The cadets looked around for a while, and then went back to the spot
where Randy had seen the men early in the morning. They looked for
footprints, but were not successful in finding any they could follow
for a distance.

"Gee, I'm getting tired!" said Randy, with a yawn. "Please remember I
did not get much sleep last night."

"Yes, and I'm getting hungry," added his twin. "I think we'd better go
back to camp."

The others thought so, too, and a few minutes later all set off. As
before, the young captain took the lead, and he and Randy lost no time
in visiting the tent occupied by Captain Dale.

"Well, this certainly is a find," declared the old West Pointer,
looking the steel bar over critically. "I agree that it belongs to
some sort of machine, although what, I haven't the least idea. If any
of the authorities come here I'll let them look it over."

Several days, including Sunday, passed without anything new
developing. Several of the local authorities had appeared, and also a
Secret Service man from Camp Huxwell. All listened closely to what
Captain Dale and the Rovers had to tell, and examined the steel bar
critically. Then they went off, and that, for the time being, was all
those at Camp Barlight heard of them.

"Hurrah! the girls are coming soon, and then maybe we'll get a chance
to run over to Camp Huxwell," cried Fred, one day after the mail had
been brought in.

"They say they will be over late in the week," said Jack. He looked at
his cousins. "We'll have to lay plans to treat them royally."

The young cadets had continued their drills and also their bayonet and
other exercises. Now it was announced that target practice would start
the following morning and continue until all of the cadets had proved
what they could do in hitting the mark.

"Well, Fred, here is your chance to show what you can do!" cried Andy,
after this announcement had been made. "You were the high man in our
family last term." He remembered that out of a possible score of 25
Fred had netted 19, while Jack had received 18, Randy 12, and himself
but 10.

"Please don't forget that I've got Lewis Barrow to shoot against,"
answered Fred. Lewis Barrow had been the high man on the previous
occasion, with a score of 20.

There were three targets to be shot at--one at short range, one at
medium, and one at long range. It would be possible to score 20
points at each target, making a total of 60 points for each cadet.

In the past Gabe Werner had been a fairly good shot. He was in the
habit of patronizing a shooting gallery in Haven Point, and the
proprietor of this had given him many lessons in how to hold a rifle
and how to take aim.

"I guess here is where I get a chance to show those dubs what I can
do," remarked Gabe to his cronies.

To make the contest more interesting for the cadets, Colonel Colby had
authorized Captain Dale to put up six prizes; the first a gold medal,
the second a silver medal, and the others various books of more or
less value.

"Now, Fred, I want you to do your prettiest," said Jack to his cousin.
"You came out ahead of us last term, and this time I want you to top
the whole school."

"I'll do my best," answered the youngest Rover boy. "But, Jack, you've
got to do your best, too."

"Sure I will!"

The target practice lasted for three days, and the competition among
more than half of the cadets was very keen. The others were such
indifferent marksmen that they had no hopes of winning any of the
prizes, and so they shot more because they were expected to do so than
for any other reason.

"Well, I guess I'm keeping up my reputation!" cried Randy, with a
grin, when his shooting had come to an end. "Twelve points at the
first target, six at the second, and four at the long distance--a
total of twenty-two points."

"I'm a whole barrelful better than that!" answered his brother gaily.
"I made twenty-three points. I guess we had both better open a school
for target practice," and he grinned broadly.

At the short-range target Jack and Fred were tied with 16 points each,
and, strange as it may seem, Lewis Barrow and Gabe Werner were tied
with 17 points each.

"Say, Werner can certainly shoot," remarked Spouter, who had made but
eleven points. "I knew Barrow could do it, but I didn't expect it of
Gabe."

"Shooting at the short-range target is his specialty," announced Walt,
whose score was also a modest one. "Remember, he has been doing a lot
of practicing at the Haven Point shooting gallery."

At the medium-distance target the scores were not so good, Jack making
10, Fred 11, Barrow 13, and Werner 14.

"Hello, what do you know about this! Werner is ahead!"

"He shot one point better than Lew Barrow."

"I knew he could do it!" boasted Bill Glutts. "Just wait until you
fellows get at the long-distance range! He'll show you what's what!"

The score now stood, Jack 26, Fred 27, Barrow 30, and Werner 31. The
others had all dropped behind several points more.

"Say, you fellows have got to hump yourselves," declared Randy, as he
came up to his cousins. "Werner is four and five points ahead of you."

"Well, I am doing the best I can," declared the young captain. He
would have resented such familiarity from anyone except his fun-loving
cousin.

"And I'm doing the best I can," asserted the young lieutenant.

At the long-distance range Lewis Barrow was the first of the four to
show his skill. He was a young Westerner, and had a great familiarity
with firearms. He shot quickly and neatly, making a score of 10.

"Hurrah! That gives Lew Barrow a total of forty points!"

"Good work, Lew! I guess that gold medal is yours."

"Not much!" returned the Westerner, with a faint smile. "I didn't do
very well. I guess the wind was against me."

The next to shoot was Fred, and to the amazement of many of those
looking on, the youngest Rover made a score of 15, giving him a total
of forty-two points.

"Good work, Fred!" cried Jack, grasping his cousin by the hand.

"Oh, it takes our Fred to do it!" cried Andy, dancing around. And then
he had to turn a couple of handsprings to relieve his feelings.

"Huh! you just wait till Gabe shoots," said Bill Glutts.

"He's the one to win that gold medal!" piped in Codfish.

