"Can't I go along too?" put in Codfish.

"Yes, if you'll promise to keep your mouth shut about it."

"Oh, I won't say a word," returned the little cadet, quickly.

Putting on their hats and coats, the three cadets lost no time in following Fred. It was quite dark on the campus and parade ground, but they soon caught sight of the figure ahead as the youngest Rover moved past the bathhouses to the river path beyond.

"He's alone all right enough," was Slugger Brown's comment.

"I thought I'd catch him sooner or later after I set Codfish to watching him," answered Nappy Martell. "Now I guess I'll be able to teach him to play tricks on me," he added sourly.

The three cadets quickened their pace, and in a moment more caught up to Fred just as he reached a point on the river sh.o.r.e almost out of sight of the Hall. Fred had dipped his handkerchief in the water and used the same for wiping off his aching brow.

"See here, Rover, I want to talk to you!" cried Nappy Martell, and, striding forward, he caught Fred roughly by the arm.

Of course, the youngest Rover was startled, not dreaming that anyone was following him. Yet he showed no signs of fear.

"What do you want of me, Martell?" he asked quietly.

"I'll show you what I want of you!" cried Nappy Martell in sudden wrath. "I'll teach you to play tricks on me! Try to make me believe your suitcase was stolen, will you? And then come to my room and rough-house things, eh? Just wait till I get through with you and you'll wish you'd never been born!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE FIGHT

Fred Rover realized that he was in an unenviable situation. Nappy Martell was thoroughly angry, and evidently Slugger Brown and Codfish were present to aid him in anything he might undertake to do.

Many another boy might have thought discretion the better part of valor and taken to his heels. But the youngest Rover was not built that way.

He had been taught to stick up for his rights and defend himself whenever the cause was a just one.

"What do you propose to do, Martell?" he questioned as quietly as he could.

"I'll show you what I'll do," bl.u.s.tered the other. "You thought it was a fine joke to put most of my things under the mattress of my bed, didn't you?"

"Who told you I did that?"

"Never mind. I found it out, and that's enough. Do you dare to deny it?"

"I don't suppose there will be any use in denying it," was Fred's reply. "It was done as a joke, to square accounts over the missing suitcase."

"Bah! you needn't talk to me, Rover! I know the kind you and your cousins are. I'm going to fix you. How do you like that?" and as he uttered the last word, Nappy Martell hauled back and slapped Fred on the cheek.

It was a comparatively light blow, but it aroused all the fighting blood in the youngest Rover boy's nature, and without stopping to think twice, he doubled up his fists and hit the larger youth a stinging blow in the jaw.

"Gee! look at that!" murmured Codfish, who had not expected such an onslaught from the smaller cadet.

"Say, Nappy, he's coming back at you!" burst out Slugger Brown, in surprise.

"Coming back at me nothing!" roared Martell; and, leaping forward, he rained a succession of blows on Fred--hitting him in the shoulder, the chest and then the left ear.

In another moment the two cadets were at it "hammer and tongs." As they circled around, Codfish put out his foot, trying to trip Fred up. He failed in this, but a moment later Slugger Brown tried the trick with success, and the youngest Rover came down heavily and an instant later Nappy Martell landed on top of him.

"Get off of me! That wasn't fair!" exclaimed Fred. "Those other fellows tripped me up."

"Aw, shut up!" retorted Martell; and while he held Fred down with his body he continued to pommel the smaller youth with his fists.

"Don't go too far," said Slugger Brown presently, in alarm. "If you do that, he may squeal and get you into trouble."

"Somebody is coming!" screamed Codfish, suddenly, as he saw a number of forms running across the parade ground in the direction of the river road. "Four or five of 'em."

"It's Jack Rover and his chums," muttered Slugger Brown.

He was right. Jack was approaching, followed by Spouter, Fatty, Walt Baxter and Gif Garrison.

"I was sure they were up to no good--following Fred that way," Walt Baxter was saying.

"I'm glad you told me about this, Walt," answered Jack. "Three against one is no fair deal."

As the five cadets came rushing up, Codfish viewed their approach with alarm and then retreated several paces. Slugger Brown, however, stood his ground.

"Hi you! let my cousin alone!" cried Jack, and, leaping forward, he caught Nappy Martell by the collar and hurled him into some bushes.

"Say, this isn't any of your fight," put in Slugger Brown, uglily.

While he spoke, Fred lost no time in leaping to his feet and there he stood, once more on the defensive.

"No one asked you to b.u.t.t in, Jack Rover!" stormed Nappy Martell. "You keep out of this."

"Why did he attack you, Fred?"

"Huh! you know the reason as well as he does," burst out Martell. "You played a trick on me about that suitcase, and then you came and rough-housed my room."

"One trick was only played to square up for the other, Martell,"

answered Jack, calmly. "You ought to be man enough to cry quits and let it go at that."

"I won't cry quits--not until I've given this fellow a good licking!"

roared Nappy Martell; and then before anyone could stop him he lunged another blow at Fred, who, however, was quick enough to dodge it.

"Stop!" Jack's voice was now unusually stern, and stepping up to Nappy Martell he caught the fellow by the arm and swung him around so that the pair faced each other. "If you want to fight, Martell, take somebody nearer your size."

"Oh, Jack! I'm not afraid of him," burst out Fred. Strange to say, the excitement of the occasion seemed to have chased his headache completely away.

"Maybe you want me to fight you," sneered Nappy Martell.

"You'll have to fight me if you don't leave my cousin Fred alone."