?"

"Stand a little fun!" yelled the excited old man, fairly beside himself
with rage. "It ain't no fun to kill two o' my cows!" He shook his bony
fist at the boys. "I'll have the law on you, so I will! I'll send you
both to state's prison for ten years!"




CHAPTER XXVII

ELIAS LACY'S DEMAND


The two Rover boys stared at Elias Lacy in open-mouthed amazement.

"What did you say about killing two cows?" questioned Jack.

"Have two of your cows been killed?" came from Fred.

At these questions the old farmer seemed to become more enraged than
ever. He raised his pitchfork as if to use it on the cadets.

"You can't play innercent with me!" he fairly screamed. "I know you!
You shot them cows, an' I'm a-goin' to send you to state's prison fur
it!"

"It's a purty serious business--killin' a man's cattle like that,"
added Caleb Boggs, with a shake of his head. He still held his shotgun
so as to cover the two boys.

"I don't know a thing about your cows, and I certainly haven't shot at
them," answered Jack, indignantly.

"We haven't been anywhere near your cow pasture, or your cowshed,
either," said Fred. "We've been hunting up in the woods yonder. Your
man saw us."

"We got lost up there after it began to snow, and we had to camp out
all night," explained Jack. "We just found that road and were trying to
get back to Haven Point and Colby Hall."

"It ain't so! It ain't so!" snarled Elias Lacy. "You come over to my
cow paster yesterday afternoon an' shot both o' them cows and then you
run away. One o' my men seen you."

"He never did!" burst out Jack. "I tell you we weren't near your
place."

"We went out hunting with a number of other cadets, and we can prove
it!" added his cousin.

"Huh! where are them other cadets now?" demanded the old farmer.

"We got separated in the woods--they going off for some rabbits in one
direction and we going off after some other rabbits in another
direction," explained the oldest Rover boy. "I don't know where those
other cadets are now. Probably they went back to the school."

"You ain't got no right to hunt on my grounds."

"We were out in the open woods, Mr. Lacy, where we had a perfect right
to be."

"Well, we won't talk about that now," snarled the old man. "I'm a-goin'
to fix you for shootin' them cows. They was two of the best cows I had,
an' they was wuth a lot o' money."

A wordy war followed, during which the boys became almost as angry as
the old farmer. They insisted upon it that they had not been near his
farm during the afternoon of the day before, but he did not believe a
word they said.

"I'm a-goin' to have the law on you!" he cried. "I'm a-goin' to have
you arrested! An' I'll make your folks pay fur them cows!"

"Hadn't we better march 'em down to the barn?" suggested the hired man.
"Then I kin hitch up the horses and we kin take 'em down to the town
lock-up."

"Oh, Jack, don't let them lock us up!" whispered Fred, in horror.

"If you lock us up, Mr. Lacy, you'll suffer for it," said Jack. "I'll
get my father to sue you for damages."

"Don't you talk to me like that, you young whipper-snapper!" cried the
old man. "I know what I'm a-doin'. I'm a-goin' to turn you over to the
town authorities, an' that's all there is to it!"

The old man was obdurate, and he and the hired man forced the boys into
the barn, where the farmer stood guard with the shotgun while the hired
man hooked up a team of horses to one of the farm wagons. Then the lads
were told to get into the turnout.

"I don't think I'll get in," said Jack.

"Yes, you will!" snarled Elias Lacy; and then followed a lively
scuffle. But the two boys were no match for the men, and they were
quickly disarmed. Then, being covered by the hired man's shotgun, they
had to get up into the wagon. The hired man drove, while Elias Lacy sat
in the rear, the shotgun ready for action so that the boys might not
escape. Their own guns, along with their game, were placed on the
bottom of the wagon under a blanket.

It must be confessed that Jack and Fred were in no enviable frame of
mind as the wagon with the two prisoners aboard headed in the direction
of Haven Point. They knew that news of their arrest would spread
rapidly, and they wondered what their friends, and especially the girls
at Clearwater Hall, would think of it.

"Gee, but we're in a pickle!" commented Fred, dismally.

"Yes. And the worst of it is, I don't know how we are going to clear
ourselves," answered his cousin. "As near as I can learn, those cows
were shot while you and I were off by ourselves in the woods. The hired
man says the other man who works on the place saw two cadets
disappearing between the trees."

"Who can those fellows be, Jack?"

"Don't ask me! Probably two of our fellows who have some grudge against
Lacy."

This talk was carried on in an undertone, so that neither the old
farmer nor his hired man could understand what was said.

"You needn't plan no trick to escape," warned Elias Lacy, raising his
shotgun slightly.

"Mr. Lacy, what did you do with the two cows that were shot?" asked
Jack, suddenly.

"I left 'em out in the paster, right where they fell," returned the old
farmer. "I ain't a-goin' to tech 'em till the authorities have looked
'em over."

"Were they killed with bird shot or with rifle bullets?"

"Bird shot--same as you've been a-usin' in them shotguns of yourn."

A portion of the roadway leading into Haven Point was being repaired
and was closed off; so, in order to get down into the town, they had to
make something of a detour in the direction of Colby Hall.

"Oh, Jack, hadn't we better ask him to take us to the Hall first?"
whispered Fred to his cousin. "Maybe Colonel Colby can fix this up for
us."

"I might ask him," returned Jack, in a low tone.

