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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 EDWIN CORLE 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 JEAN CORLE
 
 FRANK MERRIWELL S HUNTING TOUR
 
 "Frank felt liis blood seething in his veins, 
 sport." See page 100. 
 
 Surety, this was life and
 
 FRANK MERRI WELL S 
 HUNTING TOUR 
 
 BY 
 
 BURT L. STANDISH 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 Frank Merriwell s Schooldays," "Frank Merriwell s Chums," "Frank 
 Merriwell s Foes," etc. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 DAVID McKAY, PUBLISHER, 
 
 604-8 SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARE.
 
 Copyright, 1903 
 By STREET & SMITH 
 
 Prank Merriwell s Hunting Tour
 
 Frank Merriwell s Hunting Tour 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FRANK FINDS A MISSION. 
 
 Bump thud ! 
 
 One boy had been walking, the other running. They 
 collided at the corner of two streets, and both fell heavily. 
 
 "Beg-a de pardon, senor. Very great-a mistake! 
 Beg-a de pardon very much !" 
 
 "Let up! What are you begging my pardon for, old 
 man? I am the one to beg pardon. You were walking 
 I running came to corner didn t look biff! here 
 we are." 
 
 The speaker laughed. It was a jolly, free-and-easy, re 
 assuring boy s laugh. The other lad had a sad, dusky 
 face, with big, dark eyes that seemed filled with a haunted 
 fear. His appearance and his language showed he was 
 not a native of the United States. 
 
 The boy who had been running, jumped up. 
 
 "Here you go, old man," he cried, catching the othel 
 by the hand and drawing him to his feet. 
 
 "Unfortunate blunder. Very sorry. In a hurry. 
 Must catch a train." 
 
 He flashed out a handsome watch, and glanced at it, 
 whistled softly, then asked : 
 
 "How far is it to the Townsend Street railway sta 
 tion?" 
 
 2035389
 
 8 Frank Finds a Mission. 
 
 "I cannot tell, senor," was the respectful reply, although 
 the words seemed to be uttered in a bewildered way. "I 
 do not know what place dis is at all." 
 
 "Hum! So? Why, this is Bush Street, this is Bat 
 tery, and that is Market, over there." 
 
 "No, no ! I mean I do not know what citee dis is." 
 
 "How? Don t know what city this is? Say, what 
 have you been up against, old man ?" 
 
 "I speak de trute, senor," was the humble, almost cring 
 ing, protest. "I know not where I be here I know not 
 where I be." 
 
 "Whew!" whistled the American lad, beginning to 
 look the other boy over with keen interest. "Off your 
 trolley, eh? Why, this is San Francisco, in the State of 
 California, which is one of the most magnificent gems 
 in that glorious, scintillating collection known as the 
 United States of America. Are you on ?" 
 
 The dark-eyed lad looked still more bewildered by this 
 spread-eagle manner of delivering information. 
 
 "De United States?" he murmured. "I think I must 
 be dere." 
 
 "What? Didn t even know you were in the United 
 States? Well, are you sure you re on earth? Jupiter! 
 but you interest me! Wonder if I can catch that train 
 now?" again glancing at his watch. "Don t look as 
 If I would. Well, let her go. Will have to wire pro 
 fessor again. Missed train. Did not start. Try again 
 to-morrow. How 11 that go?" 
 
 "I do not know what you talk-a about, senor." 
 
 "Of course you don t ; stupid of me. I ll introduce my 
 self. I am Frank Merriwell, a traveler by profession just 
 at present. I had a rich uncle -queer old fellow who 
 died and left me a fortune. In his will he provided that, 
 in order that I might increase my knowledge of the 
 and broaden my ideas, I should travel. I have
 
 hrank hinds a Mission. 9 
 
 been doing so, in company with my guardian, Professor 
 Orman Tyler Scotch, generally known as Hot Scotch/ 
 and some companions. Companions went home; pro 
 fessor was called East on urgent business. I wouldn t go 
 until I had seen San Francisco. Ready to start to-day; 
 sent all my luggage to station, then ran over to view 
 Chinatown once more. Took too much time about it, 
 and was sprinting for a cab when I collided with you. 
 There you have it in a nutshell. Now, let drive at me. I 
 am curious to know how it happens you don t know where 
 you are at." 
 
 "Canltrust-ayou?" 
 
 "I think so; but I may be somewhat stuck on myself." 
 
 "I think I can. You have-a de good face. But I have 
 been fool so many time. I tell you de story. It is long." 
 
 "That so? Then we won t stand here. Where ll we 
 go? You look hungry." 
 
 "Si, senor ; have not eat in long time." 
 
 "Well, we ll fix that. Wonder where the nearest res 
 taurant is ? Must be one close at hand on Market Street. 
 Come along." 
 
 "Si, senor." 
 
 "Don t Si, senor me any more, please. I am no more 
 than a year older than you. My name is Frank Merri- 
 well. Call me Frank. What is your handle ?" 
 
 "Handale? I do not understand." 
 
 "Oh, that s a Western expression that I have picked up. 
 I mean to ask your name." 
 
 "Matias Juan Matias." 
 
 "Good! You ll be Juan; I ll be Frank. That goes. 
 Now for something to eat." 
 
 A few minutes later the two lads, who had thus 
 strangely met, were seated in a restaurant, and Frank 
 Merriwell, already well known to readers of this series, 
 had ordered a square meal for Juan, which was quickljr
 
 io Frank Finds a Mission. 
 
 served. The boy with the dark eyes began eating in a 
 way that showed he was extremely hungry, although he 
 did everything with a refinement and grace of manner 
 iat told his breeding had been of the best. 
 
 When Juan s appetite was well satisfied, Frank said : 
 "Now, partner, for your story. You said it was long. 
 Cut it short as possible condense it. We Yankees be 
 lieve in condensations. You re Spanish?" 
 "My father was or is a Spaniard." 
 "Was or is ? What do you mean by that ?" 
 "Alas ! Senor Frank, I know not if my father be liv 
 ing or dead." 
 
 "Drop the senor; I m Frank. Here s a mystery! I 
 love mysteries. Get after that yarn, Juan." 
 
 "As you say. I will make it short. My father was 
 born in Spain, of noble ancestors. You see I speak good 
 English when I am not excited. You wonder? I will 
 explain. My mother was an English lady. He met her 
 in Paris, while traveling. She was also traveling. He 
 saw her, admired her, sought her to be properly pre 
 sented, and was fortunate in obtaining an introduction. 
 He loved her, and she loved him at first sight. But there 
 were difficulties in the way of a marriage difficulties on 
 both sides. He told her of Spain. A year later they met 
 in Madrid. They had not lost track of each other in all 
 that year. In Madrid my mother also met the Marques 
 de la Villa de Villar de la Aguila. He loved my mother 
 likewise. My father and the marques quarreled; they 
 fought a duel. My father think he have killed the 
 marques, and he fly from Spain, where next he go to 
 Chili. The marques does not die, but he hate my father. 
 Fate bring my father and my mother together again, and 
 they be married. One year later my sistare is born ; then, 
 in another year, I am born. In Chili my father come to 
 be a great man. He have power and influence in poll-
 
 Frank Finds a Mission. 1 1 
 
 tics, and he grow to be rich. Fifteen years he live in Chili 
 Santiago, Valparaiso and other places. Then the Mar 
 ques de la Villa del " 
 
 "Cut it short, Juan; give us his last name." 
 
 "The Marques Aguila come to Chili and find my father. 
 He plot against my father. The revolutionary war it 
 come, and my father he in it. When it is over my father 
 have to fly for his life, and to leave everything. The 
 marques pursues to capture to keel-a my father. But 
 my father he escape. We live hid in de mountains. But 
 always we fear de marques, for he be rich-a and power 
 ful. In de mountains be de bandits. Black Miguel 
 lead-a dem. De marques offar Black Miguel de pardone 
 if he will capture my father. Ha! what you think of 
 dat?" 
 
 "I think your father was in a bad box. Couldn t he 
 get out of the country?" 
 
 "I tell you," explained Juan, excitedly. "My mother 
 have grow ill my sweet mother! Father have my sis- 
 tare and myself, wid my mother. We try to go over de 
 mountains to Mendoza. My mother be weak, and de 
 mountain sickness take her high upon de mountain. She 
 be faint she fall from de saddle! Den she bleed-a at 
 de nose ! My father know to save her we must go back. 
 Dat we have to do, and we live in the valley again. My 
 mother my sweet mother! she get worse and worse, 
 and den she die! Oh, senor oh, Frank, dere we bury 
 her ! Den my father do not want to go away. He stay 
 by her grave, all his life gone wid her." 
 
 The tears were running down Juan s face, and his chin 
 was quivering. Frank turned away and coughed, which 
 gave him an excuse for producing his handkerchief. 
 
 For some minutes there was silence, and then the low, 
 musical voice of Juan began again: 
 
 "I make it short, now, Frank. Dere we stay and stay.
 
 12 Frank Finds a Mission. 
 
 My sistare be beautiful she look like my mother when 
 my mother is a little girl. We live some way any way. 
 I always fear Black Miguel find us, but my father seem 
 to have lost fear and care. Then Frank then my father 
 he disappear." 
 
 "Disappears ?" 
 
 "We never know-a where he go we never know what 
 become of-a him. Pepita, my sistare, and I go every 
 where we hunt, search, but do not find-a him." 
 
 "What next, Juan what next?" 
 
 "My sistare!" cried the Spanish lad, clasping his 
 hands "one day she disappear, too ! Oh, I be crazee ! I 
 wander in de mountain, calling all de time, Pepita, Pepita, 
 Pepita ! Sometime I think-a I heard her ansare. I lis 
 ten. It be de wind in de rocks. One time some way, I 
 find myself in a strange valley, near to de blind valley of 
 Cerillos. I cannot get out ; I do not know how I come-a 
 dere. I be sick, faint, hungree. I think I must die there. 
 I call-a to Pepita. Den, senor den, Frank," cried Juan, 
 rising to his feet, his face working with excitement, "I 
 hear her ansare somewhere somewhere in de air! I 
 cannot see her ; I see a big-a black hole far up in de rock. 
 I look away. When I look again, I see dat hole no more ! 
 It be gone ! Den I get crazee ! Next I know, many men 
 be round me. Dey must be de men of Black Miguel. I 
 be seize, tied, blindfold ! I struggle-a, but no use. Dey 
 feed me, dey carry me away, dey put me on a horse, we 
 travel many day. Den we be at the sea. I am put on a 
 ship, kept in de dark-a, oh, so long so long ! And den, 
 in the night, I be brought to de land, and left. I find 
 myself in strange place where de English is spoke-a. I 
 walk-a, walk-a. I am afraid; I speak to nobody. Den 
 you run to me, and we fall down. You know the rest." 
 
 Frank Merriwell s eyes were blazing with excitement. 
 Neither lad heeded that many eyes were on them.
 
 Frank Finds a Mission. 13 
 
 "Juan," cried Frank, "you have been wronged! With 
 the aid of Providence, your wrong shall be righted !" 
 
 "Oh, Frank, I fear never! And my poor little sis- 
 tare ! Look, Frank," taking a locket from his bosom and 
 opening it for the other lad to see, "dis is her picture. 
 Oh, where is she now ?" 
 
 It was the sweet, innocent face of a girl of sixteen at 
 which Frank Merriwell gazed, and he felt his chivalrous 
 nature stirred to its depths. There was a tender plead 
 ing in the pictured eyes that he could not resist. 
 
 "Juan, we will find where she is we will rescue her !" 
 
 "How?" 
 
 "By going to her ! I have money enough, Juan, and I 
 am not going East. I shall send a message to Professor 
 Scotch immediately, and together, you and I will take the 
 first steamship for Valparaiso." 
 
 "Oh, my good friend, is dat possible?" 
 
 "It is possible, and it shall be ! It shall be my mission 
 to solve this mystery, to learn your father s fate, to save 
 your sister ! Juan, your hand ! We are partners on the 
 box seat partners till the mission is ended !" 
 
 Their hands met in the clasp of undying friendship.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OLD FRIENDS MEET. 
 
 Toward sunset of a beautiful day the steamer Cali 
 fornia, cleared from San Francisco, dropped anchor in the 
 harbor of Valparaiso. 
 
 On the forward deck two lads, Frank Merriwell and 
 Juan Matias, were gazing at the picturesque city that rose 
 on the slope beyond the quay, with the purple mountains, 
 the mighty Andes, making a background in the remote 
 distance. 
 
 "Hurrah, Juan !" cried Frank, in his impulsive way, 
 "we are here !" 
 
 "Yes, Frank." 
 
 "Why, what s the matter with you? You say that as 
 if your heart were heavy with fear." 
 
 "So it is. Ah, Frank, something tell me we soon be 
 in great danger." 
 
 "Danger be hanged ! You should be happy to get back 
 happy at the prospect of soon finding your father and 
 sister." 
 
 "But I fear we can never find them, and I fear " 
 
 "Get out with your fears ! We will find them ! I have 
 made it my mission. Come, cheer up. How do we get 
 ashore ?" 
 
 "See the little boats coming off to us, Frank. They 
 will set us ashore." 
 
 It was nearly an hour later, however, before arrange 
 ments had been made so that they were taken upon one of 
 those boats.
 
 Old Friends Meet. 15 
 
 Before long, each with a leather grip in hand, they 
 were hastening to find a hotel in Valparaiso. 
 
 It was the hour when there was the most life and move 
 ment in the city, and, in many ways, the scenes reminded 
 Frank of those he had beheld in Mexico. 
 
 Throngs of people, in red, orange and blue, strolled 
 everywhere. The greater part of the women wore re- 
 bozas and scarlet sashes, although, to break the harmony 
 of all this, Parisian gowns and bonnets were in evidence. 
 There were men wearing vermilion scrapes about their 
 shoulders, with wide hats of felt, trimmed with silver, and 
 breeches of pink buckskin, held together down the sides 
 with silver buttons. But there were other men in Eng 
 lish coats and trousers, with silk hats and Piccadilly shoes. 
 Some even twirled their canes; and walked in imitation 
 of English swells. 
 
 On the streets were donkeys piled high with sacks of 
 silver ore, or carrying great jars of water. Spirited horses 
 dashed along the streets, ridden by men who sat in the 
 saddles as if they were a part of the animal. Soldiers 
 were to be seen at frequent intervals, and, as in Mexico, 
 the peon was on every hand. 
 
 Suddenly Juan grasped Frank s hand and drew him 
 quickly around a corner, panting : 
 
 "Queek we must run!" 
 
 "Run? What for?" 
 
 "One of Black Miguel s men Bengo a spy, a wretch ! 
 have seen me !" 
 
 Juan fled, and Frank followed till he could overtake and 
 stop the frightened lad. 
 
 "Be sensible, Juan. It is not likely this Bengo recog 
 nized you. You are dressed now like a native of the 
 United States." 
 
 "That attracts his attention !" palpitated the frightened
 
 ^6 Old Friends Meet. 
 
 boy. "He look-a at us both sharp-a. I be sure he know-a 
 me." 
 
 After some time Frank succeeded in calming Juan, and 
 they proceeded. 
 
 But another adventure awaited them before they 
 reached the hotel. 
 
 Juan sought secluded streets and dark ways. Sud 
 denly they were startled by the sound of voices that came 
 from a little group of dusky figures. One of these figures 
 was standing with his back against the wall of a build 
 ing ; the others surrounded him in a half circle. The one 
 with his back against the wall was saying : 
 
 "Wall, gol ding your picters ! I knowed you was fol- 
 lerin me for something that wasn t no good. So you 
 want my purse ?" 
 
 "Si, senor," bowed one who seemed to be the leader, 
 "You geeve-a us dat, we do not hurt-a you." 
 
 "Haow kind! I s pose yeou kin see this ere revolver 
 I ve got ? Wai, she s loaded, by gum ! an ef yeou don t 
 git aout mighty dad-bimmed lively she ll commence to 
 shoot, by thutter! an I won t hold myself responsible ef 
 some of yeou fellers git hurt, by ginger !" 
 
