Chapter XXI: Marching to Camp

For the victory they had won our friends were warmly congratulated. Many came up and patted them on the back.

“It was a dandy catch, Pepper,” said Joe Nelson. “I never saw a better.”

“That was a fine rap of Emerald,” said Pepper. “That set the ball a-rolling for us.”

Dan Baxter felt thoroughly disgusted at the result and so did Reff Ritter and the others of the Medals.

“We might have won the game if you hadn’t gone to pieces,” grumbled Ritter to the bully.

“Huh!” answered Baxter. “I hadn’t any support,” and then he hurried for the Hall and out of sight.

“Baxter certainly pitched well for eight innings,” said Jack. “One must give him credit.”

As soon as they could get away from their friends, Jack and his chums walked over to where Mr. Ford had stationed his automobile.

“Oh, it was lovely!” cried Laura. “I never enjoyed a game more.”

“I was so afraid you were going to lose at first I hardly knew what to do,” came from Flossie. “The winning out was grand!”

“You must come over to the Lodge, now we are settled down for the summer,” said Mrs. Ford, and the cadets promised to pay them a visit if they could manage to get off for that purpose.

“They are fine people,” remarked Andy, as they watched the departure of the automobile. “And the girls are——”

“Peaches,” finished Pepper, and then all of the boys laughed.

During the next two weeks came several more ball-matches. The Browns played with four other nines, winning two games and losing two. The Medals played six games, of which they won only two.

“Hurrah! I’ve got news for you fellows!” shouted Jack, as he burst into the gymnasium one afternoon after a long talk with Captain Putnam. “We are to go into camp for three days, starting the middle of next week.”

“Good!” shouted Dale. “That suits me to a T!”

“Me too,” put in Stuffer. “No more hard lessons in algebra, and language——”

“And plenty to eat, eh, Stuffer?” put in Pepper. “You got more than hardtack when we were out before, didn’t you?”

“You just bet I did,—and I had a dandy time, too,” answered Singleton.

“Where are we to go?” questioned Dale.

“That hasn’t been decided on just yet. If he can arrange it, Captain Putnam is going to let us go to a spot called Bear Island.”

“Great Cæsar, I don’t want to hunt bears!” cried Harry Blossom.

“I don’t think there are any bears on the island now, although there may have been years ago,” answered the young major.

The news soon spread throughout the school that they were to go into camp, and all of the students were correspondingly happy and began to plan what they would do when on the pleasure trip. It may be explained here that Captain Putnam took the cadets out to camp several times a year, just to give them a taste of army life.

“There will be fun in camp,” said Pepper.

“Right you are,” answered Andy, with a wink that meant a great deal.

Andy and Dale were coming through the lower hall that afternoon when they ran into Mumps. The toady was almost as white as a sheet and trembling from head to foot.

“Oh! I—I’m so glad I’ve met somebody!” gasped Mumps.

“What’s the matters, Mumps?” asked Dale.

“A—a burglar!”

“A burglar?” cried Andy, and now he was all attention.

“Yes, a real burglar. I—I just saw him!”

“Where?”

“Up in the dormitories. He was in Number 3, and then he went into Numbers 6 and 7. He—he was packing up all the—the things!” Mumps was shaking so he could scarcely speak.

“Why didn’t you tell the captain?”

“I was going to, but—but I was afraid the burglar would—would——”

“Catch you?” asked Dale, and the toady nodded.

“We’ll have to report this,” said Andy. “Was there only one?”

“I—I—guess so, but I—I am not sure. Oh, isn’t it awful!”

“Let us see for ourselves,” said Dale. “I am not afraid of a burglar.”

“Oh, he may shoot you!” gasped Mumps.

“I’ll risk that. Come, show us where he is.”

“That’s the talk,” broke in Andy. “We’ll catch him red-handed and turn him over to the captain.”

“I—I don’t want to go back,” pleaded the toady. “Bet—better call Captain Putnam.”

“Not yet, Mumps. Where was the fellow last?”

“In dormitory Number 7.”

“We’ll soon root him out!” cried Dale, and leaped up the stairs with Andy at his heels. “Come on!” And Mumps followed, but at a safe distance behind.

Dale and Andy approached dormitory Number 7 with caution. It was empty and all of the rugs from the floor were gone.

A noise in the next room reached them. They looked in and saw a man kneeling on the floor, tying half a dozen small rugs into a bundle.

“Is this the man?” asked Andy, stepping back to Mumps.

“Ye—yes,” stammered the toady. “Do—don’t let him shoot you!”

“Mumps, you are the most cowardly fellow I ever saw in my life,” went on the acrobatic youth.

“I don’t care, some burglars are desperate characters,” whined Mumps. “I’ve read of them shooting people who tried to catch ’em.”

“This man isn’t a burglar.”

“How do you know?” and now the toady’s eyes opened widely.

“He is the man the captain hired to clean all the rugs and the carpets in the Hall. While we are in camp the school is to have a general cleaning.”

“Well, I never!” murmured Mumps.

“You’re a fine burglar hunter,” said Dale, and began to laugh. “Mumps, you ought to become a detective.”

“Oh, you needn’t make fun of me,” whined the toady, and ran off with a very red face.

The story was too good to keep, and soon many of the students knew how Baxter’s toady had thought to trap a burglar, and Mumps was plagued unmercifully. The man to do the cleaning also heard of it and laughed as loudly as anybody.

On the following Wednesday morning bright and early the cadets left Putnam Hall for the brief encampment. They took with them three wagons, loaded with tents, cooking utensils, and provisions.

The battalion certainly presented a fine appearance when it started off. Every cadet was looking his best, in a well-brushed uniform with shining buttons. Each gun and sword was polished to perfection. Major Jack was at the head, and he was filled with pardonable pride when he gave the order to march.

Tap! tap! tap, tap, tap! went the drums, and then the fifers struck up a shrill and lively air, and off they moved down the road in the direction of Lake Smalley, in the center of which was located Bear Island. The distance to be traveled was seventeen miles, and they calculated to cover it before sundown with ease.

The first few miles were over a smooth road, and good progress was made. Then they struck a hill, with rather a rough highway beyond, and the cadets were ordered to take the route step—that is, walk as you please. The way was past many farms and through some small communities, and many folks came out, to wave handkerchiefs and give them a cheer. One old lady who was on her front porch sweeping shook her broom at them, but did it so pleasantly the cadets had to laugh.

“Ye march well!” shouted one old farmer. “Good! Some day ye can all go to war, maybe, like I did years ago!” And he waved a red bandana at them.

At noon they stopped at a cross-roads hotel for dinner. Their coming had been arranged for by Captain Putnam, and they partook of a good meal of vegetables and rhubarb pie. A rest of an hour followed, and during that time some of the boys strolled to the cross-roads general store and made a few purchases.

By two o’clock the battalion was again on the march. They now passed through a patch of timber and then came to a turn in the road, beyond which were some fields of wheat and corn.

“Hullo, look there!” shouted one of the cadets, and pointed upward. All gazed in the direction and saw coming toward them a big balloon. It was settling rapidly, and before the cadets could get out of the way it came down directly over the entire battalion.