Upton Sinclair

“ Bull watched Mark and his “gang” slyly during the day. Bull hated each and every individual member of that gang with all the concentrated hatred of which he was capable. Mark had foiled and outwitted him at every turn—the wild and woolly Texan had thrashed him once; “Indian,” the fat and timid “kid” from Indianapolis, had gotten mad one day and interrupted one of Bull’s hazing bees, attacking the yearling with a fury that had knocked him off his feet. ”

“ Texas had started on a run, without saying another word, and the rest were at his heels.
The men who had taken that heavy chest down that steep forest slope to the river must have had hard work. Any one could see that as he looked at the mark of the wheel. It would run down a slippery rock and plunge deep into the soft earth at the bottom. It would run into a fallen log, or plunge through a heavy thicket. And once, plain as day was written a story of how the chest had fallen off and the heap of scattered coins all been gathered up again.
These things the plebes barely noticed in their haste. ”

“ The Seven were usually merry, as we know, but they had extra causes just then. Everything was going about as well for them as things in the world could be expected to go. And besides this, Parson Stanard, who was a wellspring of fun at all times, was in one of his most solemn and therefore laughable moods at present.
The thought had occurred to the Parson, as his first sordid flush of delight at having wealth had passed, that after all he was in a very unscholarly condition indeed. The very idea of a man of learning being rich! ”

“ Something which happened immediately after Fischer left the tent effectually drove from Mark’s mind all ideas of fights and first classmen. It was the blessed long-expected signal, a roll upon the drum, the summons to fall in for the evening’s dress parade.
And oh, how those plebes were “spruced up!” The four members of the Banded Seven who roomed in Mark’s tent had taken turns looking over each other in the effort to find a single flaw. A member of the guard trying for colors was never more immaculate than those anxious strangers. ”

“ The wild excitement that ensued it is impossible to picture; everything in camp was moving and shouting at once. Lieutenant Allen, the tac of Company A, on duty for the night, had leaped from his bed at the first bang, and from his tent at the second. His yell for the drum orderly brought that youngster out flying, and the third report of the gun was echoed by a rattle of drums that seemed never to stop. It was the dreaded “long roll.”
Cadets sleep in their underclothing, like firemen, ready for just such an emergency as this. ”

“ His professional pride had been awakened.
“I mean nothing of the kind!” said he. “I mean that I no longer mean to let you. I mean that a man who has so long resisted and outwitted our enemy, the yearlings, ought now to be beyond deception. I will no more be fooled!”
[57] There was quite an exciting adventure destined to grow out of that scholarly defiance, an adventure that none of those present had the least suspicion of then.
“Do you mean,” inquired Mark, laughingly, “that you defy the Banded Seven to fool you again?”
“Yea, by Zeus!” said the Parson, emphatically. ”

“ Quietly at rest in that hotel, and unsuspecting, were some dozens of guests, including one that interests us above all others, Grace Fuller. Her room was now on the top floor of the hotel, and in the corner of the building that was fast getting warm and choking.
It is a horrible thing, the progress of a fire through the still watches of the night. Creeping ahead and crackling it goes, so slowly and yet with such deadly and inevitable purpose. It has been called a devouring fiend; it has greedy tongues that steal on and lick up everything, and grow hungrier and more savage as they feed. ”

“ Texas had been perspiring like a man in a torture chamber during this ordeal, and just then he leaped forward with a yell.
“You ole white-faced coyote, you, doggone your boots, I’ll——”
“Texas!” said Mark, in his quiet way.
And Texas shut up like an angry oyster and went back into the corner.
[260] “Now, gentlemen,” said Mark, “I think our interview is at an end. You understand my point. And that is all.”
“And as for you,” retorted the other. “Do you understand your position? You will be branded by the cadets as a coward. You will fight Fischer as sure as the class can make you. ”