 In a moment Frank Merriwell sprang forward, shout 
 ing: 
 
 "That s right, Ephraim ! give it to em ! I m with you !" 
 
 Smack ! smack ! 
 
 Frank struck two blows, and two of the ruffians went 
 down. The others took to their heels instantly, and the 
 ones who had been struck scrambled up and followed, all 
 quickly disappearing. 
 
 Then Frank turned to the person who had been trapped 
 by the band. Out went his hand, and he cried : 
 
 "Ephraim Gallup, of Vermont! I d quicker thought 
 of seeing a being from Mars !"
 
 Old Friends Meet. 17 
 
 The other, who was a tall, lank, awkward boy, some 
 what older than Frank, gasped and staggered. 
 
 "Frank Merriwell!" he roared. "Frank Merriwell, 
 who was at skule with me at Fardale ! Jumpin jee-whiz ! 
 kin this ere be possible !" 
 
 "I reckon it is," laughed Frank, as he grasped the hand 
 of the Yankee lad. "Come, let s get out of this; it s 
 dangerous here. We ll find a hotel, and we can explain 
 everything to each other s satisfaction there." 
 
 Juan proved valuable now, for he conducted them to a 
 good hotel, at which he did all the business of securing ac 
 commodations. 
 
 To Frank and Ephraim Gallup the exterior of the hotel 
 did not seem at all inviting, for it was a one-story adobe 
 building; but, once inside, they were surprised and de 
 lighted to find a series of courtyards, or patios, ave 
 nues of trellised vines, aviaries, canalized water courses, 
 and other pleasant features. Here and there fountains 
 played and the colored lights from swinging lamps made 
 the place seem like fairyland to the ship-weary lads. 
 
 The boys ate supper in the open air, near one of the 
 tinkling fountains. 
 
 "Jove!" exclaimed Frank. This is great! Now, 
 Ephraim, old man, just explain how it happens that you 
 are here." 
 
 "Whut, talk an eat at ther same time! Hang me ef 
 I kin do it. Jest you wait till I fill my sack some, an* 
 then I ll tell ye all abaout it." 
 
 So they waited, and, finally, when the country boy had 
 satisfied his ravenous appetite to a certain extent, he 
 teaned back in his chair and asked: 
 
 "Ju ever hear me speak uv my brother Hiram, Frank ?" 
 
 "I believe I have," nodded Merriwell. 
 
 "Wai, it s like this: Hi, he s a smart feller, and he 
 haow ter make money an keep it. When he gits
 
 i8 Old Friends Meet 
 
 holt of a silver dollar he squeezes it so hard it makes ther 
 eagle squawk. All ther same, he never wuz ther kind ter 
 stay to hum an be satisfied. He wuz alwus lookin out 
 fer ther best place ter make a dollar, an a friend of ourn 
 got him ter come ter Chili. Marm, she didn t want him 
 ter come way aout here, but he would do it, an he done 
 it. Wai, he s bin luckier than a barrel uv apple-sass 
 made money hand over fist ever sense he s bin here, by 
 gum !" 
 
 "And so you thought you would come here, eh?" 
 
 "Hi sent fer me said as haow he d put me in ther way 
 of gittin rich. Marm she didn t want me to come no 
 more n she wanted Hi to, but dad he said it wuz all fool 
 ishness, an I come." 
 
 "But you were at school in Fardale. How did you 
 happen to leave school ?" 
 
 "Too much fol-de-rol business there. Ef a feller didn t 
 mind his pucker all the time he got the old scratch. I 
 couldn t stand it, an so I jest got aout. Hi sent money 
 ter pay my passage daown here." 
 
 "Where is your brother?" 
 
 " Spected to meet him soon s I got here, but business 
 tuck him orf inter the maountings, an he left word fer 
 me ter stay right here till he got back." 
 
 "Well, I am more than glad to see you again, Ephraim ; 
 but I never expected to meet you down here in South 
 America." 
 
 "Wai, you kin bet I was glad to see yeou when ye found 
 me standin orf them fellers what wanted to rob me. An* 
 I never s pected ter see yeou down here, though I knowed 
 ye was travelin round. Jest you kinder explain haow it 
 is yeou are here." 
 
 So Frank quickly explained how he came to be in Val 
 paraiso, and Ephraim listened with intense interest. The
 
 Old Friends Meet. 19 
 
 tale of Juan s woes aroused the warm-hearted Yankee lad, 
 and, at the end, he asked : 
 
 "Be yeou fellers goin right on inter the maountings ?" 
 
 "You bet !" replied Frank. "We go on to-morrow. No 
 time is to be lost." 
 
 Ephraim meditated some minutes, and then cried: 
 
 "By gum, I m goin with ye !" 
 
 "What s that ? You going ?" 
 
 "That ere s jest what I be, by jinks! Hiram won t be 
 back here for ten days, an I might jest as well be doin 
 somethin . Yeou may hev ter fight some, an yeou know 
 I kin hold up my end, by thutter !" 
 
 "You are just the fellow we want," declared Frank, with 
 satisfaction. "Juan, we ll take him into the combine. 
 This is to be a three-cornered partnership, and here s luck 
 to it"
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 TRAPPED IN THE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Frank was well pleased to have Ephraim accompany 
 them, and the following morning found the little party on 
 the way by rail to Santa Rosa. 
 
 With the exception of not having horses, they were 
 thoroughly armed and equipped. 
 
 It made Frank feel quite at home to find himself travel 
 ing on a passenger car that had been manufactured in 
 Wilmington, Delaware. 
 
 It happened that on this train there did not seem to be 
 one of the brigandish men with blue-black beards, such 
 as Frank had expected to see everywhere in Chili. 
 
 The men and women chatted with a certain refreshing 
 freeness. Many of the men were stylishly dressed, and 
 many of the women wore Parisian bonnets. 
 
 Frank was disappointed. He had expected to see much 
 in the dress and manners of the people that was distinctive 
 and characteristic. He expressed his disappointment to 
 Juan, who said : 
 
 "It is in the poor people you will see what you look 
 for. They wear the poncho and the manta. Rich people 
 they like to do like the English or the French. They 
 seem shamed to dress like the people of the country 
 where they do belong." 
 
 He then called Frank s attention to a pretty girl who 
 was wearing the manta. The girl was sitting near an 
 open window, and Frank watched, her some minutes, 
 finally deciding that the manta was decidedly becoming. 
 It is always black, and, in this case, was made of fine
 
 Trapped in the Mountains. 21 
 
 material. The folds around the face of the girl were ar 
 ranged with a certain piquancy, the shape of the coiffure 
 being shown, while a fascinating curl was allowed to es 
 cape, apparently by accident. The girl also had a charm 
 ing way of readjusting the folds of the shawl, which was 
 thrown over the left shoulder. 
 
 When Frank had tired of watching the girl he looked 
 out at the landscape, but this, also, became tiresome after 
 a little. Then he turned to Juan. 
 
 "We shall leave the railroad at Santa Rosa?" 
 
 "Si." 
 
 "We must obtain horses there ?" 
 
 The Spanish lad nodded. 
 
 "Do you think we ll be able to get them without 
 trouble?" 
 
 "If the money be ready to pay." 
 
 "Well, I have enough for that. I rather think I have 
 enough to last till we get back to Valparaiso. Last night 
 I wrote a letter to my guardian, and he will forward 
 funds as soon as he receives it." 
 
 "I know a man in Santa Rosa who will get us the 
 horses," said Juan. "He be a friend of my father, but 
 he keep it quiet. He is Don Honorio Rosende, who have 
 made the quickest time any one ever made over the 
 mountains between Santa Rosa and Mendoza. He do it 
 in thirty-six hour and kill two horses. That way he save 
 his brother who was captured by Indians." 
 
 "Well, we will call on Don Honorio." 
 
 "That s jest what we ll do, by gum! We want some 
 good hosses, too." 
 
 "The best we can obtain." 
 
 Santa Rosa was reached, and the boys went straight to 
 the Hotel del Comercio, where they obtained accommoda 
 tions and made inquiries concerning Don Rosende. 
 
 It happened that the don had been away at Santiago,
 
 22 Trapped in the Mountains. 
 
 on business, but was expected to return that evening. The 
 boys held a consultation, and decided it was best to wait 
 for his appearance. 
 
 After a swimming bath in the hotel, which delighted 
 and refreshed the lads, they walked out to view the town. 
 
 Santa Rosa they found surrounded by snow-capped 
 mountains, rising in blue mystery on every hand. To 
 the west the main ridge of the Andes flung itself high into 
 the sky. 
 
 "Which way do we go from here ?" asked Frank. 
 
 "That way," answered Juan, waving his hand toward 
 the northwest. 
 
 "I be hanged ef I see haow in thutteration we re goin 
 that air way," said Ephraim. "We can t git no hosses 
 that kin jump over them hills." 
 
 "We will find a pass through them," exclaimed Juan. 
 
 "Dad bimmed ef I kin see where !" 
 
 "It be not easy to see from here, but I find it. You 
 trust me." 
 
 "All right, Juan. I ruther guess you know your busi 
 ness, an we ll stick by yeou closer then flies stick ter ther 
 bunghole uv a larses barrel." 
 
 Santa Rosa proved to be like nearly all Chilian towns. 
 The streets were laid out rectangularly, dividing the place 
 into squares like a checkerboard. With very few excep 
 tions, the houses were one story in height, built of sun- 
 dried bricks, with grayish-tiled roofs, and stuccoed walls, 
 colored rose, yellow, blue and other shades. 
 
 The streets were ankle deep in dust. Open channels of 
 water flowed along the sides of the streets. The side 
 walks were paved with round pebbles. 
 
 The boys visited the plaza, or public square, where 
 there were many benches, and where they found a few cit 
 izens lingering in the grateful shadows of the trees. 
 
 In Santa Rosa ponchos were plentiful. The poncho is
 
 Trapped in the Mountains. 23 
 
 a blanket with a hole cut in the middle. The wearer slips 
 his head through the hole, allowing the blanket to hang 
 from his shoulders. 
 
 Here many of the people wore wide-brimmed white 
 straw hats, held on by black strings, tied beneath the chin. 
 
 "Never saw folks dress in sech outrageous styles," de 
 clared Ephraim. "It jest beats all natur!" 
 
 It did not take the lads long to feel that they had seen 
 all of Santa Rosa they desired, and Frank and Ephraim 
 returned to the hotel. 
 
 Juan, however, sought some of his father s friends 
 whom he could trust. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim went out into one of the hotel s 
 patios, where they found two hammocks strung beneath 
 an arbor of vines, and there they remained, chatting till 
 they fell asleep. 
 
 Frank was awakened by feeling himself violently 
 shaken by Juan. 
 
 "What s the matter ?" he asked, as he sat up. 
 
 "We must get away from here ver quick-a!" panted 
 the Spanish lad. "We must not stop-a here." 
 
 "Jupiter ! you are pale, and you seem all broken up. 
 Have you seen a ghost ?" 
 
 "No ; but I have seen something worse." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "Bengo." 
 
 "Who is Bengo?" 
 
 "He is de vera bad cut-a-throat spy one devil !" 
 
 "But why should we run away from him? He is not 
 likely to molest us, is he ?" 
 
 "Si, Frank." 
 
 "Why should he?" 
 
 "He belong to Black Miguel s band-a." 
 
 "And Black Miguel is the outlaw you fear so much
 
 24 Trapped in the Mountains. 
 
 the one who was offered a pardon if he would capture 
 your father?" 
 
 "Si t Frank." 
 
 "Well, it is not at all likely this Bengo knew you, Juan." 
 
 "Ah, he did! I see it when he look-a at me. I tell 
 you what I t ink, Frank." 
 
 "Go ahead." 
 
 "I t ink he be set to watch-a us. I t ink he follow us 
 everywhere. We not get away from him so easy." 
 
 "Oh, I don t know about that. I am inclined to be 
 lieve you are frightened over nothing." 
 
 "Wait!" cried Juan, desperately. "You see! You 
 find-a I know-a something." 
 
 "Swat me ef I don t think it d be a good plan ter git 
 aout uv taown kinder lively an quiet like," said Ephraim, 
 who had been listening. "It might be a sight better fer 
 ther general state uv aour health." 
 
 So they talked the matter over, and decided that, if they 
 could obtain the horses, they would slip out of Santa 
 Rosa quietly that very night. 
 
 Don Rosende returned, and they had no difficulty in 
 obtaining three horses, for which Frank paid. 
 
 Late that evening they rode out of Santa Rosa, and, 
 with Juan as guide, headed to the northwest. 
 
 For two days they journeyed into the mountains, and 
 during all that time Juan was certain they were followed. 
 
 At length they found themselves in a long, narrow val 
 ley a valley that was almost a ravine. 
 
 Juan seemed to have lost his bearings for the time, 
 and they finally came to the end of the valley, which 
 closed in an impassable wall of bare, black rock. 
 
 "It is the blind valley of Cerillos!" cried Juan. "I 
 know where we be now. We can go no farther; we 
 must turn back." 
 
 Turn back they did, but, at that very moment, far
 
 Trapped in the Mountains. 25 
 
 down the valley, a band of horsemen came into view, and 
 rode straight toward the three lads. 
 
 Wild-looking ruffians they were, with bright-colored 
 scrapes and blue-black beards. They were armed with 
 rifles, revolvers, knives and machetes, on which the sun 
 light glinted, and they set up a wild cry as they saw 
 the three boys. 
 
 At the head of the band rode a dark-faced, fierce-look 
 ing man, mounted on a coal-black horse. 
 
 "It is Black Miguel and his band-a!" cried Juan, in 
 terror. "I know we be followed ! They have us in de 
 trap! They come to kill-a us! We will all be mur- 
 dare!"
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THROUGH THE GAP. 
 
 The Chilian lad was so overcome with terror that he 
 nearly fell from his horse. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim were surprised, but they did not 
 become frightened and lose their wits. 
 
 "Darn my pumpkins, ef this don t look like trouble!" 
 drawled the Vermonter, as he quickly unslung his rifle 
 from his back. "Never used this air kind uv a gun much, 
 but I uster do a darn good job with dad s ole muzzle- 
 loadin army musket when I was to hum. Ef I kin git 
 onter ther way this thing jeogerfies, I may be able to hit 
 the side uv a haouse or somethin ." 
 
 "Come on!" cried Frank. "Remember the gap we 
 passed back a short distance. We must reach it ahead 
 of them, and ride into it." 
 
 "Won t it be a trap ?" 
 
 "No more than this is, for we have no shelter here, and 
 we are hemmed in. If we get into the gap, those fellows 
 will have to ride in after us one at a time, and we can 
 shoot them as fast as they come." 
 
 "Go ahead ! We re with ye, by gum !" 
 
 "Come on, Juan !" 
 
 Frank had unslung his rifle, and the three lads now 
 charged straight toward the oncoming bandits. Juan 
 did not urge his horse into the charge, but the creature 
 kept with the others. 
 
 The two American boys flourished their rifles above 
 their heads, uttering a great shout of defiance.
 
 Through the Gap. 27 
 
 "Come on, you cutthroats!" cried Frank, defiantly. 
 "We ll make it interesting for you !" 
 
 "Come on, yeou dirty-mugged heathens!" yelled Eph- 
 raim. "We ll give ye hot-shot an Hail Columby ! We ll 
 give yer a taste uv Yankee lead, ye p izen snakes !" 
 
 To the bandits it must have seemed that the three lads 
 were fierce for a fight, for the trio rode at the outlaws as 
 if they were utterly reckless and devoid of fear. 
 
 Black Miguel was seen to fling his horse upon its 
 haunches and make a gesture that brought his followers 
 to a halt. 
 
 "They ain t goin ter run, be they?" nervously asked 
 Ephraim, with a queer laugh. 
 
 "What s the matter?" asked Frank. "Are you afraid 
 you will not get a crack at them ?" 
 
 "Oh, that don t worry me a great deal." 
 
