The Putnam Hall Rivals

“Humph! A firecracker!” said the master of the school. “Who is setting them off, Pell?”

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Ah! nothing but firecrackers,” said Dan Baxter, in disgust. “I am going to bed again.”

“So am I,” added Reff Ritter.

All waited for a few minutes longer, but no more explosions followed, and finally Captain Putnam told the cadets to retire, while he and George Strong took a walk through the camp to make certain that everything was all right.

“Come with me,” whispered Andy to his chums. “Don’t go to bed yet.” And he led them to the rear of the tent occupied by Dan Baxter and his cronies.

CHAPTER XXIV

AN ATTACK AND A FIGHT

“What’s doing, Andy?”

“Wait and see. You won’t have to wait long.”

The bully of Putnam Hall and his cronies were sleepy and soon tumbled on their cots. They had scarcely gotten under the blankets when a general cry arose.

“Oh, my! I’m stuck full of pins!”

“Ouch! Something is sticking me in the middle of the back!”

“Ker-chew! Who – ker-chew! – put this – ker-chew! – pepper on my – ker-chew! – cot?”

“My cot is full of burrs!”

“There are thistles in mine!”

Groans and muttered imprecations followed. Dan Baxter and his cronies were wild with rage. They had to light a lantern and clean their cots and blankets with care. The boys outside sneaked to their own quarters, laughing heartily to themselves.

“When did you do it, Andy?” asked Dale.

“While the shooting was going on. I got the burrs and thistles while I was out walking this afternoon.”

“They won’t forget this encampment in a hurry,” said Pepper, with a grin.

“Look out that they don’t pay us back.”

There was other fun afloat that night, but our friends did not hear of it until morning. Then Jack brought the news.

“We are in a pickle now,” announced the young major.

“What’s up, Jack?” questioned Pepper.

“Every boat is gone.”

“The boats gone!” cried Harry Blossom. “Where did they go to?”

“Nobody seems to know.”

“Did they drift away?”

“I think not. Mr. Strong and myself saw that they were tied up last evening.”

“Some of the fellows must have used them,” said Andy.

“And forgot to tie them fast afterwards,” suggested Dale.

“Or else they hid the boats just for fun,” said Pepper.

Jack looked at his friends questioningly.

“See here, boys, please remember that I am the major at this encampment,” he began, seriously.

“We know it, Jack,” said Andy, quickly. “I, for one, know nothing of the boats.”

“And neither do I,” came from each of the others.

“Maybe it is the work of the Baxter crowd,” said Dale.

Two hours were spent in looking for the boats. Then a farmer was seen approaching the island in a small scow which had seen better days.

“Say, did you folks lose any boats?” he asked.

“Yes,” said George Strong, who was near. “All we had.”

“Well, they drifted down to my farm. Shall I bring ’em up?”

“If you will.”

“What is it worth, mister?” asked the farmer, who did not believe in working gratuitously.

Captain Putnam was called, and he told the farmer he would give two dollars to have the boats brought back.

“Can I go along and help, Captain?” asked Andy.

“Yes, you can go, and Conners can go with you,” answered Captain Putnam.

The boys were soon in the scow, and the farmer took them to the extreme end of the lake. Here they found all of the boats the school had used, drifted under some overhanging bushes.

“They are all tied together,” said Andy. “That looks as if they were taken away from the island on purpose.”

“You didn’t take them away, did you?” asked Bart Conners, of the farmer.

“Me? Not much. I was asleep last night,” was the answer. “I heard you shootin’ over to the island, but I didn’t git up.”