"It didn't!" was the prompt answer. "Those two explosions had nothing
to do with each other--except in one way,--and that is that they were
both started by the same person or persons," declared Jed Kessler
emphatically.

"Gee! do you suppose there were German spies around?" ejaculated
Randy.

"I am sure there were," went on the old dockman.

"But I supposed your guards kept all strangers away from the plant,"
said Jack.

"They were supposed to. But you know how it is. Those fellows aren't
on the watch all the time. They get tired of their job, and sometimes
they take it easy. Besides that, it is rather easy to reach the plant
from the water front, and it is almost equally easy to come down
through the woods on the hill behind the place. Of course, we've got a
big wire fence up all around, but it doesn't take much to go through
that if a fellow has a good pair of wire cutters."

"Did you ever see anybody suspicious?"

"Lots of times. But, of course, most of the people who looked
suspicious proved to be nothing but men who had an idle curiosity
regarding the plant. But I saw some fellows around there two weeks
ago and again a couple of days ago, and they looked mighty suspicious
to me. They were a couple of heavy-set looking fellows, with strong
German faces, and I heard 'em at a distance talking in a language that
I'm pretty sure was German."

"Why didn't you report this to the guard?"

"I did. But they were a lot of fresh young fellows, and they only
laughed at me and said I was too suspicious," grumbled Jed Kessler.
"But that is where I made a mistake. I should have gone right to the
offices and reported to the head boss."

"Do you suppose you'd know those fellows again if you saw them?"
questioned Jack.

"I think I would--although I'm not sure. They were both fellows with
heavy black hair and heavy black beards, and one of them walked with
his right foot kind of turned out."

"You certainly ought to report this as soon as possible," declared the
oldest Rover boy. "It may furnish the authorities with an important
clue. If I were you, I would get into communication with one of your
bosses without delay."

Leaving the old man and his rowboat at the dock, the four Rovers rowed
up the lake once more in the direction of the Clearwater Hall
boathouse. By this time the explosions at the shell-loading plant had
practically ceased, and only a small amount of smoke was now coming
from the ruins.

When the Rovers arrived at the boathouse connected with the girls'
school, they found that Mary and Martha had come down to the place,
accompanied by a number of the other girls. All had heard that the
Rovers had taken the rowboat, and were wondering if the lads were
safe.

"You've given us a terrible scare," declared Martha to her brother.
"You shouldn't have taken such a risk!"

"Well, it was worth while," answered Fred, and then told of the rescue
of Jed Kessler.

"Well, we've had a surprise since you went away," said Ruth Stevenson
presently.

"A thoroughly disagreeable surprise, too," added May Powell. "You'll
never guess who was here only a few minutes ago!"

"Some of our folks from New York?" questioned Jack quickly.

"No such luck," answered his sister.

"They were two persons we didn't care to see," said Ruth. "They were
Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!"




CHAPTER V

MEETING OLD ENEMIES


"Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell!" The cry came from all of the Rover
boys simultaneously.

"What were those fellows doing here?" continued Jack.

"Did they dare to speak to you?" demanded Fred.

"Of course they spoke to us--you can't stop fellows like Brown and
Martell from doing that," answered Ruth. "But you can be sure we gave
them both the cold shoulder."

"What did they want here?" questioned Jack.

"I don't know what they wanted or where they came from," continued
Ruth. "Their appearance gave us such a shock we didn't know what to do
at first."

"We were on our way from the school to the boathouse, and were just
crossing the roadway when Slugger and Nappy came along in a runabout,"
said May. "The minute they saw us they stopped and jumped out. They
asked us a whole lot of questions about how we were getting along at
school and if your sisters were here."

"Our sisters!" cried Fred. "What business have they got to ask about
Martha and Mary?"

"Of course we didn't answer their questions, and Martha and Mary had
gone on ahead, so Brown and Martell didn't see them," said Ruth. "They
tried to act in a friendly manner, but we gave them to understand that
we wanted nothing to do with them. Then they jumped into the runabout
again and drove off."

"Did they go toward Haven Point?" questioned Randy.

"Yes."

"Those fellows certainly have their nerve with them--to show
themselves anywhere near Colby Hall after what happened!" burst out
Andy.

"One would think they wouldn't want any of their old classmates to see
them," remarked Fred.

"They are not that kind," replied Jack. "Both of them are too
thick-skinned to be sensitive. More than likely they have been telling
their friends that we did our best to get them into trouble and that
they were not to blame."

"Oh, Jack! if you go back to Colby Hall by way of the town, I hope you
don't get into any trouble with those horrid fellows," said his
sister.

"Don't worry about that, Martha," answered her brother quickly. "I'm
not afraid of Slugger or Nappy either. They have got to behave
themselves; otherwise we may bring up one of the old charges against
them."

Of course the girls wanted to know more concerning what had happened
to the Rover boys while they were out on the lake, and they related
many of the particulars.

"And do you really think those two Germans that that Jed Kessler spoke
about set fire to the munition plant?" questioned Ruth.

"I don't know what to think, Ruth," answered Jack. "One thing is
certain: If the first explosions weren't accidental, then they must
have been due to some underhand work."

During the time the boys spent with the girls at the boathouse there
were no more explosions, and now the fire on the opposite shore of the
lake was dying out, while only a small part of the pall of
curious-colored smoke remained.

"I guess it's about over," was Randy's comment.

Feeling that those at Clearwater Hall would be safe, at least for the
time being, the Rovers decided to return to Colby Hall, knowing that
Colonel Colby and his assistants would be anxious concerning the
welfare of all the cadets.