“ The cries from the yearlings increased in terror; outside they heard the blows of a pickax beating against the wall. Their hearts bounded in hope; they gasped in suspense; but then suddenly the sound ceased.
“I can’t do a thing!” It was Texas who spoke. “The walls are too hard. We can’t help them, they’re gone.”
“And we!” cried Mark. “Fellows, we’re murderers!”
“Who knows of this yere place?” demanded Texas. “Nobody’ll ever find ’em. Fellers, let’s go back to camp and swear we never saw ’em.”
“Oh, don’t leave us! Don’t leave us!” wailed Bull. “Oh! oh!” ”

“ You fools! Dig a tunnel, hey? Ho, ha! Well, suppose you dig it. I’ve a revolver here, and I’ll [139] blow the blamed head off the first man that comes out. How do you like that. Guess again, Mark Mallory.”
The Parson sprang up as if he had sat down on the proverbial haystack with a needle in it. That voice was the voice of the “enemy,” Bull Harris! A moment later the Parson was creeping toward the sound with stealthiness that would have done credit to an Apache.
“We are in the hands of the enemy,” he gasped. “By the all-wise, high-thundering, far-ruling Olympian Zeus!” ”

“ The Parson of course was not in the least surprised; it was what he had been expecting all along. What surprised him was their surprise, and incredulity, and blank amazement. Each one of them must needs stoop and verify Mark’s extraordinary statement, learn that there was something down there with a handle for a fact. And then, as completely subdued and serious as ever were [81] merry jokers they took the spade from the exhausted Stanard and set to work to dig with real earnestness, and in silence. No exclamation they could think of came anywhere near expressing their state of mind. ”

“ And never did a batter “lam her out” with more vigor than the treasure-hunting scholar “lammed her” into that ground.
They reached the two-foot mark, and then began the same trouble of inability to reach the bottom.
“Better make it bigger, b’gee,” laughed Dewey. “Don’t give up. If it don’t work this time, b’gee, we’ll light every other lamp in the place and try their shadows. And then——”
And then with an exclamation of excitement the Parson sprang back.
“I’ve struck something!” he cried.
“Whoop!” roared the crowd chuckling. “We’ve found the treasure! Hooray!” ”

“ It was an uncanny business wandering about a dark house at night; it is especially so if it be a strange house and if one knows for certain that there is a desperate burglar creeping about somewhere in it. Many a man has shrunk from that task; but the three had been bemoaning a lack of excitement, and now here it was. So they had no right to complain.
Mark waited a moment for the others to join him and then side by side they stood and peered into the darkness. From what they had seen of the room when the man struck a light it was a dining-room with a flight of stairs running up from it. ”

“ The three gasped it all at once, in a tone of amazement that cannot be shown on paper.
“And pray,” added the spokesman, “why do you refuse to fight Mr. Fischer?”
“My reasons,” said Mark, “are my own. I never try to justify my conduct to others. I simply refuse to fight Mr. Fischer. I’ll fight any other man you send.”
“You’ll fight no one else!” snapped the cadet. “Mr. Fischer is the choice of the class. If you refuse to meet him, and give no reason, it can only be because——”
“Because you know he’s too good a man for you!” ”

“ Mallory,” he said. “You do not realize what you attempt. But you may rest assured of one thing. I shall never forget this, never as long as I live. Good-night.”
And as the captain’s figure strode up the street Mark turned and put his hands on Texas’ shoulders.
“Old fellow,” said he, “and have you any courage?”
“Say,” protested Texas, solemnly, “I’ll fight——”
[256] “I don’t mean that kind of courage,” said Mark. “I mean courage of the eye, and the heart. Courage of the mind that knows it’s right and cares for nothing else. I mean the courage to be called a coward?” ”

“ Already the air seemed to grow hot, their breath to come in choking gasps. They screamed aloud, fairly shrieked in agony. They tore at their bonds, beat upon the wall with their helpless hands and feet. And all the while outside their cries were answered by the equally terrified shouts of the plebes.
“Let us out! Let us out!” shrieked Bull.
“Can’t you get loose?” they heard a voice reply; they recognized it as Mallory’s. “Oh, man, you must get loose! Try! Try! We can’t help you! There’s a knob inside there! Turn it, turn it, and the door’ll open.”
“How can I turn it?” screamed Bull. ”

