"Well, that"s part of the game, Randy," remarked Jack. He had been hit half a dozen times, but had not minded it in the least.
On the following afternoon the Rover boys visited a long hill in that vicinity, which a number of the cadets were using for coasting purposes.
With money sent to them by Jack"s father, they had purchased a fine bobsled, and on this they took numerous rides, along with several of their chums.
There were two ways of going down the hill. One was in the direction of Haven Point, and the other wound around a second smaller hill and ended in the pasture lot of an old farmer. This farmer was an Irishman named Mike O"Toole, a pleasant enough individual, who had often given the boys rides on his farm wagon, and who was not averse to selling them fruit, and also milk, when they desired it. He was such a good-natured old man that very few of the cadets ever thought to molest his orchard.
"Say, I"ve got an idea!" cried Andy suddenly, when he and the other Rovers were riding down into O"Toole"s pasture. "Let"s go down and have a look at the old man"s goats," and he winked knowingly at his twin.
O"Toole had once lived in the city, and there had been the proud possessor of several goats, which he had used in one of the public parks, where they were attached to little wagons in which the children could ride for ten cents per person. O"Toole had brought his goats to the farm with him, and treated them with as much affection as if they were members of his family.
"What have you go up your sleeve, Andy?" questioned Fred, as they got off the bobsled and dragged it behind them toward Mike O"Toole"s house.
The old Irish farmer and his wife lived alone, having no children and no hired help.
"Oh, I thought we might hire a goat or two to pull the bobsled," was the easy answer.
"To pull the bobsled?"
"To be sure. If those goats can pull wagons, they can certainly pull sleds, too. Then, I thought if we could get the goats to pull us all the way to Colby Hall, it wouldn"t be any more than fair to take the goats in out of the cold and treat "em nicely."
"Oh, I see!" cried Randy, who was listening to his twin"s talk. "For instance, we might take the goats into the Hall and up to Professor Lemm"s room, eh?"
"You"ve caught the idea, Randy. What do you think of it?"
"Fine! Couldn"t be better!" chuckled the other.
"What"s this talk about taking O"Toole"s goats to Colby Hall?" demanded Jack.
"Oh, we were thinking Professor Lemm would like to see the goats."
The oldest Rover boy looked stern for an instant, but then his mouth relaxed and he broke into a broad grin.
"Of course, we"ll have to be careful how we get the goats into the Hall," he began.
"Hurrah! I knew it would hit you just right, Jack!" cried Andy, slapping his cousin on the shoulder. "Just you wait--we"ll make old Lemon sit up and take notice this time!"
"But mum"s the word--remember that," cautioned Randy. "If he ever caught us, well--good-night!"
CHAPTER X
SOMETHING ABOUT TWO GOATS
The four Rover boys were almost up to Mike O"Toole"s place when suddenly Jack caught Andy by the shoulder.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed.
"What"s wrong now?" demanded the fun-loving youth.
"I"ve just been thinking, Andy. If we take those goats into the Hall and get into any kind of trouble, Professor Lemm will find it an easy matter to learn who got the goats from O"Toole."
"That"s right, too!" broke in Fred, in dismay.
"Maybe we can get the goats on the sly," suggested Randy.
"I think that would be the better way to do it," answered Jack. "We can leave a note behind, stating that the goats will be returned, and we can also pay O"Toole something for using his animals."
The boys talked the matter over for several minutes, and then it was decided that Andy and Randy should go ahead and reconnoitre. This they did, and were gone for about ten minutes.
"The coast is clear so far as we can see," announced Randy. "Mike O"Toole and his wife are both in the kitchen of the farmhouse preparing supper.
"And where are the goats?" questioned Fred quickly.
"He keeps them in a little shed off of his barn. Come on, I"ll show you," returned Randy.
The other cadets followed him, and they soon reached the place he had mentioned. Here O"Toole kept six goats, and they were found finishing up some food he had evidently given them a short while before.
Two of the billy goats were quite large, one possessing a very fine pair of horns. This one, the boys knew, was called Patrick. The other large goat went by the name of Dan.
"Here is the harness," said Andy, bringing it from some pegs on which it was hanging. "We"ll have to do the best we can about hitching "em up."
While the others were doing this, Jack tore a page from a notebook he carried, and on this, in a large, disguised hand, he wrote the following:
"DEAR MR O"TOOLE:
"We have taken the privilege of using two of your goats until to-morrow. They will be safely returned to you."
"I think we ought to pay him for the use of the animals," said Jack. "A little money will make him feel a great deal better."
"Let"s pin two dollars to the note," suggested Fred, and this was done by Jack and the note placed where the Irish farmer would be sure to find it when he came again to tend to his animals.
It was an easy matter for the four boys to get the goats out of the shed, and then they led them to a spot behind some trees where the animals were hitched to the bobsled. Soon they started on the way to Colby Hall.
"Now that we"ve got possession of the goats, how do you fellows expect to work this stunt?" demanded Fred, as they brought the two goats down to a walk.
"I"ll tell you one thing," declared Jack. "If you want to play this trick without the whole school knowing it, you had better reach Colby Hall by the lane that comes up behind the barn."
"Just what I was thinking of doing," answered Andy. "I thought maybe we could stable them in that little toolhouse in the cornfield until we had a chance to get "em into the Hall."
"That"s the talk!" cried Randy. "Of course, we"ll have to watch our chance, and not make a mess of it."
The two billy goats had often been harnessed together, so they got along quite amiably on the trip to the Military Academy. They were strong animals, and consequently the boys reached the field behind the barn in ample time to unhitch the goats and place them in the toolhouse that had been mentioned. Then they hurried around to the garage, where they were allowed to store their bobsled, and after that lost no time in getting ready for the evening parade and drill.
Directly after supper was over, the Rovers took Spouter, Gif and Fatty Hendry aside and told them of what was in the wind.
"Oh, say! that"s great!" cried Fatty. "Let me have a hand in it, won"t you?" He had had a quarrel with Asa Lemm a few days before, and was as sore as any of the other cadets.