“All right, I’ll toss up,” answered Jack, and did so, and it was decided that he should fight with Company B.

“Good enough!” cried Pepper, who was in that command.  “Now Company A is licked, sure!”

“Not much!” was the answer from Stuffer Singleton.  “We’ll win, sure!”

“We will, unless you stop to eat a doughnut!” put in Joe Nelson, and at this remark a general laugh went up, for Stuffer had once lost a long-distance running race because he stopped on the way to devour some cookies he had in his pocket.

It was after school hours, and the cadets had gathered on the field where, during the summer, corn had been raised.  It was to be a battle between the two companies of the school battalion, with the company captain as leader on each side.

The preliminary rules were speedily arranged.  Lines were drawn at either end of the field, about five hundred feet apart.  In the center, about a hundred feet apart, two other lines were drawn.  Along the latter lines the cadets arranged themselves.

“Now then, fighting will begin when the school-bell rings out four!” cried the cadet who had been made referee.  “The company that chases the other company over its back line wins the contest.  No fighting with anything but snow allowed.  Anybody using his fists, or a stone, or a lump of ice, will be ruled out of the contest.”

With all possible speed the young soldiers started to supply themselves with snowballs, and soon each had ten to twenty in his hands and pockets and under his arms or at his feet.

“Get ready!” shouted Bart, as he glanced hastily at his watch.

“Give it to ’em hot when the bell rings!” came from Henry Lee.

Half a minute more and the Hall bell commenced to toll out the hour.  The bell had not yet ceased to ring when there came a grand shower of snowballs from each company.  The shower was so thick that a few of the snowballs hit each other.

“Forward!” shouted Captain Bart.

“Forward!” echoed Captain Henry.

And then the two long lines of cadets rushed forward over the snow-covered field until they were within thirty or forty feet of each other.  Then came another shower of snowballs.

“Wow!” yelled one cadet.  “Oh, my nose!”

“Caesar’s helmet!  That hit me in the eye!” came from another.

“Say, don’t try to knock out all my teeth!” added a third.

“Charge!” yelled the captain of Company A.  “Charge!  Get ’em on the run right now!”

“Stand firm!” came from the commander of Company B.  “Now then, fire!”

The rush of Company A was met with an extra heavy volley of snowballs.  The cadets staggered under the onslaught and then came to a halt.

“Now then, up and at ’em!” yelled Captain Bart.  And yelling like wild Indians, his command charged on Company A. The snowballs flew thick and fast, and slowly but surely Company A was forced to give ground until it stood on the line from which it had started.  But by that time Company B was out of ammunition and had to pause to manufacture more snowballs.