“ He got down on his stomach, flat, and reached into the ground.
“Whoop!” roared Texas, “it’s good he’s got long arms! Hooray, we’ve got our treasure!”
“Yes, by Zeus!” cried the Parson, springing up and facing them. His next words almost took them off their feet, and no wonder. “Gentlemen,” he said, solemnly, “we have got a treasure! It’s got a handle!”
The five stared at each other in dumb amazement.
“A handle!” they echoed. “A handle!”
And then Mark flung himself to the ground, and reached in. ”

“ The three gazed at each other in consternation and sprang back instinctively. The policeman took that for a move to escape and he whipped out his revolver with a suddenness that made Texas’ mouth water.
“Stop!” he cried.
His command received even more emphasis from the fact that another policeman rushed up the stairs at that moment. The three stopped.
“See here, officer,” said Mark, as calmly as he could. “This is all a mistake. We aren’t burglars; we are perfectly respectable young men——”
“You look like it,” put in the other, incredulously. ”

“ You’ve heard of clouds with silver linings. I’m off duty and can play the gentleman all day, and not have to turn out and drill like you unfortunate plebes. And, moreover, nobody offers to haze me any more while I’m a cripple.”
“It’d be jes’ like ’em to,” growled Texas.
“That’s got nothing to do with the letter,” responded Mark. “There is some news in here that’ll interest you fellows, if Texas would only stop growling at the cadets long enough to give me a chance. Too much fighting is spoiling your gentle disposition, Texas.” ”

“ Think of his not having Captain Fisher to march him ’round to church after that and civilize him! Think of the yearlings having nobody to lick ’em any more! Think of Bull Harris, our beloved enemy, who hates us worse than I do warm cod liver oil, having nobody to fool him every once in a while and get him wild!”
Mark observed by that time from the twitching in his excitable friend’s fingers and the light that danced in his eye that his last hit had drawn blood. Texas was cured in a moment of all desire to leave West Point. ”

“ As an ally and worshiper of Bull and a malignant enemy of Mark Mallory’s, Gus Murray yielded to no one, with the possible exception of Merry Vance, the shallow and sour-faced youth on his right. The cause of Merry’s pessimistic complexion we once guessed to be indigestion; inasmuch as he was just then pouring down his third dose of bad brandy a revision of this surmise will be allowed. To complete the party, there was one more, a very small one, our young friend, Baby Edwards, a sweet-tempered little sneak who had not even manliness enough to be vicious. ”

“ But the watchful “tac” had had his eye on Mark, knowing his friendship for the girl. Lieutenant Allen did not mean to have his lines broken up in that way; there were others to attend to that rescue, and he ordered Mallory back to his place with a stern command that Mallory dared not disobey. Now he was [273] standing like a warrior in chains amid the battle’s roar, watching with the rest, and trembling with horror and dread.
What if Fischer should fail—be beaten back? What if smoke should overcome him, and he should sink where he was? ”

“ To “get square” was in his mind constantly, until he hit on another scheme of hazing.
It was several nights later that he and his cronies crept to the tent wherein lay Mark and three of the others.
“Don’t let him move, now,” whispered Bull Harris. “Hold him tight, for he’ll fight like fury.”
“And take that wild hyena they call Texas along, too,” added another. “It was he who broke up all our fun the other night.”
“He won’t get a chance to use his guns this time,” snarled the first speaker. “And we’ve got enough of a crowd to handle any of the others if they wake up. Ready, now!” ”

“ It is safe to say that in spite of all the talk about the severity of West Point discipline, if the commandant of cadets should take it into his head to wander through Camp McPherson every night for a week running, he would find some things to surprise him. He might not find any geological chemists hard at work, but he might find a small game of some sort going on on the sly, and he’d be sure to find a surreptitious banquet or two. He might also see occasional parties steal past an obliging sentry who was looking the other way. ”