Chapter XX: The Escape From the Guardroom

The young major was in no agreeable frame of mind when he found himself locked in the guardroom. He had been attacked in an underhanded fashion and rather roughly treated, and one button had been torn from his uniform. He sat down on a chair and shut his teeth tightly.

“This is the limit,” he mused. “When I get out I rather think I’ll make it warm for both Crabtree and Cuddle! They have no right whatever to treat me in this fashion.”

A quarter of an hour passed—to the young major it appeared a much longer time—when he heard footsteps approaching and the door was unlocked. He sprang up, hoping for freedom. But he was mistaken, instead another cadet was thrown into the room, protesting loudly. Then the door was secured as before.

“Ritter!” exclaimed Jack, in astonishment.

“Oh, so you are here, eh?” cried the school bully. “I thought I was to be alone. This is a fine way to treat a student.”

“If you mean that for sarcasm I agree with you,” answered the young major.

“Say, was it you gave me away to old Crabtree?” demanded Reff Ritter suddenly.

“I don’t know what you mean, Reff.”

“He sent Peleg Snuggers up to the door of our dormitory, stating he wanted to have a talk with me. As soon as I got to the office Cuddle and some of those outside guards pounced on me like a lot of wolves. I gave Cuddle a good one in the nose and he hit me over the head with a cane—and then I was thrown in here. Somebody must have told them about the inkwell and the hot potatoes and plates. I believe it was you!” And Ritter gave Jack an ugly look.

“I didn’t say a word, Reff—I give my word of honor.”

“I don’t believe you, Jack Ruddy. If you didn’t, why am I here?”

“For that matter, why am I here?”

“I don’t know, excepting as a witness against me.”

“You are mistaken, Reff. Whether you believe it or not, I did not tell Crabtree a word about you—in fact, your name wasn’t mentioned to me. I was asked to come down to the office and I went—and then I was attacked from behind, made a prisoner, and brought here.”

“Humph!” muttered the bully, and that was all he said for the time being.

Several more minutes passed and then from a distance they heard a sudden cry for help. Both leaped up from their chairs.

“That was Bob Grenwood’s voice!” exclaimed Jack. “It came from the direction of the office. Maybe they are serving him as they served us.”

“Maybe,” returned Reff Ritter, and his face lost some of its gloomy look. It was a case of “misery loves company,” with him. The young major’s words proved true, and in a few minutes the former quartermaster of the Hall battalion was thrown violently into the guardroom. His collar was partly torn, and blood was flowing from a scratch on his cheek.

“They must have had quite a time with you, Bob,” said Jack, after greeting the new arrival.

“They sure did!” was the reply. “We had a pitched battle in the office, and Crabtree hit me in the mouth and I landed on his left eye. I guess he’ll carry the eye in mourning for a while.”

“It looks as if they were going to make all of us prisoners one by one,” said Reff Ritter.

“That’s about the size of it.”

“This guardroom won’t hold over a dozen,” said Jack. “What will they do with the rest? I’ve got an idea!” he added suddenly.

“What’s that?”

“Old Crabtree is sending for the leader of every dormitory. More than likely he thinks if he can get the leaders under lock and key the other cadets will knuckle under to him.”

“Maybe they’ll do it,” growled Reff Ritter. “When I came away Mumps and Billy Sabine wanted to give in. Mumps, the sneak, was scared half to death.”

“If they take the leader from each dormitory you’ll soon see Frank Barringer and Mart Ballock coming along,” said Bob Grenwood.

The three youths talked the situation over until another noise was heard in the hallway. Then Frank Barringer was shoved into the guardroom. He was a dignified, gentlemanly youth and showed little resistance.

“Mr. Cuddle, I protest against such rough treatment,” he said. “I shall hold you responsible for what you have done. If Captain Putnam will not take up the matter, I shall get my father to do so. I thought this was a young gentlemen’s school, not a penitentiary.”

