ble
present.

"I don't want any present! I want to get down!" cried the sneak.

"Oh, this is something very valuable, Codfish," returned Randy, and
winked at some of the others.

Just for the fun of it, some of the cadets had obtained some potatoes
from the storehouse and started to roast these under one of the
bonfires. Two of the potatoes, quite hot and black, were brought forth
and thrust into Codfish's hands.

"Ouch! What do you mean by handing me red-hot potatoes!" yelled the
sneak, in alarm.

"Oh, we thought you were hungry," cried one of the other cadets.

"You wanted to burn me--that's what you wanted to do!" shrieked
Codfish, who, however, was far more scared than hurt. "I want to get
down!"

"You've got to give us a dance first, Codfish," ordered Randy.

"That's right! Give us a jig!" put in Andy.

"Make it a Boston seven-step," suggested Jack.

"Or a Washington dip," added Fred.

A dozen of the cadets were shouting at poor Codfish to dance, and
presently the excited boy commenced to shuffle his feet.

"Now jump up three times and we'll let you go!" cried Randy.

Codfish made one leap into the air and came down on the barrel top
successfully. Then he tried a second leap, but, as Randy well knew, the
barrel top was weak, and, with a crash, poor Codfish went down straight
into the big barrel up to his armpits.

"Whoop! Codfish has busted the barrel!" cried Fred.

"What do you mean by breaking up housekeeping like that, Codfish?"
demanded Andy.

"Let's do the baker act for him," went on Randy, quickly.

"The baker act?" queried several of the cadets. "What's that?"

"Don't you know the baker loves his rolls?" answered Andy, with a broad
grin.

"That's the talk!" came in a shout. "Let's give Codfish a roll;" and
before the sneak could save himself the barrel was tipped up on its
side and sent rolling over and over towards the parade ground.

"Ouch! Let up! I'll be killed!" screamed the victim. "This barrel may
have a lot of nails in it!"

"Oh, do you think that's true?" asked one of the cadets in fright.

"Nary a nail! I saw to that before we used the barrel," answered Randy.
"Such a rolling won't hurt him a bit;" and the cadets continued their
sport with the barrel, finally sending it down a slight hill in the
direction of the river. Here it lodged against some bushes, and Codfish
was allowed to crawl forth. At once he took to his heels and
disappeared.

It was noticed by many that