CHAPTER XXII
PELEG SNUGGERS' QUEER RIDE
The race had now reached its critical point and all of the cadets on thehill waited for the outcome with keen interest. The bob owned by PeterSlade was still two lengths in advance, and it looked very much as ifPeter would be the victor.
But with the passing of the last ridge the Rovers' bob seemed to becomeendowed with new life. With no drag on the runners, it shot forward witha speed that surprised even Dick. Steadily it gained on the other bob,until, when the end of the course was but fifty yards away, the two werealmost side by side.
"Let her out, Pete!" cried one of the boys on Slade's bob, but Petercould do no more.
"It's a tie race!" called several, but hardly had the words been spokenwhen the Rovers' bob shot ahead, and reached the end of the course awinner by twenty-five feet.
"Hurrah! the Rovers win!"
"I tell you what, you can't get ahead of Dick Rover and his crowd!"
Peter Slade was much chagrinned to have the victory snatched from him,and began to mutter something about the race not being a fair one.
"I agree with you, it was not fair," answered Sam. "Hans' tippet caughtunder our runners and held us up a good deal."
"If it hadn't been for that we would have won by three times thedistance," added Tom.
"Humph!" muttered Peter Slade. "I guess you jumped off once and pushed."
"I did not," answered Tom, hotly.
"I think you did."
"And I say I didn't," and now Tom doubled up his fists.
"Oh, don't quarrel," put in Larry, who was near. "If Peter isn'tsatisfied why not race over again?"
"I am willing," answered Dick, promptly.
"I'm tired of riding," said Slade. "I--er--I am not feeling extra welland it shakes me up too much."
"Then let some of the others use the bob."
"No, it needs overhauling, and I am going to have it fixed up," wasSlade's answer, and began to move off toward the Hall, dragging his bobafter him.
"He's afraid to race," said George. "My! how mad it makes some fellowsto get beaten!"
It may be mentioned here that Peter Slade had been one of Tad Sobber'scronies, and now that Sobber was gone he took it on his shoulders tofill the bully's place in the particular set to which he belonged. Hewas a quick-tempered youth, and had been in more than one fight sincehis arrival at Putnam Hall.
The boys who could not ride on the hill amused themselves by making somebig snowballs, which they allowed to roll down another hill. One of thesnowballs made was fully eight feet in diameter, and it was a greatsight to see this go down, getting bigger and bigger as it progressed.
"Hello, I've got an idea!" cried Tom, as he watched the rolling of thebig snowballs.
"Something brand new, Tom?" queried Larry.
"I think so. Let us give Peleg Snuggers a roll. It will do himgood--shake up his liver, and all that."
"You mean to roll him down this hill?" asked a student named Morley.
"That's it."
"Might hurt him."
"Not if we put a snow overcoat on him first," answered Tom.
"What do you mean?" asked another student.
"Let us roll a big ball the shape of an egg and hollow out the middle.Then by some trick we can get Peleg to crawl inside, and----"
"That's the thing!" cried George Garrison. "Come on. Where is Peleg?"
"Down at the stables."
With eager hands the cadets set to work and rolled up a big ball in theshape of an egg and then dug out the middle with a shovel. In themeantime a message was sent to the general utility man that he waswanted at the top of the hill at once.
"Must want me to mend a sled," he mused, and hurried off, taking withhim some tools, nails and cord. He often did favors for the cadets, whogave him "tips" in return.
When Peleg Snuggers arrived at the top of the hill the big snowball wasready for use.
"Here is Peleg!" cried Tom. "He can do the trick for us. Can't you,Peleg?"
"What is that, Tom?" asked the general utility man, innocently.
"We want to fasten this cord in the hole through that big snowball, butwe don't want to get it crossed," went on Tom, anxiously. "Will you takethe cord, crawl in there and then pass the end out and over the end ofthis shovel, and then loop it over to the other end?"
"Why--er--I don't understand," stammered Peleg Snuggers.
"I'll explain after you are inside the ball," said Tom. "Here's thecord," and he led the general utility man to the hole and helped him toget down.
Not suspecting a trick, Snuggers crawled into the big snowball. Beforehe could do anything with the cord given to him the cadets rushedforward and gave the snowball a push toward the edge of the hill.
"Hi! stop that!" roared the general utility man, trying to back out.
"Hold tight--the snowball is getting away from us!" yelled Tom."Somebody keep it from going down the hill!"
"We can't hold it back!" screamed Larry, grinning at the same time.
"It's bound to go--too bad!" wailed another.
"Say, let me git out!" yelled Peleg Snuggers, but at that moment thesnowball began to turn over. "I'll be killed! Oh, dear, I think you didthis a-purpose, you rascals!"
"Never!" came back promptly.
"Enjoy the ride while you have the chance, Peleg!"
"You've got a free ticket to the bottom of the hill!"
"Let me out! Stop her!" yelled Snuggers, and they saw his feet at oneend of the big snowball and his hands at the other. "I can't standrollin', nohow!"
"You're not standing," called Sam. "You are just rolling."
Away went the big snowball, down the long hill, and the cadets after it.As it progressed it grew larger and larger. They saw Peleg Snuggersshove out his head from one end, and the head went around and aroundlike a top.
"I guess he'll be rather dizzy when the trip's ended," observedSongbird.
At last the snowball came to a stop in a stretch of meadow land. Thestudents rushed up just in time to see Peleg Snuggers crawl out on hishands and knees. When he arose he staggered around as if intoxicated.
"Say, you young villains!" he gasped, and then had to stop to catch hisbreath.
"Oh, Peleg, why did you run away with our snowball?" asked Tom,innocently.
"It was a mean thing to do," put in Dick.
"We wanted some fun with that ball," added Sam.
"I--run--off--with the--the snowball?" gasped the general utility man."I want you to know----"
"Oh, we know all about it," interrupted Tom. "I know what's the matter.You've been drinking, and didn't know what you were doing."
"Perhaps we had better report this to Captain Putnam," said Larry."Drinking isn't allowed around here, you know."
"I hain't drunk a drop--it's the rollin' as made me dizzy," roared PelegSnuggers. "Oh, dear, I can't stand straight," and he bumped up againstthe big snowball and sat down in a heap.
"I'll tell you what I think you ought to do," proceeded Tom, calmly. "Ithink you ought to roll our snowball back up the hill for us."
"Roll it back?" snorted Snuggers. "Why, four hosses couldn't pull thatweight o' snow up the hill! I ain't going to tech the snowball."
"Then at least pay us for the ride you've had," suggested Sam.
"I ain't goin' to do that nuther! It's a trick that's what it is!"growled the general utility man, and arose unsteadily. "I'll be sick fora week after this, I know I will!"
"Never mind," said Dick, soothingly. "Just get Mrs. Green to give you adose of pink Whirl Around Pills, and you'll be all right again."
"I shan't never come out to this hill again, not fer nobody," grumbledthe general utility man, and walked off. Then he turned to gaze at thecadets. "You do anything like that again an' I'll tell Captain Putnam onye, see if I don't. I ain't going to be no merry-go-'round, or spinnin'top fer nobody!" And then he hurried for the stables and disappeared.