"Well, there is one thing sure--you'll never walk off with any medal,
Codfish," returned Randy; and at this there was a laugh, for the sneak
of the school had made a poor showing on all of the targets--in fact,
he was so timid that he was almost afraid to discharge his rifle.

Gabe Werner strode forward with a superior air and inspected the rifle
that was handed to him critically.

"I want a gun that shoots straight," he said.

He took a long time to shoot, sighting his rifle several times before
each discharge. His first shots were fairly good, but then his
nervousness asserted itself, and he all but missed the target. His
total was eight points, bringing his grand total up to thirty-nine
points.

"Hello, Werner's dropped down!"

"He is one point behind Barrow and three points behind Fred Rover."

"Say, Gabe, what happened to you? Did you get a dose of the shakes?"
asked one of his followers.

"Maybe somebody moved the target on him," suggested Andy slyly.

"Perhaps the rifle had a twist in the barrel," announced Randy.

"Oh, say, this is none of your affair!" growled Gabe Werner, as he
threw down the rifle in disgust and faced the two fun-loving Rovers.
"You mind your own business!"

"Gracious, but you're peppery!" said Andy.

"I'll pepper you some day!" howled Werner, and then turned on his heel
and strode off, looking anything but pleasant.

"Gee! but he takes it hard," remarked Walt.

"How foolish," returned Gif. "Even if I was disappointed, I wouldn't
show it."

It was now Jack's turn to shoot, and he did so without delay. His
first two shots were not particularly good, but then he found the
bull's-eye twice in succession, much to the amazement of all the
onlookers.

"Say, there's shooting for you!"

"Fred, you'd better look to your laurels or Jack will beat you," cried
Spouter.

"I want him to beat me--if he can," answered Fred generously.

And beat his cousin Jack did by just one point. He scored a total of
forty-three, while Fred had forty-two.

Barrow came in for third place with forty points, and Werner fourth
with thirty-nine points. Frank Newberry was fifth, and a cadet named
Henkerson sixth.

"Well, you beat me fairly and squarely, Jack!" cried Fred, shaking
hands.

"Not such an awful lot at that, Fred. Only one point," returned the
young captain good-naturedly.

"But it gives you the gold medal, while I'll have to content myself
with the silver medal. Just the same, I'm glad I did as well as that,"
added Fred.




CHAPTER XXIII

GIRL VISITORS


After the target practice the cadets of Colby Hall settled down to the
usual routine of the camp. The Rovers and their chums were eagerly
awaiting the arrival of the girls from Clearwater Hall, and they made
arrangements with Captain Dale so that the visitors might be
appropriately entertained.

The girls came in two large touring cars, which had been hired at the
Haven Point garage. The Rovers and their chums were on the lookout for
them, and set up a cheer as soon as they appeared.

"Oh, what a lovely spot for a camp!" exclaimed Ruth Stevenson, as she
leaped to the ground and shook hands with Jack.

The visitors were escorted by Captain Jack to Captain Dale's quarters.
He knew some of the young ladies already, and soon made all of the
crowd feel perfectly at home.

"Your friends will show you around our camp, and if you care to do so
you may have regular mess with our cadets," said the old West Pointer,
smiling.

"Oh, let's have a regular mess dinner by all means!" cried Mary. "I've
always wanted to know how it tasted."

"Grandest soup you ever struck, Mary," said Gif.

"Especially if a pinching bug or a worm chances to drop into it," came
from Andy.

"You horrid boy!" cried Martha. "Jack, you ought to box his ears for
that."

The girls were shown over the camp, and even taken down to the rifle
ranges, in the meantime being told about the very excellent scores
Jack and Fred had made.

It had been arranged that the girls were to be away from Clearwater
Hall for two days. They were to spend one day with the boys at Camp
Barlight and the following day near Camp Huxwell, where Alice Strobell
had an aunt living who had promised to take them all in for the night.

"We'll come over here early in the morning for you boys," said Martha,
"and then all of us can visit Camp Huxwell together. I've already sent
word to dad, and Mary has sent word to Uncle Sam, so they will be on
the lookout for us."

"That will be fine!" cried Jack. "I've been wanting to see that camp
ever since we got here, but, somehow, I couldn't get away to do it."

"And I want to see my dad, too," added Fred enthusiastically.

The twins were likewise eager to see the government camp and their
uncles, but they were somewhat depressed, and could not help but show
it.

"I know what's the matter," whispered Martha to her brother. "They are
thinking about their father. Poor Uncle Tom! What a shame it is that
he couldn't join father and Uncle Sam."

"Well, you know how they arranged it," answered the young captain.
"Somebody had to stay at home to manage the business."

While the Rovers and their chums were showing the girls around the
camp, Gabe Werner and Bill Glutts eyed them enviously.

"I don't see why they are permitted to have girls come here and visit
them," growled the ex-lieutenant.

"Girls are all out of place in a camp like this," added the wholesale
butcher's son. "You can't have the same amount of freedom with those
skirts around."

"I just heard something," put in Codfish, who had come up a moment
before. "The Rovers and those other fellows are going to take the
girls out into the woods for a picnic."

"Where did you get that news?" asked Glutts quickly.

"I heard the cook telling one of his helpers. They are fixing up a
great big bunch of grub for them."

"Huh! some folks have nerve," grumbled Werner. "I suppose he'll let
'em have all the best things there are in camp and we can take what's
left."

"Chopped-up onions, for instance," and Glutts grinned.

"I'll onion them, you see if I don't!" cried Gabe Werner. And then he
suddenly caught his crony by the arm. "Say, I've got an idea! If we
can get away and follow those fellows maybe we can spoil their old
picnic for 'em."