Spouter and those with him had taken one automobile, but the other
remained, and, bidding the girls good-bye, the Rover boys jumped into
this and were soon off. Jack was at the wheel, and in spite of the
numerous machines on the road, for the blowing-up of the shell-loading
plant had caused great excitement for many miles around, he drove the
car with considerable speed in the direction of Haven Point.

"Let us stop at the town for a few minutes and find out, if we can,
just how bad this affair has been," said Fred.

"That's it!" returned Randy. "I'd like to know if anyone has been
killed or seriously hurt."

They stopped on the main street close to where were located a number
of the stores and also the moving-picture theater where the cadets had
first met Ruth Stevenson and her chums.

"It's a pretty bad affair," said one of the storekeepers, with whom in
the past the boys had done some trading. "I was just down to police
headquarters, and they say there that two workmen were killed and
about fifteen injured. It certainly is a rascally piece of business,
and the fellows who did it ought to be strung up."

"Then they are pretty certain that it is the work of some German
sympathizers?" questioned Jack quickly.

"They can't figure it out any other way. The boss of the plant, and
likewise two of his head foremen, have been closely questioned, and
they declare that every possible precaution against accidents was
taken. More than that, they say that there were two separate
explosions occurring almost at the same time--one down on the railroad
tracks and another in a storehouse quite a distance away."

"Yes, we heard that, too, from one of the dockmen of the plant,"
answered Fred. "He said he thought two men who looked like Germans and
who had been hanging around the plant might be guilty."

"Yes, I've heard that story, too. I think it was started by old Jed
Kessler, wasn't it?"

"That's the man," said Randy.

"I think I saw those two fellows here in Haven Point," continued the
storekeeper. "They were heavy-set, round-faced men, and each had heavy
black hair and a heavy black beard, just as Kessler described them.
They were here several times. I think they had business at one of the
machine shops, although I'm not certain about that."

The Rover boys spoke to several other people of the town and gathered
a little additional information regarding the destruction of the
shell-loading plant, and then reГ«ntered their automobile and started
once more for the military academy. With them went Bart White and
Frank Newberry, who had come down to the town directly after the ball
game.

"It's too bad this affair had to happen just as it did," declared Bart
White. "It kind of takes the shine off of our victory over Hixley
High."

"So it does," said Jack. "But that can't be helped."

"If you put it up to the shell-loading people they would probably have
been willing to postpone the blowing up indefinitely," remarked Andy
dryly.

"I suppose the newspapers here will be full of nothing but this
affair," said Fred wistfully; "and they won't give our game with
Hixley High more than a brief mention."

"Oh, well, what of it?" cried Randy gaily. "We walloped 'em, and
that's the main thing."

"Right you are!" came in a chorus from several of the others.

At one of the street corners, owing to the excitement, there was a
congestion of traffic, and Jack had to bring the car to a stop. As he
did this there was a sudden yell from behind, and then came a slight
bump followed by a jingling of glass.

"Hi, you! what do you mean by stopping so suddenly?" yelled an irate
voice from the rear.

"They've busted one of our headlights!" added another voice in surly
tones.

Those in the tonneau of the Rovers' automobile looked around quickly.

"Nappy Martell and Slugger Brown!" ejaculated Fred in surprise.

"They must have been following us!" added Randy quickly.

"Say, I didn't know those fellows were anywhere around here!" burst
out Frank Newberry.

"I thought from what you fellows told us those fellows would steer
clear of this vicinity," added Bart White.

By this time Jack and Andy, who were on the front seat, were also
looking back to see what had happened. They beheld a runabout standing
close up to their own car. The collision had not been sufficient to do
any more damage than to break the glass in both of the headlights of
the runabout. They had struck the framework holding an extra shoe on
the rear of the Rovers' car, and for this reason the other automobile
had not suffered any damage whatsoever.

"You fellows will pay for this damage!" grumbled Slugger Brown, who
was at the wheel of the runabout.

"You did it yourself," answered Bart White quickly.

"You fellows had no business to stop so suddenly!"

"They did it on purpose!" burst out Nappy Martell.

As was usual with the youth, he was loudly dressed, wearing a light
checkered suit with a cap to match and a flaming red tie. He looked
somewhat dissipated.

"I'll attend to this," said Jack to his cousins and the others. And
without delay he leaped from the front machine and walked back to the
other.

"Just see what you've done, Jack Rover!" began Slugger Brown. But then
the stern look in Jack's face caused him to come to a stop.

"I'm glad I met you, Brown--and you too, Martell," said Jack in a low,
steady voice. "I was hoping I'd see you before you had a chance to
leave Haven Point."

"Wanted to see us, eh?" said Slugger; and now a somewhat uneasy look
took possession of his face.

"Don't let him talk himself out of paying for the damage done," put in
Nappy loftily. He was puffing on a cigarette and blew the smoke high
into the air as he spoke.

"We're not going to pay for any damage done," said Jack. "This little
accident is your own fault, for you had no business to be driving so
close behind our car."

"We'll see about that," grumbled Slugger.

"What I want to talk to you about is another matter," went on Jack,
without raising his voice because he did not wish to have any outsider
hear. "You took the trouble a while ago to stop at Clearwater Hall and
speak to some of the young ladies attending that school."

"Well, what of it? Haven't we got a right to do that if we want to?"

"I guess we can speak to our lady friends any time we feel like it,"
added Nappy.

