CHAPTER II PEPPER PLAYS A JOKE
As there were a great many students to take part, it had been arrangedthat the whole of the next day should be devoted to rifle practice. Thecadets were to march to Rawling’s pasture directly after breakfast, andeach youth was to carry his lunch with him, as well as his rifle andsome rounds of ammunition.
“Now, young gentlemen,” said Captain Putnam, when the quartermaster ofthe battalion had distributed the cartridges. “Kindly remember that yourcartridges have bullets in them. I want no loading or firing withoutpermission. A rifle, thoughtlessly discharged, may do great harm, andthere will be no need of loading your guns until you are called upon tofire at one of the targets.”
“Have we—we all got to do the—the firing?” asked Fenwick, the schoolsneak, in a trembling voice.
“Certainly,” answered Captain Putnam.
“I’ll wager Mumps is afraid to shoot with bullets,” whispered Pepper toAndy Snow. “He always handles his gun as if he was afraid it would gooff.”
“He’s as much of a coward as he is a sneak,” answered Andy. His facebroke into a sudden grin. “I’ve got an idea,” he whispered.
“Let me in on it quick,” returned Pepper, scenting fun.
“I’ve got a pack of firecrackers, left over from last Fourth of July——”
“Andy, how could you keep them all this time?” cried The Imp,reproachfully. “Why, a pack of firecrackers means dead loads of fun. Letme have them, please.”
“What, the whole pack? Not much! I want some fun myself, sometime. I’lllet you have a dozen crackers, though.”
“All right—I’ll make them do.”
“Want to play a trick on Mumps?”
“Yes, keep your eye peeled for fun.”
This talk took place half an hour before the boys were to start awayfrom the school. Having procured the firecrackers, Pepper sought out theschool sneak and found him talking to Billy Sabine, a cadet who was attimes a sneak and then again quite a good fellow. Mumps had his gun overhis shoulder and Sabine had his firearms across his elbow. Without beingobserved, The Imp lit the long stems of two firecrackers and dropped onedown the barrel of each weapon.
“Hullo, you fellows!” he cried, hurriedly. “Have you heard the news?”
“What’s that?” asked both of the others, while a small crowd began tocollect.
“Somebody has sticks of dynamite, and some of the stuff was put in someof the guns,” went on Pepper innocently. “You want to look out, or yourgun may explode and blow you to bits.”
“Gracious me, is that possible!” ejaculated Mumps, and turned pale.
“I didn’t know——” began Sabine, and then glanced at the muzzle of hisweapon. “I declare, what makes that smoke? And look, your gun issmoking, too!” he added, to Mumps.
“It’s the dynamite——” began Pepper, and backed away as if in terror.
“Oh, dear, do you really think so?” quaked Mumps. “If I thought—— Oh!”
Bang! went one of the firecrackers, and both Mumps and Sabine let outyells of fear. Bang! went the second cracker, and now both cadets threwtheir guns from them and ran toward the school building.
“It’s the dynamite! We’ll be blown to pieces!” screamed Mumps.
“Somebody wants to kill us!” roared Sabine, and put his hands to hisears, as if to keep out the sounds of some awful explosion.
And then both boys disappeared around a corner of the Hall. As they didthis The Imp rushed forward, cleaned the guns of the explodedfirecrackers, and threw the burning bits of cracker paper in somebushes.
“What a joke!” cried Andy, who has witnessed the scene, and he and anumber of others laughed heartily.
“They’ll be afraid to touch the guns after this,” was Emerald’s comment.“Sure, they’ll think the old Nick is after bein’ in ’em, so they will!”
“Here they come back!” called out Dave Kearney. “And look, they’ve gotold Crabtree with them!”
“If Crabtree is coming I think I’ll dust out!” murmured Pepper, and lostno time in disappearing.
Josiah Crabtree was the first assistant teacher, and he was as cordiallyhated by the majority of the cadets as George Strong, the secondassistant, was beloved. Crabtree was a fine scholar, but he washeadstrong and sarcastic, and continually “picking” at those under him,no matter how hard they studied or how well they behaved.
“What is this I hear about dynamite?” he demanded, as he strode up andglared at the assembled boys.
“Dynamite?” asked Andy innocently. “Did you say dynamite, Mr. Crabtree?”
“I did. There was an explosion out here. These boys’ guns——”
“Why, these guns are all right,” said Dale Blackmore, picking them up.“I guess Fenwick and Sabine got scared at nothing.”
“They certainly did,” added Andy, and then, getting behind the teacher,he doubled up his fist and shook it threateningly at Mumps and Billy.
Now, if there was one thing both the younger cadets feared it was awhipping, and this suggestive attitude of Andy made each of them quail.They both realized that if they told on Pepper they would be punishedfor it. Each took his gun rather sheepishly.