"I get you!" cried Glutts quickly.

"What are you going to do?" questioned Codfish.

"Will you keep your mouth shut if we take you in on this?" demanded
the ex-lieutenant.

"Of course I'll keep my mouth shut."

"All right then, you can come in, Henry. But remember, if you open
your trap on us we'll come down on you like a ton of bricks," added
Gabe.

The matter was talked over for several minutes by Werner and Glutts,
and then Codfish was dispatched to the cook's quarters on an errand.

The girls enjoyed eating the regular mess lunch immensely. Each was
provided by the boys with a new mess kit and instructed into the art
of using the same. They sat at the main table in the mess hall, a
table presided over by Captain Dale himself.

"This is quite an honor, ladies," said the old West Pointer politely.
"It's the first time we have had so many of the opposite sex in any of
our camps."

"It is very lovely of you, Captain Dale, to permit us to come," said
Ruth. "I am sure we all thank you very much for all the courtesies you
have shown us."

"Indeed we do!" came from the others.

"I'm afraid this meal will put a little damper on our picnic,"
remarked Fred. "We should have eaten our lunch out in the woods."

"Don't you worry about that," retorted Andy. "We'll be ready for
another meal after we've tramped about over the rocks and among the
trees for several hours."

The food to be taken along had been placed in three old knapsacks with
which the camp was provided, and these the twins and Spouter placed on
their back when they set off for the woods. All were in high spirits,
and Andy and Randy whistled gaily as they trudged along.

"Let us go up on top of one of the cliffs," suggested Jack, after they
had been tramping for the best part of an hour. "We ought to be able
to get a splendid view of the bay from there."

The others were willing, and about the middle of the afternoon they
reached a high, rocky point, overlooking Barlight Bay and the rolling
Atlantic. It was a clear, sunshiny day, and consequently they could
see for miles in several directions.

"I see a big steamer coming up the coast!" cried Gif presently. "See
the trail of smoke she is leaving behind her?"

"I wonder if those big coastwise steamers are in any danger of the
German submarines?" remarked Martha.

"Oh, I don't believe there are any submarines around here," said
Randy.

"Don't be too sure about that," put in Jack. "Don't forget that the
Huns sent over several of their U-boats before we even got into the
war."

"There may be more German submarines lurking in these waters than we
have any idea of," remarked Spouter. "It is a well-known fact that the
Central Powers have an enormous number of submarines, and that they
have been sent to all the important lanes of travel in the Atlantic
Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. They have
got the science of building U-boats down exceedingly fine, and they
evidently know exactly how to handle such craft. And not only that,
but they have invented some exceedingly destructive torpedoes, and
likewise some devices----"

"Say, Spouter, have you started to deliver a lecture on German
submarines?" demanded Randy.

"Please remember that we came to camp for the sole purpose of escaping
lectures," added his twin.

"I'm not delivering a lecture," returned Spouter coldly. "I was only
trying to pound into your somewhat bonelike heads a few important
facts. But, of course, the task is rather a useless one, because you
wouldn't be able to assimilate such knowledge even if----"

Spouter's oratory was cut short by a wad of wet leaves which Randy
picked up and hurled at him. Then Andy poked him with a long tree
branch he had picked up, and for a few minutes there was quite a
good-natured pitched battle, the girls looking on with much interest.

"Avast and heave to!" roared Andy, melodramatically. "Over the top and
at 'em! Chew 'em up alive! Don't let 'em cry '_Kamerad_'! Make 'em
yell, 'Have you used Brickbat's Soap!'" And at this there was a shriek
of laughter from the girls.

When the horseplay had finally come to an end, the young folks walked
out on the rocks where they might get a better view of the bay and the
ocean beyond. As was quite natural, the boys and the girls paired off
together, and Jack saw to it that Ruth obtained a seat that was
comfortable. Fred did the same for May, while Spouter and Gif walked
on a short distance further with the two Rover girls.

The knapsacks containing the food had been left on some flat rocks a
short distance to the rear. So that they might not get too warm, the
boys had placed some brushwood over them, along with some wraps which
the girls had brought along.

Although the Rovers and their chums did not know it, they had been
followed into the woods by Werner, Glutts and Stowell, who had
obtained a brief leave of absence from the officer of the day. The
trio had watched the girls and their cadet friends closely, and viewed
the disposal of the knapsacks and the wraps with satisfaction.

"Here is where we get square with them," muttered Gabe. "We'll fix 'em
for putting chopped-up onions in our mess kits!"

"What are you going to do with those onions I got for you?" questioned
Codfish.

"We'll doctor up every bit of their food with 'em," answered Glutts.
"They can have onion sandwiches and onion cake and onion pie galore.
My, but that lunch will be one sweet mess when we get through with
it!" he added gleefully.

"Yes, and I'll tell you another thing we can do," pursued Gabe Werner
maliciously. "We can put some of the chopped-up onions into the
pockets of those girls' coats. That will make 'em all smell fine!"

"Oh, say! do you think you ought to touch the girls' things?"
questioned Codfish timidly.

"Sure! That will give those fellows a job cleaning the mess up,"
answered Gabe heartlessly.

"But we don't want to get caught." Now that the time had arrived to
play the joke on the Rovers and their friends, the sneak of the school
was beginning to tremble.

"Oh, we won't get caught," said Werner. "Come on. They are all out of
sight, and it will be dead easy to turn the trick."




