uring the
war.

"Johnny get your musket!
You must get your musket!
Johnny get your musket!
You must get it now!"

And this ditty the lads sang over and over again as they leaped and swung
in a circle around the bonfires.

But all gala occasions must come to an end, and by eleven o'clock the
bonfires were nothing but heaps of smouldering ashes, and then one by one
the cadets returned to the Hall and retired.

"Well, Jack, it will seem kind of funny, won't it, to be at the head of
the school battalion to-morrow morning?" questioned Gif, as he and the
newly-elected major turned into the corridor leading to their rooms.

"Yes, Gif. But it won't be so very strange either, because you know I had
to command the battalion two or three times when the other officers were
away."

Their activities during the whole of the day had made the cadets sleepy,
and nearly all turned in without much ado. Here and there there was an
exception, and these included Fatty Hendry and Dan Soppinger.

"I've got to get out some sort of a composition on City Improvements,"
declared Fatty. "I don't know much about 'em, but if I don't get the
paper in by nine o'clock to-morrow morning there's going to be trouble."

"And I still have some examples in algebra to work out," answered Dan.
"So I think I'll go at them before I retire."

All of the Rovers slept soundly and did not awaken until they heard an
unexpected knock on their door some time before the rising bell.

"Let me in," came in the voice of Dan Soppinger. "I've got news."

Jack opened the door and Dan came in, followed by Fatty.

"Say, what do you know about this!" exclaimed Dan. "Colby Hall has been
robbed!"

"Robbed!" ejaculated Jack. "What do you mean? What did they take?"

"What did they take!" burst out Fatty. "I guess they took about
everything they could get their hands on that was easy to carry off. I
lost my stickpin and my watch."

"And I lost two old stickpins and two rings that I haven't been wearing,"
put in Dan.

"When did you find this out?" questioned the newly-elected major.

"I made the discovery just when I was going to bed after doing some
examples in algebra," answered Dan. "It was about half-past twelve, so I
didn't want to wake anybody up--that is, none of the other fellows,
although I did call on Fatty because I knew he was writing a composition.
He looked around his room then and found he had been robbed, too. Then,
as Professor Duk