"Both of you know very well that none of those young ladies want
anything to do with you," continued Jack. "You've had your warning
before. Now I want you to leave them alone."

"Huh! you talk as if you were our master," growled Slugger, an ugly
look coming into his eyes.

"Never mind how I talk, Brown. You just listen to what I'm saying, and
you mind me. If you don't, you'll get into a whole lot of trouble,
just as sure as you are born."

By this time Fred had also left the forward car and was standing
beside Jack.

"You fellows asked about my sister and about Jack's sister," said
Fred. "Why did you do that?"

"That's our business," answered Nappy.

"I know why you did it," went on Fred quickly. "You did it because you
thought you might make some sort of trouble for the girls. I know you!
Jack," he continued, turning to his cousin, "I think the best thing we
can do is to have them both arrested for that affair on Snowshoe
Island."

"You can't bring up those old things--they are past and gone!" cried
Nappy Martell, his face showing sudden uneasiness. "Old Barney
Stevenson agreed to let the whole matter drop provided he was allowed
to remain on the island."

"Oh, he's only bluffing, Nappy," broke in Slugger. "They can't do a
thing, and they know it!"

"We can and we will unless you leave all the girls at Clearwater Hall
alone," declared Jack stoutly. "Not a one of them wants anything to do
with you."

"How do you know what they want?"

"Because they told us."

"I don't believe it, Rover."

"You can suit yourself about that, Brown. But just you remember this:
If you or Martell attempt to do anything in the future to annoy my
relatives or any of our girl friends at that school, I'll see to it
that you are punished, and punished heavily."

"Say, do you know what I think?" cried Andy, who had come to the rear
of the front car. "I think we ought to give them both a good licking."

"It might do them both good," answered his twin.

"I don't see how you fellows can show yourselves around here,"
remarked Frank Newberry. "After the way you acted at Colby Hall and up
on Snowshoe Island I should think you'd want to keep out of sight."

"What right have you got to butt in here, Frank Newberry?" cried
Slugger Brown wrathfully.

"I've got a good deal of right, and you know it, Brown! You and
Martell were a disgrace to Colby Hall, and every cadet at the academy
is aware of that fact. And I, too, know for a fact that none of the
young ladies at Clearwater Hall wants to have anything to do with
you."

"Aw, you fellows make me tired!" growled Slugger Brown.

By this time a small crowd had collected, anxious to find out how the
damage to the headlights of the runabout was to be settled. Then a
policeman pushed his way forward.

"Any trouble here?" he asked.

"No trouble that I know of," answered Jack. "I stopped my car, and
this fellow came up behind me so suddenly that he smashed his
headlights."

"I see." The policeman turned to Slugger Brown. "Your own fault, was
it?"

"It was his fault! He stopped too quickly," grumbled Slugger.
"But--er--I--I--won't make any complaint--at least not--not now," he
said lamely. "I'll take this up later."

"And we'll get what's coming to us--you see if we don't!" put in Nappy
Martell.

Then Slugger Brown started up the engine of his runabout, backed up a
few feet, and turned out into the roadway. He ran around the nearest
corner and up the road, and was soon out of sight in the distance.




CHAPTER VI

CELEBRATING THE BASEBALL VICTORY


"He was afraid to make a complaint," was Fred's comment.

"I can't understand why two such fellows should act the way they do,"
said Bart White. "They both come from fairly well-to-do families, and
they could be really fine fellows if they wanted to."

"Slugger Brown doesn't come from a very good family--at least as far
as his father is concerned," answered Jack. "Mr. Brown is just as mean
and dishonorable as Slugger. He was at the head of the plot to do poor
Barney Stevenson out of Snowshoe Island."

"Yes, and to my mind Mr. Martell is no better," added Randy. "I've
heard my father talking about him several times. Martell has been in
more than one shady stock transaction down in Wall Street."

When the Rover boys arrived at Colby Hall they were immediately
surrounded by a number of their friends, all eager to learn the
particulars of what had occurred in the vicinity of the girls'
boarding school. Of course the others who had come in ahead of them
had already told their stories, but everybody at the military academy
was eager to get all the details possible.

"It's the worst calamity that ever happened around here," said Will
Hendry, the stoutest boy in the school, and who was generally called
Fatty. Hendry had started to leave the school grounds shortly after
the others had gone, but had been stopped by Captain Dale.

"It looks to me as if it was the work of German sympathizers," said
Major Ralph Mason, who was the cadet at the head of the school
battalion. Ralph was the oldest student at the Hall, and one who was
greatly liked by everybody.

"Ralph, what do you think about our getting into this war in Europe?"
questioned Randy. During off hours the young officer was always
addressed by the Rovers by his first name, although during school
hours and when on parade they invariably addressed the young major by
his official title.

"I'm glad we've got into it at last," returned Ralph Mason. "My father
thinks we should have gotten into it long ago. I only wish one thing,"
he added wistfully.

"And I know what that is!" cried Jack. "You wish you were old enough
to volunteer for the army or the navy!"

"If we were all older what a grand company of volunteers the
Government could get out of Colby Hall," said Randy. "I'll wager more
than half of the fellows would want to go."

"I'm certain fellows like Codfish wouldn't want to go," remarked Fred.

He referred to one of the younger boys, Henry Stowell by name, a lad
who was a good deal of a sneak and who in time past had been a toady
to Brown and Martell. On account of the great width of his mouth,
Stowell was usually called Codfish.

