STORIES OF CADET LIFE At West Point and Annapolis complete in this number. = Gob eeoeeeeeeete) 40000 00000000008 (-Bae ypjyeq) sensesqo eesBep z ‘jueuun)|| OS 10 960 z0 SiO 600 0 <— Aysucg ge] S9DIAJEg 4OjOD HesuNYW AQ suo}OD ZZ vO LOL wt B60 SLO "7070008 ubscri $2.50 Per Year. THE CADET CHAPEL, UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY. By JOSEPH: COBLENTZ: GROFF, DJOINING ‘the library. and in line with the row of officers’ residences in the older'part of the grounds stands the Cadet. Chapel: There is nothing about the outside of the building to attract one or to distinguish it from any ordinary chapel, but.the associations connected with it and the collection of objects of naval interest in the interior make it one of the interesting features of the Academy. There are to’ be seen various tablets erected in honor of certain officers and cadets, who in many ways made them- selves heroes in the eyes of the world by giving up their lives in the performance of brave and daring acts. There are also several commemorative windows that speak strongly of heroism and bravery, and that inspire the cadets with feelings of emulation and manliness. There is at all times a naval chaplain attached to the Academy, detailed by the Secretary of the Navy for duty there three or four years at'a time. His duties to the cadets and officers stationed at the Academy are similar to those of any clergyman of his parish. Sunday morning is the only time on which the cadets assemble in the chapel, and at that time there is a regular service lasting for about an hour and a half. Some member of the Academy band presides at the pipe organ, and from the battalion a volunteer cadet choir is formed. Every Sunday morning at ten o’clock, after a formal inspection of quarters by the Commandant and his assistants, the battalion is formed in front of quarters and then follows a full dress inspection of the ranks. After inspection several church parties fall out, and, by special permission, are allowed to attend church in the town of Annapolis. The rest of the cadets are marched in a body to the chapel and there attend the regular service. During graduation week the chapel comes into more general use, and on the morning of graduation day the cadets are assembled there to listen to an address delivered to the graduates by some noted clergyman invited for the occasion. After the address, the battalion is formed outside the chapel and marched to the front of the band stand where the Secretary of the Navy concludes the exercises of the week and the four years’ course of the cadets by delivering to the tried and true the well-earned diplomas. Se a ARMY AND: NAVY. A. WEEREY PoclLiCATION FOR OUR BOYS. Issued weekly. By subscription, $2.50 per year. Entered as Second-Class Matter at the New York Post Office STREET & SMITH, 238 William Street, New York. Copyrighted 1897. Editor, - - - ARTHUR SEWALL. December 25, 1897. Vol. 1; No, 28. : Price, Five Cents. CONTENTS OF THIS NUMBER: Christmas Song. : ; : : : : : : : : 2 ; A Midnight Hazing (Complete story), Lieut. Frederick Garrison, U. S.A, Clif Faraday’s Triumph (Complete story), Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N. Taming the Tartar (Illustrated Short Story) B. Rother Knight ‘The Cryptogram (Serial), William Murray Graydon ; : ; : “ Jack ‘T'ar’s Letters Home (Special Article) Saint Nick Up-to-Date (Poem) Tom Fenwick’s Fortune (Serial), Frank H. Converse A Tragic Christmas (Short Story) Varnum G. Smith A Young Breadwinner (Serial) Matthew White, Jr. Setting Up Exercise at West Point (Illustrated) Christmas Tricks for Would-be Conjurers _ . : ; : A Christmas Letter from the Author of “ Clif Faraday” A Christmas Letter from the Author of “ Mark Mallory ” The Editor’s Christmas Greeting : ; : . Items of Interest all the World Over d ; : : : : Department Our Joke Department CHRISTMAS GREETING. E wish the readers of Army and Navy the merriest Christ- mas éver experienced by them. We hope this grand old holiday will bring to them joy and pleasure and an abundance of loving gifts that will tax Father Santa Claus’ pack to ihe utmost. A Merry Christmas to you all! F I were Father Christmas, and Christmas he were me, The ‘‘gay and festive season’’ should still more festive be ; I would not so where plenty was reigns ins Over all a And where I’m always welcome, but — se SS AN et Sive the poora call. 2 # I might, as I was passing, just sive the rich a nod, w) i, Tho show that my behavior was not s0 very odd; ®ut where the slums were thickest and folks were in distress, I’'d settle down and struggle to make their troubles less. & In every house that wanted a sign of Christmas cheer—— co And goodness knows how many. are even worse than drear— I would not waste a moment, but give the magic cue For ‘exit all that’s dreary, and enter all that’s new!’’ a In fact, the change in slum-sland should be go all~com~ plete That one should think a genie had wandered down the street. : Ah! just for one day only, how jovial it would be lf | were Father Christmas, and Christmas he were me! Bw Licut. A Midnight Hazing; Mark Mallory’s Revenge. RMrederick Garrisom, UU. S$. A. CHAPTER £ LEH SEVEN DEVILS SWEAR VENGEANCE. Pore Heaven's. sake, happened ?”’ The cause of this exclamation was a strange looking figure. He was a lad of about eighteen, with a handsome, merry face and brown curly hair. . He wore the uniform otf -a fourth class cadet at West Point, as plebe. «At the moment the uniform was dirty and torn, and his face was far from handsome. It was bruised and blue in lumps, and there were ugly places of a bright red, lending a startling effect indeed. The speaker was also a cadet, tall and more heavily built. He had been sitting at his tent door rubbing his eun diligent- ly, but he sprang up in alarm when he espied the other. ‘What on earth has happened to you, man, what has Dewey ?’’ he repeated. The fad called ‘‘Dewey’’ laughed tuo himself, in spite of his sorry condition. “IT don’t just exactly know,’’ he said. | bp gee.l ve forgotten lots of things in the last ten minutes. IJ I1l come in and think ’em over and tell you.”’ He entered the tent, and after gazing at himself ruefully in the looking-glass that hung by the tent pole, wet a towel and fell to washing things gently. BE gee? he muttered. “‘Mark Mal- foty, thete’s oing to be mo end of trouble on account of this.”? ‘Vou haven’t told me yet,’’ said the other. ‘‘You don’t mean that you’ve been getting. hazed some more?’ ‘Would you call it hazing,’’ responded = Dewey, ‘‘if you’d been pummelled until you looked like rare beef? You needn’t be getting angry about it. plenty of time for that later. Meantime, just you listen to my tale of woe, b’gee! I was down on Flirtation Walk a while ago, off in a lonely part. And all of a sudden I came across half a dozen yearl- ings. One of them was Bull Harris, that confounded rascal that’s been trying all the dirty tricks on you. And when he saw me he turned to the other cadets and up entirely? 