CHAPTER XXIV
THE RIVAL RUNAWAYS
By eight o’clock that morning the runaway cadets of Putnam Hall went into camp not a great distance away from where Andy had driven the wagon into the woods. They found an ideal spot in a small clearing surrounded by dense woods. There the tents were pitched, and some of the boys cleaned out a handy spring, that all the water needed might be procured. While some of the cadets were raising the tents, others, under the directions of Bob Grenwood and Stuffer, were preparing breakfast. The cook stove had been set up, and three cadets had been detailed by Jack to procure firewood.
“We’ll have this camp in apple-pie order before noon,” said the young major. “I am going to observe the same kind of regulations as if we were off on an annual encampment.”
Early in the morning one of the cadets had hurried away to Cedarville, to send a telegram to Captain Putnam, notifying him of the state of affairs. A letter was also dropped into the post-office for the master of the Hall, and this was marked Private. Then another letter was sent to Josiah Crabtree, a farm boy being hired to deliver it. This letter ran as follows:
“Mr. Josiah Crabtree:
“Dear Sir: We have left Putnam Hall to camp out until the return of Captain Putnam. To remain at the school under the management of yourself and Mr. Cuddle was impossible. As soon as Captain Putnam returns we shall lay our case before him.
“Yours truly,“The Students’ Committee,“Joseph Nelson, Sec’y.”
“I guess that will set old Crabtree to thinking,” was Dale’s comment, when the communication was dispatched. “He’ll find out that he can’t do just as he pleases.”
“Yes, and it will set that new teacher to thinking too,” added Pepper. “Oh, wouldn’t I like to square up with Pluxton Cuddle, for cutting us short on rations!”
Andy had told the young major about the tramps and Jack agreed to see what could be done as soon as camp matters were arranged.
“I’ve got to get things into shape here first,” said Jack. “I feel it in my bones that Ritter is going to make trouble. Since we ran away he acts like a regular sorehead.”
While breakfast was being served Reff Ritter and Gus Coulter growled at nearly everything that was being done. The camping spot, to them, was no good, the tents were not properly placed, and Reff stated loudly that he would have picked out a spot that had better drinking water, while Coulter turned up his nose at the coffee served.
“This is regular dishwater,” said Gus. “I thought we ran away to have something good to eat and to drink.”
“See here, Gus, if you don’t like the coffee, supposing you make some for yourself,” answered Bob Grenwood, sharply.
“Huh! Maybe you think I can’t make coffee!”
“This ham is about half done,” came from Nick Paxton. “It isn’t fit for a dog to eat.”
“Well, what can you expect, when those fellows are running everything to suit themselves?” growled Reff Ritter. “If I was leader I’d have things different.”
“See here, Reff!” cried Jack, sharply. “I don’t like your talk at all. The boys are doing the best they can. You can’t expect everything to work like a charm at the very start. We are all tired out, and what we need is a good night’s sleep. Don’t grumble so much.”
“I’ll grumble if I please!” flared up the bully of the school. “You may be major of the battalion but you can’t boss me here.”
“You didn’t have to come with us if you didn’t want to,” put in Dale. “Jack is our leader, and everybody in this camp has got to obey his orders.”
“That’s the talk!” cried Pepper.
“Humph! Then I reckon the best we can do is to get out,” answered Ritter, with a meaning look at his cronies.
“Yes, give us our share of the camp stuff and we’ll go,” added Coulter.
“All in favor of going with Reff Ritter raise their right hand,” sang out Nick Paxton.
Evidently the matter had been talked over between the bully and his cohorts for on the instant nine hands went up.
“Ten of us, counting Reff,” said Coulter. “How many are there all told?”
“Thirty-three,” answered Fred.
“Then we number about one-third of the total and we ought to have one-third of the stuff,” said a cadet who had voted to join Reff Ritter.
“That wouldn’t be fair!” cried Hogan. “Sure, and it was Jack and his chums who planned this thing and who got the most of the goods together, so they did. Ritter didn’t carry a thing but his own clothing.”
“Never mind,” said the young major. “If Ritter and his crowd want to camp by themselves let them do it. We’ll give them a fair share of the tents and the provisions.”
A warm discussion followed, which almost ended in a fight. But Jack’s suggestion prevailed, and just before noon Ritter and his nine followers left, taking with them a share of the tents and the provisions. The bully wanted more than was dealt out to him, and went away muttering that he would pay the others back for their meanness.
“I am glad they are gone,” said Jack, when the crowd had departed. “We’d never have harmony with them around.”
“Right you are,” answered Pepper. “Just the same, I think we gave them more than they deserved.”
“We’ve got to keep our eyes peeled for them,” was Dale’s comment. “Ritter is just the fellow to play us some underhanded trick.”
“That’s true – he doesn’t know when to be grateful,” said Bart Conners.