CHAPTER XXIV

TOM ROVER'S ANNOUNCEMENT


Fred and May had gone up to the topmost point of the cliff overlooking
Barlight Bay. Here they could get a view not only of the water front,
but likewise of the Colby Hall camp stretched out in the clearing to
the northeast of the woods. The wind was blowing rather freely, and
presently the youngest Rover noticed that the girl beside him
shivered.

"Why, you are cold, May! You should have brought your coat along,"
Fred declared.

"I wish I had," May answered.

"Let me run back and get it."

"Oh, don't bother, Fred. We won't stay up here so very long."

"It's no bother at all. It will take me only a few minutes to get it,"
answered the young lieutenant gallantly, and began to climb down the
rocks.

It did not take Fred long to reach a point where the cliff was more
level, and then he hurried off in the direction where the knapsacks
and the wraps had been left.

"Hello! what's this?" he asked himself, coming up beside the flat
rocks. "I'm sure we left them here." But neither the knapsacks with
food nor the wraps were anywhere in sight. Fred scratched his head,
wondering if he were dreaming.

"Hi, fellows!" he called out. "Something wrong here!"

"What's the matter?" yelled Gif, who was the nearest of the others.

"The knapsacks and wraps! They are gone!"

"Gone! Do you mean somebody has taken them?" exclaimed Gif.

"Yes, I do! Call the others, quick."

As Fred uttered the last words he darted away from the flat rocks. He
had seen a movement behind some trees and bushes not a great distance
away. As he drew closer to the spot he heard Codfish give a cry of
alarm.

"We're discovered! Fred Rover is coming!"

"Hi, Codfish! what are you doing here?" demanded Fred. But instead of
answering, the sneak of the school set off on a run through the woods
as fast as his legs could carry him.

By this time Gif was coming up, followed by Andy and Randy, while Jack
and several others of the party were trying to get down from the
rocks at the front of the cliff.

"Who was it? Who took the things?" questioned Gif hurriedly.

"I saw Codfish," answered Fred. "And there are Glutts and Werner!" he
added suddenly, as the pair came into view between the trees. They
were running swiftly, carrying the three knapsacks between them.
Codfish had been carrying the girls' wraps, but had dropped them in
his fright.

"The mean rascals, they were going to make off with our eats!" roared
Spouter. "Come ahead! Let's catch 'em!"

There was no need for him to utter these words, for already Gif and
Fred were making after Werner, Glutts and Codfish at top speed. Behind
them came all of the other cadets, each now aware of what had
occurred.

"Hang the luck! I didn't think they would spot us like this," panted
Gabe, as he lumbered along. He had a knapsack in each hand, while
Glutts carried the third. Codfish, free-handed, was just ahead of
them.

The three had a fair start, and might have gotten away by hiding
behind the trees and brushwood of the forest had not the unlucky
Codfish met with an accident. His foot caught in an exposed tree
root, and down went the sneak of the school flat on his breast. Then,
before they could stop themselves, Werner and Glutts fell over him,
banging him on the head with the heavy knapsacks as they did so.

"Oh! Oh!" moaned Codfish. "Don't hit me like that! Get off! You are
smashing my ribs!"

Werner and Glutts rolled over, letting go of the knapsacks as they did
so, and scrambled to their feet. But these movements took time, and in
the meanwhile Fred and Gif rushed up, catching each by the arm.

"You let go of me, Fred Rover!" cried the wholesale butcher's son; and
when the youngest Rover did not do as commanded, Glutts made a savage
pass with his fist.

Had the blow landed as intended, Fred would have been struck full in
the nose, but he knew something about boxing, and dodged cleverly, and
then he came back at Glutts with a blow in the ear which sent that
youth sprawling once more.

In the meantime Werner attempted to get away from Gif. But that
athletic youth put out a foot behind the ex-lieutenant, and down went
Gabe once more on the panting and bewildered Codfish. Both rolled over
among the tree roots, and it was several seconds before they could
untangle themselves and get to their feet.

By this time Andy and Randy had come up, and a short while later Jack
and the others appeared.

"What's this all about?" demanded Jack, who, as a captain of the
cadets, felt that he was in charge.

"They were sneaking off with the grub and with the girls' wraps,"
answered Fred. "I spotted them just in the nick of time. Another half
minute, and they would have been out of sight."

"We weren't going to take the things away. We were only going to hide
'em," said Gabe Werner. He saw that there was now no chance to run for
it, because he and his cronies were completely outnumbered.

"Gee, what an awful smell!" broke suddenly from Randy.

"No cologne there," said Jack.

"Smells like garlic," said one of the other cadets, holding his nose.

"It's onions!" declared Andy emphatically. "I guess I know onions when
I smell 'em," he added significantly.

Werner started, and then looked more disturbed than ever, and so did
Bill Glutts. Both clapped their hands to their side pockets. Something
was soaking through the cloth of their uniforms. The others came
closer, and then Andy and Randy set up a roar of laughter.

"Chopped-up onions!" cried the former of the twins. "What do you know
about that! They are carrying pockets full of chopped-up onions! Wow!"

"I'll bet I know what they were going to do with those!" declared
Randy. "They were going to doctor up our grub with 'em!"

"Well, what if we were?" said Gabe Werner boldly. "Didn't you fellows
doctor up our mess kits?"

"Did they have a chance to get at the stuff in the knapsacks?"
questioned Jack anxiously.

The girls were now coming up in a bunch, wondering what the
disturbance meant. A swift examination proved that Werner and those
with him had had no opportunity to disturb the things to eat, nor had
they done any harm to the girls' wraps outside of mussing them up a
trifle.

