HEPSON IS "SOME WILD"
"Police!" bawled others of the civilians, taking up the hue and cry.
That spelled serious trouble if Dave and his friends should tarry there.
Midshipmen are in no sense free from arrest by the civil authorities, and
it is likely to fare hard with Uncle Sam's young sailors if they are
taken in by the civil authorities.
"Come along," muttered Darrin, leading the way. He did not run, but he
certainly walked fast, and in a direction away from Main Street. His two
companions followed him. The "unknown midshipman," taking Darrin's shrewd
hint, had already made himself invisible.
After the prompt drubbing they had received, not one of the young
civilians felt any desire to follow these husky midshipmen.
The police in Annapolis are few in number, and so do not always hear a
street summons. In this instance Dave and his friends turned a corner and
were soon away from the scene of the late affair.
"Now, I hope you've had all the excitement you want, Joyce," Dave
remarked dryly.
"Like most good things, it didn't last long," complained Joyce.
"Oh, it isn't over yet, by any means. We've the O.C. and the com. to
face," grumbled Darrin. "But we couldn't stand by and see one of our own
punched by a whole gang."
"Of course we couldn't, but why fuss about the com, and his satellite,
the O.C.? They'll never hear of this."
"I think there's a big chance that we shall hear of it," retorted Dave.
"That's why I advised you not to look at the unknown midshipman closely
enough to be able to recognize him in the dark."
"I don't know who he was," admitted Dan candidly.
"Nor do I," supplemented Joyce.
"Then, whoever he is, the chap stands little chance of being caught
unless he voluntarily announces himself."
Presumably the police didn't answer the hail of the young civilians.
At any rate, Darrin and his friends heard nothing more of the matter
while in town.
But when they returned to Bancroft Hall the trio were met by this
announcement:
"The officer in charge wishes to see you in his office."
"It's coming," warned Dave, as he and his companions turned and went in
to report themselves.
"There has been a disturbance in Annapolis," stated Lieutenant-Commander
Denham. "Mr. Darrin, were you in it?"
"I was in one kind of disturbance, sir," Darrin answered at once.
"Of what kind?"
"Several civilians attacked a man in a midshipman's uniform. I went
to his aid."
"And attacked some civilians?"
"Yes, sir."
"Mr. Dalzell, Mr. Joyce, did you also take part in that affair?"
inquired the O.C.
"Yes, sir," answered both midshipmen.
"For what reason?"
"Because, sir," answered Joyce, "several civilians pounced upon one man
who wore a midshipman's uniform."
"And you three rushed in and pounded some civilians?" asked the
O.C. coolly.
"I'm afraid we did, sir," answered Dave, who found the
lieutenant-commander's gaze turned on him.
"Who was that other midshipman, Mr. Darrin?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Didn't you recognize him when you went to his aid?"
"I did not, sir."
"Did either of you gentlemen recognize the midshipman to whose rescue
you rushed?"
Dan and Joyce replied in the negative.
"Tell me the circumstances of the attack, Mr. Darrin. Take pains to make
your statement so exact that you will not have to amend the statement
afterwards."
Darrin told the affair as it had happened.
"Hm! And none of you recognized the fourth midshipman?" pursued the O.C.
"That, in itself, was strange, Mr. Darrin, was there any agreement among
you three that you would not recognize your comrade?"
"Not exactly an agreement, sir," Dave confessed candidly. "At the
distance that we were from the scene before we rushed in the darkness
prevented our seeing the face of the unknown midshipman. As we started
forward, I will admit that I warned Mr. Dalzell and Mr. Joyce not to look
at the other midshipman's face."
"So that you might answer truthfully, if asked, that you did not
know the man?"
"Yes, sir; that was my reason for so advising Mr. Dalzell and Mr. Joyce."
"That was what might be termed extraordinary foresight, Mr. Darrin,"
remarked Lieutenant-Commander Denham ironically.
"Thank you, sir," answered Dave as innocently as though he did not
understand that he had just been rebuked. The O.C. frowned.
"Mr. Darrin, since I assume you to have been the ringleader of your trio,
did you give that wonderful advice to your companions just so that you
might be able to refuse any aid to the Naval Academy authorities in
running this matter to the ground?"
"Yes, sir," Dave answered very frankly.
"You wished, then," demanded the O.C. sternly, "to hinder the course of
justice at the Naval Academy?"
