away a few mementos himself!"

As soon as Henley and his seconds were seen to be approaching,
Dave slipped off his blouse.

Within five minutes after that both men were ready and faced each
other. The word was given.

"Now, Mr. Touge," warned Henley, "guard that striking face of
yours!"

"Oh, I don't do any striking with my face," retorted Dave dryly.
"I do all my killing with my hands."

"Stop that one," urged Henley, feinting cleverly with his left,
then following it up with a right hand crusher.

Dave stopped both blows neatly enough, then sidestepped and passed
over a fist that grazed Mr. Henley's face.

"I just wanted to find out where your face is," mocked Darrin.

"Talk less and fight more, Mr. Touge!" warned the referee.

"Very good, sir," Dave retorted. "But it's going to be hard on
Mr. Henley."

"Bah!" sneered Henley. "Woof!"

The latter exclamation followed when Dave's fist cut Henley's
lip a bit. But that indignity stirred the first class man to
swifter, keener efforts. He failed to score heavily on the fourth
class man, however; but, just before the call time for the first
round Henley's nose stopped a blow from Darrin's fist, and first
class blood began to flow.

"Mr. Touge is a hard fighter," muttered the time-keeper to the
referee, while the seconds attended their men.

"We've plenty of fellows at Annapolis who can punish Darrin,"
replied Midshipman Bailey.

Time was called for the start-off of the second round. The two
principals were intent on their footwork around each other, when
there came hail that froze their blood.

"Halt! Remain as you are for inspection!"

It was the voice of Lieutenant Hall, one of the discipline officers,
and the fighters and their friends had been caught!

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION

Blank dismay fell over the whole of the fight party.

Three first class men, two second class men and three members
of the fourth class stood on the brink of almost instant dismissal.

It was bitter for all of them, but it seemed especially hard to
the first class men, who had survived the four years of hard grilling
and were on the eve of graduation.

However, there was no thought of running. Though it was too dark
for the discipline officer to have recognized any of them at the
distance from which he had hailed them, yet, in a flight, it would
be easy enough for Lieutenant Hall, who was an athlete, to catch
one or two of them and then the names of a