"Say, we ought to give those fellows the licking of their lives,"
declared Fred emphatically. "The idea of wanting to play a joke like
that with the girls around!"

"No, we want no fighting to-day," declared Jack. "This affair can
wait." He turned to the unworthy ones. "You clear out of here, and be
mighty quick about it! We'll settle with you another time."

"Come on--I'm going back to camp!" cried Codfish timidly, and without
waiting for a reply he struck off through the woods.

"You needn't think you can boss everything, Jack Rover, even if you
are a captain," growled Werner. "On account of the girls, we won't say
anything more about it just now. Come on, Bill." And a few seconds
later he and his crony followed Codfish, and soon all were out of
sight.

For the time being the encounter with the Werner crowd put a damper on
the others. But they were young in hearts and spirits, and soon they
forgot what had taken place and went back to the front of the cliffs.
Here they presently opened up the knapsacks, and the boys allowed the
girls to fix the spread for them while they built a small fire in a
hollow between the rocks where they made a large pot of chocolate. It
is needless to say that all enjoyed the outing very much, and were
sorry when it was time to bring it to an end.

When the boys and their visitors had returned to Camp Barlight, and
the young cadets had seen the girls safely on their way in the two
automobiles, they set out on a hunt for Werner and his crowd. But
those unworthies kept well out of sight, only showing themselves at
roll call and when it was time to eat, and then disappearing as if by
magic.

"They are afraid to meet us," was Fred's comment.

"Well, I'm just as well satisfied," answered Jack. "If we got into a
fight it might mean all sorts of trouble for us if Captain Dale or the
professors heard of it."

The Rovers were up bright and early the following morning and on the
lookout once more for the girls. Soon they came in sight, and then the
Rovers, along with Gif and Spouter, got into the two automobiles, and
all headed straight for Camp Huxwell.

"My, what a big place!" exclaimed Jack, when, after being inspected,
they were permitted to pass through the main gateway.

"I understand they have over twenty-five thousand men here now," said
Spouter.

Some bodies of soldiers at a distance were going through various
maneuvers, while other bodies still further away were hard at work at
bayonet practice, charging and stabbing some sacks of hay hung on long
wires. At still another point the soldiers were constructing trenches
and dugouts in real military fashion.

"They've got to learn a lot to be real soldiers," was Randy's comment.

By following the directions given to them, it did not take long for
the young folks to reach the vicinity of the regiment to which Dick
Rover and his brother Sam were attached. The captain and the
lieutenant were on the lookout for them, and hurried to meet them.

"We are very glad to see all of you," said Dick Rover, catching his
son by the hand and kissing his daughter affectionately. "You can't
imagine how much we have missed you."

"Nor how much we have missed you," returned Martha, her eyes growing
suddenly misty.

"How are you making it, Dad? Do you feel like a regular soldier yet?"
questioned Fred of his parent.

"Oh, we are working into it, Fred," replied Sam Rover.

"How soon do you expect to go to Europe?" questioned Mary quickly.

"There is a rumor that we shall leave in a week or two."

"Oh! as soon as that?" came from several of the others.

"Of course we can't tell positively," went on Fred's father. He turned
to Andy and Randy. "By the way, boys, I've got a surprise for you,"
he added. "Your father will be down here this morning. In fact, we are
expecting him any minute."

"Is he coming alone?" asked Andy.

"I don't think so. He spoke about bringing your mother with him, and
possibly he may bring your Aunt Dora and your Aunt Grace."

"Oh, that would be fine!" exclaimed Mary. She happened to glance
around. "Well, I declare! Here they come now!" And in a moment more
the folks from New York City leaped out of a newly-arrived automobile
and strode toward the others. There was a great amount of kissing and
handshaking, and Tom Rover's face showed his great excitement.

"I've got an announcement to make," said the father of the twins, when
he could command the attention of the others. "A very important
announcement. I am going to become a soldier and fight with the rest
of the fellows in France."




CHAPTER XXV

AT CAMP HUXWELL


For a moment after Tom Rover made the important announcement all of
the others stared at him, unable to speak.

"Do you really mean it, Dad?" cried Randy, the first to break the
silence. "Are you really going to the front?"

"Yes, Son. I just got word early this morning which makes it possible
for me to leave New York and join the army," answered the father, with
a smile.

"Hurrah! That's the best ever!" shouted Andy, throwing his cap into
the air. "I knew you'd do it, Dad." And, rushing forward, he grabbed
his father and gave him a big hug.

"But--but--I really don't understand," stammered Dick Rover, for once
so surprised he could scarcely speak. "How did you fix it up, Tom?"

"Allen Charter is going to do the trick for me," answered Tom Rover.

"Allen Charter?" exclaimed Sam Rover. "I thought you said he had
declined and was going to volunteer!"

"He did volunteer; but they wouldn't accept him--something the matter
with his heart, I believe. Anyway, they wouldn't take him. Of course,
Charter was much downcast. But he at once came to me and said he would
take hold of our concern. He's going to do it in connection with Mr.
Frank A. A. Powell, Songbird's uncle, the lawyer who helped us out so
much when we had our trouble with Pelter, Japson & Company," continued
Tom Rover, referring to a matter the details of which were given in
the volume entitled, "The Rover Boys in New York."

"And he's been just the craziest fellow ever was since he fixed it so
he could go," declared Nellie, Tom's wife. "He tore around the house
like a wild Indian, trying to get his things into shape. I guess he
has an idea he's going to take a kit and a gun and go over to France
this afternoon."

