ff?"

"Yes."

"Did you get at all three of the wheels?"

"I sure did. Say, they will have their own troubles, see if they don't!"
chuckled the bully. "But come on before anybody sees us," he added, and
stalked away in the darkness, with his crony beside him.

CHAPTER XIII

THE WORK OF THE ENEMY

It was not until a few minutes after five o'clock that Jack, Andy and
Pepper hurried down to the gymnasium, to get their wheels. At the last
moment Andy discovered that one of his buttons was loose and had to be
sewed on, and Jack had trouble with the new cap he was going to wear. It
was a trifle too large and he had to place a strip of paper under the
band to make it stay on his head properly.

"It certainly feels like snow," said Pepper, as the three got out their
bicycles. "I am sure we'll get a snowstorm before long."

"I don't care, if only it holds off till we get back," returned Andy.

They lit the acetylene gas lamps, with which their wheels were provided,
and then ran the bicycles down to the roadway.

"Have a good time," cried Stuffer, who had come out to see them off.

"Don't worry about that," replied Pepper, gaily.

"I'll wager you'll have a dandy spread," went on the lad who loved to
eat.

"Wish you were along, Stuffer?" asked Jack.

"Do I? Well, now, don't mention it!" and Stuffer's eyes fairly watered
in anticipation.

"I'll bring you something if I get the chance," sang out Pepper, as he
gave his bicycle a shove and leaped into the saddle. "So-long!"

Jack and Andy followed their chum, and with a parting cry to Stuffer,
all three pedaled along the highway leading to Point View Lodge. It was
now night, but the three gas-lamps lit up the road so well that they had
little difficulty in finding their way.

"We are not due until six o'clock," said Jack. "So we can take it easy.
No use of getting into a perspiration over it."

"We'll not sweat much to-night," answered Pepper. "Too cold. I move we
keep at it until we reach that old barn near the Lodge. Then we can rest
a bit, so that we won't appear at the place all out of breath."

Two miles were covered, and then they came to a place where the highway
was unusually rough.

"Let me go ahead and pick the way," sang out Andy, and forged to the
front.

"Better slack up a little!" returned the young major. "No use of taking
chances when we have plenty of time."

Scarcely had he uttered the words when there came a cry from the
acrobatic