“Fenwick, what have you to say?” began Josiah Crabtree. Just then thewelcome rattle of the drum was heard, calling the battalion to get readyfor the march.
“I—I guess it was a—a mistake,” faltered the sneak. “Can I go and get inline, please sir?” he added.
“I—er—I suppose so—since this is no time to investigate,” answeredJosiah Crabtree; and off ran Mumps and Sabine, and the others alsodeparted.
“Well, what did Crabtree say?” asked Pepper of Andy, when he got thechance.
“Didn’t have time to say much—the drum call broke in on hisinvestigation. I hope, for your sake, Pep, he doesn’t take it up when weget back,” added the acrobatic youth.
It was a beautiful day for the outing, and the cadets certainlypresented an inspiring sight as they marched from the campus and turnedinto the country road leading to the pasture where the rifle practicewas to be held. Captain Putnam was on horseback, along with GeorgeStrong and an old army officer named Pallott, who was to assist inshowing the boys how to hold their rifles while shooting and how best totake aim. Behind this little cavalcade came Major Jack with his swordflashing brightly, and followed by Company A and Company B. To the frontwere the two drummers and two fifers, making the welkin ring with theirmartial music.
“Hi, you look fine, so you do!” sang out an old farmer, as he drew up bythe roadside with his wagon to let them pass. “You’re a credit to thissection. If I had the money I’d send my son Jock to train with you, yes,I would!” And he waved a grimy hand after them.
A little later the cadets heard the honk honk of an automobile horn andsoon a big touring car came into sight. It contained Roy Bock, BatSedley and several other students from Pornell Academy. As soon as Bocksaw the young soldiers he stopped his machine.
“Hello, look at the tin soldiers!” he sang out. “Going to huntmosquitoes?”
“No, we are going to hunt somebody who knows how to bowl,” retortedPepper, who was near.
“Huh! We can bowl right enough and don’t you forget it,” growled Bock.
“Yes, but you can’t beat Putnam Hall,” retorted Dale; and then thecadets passed on, leaving the bully of the rival school in anything buta happy frame of mind.
“Those tin soldiers make me sick,” said one of the students in thetouring car.
“We ought to get square with them for taking our trophies away,” saidanother.
“They did that because we stole their cannon and flagstaff,” addedanother.
“I don’t see how Fred Century can train with them,” added a youth namedCarey.
“We’ll square it up with them some day,” came from Roy Bock. “Just waittill I think of something good. I’ve got it in for Jack Ruddy, PepperDitmore and that crowd, and don’t you f
orget it!”
“I’ve got it!” cried another boy. “The whole crowd is away from theschool to-day. Why can’t we visit the place on the sly and turn thingstopsy-turvy?”
“Somebody must be left behind,” answered Will Carey, who was far frombrave, as my old readers know.
“That doesn’t matter—we can keep out of the servants’ way—or get themout of ours,” answered Roy Bock. His crafty face became fixed for amoment. “That’s a good idea. Let us visit Putnam Hall by all means andfix things up! When those tin soldiers get back they won’t know what tomake of it!”
“Well, we don’t want to get caught at this,” said Carey.
“Are you afraid?” demanded Bock.
“No, but——”
“No ‘buts’ about it,” said a youth named Grimes, who hated Major Jackand his chums greatly. “I’m for visiting Putnam Hall to-day. We couldn’thave a better chance, with the captain and his cadets away.”
The touring car journeyed along slowly and the students from PornellAcademy talked the matter over carefully. Just as they came in sight ofthe Hall they saw a buggy drive away from the entrance and turn in thedirection of Cedarville, the nearest village.
“There goes the head teacher, a fellow named Crabtree,” said Bock. “Thefellow driving him is Peleg Snuggers, the general helper. Boys, outsideof some help that doesn’t count, the coast is clear!”
“I’ve got a scheme,” said Grimes. “Let us hide the auto in the woods,and then disguise ourselves as tramps by rubbing dust on our faces andputting on the old auto dusters. Then we can sneak up to the schoolbuilding and the gym., and learn how the land lays.”
“Yes,—and turn things inside out,” answered Roy Bock, with a gloatinglook. “Oh, won’t they be surprised when they get back to-night!”
The suggestion to hide the touring car and disguise themselves wasquickly put into execution, and then, with great caution, the sixstudents from Pornell Academy leaped a side hedge and made for thegymnasium. Here they spent nearly half an hour in “fixing things up” totheir satisfaction. Then they entered the school building by a sidedoor, and while three went to the library and classrooms the othersascended to the dormitories. They took care to keep out of the way ofall the hired help, although to do so taxed their ingenuity to theutmost.
“Now, I reckon we have done something toward squaring accounts,”remarked Roy Bock, as he led the way back to the touring car. “Even theservants won’t be able to straighten things out. When those folks getback they won’t know their own school!”