“Perhaps we’ll know to-night,” they said.
The reader must not suppose that the plebes were going to set out upon this expedition haphazard or recklessly. That was hardly like a man who had learned his lessons in Texas. Cadet Powers, as we know, had had, when he came to West Point, no less than seventeen revolvers stowed away in his trunk. These he had hidden safely, and though they had been somewhat reduced in number by excessive use he still had enough to go around. There was one for each, except Indian, who vowed that he’d die before he’d touch one. Thus armed the plebes fancied they’d be able to receive warmly anything the cave might hold.
And yet even armed as they were, it was a mighty “scary” business. They found that when they came to start that night. Wandering through a forest about midnight is a very dubious sort of an occupation, anyway. And when you have continually before your mind the image of a deep black hole in the mountains with all sorts of possible and impossible horrors lurking about inside—dragons and demons and bears and snakes, to say nothing of a few stray ghosts and rattling skeletons—it was no wonder Indian’s knees gave way occasionally.
At West Point the drum sounds tattoo at nine-thirty in the evening.
That means that the battalion lines up for roll call and then breaks ranks for bed. “Taps” sounds half an hour later, and means “lights out, all quiet.” After that every one is supposed to be asleep in his tent, and there is a watchful “tac” who goes around with a lantern to make sure.
The tac himself goes to bed, however, by eleven at the latest. Then, the cat being away, the mice sometimes come out for a little fun.
Stealing out of camp was what our plebe friends were doing. They dressed softly and silently, and then after signaling the sentry, a member of their own class, swept across his post and vanished in old Fort Clinton.
Something like half a minute later a very startling incident happened in camp. At least it would have startled the plebes if they had seen it. A figure, all dressed, crept swiftly out of one of the tents and across the street. He stole into another tent and awakened its inmates.
“Fellows,” he whispered, “they’ve gone.”
“Who?”