THE ROVER BOYS ON A HUNT

                                    OR

                    _THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE IN THE WOODS_

                                    BY

                            ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
                           (Edward Stratemeyer)

AUTHOR OF "THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL," "THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN,"
"THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES," ETC.

                              _ILLUSTRATED_




NEW YORK
GROSSET & DUNLAP
PUBLISHERS

Made in the United States of America

Copyright, 1920, by
EDWARD STRATEMEYER




[Illustration: THE WOLVES GAVE LOUD YELPS OF PAIN.]




_The Rover Boys on a Hunt_




INTRODUCTION


MY DEAR BOYS: This book is a complete story in itself, but forms the
fourth volume in a line issued under the general title, "The Second
Rover Boys Series for Young Americans."

As mentioned in some volumes of the first series, this line was started
years ago with the publication of "The Rover Boys at School," "On the
Ocean," and "In the Jungle," in which I introduced my readers to Dick,
Tom and Sam Rover. The twenty volumes of the first series related the
doings of these three youths while attending Putnam Hall Military
Academy, Brill College, and while on numerous outings.

Having acquired a thorough education, the three young men established
themselves in business and were married. Presently Dick Rover became the
father of a son and a daughter, and so did his brother Sam, while Tom
Rover became the father of twin boys. The four lads were later on sent
to boarding school, as related in the first volume of this second
series, entitled "The Rover Boys at Colby Hall."

From Colby Hall the scene was shifted to "Snowshoe Island," where the
lads went for a winter outing. Then they came back to the military
academy, and later on participated in the annual encampment, as related
in the third volume, entitled "The Rover Boys under Canvas."

In the present volume the scene is shifted from lively times at Colby
Hall to still more livelier times in the woods, to which the lads
journeyed for a season of hunting. They came upon a mysterious house in
the forest, and there uncovered a secret which I will leave the pages
that follow to relate.

Once more I wish to thank my numerous readers for the many nice things
they have said about these "Rover Boys" books. I trust that the reading
of the volumes will do them all good.

Affectionately and sincerely yours,

EDWARD STRATEMEYER.




CONTENTS


       I THE BOBSLED RACE

      II ABOUT THE ROVERS

     III NEWS OF IMPORTANCE

      IV SOMETHING ABOUT CEDAR LODGE

       V THE DEFEAT OF THE BULLY

      VI AT THE MOVING PICTURE THEATER

     VII THE END OF THE TERM

    VIII CHRISTMAS AT HOME

      IX THE RAILROAD ACCIDENT

       X THE RESCUE

      XI ON THE WAY TO CEDAR LODGE

     XII AT THE FROZEN-UP SPRING

    XIII THE MEETING ON THE ROAD

     XIV THE FIRST HUNT

      XV A CRY FOR HELP

     XVI UNDESIRABLE VISITORS

    XVII NEW YEAR'S DAY IN CAMP

   XVIII FISHING THROUGH THE ICE

     XIX LETTERS FROM HOME

      XX LOST IN THE WOODS

     XXI A NIGHT UNDER THE CLIFF

    XXII AT TONY DUVAL'S CAMP

   XXIII SIX BIG SNOWBALLS

    XXIV A CONVERSATION OF IMPORTANCE

     XXV THE MYSTERIOUS HOUSE IN THE WOODS

    XXVI WHAT THE BIG BARN CONTAINED

   XXVII THE COMING OF THE WOLVES

  XXVIII THE MAN IN THE GREY OVERCOAT

    XXIX WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LODGE

     XXX THE EXPOSURE--CONCLUSION




CHAPTER I

THE BOBSLED RACE


"All ready, boys?"

"Wait a minute, Jack."

"Can't wait; life is too short!" cried Jack Rover gayly. He was seated
at the front of a long bobsled holding six boys. "Remember, we've got to
be back at the Hall in half an hour."

"Please don't mention it!" pleaded Randy Rover, his cousin.

"Hi, you fellows! are you going to race or not?" came from another youth
on a bobsled standing close by.

"You bet we're going to race!" sang out Fred Rover, who was at the tail
end of the first sled. "And we'll beat you, too, Bill Glutts!"

"You will, like fun!" grumbled the cadet addressed, a rather heavy-set
and by-no-means pre-possessing youth. "Come on now, unless you're
afraid."

"We're afraid of nobody!" sang out Andy Rover, and, leaning sideways
from where he sat on the bobsled, he scooped up a handful of loose snow
and threw it playfully at Glutts.

"Hi, you! what do you mean?" roared Bill Glutts in anger, as the snow
landed directly behind his right ear.

"Hello! I guess it must have begun to snow again," cried Randy Rover,
mischievously.

"I'll 'snow' you!" retorted Glutts. "I guess you fellows are afraid to
race. That's why you are cutting up."

"Never mind--race them anyway, Bill," came from a small, pasty-faced
youth, who was usually called Codfish on account of his broad mouth. "Go
ahead and show 'em what your new bobsled can do."

"That's the talk!" cried another cadet, a newcomer at the academy. "Show
'em that the _Yellow Streak_ can lick anything on this hill."

"That's a dream that will never come true!" cried Spouter Powell. "Come
ahead, Jack, let's start this race," he added to the oldest Rover boy.

The scene was Long Hill, a rise of ground located about midway between
Colby Hall Military Academy and the town of Haven Point. There was
something of a wagon road leading up the hill from the main highway
which skirted Clearwater Lake, and this road had been converted by the
cadets of the academy into a slide for their bobsleds.

From the top of the hill the slide ran down and over two smaller hills,
then crossed the main highway and shot down another road onto the lake,
which at this season of the year was covered with ice.