2 ‘What did they do?’’.demanded the other, his blood boiling as he Book e his comrade? s bruises. ‘‘Well, b’gee, they sailed up in the ek place and began a lot of talking. ‘Yon) belong to that Mallory gang, don’t you?’ © said Ball Harris. ‘Yes,’ says I, ‘Ide, and I’m proud of it, too. What’s the matter with Mallory ?’ them, the fellow they call Gus Murray. ‘B’gee, he’s the confoundedest freshest plebe that ever came to this Academy. Hasn’t he dared to refuse to let us haze him? Hasn’t he played all kinds of tricks upon us, made life miserable for us? Hasn’t he even dared to’ go to the hop, something no plebe has ever dared to do in the history of West Point?’ ‘Seeing that you’re asking the question, b’gee,’ I said, ‘I don’t mind telling you by way of an- swer that he has, and also that he’s out- witted you and licked you at every turn. And that he’ll do it again the first chance ‘Matter?’ roared one of. We'll have \ called: ‘‘There’s one of the gang now! We might just as well start at what we agreed. on.’ And then, b’gece, they started. Do you think that eye’ll shut a N: 4 1300 he gets, and b’gee, Pll be there to help ein, too!“ How-sthatr Here the reckless youngster paused while he removed the cork of a vaseline bottle; then he continued. “That made old Bull wild; he hates you like fury, Mark, since the last time he tried to get you expelled, and he’s simply wild about the way we fooled him with that treasure. He began to rear around like a wild man. ‘If you fool plebes think we’re eoing to stand your impudence, » he yelled, ‘you’re mistaken! I want you to understand that we’ve found out about that confounded organi- zation Mallory’s gotten up among the plebes to fight oo [ ‘Did he say that?’ cried Mark in sur- fprise. ‘‘How did they learn ?”’ ‘* They didn’t,’ said Dewey. ‘‘T‘hey don’t know we call it the. Seven Devils or anything else about it, but they’ve seen us together so much when they’ve tried to haze us that they’ve sort. of guessed it. Anyway, they’ ve deterinined to break it up, b’gee.”’ ‘*They have! How? : ‘Simply by walloping every man in it, b’gee. And they started on yours truly. The whole crowd piled on at once, Mark.”? ““The cowards!’ exclaimed Mark. Well, I gave ’em a good tine, anv- way, au laugted Dewey, whose bated 7 Heht- heartedness had not been marred in She least. ‘‘I made for Bull. B’gee, I was pound one of them would be sorry and I chose him. I lammed him two beauties and tumbled him into aditch. But by that time they. had me down.- And——”’ “Where are the rest of the Seven Devils?’ cried Mark, their leader, spring- ing up impatiently. “By George, I?m going to get square for this outrage if it’s the last thine I ever do in my life. Vl fight them fair just as long as they want it. lim ready to meet any man they send, as I did. But by jingo I won’t stand the tricks of that miserable coward Bull Harris another day. He’s done nothing but try to get me into scrapes since the day I came “here and refused to let him haze me. And now I’m going to stop it or bust. Where are the rest of the fellows ?”? ‘I don’t know,’’ began Dewey, but he ARMY AND NAVY = Ss was interrupted by an answer from an un- expected quarter. Another cadet came rushing down the company street and bounded into Mark Mallory’s tent. =< He too was a plebe, a tall lad with bright gray eyes that fairly blazed with excitement. For he too was marred with the scars of battle. His clothing was soiled, and his bronzed features were sadly awry. I€ was Texas, Mark’s old chum, Texas, the ex-cowboy fresh from the plains, ‘‘Jeremiah Powers, sah, son o’ the Hon. Scrap Powers o’ Hurricane County.’’? And Texas was wild. ‘* Durnation !”? fairly tripping each other up, in such rapid succession did they coine. ‘‘Whoop! Say, you fellows, you dunno what you ae been a- imissia? | Dog = gone ai ain’t had chad -so much ‘fun since the day Icome hyar. Jes’ had the rousin’est ole scrap lever see. There was a dozen of ’em, them durnation ole yearlin’s, and they all piled on to once, dog gone their boots. Whoop! Durnation, Mark, git up thar an’ come out an’ help me finish it.”’ Texas was prancing around the tent in excitement, his fingers twitching furious- iyo te gasped for breath for a moment, and then continued. “It was that air durnation ole Bull Harris and his gang.- Bull had been a- fightin’ somebody else, cuz one eye was black. ee “Bully, b’gee |’? put in Doree ‘fAn’ he was mad’s a hornet. ‘Look a yere,” says. he, *tyou. farin’. ole hyena of a cowboy, I ‘want you to under stand that you an’ that air scoundrel Mallory’—— an’ dog gone it, Mark, I never gave him a chance for another word, jes’ piled right in. An’ then all the rest of ’em lit on to me an’ there was the durnationest mess I ever heerd tell Ore Anery though Mark was he could not help being amused at the hilarity of his bloodthirsty friend and fellow warrior, who was still dancing excitedly about the tent. ‘*Who won??? inquired Mark. **Il dunno,’’ said Texas. ‘Il never had a chance to find out. Fust they jumped on me and smothered me, an’ then I got out and jumped on them, only dog gone it there was so durnation many I he roared, his words as NAN ey AUNT eel il meme Frac i ARMY AND NAVY Romidn t sit. on ‘en: all -to-once, an’-so | ‘had to git up agin. Oh, say, ’twas great. I wish some o’ the boys could a’ been | thar to see that dir rampus;: An? I ain’t through yit, either. I’m a-goin’ to lam- bast them. air yearlin’s—what d’ye say, Mark?” Texas gazed at his friend inquiringly ; and Mark gripped him by the hand. “Pil help you,’’ he said, “‘?m guing to settle that crowd for once and for all if Ihave to put.them in hospital. And now let’s go out and hunt for the rest of the seven and see what’s happened to Poem.’ The time when all this happened was during one of the brief periods of ‘‘recrea- tion’’ allowed to the West Point plebe. “The corps was in the suimmer camp (it was now about the first of August). ‘*Camp’? marks a holiday for the rest of the battalion, but for the plebe company “{t means hard work. ‘Three drills a day, two policings and inspections galore. And even during the periods of rest, Mark Mallory and his friends the B. J. plebes got but little time to themselves. They were busy with the yearlings then. The contest at present raging was a bitter one. For the first time in West Point’s history the humble and much hazed plebes had rebelled against their ‘third class’? tormentors. Some of them, the Seven Devils, had even gone so far as to haze the tormentors, and successfully. The desperate straights to which the yeatlings had been reduced by that may be judged from the course which some of their number, the lower element with Bull Harris as their leader, had taken by way of revenge. : Mark Mallory’s patience was about ex- hausted by this time; he had stood much froin Bull Harris, but as he left that tent and strode out of cainp with the other two at his side, there was a set look about his mouth and a gleam in his eyes that meant business. He had scarcely crossed the color line tat marked the. western. edge of the cainp before he caught sight of one more of the seven. And Mark had seen him but an instant before the thought flashed ovet him that this one had been through just the saine experience as Texas and “B' gee” Dewey. 