The Wizard of the Sea | Page 3

but poor Piggy Mumps was put in a squad under Hoke Ummer, who did all he could to make the fat boy miserable.
"Eyes right! Eyes left! Front!" shouted Hoke. "Why don't you mind, you clown!" he added to poor Piggy, who was in a sweat to do as ordered.
"Vot you say, eyes right an' den eyes left, ven da vos right?" asked Piggy innocently.
"Silence! Eyes right! Eyes left! You clown, can't you twist your eyes, or are you too fat?" roared Hoke.
"Ton't vos call me a clown, you--you unchentlemanly poy!" cried Piggy wrathfully, when without warning Hoke fell upon him and hit him a blow on the neck.
This was too much for Piggy, and he ran out of the line and closed with the bully. But he was no match for the big boy, and Piggy would have been severely punished had not Hoke been caught by the shoulder and hurled backward against a wall.
"Let him alone!" came in the voice of Mont. "You have no right to touch him, Hoke Ummer."
"Haven't I, though?" sneered the bully. "Do you suppose I'm going to be made a fool of by a lump of fat like that? You clear out, or I'll give you a dose, too!"
"You can try it on any time you please," replied our hero quietly.
"A fight! A fight!" exclaimed half a dozen at once, and the awkward squad was broken up on the instant.
"A fight?" repeated the bully. "He'll get a thrashing--that's all it will amount to. Come on down to the woods if you want to have it out."
"I'm willing to meet you," returned Mont, and started along, followed by Piggy, Link, and a dozen others.
But scarcely had the boys gone a rod before the belfry bell rang out loudly five times.
That was the signal for assembly on the parade grounds.
"Hullo, we can't go now!" cried Link. "Boys, you'll have to postpone that mill till later."
"I'll meet you after assembly," growled Hoke Ummer, under his breath, as Captain Hooper put in an appearance.
"I'll be ready any time," rejoined our hero.
"Boys, we are to have visitors in fifteen minutes!" shouted out Captain Hooper. "Attention! The captains will form their companies on the campus and a salute will be fired as the visitors enter the grounds."
Orders were quickly passed, and inside of five minutes the boy cadets were drawn up in long lines, with the officers of the two companies in their proper places.
The visitors were old friends of the captain who had come to the Hall merely out of curiosity. As their carriages approached, a cannon was run out, and Link and several others were detailed to fire it off.
Link chose Mont to assist, and before long all was in readiness to touch her off.
"Here they come!" shouted somebody.
"Stand ready to fire!" sang out Captain Hooper, in true military style. "Steady, boys, now--I expect all to make the best possible appearance. Fire!"
Link touched the cannon off, while our hero and several others stood close at hand.
Bang!
The report was terrific. The old cannon was overcharged, and was blown into a thousand pieces, which flew in all directions.
Both Link and Mont were hurled flat, and while the former was seen to stagger up again, our hero lay as one dead!
CHAPTER III.
THE GREAT FIGHT.
"He is dead!"
"Run for the doctor!"
"A piece struck me, too!"
"The cannon must have been overloaded!"
Such were some of the cries which went up after the awful explosion.
Captain Hooper stood close at hand, and instantly went to our hero's assistance.
He caught the youth up in his arms and carried him to a shady spot.
"Bring some water," he commanded, but water was already at hand. With it he bathed Mont's head.
For a minute there was an intense silence. Then, with a quiver, the lad opened his eyes.
"Wha--what---- Did the cannon burst?" he asked feebly.
"Hurrah! He's all right!" shouted Link joyfully, and inside of five minutes more Mont stood up and gazed about him in wonder.
But he was too weak to take part in the review, and while this went on sat in a rustic chair under the oak tree, with several of the lady visitors by his side.
The reception to the guests over, the cadets were dismissed, and the crowd lost no time in dispersing.
Link remained with his chum, and both walked towards the lake.
"How do you feel?" asked Link anxiously.
"Rather faint in the legs, to tell the truth," was the reply. "But I guess I'll soon get over it."
"Ready to do that fighting?" demanded a rough voice at their elbow, and Hoke Ummer ranged up at their side.
"For shame, Hoke, Mont isn't in condition, and you know it," said Link.
"Oh, nonsense!" growled the bully. "That cannon affair was only a fake. He wasn't hurt a bit."
This remark angered our hero, and, stepping up, he faced the bully defiantly.
"I will