It was with difficulty that Josiah Crabtree and Pluxton Cuddle could be made to listen. The two instructors had talked the matter over between them, and the unreasonableness of the one was bolstered up by the other. They refused to listen to any argument, and stuck by the proposition Josiah Crabtree had first laid down.
“And not a mouthful of food shall any cadet have until he does as we demand,” said Crabtree.
“And if you try to break out you’ll do it at your peril,” added Pluxton Cuddle. And then the two teachers gave the guards in the hallways some instructions in whispers, and went below again.
It would be hard to define the feelings of the cadets when they were left alone once more. Some wanted to break down the doors at once, while others spoke of climbing out of the windows, using knotted-together bedsheets for that purpose. Still others advised waiting to see what might turn up.
“We can all do without our breakfast,” said Jack. “And we can go without dinner, too, if we have to.”
“Maybe you can, but I can’t,” groaned Stuffer.
“I think old Crabtree wants us to break down the doors and do as much damage to the building as possible,” said Andy. “Then he’ll be able to prove to Captain Putnam what a lot of ruffians we are.”
“Maybe you are right,” answered Dale. “I agree with Jack, let us go slow and see what happens.”
“I wonder how Reff Ritter and his crowd are taking it,” said Henry Lee.
“Coulter won’t want to go without his breakfast,” answered Andy. “He is the greatest feeder in the school. He eats even more than Stuffer.”