1301 The new arrival was Parson Stanard, “the geological genius from Boston. A learned and solemn scholar was the bony Parson, but he did not look as if he had been studying then. His face was not scarred at all, but it was red with anger, and his collar was wilted by excitement which betrayed itself even in his hasty stride as he walked. “*Vea, by Zeus!” he cried as soon as he reached his friends. ‘‘Gentlemen, I have tidings. The enemy is risen! Even now he is hot upon our trail. My spirit burns within me like that of Paul Revere, the messenger of liberty, riding forth from good old Boston town. Boston, cradle of liberty, father of-——”’ The Parson’s news was exciting, but even then he could not withstand the temptation to deliver a discourse upon the merits of his native town. Mark had to set him straight again. ‘Has Bull beem after you; foo?) he asked. ‘(Veal -said ‘thé Parson. =~ We nas, and that too with exceeding great vehemence. ‘Truly the persistency of the yeatling is surprising; like the giant Antaeus of yore he springeth up afresh for the battle, when one thinks he is sub- dued at last. Gentlemen, they attacked me absolutely without provocation. I swear it by the undying flame of Vesta. I was peregrinating peacefully when I met them. And without even a word, for- sooth, they sprang at me. And mighty was the anger that blazed up in my breast, yea, by Zeus! As Homer, bard immortal of the Hellenic land, sang of the great Achilles, ‘his black heart’—er, let ime see. By Zeus, how does that line go? It is in the first book, I know, and about the two huudred and seventy-fifth line, but really I——”’ ‘(Never mind Homer,’’ laughed Mark. “What about Harris? What.did you do ?”’ ‘‘T replied to their onslaughts in the words of FitzJames: ‘This rock shall fly from its firm base as soon as FI!’ The two who reached me first | did prostrate with two concussions that have paralyzed my prehensile apparatus——"’ ‘Bully for the Patson!’’ roared Texas. “And then,’’? continued the other sheepishly, ‘‘observing, by Zeus, that there were at least a dozen of them, I ON, oe 1302 concluded to think better of my resolu- tion and effect a retreat, remembering the saying that he who runs away may _ live to renew his rors upon some more auspicious occasion. The Parson looked very humble indeed at this last confession; Mark cheered him somewhat by saying it was the most sen- sible thing he could have done. And Dewey still further warmed his scholarly heart by a distinction that would have done credit to even Lindlay Murray, the grammarian. ‘Vou didn’t break your resolution,”’ { said Dewey. “Why not??? inquired Stanard. “Because, b’gee, you vowed you wouldn’t fly. Ana you haven’t flown since, that Isee. What you did was to flee, b’gee. If you flyed you wouldn’t have fleed, but since you fleed you didn’t fly. Some day, b’gee, when you’ve been - y y, D gee, J bitten, you’ll understand the difference between a fly and a flea. You’ll find that a flea can fly a great. deal faster than a fly can flee, b’gee, and that———” Somebody jumped on Dewey and smothered him again just then, but it wasn’ta yearling. He bobbed up serene- ly a minute later, to find that the Par- son’s grammatical old ribs had been tickled by the. distinction so carefully made. ‘‘People are very grammatical in Bos- ton, aren’t they Parson?’ inquired Dewey. ‘‘Reminds me of a story I once heard, b’gee—you fellows needn’t groan so, because this is the first story I’ve told to-day. Fellow popped the question to his best aid. She said *No, b’gee.? ‘Bay Mm aoain,’ says he. ©“No!” says she, ‘Thanks,’ says he. ‘T'wo negatives make an affirmative. You’ve promised. Where shall we go for our honeymoon?’ B’gee, Parson, there’s. a way for you to fool your best gitl. She’s sure to say no, and I don’t blame her either.”? The lively Dewey subsided for a mo- iieut-aiter that, But he couldn't keep quiet -very long, especially since no one took up the conversation. “Speaking of oranges,’’ said he, ‘‘re- minds me of a story I once heard, b’gee— pee “Who the dence was speaking of oranges?’ cried Texas. ARMY AND NAVY ‘“T was,’? said Dewey poe and — then fled fc his life. The other three members of the Seven Devils arrived upon the scene just then and put an end to hostilities. Chauncey, ‘(the dude,’’ Sleepy, ‘‘the farmer,’’ and Indian, the fat boy from Indianapolis, | had not had the luck to meet with the yearlings yet, and they listened in amaze- i) ment and indignation while Mark told | \ 4 the story of Bull Harris and his latest, i] tactics: ‘Bless my soul,’’? gasped Indian in horror. ‘‘I—I’m going home this very day +0? cpl go home myself, »» vowed Mark, ‘Gf I don’t succeed in stopping this sort of business. I honestly think I’d report it to the authorities only Bull knows I’ve been out of bonds and he’d tell. Asit is, I’m going to settle him some other way, and a way lie’ll remember, too.”’ ‘When? cried the others. —-- the classic Parson could invent that they would haze Bull Harris and his cronies in “the cave’’ that night. th CHAPTER IL THE CAPTURE OF MARK MALLORY. The afternoon of that momentous day passed without incident. Mark noticed Bull Harris glowering at him as he passed ~ his tent, but beyond that the ‘‘subs duing’’ programme got no farther. ‘The Seven Devils kept carefully near to camp so as to prevent it. - 2 ‘That is, all of then: but one; “‘Sleepy”? was that one. . The lanky farmer was a i ; member of the guard that day, getting his first lessons in the terrible dangers of sentry duty at Camp McPherson. Now it was necessary for some one to go up and fix that cave for the night’s work, and since Sleepy succeeded in getting excused during his four hours off duty that after- noon, Ve was unanimously elected to be. the one to attend to the task. The cave, recently dubbed the Seven ——— ee ‘sie eR poe Soe ce O05 4. = pea — — ~~ be EM aid ao JQ © BD. Oy Devil’s Den, lay about two miles from _ the camp, way up in the mountains north of the post. The Parson had made this important discovery while ‘‘geologizin’,’’ and the many and various were the ad- _ ventures that resulted therefrom. In the first place, the seven, upon en- tering had found a well furnished cavern, to their unbounded amazement. ‘They had found at last that the cave belonged to some counterfeiters who made it their