“I am glad he is gone,” came from Stuffer. “Now we won’t have to cook for so many.” And this remark caused a smile.
With the discontented ones gone the camp took on a more cheerful appearance. Breakfast was finished, and the few dishes washed, and then the majority of the cadets laid down to rest, for they had not had a sound sleep since the rebellion had begun. Andy and Joe were anxious to go after the tramps, but Andy could hardly keep his eyes open, while Joe was little better off.
“Might as well wait until to-morrow,” said the young major. “It isn’t likely those tramps will go away in a hurry. Most likely they intend to stay there until cold weather.”
A guard was set, which was changed every two hours, and the cadets laid down to rest. The majority of them slept “like logs,” and it was again dark when they commenced to stir around, and Stuffer began preparations for supper.
“Wonder what is going on at the Hall,” said Jack, as he stretched himself. “Crabtree and the others must be hunting for us.”
“I don’t care what they do, so long as they don’t find us,” answered Pepper.
In the evening Pepper and Andy set off for Cedarville, to buy some things that were needed in the camp. They took to the regular road, thinking they could easily get out of sight if any of the enemy appeared.
As they walked along they saw a buggy approaching. It contained two girls, and as it came closer Pepper uttered an exclamation of pleasure:
“Laura Ford and her sister Flossie! Won’t they be surprised when they learn what has happened.”
The girls he mentioned were two old friends of the cadets. They were the daughters of a Mr. Rossmore Ford, a rich gentleman who owned a summer cottage called Point View Lodge, located on the lake shore. In the past the boys had done the girls several services of importance and the young ladies and their parents were correspondingly grateful.
CHAPTER XXV
NEWS OF INTEREST
“And so you’ve really and truly run away!” cried Laura Ford, after Pepper and Andy had told their story. “What fun! I wish I was a cadet!”
“How angry that Mr. Crabtree must be!” came from Flossie, as she tossed back her curls. “Of course he’ll tell Captain Putnam it was all your fault.”
“Most likely,” said Pepper.
“Where are you going now?” asked Laura.
“To Cedarville – to buy some things we need. You see, we came off in such a hurry we forgot some things,” and The Imp grinned.
“Can’t we help you?” asked Flossie. “I’d dearly love to – you boys have done so much for us.”
“Might bake us some pies,” suggested Andy, with a twinkle in his eye.
“Just the thing – only we’ll get the cook to do the baking. We’ll have the pies for you to-morrow. Where shall we bring them?”
“Oh, that will be too much trouble,” cried Andy. “I didn’t really mean what I said.”
“But we’ll get the pies for you – and some cake too. Just tell us where to bring them,” said Laura. “Can we visit your camp? I’d like to see what it looks like.”
“We’ll feel honored,” said Pepper, and then he told where the camp was located. The girls said they would have the coachman drive them as close as possible to the spot and would get there early enough, so the cadets could have the pies for dinner. Then the two parties separated.
“Now those are girls worth knowing!” cried Pepper. “Always willing to treat a fellow just right.”
“I guess Stuffer would think so – if he knew about the pies,” returned Andy. “Well, I’d like a piece of good pie myself.” And he smacked his lips.
The boys hurried to Cedarville and there procured the articles they wanted. Then they asked several people if any chicken thieves had been around lately.
“Yes, indeed!” said one man. “Tom Robinson lost some chickens last week, and so did Billy Peters and the Widow Lilly.”
“Were any lambs stolen?” asked Andy.
“I heard that Landerson the butcher, had a lamb stolen a couple of weeks ago. He just bought it from a man over to Hoetown. What do you want to know for? Do you know anything about the thieves?”
“I think I do. I’ll go over and ask the butcher about the lamb.”
At the butcher shop the two cadets had quite a talk, the upshot of which was that the butcher said he would visit the camp on the following afternoon, bringing two farmers who had lost chickens with him. He let the boys have some fresh meat on trust, and smiled broadly when they asked him not to tell anybody where their camp was located.
“I know something about the trouble up to the school,” he said. “One of them teachers – I think his name is Crabapple, or something like that – wanted my cousin, Jim Pepperhill, to go up there to keep order. But Jim didn’t like the looks of the teacher and wouldn’t go.”
“Did Mr. Crabtree say what the trouble was?” asked Pepper.
“Said some of the boys wouldn’t behave themselves, and that they had to be locked in their bedrooms and kept there.”
From the butcher shop the two cadets visited the post-office, to see if there was any mail for themselves and their fellow students. To their surprise they were told that another cadet had called there only half an hour before and taken all the cadets’ mail away.
“Who was it?” asked Andy, and the clerk described the person.
“I think his name is Coulter,” he said. “He has been here for mail before. Wasn’t it all right to give it to him?”
