the yearlings were a merry party, about ten of them, and they were out for fun and all the fun that could be had. they were going to make it hot for certain b. j. plebes, and they meant to lose no time about it, either. they crept up the company street, laughing and talking in whispers, for fear they should arouse the tac. the sentries they did not care about, of course, for the sentries were pledged to "look the other way."
it was decided that the first thing to be done to those b. j. plebes was to "yank 'em." yanking is a west point invention. it means that the victim finds his blanket seized by one corner and torn from under him, hurling him to the ground. many a plebe's nightmares are punctuated with just such periods as these.
it seems that a "yanking" was just what the four had prepared for. they had prepared for it by huddling up in one corner and rigging dummies to place in their beds. the dummies consisted of wash basins, buckets, etc., and[pg 269] it was calculated that when these dummies were yanked they would be far from dumb.
the yearlings stole up cautiously; they did not know they were watched. the breathless plebes saw their shadows on the tent walls, and knew just what was going on. they saw the figures line up at the back; they saw half a dozen pairs of hands gently raise the canvas, and get a good firm grip on the blankets. then came a subdued "now!" and then—well, things began to happen after that!
the yearlings "yanked" with all the power of their arms. the blankets gave way, and the result was a perfectly amazing clatter and crash. have you ever heard half a dozen able-bodied dishwashers working at once?
naturally the wildest panic resulted among the attacking party. they did not know what they had done, but they did know that they had done something desperate, and that they wished they hadn't. as the sound broke out on the still, night air they turned in alarm and made a wild dash for their tents.
two of them raced down the company street at top speed; both of them suddenly struck an unexpected obstruction and were sent flying through the air. it was a[pg 270] string; and at one end of it was the texas .44-caliber. the result was a bang that woke the camp with a jump. and then there was fun for fair.
the sentries knew then that every one was awake, including the "tac," and that they might just as well, therefore, "give the alarm." all five of them accordingly set up a wild shout for the corporal of the guard. this brought the young officer and lieutenant allen on the scene in no time. also it brought from the land of dreams every cadet in the corps who had managed to sleep through the former racket. and nearly all of them rushed to their tent doors wondering what would happen next.
the seven meanwhile had been working like beavers. the instant the gun had gone off texas, who held the string, had yanked it in and stowed it away with his other weapons, shaking with laughter in the meanwhile. the others had gone to work with a will; pitcher, basin, bucket, everything, had been hastily set in place; blankets had been relaid; and everything, in short, was put in order again, so that by the time that lieutenant allen got around to their tent—the officer had seized his lantern and set out on a hasty round to discover the jokers—he[pg 271] found four "scared" plebes, sitting up in beds, sleepily rubbing their eyes, and inquiring in anxiety:
"what's the matter?"
he didn't tell them, for he hadn't the remotest idea himself. and nobody told him; the yearlings couldn't have if they had wanted to.
of course the lieutenant didn't care to stay awake all night, fruitlessly asking questions; so he went to bed. the sentries resumed their march, wondering meanwhile what on earth had led their classmates to make so much rumpus, and speculating as to whether it could possibly be true, what one cadet had suggested—that that wild and woolly texan had tried to shoot some one who had hazed him. the rest of the cadets dropped off to sleep. and soon everybody was quiet again—that is, except the seven devils.
the seven devils had only just begun. they lay and waited until things were still, and then mark gave the order, and the crowd rose as one man and stole softly out into the street. this included even the trembling indian, who was muttering "bless my soul!" at a great rate.
"i guess they're all asleep now," whispered mark.
[pg 272]"what are you going to do?" inquired indian.
"yank 'em," responded mark, briefly. "come ahead."
mark had seen that the yearlings came up boldly, which told him at once that the sentries were "fixed," and he calculated that just at the moment the moon being clouded, the sentries would not know yearlings from plebes. the only danger was that lieutenant allen might still be awake. it was risky, but then——
"do you see bull harris' tent?" mark whispered. "it is the sixth from here. he and the baby, with vance and murray, are in there. now, then."
with trembling hearts the crowd crept down the street; this was their first venture as lawbreakers. they stole up behind the tent just as the yearlings had; they reached under the canvas and seized the blankets. and then came a sudden haul—and confusion and muttered yells from the inside, which told them that no dummies had been yanked this time.
the yearlings sprang up in wrath and gazed out; retreating footsteps and muffled laughter were all that remained, and they went back to bed in disgust. the plebes went, too, in high glee.
[pg 273]"and now," said mark. "i guess we might as well go to sleep."
one does not like to leave this story without having a word to say about what the corps thought of the whole thing next morning. the "tac," of course, reported to his superior the night's alarm—"cause unknown," and that was the end of the matter officially. but the yearlings—phew!
the class compared notes right after reveille; and no one talked about anything else for the rest of that day. the cause of the rumpus made by the blankets was soon guessed; the two who had set off the gun were questioned, and that problem soon worked out also; that alone was bad enough! but the amazement when bull and his tentmates turned up and declared that they—yearlings!—had been yanked, yes yanked, and by some measly plebes at that, there is no possibility of describing the indignation. why, it meant that the class had been defied, that west point had been overturned, that the world was coming to an end, and—what more could it possibly mean?
[pg 274]and through all the excitement the seven just looked at each other—and winked:
"b. b. j.!" they said: "just watch us!"
"it was great, b'gee!" said dewey. "hurrah for the plebes!"
"hurrah!" was the answer, in a shout. "hurrah!"