 "They think we re going to charge them, and so " 
 
 "They re gittin reddy for us. Where is that gap?" 
 
 "Almost halfway to where they have halted. See it 
 there on the right." 
 
 "It s a good thing they stopped." 
 
 "That s right." 
 
 "Ef they hadn t we couldn t got to it." 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Naow " 
 
 "Get ready to take a flying shot at them as we whirl 
 into the gap. You go in first, and let Juan follow. I will 
 come behind, and I ll make it hot for them if they 
 crowd us." 
 
 By this time they were close upon the gap and 
 very near to the bandits. The latter were waiting, with 
 some doubt, for the boys to get yet nearer, holding their 
 weapons ready for use. 
 
 "Ready !" cried Frank. 
 
 The two lads flung up their rifles.
 
 28 Through the Gap. 
 
 "Fire!" 
 
 The weapons spoke. 
 
 "Hooray !" bellowed Ephraim, in delight. "That air s 
 ther way ter give em hot-shot an Hail Columby !" 
 
 One of the outlaws had flung up his arms and pitched 
 from the saddle to the ground, while the horse of another 
 had dropped instantly. 
 
 For the moment the bandits were flung into consterna 
 tion. 
 
 "To the right!" cried Frank, clearly. "Here is the 
 gap!" 
 
 To the right the lads wheeled. 
 
 A yell came from the lips of the bandits. 
 
 "Ha, ha!" laughed Frank. "They have just tumbled 
 to the trick. Bend low. There ll be bullets in the air in 
 a moment." 
 
 Forward the boys bent upon the necks of their horses, 
 and then a rattling volley of shots came from the out 
 laws, while bullets whistled all about the lads. 
 
 "Never touched me, by gum!" chuckled Ephraim, 
 who seemed to have absorbed some of Frank s reckless 
 spirit. 
 
 "Give it to them once more !" panted Merriwell. 
 
 They were close to the gap, which seemed like a long, 
 narrow crack in the face of the rocky wall. Before 
 dashing into it, Frank and Ephraim whirled and fired 
 again. 
 
 There was no time to note the effect of these final 
 shots, for the horses required instant attention. 
 
 As they dashed into the gap, bullets were chipping off 
 bits of rock and sending down pebbles and dust from the 
 face of the wall. 
 
 In they went, one after the other, and not one of them 
 all had been touched by a bit of lead. 
 
 "Well, that s dead lucky!" exclaimed Frank, when he
 
 Through the Gap. 29 
 
 had asked them if they were hurt, and they had told him 
 they were not. "Those fellows cannot be good marks 
 men, or they were rattled." 
 
 "Shall I keep on goin as fur as I kin?" asked the 
 Yankee boy. 
 
 "Sure ; keep right ahead till you have to stop." 
 
 The gap was strewn with bowlders, and it zigzagged 
 so they could not ride swiftly, but still they made pretty 
 good time, dashing recklessly along. 
 
 Behind them the bandits were uttering wild cries, and 
 the sounds indicated the rascals were in pursuit. 
 
 Frank wondered where the gap would lead, and if it 
 would prove anything more than a great fissure in the 
 mountainside. It wound on and on, and it widened in 
 places, while there were places where it contracted till it 
 seemed that a horse and rider could scarcely pass through. 
 
 Still it did not come to an end. 
 
 Behind the fugitive lads there was a clattering sound 
 and the babel of calling voices, telling that the bandits 
 were coming as swiftly as possible. 
 
 Juan said nothing. His eyes were filled with a hunted 
 light, and he seemed quivering with terror. 
 
 Ephraim pressed straight onward, while Frank turned 
 now and then to look back. 
 
 At one place, where the gap was particularly narrow, 
 Frank said : 
 
 "Go on, boys. I ll overtake you pretty soon." 
 
 "What be yeou goin ter do?" asked the Yankee lad. 
 
 "I am going to put a checker on those fellows. Go 
 ahead." 
 
 Frank stopped, holding his rifle ready for use, and 
 sitting sideways in the saddle. 
 
 There was a bend in the walls of the gap so he could 
 not see the pursuers till they reached a certain point.
 
 3o Through the Gap. 
 
 He could hear them coming nearer and nearer, and he 
 knew just when they ought to appear. 
 
 The rifle rose and the butt was pressed against his 
 shoulder. 
 
 The nose and head of a horse came into view. 
 
 That was all the boy wished to see. 
 
 The rifle spoke, and the horse fell, flinging its rider 
 headlong against a bowlder. 
 
 Swinging around in the saddle, Frank urged his horse 
 onward again. 
 
 "That will cause them to hold up a little," muttered the 
 boy, with satisfaction. s "It is possible they may not be so 
 fierce to follow, as the one who was in advance will not 
 know but he is liable to be shot at any moment." 
 
 Frank knew it was not going to be an easy thing to 
 give Black Miguel the slip, but he also knew he need 
 look for no mercy if he should fall into the hands of the 
 bandit. It must be a case of struggle to the end and 
 never surrender. 
 
 It took him some time to come up with Ephraim and 
 Juan. The Yankee boy gave a deep sigh of relief when 
 he looked back and saw Frank. 
 
 "Didn t know, fer sure, that was yeou that done ther 
 shootin ," he said. "I was ruther afraid twas one uv 
 them p izen skunks what is after us." 
 
 "No, I did it myself." 
 
 "Whatdidyeshute?" 
 
 "A horse." 
 
 "A hoss? Why, that s a clean waste uv paowder and 
 lead." 
 
 "Oh, I guess not." 
 
 "Why didn t yeou shute one uv them land pirates ?" 
 
 "I don t like to shoot a man in that way when a horse 
 will do just as well. I have never found any satis-
 
 Through the Gap. 31 
 
 faction in shooting at human beings, although I have 
 been forced to do so several times in my life." 
 
 "Yeou ve got a conscience as big as a haouse, Frank." 
 
 "Well, there is some satisfaction in having a con 
 science." 
 
 "Them critters won t hesitate abaout shootin at us, an 
 mebbe ther very one yeou didn t shute will be ther one to 
 shute yeou." 
 
 "Possibly." 
 
 "Then I kinder guess you ll be sorry ye let him go." 
 
 "Your philosophy is too much for me, Ephraim." 
 
 "Wai, it s hoss sense." 
 
 They rode onward, and the sounds of pursuit did not 
 press them as closely as before, showing the bandits had 
 taken warning. The boys had expected the gap to end 
 at any moment, but it continued, and, finally, they came 
 out into a beautiful valley through which ran a stream of 
 water. The valley was surrounded on every hand by 
 towering mountains. 
 
 "Hurrah !" cried Frank, in delight. "We were not 
 cornered, after all ! This is what I call great luck." 
 
 "We be not corner in de gap," said Juan, wildly, "but 
 we be corner here !" 
 
 "Cornered here? What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean dat zis is de strange vallee where I heard 
 Pepita ansare my call de vallee where Black Miguel cap 
 ture me-a ! We be lost-a !"
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THINGS MYSTERIOUS. 
 
 "Lost? What do you mean by that? Why should we 
 be lost here? I should say we have had great luck in 
 finding this valley." 
 
 Juan made a gesture of despair. 
 
 "But we never find-a our way out ! Black Miguel be 
 in de pass by which we enter." 
 
 "But there must be some other way out of the valley." 
 
 "I t ink not. When I come here before I do not know 
 how get in. Now I remember I come through dat gap. 
 I find no other way out." 
 
 "But this stream runs through the valley. It must 
 come in somewhere and go out somewhere." 
 
 "That s right, by gum !" put in the Vermonter. "Warter 
 kin run daown a maountain, but I be busted ef I ever 
 saw any runnin up hill yit !" 
 
 "The way it go out it run under de mountain," ex 
 plained Jaan. 
 
 "Under the mountain?" 
 
 "Si, Frank." 
 
 "How can that be?" 
 
 "It run into de tunnel it go under de ground." 
 
 "Well, I have seen a case like that," declared Frank. 
 "It was in the Tennessee Mountains, and the stream was 
 known as Lost Creek. It sank into the earth and disap 
 peared. No one knew where it came out." 
 
 "Just like a-dis!" cried Juan. 
 
 "Wai, it may run in all right," said Ephraim, hastily. 
 "We ve gotter git aout uv this mighty sudden, an I
 
 Things Mysterious. 33 
 
 cal late it d be a good plan ter find haow this warter gits 
 inter the valley." 
 
 To this Frank agreed, and they rode up the stream. 
 
 Juan kept looking up at the high walls, and he finally 
 uttered a cry, pointing to the black face of a steep bluff. 
 
 "Dere," he cried "dere is where I see de black hole in 
 de rock when I hear my sistare call to me !" 
 
 The boys looked with interest, but the face of the bluff, 
 seemed unbroken, and Frank said: 
 
 "You must be mistaken, Juan, for there is no hole there 
 now." 
 
 "I see dat hole, den I see it no more. I am not mis 
 take, Frank. Dat is de place. I tell you de hole it dis- 
 appear-a." 
 
 "I ruther guess yeou was twisted, Juan," drawled 
 Ephraim. "Yeou thought you saw the hole." 
 
 "I no make a mistake no, no ! I tell you I hear Pepita 
 ansare me when I call to her I know I hear it." 
 
 "Yeou hed bin wanderin raound in the maountains, an* 
 yeou was half crazy. You thought yeou heard her." 
 
 "No, no, no ! I know ! I know !" 
 
 "There is no time to discuss that," cut in Frank. "If 
 
 those bandits follow us closely they will There they 
 
 come." 
 
 Hoarse shouts were heard behind them, and, looking 
 back, they saw the bandits riding out into the valley. 
 The ruffians saw the three lads, and the shouts they ut 
 tered were cries of triumph. 
 
 "I don t like the sound," declared Frank. "If they 
 did not feel sure of bagging us they would not yell like 
 that." 
 
 "Wai, they ll have ter fight like thunder before they bag 
 us, by thutteration !" spluttered the boy from Vermont. 
 
 "We nevar get out," declared Juan, in a disheartened 
 way.
 
 34 Things Mysterious. 
 
 The boys rode onward, but the bandits made no imme 
 diate effort to follow them, which caused Frank still 
 greater uneasiness. 
 
 "That shows, beyond a doubt, that they feel sure they 
 have us," he said. 
 
 They rode up the valley for nearly half a mile, and then 
 came in sight of a waterfall. Beyond the waterfall the 
 stream seemed to pour out of the side of a mighty moun 
 tain. 
 
 The boys halted in dismay. 
 
 That settles one thing," said Frank. "We ll not be 
 able to get out of this valley in this direction. See; it 
 closes in there, and there is no outlet. No wonder the 
 bandits were in no hurry to follow us." 
 
 "I tell-a you dat !" cried Juan. "We be in de trap !" 
 
 Ephraim ground his teeth. 
 
 "Air we goin ter be cooped up like a lot uv chickens ! 
 Let s go back and fight aour way right out through them 
 bandits." 
 
 "That is a trick we cannot accomplish just now," said 
 Frank. "They will be looking for us to come hustling 
 back, as soon as we find this end of the valley is closed." 
 
 "Wai, what be we goin to do?" 
 
 Frank looked the situation over and considered, his 
 face very grave and thoughtful. Near the waterfall a 
 mass of bowlders were piled, and he regarded them with 
 a critical eye. 
 
 "Let s go nearer and look them over," he said. 
 
 "What for?" asked Ephraim. 
 
 "To see what sort of a fort they will make. We may 
 have to get into some situation where we can hold off 
 Black Miguel and his band." 
 
 So they rode nearer, and it was seen that the rocks 
 would afford them shelter if they were obliged to defend 
 themselves from the outlaws.
 
 Things Mysterious. 35 
 
 "We will stop right here," declared Frank. "It is best 
 to do the thing those bandits will not expect us to do, 
 and they ll be looking for us to come back. Ten to one 
 .we d be ambushed and shot down like dogs if we did so." 
 
 So they dismounted and led their horses behind a mass 
 of bowlders, where they would be well sheltered in case 
 bullets flew thickly. 
 
 Frank looked the mass over, and he quickly saw ho\\ 
 strong a fort could be made. 
 
 "Take hold, boys," he directed. "We must roll a wall 
 of stones together here. Then let Black Miguel come 
 on." 
 
 They worked like beavers, for they did not know how 
 soon the outlaws would come upon them. In the course 
 of an hour they had a wall erected, and they were ready 
 for the assault. 
 
 By this time they were all hungry, and they decided to 
 eat from the provisions obtained at their last stopping 
 place. This supply was small, for Juan had expected 
 to obtain food from the peons who lived amid the moun 
 tains. 
 
 "We ll have to go easy with the rations to-night," said 
 Frank. "It will be better to keep some for to-morrow." 
 
 "An haow be we goin ter git aour next supply ?" asked 
 Ephraim. 
 
 "Just now that is an unanswerable question." 
 
 While they were eating all were startled by a heavy 
 rumbling explosion that seemed to be somewhere under 
 ground. They looked at each other in a bewildered man 
 ner, their eyes full of questioning. 
 
 "What in thutteration do yeou think that was, Frank ?" 
 spluttered the boy from Vermont. 
 
 "It was not an earthquake." 
 
 "Wai, not by a jugful !" 
 
 "It sounded like a blast !"
 
 36 Things Mysterious. 
 
 "It surely did, by gum !" 
 
 Then Juan was appealed to, but he was as much puz 
 zled as the others. 
 
 "I cannot tell," he said, shaking his head. This val- 
 ke is one place of mystery. That is one of them." 
 
 The boys began to feel that there was, in truth, some 
 thing uncanny about the valley. Even the mountains, 
 which towered grim and ominous on every hand, seemed 
 to shut the place in like mighty sentinels, as if the spot 
 were forbidden to man. 
 
 The sun dropped down into the west, and shadows be 
 gan to deepen in the gulches and ravines. With the grow 
 ing shadows, the uneasiness of the boys increased. Al 
 though he would not confess it to himself, Frank disliked 
 to spend a night there. 
 
 "Squash me!" Ephraim Gallup finally observed, un 
 steadily. "I feel jest the same s I did one time, when I 
 went, with some other fellers, to stay in Jed Spruce s 
 ha nted haouse. I was kainder creepy all over my meat, 
 an I m that air way naow." 
 
 "It would be a relief if the bandits made an attack on 
 us," said Frank. 
 
 "They do that after dark," Juan said. 
 
 "An there won t be a bit uv a moon, will they ?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, there will be a faded old moon in the west 
 the first of the night, but it may not shed much light into 
 this valley. The last part of the night will be moonless." 
 
 "That s when they ll come fer sure." 
 
 "We will make it hot for them, whenever they come." 
 
 About an hour later they heard the underground ex 
 plosion once more, and this time it seemed louder and 
 more distinct than before. They were upon a ledge, and 
 this was distinctly felt to jar. 
 
 "Next time she may be hard enough to knock a cor-
 
 Things Mysterious. 37 
 
 ner off one of these air maountains !" whispered Ephrainv 
 in an awe-stricken way. 
 
 "I wonder if that can be anything the bandits are 
 doing?" speculated Frank. "It can t be they are blow 
 ing down the walls and blockading the gap ?" 
 
 After talking this over, it was decided that such a 
 thing was not at all likely, but they arrived at no decided 
 opinion concerning the explosions. 
 
 Night came on. The sun faded from the snowy peaks, 
 and the darkness spread and deepened. Stars came out 
 one by one, and the ghost of a moon seemed to rest in 
 the hollow between two mountains. 
 
 During a part of the afternoon the horses had been 
 picketed where they could feed on the grass, but they were 
 again brought behind the barrier of rocks. 
 
 The boys huddled together, and talked in whispers. 
 
 Suddenly, cutting through the night like a keen blade, 
 came a wild cry, chilling the blood. It was full of unut 
 terable despair, and it seemed to issue from the lips of a 
 human being. 
 
 That cry caused the boys to shudder and huddle closer 
 behind the rocks. 
 
 The waterfall splashed in the wan moonlight. Some 
 thing caused them all to look at it at once. 
 
