Part 3

“It――it’s cracked, I think,” he stammered. “I――I guess I’ll go back.”

“It isn’t cracked; it’s all right,” said Bert. “Kid, you keep your mouth shut.”

“I was just warning him,” muttered Kid. “Of course, if you fellows want to see him fall and hurt himself, all right. But I don’t want any man’s blood on my soul. I――――”

“Shut up!” yelled Lanny. “Come on down, Small; it’s perfectly safe.”

“It is, is it?” chattered Small. “Then what’s he talking that way for? I’ll l-l-lick him when I g-g-get down!”

“You ought to be ashamed, Kid,” remonstrated Nan. “How would you like it if――――”

But at that moment Small put the weight of one foot on the rung, there was a slight _creak_, he gave a cry of fright, tried to take his foot off again and scramble up the ladder and lost his footing entirely.

“Look out!” yelled Bert. Lanny and Nan jumped aside and Small, yelling lustily, came down the ladder like a shot, his feet waving wildly and his arms wrapped around the sides. He reached the ground in a heap. Bert hurried to him and picked him up.

“Are you hurt, Small?” he asked anxiously.

“I don’t know,” answered Small weakly, feeling himself inquiringly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” cried Nan. Small, very white of face, concluded that no harm had been done. Then his eyes fell on Kid. That irrepressible youth was seated in the middle of a clump of rhododendrons doubled over with laughter.

“It was all his fault!” cried Small, and dashed at Kid. But Kid recovered very suddenly from his laughter and rolled and scrambled out the other side of the shrubs just as Small came crashing through. Then ensued a race that presently took pursued and pursuer out of sight around the building.

“It’s lucky he didn’t hurt himself,” said Bert, laughing. “I say, he left the window open. The room will be as cold as Greenland when Waters gets back.”

“And serve him right,” said Lanny.

“Couldn’t you go up and close it?” asked Nan.

“I guess I will.” So Lanny ran up the ladder. When he reached the top, instead of closing the window, he disappeared into the room and was gone several minutes. Finally he came out again, drew the window shut and slid down the ladder. “I left the Sign of the Four,” he explained, grinning. At that moment Small and Kid returned, evidently reconciled, and the five went back to the creek to resume their skating. When an hour or so later, Waters, who had quite forgotten the prisoner, tried to open his room door and found it locked he was quite surprised until he recalled the earlier events. Then, a little conscience stricken, he unlocked the door and entered the darkened room.

“Find that strap yet, Small?” he asked gruffly.

There was no answer and Waters lighted the gas and gazed in bewilderment about the empty apartment. Then he looked under both beds and in the closet, declaring in a loud voice that Small might as well “come out of that now” because he knew just where he was. But Small didn’t appear, and Waters, passing the study table, caught sight of a sheet of paper. On it was what was evidently intended for a skull and crossbones, and under that was printed:

“_One for All and All for One!_”

V

BATTLE ROYAL

The toboggan slide was in fine shape, and as soon as supper was over the upper grade boys hurried out to it. Bert had never tasted the joys of tobogganing and so was quite indifferent to the fact that he was not to be allowed on the slide, but Lanny and Small were inclined to be rueful.

“I wish now,” said Small, “that we’d fixed it for them.”

“I don’t see why we can’t use it if we want to,” said Kid. “It’s the school slide and not Ben’s and Sam’s. I guess if we asked Mr. Crane――――”

“That would be a babyish thing to do,” said Lanny. “Let’s go out and see them, anyway. Maybe they’ll let us go down a few times.”

“They’ve got all the toboggans,” said Small, as they scattered for their sweaters and jackets. “Aren’t you coming, Bert?”

“No, I guess not. I don’t want to stand in the snow and watch those fellows slide down hill.”

“Oh, come along,” begged Lanny. “Maybe we can have some fun.”

So Bert accompanied them and they went out and stood at the foot of the incline and watched the more fortunate ones come scooting down the ice-covered planks and go, rising and dipping and rising again, down the long trough of snow until lost in the darkness of the meadow. Their feet were beginning to get cold and Bert had already announced his determination to return indoors when Cupples and Crandall, drawing a fine new toboggan that the former had received as a Christmas present, arrived at the foot of the incline and started up the steps. It was Ben who saw them and raised a warning shout to the others, who included three day students from the village.

