Occasionally they met Captain Hawkesbury on these rides. He only saluted them stiffly, and passed on, hardly giving Tom a glance.
“I suppose he thinks Clarence ought to be in my place,” Tom said to Sam.
“Let him take it out in supposing then,” was the rejoinder. “That can’t hurt you.”
“No, but if he thinks we get off the horses now and then for—well, say a little rest, he’d be the first one to report it.”
“That’s right,” said Harry. “Say, we’ll have to watch him. And if we ever think he’s on to our game we’ll get ahead of him by reporting ourselves first.”
“Sure!” agreed Tom.
There was a book kept in the guardhouse and in this volume the cadets who were allowed the riding privileges were required to register their departure and arrival. If the cadets chose they could also note, or report, any of their own infractions of the rules against dismounting without sufficient cause.
CHAPTER XIX
UNHORSED
“Letter for you, Tom,” announced Sam one day, as his chum came in. “From home, I guess,” for Tom had told his chums the name of his home town, and it was plainly to be observed in the postmark.
“That’s good!” Tom said, as he took the envelope. “Yes, it’s from mother,” he added, as he recognized the dear, familiar handwriting—a handwriting cramped of late, Tom thought, by too much sewing.