"If you fellows will keep a secret, I'll tell you something," remarked
Ralph Mason, lowering his voice. "I just heard of this a while ago."

"What is it, Ralph?" questioned Jack quietly.

"Will you fellows keep it to yourselves until it becomes public
property?" asked the young major anxiously.

"Sure!" was the prompt response.

"I overheard the talk quite by accident while I was in the library.
Colonel Colby was talking to Professors Grawson and Brice. He stated
that he intended to leave the Hall under the management of Captain
Dale."

"You mean Colonel Colby is going away?" questioned Fred. "Where to?"

"He has offered his services to the Government."

"Hurrah for the colonel! I knew he'd do something like that!" cried
Randy.

"Do you know whether his offer has been accepted?" questioned Jack.

"Of course his offer will be accepted," answered Ralph Mason. "Now
that we are in this great war Uncle Sam will need all the soldiers he
can possibly muster, and of course they've got to have first-class men
like Colonel Colby to command them."

"You're right there," said Fred. Then he looked questioningly at Jack
and the twins. The others understood that look, but just then nothing
was said concerning the thought which had rushed into their minds.

"I've got to go now," said Ralph Mason, a few minutes later. "I
suppose you fellows will want to celebrate that baseball victory
to-night?"

"Surest thing you know!" declared Jack.

"I don't suppose we'll have as much fun as we would have had if the
shell-loading plant hadn't gone up," grumbled Andy. "We can't make any
such noise as that."

"Oh, we'll have fun enough--don't worry about that," answered his twin
quickly.

"Well, don't tear the old Hall down," returned the young major,
laughing, and then hurried away.

"This certainly is great news about Colonel Colby's volunteering for
the army," said Jack, a little later.

"I wonder why Captain Dale doesn't volunteer, too?" said Andy.

"Oh, he's too old; and besides he's somewhat crippled by rheumatism or
something," said Randy.

The Rover boys hurried off to their room to get into their cadet
uniforms. The twins went on ahead, leaving Jack and Fred alone for the
time being.

"Jack, what do you think our fathers will do?" questioned Fred. He
remembered that both Jack's father and his own had at one time been
officers of the cadets at Putnam Hall. The fun-loving father of the
twins had never aspired to such a position, being content to remain "a
high private in the rear rank," as he himself had often expressed it.

"I'm sure I don't know, Fred," was the sober reply. "It may be that
they will be just as anxious to get into the war as Colonel Colby
seems to be. But you must remember that they are at the head of The
Rover Company, and possibly they won't be able to leave--at least not
right away."

"But they are so patriotic they'll want to go," declared Fred.

"Well, if they make up their minds to go, I guess we'll be among the
first to hear about it."

"Gee, how I'd like to be a soldier boy!" sighed Fred. "Wouldn't it be
great if all of us cadets could go into the army?"

"We'll have to wait four or five years before we can do that, Fred.
And I rather think that by that time this great war will be over."

"Oh, you can't tell how long a war like this will last. For all you
know the Germans may come right over here."

"I don't think they'll do that. They'll have their hands full fighting
in Europe."

"Well, they've sent their submarines over here already."

"I know that. But I don't think they've got enough submarines to
transport an army that way."

Since coming to Colby Hall the Rover boys had occupied four very
pleasant rooms on the second floor in a wing of the great building.
But instead of using the four rooms for bedrooms, the twins slept
together and all used one of the extra rooms, No. 20, for a
sitting-room.

"You fellows have got to hurry up or you'll be late for roll call!"
cried Randy, when he entered.

"Oh, I think they'll give us a little leeway on account of all the
excitement," returned Fred. And he was right,--the roll call and drill
were postponed for half an hour, for which many of the cadets were
thankful.

It did not take the Rovers long to throw off their baseball togs,
wash, and don their uniforms. Then they lost no time in rushing below
to the gun rack and obtaining their rifles, doing this just as the
drums rattled on the parade ground.

Soon the battalion of several companies was examined, and then began
the roll call. After this there was a brief inspection by Captain
Dale, with Colonel Colby looking on. Then the drums rattled and the
fifes struck up a lively march air, and the cadets marched around the
grounds, disposed of their rifles, and entered the mess hall of the
institution. Here each had his place assigned to him at one of the
long tables, each table presided over by one of the officers or a
teacher.

The meal was a substantial one, for Colonel Colby believed in treating
his pupils well, and it is perhaps needless to state that all of the
cadets fell to with vigor. There was a constant clatter of forks and
knives, mingled with a flow of lively conversation, carried on,
however, in rather a subdued tone, for boisterousness of any sort in
the mess hall was against regulations. After each lad finished he
excused himself and left the hall, and soon all of them had scattered
in various directions.

"Bonfires to-night!" announced Andy gaily, as he turned a handspring
on the campus.

"I think we ought to have some sort of feast," said Fred.

"Great Cæsar, Fred! didn't you get enough to eat at supper?" queried
Jack.

"Oh, you know what I mean--a little something to eat just before we go
to bed!" answered his cousin.

"Suits me!" was the cry from the others.

Talk about the victory over Hixley High and about the excitement
attending the destruction of the shell-loading plant filled the air.
The cadets were only boys, and the facts regarding the awful
occurrence across the lake could not subdue their high spirits when
they considered their great victory over the high school.

"We've just got to celebrate and let off steam somehow," was the way
Randy expressed himself.

Boxes and barrels had already been stored away in anticipation of a
victory, and these were promptly brought forth and placed on the
river front. They were piled as high as possible and then set on fire,
the flames shooting skyward quickly and illuminating the scene for a
long distance around.