“Keep those fellows off!” cried Ben.

Four or five upper grade boys barred their way.

“We helped make this slide,” said Cupples indignantly, “and you can just believe we’re going to slide on it.”

“Nothing doing,” declared Ben. “You two fellows have joined with the juniors. That bars you out.”

“It does, eh?” Cupples tried to push by. “We’ll see about that! Come on, Cran.”

But the others were too many for them, and, in the end, Crandall and Cupples, protesting angrily and vowing vengeance, retreated to the ground.

“Wouldn’t they let you slide?” asked Lanny.

“No, but they can’t help themselves. We’ll wait until they’ve all coasted down,” said Cupples.

But it was soon evident that the enemy had other plans, for they timed their descents so that there always remained four or five fellows at the start. This effectually held Cupples and Crandall at bay, but it made the tobogganing pretty slow, since it was necessary to wait until one couple had started back from the meadow before the next couple started down.

“I tell you what,” said Bert. “You two can get one slide anyway.”

“How?” asked Cupples.

“Wait until those three day chaps go down together. Then, before they’re back, two more will go down. That only leaves four up there. We’ll rush the slide and you two chaps get started before the others come up again.”

“All right,” said Crandall. “And we can take another down you know. Want to go?”

But Bert shook his head. “Take Kid,” he said. “The biggest of us had better stay behind to cover your retreat.”

“To cover our own retreat, you mean,” said Small. “I’m not going up there.”

“Yes, you are,” said Lanny. “There go the three chaps. Now, when they reach the bottom two more will start. Then we’ll try it. I hope Ben goes down next.”

And Lanny had his wish, for after some two or three minutes had elapsed and it was safe to presume that the three day students were well on their way back, Ben and Stanley Pierce started down. As soon as they had flashed past the group at the bottom of the incline Cupples gave the word and the six boys started up the steps. On the platform at the top stood Waters, Gardner, Lovell and Perkins, and as soon they saw the enemy approach they started down to meet them.

“On the run!” cried Cupples and, with the toboggan bumping along behind, he and Crandall leaped up the steps, slipping and stumbling on the ice and snow. Behind them went Bert and Lanny, Small and Kid, Small greatly against his inclinations and Kid screeching joyously. They met the defenders halfway up the steps. Cupples and Sam Perkins came to grips, lost their footing and created so much confusion on the narrow stair that Crandall, passing the toboggan rope back to Kid, gained the platform and Bert and Lanny followed. Lovell only laughed, leaving for the moment the repulsing of the invaders to Waters and Gardner, who proved unequal to the task. Cupples and Perkins finally found their feet and joined the others.

“We’re going down,” declared Crandall, trying to get the toboggan in place, “and you can’t stop us.”

“Can’t we?” asked Perkins. “You watch.”

The ten boys pushed and scuffled on the small platform, Cupples and Crandall striving to get their toboggan ready for the start and the enemy kicking it out of place again. At last, however, Bert, Lanny, Small and Kid, engaging the attention of the defenders fiercely, Cupples got the toboggan in place, yelled to Crandall and started down. Crandall stumbled over someone’s foot and threw himself after the toboggan, just managing to grasp the rail on one side. All the way down the incline he trailed behind, bumping against the side board, but at the bottom, as the toboggan struck the ground, he managed to pull himself on to it. And away they went, Cupples sending back a shrill shout of triumph.

Meanwhile, not willing to trust to the mercies of the enemy, the four juniors were in full retreat down the steps, pursued by Perkins and Gardner. The latter gave up the pursuit before the bottom was reached and the juniors drew off to a safe distance, Kid sending back cries of defiance and insult. Then the three day students trailed past with their toboggan, yelling as they neared the incline; “Who was that just went down, fellows?”

“Cupples and Crandall,” was the reply from Perkins. “They rushed us, they and those kids down there.”

“Get your toboggans ready,” advised one of the day fellows, “and we’ll all down and catch them.”

“Good scheme,” answered Gardner. “Come on, fellows!” Down shot Gardner and Lovell, while Perkins pushed his toboggan into position for descent. The three day students rushed up the steps.