 Out from the falling water a horse and rider seemed to 
 leap. The horse was coal black, and the rider was cov 
 ered with something that glistened darkly in the moon 
 light.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE STRUGGLE OF PHANTOMS. 
 
 Three astounded boys crouched behind the rocks and 
 stared at the horse and rider. The trio seemed stricken 
 dumb and motionless with amazement. 
 
 Not a moment did the strange horseman stop, but 
 straight down the stream he went. 
 
 Juan muttered a prayer in Spanish, crossing himself. 
 
 "Wai, ef that don t beat all creation !" gurgled Ephraim 
 Gallup, as soon as he could get his breath. "Where in 
 thutteration did they come frum?" 
 
 Frank was silent, being not a little puzzled. 
 
 The horseman seemed utterly indifferent to the pres 
 ence of the boys, or quite unaware that they were there. 
 Away he rode, without being challenged. The horse 
 scrambled from the bed of the stream, and the clickety- 
 click of its hoofs grew fainter and fainter as it went gal 
 loping down the valley. 
 
 "What do yeou think uv that, Frank?" Ephraim de 
 manded. 
 
 "I think it was a horse and rider," said Frank. 
 
 "A spirit!" whispered Juan. 
 
 "Git aout with yer nonsense!" exclaimed the Ver- 
 monter, promptly. "I don t take no stock in that air, 
 yeou bet!" 
 
 "There was nothing supernatural about the horse and 
 rider," Merriwell quietly declared. "They were flesh and 
 blood." 
 
 "Ah, Frank," sighed Juan; "how do you explain de 
 they come out of de water ?"
 
 The Struggle of Phantoms. 39 
 
 "I am not going to try to explain it; but I believe it 
 was a trick to frighten us. The outlaws are trying to 
 break our nerve, so they will have an easy time when 
 they come in on us." 
 
 "Hang em!" grated Ephraim. "I don t like this air 
 monkey business, but they ll have hard work ter scarf 
 me so I can t shute." 
 
 "That s right," nodded Frank, the dim light failing tc 
 show the expression of satisfaction on his face; "keep 
 your nerve, old man, and we ll make them fight if they 
 get the best of us." 
 
 "But we are in de trap-a!" cried Juan, despairingly. 
 "You do not know-a Black Miguel ! He nevare let any 
 one get out de trap. He keel-a for de fun. He like to 
 see de blood run-a like to hear de victim cry for pain !" 
 
 "Evidently he is an inhuman monster," came quietly 
 from the lips of Frank Merriwell. "That is all the more 
 reason why we should die fighting. It is not healthy to 
 fall into his hands." 
 
 "Oh, my poor sistare !" sobbed the Chilian boy. "She 
 nevare be save ! Poor Pepita !" 
 
 Then he fell to repeating a prayer once more. 
 
 Frank was surprised at Juan s lack of nerve. The boy 
 had seemed timid in the first place, but he had thought he 
 would show more nerve when Chili was reached and he 
 found himself in his own country. 
 
 However, on considering the condition under which 
 Juan had lived on remembering that his father had been 
 a hunted fugitive Frank did not wonder so much that 
 the dark-faced lad was not very brave. 
 
 "Perhaps he will show up all right in a pinch," thought 
 Frank, who was inclined to be liberal minded. 
 
 For a long time they sat and talked of the surprising 
 appearance of the horse and rider. It was plain to all 
 that the head and shoulders of the rider had been coy-
 
 40 The Struggle of Phantoms. 
 
 ered by the protecting folds of something, on which the 
 thin moonlight made the water glisten. 
 
 "He came aout uv the waiter," muttered Ephraim ; "but 
 haow in thutteration did he git into it ?" 
 
 That was a question difficult to answer. 
 
 The early night wore on, and the shadowy moon 
 dropped lower and lower into the hollow between the two 
 mountain peaks. 
 
 The boys spoke of the wild, wailing cry they had heard, 
 and wondered if it would be repeated. They were listen 
 ing for it when it came. 
 
 The moon had gone, and darkness was heavy in the 
 valley. The cry seemed to float along on the heavy air, 
 and it was expressive of the most unutterable agony. 
 
 Then two fiery figures were seen racing along the black 
 wall to the south, swiftly coming nearer the head of the 
 valley, and changing in shape as they came. 
 
 "Santa Maria!" gasped Juan, and he covered his eyes 
 with his hands. 
 
 "What is it ?" asked the Vermonter, in wonder. 
 
 "Look !" directed Frank. "They have stopped. Well, 
 this is a free show, and no mistake." 
 
 On the smooth face of the precipice two figures had 
 halted. One was a grinning skeleton, every bone of 
 which seemed composed of white fire; the other was a 
 scarlet demon, armed with a flaming sword. The demon 
 had been pursuing the skeleton, but now the latter, seem 
 ingly driven to bay, faced about to give battle. 
 
 "Say, I want to go right back to Vermont !" groaned 
 Ephraim Gallup, his teeth chattering. "I can t stan this ! 
 It s too much, by thutter !" 
 
 Then, before the eyes of the boys, a brief but savage 
 battle took place. The skeleton grasped the demon by 
 the throat, but was cast off, and the demon plunged its
 
 me Struggle of Phantoms. 41 
 
 sword through bet.ween the skeleton s ribs, which did not 
 seem to harm the skeleton in the least. 
 
 Ephraim began to forget his fears, and grew excited. 
 
 "Say, which way ye bettin , Frank ?" he demanded. "I ll 
 go ye that ther skeleton knocks the Old Boy out in two 
 rounds !" 
 
 "I ll stand you on that," said Frank. "The demon is 
 bound to do execution with that sword." 
 
 "Oh, that don t caount, for the skeleton ain t got no 
 flesh nor blood. He don t mind it to have the sword 
 poked through him a few dozen times." 
 
 "Well, he doesn t seem to mind it," confessed Frank, 
 as the demon jabbed the skeleton several times. 
 
 Juan, hearing their voices, lowered his hands, took a 
 look at the awe-inspiring battle, then covered his eyes 
 with his hands again and resumed praying. 
 
 "Oh, shut up with yer jabberin ," cried the Yankee lad. 
 "Git inter ther game here, an back yer man !" 
 
 "The saints preserv-a us !" palpitated Juan, in English. 
 
 "We ll hev ter do a little preservin aourselves, ur they 
 won t stan by us," snorted Ephraim, in disgust. 
 
 Now the battle between the two glowing figures be 
 came terrific. The demon flung aside its sword, and they 
 grappled. Once, twice, three times the skeleton was 
 dashed to the ground. When it arose the third time it 
 was seen that its left arm had been broken off at the 
 shoulder. 
 
 Still the battle raged with unabated fierceness, for the 
 skeleton seemed infuriated beyond measure by its injury. 
 It hurled itself at the crimson demon, which it caught 
 with its remaining hand and tried to strangle. 
 
 The demon writhed and twisted in its efforts to fling off 
 its relentless antagonist. Sometimes both bent close to 
 the ground, and then they straightened up. At length
 
 42 The Struggle of Phantoms. 
 
 the skeleton was dashed down again, and when it got up 
 one leg had fallen off at the knee. 
 
 "Naow I guess he s aout uv the ring fer sure," said 
 Ephraim, regretfully. 
 
 But, no! the skeleton hopped around on one foot as 
 lively as a sparrow. It flung itself on the demon, who 
 seemed enraged beyond measure by the persistency of its 
 fleshless antagonist. 
 
 The battle ended in a tempestuous struggle, and the 
 demon actually tore the skeleton to pieces, flung it, a 
 shattered mass, to the ground, and then, in an instant, 
 skeleton and demon vanished. 
 
 "Great yowling cats !" palpitated the Yankee boy. 
 "That was the wust scrap I ever see !" 
 
 Frank laughed. 
 
 "Our friends, the enemy, seem to be doing everything 
 possible to make it pleasant for us while we remain here." 
 
 "What do yeou think, Frank haow was that done?" 
 
 "They were spirits!" hissed Juan. "Don t arouse the 
 anger of de spirits !" 
 
 "Don t " 
 
 "No! Mebbe Black Miguel he be scared away. If 
 so, then we git out perhap ." 
 
 "I scarcely think Black Miguel will be frightened away 
 so easily ; I don t fancy he has been alarmed by anything 
 that has happened." 
 
 For the third time the wild, wailing cry sounded in the 
 valley, dying out into a faint moan that was nerve shak 
 ing. 
 
 "I don t understand how such a yell as that can come 
 from human lips, yet it seems like a human cry," said 
 Frank. 
 
 "It is a cry from a lost soul !" whispered the Chilian 
 boy.
 
 The Struggle of Phantoms. 43 
 
 "Nonsense! I don t take stock in that. You need a 
 tonic, Juan ; your blood is in a bad condition." 
 
 "Ah, Frank, I know-a I know-a !" 
 
 "If you think you do it is useless to argue with you." 
 
 "No use to talk-a." 
 
 "Then I will not try it." 
 
 "But yeou have got to acknowledge there has bin some 
 queer things took place sence we come here," said Eph- 
 raim. 
 
 "Some things rather surprising, but nothing super 
 natural." 
 
 "That s your idea, hey?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "What abaout the hoss an feller that came aout of the 
 waterfall ?" 
 
 "Surely there was nothing supernatural about that. It 
 was a trick, and that is all. It was done to frighten us 
 and shake our nerve, as these other things have been 
 done. When the bandits are satisfied that we are over 
 come with terror, they will come down on us with a rush. 
 We must keep our nerve about us, or we ll all be killed 
 without striking a blow in our own defense." 
 
 "By gum, yeou re right ! But I d kinder like to know 
 what them critters will do next." 
 
 Barely had the words fallen from Ephraim s lips when 
 a flash of light came down over the waterfall, and a flare 
 of fire ran along the bosom of the stream that flowed 
 through the valley, so the stream itself seemed to be a 
 river of fire !
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A SHOT IN THE DARK. 
 
 "Santa Maria !" 
 
 "Great Scott!" 
 
 "Darn my punkins !" 
 
 Juan, Frank and Ephraim uttered these exclamations 
 in turn, as they crouched behind the rocks and stared in 
 amazement at the river of fire. 
 
 The entire surface of the stream seemed blazing, and 
 the light illumined the valley. 
 
 It was a remarkable spectacle, and one well calculated 
 to paralyze the lads with astonishment and fear. 
 
 The light showed the black rocks, the jagged walls, the 
 frowning precipices, but revealed no living being to the 
 boys behind the rocks. 
 
 "This is rather remarkable, I must confess !" said 
 Frank, staring wonderingly at the fiery stream. 
 
 "Darned ef I ever saw warter burn like that air be 
 fore !" spluttered the Vermont lad. 
 
 "It is de end of de world-a !" moaned Juan. 
 
 "Dunno but it is," nodded Ephraim. "When warter 
 gits ter burnin , other things oughter ketch purty soon!" 
 
 "What s this smell in the air?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Dunno. What is it ?" 
 
 "It seems like burning oil." 
 
 "So it does. Mebbe that river runs aout uv an oil 
 factory somewhere." 
 
 "The fire is sinking already." 
 
 This was true. Near the waterfall it was dying out 
 and floating away on the bosom of the stream, although
 
 A Shot in the Dark. 45 
 
 it seemed to burn as brightly as ever, further down the 
 valley. 
 
 Little patches of fire drifted swiftly down the stream 
 and burned themselves out on the surface of the water. 
 Soon there was no fire in the vicinity of the waterfall, and 
 in a very few minutes there was none anywhere along 
 the stream. 
 
 Darkness lay dense and awesome in the uncanny val 
 ley. 
 
 Now the boys noticed that the horses were snorting and 
 rearing, apparently greatly terrified by what had taken 
 place and by their own struggles. 
 
 "They re liable to break away!" exclaimed Frank, 
 springing up. "We must look out for that." 
 
 "That s so, by gum !" cried Ephraim. 
 
 Together they hastened toward the horses. This was 
 an unfortunate move, for, suddenly appearing as they did 
 in the darkness, they completed the work of rendering the 
 animals frantic. 
 
 "Whoa! Easy there!" called Frank, hoping to reas 
 sure the creatures with his voice. 
 
 The horses were making too much noise to hear him. 
 They reared and plunged, and one of them broke away. 
 
 Despite the fact that he was rather awkward in ap 
 pearance, Ephraim was strong and quick. Happening to 
 be near the horse that freed itself, the Vermonter leaped 
 through the air and caught at the bit of broken rope. 
 
 By the rarest chance, Ephraim grasped the rope close 
 to the horse s head. Then, with a leap and a swing, he 
 landed on the animal s back. 
 
 "Whoa!" he cried, triumphantly. "Think ye kin git 
 erway frum Ephraim Gallup? Ef ye do, yeou ll make 
 ther biggest mistake uv yeour life, by thutter !" 
 
 The horse continued to rear and plunge while Ephraim
 
 46 A Shot in the Dark. 
 
 was speaking, and then, all at once, the creature seemed 
 to realize that it was no longer held by the rope. 
 
 A wild squeal came from the animal s lips, and away J A 
 shot down the valley, bearing the boy on its back. 
 
 "Stop !" shouted Frank. "Come back !" 
 
 "Can t!" was the reply. "This hoss is " 
 
 That was all Frank could understand, for the horse con 
 tinued to tear down the valley, bearing the Yankee lad 
 along. 
 
 Frank did his best to quiet the other animals, and he 
 succeeded in a few moments. 
 
 Before he had quieted them to his satisfaction, he 
 heard a series of wild yells far down the valley, followed 
 by three or four shots, and still further yelling. 
 
 "Hard luck!" muttered Merriwell, bitterly. "Ten to 
 one Eph has run plumb upon the bandits, and has been 
 killed or captured. Now fate seems dead against us." 
 
 The yelling died out, but the final cries were full ef 
 triumph, and Frank s heart was heavy in his bosom. 
 Having pacified the horses, he returned to the place 
 where Juan crouched and shivered. 
 
 "We be lost, lost !" murmured Juan. 
 
 Frank said nothing, for he was trying to think what 
 should be done in this emergency. He had not given up 
 hope, and he knew that it was possible Ephraim had es 
 caped, but his sober judgment told him the situation was 
 one of deadly peril, where there did not seem one chance 
 in a thousand that one of the three lads would ever leave 
 that fateful valley alive. 
 
 Frank was much disappointed in Juan, for he had 
 fancied the boy who was seeking to find his lost sister 
 and rescue her, would be brave and daring. Now he did 
 not depend on the Chilian boy in the least, and he felt 
 that Juan was an incumbrance. 
 
 But he could not rest without knowing what had hap-
 
 A Shot in the Dark. 47 
 
 pened to Ephraim, so he determined to creep down the 
 valley. The outlaws were down there, and he might get 
 near enough to them to find out something. 
 
 He had turned to tell Juan what move he thought 
 of making when he was surprised and startled to hear 
 a galloping horse approaching. 
 
 "Dey coming !" palpitated the Chilian lad. "Dey com- 
 ing now to kill-a us !" 
 
 "Well, we will make it a very interesting job for them !" 
 grated Frank, swinging his rifle around ready for use. 
 "I ll wager something I perforate a few of the villains !" 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the galloping horse. 
 
 "There can be but one," muttered Frank. "I wonder 
 who that is, and what he wants ?" 
 
 Then his heart gave a great leap of hope/ 
 
 "It may be Ephraim!" he gasped. "If it should 
 be " 
 
 He stopped short, for the horse had ceased to gallop. 
 The animal was coming forward at a walk, and was now 
 quite near. 
 
 "Halt, there !" 
 
 The ringing command came from Frank Merriwell s 
 lips, and it was emphasized by a double click, as he cocked 
 his rifle. 
 
 The horse stopped. 
 
 "Young senor, I wish to speak with you." 
 
 The words, uttered in a smooth, musical voice, came 
 through the darkness, and they seemed like an electric 
 shock to Juan, who started up with a smothered cry. 
 
 Frank was a little surprised, but he immediately asked : 
 
 "Do you mean that you wish to speak with me?" 
 
