orted Pepper.

It was a chance shot, taken on the spur of the moment, but it told. Reff
Ritter started and turned pale.

"Who--er--told you I--er--tampered with your bicycles?" he stammered.

"Never mind who told me, Ritter. We are going to get square with you,
and don't you forget it."

"Who said I touched 'em?" grumbled the bully.

"Never mind about that."

"You are trying to corner me, that what's you are up to!" grumbled
Ritter. "But you shan't do it! I never touched your wheels, and you
can't prove that I did. Now don't you throw any more snowballs at me,
or I'll report you." And then Ritter hurried into the mess-room as fast
as he could.

Pepper, Jack and Andy looked at each other.

"He is guilty, I know it!" said Pepper firmly.

"I believe you," answered the young major; and Andy nodded his head to
show that he agreed with his chums.

CHAPTER XV

THE SNOWBALL BATTLE

"Now then, fellows, for the greatest snowball battle of the age!"

"Here is where Company A smothers Company B!"

"Rats! You mean that Company B will bury Company A out of sight!"

"Hi, Major Ruddy! What side are you going on?" queried Bart Conners, who
still commanded Company B.

"He is coming on our side!" answered Henry Lee, the captain of the other
company.

"Well, I can't fight on both sides," answered the young major with a
laugh.

"Go with the company that wins!" suggested Pepper, with a grin.

"Toss up a cent for it," suggested Andy.

"All right, I'll toss up," answered Jack, and did so, and it was decided
that he should fight with Company B.

"Good enough!" cried Pepper, who was in that command. "Now Company A is
licked, sure!"

"Not much!" was the answer from Stuffer Singleton. "We'll win, sure!"

"We will, unless you stop to eat a doughnut!" put in Joe Nelson, and at
this remark a general laugh went up, for Stuffer had once lost a
long-distance running race because he stopped on the way to devour some
cookies he had in his pocket.

It was after school hours, and the cadets had gathered on the field
where, during the summer, corn had been raised. It was to be a battle
between the two companies of the school battalion, with the company
captain as leader on each side.

The preliminary rules were speedily arranged. Lines were drawn at either
end of the field, about five hundred feet apart. In the center, about a
hundred feet apart, two other lines were drawn. Along the latter lines
the cadets arranged