“Snowball them!” whispered Lanny, kneeling and hurriedly fashioning his missiles. The others followed his example, armed themselves with four or five snowballs and waited for Perkins and Waters. They came. Four arms were raised and shot forward and the soft snow thudded and spattered against the faces and bodies of the two flying seniors. The juniors threw first as soon as the enemy was within range and managed to get in a second fusillade before they were out of shot. Angry remonstrances floated back on the night air. At the top of the incline, the three day boys had failed to see the attack and came down unsuspectingly. Again the snowballs sped to their marks and again the cries of the victims arose as the toboggan rushed away down the slope.

“Fine!” laughed Bert. “We got in some good ones. But they’ll make it hot for us when they come back.”

“I wonder if they’ll catch Harold and Sewall,” said Lanny. “There’s someone coming now.”

Into the dim radiance of the two lights on the platform came two boys dragging a toboggan. They were Ben and Stanley Pierce.

“I say,” whispered Bert, “let’s get up there ahead and keep them off. We can do it. Take all the snowballs you’ve got, fellows.” And Bert started for the steps on the run. Had the others had time to reflect they might have hesitated. As it was, they followed at once and had gained the platform before Ben and Pierce had reached the foot of the steps. When they did reach them a snowball, sent with beautiful accuracy, banged against Ben’s woolen cap and another hummed past Pierce’s head. The seniors stopped and held a council of war.

“Quit that, you kids,” shouted Ben threateningly.

“We’ll come up there and give you fellows a good licking,” added Pierce.

“Come on!” jeered Lanny, the joy of battle thrilling him. “Try it!”

They did try it, but such a shower of snowballs met them as soon as they set foot on the steps that they thought better of it. For a minute or so they fashioned missiles and retaliated, but throwing up at the platform was difficult work and their snowballs either sailed harmlessly overhead or wasted themselves against the boards. Then two boys with a toboggan came into sight, running hard, and Ben hailed them.

“Come on, you fellows! The kids have got the slide!”

The newcomers paused without answering.

“It’s Cupples and Crandall,” whispered Bert joyously. At that moment the meaning of the pause was explained. Ben and Pierce found themselves attacked from a new quarter, while from the platform came a pitiless shower of snowballs. Discretion proved the better part of valor. Ben and Pierce scampered away and, with a shout, Cupples and Crandall rushed up the stairs and joined the invaders at the top.

“Did they get you?” asked Lanny. “The whole crowd went down to catch you.”

“No, we saw them first,” panted Crandall with a grin, “and ran like the dickens. They’re after us, though. Come on, Harold, let’s go down again before they catch us.”

“If you do that they’ll get you sure,” said Bert. “Stay up here with us and we’ll stand them off. We can do it easily. There are some of them now.”

Four figures came out of the darkness and were joined, at a respectful distance from the platform by Ben and Pierce.

“They’ll try to rush us,” muttered Bert. “Got plenty of snowballs, fellows?”

“What do you say, Harold?” asked Crandall.

“Oh, we’ll stay and help the kids,” answered Cupples, beginning to make snowballs as fast as he could. “Pull the toboggan up, Cran, and put it across the top of the slide there. We can get behind it if we need to. Say, fellows, there isn’t much snow up here. First thing we know we’ll be out of ammunition.”

“Kid, you gather all the snow you can find,” directed Bert, “and pile it back of the toboggan.”

“I want to fight,” demurred Kid.

“Well, you can fight, too. Go ahead. I’ll help you until they start for us.”

“They’ll wait until the other three fellows come,” said Cupples. “We’ll have to shoot straight, fellows. Don’t waste your shots now.”

“We won’t,” muttered Lanny. “Don’t you worry.”

“There are the rest of them,” said Crandall, patting a fine, soggy snowball into shape. “Get ready, fellows.”

“Hooray!” shrieked Kid, “paste them, paste them!”

The enemy, nine strong, started across the snow toward the foot of the incline. On the platform the defenders lined up and waited. Fortunately for them the attackers were forced to come up in single file, since the steps were only about eighteen inches wide. Ben led the way, Perkins at his heels and the others behind, yelling fearsomely.

“Wait till they’re on the steps,” counseled Cupples, “and then give it to ’em! Now!”

