and another headed by Dale,
and the excitement over this contest waged so high, that the thefts
were, for the time being, forgotten.

The tug-of-war was held late one afternoon in the gymnasium. A line was
drawn on the floor and the long rope laid across this. On either side
wooden cleats were nailed down, so that the contestants might brace
their feet.

The two teams consisted of eight cadets each. With Pepper were Andy,
Jack, and Fred Century, while on Dale's side were Bart Field, Bart
Conners and some other cadets already introduced.

"Now, then, Pepper!" cried one of his friends. "See what you can do!"

"Don't give him a chance, Dale! Yank him right over the line!" cried one
of Dale's friends.

"I'll bet Pepper Ditmore loses," said Nick Paxton, who was present.
Ritter and Coulter had said they did not consider a tug-of-war between
such teams worth witnessing.

Frank Barringer was timekeeper and referee, and at the appointed hour he
made both teams line up and catch hold of the rope.

"All ready?" he asked.

There was a moment of silence.

"Drop!" was the cry, and on the instant both teams tightened their holds
on the rope and dropped down on the wooden cleats.

"Hold them, Pepper!"

"Don't let 'em haul you up, Dale!"

"Glue yourself down, Jack!"

"Stone foundation, Fred! Stone foundation!"

So the cries ran on, as the two tug-of-war teams held on to the long
rope like grim death, each team determined not to give in an inch.

For fully five minutes the rope remained as when the teams had first
dropped. Then, of a sudden, Dale gave a hiss and up came his men, to
haul in on the rope several inches and then drop as before.

"Hurrah! that's the way to do it!"

"Every inch counts, boys!"

"Watch your chance for another!"

"Get it back, Pepper! Get it back!"

There followed another tense strain. Then Dale's team came up once more
and brought rope in another six inches.

"That's the way to do it! Now then, a good, stiff pull and you'll have
'em over!"

"Wake up, Pepper! It's time you and your men got on the job!" cried
Henry Lee.

"I knew Dale's team would win," said Paxton.

Hardly had Paxton spoken when Dale's team came up for another haul. But
this time Pepper and his men were on the alert, and in a twinkling they
commenced to haul in--six inches, a foot, a foot and a half and then two
feet--and then they dropped, the strain being as much as they could
stand.

"Hurrah! Look at that!"