ot at?"

"Maybe he's going to join the football team next Fall and wants to
practice up."

"Has he been taming mice on the sly?"

"Gee! I don't want to stay in a place where a fellow keeps mice in his
room."

In the midst of this talk the janitor and the chauffeur did what they
could to round up the escaped mice. They managed to capture two of the
rodents and kill two others, and that was all that could be found.

"If there were any more, the rest must have gotten away," remarked Bob
Nixon.

"This is simply a practical joke," announced Captain Dale, after a few
more words with Stowell. "Have you any idea who played it?"

"I don't know exactly, sir, but I think maybe I can find out," answered
the sneak. He felt much subdued, especially as he saw the eyes of many
of the other cadets on him.

"Well, you go to bed now, and I'll take this matter up to-morrow
morning," said Captain Dale. "Boys, I want you all to retire, and at
once," he went on with a wave of his hand to those outside. And then the
cadets dispersed to their rooms.

CHAPTER IX

THE GAME WITH LONGLEY

"I guess that will hold Codfish for a while," remarked Randy, when the
Rovers were once more by themselves in their rooms and the excitement
had died away.

"I'll have to make it a point to see Pud Hicks the first thing in the
morning," returned his twin. "Pud might tell somebody that he showed
those mice to me."

"Yes, you'd better do that, by all means," put in Jack.

"And another thing you ought to do, is to let Codfish know why this
trick was played on him," came from Fred. "Otherwise it will be a good
effort thrown away," and he grinned.

"I'll leave a note under his door," said Randy, and a little later
scribbled out the following on a card:

"This is what you get, Codfish, for giving information to our
baseball rivals. Be careful in the future to keep your mouth shut.

"THE AVENGERS."

"I reckon that will hold him for a while," said Randy, and before going
to bed he slipped out into the corridor and placed the card under
Stowell's door.

Early in the morning Andy saw the assistant janitor and easily arranged
for Pud Hicks to say nothing about the mice.

"Why, over a dozen of the cadets saw those mice," said Hicks; "so they
can't blame any of this on you." And it may be mentioned here that the
investigation which followed came to nought.

Two days later Andy burst in on the others like a whirlwind, his face