Six snowballs sped down at the enemy, three of the number taking effect on Ben. Ben shook his head angrily and came on. Then a lucky shot by Lanny struck him square on the chin, he faltered, slipped against the railing, and Perkins took his place. By that time the shots were falling thick and fast and there was a steady stream of snowballs. To advance in the face of such a fire was out of the question, and Perkins, ducking his head, turned and crowded back, putting the line into confusion. One of the day boys slipped and went to the bottom on his back. Ben, too, was in flight, and in a moment the enemy had withdrawn again to a safe distance.

“Hurrah!” shrieked Kid, jumping about on the platform. “We gave it to ’em!”

“Hurry up, fellows!” called Cupples. “More snowballs. They’ll be back in a minute.”

“We can keep them off all night,” said Bert, “as long as they come up one at a time. That was a dandy shot of yours, Lanny.”

“They’re coming again,” said Small nervously. “Let’s make terms with them before it’s too late, Lanny.”

“Make terms!” cried Lanny. “Never!”

Then they came toward the slide again, but more cautiously this time, halting just out of accurate range and then, at a signal, rushing for the steps and up them, Ben again in the lead. Up and up they came, slipping and faltering under the rain of missiles, but doggedly winning the ascent. Now there was a scant ten feet between Ben and the platform. Behind him, Pierce and Perkins and the others were crowding, their faces and bodies blotched with snow. They were angry clear through and met every broadside of shot stoically, stubbornly determined to gain the summit and wreak revenge on the foe. The garrison behind the toboggan fought furiously. Snowballs slammed down upon lowered heads and sped past protecting arms to spread against necks and faces. The invaders made no effort to retaliate, since it was difficult enough to make the ascent as it was; to have attempted to throw snowballs would have invited utter disaster.

“Let ’em have it!” cried Cupples, stooping for more ammunition and discovering that only a few snowballs remained behind the breastworks. The file still came on, Ben a mass of white where the snowballs had struck and clung to his head and body.

“Who’s got any snowballs?” gasped Lanny.

“All gone,” answered Bert, desperately searching the icy boards for snow. Small and Kid, at the other side of the platform, farthest from the steps, were still firing, Small wildly and ineffectually. Lanny ran across and pushed him aside. Kid shouted shrilly and got in a splendid shot against Perkins’s ear that made that youth stagger against the railing.

Then the firing diminished and consternation seized the garrison. Their ammunition was gone! Ben gave a roar of triumph and plunged up the few remaining steps, and it would have been all over with the defenders then and there had not Bert been visited by a brilliant idea. Seizing the toboggan, he swung it around to the steps and, holding the rope, sent it swiftly down. It caught Ben unawares and swept his feet from under him. He clutched wildly at the railing, saved himself from an actual fall, but kicked Pierce so savagely that the latter emitted a shriek and fell to his knees. Perkins stumbled, slipped, and spread the wildest disorder. The last of the snowballs were fired, a final volley that decided the fortunes of the battle. The enemy wavered, turned. Ben, recovering his equilibrium, strove to hold his regiment, but all in vain. Down the steps they fled, and Ben, finding himself deserted, followed.

The garrison gave a shout of triumph. Kid jumped and squealed. And then Small, venturing too near the edge of the slide, turned the retreat into a veritable rout. Losing his footing, he sat down suddenly and forcibly just over the edge, and, with a shriek of despair, shot down the ice-covered trough on his back, legs waving, hands grasping at the empty air and voice raised in wild cries. The enemy heard and supposing that the entire garrison was hot upon their heels, plunged down the rest of the incline in mad flight and scattered over the snow below just as Small, going now at a good twenty miles an hour, flew by!

At the top of the slide the rest of the garrison leaned weakly against the railing and laughed until the tears came. Kid was so overcome that he slipped to the floor and rolled over and over, emitting strange, gurgling sounds. Far down the slide, Small, an indistinct figure in the darkness, crawled over the bank of the slide, struggled to his feet, and, with one brief glance in the direction of the enemy, streaked across the snow toward school. Three figures gave chase and presently Small was in the hands of the enemy and Ben advanced toward the slide, one mittened hand held aloft.

“Flag of truce, fellows!” he called.

“All right,” answered Cupples. “What do you want?”