 "Si, senor; you are the one." 
 
 "Who are you?" 
 
 "That can make no difference to you. At this time I 
 propose to be your friend, if you will let me."
 
 48 A Shot in the Dark. 
 
 "My friend? Impossible!" 
 
 "Not so, young senor. If you will let me be your 
 friend, that I will." 
 
 Through Frank s head flashed the thought that this 
 was a trick, and he was wary. To his surprise, Juan 
 was kneeling at his side, fingering a rifle, and breathing 
 heavily. The Chilian seemed overcome with a desire to 
 do some shooting. 
 
 "Steady!" whispered Frank. "Don t be in a hurry. 
 Watch out that we are not taken by surprise while I 
 talk with that man." 
 
 "That man!" fluttered Juan. "Oh, if I could see-a 
 heem!" 
 
 "I cannot understand why you should offer friend 
 ship," Frank called to the unseen man. "We have no 
 friends here." 
 
 "And you should have no enemies here, young senor. 
 It is the fault of your own that you come into this trap, 
 from which you can never get away without I help you." 
 
 "Why should you help me?" 
 
 "Because I do no wish to see you killed. You do 
 not belong in Chili, and you do come here on a foolish 
 expedition. I know all about that. Now you yourself 
 do find in a bad trap. Black Miguel have you very fast, 
 and it is the wish of him to kill you quick and soon. 
 I have induced him to hold still for a little time." 
 
 Frank was doubtful; he could not believe the man 
 was speaking the truth. Behind all this he felt sure there 
 was a plot to deceive them. 
 
 "Why should you induce him to hold on?" 
 
 "Why should I wish that you are killed? You have 
 never harmed me in some way, and against you I have 
 not one thing at all. With Black Miguel I have some 
 influence, and I can get him to let you go away without 
 trouble. I will do it on a certain condition."
 
 A Shot in the Dark. 49 
 
 "Now comes the trap!" thought Frank; and then he 
 asked to know the "certain condition." 
 
 After a moment of hesitation, the unseen man said : 
 
 "With you you have a boy, Juan Matias by name." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "You have him?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "There were three of you, but one of you he has become 
 a captive to Black Miguel." 
 
 Frank s heart leaped and swelled with a feeling of re 
 lief. So Ephraim still lived. 
 
 "The loss of him leaves you very weak," the man went 
 on. "You are but two to many. You have no chance 
 to escape. If my offer you do not except, you will all 
 be killed." 
 
 "Make your offer." 
 
 "It is this: Your friend who was with you is not 
 harmed; but he will be killed right away if you do not 
 accept the terms, which are that Juan Matias you shall 
 give up to Black Miguel. If Juan you give up, the one 
 who is captured shall be set at freedom, and away you 
 may go without being at all hurt. Remember, that it will 
 cost at once the life of him who is captured if Juan 
 Matias you do not give up. What do you answer ?" 
 
 Then, to Frank s astonishment, Juan screamed: 
 
 "I ansare dat you be de human monster! You be de 
 one dat kill-a my fadare steal-a my sistare ! You be de 
 Marques de la Villa del Villar de la Aguila! May de 
 saints direct dis bullet !" 
 
 There was a flash of fire, followed by a ringing report, 
 and Frank knew the Chilian boy had discharged his rifle.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 TO THE RESCUE. 
 
 This action on the part of Juan had been quite unex 
 pected by Frank Merriwell, so he was unable to prevent 
 it. The moment it happened, however, he clutched the 
 boy, crying: 
 
 "Stop ! Do not fire again !" 
 
 Juan laughed wildly. 
 
 "I hope I have no need to do dat!" he returned. "I 
 hear where his voice sound-a, and I shoot toward it. 
 Ha! ha! Mebbe I do not miss." 
 
 Frank was astonished, for Juan seemed entirely 
 changed. He no longer cringed and cowered, but he 
 seemed wrought to madness and despair. 
 
 The rifle was taken from the Chilian boy, and then 
 Frank called : 
 
 "Are you injured, sir?" 
 
 "Not at all," was the calm reply. "The bullet passed 
 within a few inches of my head, but I was not at all 
 touched." 
 
 This seemed to make Juan frantic. He raved in Span 
 ish for several minutes, showing he had a passionate 
 nature and a fiery temper. He was quite changed from 
 the quiet, timid lad of a short time before. 
 
 "Be quiet!" ordered Frank, sternly. "What is the 
 good of all this bluster and noise ! Keep still." 
 
 Juan became silent, but he was heard to grate his 
 teeth occasionally, and his restless movements told that 
 he was holding himself in check by a great effort. 
 
 "Do you accept my proposal?" demanded the man in
 
 To the Rescue. 51 
 
 the darkness, impatiently. "At once you must answer, 
 for I care not to remain here and be shot at some more." 
 
 "Is that the only condition you have to offer?" asked 
 Frank, his heart heavy in his bosom. 
 
 "Si, sefior; the only one." 
 
 "If I give up Juan Matias, you will release Ephraim 
 Gallup, and will promise that we shall leave the moun 
 tains without being harmed ?" 
 
 "Si, senor." 
 
 Juan breathed heavily. He was awaiting Frank s de 
 cision. Frank had expected he would entreat not to 
 be given up, but he did nothing of the sort. 
 
 Within himself Frank Merriwell was fighting a battle. 
 Juan Matias was of foreign blood, while Ephraim Gallup, 
 brave and true, was a Yankee, an old schoolmate, a true 
 friend and comrade. When it came to a choice between 
 them there could be no hesitation on his part. 
 
 If Juan were not given up Ephraim would be killed 
 immediately, and there could be little doubt but the 
 bandits would afterward complete their work by slaugh 
 tering the other boys. By the sacrifice of the Chilian lad 
 the other two might escape. 
 
 Frank thought this all over in a moment, and then he 
 despised himself for hesitating. He saw his honor black 
 ened, and felt a thrill of shame because he had hesitated 
 an instant. 
 
 "What do you tell him, Frank?" 
 
 Juan asked the question, his voice soft and low. 
 
 "Tell him!" said Frank, hoarsely; "there is but one 
 thing to tell him ! I took your hand in San Francisco, 
 and said I would be your partner to the bitter end. Do 
 you think I will go back on my word! No, no not 
 even to save Ephraim Gallup, my old schoolmate!" 
 
 Then he passed a hand across his forehead, groaning : 
 
 "Poor Ephraim!" 
 
 \
 
 52 To the Rescue. 
 
 "Come, come!" called the impatient voice in the dark 
 ness. "What is to be your answer, young seiior. Will 
 you give Juan Matias up to save the other and yourself?" 
 
 "No, never!" 
 
 The man uttered an exclamation of astonishment in 
 Spanish. 
 
 "It cannot be you are very so much the great fool! 
 he cried. "Sefior Gallup will be killed immediate I carrj 
 back your answer. And then you cannot escape. Black 
 Miguel will bring his men and finish the work. All three 
 will fall. Think think how it can be that you may save 
 yourself and your friend if you but do give up Juan 
 Matias." 
 
 "I have thought of it. Go ahead with your murderous 
 work ! I shall stand by Juan to the end !" 
 
 "If not of yourself, then of your friend you should 
 think. It is your duty to save him." 
 
 "If this proposal were made to him, I know what his 
 answer would be. He would despise me if I gave up Juan 
 to save him and to save myself. You have had my an 
 swer." 
 
 Juan clutched Frank s arm, and his voice trembled with 
 emotion, as he panted : 
 
 "T ank-a you, t ank-a you! You sure be de true 
 friend-a! But it be not right-a you must not die for 
 me-a. No, no, no ! If you can git away, den I go give-a 
 myself up ! I do dat now. My fazare is dead ; my sistare 
 is lost ; nothing I have to live for ! Tell him, Frank tell 
 him dat I give myself up." 
 
 Frank Merriwell was dazed. Could it be possible this 
 was the cringing, shivering, unnerved boy whom he had 
 regarded as a coward a short time ago? Such a thing 
 seemed impossible. 
 
 "Are you in earnest, Juan ?" he demanded. 
 
 I am, Frank. Tell-a him dat."
 
 To the Rescue. 53 
 
 "No!" cried Merriwell, fiercely. "Ephraim would de 
 spise me still more when he knew all and I should hate 
 myself ! No ! We can make no terms with this villainous 
 marques !" 
 
 "But, think, Frank, think " 
 
 "Juan, the chances are that this is a trick. We have 
 shown them we can fight, and they fear us, boys though 
 we are. If you were given up, and we submitted our 
 selves into the hands of the bandits, all would be mur 
 dered in cold blood. There may be no hope for us, but, 
 at least, we can fight!" 
 
 The man in the darkness heard these words, and he 
 flung back : 
 
 "All right ! Your own way you shall have. The chance 
 you have been given, and now I can never be able to 
 save you some more. Black Miguel will bring to you 
 your death. Adios" 
 
 A moment later the horse was heard galloping away. 
 
 Juan tried to use the rifle once more, wishing to send 
 a shot after the man; but Frank would not permit it, as 
 .he believed it would be a waste of lead. 
 
 "Oh, Frank !" cried the Chilian boy ; "you should have 
 let me go. It be no use at all, for we all have to be 
 kill-a at last." 
 
 "Juan, it was a trick I am satisfied on that point. 
 Black Miguel is not going to let any of us escape, if he 
 can help it. If I gave you up and surrendered myself 
 into the power of the bandits, they could kill us all without 
 danger to themselves. But, even if they were honest, I 
 could not think of giving you up in order to escape. 
 I swore to stand by you through thick and thin I gave 
 you my hand on it. Frank Merriwell never breaks his 
 word." 
 
 "Oh, Frank ! I think dere never be another boy like-a 
 you ! You be so grand !"
 
 54 To the Rescue. 
 
 "Oh, that is nonsense, Juan! I am doing what any 
 decent fellow would do that s all. Don t give me too 
 much credit." 
 
 But there was a great fear in Frank s heart. Ephraim 
 was a captive in the hands of the bandits, and it was 
 likely he would be destroyed without delay. 
 
 Was there no way to save him? 
 
 Frank asked himself the question over and over, and 
 then he formed a resolution to do what he could. 
 
 "Juan," he said, "I am going down the valley to see 
 if I can find out anything concerning Ephraim." 
 
 Juan said nothing. 
 
 "I want you to stay here," Frank went on. "I want 
 you to watch the horses and hold this fort, if any one 
 tries to take it." 
 
 He expected the Chilian boy would remonstrate, and 
 great was his surprise when Juan calmly said : 
 
 "I will do what I can, Frank. I am not so very much 
 of the fighter." 
 
 "Keep cool and listen," advised Frank. "When I re 
 turn I will whistle twice, make a pause, and then whistle 
 once. By that signal you will know me." 
 
 "I will." 
 
 "If you hear anything suspicious, utter a challenge. If 
 you get no answer, fire." 
 
 "I will." 
 
 Frank paused, and then his hand found the shoulder 
 of his companion, whom he had come to respect anew 
 within a few minutes. 
 
 "I may not come back, Juan," he said, a trifle huskily. 
 "I am going down there to give Ephraim a helping hand, 
 if I can. If he is in danger of being killed, I shall stand 
 by him. The bandits may finish us both. If I do not 
 come back if we never see each other again farewell, 
 Juan."
 
 To the Rescue. 55 
 
 A sob came from the throat of the Chilian boy, and, 
 suddenly, he embraced Frank, clinging to him a moment. 
 
 "AdiosJ adios! adiosl" May all the saints defend-a 
 you, Frank ! While you are gone I will pray, pray, pray. 
 My great sorrow is that I bring-a you here." 
 
 "Don t let that trouble you, Juan, my lad. You did 
 not bring me here I came of my own accord. You have 
 nothing to weigh heavily on your conscience. My regret 
 is that we have stumbled into this trap so soon that we 
 have been unable to solve the mystery of your father s 
 and sister s disappearance. It was fate. Good-by." 
 
 "Adios!" 
 
 Slowly Frank made his way down the valley, uncer 
 tain as to what moment he might walk into a trap. 
 
 "At any rate, I will die fighting," he thought. 
 
 He held his rifle ready for immediate use, and he could 
 work the repeater with astonishing swiftness and ac 
 curacy. 
 
 The darkness seemed to deepen. The stream gurgled 
 faintly, and Frank kept close by it, pausing frequently to 
 listen. 
 
 It seemed that he had reached the vicinity of the gap 
 by which they had entered the valley when, of a sudden, 
 high up at one side of the valley a light blazed forth. 
 
 It seemed that the light was turned upon the boy, and 
 he immediately dropped to the ground. 
 
 Not a moment too soon. 
 
 Across the valley shot the bar of light, passing directly 
 over him. Had he been standing he must have been re 
 vealed. 
 
 "Well, this is interesting!" muttered Frank, clutching 
 his rifle in anticipation of an attack. "Can those people 
 see in the dark that they are able to tell some one is 
 moving down the valley ? This is surely a valley of mys 
 teries."
 
 56 To the Rescue. 
 
 For a few seconds the bar of light remained motion 
 less, and then it moved. Away it traveled to the south, 
 glaring broadly on one side of the valley, while it gleamed 
 out like a fiery eye high up in the face of the black 
 wall on the other side. 
 
 "That is a powerful reflector," muttered Frank. "If 
 the light should reach me, I would be revealed." 
 
 All at once the fiery eye seemed to close with a wink 
 and blank darkness lay in the valley once more. 
 
 Frank felt sure the persons behind the reflector had 
 been surveying the valley to see if any one was moving 
 therein. 
 
 Some moments after the reflector was shut off an 
 other light gleamed out from the wall, showing an open 
 ing in the apparently solid rock. 
 
 The light came from a flaring torch, which was held 
 above the head of a man. Other men appeared in the 
 opening, and the light of the torch showed them swing 
 ing out over and descending to the level of the valley 
 by means of a rope or a rope ladder. 
 
 Frank believed he understood why the reflector had 
 been used. The persons who were coming down into the 
 valley wished to learn if they were likely to be observed 
 by enemies. 
 
 "Well, they barely missed me," thought the boy. "If 
 I had not dropped as if I were shot, they would have 
 seen me." 
 
 Three persons came out of the opening and descended 
 the ladder, after which the man with the torch retreated 
 and disappeared. 
 
 Ten seconds later the reflector suddenly shot a light 
 into the valley once more. 
 
 "Great Scott!" gasped Frank, who had arisen to his 
 feet and moved down the stream a short distance "This 
 is getting decidedly warm!"
 
 To the Rescue. 57 
 
 There seemed to be no place of concealment near at 
 hand, so he dropped to the ground once more, and lay 
 still. 
 
 The light of the reflector played over the bottom of 
 the valley. It came nearer and nearer to the boy, who 
 clutched his rifle and thrust it forward, ready to shoot 
 if forced to do so. 
 
 The light fell on the stream, near which Frank was 
 stretched on the ground, and the boy scarcely restrained 
 an exclamation of astonishment. 
 
 The stream had dwindled to a mere thread, which 
 was trickling along the lowest part of its bed. It had 
 been from thirty to forty feet in width, but now a per 
 son could step over it with the greatest ease. 
 
 "Another of the remarkable things which seem to be 
 constantly taking place in this valley," thought the lad. 
 
 Then a strange fancy came to him. It was that the 
 stream had been burned up by the fire. 
 
 This thought he immediately thrust aside, regarding 
 it as childish and absurd. His attention was once more 
 given to the shifting light of the reflector. 
 
 This light finally fell on three persons who were cross 
 ing the stream a short distance below where Frank lay. 
 One of the three was plainly an Indian. The other two 
 were half-bloods, and all looked fierce and formidable. 
 
 "They belong to the bandits," thought the boy. 
 
 When the trio had crossed the stream the light from the 
 reflector suddenly vanished again, and all was darkness 
 in the valley of mystery. 
 
 The light had revealed to Frank that he was yet a con 
 siderable distance above the gap by which the valley 
 had been entered. 
 
 He arose to his feet and moved forward slowly, pausing 
 frequently to listen with great intentness.
 