It was a Saturday afternoon, and, as usual, the cadets of the military
academy were making the most of their off time, some with bobsleds and
other with ordinary handsleds and what were locally called "bread
shovels."

For some weeks before this the boys, as well as many other residents in
that vicinity, had enjoyed skating on the lake. But a rather wet snow
had fallen which the wind had been unable to sweep away, and
consequently skating became a thing of the past. Then the lads turned to
their bobsleds, the Rovers getting out one they had used the season
before. This they painted and varnished very carefully and christened
the _Blue Moon_.

"Because, you see," explained Randy, with a wink, "it's only once in a
blue moon that she'll be beaten."

The Rovers and their chums, as well as many other cadets and boys and
girls from that vicinity, had been using the hill for a couple of hours
when the race between the _Blue Moon_ and the _Yellow Streak_ was
proposed by Nick Carncross, the new friend of Bill Glutts.

Now, as my old readers know, the Rovers and Bill Glutts were by no means
on good terms with each other. In the past Glutts had proved himself
anything but a friend, and they had had more than one personal encounter
with this freckled-faced bully.

But it was not in the nature of any of the Rover boys to refuse a
challenge to race, knowing well that if this was done many would think
they were afraid of being beaten. So the challenge was accepted, and
immediately the details were arranged.

Each bobsled was to carry six cadets, and they were to start down the
hill side by side, the _Blue Moon_ keeping well to the right and the
_Yellow Streak_ well to the left. The first sled to cross a mark located
out on the lake was to be declared the winner.

With the four Rover boys were their intimate chums, Spouter Powell and
Gif Garrison. With Glutts were Codfish, Carncross, and three other of
the bully's cronies.

"Gee! I wish I was in that race," came from Will Hendry, who, on account
of his unusual stoutness, was always called Fatty.

"Nothing doing, Fatty," remarked Dan Soppinger, another cadet. "You'd
make the Rovers lose sure."

"All ready?" questioned Walt Baxter, who had been settled on as the
starter of the race.

"All ready," answered Jack Rover, after a glance around to see that
nothing was out of order.

"Been ready half an hour," grumbled Bill Glutts.

"All right, then!" cried Walt. "One--two--three--go!"

As he finished Fred Rover, who was at the rear of the _Blue Moon_, gave
that bobsled a quick push and leaped aboard. At the same time Carncross
sent the _Yellow Streak_ forward and also sprang to his seat. Then, side
by side, the two bobsleds moved down the long hill, slowly at first, but
gradually gathering speed.

It was five o'clock of an afternoon in early December, and consequently
quite dark, even on the snow-clad hills. Many of the smaller children,
and also the girls, had gone home, leaving the place to the cadets and a
few others.

"I hope we win this," remarked Randy, as the two sleds continued to
speed forward side by side.

"Of course we'll win it," came promptly from Gif Garrison.

"We've got to win it!" added Fred Rover.

"If you don't win Bill Glutts will never stop crowing over you," put in
Spouter Powell.

"Hi, there, Glutts! Keep to your side of the run," warned Jack suddenly.
The _Yellow Streak_ had swerved over well into the middle of the road.

"I know what I'm doing," growled Glutts. "You tend to your own
business."

"Well, you know the rules," warned Jack. "You keep over on your own
side. If you don't there'll be trouble."

"Humph! you don't have to tell me what to do," growled the other cadet;
and then, striking a bit of extra smooth roadway, the _Yellow Streak_
bounded ahead, much to the delight of its riders.

"Hurrah! here is where we leave them behind," sang out Codfish.

"Nothing to it but the shouting," added another of Bill Glutts' cronies.

"We'll be a mile ahead by the time we reach the lake," exulted Nick
Carncross.

For half a minute it looked as if his prophecy might be true. The
_Yellow Streak_ was gliding over the icy surface of the long hill, and
consequently going ahead, while the _Blue Moon_ struck several soft
spots where going was anything but good.

"Oh, Jack! can't you pull out of this?" queried Gif Garrison anxiously.
"Pull over to the left where the going is harder. It's too soft here
entirely."

"I'm sticking to my side of the road, just as I was expected to do,"
said Jack grimly.

The _Yellow Streak_ disappeared over the first rise, and for a few
seconds was lost to view. But then the _Blue Moon_ came along, and
beyond this rise found going somewhat easier. Slowly but surely they
crawled up behind the other bobsled.

"Keep to your side of the road, Glutts!" yelled Jack, in a second
warning. "If you don't, there'll be trouble."

"And you'll get the worst of it," added Randy.

"I know what I'm doing," retorted Glutts. He had found the snow somewhat
soft on his side of the road, and was now running near the center, and
occasionally crowding to Jack's side.

"We'll run into 'em sure!" came from Spouter Powell in alarm. "Look out,
Jack!"

"Look out!" echoed Fred.

"Over on your own side, or we'll smash you, Glutts!" yelled Jack, for
the _Blue Moon_ had suddenly found going much easier and was forging
forward rapidly. "Get out of the way!"

The call was so peremptory that Glutts felt bound to obey. He swerved to
his side of the road, and with not a second to spare, for almost
instantly the _Blue Moon_ shot past and continued down the slope toward
the lake.

"We win! we win!" yelled Andy gayly.

"But the _Yellow Streak_ is just behind us!" cried Spouter, looking
back. "Here they come!"

"Yes, and on our side of the road, too!" cried Fred, in alarm. He turned
his head still further around. "Glutts, get to your own side!"

"Aw, dry up!" cried the other cadet, in disgust. "You don't have to act
as if you owned the whole road."

"You know the rules of the race," flung back Fred.