“Not just now,” answered Pepper. “After this you keep some of the mail here until one of our party calls for it.” And he wrote down a list of names. Then he and his chum hurried off in the direction of camp.
“It was mighty cheeky of Coulter to take all the mail!” grumbled Andy. “Why didn’t he sort it out and hand our mail back? Now we have got to wait until he gets ready to bring it to us.”
“Maybe he won’t bring it, Andy.”
“Then we’ll have to go for it.”
“You forget that we don’t know where the Ritter crowd is located.”
“Gracious, that’s so! Well, we will have to find out. If he’s got any of my mail, I want it.”
When the boys got back to camp the others listened with interest to what they had to tell.
“It will be fun to go after those tramps and clean them out,” said Dale. “And if the fellow is there who attacked Andy I hope we catch him and get back the stolen things.”
“Home-made pies!” murmured Stuffer, referring to what the boys said about the Ford girls. “Yum! yum! That’s the best ever!”
“I knew that would make a bull’s-eye hit with you!” said Pepper, with a merry laugh.
“I hope they bring enough to go around. Did you tell them how many there were of us?” asked the boy who loved to eat, anxiously.
“I told them there were over half a dozen of us,” answered Pepper, with a wink at the others.
“Oh, Pepper! Half a dozen! Then they’ll only bring two or three pies, and we won’t get more than a mouthful apiece!” And Stuffer’s face took on a mournful look.
“Well, you know, Master Singleton,” said The Imp, imitating Pluxton Cuddle’s tone of voice. “Too much eating is bad for a youth. It makes him stupid and incapable of studying properly. If one ate less – ”
“Oh, stop your tommy-rot about eating less!” roared Stuffer. “I guess you must really believe in it – or you wouldn’t let those Ford girls bring only two or three pies.” And he turned to walk away.
“Stop, Stuffer, Pep was only fooling,” cried Andy. “They’ll bring enough pies, don’t you worry.” And then the youth who loved to eat felt relieved.
A campfire was kept going during the evening, and around this the runaway cadets gathered, to tell stories, sing songs and speculate upon how the whole affair was to end. A few were nervous, but others felt certain that Captain Putnam would not blame them for what they had done.
“If he does, he is not the man I take him to be,” said Dale.
“If he sides with Crabtree and Cuddle I shall ask my father to send me to another school,” said another.
“If we stick together he is bound to side with us,” added Fred.
“Now, don’t make such a mistake as that,” said Jack, to the last speaker. “Captain Putnam will not be influenced by our sticking together, even if it breaks up his school. He will decide this case solely on its merits. But I hope he will see that we were in the right – at least, that we were not as much in the wrong as Josiah Crabtree and Pluxton Cuddle.”
Among the boys to be placed on guard when the cadets retired was Fred Century. He was stationed at the east side of the camp, not far from where the wagon stood and the horse was tethered. In the wagon were a goodly part of the provisions, covered with a tarpaulin that had been brought along.
Fred had not slept well the night before and was consequently sleepy. He tramped around for a while and then sat down on a rock to rest.
He had been sitting still for several minutes, with his eyes partly closed, when he heard a slight noise behind him. Before he could move a cloth was clapped around his mouth and his hands were caught and held. Then a rope was brought into play, and he was made a close prisoner and carried away into the woods.
CHAPTER XXVI
AFTER THE STOLEN CAMP OUTFIT
“Hi, fellows, get up! Something has happened!”
It was Pepper who aroused the others, and he made such a noise that the cadets who were asleep sprang up without delay.
“What’s wrong?”
“Have the enemy discovered us?”
“Are we going back to the Hall?”
These and a number of other cries rang out, and nearly all the runaways surrounded The Imp. For answer Pepper pointed to where the horse and wagon had been.
“Gone!”
“Who took them?”
“Don’t ask me,” was the answer. “I missed them a minute ago and tried to find out what had become of them. But they are teetotally gone, and that is all there is to it.”
“Where are the guards?” demanded Jack. “Brightwood, did you see anything of the horse and wagon?”
“I did not,” answered one of the cadets who had been on guard duty. Then some of the others were questioned, but all shook their heads.
“Fred Century was on guard near the wagon,” said Andy, suddenly. “Where is he?”
All looked around, but in vain.
“Maybe he drove off with the horse and wagon,” suggested Hogan. “But I don’t know where he’d go, so I don’t.”
“Perhaps he got afraid and went back to the Hall,” suggested another.
“Fred Century wasn’t the sort to get afraid,” answered the young major. “But I must confess I don’t understand this.”
“Do you think Reff Ritter and his crowd would play this trick?” demanded Pepper.
“He might, Pep, but what of Fred?”
“Maybe Century joined the Ritter gang,” vouchsafed Brightwood.
“No, Fred didn’t like Ritter at all,” answered Andy.
“We’ll have to make a search for the horse and wagon,” said the young major. “And the sooner the better. We can’t afford to lose all those stores.”