 58 To the Rescue. 
 
 He was expecting that the light from the reflector 
 might be shot into the valley at any moment. 
 
 This, however, did not occur again for some time, 
 and he was enabled to find the gap without being in 
 further danger from the light. 
 
 There were sentinels on guard at the mouth of the 
 gap. He heard them speaking to each other in the dark 
 ness and heard them walking to and fro. 
 
 At a distance below the gap a light shone out into 
 the valley. 
 
 Frank moved toward this point, and, in a short time, 
 he found himself looking into an alcove among the 
 rocks where the bandits were camped. 
 
 His heart leaped into his mouth the moment he looked 
 in there, for he saw the ruffians were preparing to shoot 
 Ephraim Gallup, who was standing with his back against 
 a small tree, to which he was tied securely. 
 
 The light of a fire revealed the bandits and the unfortu 
 nate captive, who had been carried into their clutches 
 by a frightened and unruly horse. 
 
 A line of savage-looking men, with leveled rifles, were 
 standing within ten paces of the luckless lad. 
 
 In a moment those rifles would belch forth fire and 
 death. 
 
 With the quickness of thought, Frank Merriwell s rifle 
 leaped to his shoulder, and he began to work it with 
 such rapidity that there was scarcely a break between the. 
 reports. 
 
 For once in his life, at least, he did not hesitate to shoot 
 at human beings, for he knew it was the only way of 
 saving his friend. 
 
 Two of the six executioners fell immediately, while a 
 third clasped his side, dropped his rifle, and staggered 
 away.
 
 To the Rescue. 59 
 
 *lne attack was so sudden and unexpected that the 
 bandits were thrown into the utmost confusion and ter 
 ror. 
 
 Frank leaped forward, swinging his rifle from his 
 shoulder by its strap. Out flashed a knife, and he 
 reached the side of Ephraim Gallup. Two swift slashes 
 set the captive free. Frank s hand grasped Ephraim s 
 wrist, and he literally yanked the Vermonter toward the 
 darkness beyond range of the firelight. 
 
 "Run I" he panted. 
 
 "Frank!" gasped the Yankee lad. 
 
 "It will be a hot race for the waterfall," said Frank; 
 "but we may be able to make it." 
 
 "We must make it," grated the other boy. "We ll lose 
 aour skulps ef we don t, an that s sartin sure." 
 
 The sentries at the mouth of the gap had been alarmed, 
 and they were expecting an attempt would be made to 
 escape from the valley by passing them. 
 
 The bandits who had been thrown into confusion by 
 Frank s attack recovered swiftly, and they set out after 
 the running lads, shouting hoarsely and angrily. Some 
 times they fired at random into the darkness, hoping to 
 wing one of the boys. 
 
 Both youths knew there was danger that they might 
 be hit by a chance bullet, and they bowed their heads 
 and ran for all that was in them. 
 
 Ephraim had not been given time to wonder at Frank s 
 unexpected appearance. All the emotion that he could 
 feel was a sensation of thankfulness at his escape from 
 what seemed certain death. 
 
 The stream was reached, and Frank thought of cross 
 ing over, hoping to deceive their pursuers; but, to his 
 great astonishment, the channel was once more bankful 
 with water.
 
 60 To the Rescue. 
 
 Such marvelous changes took place in the valley that it 
 was not strange he should feel dazed and bewildered. 
 
 Up the stream they went. 
 
 The bandits were making a great noise behind them, 
 but the lads were holding their own, if not gaining. 
 
 Then came something that caused Frank to utter an 
 exclamation of anger and dismay. 
 
 The light from the reflector was flung into the valley 
 again. 
 
 "That light will be the ruin of us!" grated Merri- 
 well. "If it falls on us it will be kept there, and the 
 bandits will be given a chance to shoot us down." 
 
 "That s right, b gosh !" gasped Ephraim. "But what 
 in thutteration be we goin to do?" 
 
 "Stop ! I will try something." 
 
 They stopped, Frank dropped on one knee, leveled his 
 rifle, and took aim at the light. 
 
 The report of the rifle was followed by a distinct crash, 
 and the light went out. 
 
 "Hooray!" cried Ephraim, in delight. "You done it 
 slick !" 
 
 "Down !" hissed Frank, catching hold of the Yankee 
 boy, and yanking him to the ground. 
 
 Not a second too soon, for the flash of Frank s rifle had 
 been seen, and several shots were fired toward the spot, 
 the bullets whistling over the prostrate boys. 
 
 "Up!" panted Frank "up, and away!" 
 
 Then they sprang up and fled onward toward the 
 waterfall. 
 
 It was a desperate race for life, but the boys were fleet 
 of foot, and they were not overtaken. The fortress of 
 rocks was reached, and they crouched behind the wall, 
 panting for breath, and ready to defend the spot to the 
 end.
 
 To the Rescue. 61 
 
 But the bandits did not press them, and, after a time, 
 Frank looked around for Juan. 
 
 The Chilian boy was not at hand, and in vain they called 
 him. He did not answer. The two horses remained in 
 their places, but Juan Matias was gone.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 UNDER THE WATERFALL. 
 
 "Gone!" 
 
 The boys uttered the word in unison, staring at each 
 other through the darkness. 
 
 "Gol dern me ef I kin understand where he kin hev 
 gone to !" exclaimed Ephraim. "Did yeou tell him to stay 
 here?" 
 
 "Sure; and he said he would do so." 
 
 "Can t never put no dependence on the word of a Span 
 iard." 
 
 "There is where you are wrong, Ephraim. There are 
 Spaniards who are honest as anybody. It is the half- 
 bloods you cannot trust." 
 
 "Wai, wasn t Wand a half-blood ?" 
 
 "In one sense he is, but the mixture is good half Span 
 ish and half English. By half-bloods I mean the Span 
 ish-Indians. They are treacherous." 
 
 "Wai, Wand didn t hev any nerve." 
 
 "I don t know about that. I think he did have nerve." 
 
 Then Frank told of the proposal made by the Marques 
 Aguila, and how Juan had offered to give himself up 
 that the other boys might go free. 
 
 "That clean beats mel" acknowledged Ephraim. "I 
 wouldn t hev believed it ef anybody but yeou hed tole 
 me." 
 
 "It is the truth, and I am sure the boy was in earnest." 
 
 "Then yeou don t think he was skeered away from here 
 By the saound of the shutin that has bin goin on daown 
 below?"
 
 Under the Waterfall. 63 
 
 "I do not think so, but he may have been." 
 
 "He didn t take either one uv the hosses." 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Mebbe he kinder thought he could git away better 
 thout em." 
 
 "I do not believe he would try to get away till he 
 knew what had happened to me I will not believe it." 
 
 "Then where has he gone?" . 
 
 "That is more than I can tell." 
 
 "What ll we do?" 
 
 "Wait a while and see if he does not turn up." 
 
 So the boys settled behind the rocks and waited. 
 
 A profound silence seemed to rest over the night- 
 shrouded valley. Some way there was something omi 
 nous in the silence. The boys felt creepy and uneasy. 
 
 "Seems like them critters is crawlin up on us," whis 
 pered the lad from Vermont. "Can t hear em, kin ye?" 
 
 "No; I can hear nothing except a galloping horse." 
 
 "Hoss is comin ." 
 
 "That s right" 
 
 "Who kin be with the critter?" 
 
 "The Marques Aguila, perhaps." 
 
 "Comin here agin for what?" 
 
 "That remains to be seen. Keep still." 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the galloping fiorse, till it 
 was quite close at hand. The boys held their weapons 
 ready for use, and Frank was on the point of uttering 
 a challenge when the horse was heard to take to the 
 stream. 
 
 "Halt, there!" 
 
 The cry came from Frank s lips. 
 
 There was no answer. The horse continued to splash 
 along the stream, being now near at hand. 
 
 "Halt, or we fire!" 
 
 The horse seemed to spring forward, there was a break
 
 64 Under the Waterfall. 
 
 in the sound of the waterfall, and then the horse could 
 be heard no more. 
 
 "Great gosh!" gurgled Ephraim. 
 
 "Gone!" muttered Frank. 
 
 "Mebbe that s right; but where has the critter gone?" 
 
 "Under the waterfall." 
 
 "Under the waterfall ! Git aout ! Haow kin that be?" 
 
 "The falling water must conceal the mouth of a cave." 
 
 "Smotherin smoke! I never thought uv that!" 
 
 "I thought of it when the horse and rider appeared 
 some time ago, and now I feel almost certain of it." 
 
 "Ef yeou re right, it beats all natur, that s all !" 
 
 "I will wager I am right, and I am going to prove it." 
 
 "Haow?" 
 
 "By looking for the cave by going into it." 
 
 "Haow ye goin into it?" 
 
 "Through the waterfall." 
 
 "Thutter!" 
 
 "I should not be surprised if it proved to be one of 
 the entrances to the bandits cave, for I am certain the 
 bandits have a cave near at hand." 
 
 The Vermonter was silent a moment, and then he said : 
 
 "Frank." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "Yeou ve got the longest head uv any feller I ever 
 >aw, b gosh ! Yeou simply beat all creation !" 
 
 Frank laughed a bit, softly. 
 
 "I don t care about beating all creation," he said. "If 
 I could fool these bloodthirsty bandits a bit, about now, 
 I would be well satisfied." 
 
 "Fool em! Yeou ve nigh done better than that al 
 ready, by gum ! Ef yeou didn t lick the hull gang fer a 
 minute, I don t know a thing." 
 
 "But we are still trapped in this valley. I want tc
 
 Under the Waterfall. 65 
 
 fool them and get out. That s what I am figuring ort 
 just now." 
 
 "Wai, figger erway, an I hope ye ll figger it aout." 
 
 A moment later Frank directed Ephraim to follow, and 
 then climbed over the rocks and started toward the water 
 fall. Frank had reloaded his rifle, and Ephraim s rifle, 
 which had been left behind the rocks, was recovered and 
 in the possession of its owner. 
 
 Frank crept down close to the edge of the waterfall, 
 passed his rifle to his companion, and said : 
 
 "I expect to be well drenched, but it will pay if I dis 
 cover what I am looking for. I don t mind the wetting." 
 
 He stepped into the stream and waded out a bit. All 
 at once he paused, a low exclamation breaking from his 
 lips. 
 
 "What is it ?" asked Ephraim, softly. 
 
 "A light !" exclaimed Frank. "Can t you see it shining 
 on the water? It is beyond the waterfall." 
 
 Ephraim saw it, and it gave him an uncanny sensation. 
 He felt as if something cold were creeping along his 
 spine. 
 
 "What s it mean?" he hoarsely whispered. 
 
 "It means there is somebody in there with a light," 
 replied Frank, exultantly. "It means that I was right in 
 thinking there is a cave beneath this waterfall. It means 
 The light is gone !" 
 
 Quick as a flash Frank plunged through the sheet of 
 falling water. A moment later he came back, shaking 
 the water from his clothes. 
 
 "Quick !" he gurgled, "give me my rifle ! Come on V 9 
 
 "What do you mean to do?" 
 
 "Go in there." 
 
 "What did you find?" 
 
 "A cave, as I thought I should." 
 
 "Anything else?"
 
 66 Under the Waterfall. 
 
 "Didn t stop to look for anything else, then. Come on." 
 
 Frank tucked the butt of his revolver up under his coat, 
 and plunged through the waterfall again. 
 
 Ephraim had waded out into the stream, but he hesi 
 tated a moment. Then he set his teeth, muttering : 
 
 "Here goes!" 
 - Through he went. 
 
 It was no more than a thin sheet of water, and they 
 were on the other side in a moment. Ephraim felt him 
 self grasped, and Frank s voice whispered in his ear: 
 
 "Be still ! The man who came in here ahead of us is 
 not far away." 
 
 Clinging to each other, they moved forward. 
 
 The place was very damp, and the walls dripped mois 
 ture, for the water forced itself down through cracks in 
 the rocks. 
 
 In a few minutes they came to a point where a passage 
 led off to the left, and there they halted abruptly, for, in 
 the distance, gleamed the light of a torch. 
 
 That light showed them a man, who suddenly disap 
 peared as if he had stepped through an open doorway. 
 
 "Come on !" hissed Frank, and he skurried along that 
 passage, with Ephraim close at his heels. 
 
 By rare good fortune, they made little noise, and they 
 quickly reached the place where the man had disappeared. 
 
 There they paused and looked into a large, dry cham 
 ber, which seemed to be well aired, as if it opened to the 
 outer world some way. 
 
 At the farther side of this chamber were some rude 
 stalls, and two of these stalls were occupied by horses. 
 
 In the middle of this chamber, or underground stable, 
 a man was rubbing the water from another horse. 
 
 Frank knew this was the man who had just ridden into 
 the cavern. 
 
 Both boys were filled with astonishment, for of all the
 
 Under the Waterfall. 67 
 
 wonderful things they had beheld since entering the 
 mysterious valley, this seemed the most remarkable. 
 
 They could not express their feelings by words, but 
 Frank s hand gave Eph s arm a pressure that meant 
 much. 
 
 They took good care not to be seen. 
 
 The man did his work thoroughly, drying the horse 
 well, and then covering the animal with a warm blanket, 
 after which the creature was led into one of the stalls 
 and fed. 
 
 When this matter had been attended to the man picked 
 up the torch, which had been thrust upright into a rift 
 in the rocks, and started to leave the stable. 
 
 The boys drew back hastily, crouched in an angle of 
 the passage, and prepared to meet the man, if he should 
 come upon them. 
 
 But he left the stable and turned the other way. 
 
 They followed, keeping within view of the flaring 
 torch. 
 
 "He will lead us to the hiding place of the bandits," 
 whispered Frank. 
 
 "Sure as preachin is preachin ," returned Ephraim. 
 
 The passage did not lead straight ahead, but turned 
 and twisted in many directions, so the boys sometimes 
 lost sight of the torch for a moment. 
 
 Once or twice the man seemed to halt and listen. 
 
 At length a flight of rude steps, hewn from the solid 
 rock, was reached. 
 
 Far above them they saw the man climbing upward. 
 
 The wonders of that underground place were astound 
 ing, but the boys had no time to stop and think of that. 
 
 As soon as they dared, they started to climb the stairs. 
 The torch vanished, and they knew the man had reached 
 the top.
 
 68 Under the Waterfall. 
 
 "Be lively!" palpitated Frank, as he scrambled up the 
 steps. 
 
 They made some noise, and Frank feared the man 
 would hear them; but nothing of the kind took place. 
 
 At last the top of the flight was reached. 
 
 Far away the torch gleamed and vanished. 
 
 Regardless of any danger that might await them in 
 the darkness, they rushed toward the spot where it had 
 been seen. 
 
 The passage widened, and then it turned suddenly and 
 came out into a mighty chamber. 
 
 Frank clutched Ephraim, and the boys stopped abruptly 
 on the brink of an underground lake that lay spread be 
 fore them. 
 
 At a distance on the bosom of this lake a boat was 
 moving from them. In the boat the flaring torch was 
 set. The man they had followed was paddling the boat 
 away. 
 
 The light of the torch gleamed on the bosom of the 
 water that lay like a great pool of ink, covering the entire 
 floor of the chamber. 
 
 Overhead was such dense darkness that the roof could 
 not be seen. 
 
 In a moment Frank saw the man in the boat was get 
 ting away, for the great body of water would keep them 
 from following him, as no other boat seemed at hand. 
 
 Frank was desperate. He had believed they would 
 be able to follow the man to the outlaws den, and he 
 did not fancy being baffled in such a manner. 
 
 "I must stop him !" he grated. 
 
 He dropped on one knee, flinging his rifle to his shoul 
 der. But just as Frank was going to utter a challenge a 
 most surprising thing took place. 
 
 A figure suddenly uprose from the bottom of the boat, 
 grappled with the man, and a fierce battle began.
 
 Under the Waterfat 69 
 
 "Great gosh!" gasped Ephraim Gallup. 
 
 "What in thutter is ther meanin uv that?" 
 