Crossing the highway which skirted the lake was not so easy, and beyond
this the snow was rather deep, and consequently the speed of the _Blue
Moon_ was slackened. The _Yellow Streak_ came dangerously close, and
then Bill Glutts seemed to lose his head completely. He slued around to
his own side of the road, but made such a short turn that in a twinkling
the long bobsled was upset and the occupants hurled in all directions.

"There they go! They are upset!" yelled Fred. And then he lost sight of
those left behind as the _Blue Moon_ shot out on the surface of the lake
and beyond the mark set for the end of the race.

"We win! we win!" cried Andy, leaping from the bobsled, and in the
exuberance of his spirits he turned a handspring in the snow.

"What happened to the other sled?" asked Jack, who had been so busy
steering the _Blue Moon_ he had paid little attention to what had been
going on behind.

"They had a spill," answered Fred. "But before they took it they came
pretty close to running into us."

"It was up to them to keep to their side of the road," said Gif
Garrison. "Why, we might have had a terrible accident if they had run
into us!"

There were about a dozen boys on the lake who had witnessed the finish
of the race, and these, along with those who had come down on the _Blue
Moon_, now turned back to see what had happened to the Glutts party.
They found the cadets who had been spilled picking themselves up and
brushing the snow from their garments. One was nursing a bruised ankle,
and another a bruised elbow, while Bill Glutts was wiping some blood
from a scratch on his chin.

"Well, we won the race," said Jack briefly. He had no desire to crow
over his opponents.

"Huh! you didn't win it fairly," growled Glutts, glaring at him.

"Didn't win it fairly!" exclaimed Jack. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you got in our way so we couldn't get past you--that's what I
mean!" growled the other.

"That is false, Glutts, and you know it," retorted the oldest Rover boy.

"See here, Jack Rover! you can't talk to me in that fashion," roared
Bill Glutts. He had been in a more or less bad humor all the afternoon,
and the defeat had not improved his temper. "I say you got in my way,
and that is why I lost the race."

"And I say your statement isn't true," returned Jack sturdily.

"It is true! And I won't let you or anybody else say any different,"
said Bill Glutts. And then, in sudden passion, he stepped forward and
gave Jack a shove which sent the oldest Rover boy flat on his back in a
snowbank.




CHAPTER II

ABOUT THE ROVERS


The attack upon Jack Rover was so unexpected that he had no chance to
save himself from going down into the snowbank. He went down so hard and
the snow was so soft that for the moment he was almost covered and had
to flounder around quite some to regain his feet.

"See here, Bill Glutts! what do you mean by attacking my cousin?" cried
Randy, leaping forward and catching the bully by the arm.

"He had no right to talk to me the way he did," retorted Glutts. "Let go
of me!" and he shook himself free.

"What Jack said was true," put in Fred quickly. "I was on the back of
our bobsled and watched you nearly all the time. You came over on our
side of the road at least three different times."

By this time half a dozen of the cadets were speaking at once, Carncross
and several others upholding Bill Glutts. In the midst of the discussion
Jack managed to regain his feet, and, leaping forward, he caught Bill
Glutts firmly by both wrists.

"Glutts, you listen to me," said he sternly, looking the bully in the
eyes. "If I wasn't an officer at the Hall, I'd give you a sound
thrashing for what you just did. As it is, I expect you to apologize or
else take the consequences."

"Huh! I suppose you mean by that you'll play sissy and report me," said
the bully.

"No, I won't report you, but I'll see to it that you get what is coming
to you," answered Jack.

"Knowing he is an officer and can't fight you, you took a mean advantage
of Jack," broke in Gif Garrison. "You ought to be thrashed for it,
Glutts."

"I don't think Bill meant to shove him down into the snow," put in
Codfish, somewhat timidly.

"He did mean to do it!" said Jack quickly. "And he'll either apologize
for his actions or he'll take the consequences."

"Well, I'll take the consequences, whatever they are," retorted Bill
Glutts, with a sickly grin. "I know that race wasn't a fair one. Come
on, fellows, let's get back to the Hall, it's almost supper time," and
with that he trudged away, he and his cronies pulling the _Yellow
Streak_ behind them.

"He sure is one sweet-tempered fellow," was Spouter's comment.

"Jack, why didn't you pitch into him, anyway?" questioned Andy
anxiously.

"I didn't have to," returned Jack briefly. "Just the same, I won't
forget the way he has acted. If it wasn't that I am captain of Company
C, and am expected not to fight, I'd have given him the thrashing of his
life."

To the many young folks who have read the former volumes in this series,
the Rover boys will not need an introduction. But for the benefit of new
readers a few words concerning my characters will be necessary.

In the first volume, entitled "The Rover Boys at School," I related how
three brothers, Dick, Tom, and Sam Rover, were sent to Putnam Hall
Military Academy, where they made a great number of friends, including a
cadet named Lawrence Colby.

From Putnam Hall the boys went to Brill College, and, after leaving that
institution of learning, joined their father in business in New York
City, with offices on Wall Street. They organized The Rover Company, of
which Dick was president, Tom, secretary and general manager, and Sam,
treasurer.

During their cadet days at Putnam Hall the three Rovers had become
acquainted with a number of charming girls, including Dora Stanhope and
her cousins, Nellie and Grace Laning. When Dick went into business he
made Dora Stanhope his life partner, and a short while after this Tom
married Nellie Laning and Sam married Grace. The three brothers
purchased a fine plot of ground on Riverside Drive overlooking the
Hudson River, and there they built three connecting houses, Dick and his
wife living in the middle house, with Tom on one side and Sam on the
other.

