Look out, or it may go off," added Tom, as he
held out the weapons, thinking Hans would draw back in alarm.
Instead, however, the German boy took the pistol and of a sudden
pointed it at Tom's head.
"Now you tance!" he cried abruptly. "Tance, or I vos shoot you
full of holes!"
"Hi, Tom; he's got the best of you now!" cried Frank from behind
the bushes.
"You can't make me dance, Hans," returned Tom. "That old rusty
iron hasn't been loaded for years."
"It ton't vos no goot? No. Maybe you vos only fool me."
"Pull the trigger and see," answered Tom coolly.
He had scarcely spoken when Hans Mueller did as advised. A
tremendous report followed, and when the smoke cleared away the
boys in the bushes were horrified to see that the rusty pistol had
been shattered into a thousand pieces and that both Tom and Hans
lay on their backs in the road, their faces covered with blood.
CHAPTER VI
THE STRANGE FIGURE IN THE HALLWAY
At the fearful outcome of the joke Tom had been perpetrating the
boys concealed in the bushes were almost struck dumb, and for
several seconds nobody could speak or move.
"Oh, Heavens, Tom is killed!" burst out Dick, who was the first to
find his voice. He ran forth as speedily as possible, and one
after another the other cadets followed.
Tom lay as quiet as death, with his eyes closed and the blood
trickling over his temple and left cheek. Quickly Dick knelt by
his side and felt of his heart.
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