passed, Bates, without slackening speed, took Dick and Greg
in with one swift glance.

Back in Gridley Dick and Greg certainly would have dashed onward
to the scene of the excitement. As young soldiers, they knew
better. Their presence over by Battle Monument had not been officially
requested. Yet, as it was not time for taps, the cadets could
and did stand where they were.

Two different armed forces were now moving swiftly forward to
reinforce the O.C., as the officer in charge is termed.

Two policemen of the quartermaster's department---enlisted men
of the Army, armed on with revolvers in holsters---ran over from
the neighborhood of the nearest officers' quarters.

Cadet Corporal Haynes and the relief of the guard, moving at double
quick, passed Dick and Greg on the path.

"Some fellows touched off firecrackers," whispered Greg to his chum.

"Number one cannon crackers," guessed Prescott.

They could see Captain Bates take a dark lantern from one of the
quartermaster's police detail, and scan the ground closely all
around where the cannon crackers had been discharged.

"Nothing more doing," muttered yearling Prescott. "We may as well
be going back to camp, Greg. But we'll lose a heap of that six hours
and a half of sleep tonight."

"Think so?" demanded Holmes moodily.

"Know it. The tac. saw us twice on this path, and he has us marked.
The O.C. and the K.C. (commandant of cadets) will hold their own
kind of court of inquiry tonight, and you and I are going to be
grilled brown."

"We didn't set the cannon crackers off; we didn't see anyone around
the monument, and we don't know anything about it."

"All true," nodded Dick. "But we'll have to say it in all the
different styles of good English that we can think of."

Dick and Greg reached the encampment, and passed inside the limits,
just before they heard the guard marching back.

Then all was ominously quiet over at the tent of the O.C., Captain
Bates.

Tattoo had gone some time ago. Now the alarm clock told the bunkies
that they had just three minutes in which to get undressed and be
in bed before taps sounded on the drum.

"It's a shame, too," muttered Dick in an undertone. "We won't
be any more than on the blanket before the summons from the O.C.
will arrive."

"Here it comes, now," whispered Greg, nudging his bunkie.

But it was Anstey, their tentmate, hastening to be undressed in
time against taps.

"What was the row?" asked t