CHAPTER XI
A ROW IN THE GYMNASIUM
For several days matters moved along smoothly with the Rover boys.In that time their chums, Frank Harrington and Larry Colby,arrived, and these, with Fred, made up the "Metropolitan Sextet,"as they called themselves--the sole occupants of dormitory No.6.
Next to this dormitory was apartment five, occupied by Dan Baxter,Mumps, and six others of the bully's cronies. The two apartmentswere connected by a door, but this was nailed up.
So far there had been no open rupture between Baxter and Dick, butthere was trouble "in the air," and it was bound to reach a climaxsooner or later.
Fortunately for Dick and his brothers, Captain Putnam had cadetuniforms to fit them, and the three were now dressed in truemilitary style. The other boys had to wait until uniforms couldbe made for them.
The first day at Putnam Hall was spent in assigning the newcomersto the various classes, according to their knowledge. On thesecond day the three Rover boys were placed in the awkward squad,to learn the military drill.
The squad was presided over by Corporal Mark King, a youth who wascut out to be a soldier, although his father was a sea captain.
"Now then, line up!" he called out to the newcomers. "All of youwill please toe that crack in the floor; now turn out your toeslike this, and put your shoulders back, hands with the palms tothe front."
His instructions were followed to the letter, for all were anxiousto learn as fast as possible.
"Now the first thing to remember is to say nothing, but obey orderspromptly," exclaimed the corporal. "When an order is given the firstpart is a warning, while the conclusion is the time when that ordermust be executed. For, instance, I tell you 'Eyes right!' I say'Eyes,' and you get ready to move your eyes; I add 'Right,' and youinstantly turn them to the right, and keep them there. Now we'll try.Eyes--right! Great smoke! number four, you turned them to the left! Nowagain: Eyes--right! Good! Eyes--front! That's first-class. Now:Eyes--left! Eyes--front! That couldn't be better."
And so it went on for an hour, during which the boys learned notalone how to use their eyes, but also to "left face," "rightface," "front face," and "about face"--that is, to turn directlyto the rear. Then they learned how tomark time "with their feet, starting with the left foot."
"Tomorrow you shall learn how to march," said Corporal King whenthe drilling was over. "And then each of you will get a gun andgo through the manual of arms."
"Will we learn how to shoot?" asked Tom. "I can shoot a littlealready."
"We have target practice once a month, and during the annualencampment," concluded the corporal.
"I wish that encampment was already at hand!" sighed Sam. Heimagined that life under a tent would just suit him.
As soon as the boys "got the run" of the institution they began tofeel at home. They made friends rapidly, especially when itbecame known that Sam was a fine runner and Tom a capital baseballplayer. There were several baseball teams in the school, and theyfrequently played matches on Saturday afternoons.
The gymnasium pleased Dick as much as it did his younger brothers,and nearly every day, he spent a quarter of an hour or more in thebuilding, using one apparatus or another, for the building wasfitted up with rings, parallel bars, wooden horses, pullingmachines, and other paraphernalia of athletic usage.
One afternoon Dick had just begun to use a set of parallel barswhen Dan Baxter sauntered in, accompanied by Mumps and two othercronies.
There were very few cadets in the building at the time, and Baxtercame directly to Dick.
"I guess we can settle that little affair now," muttered thebully, and slapped Dick on the cheek. "That for interfering withmy doing on the boat."
Being on the bars, Dick could not ward off the blow, but heimmediately sprang down, and with flushed cheeks leaped in frontof Baxter.
"You seem very anxious to fight," he said in a low, steady voice."You can, therefore, take that for a starter!" And hauling offwith his right fist, he struck Dan Baxter fairly and squarely uponthe nose, causing the blood to spurt and sending the bully to thefloor like a shot.
If ever there was an individual taken by surprise it was the bullyof Putnam Hall. He had not anticipated such a sudden anddetermined resistance, and for several seconds he lay still, toodazed to move. In the meantime his friends sprang forward, butDick waved them off.
"My fight is with Baxter," he said. "I want you to keep yourhands out of it."
"You hit him when he wasn't prepared," blustered Mumps.
"And he hit me when I was not prepared. Stand back!"
And Dick made such a show of being ready to attack Mumps that thetoady fell back in great alarm.
In the meanwhile Dan Baxter arose, and tried to stop the flow ofblood with his handkerchief. "I'll get even with you, Rover!" hegrowled behind the stained cloth.