 Frank was no less astonished than the Yankee boy, 
 and he stared in wonderment at the struggling forms. 
 
 The torchlight was such that it did not show them 
 plainly. 
 
 The boat rocked violently, threatening to upset. 
 
 Exclamations in Spanish came from the lips of the 
 combatants. 
 
 All at once there was a sharp cry of pain, and then 
 one of the two toppled backward and struck the surface 
 of the water with a splash, disappearing from view. 
 
 The other, with the torchlight showing a knife clutched 
 in his trembling hand, leaned over the edge of the boat 
 and peered down into the inky water, as if waiting for 
 his enemy to rise, that he might finish the job with an 
 other stroke. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim knew they had beheld an under 
 ground tragedy, and they felt the blood rushing through 
 their veins and their hearts fluttering. 
 
 The one who remained in the boat cried out something 
 in Spanish, quickly flinging down the deadly knife as if 
 he had been seized by a sudden horror for it. 
 
 That voice sounded familiar to both lads. 
 
 The boat swung around a bit, and the light of the 
 torch shone upon the victor in such a way that they 
 could see him distinctly. 
 
 "Gol dern my boots !" gasped the boy from Vermont. 
 "Why, that s that s Wand!" 
 
 "It is Juan, sure enough ! exclaimed Frank. 
 
 The occupant of the boat heard them, and he suddenly 
 grasped the paddle, starting to paddle away. 
 
 "Juan!" called Frank. 
 
 It was the Chilian boy, and he paused, with the paddle 
 uplifted.
 
 70 Under the Waterfall. 
 
 "Juan!" 
 
 "Who call? Dat you, Frank?" 
 
 Yes." 
 
 "De saints be praise ! I fear it be Black Miguel ! It 
 sound-a like your voice, but I could not think-a you be 
 here." 
 
 "I am here, and so is Ephraim. Come back."
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 INTO THE FIGHT. 
 
 Juan dropped the paddle into the water and turned 
 the boat about. Then he paddled back to the shore, 
 sprang out, and greeted his American friends with 
 demonstrations of unspeakable joy. 
 
 "I be fraid we never see each odar any more," he said. 
 "I be fraid we separate for good." 
 
 "We did not expect to see you again," confessed Frank. 
 "We could not conceive what had become of you." 
 
 "After you go the water the waterfall it stop to 
 run." 
 
 "I know that." 
 
 "I cannot hear it some more, and so I go to see what 
 the matter can be. I find it has stopped to run." 
 
 "Yes, yes?" 
 
 "Then I find the great black hole under the place 
 where the waterfall have been. I light some matches, 
 and I see it is the mouth of a cave. Then into it I will 
 go, and so I do. With my matches it is able for me to 
 get along. I find the passage, the horses, the steps, and, 
 last, I find the lake. All this take me very long time, 
 for I have to move slow, slow. I do not know how long 
 I have been here, but it seem that I have been two or 
 three day. I know it be not so, for I should have starved. 
 But I find the lake at last, and I find the boat. I am 
 afraid to go out on the lake I am afraid I never get 
 back. It is pretty bad to be lost on a lake like this, you 
 must think. I stay here long time and think on what 
 I had better to do. Then I heard somebody coming. I
 
 72 Into the Fight. 
 
 know not how I can hide. In the bottom of the boat I 
 see one blanket that have been left there by somebody. 
 It does not take me long under that to get myself, and 
 I think perhaps I may keep still and be taken to the 
 place where I shall find Pepita. Ha! The man the 
 bandit he get into the boat. Ha ! I keep all curl up un 
 der de blanket. I know he paddle de boat out-a. Bimeby 
 pretty soon he put his foot on my hand, and his boot 
 jam my fingers flat. I can stand it not any longer I 
 shall cry with de pain. I get mad-a. Then I take out my 
 knife, jump up, and fight with de man. I take him so 
 by de surprise dat I get de best of him. I strike him with 
 de knife he fall over he sink ! Dat is de end." 
 
 Juan had grown very excited toward the end of his 
 story, and he was shuddering with horror when he had 
 finished. 
 
 "By gosh !" cried Ephraim Gallup. "I kainder thought 
 yeou didn t hev no sand, but I take it all back, by thut- 
 ter ! Yeou re all right, Wand !" 
 
 Frank then explained how he had been able to save 
 Ephraim, ending by saying: 
 
 "It seems to me that we have reason to hope, for 
 fate has aided us to a great extent, and we may yet 
 be able to outwit Black Miguel and escape." 
 
 "I nevar go away now till I know something of Pepita," 
 declared Juan, fiercely. "Don t stay with me go, go ! If 
 you find any way to get out, go ! I may die here I ex 
 pect dat !" 
 
 "Juan, we are with you. We will stand by each other 
 to the end 1" 
 
 "You are very good friends true friends! I wonder 
 if all American boys be like you?" 
 
 "Not all, but most of them." 
 
 "Down here we have been taught to hate the Ameri 
 cans. Once we thought there would be war with America.
 
 Into the Fight. 73 
 
 We think we are able to beat the Americans, for every 
 body say they are cowards all. If they be like what I 
 have seen of them, what fools Chilians would be to try 
 to fight them ! America would be able to beat little Chili 
 in so very short time that it would be a great astonish 
 ment." 
 
 "There will be no war between the United States and 
 Chili; but this is no place to talk of such things. At 
 present we must look out for ourselves. What is to be 
 done next ?" 
 
 "The den uv the bandits is somewhere on t other side 
 uv this pond." 
 
 "That must be true. But how large is this lake ? That 
 is an interesting question. The stream that flows through 
 the valley must be the outlet of this lake. Can we find 
 the proper landing place of the farther shore ?" 
 
 "We can try." 
 
 "And if we get lost on the lake what ?" 
 
 "We ll have to take aour chances on that." 
 
 "I think you are right. I think there are two outlets 
 to this lake, and that the bandits are able to turn the 
 water from one channel to the other. That would explain 
 why the stream ceased to run through the valley, for 
 the water had been turned into the other channel." 
 
 "But it won t explain ther fire that run daown the 
 stream, or the fightin skelerton an demon." 
 
 Frank laughed softly. 
 
 "Those things are easily explained." 
 
 "Then yeou jest explain um." 
 
 "The fire was caused by burning oil. Oil will float 
 on the surface of the water, and a large amount must have 
 been poured into the stream and then ignited." 
 
 "Never thought uv that, an I smelt oil when she was 
 burnin . But haow about t other thing?" 
 
 "That was a magic lantern trick. It is likely you have
 
 74 Into the Fight. 
 
 seen one of these magic lantern shows that travel around 
 through small country towns?" 
 
 "Yes, but great jee-thutter! haow could they do that 
 air trick here? Jest yeou explain that." 
 
 "The persons who worked the lantern were hidden in 
 this cave, high up at one side of the valley. There must 
 have been an opening in the wall, like a window. From 
 that opening the figures were flung on the opposite wall." 
 
 "An I was scat ! But yeou ain t told whut them thun- 
 derin noises was what we heard." 
 
 "They were blasts somewhere in this cave. What 
 they were for I cannot say." 
 
 "Wai, hang a fool ! It s easy enough to see through 
 things after they re explained. I don t know so much 
 as a turkey gobbler!" 
 
 After a short time it was decided that they had better 
 embark on the bosom of the lake and try to find a land 
 ing place on the farther shore. 
 
 Frank took the paddle, and the boat was sent skimming 
 over the black water in the same direction that had been 
 chosen by the unfortunate bandit. 
 
 After a pull of about fifteen minutes they came to the 
 opposite shore, and before them, to their satisfaction, 
 they saw the great opening to a passage. 
 
 They landed, and were about to proceed into the pas 
 sage when Frank stopped them, saying, quickly: 
 
 "Be still! Listen!" 
 
 They listened, and, from far along the passage, sounds 
 Of voices came to them. They distinctly heard a muffled 
 shot and wild cries. The sounds became more and more 
 distinct, and the boys looked into each other s faces in 
 alarm. 
 
 "Out with that torch !" hissed Frank. "We are likely 
 to be in a heap of trouble right away! Out with the 
 torch, I say !"
 
 Into the Fight. 75 
 
 The torch was quickly extinguished. 
 
 The sounds came nearer, and the cries were hoarse and 
 fierce. 
 
 Then there was more shooting, being this time a succes 
 sion of shots. 
 
 "Into the boat !" commanded Frank. "We will row out 
 a short distance." 
 
 "Hang me ef I don t think we d better row out a 
 thunderin long distance!" spluttered Ephraim. 
 
 They quickly entered the boat and rowed out on the 
 lake. 
 
 Soon glimmering lights were seen far along the pas 
 sage, and then the lights revealed running figures. From 
 these figures little flashes of fire leaped out, followed 
 by the reports of firearms. 
 
 "Who be they shutin at?" asked Ephraim, wonder- 
 ingly. 
 
 "Somebody in advance," replied Frank. "See see 
 those others who have no torches. There are two of 
 them no, three ! See, one of them fires back ! His aim 
 was good, for down goes a torch! That is a race for 
 life!" 
 
 "Dat be right!" came excitedly from Juan. "Look 
 see ! One of dem dat run away be a girl. I believe dat 
 be Pepita." 
 
 "It may be !" cried Frank. "Paddle in nearer shore. 
 If it should happen to be, we must take a hand in that 
 business." 
 
 He clutched his rifle as he spoke, and Juan grasped 
 the paddle and moved the boat toward the shore. 
 
 Onward came pursued and pursuers, the girl seem 
 ing to run as easily as any of them, sometimes giving 
 assistance to one of the men. The other man, who ap 
 peared younger and livelier, now and then turned to shoot 
 at the pursuers.
 
 76 Into the Fight. 
 
 In a few moments the fugitives had reached the edge 
 of the lake, and a cry of despair came from them when 
 they found the boat was not there. 
 
 "It be Pepita!" wildly exclaimed Juan "it be my 
 sistare !" 
 
 One of the men had turned again, snapping his re 
 volver, which failed to go. It was empty ! 
 
 The pursuers came on with savage yells. 
 
 "Hold the boat steady," directed Frank Merriwell, 
 calmly. "I am going to do a little shooting. Juan, tell 
 your sister and her companions to lie down." 
 
 The Chilian boy did so, speaking in Spanish. The fugi 
 tives heard, the girl gave a cry of joy, and the three 
 flung themselves on the ground. 
 
 Then Frank gave an exhibition of shooting that was 
 quite astonishing. He worked his rifle swiftly, and every 
 bullet seemed billeted. 
 
 Three of the pursuers fell with the first three shots, and 
 the others turned in consternation and fled, bullets whis 
 tling about their ears. 
 
 "Paddle ashore," directed Frank. "This boat is large 
 enough to hold three more. Do not lose time." 
 
 The boat was run into the shore. Juan leaped out and 
 embraced his sister, who was nearly overcome with joy. 
 Then one of the men, the one the girl had helped along, 
 grasped the boy, and Juan gave a wild shout of gladness, 
 crying, in Spanish : 
 
 "My father it is my father." 
 
 "Don t waste time," swiftly said Frank. "Moments are 
 precious. Get into the boat. We must be away." 
 
 He hurried them into the boat, and they pushed out 
 upon the lake. 
 
 "Where in thutter be we goin ?" asked Ephraim. "Ef 
 we go back to the valley we will be in jest as bad scrape 
 as we was."
 
 Into the Fight. 77 
 
 Then the young man who was with Pepita and her 
 father spoke up quickly: 
 
 "I know one way to get out. Let me have the paddle. 
 Trust tome." 
 
 "Yes, trust to Alvarez," urged Pepita, 
 
 Frank did not hesitate. 
 
 "Take the paddle," he said. "If you can get us out 
 of this trap, you shall be well paid." 
 
 Alvarez, who was a dark, handsome young fellow, took 
 the paddle and sent the boat forward with powerful 
 strokes. All at once he told them to put out the torches, 
 and they did so, none too soon, for two shots rang out 
 and two bullets skipped past. 
 
 Still Alvarez pulled forward through the darkness. It 
 seemed that he paddled thus for more than thirty minutes 
 before he would allow them to light the torches again. 
 
 "There is two channel to the stream that run from 
 this lake two stream," Alvarez explained. "One run 
 through the valley. When that be turned the other run 
 through the channel under the mountain. We must go 
 through that channel. It is the only way to get out. 
 We may do it all right, but nobody know about that. No 
 body ever go through that way." 
 
 In a short time they came to a strip of sandy shore. 
 Here the boat touched, Alvarez got out, told them to wait, 
 passed around a point and disappeared. In ten minutes 
 he came back. 
 
 "I have turn the river into the channel through the 
 mountain," he said. "Now we try it. We may drown, 
 we may escape. Anyway, it be better than to fall into 
 the hand of Black Miguel." 
 
 They felt a strong current bearing them onward. In a 
 short time they came to where a stream was pouring into
 
 78 Into the Fight. 
 
 a black opening. Into this opening the boat shot on itl 
 way to destruction, or to what? 
 
 It was morning, the sun was shining, and the birds 
 were singing, when the boat came out where the stream 
 poured from a cavern opening. The boat contained all 
 the fugitives, and they shouted with gladness when they 
 saw the light of day. 
 
 They had escaped, for they were no longer within the 
 snare of the bandits. They came to the shore, and Al 
 varez, who knew the country, guided them to a place of 
 safety. 
 
 Alvarez was in love with Pepita. He had been one of 
 Black Miguel s men, but the girl had won his heart, and 
 he had offered to save her from the outlaws. She had 
 agreed to go with him if he would rescue her father, who 
 was a captive in Miguel s power, the outlaw being paid 
 for keeping him by the Marques Aguila. 
 
 The young bandit had released Senor Matias, choosing 
 his time when he believed the outlaws were giving their 
 entire attention to the boys in the valley. But he had not 
 selected a favorable moment, and the trick had been dis 
 covered. Then the bandits pursued, and the three hurried 
 to the lake, hoping to find the boat and get away. The 
 reader knows what followed. 
 
 Aided by friends, Senor Matias and the little party suc 
 ceeded in crossing the mountains into the Argentine Re 
 public. 
 
 But Matias declared that some day he would return and 
 recover his property, which was a rich mine located in 
 the outlaws cave. This mine he had originally discov 
 ered, but the outlaws were working it, and it was the 
 sound of their blasts that startled the boys shortly after 
 they entered the valley of mystery. 
 
 "Aguila shall not escape me," declared Senor Matias.
 
 Into the Fight. 79 
 
 "I have slipped through his fingers, though he told me a 
 hundred times that I should die a captive in my own 
 mine. I will return, and he shall die." 
 
 "I hope somebody will kill Black Miguel," grinned 
 Alvarez. "If he ever sees me again he will kill me."
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE FUGITIVES. 
 
 The Rio Salado is formed by the Desaguadero, Dia 
 mante, Latuel and other healthy streams, which might 
 themselves be called small rivers. Above Tripague the 
 Salado is broad and sluggish, at times flowing through 
 dense forests. And yet it finally sinks and dies in the 
 heart of the pampas, long before the coast is reached, 
 emptying at last into a small lake that has no known 
 outlet. 
 
 The Salado is one of the strange freaks of nature in 
 South America. 
 
 Down the Salado, near the close of a beautiful day, a 
 large, flat-bottomed boat was drifting. The boat con 
 tained six persons, together with packs and weapons. 
 
 Two of the six passengers on the boat were Frank and 
 his friend, Ephraim. 
 
 Of the remaining four, two were full-blood Spaniards, 
 one being a man with white hair and beard, while the 
 other was young, dashing and handsome in a reckless, 
 devil-may-care way. 
 
 The older man was Senor Muerto Matias, now a fugi 
 tive from Chili. The younger man, who was very proud 
 of his black mustache, was Alvarez. If he had another 
 name, he was the only person who seemed to be aware 
 of it. 
 
 The entire party had succeeded in beating back the out 
 laws, and escaping, after which, aided by friends of Senor 
 Matias, they had crossed the Andes and reached Mendoza. 
 
