"See who'll get the lash though, when I turn in my report." "Would you skin us ?" demanded Anstey, halting in the doorway of the tent and gazing back with a look of mock horror.
To "skin" a brother cadet is to report him for some dereliction in duty, thereby bringing down discipline upon the offender.
"Skin you ?" repeated Dick.

"Yes, sir! If you leave me to bring order out of all this military chaos I'll hand you in to the O.C.in a way that will take every square inch of cuticle from your body." "Traitor!" hissed Anstey tragically.
"Mister, it's a whole year yet before plebes can sing, laugh, or be happy," came the muttered warning, as one of the newly-made yearlings passed by the tent.
Anstey became silent at once.

He had been at West Point long enough to know his place as a plebe.
"Say," whispered Anstey presently, his eyes brimming over with glee, "have you seen poor old Dodge to-day ?" "Not particularly," responded Prescott.
"Well, he's the maddest rookie (recruit) you ever saw! Having been old Dodge's roommate up to reveille this morning, I am in a position to state that he took advantage of the general laxity last night, and slipped out of barracks after taps last night.

He and some other embryo cadets got a rowboat, through connivance with a soldier in the engineer's detachment.

They rowed across the river, to Garrison, and had some kind of high old racket.