About a year after their marriage Dick and his wife became the proud
parents of a little son, who was named John after Mr. Laning. This son
was followed by a daughter, named Martha, after her Great-aunt Martha,
of Valley Brook Farm. Little Jack, as he was commonly called, was a
manly lad with many of the qualities which made his father so successful
in life.

It was about this time that Tom and Nellie Rover sprang a great surprise
on all the others. This surprise was in the shape of a pair of very
lively boy twins, one christened Anderson, after his grandfather, and
the other Randolph, after his Great-uncle Randolph of Valley Brook Farm.
Andy and Randy, as the twins were always called, were decidedly active
lads, taking after their father, "who was never still a minute," to
quote Grandpa Rover.

Shortly after the twins were born, Sam and Grace Rover came along with a
beautiful girl, named Mary, after Mrs. Laning. Then, a year later, the
girl was followed by a sturdy boy, who was called Fred, in honor of Sam
Rover's old and well known school chum, Fred Garrison.

Residing so close together, the younger generation of Rovers were
brought up very much like one big family. They usually spent their
winters in New York City, and during the summers often went out to
Valley Brook Farm, where their grandfather, Anderson Rover, still
resided with Uncle Randolph and Aunt Martha.

When the boys and girls grew old enough they were at first sent to
private schools in the Metropolis. But soon the lads, led by Andy and
Randy, showed a propensity for "cutting loose" that their parents were
compelled to hold a consultation.

"We'll have to send them to some strict boarding school--some military
academy," said Dick Rover; and so it was decided.

Lawrence Colby, their old Putnam Hall chum, had since that time become a
colonel in the state militia and had then opened a military academy
called Colby Hall. To this institution, Jack, Fred and the twins were
sent, as related in detail in the first volume of my second series,
entitled "The Rover Boys at Colby Hall."

This military school was located about half a mile from the town of
Haven Point on Clearwater Lake, a beautiful sheet of water about two
miles long. The school consisted of a large stone building facing the
lake. It was a three-storied structure and contained the classrooms and
the mess hall, and also dormitories and private rooms for the students.
Besides the main building, there was a smaller structure occupied by
Colonel Colby and his family and some of the professors, and also an
up-to-date gymnasium and boathouses and bathing pavilions.

On arriving at the academy the younger Rovers found several of their
friends awaiting them, one of these being Dick Powell, the son of
Songbird Powell, a former schoolmate of their fathers. Dick was always
called Spouter because of a fondness for long speeches. Another cadet
was Gif Garrison, a son of Fred Garrison, after whom Fred Rover had been
named. There was also Walter Baxter, a son of Dan Baxter, who, years
previous, had been an enemy of the older Rovers, but who had since
reformed and who was doing well.

As mentioned, Colby Hall was situated about half a mile from Haven
Point. On the opposite side of the town was located Clearwater Hall, a
boarding school for girls. During a panic in a moving picture theatre
Jack and his cousins became acquainted with a number of these school
girls, including Ruth Stevenson, May Powell, Alice Strobell and Annie
Larkins. They soon found out that May was Spouter Powell's cousin, and
the whole crowd of young people became friends. Later on Mary and Martha
Rover became pupils at Clearwater Hall.

Ruth Stevenson had an old Uncle Barney, who in times past had had a
bitter quarrel with Ruth's parents. The Rover boys, while out hunting
one day, had occasion to save the old man's life. For this the old
fellow was exceedingly grateful, and as a result he invited them to
spend their winter holidays with him, which they did, as related in "The
Rover Boys on Snowshoe Island."

On this island the lads met two of their former enemies, Nappy Martell
and Slugger Brown, as well as Asa Lemm, a discharged teacher of Colby
Hall. The boys exposed a plot against old Uncle Barney, and in the end
caused the old fellow's enemies to leave in disgust.

"I guess we haven't seen the last of Nappy and Slugger," said Jack when
he and his cousins had left Snowshoe Island.

And he was right. Nappy and Slugger turned up once more, as related in
the volume previous to this, entitled "The Rover Boys Under Canvas." In
that volume I told how the cadets went into their annual encampment,
this being after a spirited election for officers in which Jack Rover
had been elected captain of Company C and Fred had been elected first
lieutenant of the same command.

Among the cadets who wished to become a captain was one named Gabe
Werner, a great chum at that time of Bill Glutts. Having failed of
election, Werner did all he could to make things uncomfortable for the
Rovers, and in his actions he was seconded by Glutts. But in the end
Werner and Glutts were discovered in some of their nefarious doings,
and, becoming alarmed, Gabe Werner left the school camp early in the
morning and did not return. Glutts was brought before Captain Dale, the
teacher in charge of the camp, and received a stern lecture and was
deprived of many liberties he might otherwise have enjoyed. He laid his
troubles at the door of the Rovers and vowed that sooner or later he
would pay them back for the way he had been treated.

While the Rover boys were at Colby Hall the great war in Europe had
opened and our country was now overrun with German spies and
sympathizers. During their time at the encampment the boys made several
surprising discoveries, and in the end helped the Secret Service
officers to capture a hidden German submarine. They also rounded up the
fathers of Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown. Mr. Brown and Mr. Martell
were sent to prison, while Slugger and Nappy were marched off to a
detention camp in the South, and that, for the time being, was the last
the Rovers heard of them.

"Well, one thing is certain--we're well rid of Slugger and Nappy and
their fathers," remarked Jack, as this news was brought to them.

"Yes, and I guess we're rid of Gabe Werner too," said Fred. "He seems to
have dropped out completely." But in his remark concerning Werner the
young lieutenant was mistaken. Gabe Werner was destined to turn up in
their path unexpectedly and cause them not a little trouble.

