"Sure he did!" cried Shiner and Howell Purdy together. "It was Bobby who did it. We'd have been whipped, if it hadn't been for Bobby."
"Well, did I say he didn't do his share?" snarled Max Bender, the wind all taken out of his sails. "I—I had a headache, anyway. And I did grab this fellow prisoner."
He looked around for the boy in question. But while they had been arguing, the Belden boy had slipped out of the fort and made his escape.
CHAPTER XXII
WHAT BOBBY SAID
The battle between the Rockledge and the Belden Schools continued furiously until noon. The former had the advantage because of their entrenchments on the island, but Hi Letterblair was not a bad general, and Barry and his helpers were often put to it to hold the enemy in check.
At one time when the Rockledge troops made a sally, four of them were captured and were held prisoners for an hour. Then they were rescued, Bobby and Fred being of the rescuing party.
Altogether the snow-battle was carried on in good temper, but there could not help being some rough work, especially when it came to hand-to-hand encounters.
Fred Martin and Ben Allen, one of the Lower School boys on the other side of the lake, had a short and vigorous fist fight in one scrimmage, and the captains put them out of the battle and sent them back to their respective schools in disgrace.
Noon came and an armistice was declared until the next morning at nine o'clock. It was agreed that the battle should begin just as it left off—with Rockledge holding the island against Belden.