"Boom! boom! boom, boom, boom!" went the drums, and then the fifers struck up a lively tune, and around the academy marched the two companies at company front. Then they went around again by column of fours, and then marched into the messroom, where they stacked arms and sat down at the long mess tables. The movements were patterned after those at West Point, and could not have been improved upon. "Well, what of the hunt," asked Dick, as soon as he got the chance to talk to Tom. "We followed it to the lake and then lost the trail," answered his brother. "But I am convinced that the rascal was Dan Baxter." "I believe you are right, Tom," answered Dick, and related what Dora Stanhope had told him. Of course Tom listened with keen interest. "We made a mistake in letting old Crabtree and Baxter go when we had them in Africa. We should have handed them over to the authorities." "I am not worried about Baxter so much," went on Dick. "But I hate to think of Crabtree being around to molest the Stanhopes." "And especially Dora," grinned Tom. "Right you are, Tom, and I am not ashamed to admit it to you. But please don't--don't well, make fun of it to me any more." "I won't, Dick." Tom gave his brother's hand a squeeze under the table. "Dora is all right, and if some day I get her for a sister-in-law I won't complain a bit." This plain talk made Dick's face flush, but he felt tremendously pleased, nevertheless, and loved Tom more than ever. Directly after supper the boys were given until eleven o'clock to do as they pleased. At once some old barrels were piled high at one end of the campus, smeared with tar, stuffed with wood, and set on fire, and the blaze, mounting to the sky, lit up the neighborhood to the lake on one side and the mountains on the other. Four cadets had gone down to Cedarville to buy the fireworks and the things to eat, and by nine o'clock these returned, loaded down with their purchases. Among the crowd was Larry Colby, who sought out Dick as soon as he arrived. "I've got news," he exclaimed. "Whom do you suppose I saw down in Cedarville? Josiah Crabtree!" "You are certain, Larry?" "Yes." "Where did you meet him?" "Down at the restaurant where he went for some ice cream. He was just paying for a lunch he had had when I came in." "Did you speak to him?" "No; I wanted to do so, but as soon as he saw our crowd coming in he dusted out of a side door." "Was he alone?" "Yes." "Humph!" Dick's brow clouded. He was inclined to think that Dora had been right concerning the noise she had heard on the side porch. "You haven't any idea where he went?" "No; I wanted to follow him, but it was dark on the street and he slipped me." This was all Larry had to tell, and he hurried to arrange the fireworks.