“Wow! this is hot cake!” cried Coulter, biting into some pepper.
“I should say so!” added Paxton. “Say! my mouth is on fire!”
“Hi, give me a drink! I’ve got a mouthful of salt!” exclaimed another cadet.
“Say, are you fellows batty—this cake is all right!” declared Ritter and filled his mouth with the compound. The next instant he commenced to splutter.
“Oh! oh! I’m on fire! Give me a drink, quick! And he grabbed a bottle of soda water.
In the meantime the other lads had begun to drink. They did not, however, swallow much, for root beer and soda water with salt and pepper in them are not very palatable.
“This is a trick!” roared Reff Ritter, in a rage. “Somebody has doctored this stuff.”
“Try the other cake,” said Coulter, pointing to a bundle that had not yet been opened.
“I will, but I suppose it’s as bad as any of it,” grumbled the bully and tore the bundle apart savagely. Then it slipped from his hand and struck the ground violently.
“The ball has opened!” came in a low voice from Pepper, who with his chums, was viewing the scene from a distance—a safe distance, they hoped.