"Hello there, Codfish!" cried Andy gaily, when he beheld the sneak of
the school standing not far from one of the bonfires.

"Got any more boxes to put on the fire, Codfish?" questioned Randy,
who was beside his twin.

"I haven't got any boxes," grumbled the young cadet. Since the
departure of Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell from the Hall, Codfish
had kept a good deal to himself. But he was as much of a sneak as
ever, and did many mean things which were exceedingly irritating to
the other cadets.

"You haven't any boxes?" said Randy, in apparent surprise. "What's the
use of talking like that? You know better;" and then he winked at his
brother.

"I'm on," whispered Andy quickly. "Bring him up to his room in about
ten minutes." And then he ran away at top speed.

"It's a waste of good money to burn up boxes and barrels like that,"
was Codfish's comment. "I don't see why Colonel Colby allows it.
Those boxes and barrels could be used to pack all sorts of things
in."

"Well, if you don't like to see the boxes and barrels burned up, why
don't you furnish us with a little cord wood?" inquired Gif Garrison,
who had come up.

"That's the talk!" said Jack quickly. "Show us where you've got your
cord wood stored, Codfish," he went on, after Randy had whispered in
his ear. Then Randy ran off in the direction his twin had taken.

"I haven't any cord wood, I tell you!" stormed Codfish. "And I haven't
any boxes or barrels, either!" and then he walked away to get clear of
his tormentors.

But Jack remembered what Randy had said to him, and did not allow
Codfish out of his sight. He kept the sneak in view, and quickly
gathered Spouter, Gif, Fatty, Walt, and a number of others around him.

"We're going to take Codfish up to his room in a few minutes and treat
him to the surprise of his life," he explained. "Don't forget to come
along and see the fun."




CHAPTER VII

FUN WITH CODFISH


The idea of having a little fun with Codfish had occurred to Andy and
Randy on the day previous, when they had been out collecting some
boxes and barrels for the bonfires which they hoped to have--provided,
of course, that Hixley High was beaten in the baseball contest. They
had talked the matter over for some time, and had then set to work,
laying their plans to give the sneak of the school the surprise of his
life.

"What's doing, Jack?" questioned Walt Baxter, in some surprise.

"Going to put one over on Codfish?" questioned Gif.

"Just you wait and see," announced Jack. And then, turning to Spouter,
he continued: "In about five minutes I wish you would go over to
Codfish and tell him somebody wants to see him up in his room without
delay. Put it to him good and strong so that he goes up at once."

"Trust me for that," answered Spouter, with a grin. "I'll tell him
his grandfather has just died and the lawyer is up there waiting to
hand him an inheritance of a million dollars."

"Don't pile it on as thick as that!" cried Fred. "If you do, he'll
take it for another joke, and won't go at all."

All of the crowd kept their eyes on Codfish, and when the time was up
Spouter approached Stowell as if in a great hurry.

"I say, Henry," he said in an earnest voice, "there's a man wants to
see you. They just sent him up to your room."

"To see me! What for?" questioned Codfish in surprise.

"I don't know. He seemed to be a very nice man, though. He was in a
great hurry. You had better not keep him waiting. He said it was very
important," and without waiting to be questioned further, Spouter
hurried away.

Codfish looked after the other cadet rather doubtfully, and stood
still for a moment. Then, however, his curiosity got the better of
him, and he hurried off in the direction of the Hall.

"Come on, fellows!" cried Jack in a low voice. "But don't let him
suspect that you are following him, or it may spoil the fun."

Stowell entered the school by a side door and ran up the nearest
stairway to the main corridor above. The others hastened around to
the front entrance and came up by another staircase. They were just in
time to see the sneak hurrying into the room he occupied.

"Hist!" came in a low voice from the other end of the corridor, after
the door had closed upon Codfish, and then from a shadowy recess Andy
and Randy appeared.

"Did you get everything fixed up?" questioned Jack hurriedly.

"All fixed," answered Andy laconically. "Come on in here," and he
motioned to a room next to that occupied by Stowell. This belonged to
a student who, for the time being, was away from the school.

Once inside of this room, Randy and Andy took the others to where
there was a door connecting that apartment with the one occupied by
the sneak. This was partly open, so that they could look into
Stowell's room with ease.

"Hello there!" they heard the sneak exclaim. And then followed the
switching on of an electric light. "It's only one of their rotten
jokes! I knew it all along!" murmured the cadet.

He looked around the room, and then a cry of astonishment burst from
his lips. In the center of the floor were piled at least ten boxes of
various sizes and shapes. Some of the boxes had had straw in them and
others excelsior, and part of this was strewn on the floor.

"Huh! Some of those fellows are mighty smart, putting these boxes in
my room!" growled Codfish to himself. "I'd just like to know who did
it! If it was that Spouter Powell, I think I'll go and tell on him!"

"Here is where I got in fine!" murmured Spouter.

Codfish glanced further, and his eyes fell on the interior of the
closet of the room, the door to which stood wide open. Then he gave a
gasp.

"My gracious! if they haven't taken all my clothing, and my hats, and
even my shoes!" he groaned. "This is the worst yet!" He rushed to the
closet, and another look convinced him that the place was entirely
empty. Then he ran to a corner where stood a clothes tree, which had
contained some of his athletic outfit. This was likewise empty. Then
he rushed to his chiffonier.