"It, at least, sir, did not strike me at the time quite in that light."
"Yet something was happening on the streets of Annapolis that you knew
would be very thoroughly investigated if it were reported here, and so
you took precautions against being able to aid the authorities in the
investigation?"
"I admit the truth of that, sir."
"Mr. Darrin, why did you feel called upon to try to defeat the
investigation that you foresaw, and which is now under way?"
"Because, sir, it is contrary to the spirit of the brigade of midshipmen
to carry tales against each other. I did not care to act contrary to
that spirit."
"Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that you did not dare,"
observed the O.C. half sneeringly.
"That way of stating it would be true, sir. I do not care to turn
informer against my comrades."
"Yet you think you possess the courage to become one of our fighting
officers in the future, if the need arises?
"Of my courage as a fighting man, sir, I am unable to form any opinion
until that courage has been properly tested."
"But you are afraid to inform the authorities of the identity of comrades
who commit serious offenses?"
"As it is contrary to the spirit of the brigade, sir, I would be more
afraid of my own contempt than of any other punishment."
Lieutenant-Commander Denham appeared to lose some of his patience
presently.
"I wonder," he remarked brusquely, "why you midshipmen cannot learn to
accept some of your sense of honor from the officers who have seen so
much more service than you. I wonder why you will go on formulating your
own canons of honor, even when such beliefs sometimes result in the
dismissal of midshipmen from the service."
The three midshipmen, not being questioned, remained silent.
"And so not one of you has the slightest idea of the original nature of
the quarrel in which you so readily took part? And none of you has any
idea of the identity of the fourth midshipman concerned in this
evening's work?"
"I have not, sir," replied Midshipmen Darrin, Dalzell and Joyce in
one breath.
"Very good, gentlemen. The matter will be investigated further. You will
go to your quarters and remain there. You will take part in the meal
formations, but in no drills or recitations until you are further
advised. And you will not leave Bancroft Hall without direct orders from
competent authority."
The three midshipmen saluted, turned and left the office, going to their
own rooms.
"Wow!" muttered Dan as soon as the chums had closed their door on
themselves.
"We shall surely have enough to think of," smiled Dave wearily.
"Oh, aye!" agreed Dalzell.
"Oh, well, if we're going to skip some recitations we'll need all the
more study," sighed Dave, seating himself at his study table and drawing
his books toward him.
But he was not permitted to study long in peace. Word of the affair had
spread, and Hepson presented himself at Darrin's quarters in great
consternation.
"Great!" mocked Hepson. "Just when we've discovered that the Navy has a
dub team without you two, or next door to one, then you two go and get
ordered to quarters. You'll not turn out with us Monday; you may not
practice with us through the week or play in our next game. Fine!"
"Perhaps," grinned Dan, "if we two are so important to Navy prestige as
you appear to imagine, we shall not be kept long from the gridiron."
"Dalzell," retorted Hepson impatiently, "you're a second classman, and
you've been here long enough to know that no considerations of discipline
will be made to stand aside in order that the Navy may have a better
athletic team of any kind. Nothing here is sacrificed to athletics, and
you surely must know it."
"Then I guess we're dished," confessed Dalzell mournfully.
"A fine way for you two to go and use the football squad! Great!"
insisted Hepson bitterly.
"Had you been with us, Hepson, you'd have done just as we did. I know
that," Dave replied.
"Well, you are calling me a bit," agreed Hepson. "After all, I don't know
just what it was that got you both into this scrape. Some kind of fight,
or row, in town, was all I heard."
"Then I'll tell you about it," Darrin went on quietly.
"Well, I really don't see how you could have helped it," agreed
Midshipman Hepson after he had listened. "But that doesn't save us any.
We're out our two best line players and our quarter-back."
"Oh, we'll be restored to the squad as soon as the sentence has been
pronounced," predicted Dan Dalzell.
"Even if you're bounced out of the Naval Academy?" demanded Hepson
savagely.
"It--it won't be as bad as that," faltered Dan.
"Perhaps not," agreed Hepson, "though you must understand that the charge
of assaulting civilians is not a light matter. You can be dismissed for
it, you know."
"Yes," nodded Dave Darrin, and then Danny boy went several shades
less ruddy.
"Here's hoping for the best," grumbled Hepson, holding out his hand to
each in turn. "And, for the love of Mike, keep out of all further
trouble! Don't look cross-eyed--once--until after November!"