hiding place. These men, for a reason unknown, had divided the den by an iron door which had slammed upon them acci- dentally, locked them in, and left their skeletons to be found by the horrified , cadets. They had found a treasure in there, too, a chest of gold that had caused no end of adventure. Buil had stolen it. The seven in trying to get it back had walked into a trap out of which they had been forced to purchase their release with the money. They were quite ready to do this, for they had learned from the Parson, meantime, that it was counterfeit. The chagrin of Bull Harris when he learned thatyfound out how he had been duped, may be imagined. His rage, so caused, -..was what had prompted him to his last attack pon the plebes. “"Tt was to clear away the effects of that treasure hunt that Sleepy went. He removed all traces of the Parson’s ener- getic digging. Also. he fixed quite a number: of other things, according to Mark’s well-planned directions. it’s evident to me,’’ said Mark, ‘fram the fact that Bull didn’t bother me this morning, hating me most as he does, that he’s putting up a plan for to-night.”? ‘*He’s afraid to tackle you in the day,”’ growled Texas. **t should say so,;’’? chirruped Indian’s fat, round voice. ‘‘Didn’t you lick him once, and the whole crowd besides. Bless my soul!’ (Indian never boasted of his own achievements, but always of Marks. ) “*T think,’’ continued Mark, ‘‘that we may take it for granted that Bull will try to kidnap me to-night. You know they did that once, took me off into the woods and beat me. ‘They’ll beat harder this time. Ifa big crowd of them tries it you ARMY AND NAVY _ overpower them. 1303 fellows ’Il just have to make a noise and wake everybody so that they’ll have to drop me and run for their tents. But if there’s only a few you can follow and It all depends.”’ Texas rubbed his hands gleefully at this attractive programme. ‘“What are we a-goin’ to do when we ketch ’em?’” he demanded. ‘“You leave that to me,’’ laughed Mark, rising from his seat to end the “‘conference.’’ ‘‘I’ve got a scheme fixed up to frighten them to death. Just wait.” Just wait seemed to represent about all there was to do, though the Seven Devils did not like it a bit. They watched dress parade that evening with far less interest than usual, and sighed with relief when the sunset gun finally sounded. It may be interesting to note that there were some other cadets in just exactly the same impatient state of mind. They were yearlings. There was Bull Harris, Mark’s self-elected but deadly enemy. ‘There was Gus Murray, his able first lieutenant. There was Corporal Vance, the sallow and sarcastic youth, with perhaps a disordered liver that had sonred his disposition. Last (and least, too), was ‘‘Baby’’? Edwards, the “kid,’? a mild youth who worshipped Bully the bully, and swore by him as a paragon of perfection whose very words were to be echoed. It was just as Mark had suspected— Bull Harris had a plot. The plots that Bull had had since Mark had come to West Point a month and a half ago would take a book larger than this to tell of. He had tried to “skin the plebe on demerits,’’ and get him dismissed. He had tried to get him beyond bounds and have him found out and courtmartialed. He had tried to beat him (when helpless). In fact, he tried so much that he was at his wit’s end what to. . try. next. - And® in. all “the -alores mentioned three had been his willing and malicious aids. The sunset gun was welcomed with relief. They spent the evening strolling about the grounds and discussing the effort they were going to make that night, also oceasionally chuckling over. the ‘‘success’’ of their attacks during the morning. And then tattoo sounded, and 1804 they knew that the time was nearer still. Tattoo is the signal to fallin for the evening roll-call;. it- sounds at nine- thirty, and after it the cadets have half an hour to get to bed before taps, the signal for lights out, closes the day. Then comes the inspection by a ‘‘tac,’’ or tactical officer, and when finally he goes to his tent there is no one awake but the sentries and the officers of the guard, At any rate this is supposed to be the case. When the cadets are giving suppers “ARMY AND NAVY cloudy that night, and black, a circum- stance which Bull considered particularly fortunate. There was no hesitation, no delay to discuss what should be done. ‘The four made straight for a certain A company tent; cadets sleep with their tent walls rolled up in hot weather, and so the yearlings could easily see what was in- side. They made out three figures stretched out upon the blankets, all sound asleep; the fourth occupant—the v SN ANT WD 3 FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE WHAT HAS HAPPENED, DEWEY ?’? CRIED MARK, SPRINGING TO HIS FEET (page 1299). or small card parties in the tents, or when they are conducting a hazing sorie—as was the case to-night—there are plenty of people awake. - Bull Harris and his three cronies waited until the sentry had called the hour of eleven. They thought the plebes had had time enough to get to sleep then, so they got up and dressed and sallied forth in the darkness. It was farmer—was now diligently marching post. The four crept up with stealthiness that would have done credit to Indians. A great deal depended on their not awak- ening Mallory. Bull, who was the big- gest and strongest of the crowd, stole into the tent and placed himself at Mallory’s feet; Merry Vance and Murray calculated each upon inanaging one stalwart arm, while to Baby as smallest was intrusted the task of preventing outcry from the victim. Having placed theimselves, the four precious rascals paused just one mo- meut to gloat over their hated and unsus- pecting enemy. And then Bull gave the signal and as one man they pounced down. Mallory, awakened out of a sound ‘sleep, found himself as helpless as if he had been buried alive. Bull’s sinewy arius were wrapped about his limbs; his hands were crushed to the earth; and Baby was smothering him in a huge towel. ‘They lifted him an instant later and bore him swiftly from the tent. A whistle was the signal to the sentry, who faced about and let them cross his beat; the four clambered up the embank- ment and sprang down into Fort Clinton, chuckling to themselves for joy, having secured the hated plebe with perfect suc- cess and secrecy. And now he was theirs, theirs to do with as they saw fit. And how they did mean to ‘‘soak’? him! All this of course was Bull’s view of the matter. But there were some things, just a few, that that cunning young gen- tleman did fot -know. of. “Fhe reader will remember that the yearlings had tried that trick on Mark just once before; _ ever since then Mark’s tent was protected | bya very simple but effective burglar alarm. There was a thread tied about his foot. ‘That thread the yearlings