When the call for volunteers came, Dick Rover and Sam had lost no time
in enlisting. At first Tom Rover had been unable to get away. But now
the business in New York City had been left in reliable hands, and all
three fathers of the boys were in the trenches in Europe doing their bit
for Uncle Sam. They had been in several small engagements, and so far
had come through unwounded.

"But there is no telling if they will come through every time," was the
way Fred expressed himself anxiously.

"Right you are," answered Jack. "Do you know, I dread to look at the
lists of the killed and wounded in the newspapers for fear I'll see one
of their names."

"Oh, if only this awful war was over!" put in Randy.




CHAPTER III

NEWS OF IMPORTANCE


"Battalion attention! Shoulder arms! Forward march!"

Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom! The drums beat, and away marched the three
companies forming the Colby Hall battalion. They marched around the
school building, as was the custom, and then marched into the place, put
away their rifles, and entered the mess hall.

The roll call and brief drill and march took place less than half an
hour after the encounter on the hill following the finish of the bobsled
race. Captain Jack and Lieutenant Fred had lost no time in hurrying back
to the school, and their chums had gone with them. Bill Glutts and his
cronies had gone ahead, as already stated. And they did not show
themselves until the call came to appear on the parade ground.

As captain and lieutenant, Jack and Fred were in rather a delicate
position when it came to quarreling with the other cadets. In the past
Colonel Colby had laid down the rule that there should be no fighting at
the Hall, and this rule was particularly enforced when it came to
officers. Now that the master of the military academy had joined the
army and gone with the older Rovers to Europe, Captain Dale, who was in
general command, was enforcing this rule with more strictness than ever
before.

The afternoon spent coasting had given the Rovers and their chums good
appetites, and they fell to with gusto over the ample supper provided
for them. Unlike many boarding schools, the table at Colby Hall was
always a bountiful one, and it is needless to say that the growing
cadets always did full justice to everything that was set before them.

"What are you going to do about Bill Glutts, Jack?" questioned Fred,
after the meal was over and the two were on their way to get several
reference books from the school library.

"I don't know yet," was the young captain's answer. "He ought to have a
thrashing, but you know how matters stand."

"Of course. And Jack, we can't think of that with the end of the term so
near. You don't want to spoil your record, and neither do I."

"It's a confounded shame that Glutts didn't leave when Gabe Werner
went," continued the oldest Rover boy. "They were two of a kind."

"Did you hear what Andy said--that he thought Glutts had a lot of German
blood in him?"

"That might be. His face looks it, and the name sounds a little that way
too."

"Andy and Randy both want to pitch into him," continued the young
lieutenant.

"You warn them not to do it--at least, not until this term comes to an
end," warned Jack. "They have been cutting up so much since last
September that their averages are none too high as it is. They'd be
mighty sorry if Captain Dale sent home a bad report about them. It would
just about break Aunt Nellie's heart, I'm sure."

Having procured the reference books, the two made their way upstairs to
the rooms occupied by them. The Rovers had a suite of four rooms, one of
which was used as a sitting room and for studying. As they walked
through the upper hallway they passed Nick Carncross and Bill Glutts.
Glutts looked sourly at them but did not say a word, and they refused to
notice the pair.

"I guess you've got their goat, Bill," remarked Carncross, as they
passed on. "That race really belonged to you, and they know it."

"Of course it belonged to me," returned Glutts. "If they hadn't got in
my way I'd have won with ease. There isn't a bobsled anywhere around
that can beat the _Yellow Streak_."

"I'm glad you shoved him over in the snow, even if he is a captain,"
continued Carncross. "He's got too big an opinion of himself."

"He only got to be captain by a fluke, Nick. Gabe Werner should have had
that office," continued Glutts.

"Is that why Werner left?" questioned Carncross curiously.

"Oh, no. He left because he got sick of the discipline around here. He
said there was no chance for any fun," answered Glutts.

"Where is he now? Did his folks approve of his leaving school?"

"Oh, I guess they didn't care one way or the other. Old man Werner is
pretty rich, and he didn't get his money by being educated either. So I
guess he doesn't care much for education."

"Does he let Gabe have much spending money?"

"Quite a little--but, of course, not as much as Gabe would like to have.
You know Gabe is a good deal of a sport." Bill Glutts' face lit up with
satisfaction. "I expect we are going to have a bang-up time together
during the holidays."

"Then you expect to see him?"

"Yes; we're planning a trip together."

"Gee! I'll envy you," returned Carncross.

Andy and Randy had not yet come upstairs. Neither could resist the
temptation to have a little fun, and after supper they had gone outside
and begun to snowball Shout Plunger, the school janitor, and Bob Nixon,
the chauffeur.

"It's all in fun, you know," explained Andy, as he let fly a snowball at
the old janitor, who was always called Shout because he was so deaf.

"Hi there! you stop that!" roared Shout. And then, when they continued
to snowball him, he came after them with a wooden snow-shovel.

"Look out! Here comes the enemy!" cried Randy gayly, and let fly a
snowball which struck the upraised snow-shovel and sent a shower of
loose snow into the janitor's face.

"You young rascals!" roared Plunger, and then lost his footing on some
ice. In endeavoring to keep his balance he sent the snow-shovel whirling
through the air. It landed at Andy's feet, catching that fun-loving
youth in the shins and sending him flat on his face.

"Hurrah! One down!" came from Bob Nixon good-naturedly, and then the
chauffeur picked up a large chunk of snow and threw it high in the air,
to land directly on Randy's shoulder.

"Great pyramids of Egypt!" gasped Randy. "Is that a snowslide?" For some
of the snow had filled his ear and gone down his neck.

"Oh, we didn't begin this, you know," cried the chauffeur gleefully.
"Come on, Shout; let's show 'em what the older generation can do." And
then he picked up another chunk of snow and hurled it at Andy, nearly
burying that youth while he was endeavoring to regain his feet.

