CHAPTER VI AN ODD BIT OF PUNISHMENT
For the moment the declaration by the bully that he would run the boatinto those in the water kept the swimmers back.
"Look out, fellows!" cried Stuffer, in alarm. "That boat has got a prettysharp bow. If it hits you it will cut you deep!"
"I'm going to stop the boat anyway," cried Jack, and continued to swimtoward the craft.
As Jack did this, Andy measured his distance and suddenly dove out ofsight. Andy was as good at swimming as he was at acrobatic feats, and hedid not come up until he was close to the side of the rowboat. Then,before Baxter knew what was up, he had hold of one of the oars and jerkedit out of the bully's hand.
"Hi, give me back that oar!" cried Baxter, in alarm.
"Not much," said Andy. And then, as Baxter tried to hit him with theother oar, he dove under the boat and gave it a sudden push that nearlyupset the craft.
"Oh!" yelled Mumps, in alarm. "Don't! We are going over! Help!"
By this time all of the crowd in the water were surrounding the rowboat,and Jack lost no time in pulling an oar from Paxton. Then he shoved theend of the blade against Dan Baxter, and in a twinkling the bully fellover against the gunwale. Here Pepper caught him by the arm, and overwent Baxter into the water with a loud splash.
"Don't throw me over!" screamed Mumps. "Don't! I--I can't hardly swim astroke."
"Do you surrender?" demanded Jack.
"Yes! Yes! Please don't throw me over! I--I wasn't going to do anything!"
"Paxton, do you surrender?" asked Jack.
"No, I don't! I'm going----Hi! give me that oar!" For somebody hadsuddenly captured the other blade.
"If you don't surrender we'll cast you adrift without oars," came fromPepper, with a wink at his companions.
"Yo--you won't dare," faltered Paxton.
"Won't we? You'll soon see."
"Yes, cast him adrift," was the cry.
"Send him away out into the lake!"
"No! No! I--I surrender!" said Paxton.
By this time Dan Baxter was walking ashore. His clothes--a new suit,elegantly pressed,--were, of course, soaked completely, and there was astreak of mud over one shoulder.
"I'll make somebody pay for this!" he growled. "It will cost two dollarsto have this suit fixed up again."
"You brought it on yourself, Baxter," said Jack.
"No, I didn't!"
"Yes, you did. What right had you to try to run away with our baskets ofthings?"
"I--er--I wasn't going to run off with 'em. I was just fooling."
"I don't believe you," broke in Pepper.
Several surrounded the bully, so that he might not run away, and therowboat with Paxton and Mumps was turned back to the point from where ithad started.
"Let us make them prisoners," suggested Andy. "They ought to be taught alesson."
"That's the talk!" came the cry.
"I--I won't stand it," faltered Paxton.
"Then sit on it!" cried Pepper, and tripped the fellow up. While he andStuffer made Paxton a prisoner, the others attended to Dan Baxter andMumps. The prisoners had their hands tied behind them, and each had afoot tied to the root of a big tree, the boys using sections of boat ropefor that purpose.
"Now let us finish our swim," said Jack, and drew his crowd to one side.
"What shall we do with them?" whispered Pepper.
"We ought to duck Paxton and Mumps," came the suggestion. "Baxter don'tneed any more."
"Let us keep them bound up," said another. "They can look on while we arefeasting."
"That's the talk!" cried Jack. "It will make their mouths water to lookat us getting outside of the good things."
"And let us pretend that we're going to leave them tied up when we goaway," added Andy.
So it was arranged, and, this settled, the boys continued their swim andthen dressed at their leisure.
"See here, ain't you going to let us go?" asked Dan Baxter, after a longspell of silence.
"Of course not," answered Jack. "We've decided to let you stay here untilSunday night."
"Sunday night!" cried Mumps, in alarm. "I don't want to stay here allnight and all day tomorrow!"
"Don't get afraid, Mumpsy dear," came from Pepper. "There are not verymany bears around these parts now."
"Oh! one bear is enough!" And the sneak shivered.
"I'm not going to stay here until Sunday night," came from Paxton.
"Come, let us off, and maybe I'll call it square," said Baxter, in a morereasonable tone.
"But we don't intend to call it square, Baxter," answered Pepper.