“Don’t talk to me, sir, don’t talk to me!” spluttered Pluxton Cuddle. “I know what I am doing!” And then the door was banged into Frank’s face.

“Number Four!” cried Jack. “We are gradually filling the ranks. Before long we’ll have enough recruits for an awkward squad!” And he smiled faintly.

“Mart Ballock next,” said Bob Grenwood, and he was right, the cadet mentioned was thrown into the guardroom a few minutes later. Then came two more cadets, the head lads in two other dormitories.

“Boys, I’ve got a scheme,” said Jack. “There are now seven of us here. Why not try to break away when they come with the next cadet? I’d rather be out of the school than in such a gloomy hole as this.”

“I am with you!” answered Bob Grenwood.

“It may mean some fighting,” mused Frank Barringer.

“What of it?” blustered Reff Ritter. “I’ll fight if the rest will. Let us give it to ’em good when they come!”

“But if we get away, where are we to go to?” questioned Mart Ballock. “I haven’t a cent of money with me.”

“We can camp out, if we can’t do anything else,” said Jack. “We could get a tent or two, some provisions, and go up the lake shore——”

“Hurrah! that’s the idea!” exclaimed another cadet. “We could remain out till Captain Putnam came back.”

“What of the other fellows?” asked Reff Ritter.

“They can join us if they want to,” answered the young major.

“That will be a regular rebellion,” said Frank Barringer.

“Don’t you think we are justified, Frank?”

“Oh, yes, Jack—under the circumstances we are justified in doing almost anything. Besides, if we get away, I’ll have a chance to send that telegram to Captain Putnam. It ought to be sent at once.”

“We ought to have some plan of action,” said Bob Grenwood. “After we break away what shall we do?”

“We ought to fix it so that the fellows left behind will know what we are up to,” said the young major. “Perhaps they might get out tonight and follow us—if they wanted to.”

After considerable discussion it was decided that, given the chance, each cadet should get out of the Hall as best he could. All were to meet later at the ruins of an old barn, half a mile up the lake shore.

“Don’t be worried if I don’t show up on time,” said Jack. “If I can I want to let the other fellows know what is going on.” And then he told of the hole in the closet ceiling and of how it led to the trunk room above.

There was little time to say more, for soon more footsteps sounded in the hallway and again the door was opened. This time the prisoner was Fred Century.

“Now, boys, all together!” shouted Jack, and leaped for the half-closed door. “Come on, Fred!” he added. “We are off for Bailey’s old barn.” He spoke the last words softly, so that those outside might not hear.

Then came a wild rush, and blows were freely exchanged between the guards and Pluxton Cuddle and the cadets. One of the guards was thrown down and the other received a kick in the shins that made him roar with pain. Cuddle made a grab for Jack, but Reff Ritter caught him by the ankles and threw him on his back, where he lay for the moment, his wind knocked out of him.

The encounter made considerable noise, and before the cadets could get away Josiah Crabtree and one of the guards from upstairs appeared on the scene. Crabtree held a cane in his hand and struck several lads. Then Jack caught hold of the cane and wrenched it from the teacher’s grasp.

“Don’t—don’t hit me, Ruddy!” gasped the teacher, as he saw the cane go up.

“Then get out of our way!” answered the young major, and Josiah Crabtree shrank back in terror. The next moment Jack was bounding through the hallway, and the other cadets scattered in several directions. Some went into the classrooms and out of the windows while two ran out of a side door. Jack mounted a side stairs, skipped past a guard who looked bewildered and frightened, and then sped for the trunk room. But as he reached the door his heart failed him. He remembered how the door had been barricaded from the inside by a heavy trunk.

“If I can’t shove it back, I can’t get in!” he thought, and tried the door. Just as he did so it came open, and to his surprise he found himself confronted by Pepper.

“Jack!” gasped The Imp. “Where have you been? I was just going on a scouting expedition after you.”

“Shut the door—and push the trunk back into place,” answered the young major. “I’ve got a great story to tell,” he added. “We are now in open rebellion!”