be it said in the first place, for the reader's comfort and relief, that the figure who lay upon the ground stunned and gasping was not that of mark mallory. harden saw that as he turned again, and he groaned. the parson saw it, too, and uttered a geological and classical exclamation of satisfaction, completely forgetful of his peril at the present moment. and as for mark, he had known it long ago; he had meant that it should be just so.
the first classmen as they poured in upon the scene, furious and out of breath, took in the situation in one glance. they saw their friend and classmate, the mighty wright, stretched helpless on the turf, and they knew that mark mallory, the hated plebe, had defied them successfully, had outwitted them, and stood now in all his impudence, his purposes completely achieved. and their rage rose to bounds beyond the possibility of description.
but they had him now! though triumphant, he was in their power, alone with no soul to help him in all that lonely forest! and like so many wild animals they leaped upon him.
you have read of the fury of a mob? and you know[pg 209] what a mob may do? it is far more than any single one of them, any half dozen of them, would ever dream of doing. this mob had everything to urge them on, nothing to restrain them. had not this plebe tormented their very eyes out? had they not sworn to punish him within an inch of his life if he dared to fight with their lieutenant? and was not the lieutenant lying there now, half dead, calling upon them for vengeance?
one and all they sprang upon him. the leader seized him roughly by the shoulder, flung him backward; the next moment mark's arm shot out and the man went down like a log. that made the crowd still more furious; a dozen of them reached the bold plebe at once, and then there was the wildest kind of a time.
mark could not tell very clearly what happened; he was vaguely conscious of shouts and imprecations; of flying arms and closely pressing bodies; of blows and kicks that blinded him, stifled him. he himself was striking out right and left, and he felt that he was landing, too. he saw another figure beside him doing likewise, and he knew that the gallant old parson was at his side. and after that his head began to swim; lights danced before his eyes, and his strength began to fail him. he went down, and that was all he knew.
there was no restraining those wild cadets, though fully half among them were manly enough to try. the[pg 210] brute passions of the rest were let loose and there was no stopping them. they still pressed about the two struggling plebes, a crowd roaring for vengeance and satisfaction. and they meant that nothing should prevent their having it, either.
something did, none the less. and it was something startling and unexpected. the reader will remember that we left the five hot upon the trail. the five were upon the trail still.
they had followed the crowd down the railroad track. the crowd had hired a schooner the day before, having learned that mallory and wright were going to attempt to cross the next morning; they had followed in that, and the five under the leadership of texas had broken the lock on a rowboat they found and had pursued the cadets across. they had landed a few minutes later; they had heard the shouts of the crowd; and now, wild and reckless with rage at what they saw, they were rushing from the woods to the rescue.
to the rescue? it bid fair to be a weak attempt, for there were just five to attempt it, and of the others there may have been fifty. no one could count them; they were a mob, a wild-eyed, furious mob. but of the unevenness of the conflict the gallant five never once thought. they knew that their leader was in peril, and that it was their business to rescue him. and that was all.
[pg 211]foremost among them was the wild texan and he was a sight to put a hundred in a panic, a sight to rival hercules and his club. texas had snatched an oar from the boat, and as he ran he was brandishing that. his hair was ruffled, his face was red, and his eyes staring and wild. from his mouth came a series of yells and whoops that made the forest echo. and a moment later he struck the crowd of cadets.
how that mighty oar did cut the air! if it had been a broadsword it could not have swept a clearer furrow. and behind it came the other four, all armed with clubs, making a v formation that was simply irresistible.
so long as the cadets were unarmed the fight was very one-sided, indeed, and the five might have rescued mark in no time. but quick as a wink one of the cadets stooped and seized a stick; his example was followed instantly, and in half a minute the gallant rescuers were confronted with a score of clubs and assailed by a shower of stones that beat them back in confusion—stalled!
no, not quite! there was one rescuer left, a resource that texas alone had. texas had received a cut across the face that made him simply crazy. he dropped the oar, slung his hands around to his hip pockets, and a moment later with two huge six-shooters opened fire point-blank at the crowd.
[pg 212]it happened that those revolvers held only "blanks." mark had insisted upon that beforehand, for he knew his friend's sudden temper. but that made no difference to the cadets. when they saw those weapons flash in the pale moonlight, saw them in the hands of that wild-haired, wild-eyed figure, heard the deafening reports and saw the powder flash blindingly in their faces, they turned as one man and fled in terror to the cover of the woods.
and they left their victims lying on the ground!
texas was not so mad but that he had some cunning left. he saw his chance, and shouted to his companions. the four seized the half-unconscious, sorely-battered pair in their arms, and whirling suddenly, made a dash for the shore. texas himself scorned to run. he gazed about him defiantly, balancing his revolvers in his hands; and when he saw that the alarmed cadets did not contemplate a sally, he backed slowly through the woods and rejoined the other plebes.
the cadets had not the nerve to face those revolvers again, at least not at once. they had a moment later when they discovered to their horror what the plebes were going to do.
it was a horrible revenge. instead of going to their own rowboat, the crowd deliberately marched out upon[pg 213] a little dock where the schooner lay. they put their charges into that, and then while the big texan coolly faced about with his guns, the others seized the two rowboats and deliberately proceeded to tie them on behind.
they were going to leave the whole class stranded!
a yell of fury, of horror, of fright went up from the crowd! leave them! impossible! it lacked then two hours of reveille. and for them to be absent meant disgrace, court-martial, dismissal! wild with alarm the crowd made a dash for the schooner, leaping into the water, running for the dock, shouting and yelling. and texas calmly raised his revolvers, and stood thus, firm and terrible in the clear moonlight.
before that figure they quailed an instant; that instant was enough. the big vessel swung off from the dock, the night breeze filling her sails. and texas turned like an antelope and made a leap for the boat.
the crowd saw him land on the stern; they saw the white glistening track bubble up as the vessel glided away; then in blank horror they turned and gazed at each other—lost!
texas meanwhile, soon as he saw the boat clear, had but one thought in his devoted mind. he made a dash for mark and staring in horror and anguish at his white and[pg 214] bloody face, fell to flinging water upon him. and he gasped with relief when he saw mark open his eyes.
mark's body was still stripped, and texas, even texas, shuddered as he saw the bruises upon it. there was one that made the victim cry out as his friend touched it, and texas started back in alarm.
"good heavens!" he cried; "his shoulder is broken."
mark smiled feebly; and at the same instant a chorus of cries arose from the despairing cadets on the shore.
"tell mallory we'll leave him alone if he'll come back," was one of them.
"b'gee!" cried dewey, "did you hear that? what do you say?"
and mark raised himself with a struggle.
"no, no," he gasped. "don't! i mean to fight them."
"fight them! how can you fight with a broken shoulder?"
"i—i won't tell them it's broken!" panted mark.
"wow!" roared texas, wildly. "ef you don't lick 'em i will! whoop! an' as fo' them cowards on the shore, let 'em get fired an' bust!"
"bully, b'gee!" echoed dewey.
and the battered old parson chimed in with a feeble and gasping "yea, by zeus!" while the schooner sailed on in disdainful triumph.
the first class, as it seemed, did not get fired. they[pg 215] ran all the way to garrisons, the town opposite the point, and there begged a boat secretly to cross. but the news when it spread next morning made them the laughingstock of all creation. and mark, in the hospital, was the hero of the whole cadet corps.