"Then you won't let us go?"
"No!" shouted the rest of the crowd.
After that the baskets were brought up and all the good things spread outwhere Baxter, Paxton, and Mumps could see them. Soon the cadets wereeating and drinking to their hearts' content.
"Baxter, wouldn't you like a drink of soda?" asked Pepper, coming up witha glass full of the beverage. "I don't like to be too hard on a fellowstudent."
"Yes, I'd like a drink," grumbled the bully.
"All right then, you shall have one--as soon as you go down to Cedarvilleand put up the necessary nickel at the store."
"Oh, go to thunder!" growled the bully.
"Can't I have a drink?" asked Mumps. "I'm as dry as a--a fish."
"Sure you can have a drink--but not of soda," said Andy. "I'll get somewater for all hands."
He disappeared behind the bushes in the direction of a spring. Soon hecame back with three glasses filled with water.
"Here's a drink for each," he said. "I'm not going to be too mean aboutthis. I know what it is to go dry."
He passed a glass to Pepper and one to Stuffer, and each of the cadetsheld his glass up to the mouth of a prisoner. As Baxter, Paxton, andMumps were all dry, each drank eagerly.
"Hullo, what's this?" spluttered Paxton.
"Bah!" came from Baxter, spitting out the water. "It's full of salt!"
"This will make us drier than ever!" groaned Mumps.
"And I took several swallows," growled Paxton.
"So did I," added Baxter.
"To be sure it's full of salt," said Andy. "I thought you all needed it,you're so fresh, you know."
"Be gorry, that's the bist joke yit," came from Emerald Hogan, with aroar. "That's roight, Andy, me b'y, salt 'em down."
"I'll salt you down, Irish!" cried Baxter, in a rage. "Just wait till Iget back to the Hall."
After this the bully and his cronies asked for nothing more to eat ordrink, but they wistfully eyed the good things as the others disposed ofthem. The salt made them fearfully dry, and each would have given a goodround sum for a glass of pure, cold water.
"Wonder if we can all get into that boat," said Jack, after the feast hadcome to an end. "A row on the lake and back to the Hall would just suitme."
"It will give us a little practice for those races," put in Pepper. "Ireckon we can manage it."
"Are you going to steal our boat?" demanded Baxter.
"It is not your boat--it belongs to the academy," retorted Jack. "We haveas much right to it as you have."
"Yes, but we had it first."
"You won't need any boat just yet," said Stuffer. "You're to stay here,you know."
"No! No! don't leave us here," cried Paxton. "Let us go and--er--I, forone, will call the whole matter off."
"Will you really!" said Pepper. "Awfully kind, I'm sure."
"If you don't let us go I'll tell on you," said Mumps. "The captain won'tstand for anything like this."
"What have you got to say, Baxter?" demanded Jack.
"You had better let us go," grumbled the bully. He did not fancy spendinga night in the dark woods.
"If we let you go, will you keep your mouth shut?"
"I haven't said that I would."
"All right, we'll leave you tied up."
"No! No!" came from Mumps, pleadingly. "Please don't
do it! Dan, tellthem that you won't say anything."
"They won't dare to leave us," said the bully.
"Won't we?" said Jack. "Wait and see. Come on, fellows, put the basketsin the boat and come on board."
"They are going to leave us," groaned Mumps, as the baskets were stowedaway and several entered the craft. "We'll have to stay here all night,and I know it is going to rain! And there may be bears around! PelegSnuggers told me about a bear he saw once, on the road to Malville."
"Oh, don't be a calf, Mumps," interrupted the bully. "They'll all laughat you."
"I don't care, I don't want to stay, so there!" whimpered the sneak."Tell them you won't say anything."
"Well, good-bye!" shouted Jack, turning toward the rowboat.
He walked several steps, but then Baxter hailed him.
"Stop!" cried the bully. "Let us go. For Mumps' sake I won't sayanything."
"Very well. Remember, Baxter, that's a bargain. Are you agreed, Paxton?"
"Yes."
"And you, Mumps?"
"I shan't say a word--I promise, Ruddy."
Without another word Jack released the three prisoners. Then he ran forthe rowboat, leaped in and shoved off, and soon the craft was on its wayout into the lake.