The Rover Boys at School
CHAPTER XI
A ROW IN THE GYMNASIUM
For several days matters moved along smoothly with the Rover boys.
In that time their chums, Frank Harrington and Larry Colby,
arrived, and these, with Fred, made up the "Metropolitan Sextet,"
as they called themselves--the sole occupants of dormitory No.
6.
Next to this dormitory was apartment five, occupied by Dan Baxter,
Mumps, and six others of the bully's cronies. The two apartments
were connected by a door, but this was nailed up.
So far there had been no open rupture between Baxter and Dick, but
there was trouble "in the air," and it was bound to reach a climax
sooner or later.
Fortunately for Dick and his brothers, Captain Putnam had cadet
uniforms to fit them, and the three were now dressed in true
military style. The other boys had to wait until uniforms could
be made for them.
The first day at Putnam Hall was spent in assigning the newcomers
to the various classes, according to their knowledge. On the
second day the three Rover boys were placed in the awkward squad,
to learn the military drill.
The squad was presided over by Corporal Mark King, a youth who was
cut out to be a soldier, although his father was a sea captain.
"Now then, line up!" he called out to the newcomers. "All of you
will please toe that crack in the floor; now turn out your toes
like this, and put your shoulders back, hands with the palms to
the front."
His instructions were followed to the letter, for all were anxious
to learn as fast as possible.
"Now the first thing to remember is to say nothing, but obey orders
promptly," exclaimed the corporal. "When an order is given the first
part is a warning, while the conclusion is the time when that order
must be executed. For, instance, I tell you 'Eyes right!' I say
'Eyes,' and you get ready to move your eyes; I add 'Right,' and you
instantly turn them to the right, and keep them there. Now we'll try.
Eyes--right! Great smoke! number four, you turned them to the left! Now
again: Eyes--right! Good! Eyes--front! That's first-class. Now:
Eyes--left! Eyes--front! That couldn't be better."
And so it went on for an hour, during which the boys learned not
alone how to use their eyes, but also to "left face," "right
face," "front face," and "about face"--that is, to turn directly
to the rear. Then they learned how to
mark time "with their feet, starting with the left foot."
"Tomorrow you shall learn how to march," said Corporal King when
the drilling was over. "And then each of you will get a gun and
go through the manual of arms."
"Will we learn how to shoot?" asked Tom. "I can shoot a little
already."
"We have target practice once a month, and during the annual
encampment," concluded the corporal.
"I wish that encampment was already at hand!" sighed Sam. He
imagined that life under a tent would just suit him.
As soon as the boys "got the run" of the institution they began to
feel at home. They made friends rapidly, especially when it
became known that Sam was a fine runner and Tom a capital baseball
player. There were several baseball teams in the school, and they
frequently played matches on Saturday afternoons.
The gymnasium pleased Dick as much as it did his younger brothers,
and nearly every day, he spent a quarter of an hour or more in the
building, using one apparatus or another, for the building was
fitted up with rings, parallel bars, wooden horses, pulling
machines, and other paraphernalia of athletic usage.
One afternoon Dick had just begun to use a set of parallel bars
when Dan Baxter sauntered in, accompanied by Mumps and two other
cronies.
There were very few cadets in the building at the time, and Baxter
came directly to Dick.
"I guess we can settle that little affair now," muttered the
bully, and slapped Dick on the cheek. "That for interfering with
my doing on the boat."
Being on the bars, Dick could not ward off the blow, but he
immediately sprang down, and with flushed cheeks leaped in front
of Baxter.
"You seem very anxious to fight," he said in a low, steady voice.
"You can, therefore, take that for a starter!" And hauling off
with his right fist, he struck Dan Baxter fairly and squarely upon
the nose, causing the blood to spurt and sending the bully to the
floor like a shot.
If ever there was an individual taken by surprise it was the bully
of Putnam Hall. He had not anticipated such a sudden and
determined resistance, and for several seconds he lay still, too
dazed to move. In the meantime his friends sprang forward, but
Dick waved them off.
"My fight is with Baxter," he said. "I want you to keep your
hands out of it."
"You hit him when he wasn't prepared," blustered Mumps.
"And he hit me when I was not prepared. Stand back!"
And Dick made such a show of being ready to attack Mumps that the
toady fell back in great alarm.
In the meanwhile Dan Baxter arose, and tried to stop the flow of
blood with his handkerchief. "I'll get even with you, Rover!" he
growled behind the stained cloth.