"Hi! Hi you!" spluttered Andy. "We went in for snowballing. We didn't go
in for avalanches."

"When you start something, always be sure you can finish it," admonished
Bob Nixon. And then he picked up a third chunk of snow; but before he
could make use of it the Rover twins had dived out of sight around a
corner of the school building.

"I guess that's the time we got the worst of it," remarked Andy
ruefully.

"And maybe we deserved it," was Randy's ready response. "Come on and
snowball some of the other cadets."

A number were willing, and an impromptu snowballing battle took place
which lasted the best part of a quarter of an hour. Then one of the
teachers came out and ordered the youths upstairs, for this was the
study hour.

On Sundays such of the cadets as desired to do so were permitted to
attend one or another of the churches in Haven Point. All of the Rovers
went to church, and there met, not only Mary and Martha, but also Ruth
Stevenson, May Powell, and some of the other girls.

"Well, Jack, I suppose this snowy weather puts you in mind of the time
you went to my Uncle Barney's place on Snowshoe Island," remarked Ruth
Stevenson, with a bright smile at the young captain, who, of course, was
dressed in his best uniform.

"That's what it does, Ruth," he answered. "And, my, what a good time we
did have! How is your uncle getting along?"

"Very well indeed. He is a changed man since he stopped quarreling with
my folks and since it has been proved that Snowshoe Island is really and
truly his property."

"I'm glad we were able to help the old man."

"Have you decided on what you intend to do during the coming holidays?"
continued the girl from Clearwater Hall.

"Not exactly, Ruth. More than likely we'll go home with the girls and
spend some time with our mothers. They probably feel pretty lonely now
that our dads have gone to Europe."

"Yes, I can imagine how that must be."

"You girls ought to come down with Mary and Martha."

"We're talking of doing that," put in May Powell. "You see, we wanted
them to come up to my house first, and then Ruth wanted them. But as
their mothers are now all alone in New York they thought it best that we
should spend the time down there. We could have something of a house
party, and that would help cheer the older folks up."

"A good idea!" came from Fred. "Do it by all means!"

"Yes, you girls can have a fine time in New York during the winter
holidays," added Randy.

"I suppose you boys will want to go off hunting," said May, pouting a
little. "I wish I was a boy and could do that!"

"Gee! I wish we could go off hunting, like we did that time at Snowshoe
Island," cried Randy wistfully. "Such an outing would suit me right down
to the ground."

"Gif Garrison said something a few days ago about going off on a hunt,"
remarked Fred. "He says his father some years ago bought a place known
as Cedar Lodge. He didn't tell me very much about it. In fact, he acted
quite mysteriously."

"I suppose he didn't want to hurt your feelings, Fred," returned Jack.
"More than likely he knew you would feel bad to have him going off for a
good time up in the woods and have you and the rest of us staying at
home."

Two days passed, and the young cadets were so busy getting ready for the
examinations previous to the midwinter holidays that they had no time to
pay attention to anything else. They heard that Bill Glutts was openly
boasting that the _Yellow Streak_ could beat any bobsled in that
vicinity and that the _Blue Moon_ had won the contest by a foul. But to
this just then they paid no attention.

"I'll get at Bill later--just wait!" was the way Jack expressed himself,
and the others knew that the young captain would keep his word.

On Wednesday the boys received letters from home stating that word had
come in that their fathers were still in the trenches in France. No
serious fighting had so far taken place in their sector, and none of
them had been wounded and all were in the best of health.

"That's the best news yet," said Fred, with satisfaction, and the others
agreed with him.

Gif Garrison had also received a letter, and this he read with
tremendous satisfaction. His face was aglow as he called the Rover boys
to him.

"I've got an important announcement to make to you fellows," he said.
"Let us go up to your rooms and talk it over."

"What is the announcement?" questioned Andy eagerly.

"I'll tell you when we are alone," answered Gif.




CHAPTER IV

SOMETHING ABOUT CEDAR LODGE


"Oh, go ahead, Gif, and get it off your chest!"

"Don't keep us waiting."

"Has some one died and left you a fortune?"

Such were some of the remarks made after Gif Garrison had said that he
had an important announcement to make to the four Rover boys.

"Not another word until we get to your rooms," said Gif. "And, Andy,
won't you please run off and get Spouter Powell? I just saw him heading
for the gymnasium."

"All right, Gif. But don't you dare to let the others in on the secret
until I get back," returned the fun-loving Rover boy, and away he sped
on his errand.

A few minutes later all of the lads mentioned were assembled in the
Rover boys' sitting room, some on chairs, one on a table, and two on a
couch. Andy playfully started to throw a pillow at Fred, but Gif at once
put up his hand in protest.

"Any horseplay, and I'll call it all off," he warned.

"I'll be good, Gif!" cried Andy reluctantly, and got rid of the pillow
by using it for a back rest.

"This letter is from my Uncle Louis, who is a partner with my father in
the ownership of a large tract of land not far from the seacoast," began
Gif. "There is a small but comfortable bungalow on it, known as Cedar
Lodge. Nobody was going to use the Lodge this winter, and I suggested to
my folks and Uncle Louis that they allow us fellows to occupy it during
the holidays."

"And what did they say?" questioned Randy eagerly.

"They said I could go there if I wanted to, and I could take you Rover
boys and Spouter with me, provided you could get consent to go."

"Isn't that dandy!"

"Of course we'll go, Gif. Horses couldn't hold us back!"

"How is the hunting there? Can we get a deer or a moose?"

"How do you get there?"

These were a few questions hurled at Gif after he had made his important
announcement. He placed his hands over his ears in despair.