Of course the older folks wanted more of the particulars, and as the
whole party strolled over to Captain Dick Rover's quarters, Tom
related them.

"Of course I'm sorry that Allen Charter can't go to the front," said
the father of the twins, "but I am mighty glad that we can get him to
take charge, for he is not only a first-class business man, but you
know he is honesty itself."

"Yes, I know that," answered Dick. "I wouldn't want a better fellow."

"And if Mr. Frank Powell works with him, I'm sure matters will go
along very nicely," put in Sam. He caught his brother by the shoulder.
"Say, Tom, this is the best news yet! Don't you know Dick and I have
had the worst kind of blues thinking that you must be left behind?"

"But, Dad! aren't you going in for a commission of some sort?"
questioned Andy quickly.

"Nothing doing in that line," answered Tom Rover promptly. "I've
always been a high private in the rear rank in the past, and I suppose
that is what I shall be in the present and the future--although, of
course, I don't expect to stay in the rear rank when there is some
real fighting ahead," he added quickly. "Then I want to get in the
front-line trenches and go over the top."

"Bully for you, Dad!" shouted Andy slangily.

"I've already put in my application, and Major Kirby, who is an old
friend of mine, has promised to push it right through; so I think I'll
be landed here in a day or two."

The coming of Tom Rover and the ladies from New York City made the
party at the camp quite a large one. The boys and girls enjoyed
themselves thoroughly. It could be seen that a great weight was
lifted from the minds of the twins, and there was no holding them in
when it came to making fun.

All too soon it came time for the boys and girls to depart. The Rover
boys shook hands warmly with their fathers, and the girls of course
came in for a number of hugs and kisses.

"Take good care of yourself, Dad," said Jack to his parent. "Don't let
those Huns shoot you."

"I'm sure you'll be coming back a general, Dad," remarked Fred to his
father.

"And don't forget to bring back some German helmets, Dad, and things
like that!" cried Randy.

"We'll take any kind of souvenir, Dad--even a German sauerkraut
masher," put in Andy.

Then the boys and girls said good-bye to their mothers, and all
hurried off to the two automobiles awaiting them. In a minute more
they were leaving Camp Huxwell and were on their way to Camp Barlight.
Martha was openly crying, and tears filled the eyes of Mary, and who
could blame them? Even the boys looked mighty serious, and Ruth and
the others had quite a task trying to cheer them up.

"There is no use in talking," was the way Fred expressed himself:
"Going to France is a serious business. It's all well enough to talk
about shooting up the Huns, and all that sort of thing, but don't
forget that the Huns may do a little shooting on their own account."

"Oh, they'll come back safe and sound," declared Andy. "They've just
_got_ to!" Yet behind it all the fun-loving Rover felt just as bad as
any of them, but he was trying hard not to show it.

The boys were dropped off at the encampment, and then the girls
continued on the way to Clearwater Hall. They were to remain at the
Hall for the best part of a week longer, and then Mary and Martha were
going to join their mothers and their aunt for the summer vacation.
What the boys were going to do after the encampment came to an end,
had not yet been decided.

Sunday was passed quietly by the Rover boys and their chums. Religious
services were held in the open air, and were attended by nearly all of
the cadets. In the afternoon Fred and Jack took a walk, accompanied by
Gif and Spouter, the twins remaining behind to write some letters.

The walk took the cadets to the foot of the cliff nearest to their
camp, and in rounding this close to the water front they made a
somewhat interesting discovery. They came to quite an opening among
the rocks, and, going inside, found themselves in a regular cavern,
ten feet high in some places and half again as broad. In the rear was
a smaller opening, leading downward and filled at the bay level with
water.

"Who would think there would be a cave like this around here!"
remarked Jack.

"Good place to come to in case of a storm," said Spouter. "A fellow
could play Robinson Crusoe if he wanted to."

By the aid of some matches the cadets examined the cavern, but found
nothing in it of value. At some time in the past birds had nested
there, but that was all. They were just ready to leave when Jack
suddenly put up his hand.

"Listen!" he said. "Am I mistaken, or do I hear something?"

All did as he commanded, and from a great distance a faint tapping
reached their ears. Then came a series of muffled explosions and a
clanking as of chains.

"That's something like the noise Randy said he heard when he was on
sentry duty," remarked Fred. "Don't you remember how worked up he was
over it?"

"What do you suppose it is, and where do you suppose it comes from?"
put in Gif.

No one could answer those questions. All was now silent, but presently
they heard another series of explosions, and then the tapping
continued steadily for several minutes. Then, however, the sounds died
away.

"That's got me guessing," declared Jack, after the crowd had left the
cavern. "We'll have to tell Randy about this, and maybe we had better
tell Captain Dale, too."

Monday proved an exceedingly sultry day. The thermometer went so high
that drills and exercises in the sun were all curtailed.

"Looks to me as if this was a weather breeder," remarked the young
captain to the others.

"Well, I don't care what it does, if only it cools off," grumbled
Randy. "Why, I feel as if I was living in a bake oven!"

He had been told of the strange noises heard in the cavern at the bay
front, and had been much interested. The boys had also spoken to
Captain Dale, who had promised an investigation.

When the hour came for the cadets to retire the sky was so overcast
that not a star was showing. A breeze had sprung up, and this was
growing brisker every minute.

"I think we are in for a storm, and a good big blow with it,"
announced Captain Dale. And then he told Major Ralph Mason to give
orders that all the tent fastenings should be looked to.

