CHAPTER XII
FAIR AND FOUL FIGHTING
As Dick went down, Tom and Sam uttered cries of chagrin andhorror. The eldest Rover had been struck on the chin, and theblood was flowing from a deep scratch.
"Get up! Get up, Dick!" cried Tom. "Don't say you are beaten!"
"Yes, yes; get up and go at him!" added Sam.
The urging was unnecessary, as Dick was already scrambling up.Dan Baxter made a dash at him, intending to strike him while hewas down, but a fierce look from Tom stopped him.
"You'll fight fair, Baxter," were Tom's words.
"Yes, he'll fight fair," repeated Dick, throwing back his head asif to collect himself. "Fellow-students, Dan Baxter is not fit tobe a pupil at this academy."
"Why not?" came in a chorus.
"He is not fighting me fairly."
"What do you mean?" blustered Mumps.
"Don't find fault because he knocked you down," added another ofthe bully's cronies.
"I say he is not fighting fair," repeated Dick stoutly. "He hassomething in each hand."
At this unexpected announcement Dan Baxter started back andchanged color. Then of a sudden he placed both hands into histrouser pockets.
"He is putting the things out of sight!" cried Tom, who sawthrough the bully's intentions.
"Come, Baxter, show us what you had."
"I didn't have anything," growled the bully. "If you say I hadI'll punch your head off. This is only a ruse to, let Dick gaintime to get his wind."
"That's it!" cried Mumps. "Go at him, Dan, and finish him!"
"Baxter daren't turn out his pockets," said Sam, "Do it if youdare."
"There is what I have in them," answered the bully, pulling atrunk key from one pocket and some small change from the other."Perhaps you'll say I was fighting with these in my hands."
"Turn the pockets, out!" demanded Dick.
"Yes, turn 'em out!" added Fred, and a dozen others took up thecry.
"I won't do it," growled Baxter, but it was plain to see that hewas growing uneasy. "I'm a gentleman, and I can whip Rover withease, and do it fairly, too!"
While he was speaking Larry Colby had come up behind him. EreBaxter could stop the movement, Larry pushed his hand into one ofthe bully's pockets and turned it out. A jagged stone as big as awalnut dropped to the ground.
"There, see that!" cried Larry. "For shame, Baxter!"
"I didn't have the stone--you placed it there!" blustered theso-styled king of the school.
"Didn't you though?" said Fred Garrison, who had also come upbehind Baxter, and he quickly hauled another stone from the otherpocket.
"That is how he scratched me," said Dick. "I was sure he hadsomething in his hand."
"It's a put-up job!" howled Baxter, growing red in the face. "Ifyou want to continue the fight, come on!" and he squared offagain.
"That's the talk!" said Mumps. "Let both show their hands!Perhaps Rover has some stones, too!"
Both opened their palms, then doubled up their fists. Baxter wasthe first to strike out. But, as quick as lightning, Dick dodgedthe blow and landed vigorously upon the bully's chest. BeforeBaxter could recover, Dick struck out again, and the bully caughtit straight in the left eye.
"Oh!" he yelled in pain, and put his hand up to the injured optic,which began to grow black rapidly. Then he struck out wildly halfa dozen times. He was growing excited, while Dick was as calm asever. Watching his opportunity, Dick struck out with all hisforce, and Baxter received a crack on the nose which caused him tofall back into the arms of Mumps. As that nose had been struckheavily in the gymnasium, it was decidedly tender, and Baxterroared with pain.
"Have you had enough?" demanded Dick, coming up to him.
Yes--Baxter had had more than enough; but he did not wish toacknowledge it. He made a sign to Mumps previously agreed upon,and Mumps raised his cap as a signal to one of the spies set onguard.
"Stop the fight!" cried the guard instantly. "Somebody iscoming!"
"Nonsense--nobody is coming!" said the other spy, but Baxterwould not listen to him.
