He wanted to keep them busy, so that his friends could approach unseen, and he set out to do it with all the strength of his powerful frame. There were three of the yearlings, just as Grace had said, and they were big fellows, selected for that reason; the yearling class knew Mark Mallory—knew that he could fight when he wanted to, and he wanted to then. He went down struggling, kicking, hitting right and left; on the ground he was writhing1 and twisting as no eel2 had ever done. And then suddenly he heard a muttered exclamation3, felt the hands that were gripping him relax; he flung off his enemies and sprang up to find each of them struggling desperately4 in the grip of the triumphant5 five.
There were two for each of the yearlings. That was not quite so unfair as the three to one that had prevailed a moment before; but it was enough to make victory certain. The yearlings did not dare cry out; they were more[Pg 75] to blame than the plebes and they knew it. The plebes knew it, too, knew that they had only to hold their enemies, not trying to keep them quiet.
The six had the yearlings flat upon their backs in a very brief space of time. To bind6 them hand and foot was a still easier task. And then the mighty7 Texas flung one over his shoulder, the rest carrying the other two; they sprang down into the ditch; they climbed the parapet of the fort beyond; and a moment later were safe, out of sight or hearing.
Then Mark Mallory, sentry8 number three, brushed off his soiled clothing, picked up his soiled gun, shouldered it and marched calmly away down the path. Tramp, tramp.
Sentry number three would have loved dearly to "see the fun," but there is no worse offense9 known at West Point than deserting a sentry post. He did not dare take the risk, so we shall have to leave him alone and go see for ourselves.
The five rascals10 with their securely-bound and gagged victims did not go very far. They stopped in the middle of old Fort Clinton and dropped their mummy burdens to the ground. Texas pulled from under his coat a bottle, one quart of peroxide of hydrogen, very strong, "a ninety per cent. saturated11 solution." And he got right to work, too.
[Pg 76]You ask what he did? Any one ought to guess that. As a hair dye, peroxide of hydrogen is pretty well known, we fancy.
Add Texas was a liberal hair dyer, too. He put plenty of it on. He was not careful to apply it evenly, to get it on everywhere. In fact, he was rather careful not to. Texas was not seeking for any beautiful effects, mind you; all he wanted to do was to put some mark on those yearlings that would cure them of their hazing12 habits, that would make them the laughingstock of the class.
Having finished one, doused13 him well, Texas went on to the next. And more miserable14 looking and feeling cadets than the three a human being cannot imagine. They had some vague idea of what their tormentors were doing, and visions arose up before them, visions of themselves dancing in the ballroom15, or walking about with their best girls, or marching on parade, with half yellow and half black or brown hair, stamped and labeled before all to their shame as the yearlings who tried to haze16 Mallory. And the worst of it was they daren't tell the authorities; they were more to blame than anybody!
Texas knew that; and he soaked on the peroxide of hydrogen the more—ninety per cent. saturated solution.
Having finished this they left their victims there for a while, so that their hair might dry and the bleach17 have a good chance to work. It would never have done in the[Pg 77] world to let them run back to camp and wash it all out. Oh, no! And, besides, it might be well to leave them there a while to reflect upon the sin of hazing.
As to this last point a mild bit of sarcasm18 occurred to the Parson. "The Parson" was just the man to preach a sermon; and he got down upon his knees and whispered very softly into the ears of each of the three:
"Gentlemen," said he, "the epistle for the day is written in the sixth chapter of Galatians, the seventh verse. 'Be not deceived, brethren. For whatsoever19 a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' Here endeth the first lesson. Yea, by Zeus!"
And then the five hair dyers stole away, and likewise the one quart bottle, peroxide of hydrogen, ninety per cent. saturated solution.
They were not through yet. Oh, not by a long shot! They rejoined sentry number three and held a whispered consultation20.
"Who's on to-night?" was the question.
"Only one to interest us. Bull Harris!" was the answer.
"Where?"
"Number two."
And then the five figures disappeared once more in the darkness—the moon had kindly21 hidden for a while. Mark could see number two from his post, and he watched with[Pg 78] the utmost eagerness. He saw three horrified22 yearlings dash across his own beat and vanish in their tents. He let them pass without challenge, even if it was against the orders, for he knew that they were the three unhappy heroes of the peroxide of hydrogen bottle, just released by the plebes.
After that there was a silence of perhaps five minutes. Mark, in disobedience of all orders, was actually standing23 still, peering across at the sentry on the next beat. He could see that gentleman's white "pants" shining out; and then suddenly he saw several dark figures steal up behind him, saw the sentry shoot up into the air and take a header to the grass. The next moment came rapid footfalls and some quick shadows flying across the path. The shadows disappeared in the tents and Camp McPherson was once more silent as the night.
Sentry number two got up from the ground in a meditative24 way; his look—though Mark did not see it—was what is often described as an injured one. He made no sound, because for one thing he was too surprised, and for another because he had an idea some of his own class had done that trick—mistaken him for Mallory! For though Bull Harris had watched long and anxiously he hadn't seen Mark "dumped."
Mark meanwhile had faced about and was strolling on[Pg 79] down the path, a rather happy and satisfied expression upon his face. Tramp, tramp.
This chapter would not be complete without a word—just a word—about three yearling friends of ours. They woke up—if they slept at all that night—with three startling crops of beautiful golden shining hair, rather piebald in places. One likes to lavish25 adjectives upon that hair; the piebald is not meant to be a pun. Now, as to how that hair got dyed during the night, not a man of them would tell. But the Seven told Grace, of course; and Grace told the cadets, which amounted to the same thing in the end. The story was all about the post that morning.
By that time the three had been to the barber's and their heads looked like a wheat field, a field of golden grain after the reaping machine had been hauled across. But that didn't save the three. They were guyed unmercifully; one of them had three fights at Fort Clinton before he could convince his classmates that he really didn't want to be called "Peroxide."
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1
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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2
eel
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| n.鳗鲡 | |
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3
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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4
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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5
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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6
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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7
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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8
sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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9
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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10
rascals
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| 流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人 | |
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11
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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12
hazing
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| n.受辱，被欺侮v.（使）笼罩在薄雾中( haze的现在分词 )；戏弄，欺凌（新生等，有时作为加入美国大学生联谊会的条件） | |
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13
doused
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| v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火] | |
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14
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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15
ballroom
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| n.舞厅 | |
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16
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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17
bleach
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| vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂 | |
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18
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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19
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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20
consultation
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| n.咨询；商量；商议；会议 | |
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21
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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22
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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23
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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24
meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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25
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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