They also made some enemies, the greatest of them being Reff Ritter, the big bully, and Gus Coulter and Nick Paxton, his cronies.
Not long after the students learned how to drill and to march they were allowed to ballot for officers.

A bitter contest was waged, which resulted in Jack being chosen major of the Hall battalion.

A bully named Dan Baxter had wanted to be major, and he bribed Gus Coulter and some others to vote for him, but without avail.

It may be added here that Baxter was now away on a vacation, but had written that he was going to return to the school before long.
During their first term at Putnam Hall the chums had several adventures, not the least of which was one in the woods, where they rescued George Strong, one of the teachers, from two of his relatives who were insane.
Mr.Strong's ancestry dated back to the Revolution, and he told the cadets about a family treasure buried in the vicinity of the lake.

How the boys went in search of the treasure, and how they had numerous other adventures, was related in the second volume of this series, called "The Putnam Hall Rivals." With the coming of the next summer, the thoughts of the students turned to various sports, and in the third volume, "The Putnam Hall Champions," I told how the chums entered several contests, both on land and on the lake, and won out.