"I'm not going to be caught--I'll finish this some other time,"he said to Dick, and hurried away with Mumps and his otherfriends, leaving Dick the victor beyond question.
"I knew you could do it!" cried Tom, as he fairly hugged his elderbrother.
"I'll wager he won't bother you again."
"No, indeed!" put in Sam; and Fred and the others said the same.That was the first and last time that Dan Baxter fought any of theboys openly, but he was their bitter enemy in secret; we shalllearn in this and other volumes.
As soon as Baxter had retreated, Dick and his brothers hurried toa near-by brook, where the elder Rover took a wash, and tried byother means to remove the traces of the contest from his person.He had a slight swelling on the scratched chin, but that was all,and inside of an hour felt quite like himself once more.
With Baxter it was very different, and the Sunday following heasked to be excused from attending church services in the Hall,saying he had fallen on some rocks and hurt his face. On hearingthis, Captain Putnam came to see him.
"Sorry to hear this, Baxter," he said. "Do you think you need adoctor?"
"No, sir; I'll be all right in a few days."
"Where did you fall?"
"Down by the brook, while we were playing tag."
"Indeed! Well, you want to be more careful in the future," wasCaptain Putnam's advice, and then he left Baxter. If he suspectedanything he did not let on. To a certain extent he believed inletting boys fight out their own battles.
The Rover boys had come to Putnam Hall in the fall, and now summersports were cast aside among the pupils, and football and hare andhounds became the rage.
As we know, Sam was an excellent runner, and hare and hounds justsuited him.
"We must ask the captain to let us take a long trip next Saturdayafternoon," he said; and the boys went to the owner of Putnam Hallin a body and obtained permission.
It was decided that Sam and Fred should be the hares, while LarryColby was to be leading hound. As Frank Harrington had a trumpethe was made whipper-in. Captain Putnam supplied the boys with apackage of old copying books, and these were cut up into smallbits and stuffed into two pillow cases loaned by Mrs. Green.
The start was made on a clear but frosty afternoon. The haresstood on the parade ground, with the hounds, to the number ofthirty, behind them. George Strong had consented to start themoff. The hares were to be given three minutes start of the littlescholars and five minutes start of the big boys.
"All ready?" asked the second assistant of Putnam Hall, as he tookout his watch.
"All ready," answered Sam and Fred.
"Then go!" And away went the two boys straight for the cornfield,dropping bits of paper as they sped along. They leaped the fencein the rear, crossed the brook, and then started along a pathleading through the woods beyond.
"We mustn't dream of letting them catch us," remarked Sam, as heran on, with Fred directly behind him. "I wonder where this pathleads to?"
"The top of the mountain, so Mr. Strong told me. He said therewas another path coming down to the westward."
On and on they went along the path until they came to a narrowmountain road. Here they met a farmer carting a number of logs inhis wagon, and stopped him to ask a few questions.
"Yes, that road will take you right up to the top," he said. "Butyou want to be careful and not make a wrong turn, or you may getlost."
"I'm not afraid of being lost," said Fred with a light laugh; andon they sped again, as rapidly as ever, for Fred was as good arunner as Sam, and the pair worked very well together.
At the top of the first rise of ground they came to a spot thatwas somewhat bare, and here they halted to look back.
"There are the small fellows!" cried Sam, pointing with hisfinger. "And the big ones are not far behind."
"They are speeding along in good shape," was Fred's comment. "Comeon,
before they spot us!" And they hurried up the next hill.Here they encountered a number of rocks, and were brought to ahalt several times to determine which was the best path to pursue.
"By jinks! the farmer was right--we are getting lost!" said Sampresently.
"Where is the path?"
"I think it is to the right."
"And I think it is to the left."
At this both lads looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
"It can't be in both directions, Fred."
"That's true, and I am sure I am right."
"All right, we'll try it," and they did, but it was a good tenminutes before the path came into view again, and meanwhile thefirst of the hounds drew dangerously close.
But the game was by no means over, as we shall see.