had not noticed. It broke when they carried off their victim, but it broke because it had tightened about the wrist of Texas, who sat up in alarm an instant later, just in time to observe the four disappearing in the darkness. By the time. they had crossed the sentry beat the Seven Devils were up and dressing gleefully. } After that the result was never in doubt for a moment. ‘The five all crossed the sentry’s past without trouble, because they had heard the signal the yearlings eave. Anda moment later the triumph- ant kidnappers, who were off ina lonely « eorner of the deserted fort binding up their prisoner as if he were a mumuiy, were horrified to find themselves con- fronted by five stalwart plebes. The five + - were in a position to give orders too, for “© ‘Texas had brought along afew of his ubiquitous seventeen revolvers. ARMY AND NAVY Py * aa scowee te ns i ss a ps. a CN Sree iat ie pi ain ‘ cs BS ee te si Ct et ae ee ~ li 1305 CHAP TVR THI. A MIDNIGHT JOURNEY. Bull and his gang were helpless. They did not dare make any outcry, in the first place, because they were more to blame than the plebes in case of discovery, and in the second because they were “‘scared to death’”’ of. that wild cowboy, who had already made his name dreaded by riding out and holding up the whole artillery squadron. But oh, how they did fairly erit their teeth in rage | The imperturbable Texas stood and faced theim, twirling his revolvers care- lessly while they had the unspeakable humiliation of watching: the others un- gaging and unbinding the delighted Mal- lory, who roses to his feet a imoment later, stretched his arins and then merrily took command. Bull Harris was selected as leader and head conspirator to undergo the first tor- ture. Mark placed himself in front of him and with a light smile upon his face. “Lie dow! said he Bull found himself staring into the muzzle of one of the menacing Texan’s That took all of Bull’s nerve ay ee said Mark, “‘tie revolvers. and he very promptly “Now then, Dewey,’ him up.” . Dewey was the youngster Bull had walloped that morning, which made it all - the more infuriating to Bull. Still worse, \ Dewey used the very ropes that had been meant for Mark. He tied Master Harris’s uuresisting feet together. Then rolled hin) unceremoniously over on his back and tied his. hands. After which Bull was kicked to one side and Dewey was ready for the next frightened yet furious victim. Pretty soon there were four helpless bodies lying side by side within the fort. They were bound ‘hand and foot; there were gags tied in their mouths and heavy towels wrapped about their eyes. And then the Seven Devils were ready. ‘(Come ahead,’’ said Mark. He set the example by tossing Bull’s carcass upon his shoulders and_ setting out. The rest followed close behind him. It was quite a job carrying the four bodies where our friends wanted to take them, especially without being seen by ~ any one. 1306. They made for the Hudson. In Mark’s day cadets were allowed to hire row- boats, that is, all except plebes.. But it was easy enough for a plebe to get one, as indeed to get anything else, tobacco or eatables. The small drum orderly is always bribable, and that accounts for thie fact that two big row boats lay tied in a quiet place, ready for the expedition. Since the den was near the shore oars furnished an easier way to carry the ptisoners to the place. > f and deposited the yearlings in the bot- They found the boats without trouble, tom. ‘They weren’t very gentle about it, Sitter. i hen the rest scrambled i in, and a long row began, during which those who were not working at the oars made it pleasant for the unfoftunate yearlings by muttering sundry prophesies about tortures to come and in general the dis- advantages of being wicked. ‘The Parson recited some dozen texts from Scripture to prove that obvious fact. We shall not here stop to picture the infuriated Bull Harris’ state of mind under this mild torture. Knough of that later. Suffice it tosay the row came to ‘an end an hour or so later, and the party stepped ashore. -And also that before they started into the woods a brilliant idea oc- cured to the ingeniously cruel Texas. They meant to make those cadets shiver and shake; what was the matter with letting them start now, where there was plenty of nice cold water handy? A whispered consultation was held by the six; it was agreed that in view of all the brutality of Bull and his gang, there was no call to temper justice with mercy. Asaresult of that decision each one of the yearlings was held tight by the heels, and, spluttering and gasping, dipped well under water and then hauled up again. That did: not cool their anger, but it made them shiver, you may well believe. During this baptismal ceremony the classic Parson was interesting, as usual. =>) “He sat on a rock near by and told the story embellished with many. allusions, how the ‘‘silver-footed Thetis, daughter of the old man of the sea,’’? as Homer Cals her, took her som. ‘the. switts footed’? Achilles, and dipped him into a magic fountain to give him immortality. All got wet but the heel she held him by, ARMY AND NAVY _ and so t was a oe in the heel that killed the Grecian hero. “Therefore, gentlemen,’’ said the Par-_ son, ‘‘since you don’t want Bull Harris to die from-the treatment he gets to- night, I suggest with all sincerity that “ you stick him in again and wet his feet.”’ While this was being done the learned Boston subject of Baptists and their views on total immersion; which promptly re- minded Dewey of a story of a ‘‘darky”’ camp meeting. ‘‘Brudder Jones was very fat,’’ said he, “and b’gee, when le got religion and wanted to be baptized there was only a little brook to put him in. the deepest place they could, but b’gee, Brudder Jones stomach was still out of water. Now the deacon said his ‘wussest’ sin was gluttony, and that if he didn’t get all the way under water the devil would still have his stomach and Brudder Jones would be a glutton all his life, b’gee. So all the brothers and sisters had to wade out into the water and sit on - Brudder Jones stomach so that all his sins would get. washed away.’? Those who were doing the immersing in this case were so much overcome by Dewey’s way of telling that story that they almost let Baby Edwards, the last victim, slip out of their hands. But they pulled him in safely in the end, and after that the merry party set out for the ““apeven Devil's Den.’ They knew the contour of the moun- tains so well by this time that even in the darkness they had no difficulty in finding the place. They had relapsed into a grave and solemn silence by that time, so as to get the shivering victims into a proper mood for what was next to come. Some of the crowd climbed in, and then like so many logs of wood the yearlings were poked through the opening in the. rocks and laid on the floor inside. The rest of the plebes followed. The time for Mark Mallory’s revenge had come at last. Mark lit one of the lamps which hung from the ceiling of the cave and then went forward to make sure that every- thing was ready for the proposed hazing. The little room the trapped counterfeiters lay was up at the far end of the place. There was a scholar switched off onto thes They found : . in which the bones of © ; j wi + we heavy wall of masonry to shut it off, with heavy iron door, which was built like that of a safe. Mark entered the room and after fumbling about some came out and nodded to his companions He did not say a word; none of them had since they had came in; but there was still that firm set look about his mouth that boded ill for those four cowardly yearlings. It is dificult for one to imagine the state of mind of these latter. ‘Their rage and vexation at the failure of their scheme, at the way they had been trapped, had long since given place to one of constantly increasing dread~ as they felt themselves carried further and further away, evidently to the lonely mountain cave from which Bull had ‘stolen the treasure a couple of days ago. They were in the hands of their deadliest enemies; Bull knew that they had earned no mercy from Mark and he knew also that the wild Texan was along, the Texan to whom, as they thought, murder was an every day affair. ‘That dousing, too, had done its work, for it had chilled them to the bone and made thém shiver in mind as well asin body. The yearlings feit themselves carried a short way on; they felt some one test the ropes that bound them, tighten every knot, and then finally bind them to what seemed to bea series of rings in a rough stone wall. They heard a low voice whisper: ‘“They’re safe there. ‘They can’t get near each other.’ And then one by one the bandages were taken from their eyes and the gags out of their tortured mouths. They saw nothing but the blackest of darkness. Absolutely the place was so utterly without a trace of light that the figure which stood: in front to untie the gag was as invisible as if it were a spirit. Bull heard a step across the floor. But even that. ceased a few moments later, and the place grew silent as the grave. The yearlings, though their tongues were free, did not dare to whisper a word. They were too much awed in the dark- ness. They knew that something was coming and they waited in suspense and dread. It came. Suddenly the air was split by a sound that was perfectly deafening ARMY AND NAVY only one entrance, that afforded by the 1307 in the stillness. It was the clang of a heavy tro’ door, close at hand. ‘The yearlings started in alarm, and then stood waiting and trembling. They knew then where they were and what door that was. ‘There was an instant’s silence and then a horrified shout. ‘(Good Lord! The door has slammed !”? The cadets recognized that voice; it was the mighty one of Texas, but it sounded faint and dull as if it had passed through a heavy wall. It was succeeded by a perfect babel of voices, all of which sounded likewise. And the meaningo f the voices, when once the cadets realized it, chilled the very marrow of their bones, ‘Open 161. Onen tt, quick |? “Can't! Qh, horrors, it locks on the inside, ’? ‘Merciful Heavens! oners ‘““They’ll suffocate!’ ‘‘Quick, quick, man, get a crowbar! Anything! Tlere, c1ve me thatl? And then came a series of poundings upon the same iron door, accompanied by shouts and exclamations of horror and despair. ‘I can't budge it. It’s a regular sate: Oh, my soul, we’re murderers!”’ They are pris- CHAPTER IV. THE TORTURE OF THE YEARIINGS. Imagine if you can the state of mind of the agonized four when the import of those terrible swords burst upon then. They were locked in! And tied, each one of them, so that they could net move a hand to help themselves! ‘Phe darkness made the whole thing yet more awful. They were entombed alive! And suffo- cating! Already the air seemed to grow hot, their breath to come in choking gasps. . They screamed aloud, fairly shueked in agony. They tore at’ their bonds, beat upon the wall with their helpless hands and feet. And all the while outside their cries were answered by the equally terrified shouts of the plebes. “Lets out! Bull. ‘‘Can’t you get loose?’’? they heard a voice reply; they recognized it as Mal- Let us out!’ shrieked _lory’s. *‘Oh, Heavens, man, you must get 1308 loose! Trv! Try! We can’t help you! "Mhere’s a knob inside there! Turn it, turn it, and the door’ll open.”’ ‘How can [turn it??? screamed’ Bull. ME can’t “get near it! - Vmtied!: “Ton merciful Heaven help me! We’re suffo- eating. = The cries from the yearlings increased in terror; outside they heard the blows of a pickaxe beating against the wall. Their hearts bounded in hope; they gasped in suspense; but then suddenly the sound ceased. “icant “eo. a thine? -Tiowas Pexas whospoke. ‘‘The walls are tco hard. We can’t help them, they’re gone.”’ ‘And we!’ cried Mark. ‘‘Fellows, be- fore Heaven, we’re murderers !”’ ‘“‘Who knows of this yere place?’’ de- manded Texas. ‘‘Nobody’ll ever find ’em. Fellers, let’s go back to camp and swear we never saw ’em.’? *fOh, don’t leave us! Don’t leave us!?’ wailed Bull. “Oh! Oh!” The others joined in with their horri- fied shrieks, but they might as well have cried to the stones. ‘T'hey heard rapidly receding footstops, and even a heartless, triumphant laugh. Anda moment later there was nothing left but stone for the agonized yearlings to cry to. The six conspirators outside, having tetreated to a far corner of the cave, to talk over the success of their ruse, were considering that last mentioned point then. Indian, ever tender-hearted and nervous, wanted to let them out now, he was sure they’d dropped dead of fright; all their vociferous yells from the distance could not persuade him otherwise. ‘Bless my soul!’’- he whispered, in an awe-stricken voice. ‘‘They’ll suffocate.’ ‘‘Not for an hourin that spacious com- partment,’’ said the scientific Parson. “aAnynow, sb say we let ‘em out, ? pleaded Indian. **An’ I say we don’t!’ growled Texas. ‘“That air feller Bull Harris jes’ deserves to be left thar fo’ gocd! An’ durnation! I wouldn’t mind doin’ of it, either.’ Texas was ustially a very mild and kind hearted youth, but he was wont to get wroth over the very name of Harris. ‘“That durnation ole yearlin’s been the cause o’ all our trouble an’ hazin’ since we come hyar!’’ he cried. ‘Hyer since ARMY AND NAVY the day Mark caught him trying to bully a young girl an’ knocked him down*fo’ it, he’s tmed every thine «but murder: He’s too durnation much a coward to- fight fair, but he’s laid fo’ us and pitched in to lick us with his gang every time he’s seen us alone. He’s sent Dewey and you, Mark, to the hospital! He got the yeatlin’s—dog gone ’em—to take Mark out in the woods an’ beat him. ‘‘An’ he got up that air dirty scheme to skin Mark on demierits; he did all the demeritin’, besides the beatin’. An’ he put up a plot to git Mark out.o? bounds and dismissed. An’ now I say let him stay there till he’s too durnation scared to walk!” This sentiment was the sentiment of the rest; but Mark smiled when he heard ib “T think,’ he said, ‘‘it’s punishment enough to stay in there a minute. ‘We'll have to let them out pretty soon.”’ “An? ain't you. gain’ to. war te otaer scheme ?”’ cried Texas. “We'll work that now,’’ responded Mark, whispering, ‘‘See there’s the light, anyway.’? This last remark was caused by a glance he had taken in the direction of the dungeon. A faint glimmer of light ap- peared ina crack at the top of the old fast-falling door. And Mark arose and crept swiftly across the room. We must go inside now and see what was going on in there, for that light was destined to bring a new and startling development for the yearlings; it was what ‘Texas had scheme, ”? To picture the horror of the aban- doned four during the few moments that had elapsed is beyond our effort. Suffice it to say, that they were still shrieking, still despairing and yet daring to hope. And then came the new scheme. The silence and blackness had both been unbroken except by them; but sud- denly came a faint spluttering, crackling sound. And an instant later a faint white light shone about the narrow cell. It came from right in front of the. horrified four, seeming to start in some ghostly way of its own to issue from ashining _ ball of no one could say what. But it — called. ‘*‘the other was not the light, it was what it showed < SS ) i ARMY AND NAVY : 1309 that terrified the cadets and made them give vent to one last despairing shriek. In the first place let it be said that the light came from an inverted basket hiding a candle set off by a time fuse the ingeni- ous Parson had made. As for the rest, well, there were six gleaming skeletons stretched about on the floor of that hor- rible place, the skulls grinning fright- fully, seeming to leer at the helpless vic- tims. The four were incapable of the least sound; their tongues were paralyzec, and their bodies too. Their eyes fairly started from their heads as they stared. ‘They were beyond the possibility of further frien, and -~what came. next seemed natural. Those skeletons began to move! First one round white head with its shining black holes of eyes and rows of glistening teeth began to roll slowly across the floor. ‘Then it sailed up into the air; then it dropped slowly down - again, and finally settled -in one corner and grinned out at the gasping cadets. ‘Wasn't that smart of me?’ it seemed . CCT$ 4 + to say. ‘‘I’ll doitagain. Watch me now. : Watch!” And it sailed up into the air once more, and swung about in the blackness and went over toward the prisoners and then started back. Finally it tumbled down to the ground, hitting its own original bones with a hollow crack. And then it was still. That head was not the only moving thing in the cell. One skeleton raised its long, trembling arm and pointed at them; another’s legs rattled across the floor. And a fourth one seemed to spring up all at once, as though it had dozens of loose bones, and hurl itself with a clatter into one corner. It lay there a scattered heap, with only.one Jone white rib to mark the i place where it had been. That was the way it seemed to the yearlings; of course they did not see the black threads that ran through cracks in the door where the six could stand and jetk them at their pleasure. It was all over a moment iater. The four heard a knob turn and then to their amazement saw the iron door, which they had thought would never open on them alive, swing back and let in a flood of glorious light. And an instant later the familiar and even welcome figure of Mal- lory came in. He stepped up to each and quickly cut the ropes that bound them. And when all four were free he stepped back and gazed at them. As for them, they never moved a muscle, but stared at him in consternation and confusion, ‘Come out, gentlemen,’’? said Mark. ““Come out and make yourselves at homie?” : That voice was real, anyway, thank Heaven for that! ‘The four had not yet succeeded in recovering their wits enough to tealize the state of affairs. ‘They fol- lowed Mark mechanically, though they were searcely able to stand. They found themselves in the weli lit and furnished apartment, the rest of “their. eneaes bowing cordially. Then indeed they began to realize the hoax, its.success, the way they had been fooled! And they staggered back against the wall. The silence lasted a minute at least, and then Mark stepped forward. “Gentlemen,” Ke said, oi hope you understand why we did this. It may seem cruel, but we could think of no other way of bringing you to your senses. We could have done much more if we had wanted to; but, we trust this will bea . lesson that——’’ ‘‘Confound you!’’ snarled Bull. **Steady,’’ said Mark, smiling, ‘tor in there you go again.”’ That suggestion alone made Bull. shiver, and he ventured not another sound. ‘‘And now,’’ said Mark, “‘if you will let us, we will conduct you back to camp. And all I want to say besides is the next time you want to haze, try fair open tac- tics. If you try any more sneaking plots I shall not show the mercy I did this times Come-on.”” Some ten minutes later the four were poked through the crevice in the rocks again and led blind-folded to the boats ard “to camp. . Which: was the. cud @: ‘‘Mark Mallory’s Revenge.”’ [THE END. | In the next number (29) of Army and Navy, will be published as the complete Military Academy story ‘‘Mark Mallory’s Arrest; or, A West Point Cadet’s Adven- ture in New York,’’ by Lieutenant Fred- erick Garrison, U. S. A. at TA i Or, : A HARD-EARNED VICTORY. CHAPTER I. A PERILOUS SITUATION. To crash upon a rock while sailing in a small boat is about ‘as exciting an ad-. venture as one would care to meet with in hot weather. Add to this a few of the circumstances that follow and you have quite an unpleasant state of affairs indeed. In the first place let it be in the middle of a lonely bay. Add the fact that you are quite lost and haven’t the remotest ‘idea where your port lies. Also that there are two helpless girls on board, girls who do not know how toswim. ‘Then to /cap the climax, have the wicked-looking / finof a hungry shark cutting the water like the keel of a steamer close to the boat. ‘ That was the precise condition of the party with whom this story has to deal at the moment when we first glance in upon them. ‘The circumstances were as follows: : Two naval cadets aboard the U. S. training ship Monongahela, at present returning from her practice cruise, and stopping in tiie Bermudas on the way, had been wandering through the town of St. George’s during the previous day. ‘They were our