Page:Baseball Joe on the School Nine.djvu/35

Rh A better day for a snow battle could not have been desired. It was just warm enough so that the snow stuck, and yet cool enough so that the exertion would not be unpleasant. The fort was at the far end of the big school campus, and all about it the ground had been practically cleared of snow to build it. This made it necessary for the attacking party to carry their ammunition from afar. As for the defenders of the fort, they had plenty of snow inside, and, as a last resort they could use part of the walls of the structure itself to repel the enemy.

The lads had made wooden shields for themselves, some using the heads of barrels, with leather loops for hand and arm. Others were content with something simpler, a mere board, or a barrel stave.

Sides had been chosen, and, somewhat to his own surprise, Joe Matson was made captain of the attacking force.

"We want you because you can throw straight and hard," explained Teeter, who was a sort of lieutenant of the attacking army.

"Soak those fellows good!" pleaded Peaches.

"We've got to look out for icy balls," cautioned Tom.

"How so?" asked Joe, as he looked toward the