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Read Ebook: The Rover Boys at Big Bear Lake; or The Camps of the Rival Cadets by Stratemeyer Edward Rogers Walter S Illustrator
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Ebook has 1248 lines and 37779 words, and 25 pages
over the distant hills, and where we can hear the hoot of the lonely owl as it flits around seeking its mate, and where--"
"The ants get into the sugar, the flies into the butter, and where you always wake up if you happen to walk into a hornet's nest or a den of snakes," finished Andy.
"Who said anything about ants or hornets, or snakes either?" snorted Spouter. "You never do give me a chance to say something worth while."
"Never mind, Spouter, you'll have your chance later on," said Randy. "Some day when you are all alone in camp, and we have gone on a clambake or to hunt bears, you can stand on a rock in the middle of the lake and orate to your heart's content."
"That's the stuff, Spouter! Just think of standing on a floating rock delivering an address," chuckled Randy. "Wouldn't that be original?"
"I'll address you if you don't look out," answered Spouter, and threw a handful of dirt at his tormentor.
After that the boys plied Gif with questions in regard to the bungalow at Big Bear Lake and as to where the place was located.
"All I can tell you is that we'll take the train to Boston and then another train to a place called Rocky Run. That's a small place at the upper end of the lake. There we'll take our boats--my father owns three of them--and row down the lake until we reach the bungalow. The lake, you know, is several miles long and between a quarter and a half a mile wide and has a number of islands in it. One of the islands used to have a fishing club colony on it, but the whole place burned down several years ago."
"Any other places on the lake besides Rocky Run?"
"Yes. There is the town of Beldane at the lower end. There are also a number of bungalows at the upper end of the lake and one or two bungalows on the opposite shore. But taking it generally, the place is rather a wild one."
"That suits me," said Fred. "The wilder the better."
"I wonder if we'll get a chance at one of those bears," mused Jack.
"We'd better take some guns along," said Fred.
"Oh, yes, we'll have to do that!" answered Gif. "My father said he would send us a list of just what things we ought to take along and what supplies we ought to get when we reach Rocky Run. There is an old storekeeper up there named Mumbleton, Mose Mumbleton. He has done many favors for my father and for the members of the fishing club generally, and my father said he would rather have us buy our supplies there than ship them from Beldane or Boston. It would give Mumbleton a chance to make a little money, and we might find his friendship worth something to us while we were up there."
After that the boys looked over the photographs again and continued to talk about Big Bear Lake and the good times they expected to have there until the bell rang for the evening parade.
Although it was still early in June the night proved an unusually warm one, and after having prepared himself for the examination in Latin on the next day Jack found it almost impossible to get to sleep. He tumbled and tossed on the bed for the best part of an hour and finally arose, to sit by the open window for a while.
He had been resting there for perhaps five minutes gazing out dreamily into the moonlight, when he heard the put-put of a motor-boat on the river. Then somewhat to his surprise he saw a motor-boat turn in to the Colby Hall dock. Several figures sprang ashore and hurried into the boathouse belonging to the military academy.
"Hello! what does that mean? That can't be one of our motor-boats," murmured the young major to himself. "That looks mighty queer to me."
He hesitated for a moment and then aroused his cousins.
"Seems to me we ought to look into this," said Fred. "Those fellows may be nothing but thieves."
"If some of our fellows have been out on a lark we don't want to get them into trouble," said Andy. "I move we sneak downstairs and make an investigation."
The others agreed to this, and all quickly donned their shoes and clothing and then made for the fire-escape, which they so often used in preference to the regular stairway.
As they ran across the campus they saw three figures steal forth from the Colby Hall boathouse. The three figures made for the motor-boat at the dock, and in a minute more the Rovers heard the motor of the boat and then saw the craft glide out into the semi-darkness of the night.
"Now what were they doing at the boathouse?" questioned Jack.
Struck with a sudden fear, the young major broke into a run, followed by the others. They dashed into the boathouse, which was dark, and in one corner saw a faint glare.
"It's a fire!" gasped Fred. "Somebody has set the place on fire!"
THE ROVERS AT HOME
The young captain of the Colby Hall cadets was right. A small fire was blazing fiercely in one corner of the boathouse but a few feet away from where two of the racing shells were stored.
"Sound the alarm, Randy!" cried Jack. "And you, Andy, run for a pail of water. Fred and I will get the fire extinguishers."
The young cadets had had more than one fire drill and knew exactly how to go to work to get the best of the incipient conflagration. While Randy ran off toward Colonel Colby's cottage to give the alarm, Andy grabbed up two fire buckets which were already filled and hurried with them toward the blaze. In the meanwhile Jack ran to the far end of the boathouse, where was located a fire extinguisher, while Fred sped off to the gymnasium to get another.
When Andy arrived with his water he found the blaze mounting up one side of the boathouse. He dashed the water as high as possible, realizing that the fire would spread rapidly if it reached the loft overhead, which was stored with all sorts of combustible material. Then the youth ran out to refill the buckets at the side of the dock.
"How did this happen, Major Rover?" demanded Captain Dale in a somewhat harsh voice.
"I'll tell you after the fire is out, Captain," answered the young major of the school battalion. "We've got to work quickly here if we're going to put this out."
"Form a bucket brigade," ordered Captain Dale, addressing the others who were arriving. And while this was being done he caught the fire extinguisher from Fred's hands and began to spray the contents as high up as he could reach on the boathouse wall.
Inside of three minutes the whole school was aroused and the cadets came tumbling out on the campus in all sorts of dress and undress. As they came out they were stopped by Fred and Captain Glasby of Company A, who quickly formed them into a fire brigade and sent them for the fire buckets and fire ladders.
"Gee, that's going to be some blaze!"
"I hope the boathouse doesn't burn down and all our boats with it!"
"Why can't we get the boats out?"
"We can! Come on, fellows, quick!" And thereupon part of the crowd rushed into the boathouse to save whatever could be handled.
In the meanwhile a hose had been attached to a new water tower near the gymnasium, and soon a stream from this was directed upon the flames. For fully ten minutes it seemed to be a toss-up as to whether the boathouse would be consumed or not. But the professors and the cadets worked vigorously and presently it was seen that the flames were going down.
"Hurrah, boys, we've got the best of it!" shouted Jack encouragingly. "Keep it up! Pass that water along lively!" And the buckets came along the line so rapidly that it was all three cadets and two professors at the front could do to empty them.
At last the spot where the fire had originated was only a smoking and steaming mass. With the conflagration out it was quite dark in and around the boathouse and lights had to be lit so the workers could see what they were doing.
"I guess it's out," said Colonel Colby at last, and gave a sigh of relief.
"I'll place Nixon and Crews on guard with a number of pails of water," said Captain Dale. "They can remain here for the rest of the night just as well as not."
"Has any one any idea how this fire started?" demanded the owner of the school, looking around at the assembled professors and cadets.
"I have," answered Jack. "I'm quite sure the place was set on fire."
"You surprise me, Major Rover," answered Colonel Colby. "What have you to tell?"
In a few words Jack related his story and then the other Rovers told of what they knew concerning the affair. As the recital proceeded Colonel Colby's brow grew dark.
"You say there were three persons in that motor-boat?" he questioned.
"So far as I could see," answered Jack. "Of course the moonlight isn't very strong to-night."
"I saw the three fellows as they rushed back to the motor-boat after they came from the boathouse," put in Randy.
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