friends, Clif Faraday and his comrade Joy, whose adventures form the subject of this story. . Clif, the elder of the two, was a hand- some, sturdy lad, brave and fearless. Quite by accident during the previous evening he had overheard a conversation between two English army lieutenants. . The two rascals were concocting a plot to kidnap two young ladies whose ac- quaintance Clif had previously made. — That accounted for the position that the two American lads were in. They had sailed out in the boat they now occu- pied, and rescued the girls, who were at present in the bow of the fleeing craft, along with an old servant, Peter, who had been their escort. . During the trip back toward home the accident above mentioned had occurred. The frail craft had crashed up against one of the numerous hidden rocks which make the entrance to St. George’s bay so dangerous. As if the presence of the darting shark were not sufficient to terrify the unfortu- nate party, another discovery was made at the same instant. A naptha launch had swung into view around one ofthe islands. It contained no less dreaded a pair than the Englishmen, the two lieu- tenants from whom they were striving to escape. Clif would not have been in the least afraid of them, nor his friend Joy either, for both were fairly bristling for fight; the one disturbing fact, however, was that the one firearm among -the crowd was in the pcssession of the enemy. * Such was the state of affairs; the more pressing danger was fortunately however quite speedily removed. The boat upon striking the rock had lurched violently and literally flung its occupants into the water. Their first in- stinct was to strive to keep afloat, a pro- cess which to their infinite joy they found was rendered easy by a solid bot- tom beneath their feet. They were stand- ing upon one of the shallow half sub- — a * Clif Faraday’s Galantry. Army and Navy No. 27. ie ae [aay < 33 ' *chance of rescue. merged reefs which line most of the Ber- muda Islands. If there is anything which a shark dreads, and that no matter how hungry a shark it may be, it is shal- low water. ‘To run up onto asand bank is the fate whick every voraciously-pur- suing fish must watch out for. Conse- quently, after thrashing the water with his tail in anger, the creature suddenly darted off across the bay, and his escaped victims gasped with relief. They realized very shortly, however, that they had, as the phrase-had it, only escaped from the frying-pan. A more accurate description would perhaps be ‘‘the devil and the deep sea.’? The sea was there, and as for the devils, there were two of them. The ruffianly lieuten- ants were swiftly bearing down upon the spot, chuckling with triumph. ‘‘Abduction,’’ such as this, is a strange crime for one to read of in this nineteenth century of ours. But this was no ordinary plot that the two men had concocted. FitzJames and Romayne were the names of the two. Of the two girls, Rene Claire and Lorna Day, the latter was very wealthy, and FitzJames had fallen vio- lently in love with her. Her father was Judge Day, a man who occupied a posi- tion of great prominence in Bermuda. The two villains had shrwedly calcu-: lated that such a scandal as this would ruin him politically. In short, the hope of the desperate Fitz James was that to avoid this disgrace the father would accept his offer of marriage. The plot such as it was had: almost been frustrated by Clif and Joy. hey had rescued the girls and sailed off in triumph, ieaving the two upon a deserted island. They had escaped, unfortunately, and so the affair stood as now. - FitzJames was in the bow of the naph- tha launch, revolver in hand, and gazing in delight and triumph at his prey. . The five, having escaped the shark, were hud- dled upon the long reef, standing up to their knees in the water. Clif glanced about him in despair; he saw several un- tenanted_ islands without a possible Evidently this battle was to be fought out among the seven, and the possession of the two beautiful gitls was the prize at stake. ‘The one fact that made Clif’s heart sink was that _was the key to the situation. ARMY AND NAVY Pa aa revolver; he could not see but that it © FitzJames, from a safe place in the launch, might do what he chose... He was probably in a vengeful mood, his head aching from the terrific blow that the cadet had dealt him. Nobody realized the state of affairs more than FitzJames himself; the help- less fugitives heard him shout while the boat was still far distant over the water. ‘Take it easy!’? he laughed. ‘‘Ha! ha! We’ll be there soon.”? Those who heard him gazed at each other in dismay. Clif Faraday shut his teeth together with a determined snap and turned away. He strolled slowly up and down the slippery reef, striving to think of some possible escape from this terrible dilemma. Meanwhile the boat glided: steadily nearer. The two figures grew plainly visi- ble. Even the hateful, brutal look on Romayne’s face could be made out.. And a minute or two later they heard him reverse the lever of the boat’s machinery. The little craft glided gently up, and finally came to a stop not ten yards from shore. FitzJames was still in the bow; he was whistling now and twirling his revolver jauntily in his hand. ‘‘T suppose everybody is ready to sur- render,’’ he smiled. ‘‘Noneof us are foes, I guess. Whatdo you ‘say, my Yankee bantams??? CHAPIT RR 11. CLIF’S BOLD DEFIANCE, It was quite natural that the two scoundrels should feel elated. Every cir- cumstance was in their favor, and they had snatched victory from defeat with a suddenness that overwhelmed them. Re- venge they were to have, and whatever else they wanted. In facta much greater triumph they could not have desired. ‘They could read consternation in the faces of all their vic- tims, which only served to increase their delight. Romayne was leering as he handled the machinery, and as for the other, his merry salutation has already been given. ‘*Hold up your hands,’’ he added, care- wi ern rat Re ce A it 1312 “ARMY AND NAVY lessly. ‘‘And you can bet we’ll tie you fast this time.’’ The helpless listeners made no answet to his taunts. They merely shrank back to the farthest edge of the shallow reef. FitzJames’ face clouded as he noticed that move. ‘‘Now there’s no use beginning any nonsense,’? he snarled. ‘‘We’ve got you and you might as well give up. And as. for you two Yankee kids, there’s no use of your doubling up your fists, because I’ve cartridges enough for the whole crowd of you.’’ That informaton, however, had little effect on the ‘“‘kids;’? they kept their fists doubled and glared defiance. “Tf you hadn’t been such fools,’’ con- tinued the . Englishmen. “If you’d minded your own business and let us take the girls, you wouldn’t have gotten into this trouble.” Clif. Faraday smiled at that, though there was no mirth in his smile. “i