"I'm sure our tent is down tight enough," announced Randy, after he
and his tent-mates had made an investigation.

"Well, you want to be sure of it," remarked Fred, who was making the
round of the tents. "You don't want that canvas to be sailing skyward
or out into the bay."

As was usual with them, Gabe Werner and Bill Glutts growled when
ordered to look to the fastenings of the tent they and their cronies
occupied. But as the wind increased Glutts pulled Gabe to one side and
whispered something into his ear.

"All right--I'm with you," answered Werner promptly. "Let's do it at
once. Got your pocketknife handy?"

"Yes. Have you?"

"I have. And it's as sharp as a razor. All we'll have to do is to cut
the ropes about half way through. The wind will do the rest,"
announced Gabe gleefully.

"What's the matter with fixing up both tents?" went on the wholesale
butcher's son. "You can slide over to the officers' quarters while I
attend to the tent down in the Company C line."

"All right! But hurry up. And come back as soon as you're through,"
cautioned Werner.

He reached the vicinity of the tent occupied by Jack and Fred just as
the first of the rain drops began to come down. The wind was now
blowing half a gale, and the canvases of the encampment were flapping
and slapping loudly.

Werner had his pocketknife open, and it did not take him long to begin
operations. Five of the ropes which held the tent to the pegs were all
but severed, and then he began work on the next.

"Stop that! What do you mean, you rascal?"

Gabe Werner turned, and as he straightened up he found himself face to
face with Jack. The young captain had been on an errand to the next
tent, and had seen the rascally ex-lieutenant in the darkness more by
chance than by anything else.

"What's the matter out there?" called Fred from the interior of the
tent.

"Here is Gabe Werner! He's cutting the ropes!" And now Jack caught the
big youth by the arm.

"Let go of me, Rover!" demanded the ex-lieutenant, and then he raised
the hand that held the pocketknife.

It is not likely that he would have used the weapon. But Jack did not
care to take any chances. As quick as a flash he hauled back, and then
his fist crashed into Gabe Werner's chin, sending him sprawling on his
back.

For a second or two the big ex-lieutenant was dazed, but then, with a
muttered imprecation, he leaped up, dropping his pocketknife as he did
so, and rushed at Jack, hitting him in the shoulder.

By this time the blood of the young captain was up. He dodged a second
blow delivered by Werner, and then his fist shot out quickly, landing
on the ex-lieutenant's nose, drawing blood.

"Ouch!" spluttered Werner, and then he made a leap and grappled with
Jack. There followed a lively mix-up in which blows were given and
taken freely.

In the meantime Fred set up a cry of alarm, not knowing who was
attacking his cousin. In a few seconds a number of cadets and
Professor Brice came hurrying in that direction.

"I've got to clear out, but I'll fix you another time, Rover," hissed
Gabe Werner, and attempted to retreat.

"You're not going to get away, Werner!" cried Jack, and, making a leap
forward, he gave the ex-lieutenant a blow behind the ear which sent
him to the ground all but unconscious.




CHAPTER XXVI

AN ASTONISHING DISCOVERY


"What does this mean, Captain Rover?" demanded Professor Brice, as he
rushed up, lantern in hand and followed quickly by Major Ralph Mason
and a dozen other cadets.

"I caught this rascal cutting the ropes to our tent," explained Jack.

"Gee, you'd better hold that tent down!" cried one of the cadets.
"There go three of the ropes now!" And what he said was true, the
ropes in question being those that Werner had partly severed with his
knife.

Fred had come out of the tent, and now he and a number of the other
cadets held down the canvas so that the wind could not get under it.
It was blowing furiously, so that they had no easy job of it to keep
the tent from going up.

"Do you mean to say he really cut the ropes here?" demanded Professor
Brice sternly, as Werner gathered himself together on the wet ground
and slowly arose to his feet.

"Yes, sir," said Jack. "And there is the knife he did it with," he
added, pointing to the pocket piece which had fallen under the
ex-lieutenant.

"It was--er--it was--er--only a bit of fun," stammered Werner, not
knowing what else to say. "And Jack Rover had no right to pitch into
me the way he did!"

"I had a perfect right to do so, Professor Brice," announced Jack. "If
I wanted to say more--- But I won't do it now," he added. "I'll make a
report to you in private."

By this time the camp was in an uproar, for down the line where
Company C was located there had been another rumpus. Gif, going out on
guard duty, had caught sight of Bill Glutts just as the latter had cut
two of the ropes to the tent occupied by him and Spouter and the
twins. Gif had treated the wholesale butcher's son rather roughly, and
Glutts had finally yelled for mercy, bringing out a crowd of twenty or
thirty, including the twins.

"This is a despicable piece of business, Werner," said Professor Brice
sternly. "I will at once report the matter to Captain Dale, who, as
you know, is in authority in this camp. Come along with me."

Captain Dale had been down to the shore of the bay, to make certain
that there was no danger of the tents which were used for bath houses
being blown away. He soon came up and looked closely at the ropes
which Werner had partly severed.

"I don't like this sort of thing at all," he said to the
ex-lieutenant. "If that tent had come down while those inside were
asleep somebody might have been seriously injured. More than that,
nobody would care to be without shelter on such a night as this, and
with all their possessions getting wet. You will report to the
corporal of the guard at once." Then Captain Dale passed on to where
the others were having trouble with Glutts, and he was also ordered to
report to the guard.

In the meanwhile, as the storm seemed to be increasing, Captain Dale
gave orders that the fastenings of every tent should be inspected
thoroughly and extra ropes and pegs should be put down wherever
necessary. He did not want any of the school property damaged.