"At any time you please, Baxter," returned Dick. "But don't you
take me off my guard again, or I'll have no mercy on you."
"Do you dare to meet me in a fair, standing up fight?" demanded
the bully.
"I certainly do."
"All right, then. Next Saturday afternoon at three."
Dick bowed. "Where?" he questioned.
"In the patch of woods behind the cornfield."
"All right."
"Mums is the word, fellows," said Baxter to his cronies. "You
will keep this to yourself, Rover, won't you?"
"How many do you expect to bring to the fight?"
"Only the four fellows who are here."
"Very well; I will bring a like number."
"Want to tell everybody, don't you?"
"No, but I think I am entitled to fair play; and that means that I
must have as many friends there as you have."
"All right," grumbled Baxter, but he evidently did not like the
arrangement. A moment later he hurried off, to do what he could
to prevent his nose from swelling.
Dick told only his brothers and his chums of what had occurred,
but the news leaked out that a fight was on, and Saturday
afternoon found at least twenty cadets in the secret and on their
way to witness the "mill," as those who had read something about
prize-fighting were wont to call the contest.
Now, lest my readers obtain a false impression of my views on this
subject, let me state plainly that I do not believe in fights,
between boys or otherwise. They are brutal, far from manly, and
add nothing to the strength of one's character. It is well enough
to know how to defend one's self when occasion requires, but such
occasions occur but rarely.
But I have set out to relate the adventures of the Rover boys, in
school and out, and on land and sea, and I feel I must be truthful
and tell everything just as it happened, not only in this volume,
but in all those which are to follow; and, consequently, I shall
tell of the fight as the particulars were related to me by Sam
Rover, Fred Garrison and others--details which I am certain are
correct.
The spot was a sheltered one, and on the edge of the woods two
spies were posted, to warn the contestants should Josiah Crabtree
or any of the other teachers appear, for fighting was against the
rules of Putnam Hall, and neither Dick nor Baxter wanted to be
caught.
Both came to the spot promptly, and, without preliminary talking,
took off their coats, collars, ties, and caps. A ring was formed,
and Dick stepped forward and faced Baxter.
The bully was several inches taller than his opponent and at least
fifteen pounds heavier. His nose was a bit swollen, and there was
a sneer upon his coarse face.
"Rover, if you wish to apologize to me you can do so, and save
yourself a thrashing," he remarked.
"I can take care of myself, Baxter. Perhaps you would like me to
make a similar proposition to you. If so, let me say it is too
late; I came here to give you a well-deserved thrashing, and I
mean to stick to my determination."
"Phew, but we talk big!" muttered Mumps.
"You keep your oar out, Mumps," put in Tom. "If you don't I'll give
you a hiding, just as soon as Dick is done with Dan."
"Will you? Maybe you'll be the one to catch it," muttered Mumps.
Nevertheless, he said no more.
"Are you ready?" asked the boy who acted as timekeeper.
"I am," said Dick.
"So am I," returned Baxter, and hurled himself at his opponent
without a second's delay.
He had expected to catch Dick napping, but he found himself
mistaken. A blow aimed at Dick's face was well parried, and in
return Dick hit Baxter heavily on the shoulder.
"Hurrah! Score one for Dick!" cried Larry Colby. "That's right,
old man, keep at him."
"Keep cool, Dan!" put in Mumps. "You can polish him off at your
leisure."
The blow on the shoulder staggered Baxter, and he fell back, to
become more cautious; and then the two boys began to circle around
and around, each looking for a favorable "opening." At last
Baxter thought he saw what he wanted, and struck out again, and
Dick was hit on the cheek.
"That's the way, Baxter!" came the cry.
"That was a teaser! Give him another!"
Again Baxter launched out, and now Dick was hit on the arm. He
slipped to one side, and struck out like lightning, and the bully
caught it in the neck, something which, spun him around like a
top.
"Another for Dick!" cried Frank Harrington. "Keep it up!"
Again the two boys faced each other. But only for an instant.
With a savage cry Baxter sprang upon Dick as if to fairly tear him
apart. One blow landed upon Dick's arm and a second on his chest.
"It's Baxter's fight! Baxter is still king of this school!"
"You might as well give it up, Rover; he's too many for you!"
So the cries ran on, while the bully, encouraged by his success,
renewed his efforts; and an additional blow sent Dick to the
ground in a heap.