"I ain't a-goin' to Colby Hall," snarled Elias Lacy, after the question
had been put to him. "I'm a-goin' to take you to the lock-up."

The journey towards the town was continued, and presently those in the
wagon came within sight of a rural free delivery turnout.

"Hello there, Pete! Got any letters for us?" sang out the farm hand.

"One fur Mr. Lacy," replied the post carrier, and, driving closer, he
handed it over.

"I ain't got no time to read letters now," announced Elias Lacy, as he
thrust the communication into his pocket. "I've got other business to
'tend to."

"Givin' a couple of the Colby cadets a ride, eh?" ventured the carrier.

"I'm a-takin' 'em to the lock-up, Pete. They went an' shot two o' my
cows."

"You don't say, 'Lias!" cried the carrier in amazement. "Out huntin' I
s'pose, and mistook 'em for deer or bears," and he chuckled over his
little joke.

"No; they done it a-purpose," growled the farmer. "They held a grudge
agin me, an' they thought they was a-goin' to git square. But I'll show
'em, an' don't you forgit it!"

"We didn't shoot his cows!" came simultaneously from Jack and Fred.

"Bad business! But I've got to be on my way," commented the carrier.
"That road bein' closed puts me away off my regular route;" and off he
drove.

Three quarters of the distance to Haven Point had been covered when
those in the wagon heard a shout, and a moment later Captain Dale came
galloping up on horseback.

"Where in the world have you two cadets been?" he cried. "We have been
looking all over for you."

"We got lost in the woods and had to camp out all night," explained
Jack, and then added: "Did the others get back?"

"Oh, yes. And they fully expected that you would follow them." And
then, seeing a peculiar look on the boys' faces, the military
instructor of Colby Hall continued: "Nothing wrong, I hope?"

"Yes, there is--a whole lot wrong!" cried Elias Lacy, before the cadets
could answer. "They sneaked up to my farm an' shot two o' my cows."

"Impossible!" exclaimed the military man.

"No, it ain't! It's so!" shrilled the old farmer. "They killed the
cows, an' I'm on my way to put 'em in the Haven Point lock-up."

"Oh, Captain Dale, don't let him have us arrested!" pleaded Fred. "We
do not know anything about his cows, and we certainly did not shoot
them."

"Tell me all about this," demanded Captain Dale. And in a highly
excited fashion, Elias Lacy told his story, which was corroborated by
his hired man.

"Now I'll hear what you have to say," said the captain, turning to Jack
and Fred.

They gave him the particulars of what had happened, just as they had
already related them to the old farmer. Then Captain Dale asked them a
number of questions. Elias Lacy interrupted continually.

"I ain't a-goin' to stand no nonsense," said the old man doggedly. "I'm
a-goin' to put 'em in the lock-up, an' do it right now!"

"Mr. Lacy, allow me to tell you something," said the military
instructor coolly. "If these boys are guilty you will be justified in
having them placed under arrest. But if they are not guilty--and they
claim they are innocent--you'll make yourself liable for a big suit for
damages."

"I don't care! I know they shot them cows!"

"No, you don't know it. You admit that the farm hand who saw the two
cadets did not recognize them. In fact, he wasn't altogether sure that
they were cadets. Now, these boys claim they were nowhere near your
pasture lot when the cows were shot. I think the best thing you can do
is to let them return to the Hall with me. Colonel Colby is away
to-day, but I will take the matter up with him just as soon as he
returns."

"Mebbe if I let 'em go to the Hall, they'll run away," answered Elias
Lacy. The mention of a possible lawsuit for damages had taken some of
the aggressiveness out of him.

"I will see to it that they do not run away," answered Captain Dale.
"We have a guardroom at the Hall--a sort of lock-up; and if it is
necessary I will have them placed there until Colonel Colby can
investigate, and until you can make up your mind what you want to do."

The old farmer argued the matter for several minutes, but in the end
agreed to let the military instructor take charge of Jack and Fred.

"But remember," he said in parting, "you've got to keep 'em under lock
an' key till I see Colonel Colby. I'm a-goin' to make an investigation,
an' I'm purty sure I'll be able to prove that they killed them cows."




CHAPTER XXVIII

IN THE GUARDROOM


"What in the world do you suppose has become of them, Randy?"

"I give it up! I hope they only lost their way and didn't have some
kind of an accident."

"Oh, don't speak of an accident!" cried Andy in horror. "It makes me
shiver to think of it."

"I can't understand why they didn't rejoin us as they promised to do,"
said Frank Newberry, who was present. "We looked all over for them, and
fired one or two shots to attract their attention, but it was all
useless."

The twins had passed a restless night following the continued absence
from the school of their cousins. Early in the morning they had gone
out in company with Gif and Spouter, and covered many miles in a vain
search for the absent ones. They could not settle down to their class
work, and so were excused by Professor Brice.

"Well, I've got to be getting back to the classroom," remarked Frank
Newberry, presently, and he and several others who were present hurried
away, leaving the twins to themselves.

The boys walked down the roadway which had been followed by the hunters
the day before. They had covered only a short distance when they saw a
farm wagon approaching, with Captain Dale beside it on his horse.

"There they are!" cried Andy, and an instant later added in amazement:
"Old Lacy and one of his men are with them!"

"Yes. And I bet that spells trouble for Jack and Fred," announced his
brother.