"Gee, we'll catch it for this!" growled Bill Glutts, when he and
Werner had been placed in a small wooden shanty, designated a
guardhouse. "I suppose they'll make us do all sorts of disagreeable
things as a punishment."

"I won't stand for it!" stormed Werner, whose nose was still bleeding
from the blow Jack had dealt. "They can't make me the laughingstock
of this camp."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going home," announced the ex-lieutenant.

And that is what he did, stealing away from the camp early in the
morning just as the heavy storm of the night was passing away. He
managed to get a few of his possessions, but the others had to be left
behind. He wanted Glutts to go with him, but the son of the wholesale
butcher was afraid to do so.

In the morning Jack and the others had to make a full report to
Captain Dale of what had occurred. The young captain mentioned the
fact that Werner had had his pocketknife in his hand.

"I'm not sure that he was going to use it," said Jack. "In fact, I
would rather think that he wouldn't do so. But I wasn't going to take
any chances, and so I hit him. Then he hit back, and--well, we mixed
it up pretty freely. Finally I gave him a blow that knocked him flat,
and then the others came up."

"Captain Rover, you know I do not approve of fighting, especially
among officers," declared Captain Dale sternly. "However, the
introduction of the pocketknife changes the situation somewhat. I will
hear what Werner has to say."

Then it was discovered that Gabe Werner had left the camp. He had
written a note saying that he was going home and that he guessed he
would never come back to Colby Hall again. This being so, the matter
was dropped so far as Jack was concerned. Nor was Gif punished for the
way he had treated Bill Glutts. Captain Dale read a stern lecture to
that unworthy, and for the remainder of the camp term Glutts was
deprived of many liberties he might otherwise have enjoyed.

It must not be supposed that the boys had forgotten the strange noises
they had heard while in the woods and in the cavern at the front of
the cliff. They had reported to Captain Dale, and several
investigations had been made, but without results. The captain had
also communicated with the authorities at Rackville, and likewise with
the Secret Service men stationed at Camp Huxwell.

"Well, I see they haven't made any progress in the matter of that
explosion at the Hasley Shell Loading plant," remarked Spouter one
day, after reading a copy of the Haven Point newspaper which had come
in. "They are looking all over for those two Germans, but have been
unable to spot 'em."

"I see the company is offering a reward of ten thousand dollars for
the apprehension of the men," came from Fred, who had likewise read
the sheet. "Gee, I'd like to get a chance at that reward!"

The next day the boys were treated to another surprise. As was their
custom when the weather and their duties permitted, they went in
bathing, and while diving Fred noticed a peculiar knocking sound under
water. He called the attention of the others to this, and each cadet
heard it quite plainly.

"It must come from the same place as those other noises we heard,"
declared Jack.

"I move we make a real investigation!" cried Andy. "Let's ask for a
day off and scour the woods thoroughly."

"That's the talk," cried Fred.

The others were willing, and received permission to go out two days
later, the party consisting of the four Rovers and Gif and Spouter.
They took their lunch with them, and also some canteens of water,
expecting to be gone until nightfall.

There was quite a discussion as to how they should start the
investigation. Some wanted to go along the base of the cliff at the
water's edge, while others were for making their way through the
forest. The latter suggestion prevailed, and they started near the
point where Randy had first heard the strange noises.

The young cadets tramped hither and thither among the trees and over
the rough rocks for four hours without coming upon anything unusual.
They stirred up a number of birds and small animals, but that was all.

"Looks like a wild-goose chase," remarked Jack, when they sat down to
rest and to eat their lunch.

The climbing over the rocks had been very tiring, and all of the lads
were glad after eating to take their ease for a while.

Randy was resting on his side, wondering whether it would be worth
while to play a trick on Gif and Spouter, who were but a few feet
away, when a movement among the trees at a distance attracted his
attention. He sat up, and as he did so felt certain that he had seen a
man moving along.

"Listen, boys!" he cried in a low voice. "There is some one now!"

"Where?" came from the others, and all aroused themselves on the
instant.

Randy pointed out the direction, and, gathering up their things, the
cadets hurried off to where he had pointed. There, sure enough, was a
man plodding along with a bundle over his shoulder. He was a short,
thick-set man, and wore a heavy mustache curled up at the ends.

"Let's see where he goes," said Jack. "Maybe he'll take us to that
place where the noises come from."

They followed the man without his being aware of their presence. The
fellow climbed over and around a number of rocks, and then pursued his
way past a dense clump of bushes. Then, of a sudden, he disappeared
from view.

The cadets were amazed, the more so after they had tramped around the
spot without ascertaining what had become of the man.

"Looks as if the earth had opened and swallowed him up," remarked
Randy.

The cadets had advanced with caution, but now they grew bolder, and
made a closer examination. But it was all of no avail--the man had
disappeared, and where he had gone to or how, there was no telling.

"One thing is sure," declared Jack. "He didn't walk away from here,
and he didn't go up into the air. That being so, he must have gone
down somewhere among the rocks and bushes. We had better hunt around
for some sort of an opening to a cave, or something like that."

The others were willing enough, and spent the best part of an hour in
the task. But no opening presented itself, although the rocks and
rough places in that vicinity were numerous.

"Here is something else we can report to Captain Dale," was Fred's
comment.

Not knowing what else to do, the boys marked the spot so that they
could remember it, and then pushed onward through the forest. Two
hours later they reached a sort of gully, with the rough rocks on one
side and an overhanging cliff on the other.