“Say, what about that hornets’ nest?” asked Sabine. “Thought you fellows said something about using it.”
“We will—but there is no hurry,” answered Ritter. “Just wait till some night when the Ruddy crowd have a celebration—we’ll make it lively for ’em!” And he laughed coarsely.
By nightfall the festivities came to an end and the visitors departed for home. Some of the boys wanted to build a big bonfire, to celebrate the baseball victory during the evening, but Captain Putnam would not allow it.
“The wind is rising and it is very shifty,” said the master of the school. “If the fire got to blowing among the tents we might have trouble.”
“Oh, I don’t think the fire would hurt anything,” grumbled Dale.
“Well, you never can tell,” answered Fred. Some wood had been gathered for the fire by Dale, Pepper, Andy and Fred, and the quartet were much disappointed when they found they could not start the blaze. Fred had thought to start the fire in a new way—by putting some carbide from a bicycle lamp on the ground in a little water and then igniting the gas formed by the combination. He forgot to put the carbide holder away, leaving it on the pile of wood.
Captain Putnam was right about the wind, it was steadily rising and blowing first from one direction and then another.
“Have your men peg down the tents good and tight,” said the captain to Major Jack, and the young commander of the battalion at once issued the necessary orders.
By bedtime the wind was blowing almost a gale. Then, however, it appeared to die down. The guards were set as usual. Reff Ritter was stationed on Post 3, while Sabine was on Post 2. At the other end of that side of the encampment, on Post 4, was a cadet named Mason.
“It’s a raw night to be out,” grumbled Ritter to Sabine, when the two met.