The others were willing, and about the middle of the afternoon they reached a high, rocky point, overlooking Barlight Bay and the rolling Atlantic. It was a clear, sunshiny day, and consequently they could see for miles in several directions.
"I see a big steamer coming up the coast!" cried Gif presently. "See the trail of smoke she is leaving behind her?"
"I wonder if those big coastwise steamers are in any danger of the German submarines?" remarked Martha.
"Oh, I don"t believe there are any submarines around here," said Randy.
"Don"t be too sure about that," put in Jack. "Don"t forget that the Huns sent over several of their U-boats before we even got into the war."
"There may be more German submarines lurking in these waters than we have any idea of," remarked Spouter. "It is a well-known fact that the Central Powers have an enormous number of submarines, and that they have been sent to all the important lanes of travel in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea. They have got the science of building U-boats down exceedingly fine, and they evidently know exactly how to handle such craft. And not only that, but they have invented some exceedingly destructive torpedoes, and likewise some devices----"
"Say, Spouter, have you started to deliver a lecture on German submarines?" demanded Randy.
"Please remember that we came to camp for the sole purpose of escaping lectures," added his twin.
"I"m not delivering a lecture," returned Spouter coldly. "I was only trying to pound into your somewhat bonelike heads a few important facts. But, of course, the task is rather a useless one, because you wouldn"t be able to a.s.similate such knowledge even if----"
Spouter"s oratory was cut short by a wad of wet leaves which Randy picked up and hurled at him. Then Andy poked him with a long tree branch he had picked up, and for a few minutes there was quite a good-natured pitched battle, the girls looking on with much interest.
"Avast and heave to!" roared Andy, melodramatically. "Over the top and at "em! Chew "em up alive! Don"t let "em cry "_Kamerad_"! Make "em yell, "Have you used Brickbat"s Soap!"" And at this there was a shriek of laughter from the girls.
When the horseplay had finally come to an end, the young folks walked out on the rocks where they might get a better view of the bay and the ocean beyond. As was quite natural, the boys and the girls paired off together, and Jack saw to it that Ruth obtained a seat that was comfortable. Fred did the same for May, while Spouter and Gif walked on a short distance further with the two Rover girls.
The knapsacks containing the food had been left on some flat rocks a short distance to the rear. So that they might not get too warm, the boys had placed some brushwood over them, along with some wraps which the girls had brought along.
Although the Rovers and their chums did not know it, they had been followed into the woods by Werner, Glutts and Stowell, who had obtained a brief leave of absence from the officer of the day. The trio had watched the girls and their cadet friends closely, and viewed the disposal of the knapsacks and the wraps with satisfaction.
"Here is where we get square with them," muttered Gabe. "We"ll fix "em for putting chopped-up onions in our mess kits!"
"What are you going to do with those onions I got for you?" questioned Codfish.
"We"ll doctor up every bit of their food with "em," answered Glutts.
"They can have onion sandwiches and onion cake and onion pie galore.
My, but that lunch will be one sweet mess when we get through with it!" he added gleefully.
"Yes, and I"ll tell you another thing we can do," pursued Gabe Werner maliciously. "We can put some of the chopped-up onions into the pockets of those girls" coats. That will make "em all smell fine!"
"Oh, say! do you think you ought to touch the girls" things?"
questioned Codfish timidly.
"Sure! That will give those fellows a job cleaning the mess up,"
answered Gabe heartlessly.
"But we don"t want to get caught." Now that the time had arrived to play the joke on the Rovers and their friends, the sneak of the school was beginning to tremble.
"Oh, we won"t get caught," said Werner. "Come on. They are all out of sight, and it will be dead easy to turn the trick."
CHAPTER XXIV
TOM ROVER"S ANNOUNCEMENT
Fred and May had gone up to the topmost point of the cliff overlooking Barlight Bay. Here they could get a view not only of the water front, but likewise of the Colby Hall camp stretched out in the clearing to the northeast of the woods. The wind was blowing rather freely, and presently the youngest Rover noticed that the girl beside him shivered.
"Why, you are cold, May! You should have brought your coat along,"
Fred declared.
"I wish I had," May answered.
"Let me run back and get it."
"Oh, don"t bother, Fred. We won"t stay up here so very long."
"It"s no bother at all. It will take me only a few minutes to get it,"
answered the young lieutenant gallantly, and began to climb down the rocks.
It did not take Fred long to reach a point where the cliff was more level, and then he hurried off in the direction where the knapsacks and the wraps had been left.
"h.e.l.lo! what"s this?" he asked himself, coming up beside the flat rocks. "I"m sure we left them here." But neither the knapsacks with food nor the wraps were anywhere in sight. Fred scratched his head, wondering if he were dreaming.
"Hi, fellows!" he called out. "Something wrong here!"
"What"s the matter?" yelled Gif, who was the nearest of the others.
"The knapsacks and wraps! They are gone!"
"Gone! Do you mean somebody has taken them?" exclaimed Gif.
"Yes, I do! Call the others, quick."
As Fred uttered the last words he darted away from the flat rocks. He had seen a movement behind some trees and bushes not a great distance away. As he drew closer to the spot he heard Codfish give a cry of alarm.
"We"re discovered! Fred Rover is coming!"
"Hi, Codfish! what are you doing here?" demanded Fred. But instead of answering, the sneak of the school set off on a run through the woods as fast as his legs could carry him.
By this time Gif was coming up, followed by Andy and Randy, while Jack and several others of the party were trying to get down from the rocks at the front of the cliff.
"Who was it? Who took the things?" questioned Gif hurriedly.
"I saw Codfish," answered Fred. "And there are Glutts and Werner!" he added suddenly, as the pair came into view between the trees. They were running swiftly, carrying the three knapsacks between them.
Codfish had been carrying the girls" wraps, but had dropped them in his fright.
"The mean rascals, they were going to make off with our eats!" roared Spouter. "Come ahead! Let"s catch "em!"