The Rover Boys Under Canvas Or The Mystery of the Wrecked Submarine Part 35

Barrow came in for third place with forty points, and Werner fourth with thirty-nine points. Frank Newberry was fifth, and a cadet named Henkerson sixth.

"Well, you beat me fairly and squarely, Jack!" cried Fred, shaking hands.

"Not such an awful lot at that, Fred. Only one point," returned the young captain good-naturedly.

"But it gives you the gold medal, while I'll have to content myself with the silver medal. Just the same, I'm glad I did as well as that,"

added Fred.

CHAPTER XXIII

GIRL VISITORS

After the target practice the cadets of Colby Hall settled down to the usual routine of the camp. The Rovers and their chums were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the girls from Clearwater Hall, and they made arrangements with Captain Dale so that the visitors might be appropriately entertained.

The girls came in two large touring cars, which had been hired at the Haven Point garage. The Rovers and their chums were on the lookout for them, and set up a cheer as soon as they appeared.

"Oh, what a lovely spot for a camp!" exclaimed Ruth Stevenson, as she leaped to the ground and shook hands with Jack.

The visitors were escorted by Captain Jack to Captain Dale's quarters.

He knew some of the young ladies already, and soon made all of the crowd feel perfectly at home.

"Your friends will show you around our camp, and if you care to do so you may have regular mess with our cadets," said the old West Pointer, smiling.

"Oh, let's have a regular mess dinner by all means!" cried Mary. "I've always wanted to know how it tasted."

"Grandest soup you ever struck, Mary," said Gif.

"Especially if a pinching bug or a worm chances to drop into it," came from Andy.

"You horrid boy!" cried Martha. "Jack, you ought to box his ears for that."

The girls were shown over the camp, and even taken down to the rifle ranges, in the meantime being told about the very excellent scores Jack and Fred had made.

It had been arranged that the girls were to be away from Clearwater Hall for two days. They were to spend one day with the boys at Camp Barlight and the following day near Camp Huxwell, where Alice Strobell had an aunt living who had promised to take them all in for the night.

"We'll come over here early in the morning for you boys," said Martha, "and then all of us can visit Camp Huxwell together. I've already sent word to dad, and Mary has sent word to Uncle Sam, so they will be on the lookout for us."

"That will be fine!" cried Jack. "I've been wanting to see that camp ever since we got here, but, somehow, I couldn't get away to do it."

"And I want to see my dad, too," added Fred enthusiastically.

The twins were likewise eager to see the government camp and their uncles, but they were somewhat depressed, and could not help but show it.

"I know what's the matter," whispered Martha to her brother. "They are thinking about their father. Poor Uncle Tom! What a shame it is that he couldn't join father and Uncle Sam."

"Well, you know how they arranged it," answered the young captain.

"Somebody had to stay at home to manage the business."

While the Rovers and their chums were showing the girls around the camp, Gabe Werner and Bill Glutts eyed them enviously.

"I don't see why they are permitted to have girls come here and visit them," growled the ex-lieutenant.

"Girls are all out of place in a camp like this," added the wholesale butcher's son. "You can't have the same amount of freedom with those skirts around."

"I just heard something," put in Codfish, who had come up a moment before. "The Rovers and those other fellows are going to take the girls out into the woods for a picnic."

"Where did you get that news?" asked Glutts quickly.

"I heard the cook telling one of his helpers. They are fixing up a great big bunch of grub for them."

"Huh! some folks have nerve," grumbled Werner. "I suppose he'll let 'em have all the best things there are in camp and we can take what's left."

"Chopped-up onions, for instance," and Glutts grinned.

"I'll onion them, you see if I don't!" cried Gabe Werner. And then he suddenly caught his crony by the arm. "Say, I've got an idea! If we can get away and follow those fellows maybe we can spoil their old picnic for 'em."

"I get you!" cried Glutts quickly.

"What are you going to do?" questioned Codfish.

"Will you keep your mouth shut if we take you in on this?" demanded the ex-lieutenant.

"Of course I'll keep my mouth shut."

"All right then, you can come in, Henry. But remember, if you open your trap on us we'll come down on you like a ton of bricks," added Gabe.

The matter was talked over for several minutes by Werner and Glutts, and then Codfish was dispatched to the cook's quarters on an errand.

The girls enjoyed eating the regular mess lunch immensely. Each was provided by the boys with a new mess kit and instructed into the art of using the same. They sat at the main table in the mess hall, a table presided over by Captain Dale himself.

"This is quite an honor, ladies," said the old West Pointer politely.

"It's the first time we have had so many of the opposite s.e.x in any of our camps."

"It is very lovely of you, Captain Dale, to permit us to come," said Ruth. "I am sure we all thank you very much for all the courtesies you have shown us."

"Indeed we do!" came from the others.

"I'm afraid this meal will put a little damper on our picnic,"

remarked Fred. "We should have eaten our lunch out in the woods."

"Don't you worry about that," retorted Andy. "We'll be ready for another meal after we've tramped about over the rocks and among the trees for several hours."

The food to be taken along had been placed in three old knapsacks with which the camp was provided, and these the twins and Spouter placed on their back when they set off for the woods. All were in high spirits, and Andy and Randy whistled gaily as they trudged along.

"Let us go up on top of one of the cliffs," suggested Jack, after they had been tramping for the best part of an hour. "We ought to be able to get a splendid view of the bay from there."