“We’ve taken Small prisoner,” announced Ben, “and we’re going to wash his face with snow unless you give in.”

A howl of protest from Small pierced the air.

“We’ll yield with all the honors of war,” announced Cupples after a hurried conference.

“What’s that?” asked Ben.

“You fellows are not to touch us,” said Cupples, “and we’re to have the use of this slide whenever we want it.”

“We won’t touch you,” replied Ben, “and you and Crandall can slide here. But those other little ruffians must keep off.”

Cupples looked inquiringly at Crandall. The latter shook his head. “Tell him they must let the juniors slide too.”

Cupples did so. Ben conferred. Small, captive between two of the day boys, waited anxiously. At last Ben turned toward the platform again.

“All right,” he said. “We agree. But you’ve spoiled our fun and you must let us have the slide the rest of the time to-night.”

“That’s all right,” agreed Bert and Lanny in a breath.

Cupples graciously informed Ben that the terms were satisfactory.

“Then you fellows come down,” said Ben.

“You release your prisoner,” said Cupples.

An instant later Small was scooting homeward again as fast as his legs would carry him. Then the garrison evacuated, Bert, Lanny and Kid marching gravely down the steps and Cupples and Crandall flying down the slide on their toboggan. The three juniors encountered the enemy at the foot of the incline. Ben scowled wrathfully.

“You kids think you’re mighty smart, don’t you?” he sneered.

Bert and Lanny smiled sweetly, but forebore to make reply as they turned homeward. Kid, however, irrepressible even in the face of danger, executed a weird dance in the snow.

“Io triumphus!” exulted Kid.

* * * * *

Mr. Folsom was standing in front of the fireplace in the hall, watch in hand, when they entered.

“Ha!” he said. “A close shave, Grey. It is thirty seconds past nine. Where are the others?”

“On the slide, sir. May I call them? I――I guess they don’t know how late it is.”

“No,” said Mr. Folsom, grimly, snapping his watch shut, “I will attend to them myself.”

“Gee,” whispered Lanny as the teacher went in search of his hat and coat, “that means house bounds to-morrow morning for all of them! My, won’t they be peeved!”

“O joy! O glee!” cried Kid. “We’ll have the slide to ourselves!”

VI

A RESCUE

And a bully time they had that next forenoon. To be sure, a few day students appeared at the slide, but the four juniors had things pretty much to themselves for all of that. They had their pick of the school toboggans and the added satisfaction of knowing that the hated enemy was envying them. For Lanny’s prophecy had proved true, and the offending upper grade fellows had been sentenced to house bounds for the entire morning.

Nan, in a fetching white blanket coat with red border and a white and red toque, joined them at their invitation, and, in order to show no partiality, alternately went down with Bert and Kid and Lanny and Small. Small was in high feather this morning, and talked a good deal about how he had scared the upper grade fellows into fits by hurling himself down the slide after them. Small finally actually got to believe that he had really performed that sensational feat on purpose.

It was a cloudy Saturday, but crisp and cold, and the slide was very fast. Starting at the platform, there came a breath-taking rush down the icy boards, then a little bump as the toboggan took the ground, then a slackening of speed for a moment over the level ground, then a long dip down the meadow hill, a little rise, and another and steeper descent and finally a gradual lessening of speed in the fields above the river, the whole trip over almost before one could really settle down to appreciation of it. Then came the long tramp back, cheeks crimson and hearts merry. There was only one spill all that morning, and that came when Lanny, yielding at last to the imploring of Small, allowed that youth to occupy the back of the toboggan. They had Nan with them that trip, and just after they had reached the level Small managed in some way to shift his position so that the toboggan plunged over the bank and sent them all sprawling in the soft snow. Nan declared, as she shook the snow off, that upsetting was lots of fun, and thereafter went down each time with the hope that the toboggan would overturn!

But it never did again, and dinner time came all too soon. Not, however, that they were lacking in appetite. Bert declared that he could eat wire nails, while Kid, not to be outdone in picturesqueness of language, maintained that a “raw dog would suit him finely!” Their appetites contrasted strongly with those of the upper grade fellows who had been mooning around indoors all the morning, and Cupples, watching Lanny eat, sighed enviously.