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Pranks at military academy escalate quickly from snowballs to spite

High-spirited snowballing behind the Colby Hall barn takes a calculated turn when Randy and Andy Rover propose rolling massive snow blocks into the dormitories. Target choices reflect school rivalries, focusing on the sneak Henry Stowell and the sharp-tongued new teacher, Professor Snopper Duke. Tensions build during mess call, where Duke singles out Andy over an over-salted omelet, setting a treacherous tone for the planned nocturnal mischief.

CHAPTER I → CHAPTER II

Accidental blunders lead to collective guilt and room confinement

An errant kick sends a heavy snowball tumbling down the central stairs into Colonel Colby's office, infuriating Professor Duke. When cornered by teachers, Henry Stowell buys immunity by naming Jack and Fred Rover as culprits. Rather than letting the Rovers suffer alone, Gif Garrison, Phil Franklin, and Spouter Powell step forward to share blame. Professor Duke locks all seven cadets in an unheated third-floor room without evening rations.

CHAPTER III → CHAPTER V

Parental authority tempers discipline while hidden motives emerge

Colonel Colby personally inspects the confinement room, hears Andy's honest admission of the stair mishap, and promptly releases the shivering cadets. The colonel hints that Professor Duke's short temper stems from hidden personal burdens rather than pure malice, urging the cadets toward empathy. Later in Haven Point, sister Martha warns Jack that campus bully Brassy Bangs has begun pursuing Ruth Stevenson, extending school rivalries beyond academy grounds.

CHAPTER VI → CHAPTER VIII

Marksmanship success leads to dark discoveries off campus

Competition on the target range ends with Fred Rover winning the marksmanship contest and Jack defeating Brassy Bangs in a high-stakes tiebreaker. Before the student battalion election, Randy and Andy shadow Bangs into an abandoned factory shed. There they overhear a sinister stranger named Bud Haddon blackmailing Bangs over an arson incident involving John Calder's barn, revealing that Bangs carries a dangerous past.

CHAPTER IX → CHAPTER XII

Campus hazing gives way to a major midnight robbery

Cadets subject the troublesome Henry Stowell to an absurd cornmeal initiation, driving him to swing a burning branch before retreating in disgrace. Hours later, panic sweeps Colby Hall when students discover more than twelve hundred dollars in missing watches, rings, and cash. Footprints on a window sill point to an outside intruder, throwing suspicion across both the hired staff and unknown night visitors.

CHAPTER XIII → CHAPTER XV

Academic term ends with generous restitution and Western promises

Disappointing baseball performances lead to roster changes, though Colby Hall closes the athletic season with a winning record. Colonel Colby personally reimburses every victim of the unclosed robbery, including Professor Duke, whose strange preoccupation deepens. Relief arrives when Spouter Powell announces his father has purchased Big Horn Ranch in Montana, inviting the Rovers and their friends west for an extensive summer getaway.

CHAPTER XVI → CHAPTER XIX

Arrival in Montana opens new landscapes and playful rivalry

Stepping off the train at Four Rocks, the boys choose a rugged five-mile horseback trail across hill country over the longer automobile route. Joe Jackson guides them to Big Horn Ranch, introducing bashful cowboy Hank Minno and Chinese cook Hop Lung. Settling into their own quarters in the secondary ranch house, the Rover twins immediately rig a rigged fishing-line prank in Hop Lung's kitchen.

CHAPTER XX → CHAPTER XXIII

Western encounters blend culinary revenge with unexpected guests

Exploring neighboring territory near Jarley Bangs's property, the boys stop for a mid-day picnic prepared by Hop Lung. The cook earns hilarious revenge by packing cake heavily spiced with cayenne pepper and mustard, though his hidden bag of fresh pound cake rewards their persistence. Returning to the main ranch house, the group receives a delightful surprise when old family friend Hans Mueller arrives from Chicago.

CHAPTER XXIV → CHAPTER XXVII

Mountain cave refuge unmasks the true campus thief

A sudden thunderhead drives the boys into a cavernous mountain defile where they overhear Bud Haddon confronting Brassy Bangs inside a deep chamber. Haddon boasts of committing the Colby Hall robbery by stealing Bangs's uniform, while Bangs desperately denies setting fire to Calder's barn. Confronted by the Rovers, Bangs breaks down and reveals he was framed and blackmailed, finally clearing up the mysteries hanging over Colby Hall.

CHAPTER XXVIII → CHAPTER XXX

Book

The Rover Boys at Big Horn Ranch

A classic juvenile adventure blending boarding-school pranks, target shooting, theft mysteries, and Western ranch life across Montana terrain.

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