Nappy Martell in sudden
wrath. "I'll teach you to play tricks on me! Try to make me believe
your suitcase was stolen, will you? And then come to my room and
rough-house things, eh? Just wait till I get through with you and
you'll wish you'd never been born!"

CHAPTER XIV

THE FIGHT

Fred Rover realized that he was in an unenviable situation. Nappy
Martell was thoroughly angry, and evidently Slugger Brown and Codfish
were present to aid him in anything he might undertake to do.

Many another boy might have thought discretion the better part of valor
and taken to his heels. But the youngest Rover was not built that way.
He had been taught to stick up for his rights and defend himself
whenever the cause was a just one.

"What do you propose to do, Martell?" he questioned as quietly as he
could.

"I'll show you what I'll do," blustered the other. "You thought it was
a fine joke to put most of my things under the mattress of my bed,
didn't you?"

"Who told you I did that?"

"Never mind. I found it out, and that's enough. Do you dare to deny
it?"

"I don't suppose there will be any use in denying it," was Fred's
reply. "It was done as a joke, to square accounts over the missing
suitcase."

"Bah! you needn't talk to me, Rover! I know the kind you and your
cousins are. I'm going to fix you. How do you like that?" and as he
uttered the last word, Nappy Martell hauled back and slapped Fred on
the cheek.

It was a comparatively light blow, but it aroused all the fighting
blood in the youngest Rover boy's nature, and without stopping to think
twice, he doubled up his fists and hit the larger youth a stinging blow
in the jaw.

"Gee! look at that!" murmured Codfish, who had not expected such an
onslaught from the smaller cadet.

"Say, Nappy, he's coming back at you!" burst out Slugger Brown, in
surprise.

"Coming back at me nothing!" roared Martell; and, leaping forward, he
rained a succession of blows on Fred--hitting him in the shoulder, the
chest and then the left ear.

In another moment the two cadets were at it "hammer and tongs." As they
circled around, Codfish put out his foot, trying to trip Fred up. He
failed in this, but a moment later Slugger Brown tried the trick with
success, and the youngest Rover came down heavily and an instant later
Nappy Martell landed on top of him.

"Get off of me! That wasn't fair!" exclaimed Fred. "Those other fellows
tripped me up."

"Aw, shut up!" retorted Ma