“Oh, I know now!” said the watchman, and his face took on a grin. He sprang aboard the _Emma_ and so got closer to the quartet of cadets. “You are from that military school, ain’t you? You run off with the boat, and Able sent word he’d have you locked up if you didn’t return her! Ha! ha! Able got the boat all right, and you’ve had a fine time looking for her! It’s a nice night for a long row! No dust, nor nuthin’ like that!” And the watchman laughed again. “Aw, you dry up!” said Ritter, in deep disgust, “Come on back to camp,” he added to his cronies. “Don’t you dare to touch any of these boats ag’in!” shouted the watchman. “If you do you’ll git shot!” And then the rowboat started up the lake for the encampment. Ritter and his cronies were wet through and through and thoroughly tired out when they got back, and a more disgusted crowd it would be hard to imagine. On the following Monday came a tug-of-war between two teams composed of ten cadets each. Dale, Hogan and Andy were on one team, and their side won, after a tug that lasted sixteen minutes. The tug-of-war was followed by a game of hare and hounds, or, as some boys called it, a paper chase. In the paper chase Andy and Pepper were the “hares” and Dale the leader of the “hounds,” which numbered about thirty cadets. The “hares” carried big bags of paper cut into fine pieces which they scattered on the ground as a trail, so the “hounds” could follow them. “The hares will have just ten minutes start,” announced Jack, who had been chosen umpire and referee. “Now then, Andy and Pepper, are you ready?” The two cadets looked to their shoe laces, their belts, and their bags of paper, and then announced that they were. “Then go!” shouted the young major, and off Andy and Pepper bounded, across the camp and into the woods. They took to a road leading westward, but presently came to a trail running southward and switched off to that. “We ought to get a good start in ten minutes,” remarked Pepper, as they moved along on a dog trot, dropping the fine bits of paper on the way. “Well, don’t forget that those other fellows can run too,” returned the acrobatic youth. “Say, but it’s a fine day, isn’t it!” he added, and then, coming to a cleared space, his spirits arose and he turned several hand-springs in quick succession. “Hi, stop that!” called Pepper. “Save your wind for running, Andy.” “Oh, I couldn’t help it,” was the reply. “I’ve got to do a stunt once in a while or I’ll bust!” The two cadets presently came to a hill and climbed this and then dropped from a cliff to the gully below. They left paper everywhere, so the trail would be plain. “They’ll have to get down the cliff one at a time,” said Andy. “That will retard them a little—if they want to keep in a bunch.” Presently they came to another road and followed this for over a mile. Then they left the road and took to another trail through the woods. “Here is a river!” cried Andy, presently. “Hark how the water roars!”