"Gone! Everything gone! Not a thing left!" he groaned. "Oh, if this
isn't the worst yet! If I don't tell on somebody for this!"

Coming back to the middle of the room, he surveyed the pile of boxes
suspiciously. Then a sheet of paper resting on the top box claimed his
attention.

"'For anything that is missing look in the boxes,'" he read from the
slip of paper. "Oh, dear! I suppose those fellows were just mean
enough to stuff all my things in those packing cases. I wonder what
they did that for? Maybe they thought they were going to cart them
down to the bonfire and burn them up, and burn all my stuff, too. Just
wait and see if I don't fix somebody for this!"

There was rather a small box on top of the others, and this Codfish
started to open first. One end of the lid was nailed down, but the
other was loose, and he pulled up on this with vigor.

And then the sneak got the first of a series of surprises. The lid of
the box held down a large rubber frog, and this bounced out of the
box, hitting him full in the face. He staggered back and fell over on
his bed.

"Hurrah! First round!" whispered Andy delightedly.

"Just wait for the second," said Randy.

There was nothing else in the box but excelsior, and having rummaged
about in this, Codfish threw the box aside and started to investigate
the next receptacle.

The lid to this was screwed on, and he had quite a job opening it. The
other cadets watched with interest, doing their best to keep from
laughing. When the box was opened, Codfish found that it contained a
layer of excelsior. Under this, however, were a number of bundles
wrapped in newspapers, each containing a small portion of the stuff
taken from his chiffonier.

"Huh! thought they were smart, didn't they?" he muttered, as he put
the things where they belonged. "Just wait! I'll fix 'em for this."

The next box contained some of his clothing, which he hung in the
closet. Then he tackled a rather large box which was bound up with an
old clothesline. He had to tug at the line quite a little to get it
loose, not thinking in his excitement that it would be easier to cut
the line. The top of the box was filled with all sorts of rubbish.
Beneath this were some more of his things, and then at the very bottom
a rather small wooden box with a sliding cover.

Any ordinary school boy would have suspected some trick in connection
with this box. But not so Codfish. He looked at it carefully, and
then, bringing it close under the light, proceeded to pull the sliding
cover back.

And then he was treated to another surprise, this time far more
disagreeable than the other. The box contained a large codfish, one
which, as Andy afterwards explained, had seen better days.

"Phew, what a smell!" cried the sneak, as he allowed the decayed
codfish to fall out on the floor.

The odor when released from the air-tight box was so overpowering that
he had to go over and throw open the window.

"Codfish for the Codfish!" sang out Andy gaily, unable to keep quiet
any longer.

The sneak of the school whirled around suddenly, and there beheld in
the doorway of the next room the Rover boys and their chums in a
group, all grinning at him.

"How'd you like the fish, Codfish?" questioned Fred.

"Thought you said you didn't have any boxes in your room," came from
Jack.

"I didn't know you were raising frogs for a living," remarked Randy.

"Why don't you take those boxes down and put them on the bonfire?"
questioned Gif.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself--littering up your room with all
that straw and excelsior," was Walt's comment. "If you aren't careful,
you'll get some mighty bad marks for doing that."

"What did you do with the man who wanted to see you?" questioned
Spouter. "Did you tell him that you were too busy to talk?"

"You're a fine bunch of fellows!" howled Codfish, not knowing what to
say. "You had no business to play a trick like this on me!"

"Play a trick on you?" questioned Andy innocently. "Who has been
playing a trick? Why, we don't know what it is to do anything like
that!"

"I think somebody said you wanted to see us, but I don't know what
for," added Randy.

"If anybody should ask me, I would say you had a queer way of cleaning
house, Codfish," remarked Fred calmly.

"And to think he stole one of the codfish from the pantry!" said Jack.
"By the way it smells, he must have taken it the day he enrolled
here."

"Maybe he likes codfish good and strong," suggested Gif.

"I'll 'codfish' you fellows if you don't leave me alone!" howled the
sneak. He was so vexed he almost felt like crying. "You just wait till
Colonel Colby or Captain Dale hears about this!"

"Yes, I wonder what the colonel will say when he finds out you stole
one of the codfish belonging to the school," said Andy. "You oughtn't
to have done it, Henry, my boy. If you wanted anything to eat, why
didn't you ask one of the teachers for it?"

"Maybe he chews on codfish in the middle of the night when he can't
sleep, or when he is trying to solve a problem in algebra," suggested
Randy.

"I don't do any such thing, and I didn't take that codfish from the
pantry, and you know it!" howled Codfish, in anger. "It's a put-up
job, and you are the fellows who did it! All of you ought to be sent
away from this school."

"If he took a codfish, maybe he took some other things, too," said
Jack. "I think this ought to be investigated."

"And how did you happen to get all these boxes?" demanded Fred. "I
know them. They were collected for the bonfire some days ago."

"You certainly have no right to have them in your room, Codfish," said
Gif. "Better hustle 'em down and put 'em on the fire before the rest
of the fellows hear of this."

"And if you've got things belonging to the school victuals besides
that codfish, you'd better fork 'em over," admonished Jack.

"You clear out, every one of you! I don't want to hear another word!"
screamed Codfish, in a rage. "You just wait until I report you! I
think you're all too mean for anything! Go on away!" And he tried to
close the door to the other room in their faces. But they held it back
so he could do nothing.

"Come on, fellows, let's put those boxes where they belong!" cried
Jack. And, marching into the room, he picked up one of the packing
cases, and the others quickly followed suit. Then they marched out
into the hallway, leaving Codfish staring after them in bewilderment.

