“If Ruddy and his crowd hadn’t found the wagons we might have stopped at the hotel over night,” said Paxton. “I’d rather stay there anyway than out here.”
“I think the Hayville Hotel would have hard work to accommodate so many cadets,” said Fred, with a smile. “It has about six rooms for guests.” And then he walked away, leaving the Ritter crowd to continue their fault-finding.
The cadets were not used to marching over the rough roads, and a good many of them were tired out and glad enough to turn in and go to bed. But some of them had to stand guard, and among these were Andy and Stuffer.
“Say, let us go back into the woods and see what became of those Pornell fellows,” said Pepper to Jack.
“I can’t get away, otherwise I would,” answered the young officer.
“Supposing I get up a crowd and go, Jack? You’ll have the guards keep their eyes closed, won’t you?”
“Sure. But don’t let Ritter and his gang spot you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Pepper made a careful canvass and managed to enlist the services of nine cadets, including Fred, Dale, Emerald and Bob Grenwood.
“I’ve got a plan to scare them—if they are still in the woods,” said the quartermaster of the battalion. “I was going to try the trick on some of our own fellows, up at Lake Caboy—but I’d rather work it on the Pornell crowd,” and then he told what his plan was.