Chapter XXIV Tom Rover’s Announcement - The Rover Boys under Canvas by Edward Stratemeyer
Fred and May had gone up to the topmost point of the cliff overlooking Barlight Bay. Here they could get a view not only of the water front, but likewise of the Colby Hall camp stretched out in the clearing to the northeast of the woods. The wind was blowing rather freely, and presently the youngest Rover noticed that the girl beside him shivered.
"Why, you are cold, May! You should have brought your coat along,"
Fred declared.
"I wish I had," May answered.
"Let me run back and get it."
"Oh, don't bother, Fred. We won't stay up here so very long."
"It's no bother at all. It will take me only a few minutes to get it,"
answered the young lieutenant gallantly, and began to climb down the rocks.
It did not take Fred long to reach a point where the cliff was more level, and then he hurried off in the direction where the knapsacks and the wraps had been left.
"Hello! what's this?" he asked himself, coming up beside the flat rocks. "I'm sure we left them here." But neither the knapsacks with food nor the wraps were anywhere in sight. Fred scratched his head, wondering if he were dreaming.
"Hi, fellows!" he called out. "Something wrong here!"
"What's the matter?" yelled Gif, who was the nearest of the others.
"The knapsacks and wraps! They are gone!"
"Gone! Do you mean somebody has taken them?" exclaimed Gif.
"Yes, I do! Call the others, quick."
As Fred uttered the last words he darted away from the flat rocks. He had seen a movement behind some trees and bushes not a great distance away. As he drew closer to the spot he heard Codfish give a cry of alarm.
"We're discovered! Fred Rover is coming!"
"Hi, Codfish! what are you doing here?" demanded Fred. But instead of answering, the sneak of the school set off on a run through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him.
By this time Gif was coming up, followed by Andy and Randy, while Jack and several others of the party were trying to get down from the rocks at the front of the cliff.
"Who was it? Who took the things?" questioned Gif hurriedly.
"I saw Codfish," answered Fred. "And there are Glutts and Werner!" he added suddenly, as the pair came into view between the trees. They were running swiftly, carrying the three knapsacks between them.
Codfish had been carrying the girls' wraps, but had dropped them in his fright.
"The mean rascals, they were going to make off with our eats!" roared Spouter. "Come ahead! Let's catch 'em!"
There was no need for him to utter these words, for already Gif and Fred were making after Werner, Glutts and Codfish at top speed. Behind them came all of the other cadets, each now aware of what had occurred.
"Hang the luck! I didn't think they would spot us like this," panted Gabe, as he lumbered along. He had a knapsack in each hand, while Glutts carried the third. Codfish, free-handed, was just ahead of them.
The three had a fair start, and might have gotten away by hiding behind the trees and brushwood of the forest had not the unlucky Codfish met with an accident. His foot caught in an exposed tree root, and down went the sneak of the school flat on his breast. Then, before they could stop themselves, Werner and Glutts fell over him, banging him on the head with the heavy knapsacks as they did so.
"Oh! Oh!" moaned Codfish. "Don't hit me like that! Get off! You are smashing my ribs!"
Werner and Glutts rolled over, letting go of the knapsacks as they did so, and scrambled to their feet. But these movements took time, and in the meanwhile Fred and Gif rushed up, catching each by the arm.
"You let go of me, Fred Rover!" cried the wholesale butcher's son; and when the youngest Rover did not do as commanded, Glutts made a savage pass with his fist.
Had the blow landed as intended, Fred would have been struck full in the nose, but he knew something about boxing, and dodged cleverly, and then he came back at Glutts with a blow in the ear which sent that youth sprawling once more.
In the meantime Werner attempted to get away from Gif. But that athletic youth put out a foot behind the ex-lieutenant, and down went Gabe once more on the panting and bewildered Codfish. Both rolled over among the tree roots, and it was several seconds before they could untangle themselves and get to their feet.
By this time Andy and Randy had come up, and a short while later Jack and the others appeared.
"What's this all about?" demanded Jack, who, as a captain of the cadets, felt that he was in charge.
"They were sneaking off with the grub and with the girls' wraps,"
answered Fred. "I spotted them just in the nick of time. Another half minute, and they would have been out of sight."
"We weren't going to take the things away. We were only going to hide 'em," said Gabe Werner. He saw that there was now no chance to run for it, because he and his cronies were completely outnumbered.
"Gee, what an awful smell!" broke suddenly from Randy.
"No cologne there," said Jack.
"Smells like garlic," said one of the other cadets, holding his nose.
"It's onions!" declared Andy emphatically. "I guess I know onions when I smell 'em," he added significantly.