“Oh, I say, can’t we get breakfast first?” asked Stuffer, reproachfully.
“No, we’ll hunt first and eat afterwards,” said Jack, decidedly.
The cadets scattered in all directions, and less than three minutes later Dale set up a call that brought the others running to him. He had found poor Fred, gagged, and bound to a tree. The captive was glad to be released and to have his power of speech restored. His story was a short one.
“There must have been four or five who attacked me from behind,” he said, “and they gave me no chance to cry out. I heard them talking about taking the horse and wagon and some other things, but I couldn’t do a thing to warn any of you. They must have gotten off very quietly, not to have attracted the attention of the other guards.”
“Were they the Ritter crowd?” asked Andy.
“I am not sure. I thought perhaps they might be those tramps Andy and Stuffer discovered in a hangout in this neighborhood.”
“The tramps!” ejaculated Andy. “That’s so! Why didn’t I think of them! If they rob the farmers around here, they wouldn’t hesitate to rob us.”
“Fred, who was on guard next to you?” asked the young major.
“Caller was on one side and Beck on the other.”
“Well, Caller is a little deaf, he wouldn’t be apt to hear them,” said Pepper. He looked around. “Where is Beck?”
Beck was not in sight, and then the various cadets stated they had not seen him since he had gone on guard duty.
“He must be tied up too,” said Jack. “Let us continue the hunt, fellows.”
This was done, and the search lasted fully an hour. But not a trace of the missing cadet could be discovered.
“I’ll tell you what I think,” said Pepper, when they met around the campfire. “I think the Ritter crowd ran off with the horse and wagon and I think Beck went with them. If you’ll remember, he and Coulter and Paxton are quite chummy, and Coulter wanted him to come with them when they left our crowd. I think, if we can find out where the Ritter crowd is staying, we can get back our things – and not before.”
“Then we’ll find them,” cried Andy.
It was soon learned that not only were the things left in the wagon gone, but also some of the cooking utensils and the fresh meat purchased from the butcher in Cedarville. This discovery made the cadets more angry than ever, and all vowed to “square up” with the Ritter crowd if they were really guilty and if it could possibly be done.
“We gave them their share and they had no right to come here and take more,” was the way Joe Nelson expressed himself.
Breakfast was had, and then Jack divided his force into three parties. Of these one party was to remain in camp and watch such of the outfit as was left. The other parties were to go on a hunt for the horse and wagon, one going to the north and the other to the west. The boys tried to follow the wagon tracks through the woods, but this was impossible, for many spots were hard and stony, and here the tracks were not distinguishable.
Jack and Pepper were in the party which moved to the westward, and they were accompanied by four other cadets, including Dale. They spread out in a line, about twenty feet apart, so that they might cover that portion of the woods as well as possible.
“This may prove to be nothing but a wild goose chase,” observed the young major as they moved along. “But it is better than sitting still and doing nothing.”
They soon crossed a clearing, and then came to a wagon road leading up a small hill. Here they saw freshly-made tracks and this gave them some encouragement.
“I don’t know of any farm up here,” said Pepper. “And if there isn’t any farm what would a wagon be doing here this time of year?” For the road was one for hauling wood.
“Better not make any noise,” cautioned Dale, as one of the cadets commenced to whistle. “We may be nearer that wagon than you suspect.”
They moved onward for about an eighth of a mile further, and then Jack called a halt.
“I see something moving over yonder,” he said, pointing with his hand. “I think we had better investigate.”
With increased caution, for they wished if possible to surprise the enemy, they went forward, keeping as much as possible behind the bushes lining the wood road. Then they made a turn, and off in a little glade to the left they saw the horse and wagon, the animal being tied to a tree. At the edge of the glade were several tents, and in front of them the remains of a campfire.
“Do you see anybody?” questioned Pepper, in a whisper.
“Yes, I see Ritter and Coulter, back of the tents,” answered Jack. “I see some of the fellows in the tents,” announced Dale. “They are fast asleep.”
“Most likely tired out, because of last night’s work,” said another cadet. He looked at Jack. “What do you want us to do, Major?”
“You fellows look in the wagon and see if our stuff is there,” was the reply. “Come, Pep, let us walk behind those bushes and see if we can discover anything more. If Ritter and Coulter are hatching out more mischief we want to know it.”
“I am with you,” answered The Imp.
“If the stuff is in the wagon, shall we drive off with it?” questioned Dale.
“Yes, but don’t go too far, Dale,” answered Jack. “We may want you and the other fellows here.”
“All right – if you want us, give the signal.”
Then, while Dale and the others hurried toward the horse and wagon, Jack and Pepper stole behind the tents to where Ritter and Coulter were talking earnestly. Little did the young major dream of what he was to hear or of the discovery he was to make.