"I know you've got some other things belonging to the school besides
that fish!" cried Andy. "You've got the pockets of your overcoat just
stuffed with good things!"

"Haven't any such thing!" declared the sneak. And then, struck by a
sudden idea, he ran to the clothing closet and brought forth his
overcoat, which had been in one of the boxes. He rammed his hand into
one of the pockets, and then suddenly withdrew it with a yell of
fright and pain.

And his fright and pain were not without good reason, for clinging to
the thumb of the hand he had inserted into the pocket of the overcoat
was a small, but exceedingly active, snapping turtle!




CHAPTER VIII

AN INTERRUPTED FEAST


"Oh, oh, oh!" yelled Codfish, dancing around the room wildly. "Take
that thing off! Oh, I'll be bitten to death! Take it off, somebody!
What is it, anyhow?"

"Hello! Codfish has been fishing," cried Andy gaily.

"Maybe he got that from the cook's pantry, too," broke in Randy.

"What's the dear creature's name, Codfish?" questioned Fred.

"You haven't got to let go of him if you don't want to, you know,"
came from Jack.

All this while the sneak of the school was dancing around the room,
doing his best to shake off the snapping turtle. But the creature,
though small, had a hold that was very tenacious, and refused to
budge.

"Say, he won't be seriously bitten, will he?" questioned Spouter, in a
low tone.

"No, it's only a baby snapping turtle," answered Andy slowly.
"Codfish is far more scared than hurt."

The sneak of the school was so frightened that he did not dare to take
hold of the snapping turtle. He held the creature out at arm's length
and continued to dance around, asking the others to take it off.

"He'll eat my finger!"

"Put it in some water and it will let go quick enough," suggested Fred
presently.

"Yes, give him a chance to swim around in a bathtub," added Randy
quickly, when he saw Stowell make a move toward the washbowl in one
corner of the room. "That isn't big enough for a good healthy turtle."

"Oh, oh! I'll have the law on you for this!" yelled the sneak, and
then bolted for the door and ran down the corridor in the direction of
the nearest bathroom.

As it happened, at that moment Job Plunger, the school janitor, was
coming along the corridor carrying an armful of old magazines which he
had been ordered to store away in the attic. As my old readers know,
Plunger, who had been nicknamed "Shout," was quite deaf, and with eyes
in another direction he did not see Codfish coming. The two collided
violently, and the janitor was sent over backward, scattering the
magazines in all directions, while Codfish came down on top of him.

"Hi you! what you mean by knockin' me down that way?" shrilled the
janitor, when he could regain his breath.

"I--I didn't mean to do it," stammered the sneak, as he arose to his
feet. "I was in a hurry."

"You ain't got no right to race through these halls like a crazy
horse," went on Plunger. "I ought to report you."

"I told you I was in a hurry," explained Codfish.

"Worry?" queried Plunger, not hearing aright. "Ain't I got a right to
worry if a feller like you sends me sprawlin'?"

"I didn't say worry--I said I was in a hurry. A snapping turtle had me
by the finger, and I wanted to get rid of it."

"Rappin'! Well, you ain't goin' to rap me. I'll let you know that!"
growled the deaf janitor.

"I said snapping--not rapping--a snapping turtle!" Codfish put his
mouth close to the janitor's ear. "_A snapping turtle!_"

"What's that? No, I ain't got no snappin' turtle. What would I be
doin' with a snappin' turtle?" queried Plunger blankly.

"I said I had one here--on my thumb!" cried Codfish. "It's gone now. I
guess my fall knocked it off," and he looked around in the rather dim
corridor to see what had become of the turtle, but without locating
the creature.

"I'm off, am I?" snarled Plunger, who had been asked that day to do a
large amount of extra work by the cadets, and was consequently in no
good humor. "I ain't half as much off as you are, you young rascal!"
He grabbed Codfish by the arm. "You jest pick up them magazines and
put 'em in my arms ag'in, or I'll report you."

At this the sneak muttered something under his breath. But he was
afraid of the deaf janitor, and so he began to pick up the various
magazines that had been scattered around and piled them high in
Plunger's arms. While he was doing this, he continued to look around
for the snapping turtle, but the little creature had disappeared.

"Now you be careful after this," said Plunger, when the task of
gathering up the scattered magazines had been completed. "After this
when you want to run through the halls, you walk!" And then he
continued on his way.

The Rovers and their chums had witnessed the scene in the corridor,
but as soon as Stowell turned to come back to his room they ran off
and down a side stairs, carrying the packing cases with them.

"Say, but that was rich--the way he thumped into Shout," was Andy's
comment.

"Yes, and the way Shout took him up for what he said," returned Randy.
"Gosh! it seems to me as if poor old Shout is getting deafer every
day."

"I wonder what became of the snapping turtle," said Fred.

"If they fell on it, they must have crushed the poor creature,"
returned Jack.

The boxes were soon placed on the various bonfires, and then the boys
mingled with the other students in having a good time generally. The
cadets sang songs and danced around the fires, and then organized an
impromptu parade up and down the river front and around the Hall.

"How about that little feast we were going to have before we went to
bed?" questioned Randy presently.

"Just what I was thinking about," answered Fred. "I'd like to have it
first rate; but where are we going to get the eats?"

"Perhaps we can get something from the Hall pantry," suggested Jack.

"Nothing doing in that direction," came from Ned Lowe, who was
present.

"What makes you say that?" questioned Spouter.