Werner started, and then looked more disturbed than ever, and so did Bill Glutts. Both clapped their hands to their side pockets. Something was soaking through the cloth of their uniforms. The others came closer, and then Andy and Randy set up a roar of laughter.
"Chopped-up onions!" cried the former of the twins. "What do you know about that! They are carrying pockets full of chopped-up onions! Wow!"
"I'll bet I know what they were going to do with those!" declared Randy. "They were going to doctor up our grub with 'em!"
"Well, what if we were?" said Gabe Werner boldly. "Didn't you fellows doctor up our mess kits?"
"Did they have a chance to get at the stuff in the knapsacks?"
questioned Jack anxiously.
The girls were now coming up in a bunch, wondering what the disturbance meant. A swift examination proved that Werner and those with him had had no opportunity to disturb the things to eat, nor had they done any harm to the girls' wraps outside of mussing them up a trifle.
"Say, we ought to give those fellows the licking of their lives,"
declared Fred emphatically. "The idea of wanting to play a joke like that with the girls around!"
"No, we want no fighting to-day," declared Jack. "This affair can wait." He turned to the unworthy ones. "You clear out of here, and be mighty quick about it! We'll settle with you another time."
"Come on--I'm going back to camp!" cried Codfish timidly, and without waiting for a reply he struck off through the woods.
"You needn't think you can boss everything, Jack Rover, even if you are a captain," growled Werner. "On account of the girls, we won't say anything more about it just now. Come on, Bill." And a few seconds later he and his crony followed Codfish, and soon all were out of sight.
For the time being the encounter with the Werner crowd put a damper on the others. But they were young in hearts and spirits, and soon they forgot what had taken place and went back to the front of the cliffs.
Here they presently opened up the knapsacks, and the boys allowed the girls to fix the spread for them while they built a small fire in a hollow between the rocks where they made a large pot of chocolate. It is needless to say that all enjoyed the outing very much, and were sorry when it was time to bring it to an end.
When the boys and their visitors had returned to Camp Barlight, and the young cadets had seen the girls safely on their way in the two automobiles, they set out on a hunt for Werner and his crowd. But those unworthies kept well out of sight, only showing themselves at roll call and when it was time to eat, and then disappearing as if by magic.
"They are afraid to meet us," was Fred's comment.
"Well, I'm just as well satisfied," answered Jack. "If we got into a fight it might mean all sorts of trouble for us if Captain Dale or the professors heard of it."
The Rovers were up bright and early the following morning and on the lookout once more for the girls. Soon they came in sight, and then the Rovers, along with Gif and Spouter, got into the two automobiles, and all headed straight for Camp Huxwell.
"My, what a big place!" exclaimed Jack, when, after being inspected, they were permitted to pass through the main gateway.
"I understand they have over twenty-five thousand men here now," said Spouter.
Some bodies of soldiers at a distance were going through various maneuvers, while other bodies still further away were hard at work at bayonet practice, charging and stabbing some sacks of hay hung on long wires. At still another point the soldiers were constructing trenches and dugouts in real military fashion.
"They've got to learn a lot to be real soldiers," was Randy's comment.
By following the directions given to them, it did not take long for the young folks to reach the vicinity of the regiment to which Dick Rover and his brother Sam were attached. The captain and the lieutenant were on the lookout for them, and hurried to meet them.
"We are very glad to see all of you," said Dick Rover, catching his son by the hand and kissing his daughter affectionately. "You can't imagine how much we have missed you."
"Nor how much we have missed you," returned Martha, her eyes growing suddenly misty.
"How are you making it, Dad? Do you feel like a regular soldier yet?"
questioned Fred of his parent.
"Oh, we are working into it, Fred," replied Sam Rover.
"How soon do you expect to go to Europe?" questioned Mary quickly.
"There is a rumor that we shall leave in a week or two."
"Oh! as soon as that?" came from several of the others.
"Of course we can't tell positively," went on Fred's father. He turned to Andy and Randy. "By the way, boys, I've got a surprise for you,"
he added. "Your father will be down here this morning. In fact, we are expecting him any minute."
"Is he coming alone?" asked Andy.
"I don't think so. He spoke about bringing your mother with him, and possibly he may bring your Aunt Dora and your Aunt Grace."
"Oh, that would be fine!" exclaimed Mary. She happened to glance around. "Well, I declare! Here they come now!" And in a moment more the folks from New York City leaped out of a newly-arrived automobile and strode toward the others. There was a great amount of kissing and handshaking, and Tom Rover's face showed his great excitement.
"I've got an announcement to make," said the father of the twins, when he could command the attention of the others. "A very important announcement. I am going to become a soldier and fight with the rest of the fellows in France."