"At any time you please, Baxter," returned Dick. "But don't youtake me off my guard again, or I'll have no mercy on you."
"Do you dare to meet me in a fair, standing up fight?" demandedthe bully.
"I certainly do."
"All right, then. Next Saturday afternoon at three."
Dick bowed. "Where?" he questioned.
"In the patch of woods behind the cornfield."
"All right."
"Mums is the word, fellows," said Baxter to his cronies. "Youwill keep this to yourself, Rover, won't you?"
"How many do you expect to bring to the fight?"
"Only the four fellows who are here."
"Very well; I will bring a like number."
"Want to tell everybody, don't you?"
"No, but I think I am entitled to fair play; and that means that Imust have as many friends there as you have."
"All right," grumbled Baxter, but he evidently did not like thearrangement. A moment later he hurried off, to do what he couldto prevent his nose from swelling.
Dick told only his brothers and his chums of what had occurred,but the news leaked out that a fight was on, and Saturdayafternoon found at least twenty cadets in the secret and on theirway to witness the "mill," as those who had read something aboutprize-fighting were wont to call the contest.
Now, lest my readers obtain a false impression of my views on thissubject, let me state plainly that I do not believe in fights,between boys or otherwise. They are brutal, far from manly, andadd nothing to the strength of one's character. It is well enoughto know how to defend one's self when occasion requires, but suchoccasions occur but rarely.
But I have set out to relate the adventures of the Rover boys, inschool and out, and on land and sea, and I feel I must be truthfuland tell everything just as it happened, not only in this volume,but in all those which are to follow; and, consequently, I shalltell of the fight as the particulars were related to me by SamRover, Fred Garrison and others--details which I am certain arecorrect.
The spot was a sheltered one, and on the edge of the woods twospies were posted, to warn the contestants should Josiah Crabtreeor any of the other teachers appear, for fighting was against therules of Putnam Hall, and neither Dick nor Baxter wanted to becaught.
Both came to the spot promptly, and, without preliminary talking,took off their coats, collars, ties, and caps. A ring was formed,and Dick stepped forward and faced Baxter.
The bully was several inches taller than his opponent and at leastfifteen pounds heavier. His nose was a bit swollen, and there wasa sneer upon his coarse face.
"Rover, if you wish to apologize to me you can do so, and saveyourself a thrashing," he remarked.
"I can take care of myself, Baxter. Perhaps you would like me tomake a similar proposition to you. If so, let me say it is toolate; I came here to give you a well-deserved thrashing, and Imean to stick to my determination."
"Phew, but we talk big!" muttered Mumps.
"You keep your oar out, Mumps," put in Tom. "If you don't I'll giveyou a hiding, just as soon as Dick is done with Dan."
"Will you? Maybe you'll be the
one to catch it," muttered Mumps.Nevertheless, he said no more.
"Are you ready?" asked the boy who acted as timekeeper.
"I am," said Dick.
"So am I," returned Baxter, and hurled himself at his opponentwithout a second's delay.
He had expected to catch Dick napping, but he found himselfmistaken. A blow aimed at Dick's face was well parried, and inreturn Dick hit Baxter heavily on the shoulder.
"Hurrah! Score one for Dick!" cried Larry Colby. "That's right,old man, keep at him."
"Keep cool, Dan!" put in Mumps. "You can polish him off at yourleisure."
The blow on the shoulder staggered Baxter, and he fell back, tobecome more cautious; and then the two boys began to circle aroundand around, each looking for a favorable "opening." At lastBaxter thought he saw what he wanted, and struck out again, andDick was hit on the cheek.
"That's the way, Baxter!" came the cry.
"That was a teaser! Give him another!"
Again Baxter launched out, and now Dick was hit on the arm. Heslipped to one side, and struck out like lightning, and the bullycaught it in the neck, something which, spun him around like atop.
"Another for Dick!" cried Frank Harrington. "Keep it up!"
Again the two boys faced each other. But only for an instant.With a savage cry Baxter sprang upon Dick as if to fairly tear himapart. One blow landed upon Dick's arm and a second on his chest.
"It's Baxter's fight! Baxter is still king of this school!"
"You might as well give it up, Rover; he's too many for you!"
So the cries ran on, while the bully, encouraged by his success,renewed his efforts; and an additional blow sent Dick to theground in a heap.