"One question at a time, please!" he begged. "What do you think I am,
anyhow--an encyclopædia? To get there you go from here to Portview, and
then along the coast to a place called Timminsport. From Timminsport you
have either to take a sleigh or else hike to the camp, which is about
five or six miles away. There is an old fellow, named Jed Wallop, who
lives near the property in a little shack some distance from the
bungalow. If we want him to, he will get a sled and drive us to the
place, and he will also assist us in getting settled, and in getting
what stores we may need--that is, provided you fellows can really go."

"You can count of me," declared Spouter promptly. "My folks said I could
do as I pleased during the holidays, provided I kept out of mischief.
And what mischief could a fellow get into in the midst of those grand
primeval forests where perhaps the woodsman has never dared to lay his
axe to the heart of the sturdy oak, and where the timid deer, in fancied
freedom, ambles through the darkening glades, and--"

"Turn off the spigot, Spouter, or you'll have us flooded!" burst out
Randy.

"Save your orations for the day before election," came from Fred.

"You can give us the rest of it, Spouter, when we are in camp some night
and have nothing to read and don't know what to do," suggested Jack.

"That's it--always cutting my rhetorical effusions short," remarked
Spouter reproachfully. "Some day, when you are aching to have me make a
speech, you'll find me dumb."

"Tell us more about this camp, Gif," cried Fred.

Thereupon Gif Garrison related all he knew concerning the camp, which
was located on a small stream of water that in the summer time ran down
to a bay emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. There was a good deal of
timber on the tract, and, so far as Gif knew, there was quite some small
game.

"I don't know about deer," he continued. "More than likely the big
animals have gone further north. But one might get a chance at a wolf or
a fox, and maybe some brook mink. We'll be sure to get plenty of rabbits
and squirrels and ducks, and most likely some partridges and maybe wild
turkeys. But, first of all, you Rovers have got to make sure that you
can go."

"Oh, we'll arrange that somehow, Gif," said Jack. "Of course, we'll want
to go home first and see our folks and cheer them up a bit. They are
pretty lonely now that our dads are over in France."

"Oh, I'm going home myself first. But we can have at least three weeks
up there, because the school is going to be closed more than a month
before and after Christmas."

Gif's announcement was such a pleasing one that the Rovers found it hard
work after that to settle down to their studies. Letters were at once
written to their mothers, and presently word came back that they might
go to the camp immediately after Christmas if they wanted to do so. Then
Jack telephoned to his sister at Clearwater Hall and got word back that
Ruth and May would go down to New York with Mary and Martha and remain
there until it was time to return to the girls' school.

"It's too bad we can't be at home while the girls are there," remarked
Jack to his cousins. He sighed deeply.

"You mean it's too bad you can't be there while Ruth is there," put in
Andy slyly.

"That's the time you struck the nail on the head!" cried Randy.

"Humph! you needn't rap me about it," returned the young captain
briefly. "I guess you'd like to see the girls yourselves."

Now that they knew what they were going to do during the midwinter
holidays, the Rover boys and their chums were eager to have the school
session come to an end. But they did not neglect their studies, nor did
Jack and Fred neglect their duties as officers.

Jack had an essay to write on "The Real Training of a Soldier," and he
spent a great deal of time over this.

"Not but what there is a good deal about it that I don't know," said
Jack to his cousins. "I guess dad could write a better essay than I can
turn out. He's seen some of the real side of a soldier's life."

"What wonderful things our dads will have to tell when they get back,"
said Fred. "That is, if they ever do get back," he added anxiously.

"Oh, they've got to come back, Fred! They've simply got to!" returned
Jack. But his face, too, showed his worry. The Rover boys did not care
to admit it to each other, yet each day every one of them worried over
their parents. It was dreadful to think that one's father, or one's
beloved uncle, might be killed by the Germans, or even badly wounded.

On the Saturday following the bobsled contest the boys assembled once
more on the long Hill, and this time they were accompanied by many of
the girls from Clearwater Hall. Jack and his cousins gave Ruth and the
others many rides down the hill, much to their mutual delight.

"Here comes Bill Glutts with his _Yellow Streak_," cried Fred presently.

"Here's a chance to have another race with him, Jack," said Fatty
Hendry. "He says you won the other race by a foul."

"That's the talk, Jack!" cried Dan Soppinger. "Show him and the whole
crowd that you beat him fairly."

At first Jack did not care to pit himself again against Glutts. But
there was so much talk that at length he consented, but insisted upon it
that the whole course of the slide must be policed by the cadets.

"All right, we'll do that," said Major Ralph Mason, and then ordered all
the cadets he could collect to station themselves on each side of the
slide from the top to where it ran out on the lake.

"Oh, Jack, I hope you do win again!" said Ruth anxiously.

"I intend to do my best," he answered.

"You have got to win, Jack Rover!" cried his sister Martha. "If you
don't beat that great big clumsy Glutts, I'll never speak to you again."

With so many cadets stationed along the course, Bill Glutts felt that
his chances of winning the race were diminishing. He had thought that he
could crowd Jack as he had done before, but now Walt Baxter laid down
the law in such a manner that it could not be misunderstood.

"I will toss up a coin," said Walt, "and if you guess right, Glutts, you
can take your choice of sides, and whichever side you or Jack Rover
select, that side you must stick to from start to finish."

The coin was tossed up, and Bill Glutts called out "tails" and won. Then
he said he would take the right side of the slide, that which Jack Rover
and his chums had previously used.

"All right, then, Glutts," announced Walt. "Now then, remember that you
have got to keep to the right all the way down; and you, Jack Rover,
must keep to the left. If either of you crosses the middle of the
course, that one will be disqualified and the race will be given to the
other."