"Bart White and I tried it a little while ago, and everything is
locked up as tight as a drum. I guess the head cook and the head
waiter got on to the fact that we might make a raid."

"Then there is only one other thing to do," said Randy quickly. "And
that is to go down to town for something."

"That would be easy enough, especially if we could get some one on the
road to give us a lift," said Jack.

The Rovers and their chums talked the matter over for several minutes,
and then it was decided that Jack, Fred, Spouter, and Gif would pay a
hurried visit to Haven Point, bringing back with them such good things
as they could pick up quickly in the stores and carry back. A cap was
passed around, and eight dollars was collected for the proposed feast.
The cadets who had been selected as a committee lost no time in
leaving the school grounds, and then hurried off down the road leading
to the town.

"Let's watch our chance for a ride," said Jack. "We don't want to
waste any time on this trip."

He had scarcely spoken when they heard the rumble of a truck
approaching. It was a motor truck belonging to a dairy company doing
business in Haven Point and other towns around the lake.

"Hello there! Give us a ride into town, will you?" questioned Fred of
the driver, as the truck came to a halt at their signal.

"Sure! Climb on board," said the good-natured driver. He had only a
small load and was glad of their company, feeling sure that they would
treat him well for the accommodation.

By means of the truck it did not take the cadets long to reach the
town, and there they left the driver, Jack tossing him a quarter for
his kindness. Then the lads hurried to such of the stores as were
still open.

They had already made up their minds as to what they wanted if the
things could be obtained. At a delicatessen store they purchased a
pasteboard box lined with waxed paper and filled with chicken salad,
and also some ham and tongue sandwiches. Then they rushed into a
bakeshop, the proprietor of which was just closing, and purchased
several layer cakes and also a generous supply of ginger snaps. Then
they hurried to a confectionery, and there obtained some bottled soda
water and ginger ale, and likewise several quarts of ice-cream.

"Now I guess we're pretty well fixed for a little spread," declared
Jack, when they were once more on the street, each loaded with several
bundles.

"I hope we can get a ride back to the school," said Fred. "These
bundles are pretty heavy."

"I've got an idea," said Andy. "See that automobile yonder? Well, that
belongs to the man who owns the moving-picture theater. There he is in
front of his place. I wonder if he wouldn't let his chauffeur run us
down to the Hall? He knows all the boys at the Hall are pretty good
customers at his show place."

"It wouldn't do any harm to ask him, Andy," answered his cousin.

The crowd crossed the street and was soon interviewing the owner of
the moving-picture theater. He had seen the boys there a number of
times, and remembered them, and was keenly alive to anything that
might aid his business.

"Sure, my man can run you down to the school," he said readily. "Here
he is now." He turned to his colored chauffeur. "Joe, take these young
gentlemen to Colby Hall and then come back here just as soon as you
can."

The run to Colby Hall in the automobile took but a few minutes, and
the driver very condescendingly agreed to take them around to the rear
entrance of the building. The cadets paid him for his trip, and then
lost no time in sneaking what they had bought up a back stairway and
into the rooms occupied by the Rovers.

By this time the celebration over the defeat of Hixley High had about
come to an end. The cadets were disappearing in all directions, some
going to their rooms and others to the library of the school, a large
room which was often used as a general meeting place.

Word had been passed around to a number of others, so that a crowd of
about a dozen assembled in the Rovers' rooms to take part in the
feast.

"I'll tell you one thing we ought to do," said Randy. "We ought to
square ourselves somehow with Codfish. Otherwise he may be just mean
enough to give us away."

"I guess I can fix it for you," said Ned Lowe, who in the past had
been a bit more friendly with the sneak than any of the others
present. "Just give me a plate of ice-cream and a piece of cake, and
I'll go and smooth it over with the little sneak."

"Go ahead and do it, by all means, Ned," answered Andy quickly. "I
don't begrudge the little sneak a bit of something good. It will make
him forget how his thumb hurts."

Ned soon departed with the ice-cream and cake, and then the others
passed around the food which had been provided. They had brought along
some paper dishes and paper drinking cups, and likewise a few tin
spoons, and the boys made themselves comfortable on various chairs
and on the beds.

"It's all right," said Ned, when he returned. "Codfish was sitting by
the window in his room wondering what he was going to do. He was
suspicious at first, thinking there was some trick about the ice-cream
or the cake, but when he found it was all right he felt better, and he
has promised to keep quiet. But just the same, we'll have to keep
quiet ourselves in here, or we'll get into trouble. I just heard the
professors going around giving orders that the celebration was now
over and everybody would have to turn in."

With such healthy appetites as all of the cadets possessed, the good
things to eat and drink disappeared as if by magic. Some of the boys
wanted to sing, but this had to be tabooed. Spouter, however, was
called on to make a little speech, much to his delight.

"It's a grand occasion," he began. "A grand and glorious occasion, and
one which will live long in the memory of those attending this school.
In years to come we can point with great pride to our baseball
association and how, in spite of the fact that our opponents possessed
a pitcher whose renown had traveled for many miles, and an outfield
which was classed as second to none in this district, yet our
invincible heroes----"

"Hurrah! Hurrah! That's the stuff, Spouter!" interrupted Andy.

"Did you say invisible heroes?" queried Randy.

"I did not," snorted Spouter. "I said our invincible heroes. And as I
was about to further remark, our invincible heroes covered themselves
with a glory which will ever remain as a bright guiding star to this
glorious school, and when in days to come----"