"All right, Walt, I will stick to the left from start to finish; just
watch me and see," declared Jack.

"And I'll stick to the right," announced Bill Glutts. But his face
showed anything but a happy expression as he spoke.

Jack had the same crowd on board that he had before, but Glutts made
several changes. He retained Nick Carncross and Codfish, but for the
other three cadets substituted youths who were slightly built, and
consequently rather light in weight.

"He's saving all the pounds he can," whispered Randy.

"Jack, do you think the right side of the course is better than the
left?" questioned Gif.

"I don't know. One looks about as good as the other to me," was the
young captain's reply.

Professor Frank Grawson had come up and was quite interested in the
proposed contest.

"I used to do a lot of bobsledding myself," said the professor, who was
well liked by nearly all the cadets. "I used to have a home-made sled
which was my pride for several seasons. Now, to make this more
interesting, I'll put up a prize for the winner."

"Fine, Professor! Fine!" was the cry.

"What's the prize?"

The teacher thought for a moment.

"Well, every boy likes a good pocket knife," he said presently. "Now, to
the one who wins this race I'll give a first-class, four-bladed,
buck-handled knife. I saw some very good ones down in the hardware store
at the Point, and I'll get one Monday."

"That's splendid, Professor!" cried Jack. "I'll do my best to win that
knife."

"You'll see that knife coming to me!" exclaimed Bill Glutts, glaring at
the young captain.

Walt Baxter now called for the contestants to get ready. In a minute
more the two bobsleds stood side by side, each with its load of
passengers, and with Fred ready to push one to the front and Nick
Carncross ready to shove the other.

"All ready!" shouted Walt. "One--two--three! Go!"

And away both bobsleds dashed, and the great race was on.




CHAPTER V

THE DEFEAT OF THE BULLY


"Go ahead, Jack! You've got to win!"

"Don't let 'em beat you, Bill. Put it all over those Rovers."

"Oh, Jack, don't let them get the best of you!" cried Ruth.

"You've got to win!" screamed Martha.

"Here is where Glutts shows 'em what the _Yellow Streak_ can do!"

So the cries ran on as the two bobsleds slowly gathered momentum and
started down the long slope leading to Clearwater Lake.

At the beginning Glutts had a little the better of it, because the right
side of the slide seemed to be more slippery than the other. He was the
first to gain the top of the nearest rise and he shot over this while
Jack's bobsled was still climbing the slope.

"Hurrah! Bill Glutts is ahead!"

"He said the _Yellow Streak_ could beat any thing in this vicinity."

"Oh, do you really think Glutts will win?" questioned Ruth anxiously, as
she turned to Dan Soppinger.

"Well, I should hope not!" answered Dan.

"If he does win there will be no holding him down," put in Ned Lowe,
another chum of the Rovers. "He'll crow to beat the band all winter."

Forward went the two bobsleds, each steersman doing his best to guide
his sled where running might be the easiest.

Just as Jack topped the first rise and started to speed down on the
other side, he saw Bill Glutts start to resume his old tactics. The
bully was running close to the center of the course, and now he
overlapped the other side by at least six inches.

"Hi, there, Glutts! Get over on your side!" yelled one of the cadets who
was helping to police the course.

"That's right, Bill. Get over, or you'll be disqualified," added
another.

"Keep to the right! Keep to the right!" was the cry from several others.
And then, knowing that the eyes of all the cadets in that vicinity were
upon him, the bully slowly steered over to his side of the course. And
he was not any too quick, for otherwise there might have been a serious
disaster. Down the slope of the first hill rushed the _Blue Moon_. Jack
was on his side, but had not more than six inches to spare. Had Glutts
kept on as he was running the _Blue Moon_ would have sideswiped the
_Yellow Streak_, and there would undoubtedly have been a serious
accident.

"Here comes the _Blue Moon_!"

"Say, but they are gathering some speed!"

"Hurrah, the Rovers are ahead!"

"Go on, Glutts! Go on! Don't let 'em beat you!"

It was true that the _Blue Moon_ was now ahead and was slowly but surely
increasing the distance between the Rovers and those aboard the _Yellow
Streak_.

"Push her ahead, Bill! Push her ahead!" yelled Nick Carncross
desperately.

"We've got to win!" cried Codfish.

"I'm doing the best I can," muttered Bill Glutts between his set teeth,
and his eyes glowed with hatred as he saw the _Blue Moon_ vanishing over
the second rise of the course.

After that, as Fatty Hendry remarked, "it was all over but the
shouting." Down toward the highway skirting the lake shot the _Blue
Moon_. Then it ran swiftly along the final lap of the course and came
out on Clearwater Lake, shooting several hundred feet beyond the
finishing mark. The line was crossed while the _Yellow Streak_ was still
on the roadway beyond the lake shore.

[Illustration: DOWN TOWARD THE HIGHWAY SHOT THE _BLUE MOON_.]

"Hurrah! The _Blue Moon_ wins!"

"My, but that was some run, believe me!"

"What will Bill Glutts have to say now?"

"He can't say this wasn't a fair race."

The run for the _Blue Moon_ had certainly been a swift one, and while
Jack was congratulated on his victory, he was also praised for the way
in which he had handled his speedy bobsled.

"We certainly came down fast," remarked Randy. "I thought my ears were
going to blow right off my head," and this remark caused a general
laugh.

Glutts had finished the race twelve seconds behind his opponent and was
in anything but a happy frame of mind.

"There were a number of sticks and stones on my side of the slide, and
they held us back," he protested lamely. "I guess some of the fellows
who didn't want to see the _Yellow Streak_ win put 'em there."