 But they were followed. Black Miguel was furiout
 
 The Fugitives. 81 
 
 over the treachery of Alvarez, and Aguila swore that the 
 man he hated should not escape. The two came to Men- 
 doza, and Matias was obliged to flee for his life, as Aguila 
 was rich, and hired scores of ruffians to do his command. 
 
 Hearing a plot to assassinate Senor Matias on the way 
 to Buenos Ayres, the party of fugitives resolved to cross 
 the pampas, through the heart of the Indian country. 
 
 So we find them floating down the Salado in the flat- 
 bottomed boat, looking for a place to land and encamp for 
 the night. 
 
 On either side of the river was a jungle of dense ver 
 dure, flaming with gorgeous flowers. 
 
 "What we must do is to land so very soon," said Juan. 
 "The night will come on quick." 
 
 "But it is still light the sun is up," said Frank Merri- 
 well. "Surely, we have plenty of time." 
 
 "By this you should know that the sun it will go quick, 
 and the night it will come at once." 
 
 A cry came from Alvarez, who was in the prow of the 
 boat. 
 
 "There is the place by which we can land!" he ex 
 claimed, pointing to an opening amid the trees. 
 
 In was, in truth, a favorable spot, and the boat was 
 headed toward it. In a few moments the shore was 
 reached, and then, before they could disembark, the day 
 passed into night. There was no twilight. The sun 
 seemed to drop beneath the horizon, and darkness came 
 on at once. 
 
 "What to you did I tell?" was Juan s triumphant ex 
 clamation. "Here in the forest it is to be all the time like 
 this." 
 
 Wood was gathered and a fire lighted. Then they 
 brought the packs from the boat, which was drawn up 
 and made secure.
 
 82 The Fugitives. 
 
 All at once they were startled by hearing what seemed 
 to be the tolling of a church bell near at hand. 
 
 "Great gosh !" exclaimed Ephraim Gallup. "We must 
 be right nigh some taown. Who d thought it !" 
 
 "It must be a town is close at hand," said Frank, "for 
 there cannot be a solitary church here in the woods. The 
 bell is tolling vespers." 
 
 "That is not any bell," laughed Juan. 
 
 "Not a bell?" cried Frank. "Of course it is a bell! 
 What do you mean ?" 
 
 "What it is that I do speak. That is not any bell." 
 
 "Then what is it?" 
 
 "It is one bird." 
 
 "A bird ? Oh, say, Juan, that s too much !" 
 
 "It is the truth I do speak, Frank it is the convent 
 bird. The English do call it the bell bird. I never hear 
 it before to sing when the sun have gone down. It is 
 stop now. It is not some time often to be found so far 
 south. On the Amazon it is very many to be found." 
 
 "But a bird, Juan a bird ! Why, you must be joking ! 
 No bird could make a sound like that !" 
 
 "Not by a gol dern sight !" put in the Vermonter, wag 
 ging his head. "Yeou can t fool us, Wand, old boy." 
 
 But the Chilian lad insisted that he had spoken the 
 truth, and he told them something of the remarkable bird 
 that had deceived them. From the top of the bird s bill, 
 he said, there grows a curious fleshy protuberance, similar 
 to that of a turkey gobbler. Unlike the turkey s, however, 
 this is hollow, and sparsely covered with hairs. The tube, 
 which is black, connects with the interior of the throat, 
 and it is through it that the bird makes the sonorous sound 
 from which it takes its name. When in use, the tube 
 stands upright from the bill, and, as it is an inch to two 
 inches in length, has the appearance of a horn. From this
 
 The Fugitives. 83 
 
 the bird takes another of its many names, the "rhinoceros 
 bird." 
 
 This piece of information was very interesting to Frank 
 and Ephraim, the latter observing: 
 
 "I d like to ketch one uv them birds an take him home. 
 He d make more fun than a bar l uv monkeys in aour 
 taown." 
 
 One of the packs had been opened, and Pepita was pre 
 paring supper for them, having spread a cloth on the 
 ground near the fire. Soon she called them, and they sat 
 down on the ground about the cloth. 
 
 Senor Matias was very quiet. He seemed to be think 
 ing. In fact, he seemed to be thinking nearly all the time 
 since his escape from the power of his enemy. 
 
 Pepita laughed and chatted, Alvarez seemed well satis 
 fied, Ephraim grinned and made some drawling observa 
 tion, while Frank was full of life and animation. 
 
 A stranger would never have fancied they were fugi 
 tives, for they seemed more like a party of pleasure-seek 
 ers, who were bent on having a good time. 
 
 All were hungry, and they ate heartily. When supper 
 was over, Pepita and Alvarez washed the dishes at the 
 river s edge, while Senor Matias rolled and smoked a 
 cigarette, still silent and thoughtful. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim chatted. 
 
 "Soon ez I kin git to Bonus Airy I m goin to write 
 ag in to Hiram," said the Yankee boy. "It s kinder mean 
 to treat a brother ther way I have him. There he is 
 makin heaps uv money in Chilly, an he sent me money to 
 pay my passage there, an I ve never seen him yit, as he 
 was away when I arriv . You came along, an I went off 
 with you on ther jump. Sence that I hain t bin able to git 
 back to Valparaiso, an I don t know when I will git back 
 there." 
 
 "Why, you know you have agreed to travel with me,"
 
 84 The Fugitives. 
 
 said Frank. "The will of my eccentric uncle provided 
 that I might take along a schoolmate as a traveling com 
 panion, besides my guardian. I have told you how I met 
 Juan in San Francisco, and came to South America with 
 him, when he had interested me in his wrongs. Professor 
 Scotch, my guardian, will wait to hear from me again, I 
 think, and then he will join me somewhere by appoint 
 ment. Hans Dunnerwust was the first to travel around 
 with me, and he got enough of it while we were in 
 Mexico, where we nearly lost our lives at the hands of the 
 bandits. Barney Mulloy tried it a while, but went back to 
 school, and now I do not see but it is your turn." 
 
 "Wai, Frank, gol dern me ef I don t do it ! Hiram kin 
 kick, but I have got a good chance to see some uv the 
 world, an I ll see it, ur bu st a suspender !" 
 
 "You may write your brother to that effect." 
 
 "I will, by gum !" 
 
 "When you are tired of traveling, I will pay your way 
 back to Chili." 
 
 "That s fair. Where be yeou goin after we git to 
 Bonus Airy?" 
 
 "I have not yet decided. In the course of time I mean 
 to visit every country on the face of the earth." 
 
 "Great gosh ! That ll take ye more n nine hundred an 
 seventeen year !" 
 
 "Oh, not quite so long as that, for the introduction of 
 steam and electricity has made this world a very small 
 place." 
 
 "Git aout! Haow could steam and lectricity make it 
 small?" 
 
 Frank laughed. 
 
 "I am speaking figuratively," he said. "A person can 
 travel around the world now in such a brief space of time 
 that it makes the old globe seem very small."
 
 The Fugitives. 85 
 
 "Oh, that s what yeou mean ! Wai, I believe in sayin* 
 things jest ez I mean em, by gum !" 
 
 Pepita and Alvarez came up from the river laughing. 
 Matias was still smoking. The fire smoldered, sending 
 out a dull, reddish, half light. 
 
 Pepita had secured a mandolin in Mendoza, and this 
 she now brought out and put in tune. Then she played 
 and sang a Spanish love song, in which Alvarez joined 
 when it came to the chorus. 
 
 It was a scene of peace and happiness, but there was 
 a black shadow hovering over the bivouac on the Rio 
 Salado. 
 
 The fire sank low. Slumbering forms lay about it, 
 wrapped in blankets. With his back against a tree, look 
 ing like a bulging portion of the trunk, stood the guard. 
 All about was silence, save for the continuous droning of 
 nocturnal insects. 
 
 The river flowed on sluggishly and reluctantly to its 
 fate, in the heart of the pampas, seeming to dread its 
 doom. There were stars in the sky, and a slice of a moon 
 low down, but the shadows were deep in that forest nook 
 on the river s bank. 
 
 Somewhere from the river came a "plunk," as if an 
 alligator, or some other creature, had dropped from the 
 bank into the water. An ember on the fire snapped in 
 two with a crackling sound, sending out a glow for a 
 moment. But even that gleam of orange light did not 
 show a pair of burning, deadly eyes that were searching 
 the darkness. 
 
 The guard did not stir. For a long time he had stood 
 thus, with his back to the tree. His head was bowed on 
 his breast. At last his hat dropped off and fell at his 
 feet. 
 
 Still, the guard did not stir. He slept as he stood, and 
 tiie falling of the hat had not aroused him.
 
 86 The Fugitives. 
 
 There was a stir in the shadows a sudden, sweeping 
 movement. 
 
 A ray of light from the embers glinted on something 
 that flashed like a bright bird through the air. 
 
 Chug ! A sound of something striking and piercing. 
 
 The guard awoke, with a start, and a low cry, catching 
 up his rifle and looking around for some moving thing, but 
 seeing nothing, hearing nothing. 
 
 Then another cry came from his lips. He had felt 
 something strike his shoulder, and now he found himself 
 pinned to the tree. 
 
 This second cry aroused two of the sleepers. Ephraim 
 Gallup started up, crying: 
 
 "Frank Frank Merriwell! What s the matter?" 
 
 Juan said something in Spanish. 
 
 "Come here," called Frank, who was on guard. "One 
 of you start up the fire, the other come here." 
 
 Juan threw some light wood on the fire, while Ephraim 
 hurried to Frank. The others were aroused, the ques 
 tions were asked. 
 
 "What is the trouble?" demanded Ephraim, as he 
 reached Frank s side. "Is there any 
 
 "Look here! I am held to this tree by my sleeve! 
 Something has wounded my shoulder !" 
 
 "Great gum !" 
 
 "See what it is. Set me clear, if you can." 
 
 The fire caught in the dry bits of resinous wood and 
 flared up, showing Ephraim something that held Merri 
 well to the tree. He grasped it and drew it forth. 
 
 "Give it to me !" 
 
 Frank took it from the fingers of his friend and strode 
 toward the fire. The others gathered around him, and 
 he exhibited the object. 
 
 Cries of horror and fear came from the lips of Senoc 
 Matias, Juan, and Alvarez. They drew back.
 
 The Fugitives. 87 
 
 "Well, this is a queer knife!" exclaimed Frank, as he 
 stared at the object in his hand. "Black handle, with 
 hand-guard, and a blood-red blade, tipped with green. I 
 never saw anything like it before. It is a genuine curi 
 osity." 
 
 "Where did it touch-a you?" cried Juan. "On de 
 shoulder ? Let me look-a ! Keep-a still !" 
 
 When the Chilian boy was excited his English was of 
 a decidedly broken sort. With frantic haste, he now 
 tore off Frank s coat, ripped open the sleeve of Frank s 
 shirt, and looked at the exposed shoulder. 
 
 Sefior Matias and Alvarez looked on, talking swiftly in 
 Spanish, while Pepita stared in horrified silence. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim wondered why there was so much 
 agitation exhibited over the nature of a wound which was 
 shown at first exposure to be a mere scratch. 
 
 "Oh, that won t hurt ye none, Frank," said the Ver- 
 monter. "It s no wuss than a pin scratch." 
 
 "Won t hurt-a him?" cried Juan, wildly. "Dat be de 
 snake knife ! It be deadly ! Dat be de snake knife !" 
 
 "Wai, what s the snake knife?" 
 
 "Poison, poison, poison !" 
 
 "What s that ?" shouted Frank, starting back. "Do you 
 mean to say this knife is poison?" 
 
 "Si, Frank." 
 
 "And I have been cut with it ! Is it deadly ?" 
 
 "Sure death !" 
 
 "Great gosh-all-hemlock !" gurgled Ephraim Gallup, 
 horror-stricken. 
 
 Frank did not seem so agitated as were the others. 
 
 "Is there no antidote ?" he calmly asked. 
 
 "None," was the answer. 
 
 "Then I may as well make my will without delay." 
 
 Juan was examining the deadly knife, and he followed 
 it by taking a look at the slight scratch on Frank s shoul-
 
 88 The Fugitives. 
 
 der. Something like an exclamation of hope came fro. -n 
 his lips. 
 
 "What have you discovered ?" asked Merriwell, quietly. 
 
 "Dere be one chance-a!" shouted the Chilian boy. 
 "Look-a here! It was not de point of de knife-a dat 
 touch you !" 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "See, it was de side of de blade-a !" 
 
 "Yes, I can see the bit of fresh blood where it touched. 
 What of that ? Is there any difference between " 
 
 "De poison be on the point-a ! Dere be no poison on de 
 side of de blade-a ! De point-a not touch Frank !" 
 
 "Caramba! So that is!" cried Senor Matias, who was 
 also looking at the knife. "One chance there may be the 
 boy for. If no poison there be on the edge, then he is 
 save." 
 
 "Well, that is certainly some relief!" laughed Frank, 
 nervously. "I will confess that I have no fancy for cash 
 ing my chips just now, as a gambler in the United States 
 would observe." 
 
 "One bit of poison of de edge of de blade-a be enough," 
 swiftly said Juan. "If dere be none dere, then you all 
 right. Pepita, she will do up de wound-a." 
 
 "Why, if there is no poison in it, it is not worth doing 
 up; if there is poison in it, it is not worth while doing 
 it up." 
 
 But Juan insisted that Pepita should do up the wound, 
 and Frank did not insist on declining to have it ban 
 daged. 
 
 Juan took a brand from the fire and went into the 
 woods, from where he soon returned with a green leaf, 
 and, having washed the blood from the wound at the river, 
 this leaf was bound on it. 
 
 "Now," said Frank, "I suppose I ll have to wait to 
 see if I drop dead or continue to live."
 
 The Fugitives. 89 
 
 "If there is poison in the wound, your arm and shoul 
 der will to swell commence within thirty minute," said 
 Senor Matias. "But now it is that we should know how 
 you come to have so near escape from getting the knife in 
 your heart." 
 
 "I don t know," admitted Frank. "I must have fallen 
 asleep as I leaned against that tree. The last I remember 
 I was listening to the song of the insects in the forest, 
 and then it seemed that the very next instant I felt some 
 thing touch my shoulder." 
 
 "And nothing you saw of the one who struck the knife 
 at you ?" 
 
 "It could not have been struck at me; it must have 
 been thrown." 
 
 "No, no ! This is not the knife to throw." 
 
 "Still, father," said Juan, "you should do well to re 
 member that the snake knife is nearly always thrown." 
 
 "That is true." 
 
 "What about this snake knife ?" demanded Frank. 
 
 "It is use by the Indians when they have some enemy 
 that very much they do hate. A prick the poison point of 
 sure death to come must bring." 
 
 "But I have no enemy among the Indians who hates me 
 very much." 
 
 "The Indians were first to use it ; now some time it be 
 used by half-bloods and by the ruffians of a low nature." 
 
 "But still I do not understand it, for I know not what 
 enemy I have who should use the snake knife on me." 
 
 "You for some one else may have been mistaken," said 
 Alvarez. "It may to be that the one who sent the knife 
 thought you myself was. Ha! It may to be that some 
 deadly enemy of mine have followed me here ! I do not 
 like that to think of !" 
 
 Indeed, the young Chilian became very nervous and ex-
 
 9o The Fugitives. 
 
 cited all at once, seeming to fear that another knife might 
 come whistling out of the darkness and reach him. 
 
 A feeling of dread and horror came over the entire 
 party, and, although the shadows were full of terrors, 
 they shrank from the glow of light made by the revived 
 fire. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup wiped beads of cold perspiration from 
 his face. 
 
 "This is ruther too interesting for me!" he said. "I 
 don t like it, by thutter !" 
 
 "Black Miguel may have followed us here !" said Senor 
 Matias, with increasing excitement. "Before morning 
 should to come the snake knife might reach us all !" 
 
 This seemed to add to the terror of Alvarez, and the 
 entire party was in the greatest consternation. 
 
 "Get into the boat everything," directed Matias. "It is 
 a move we will make without delay." 
 
 So everything was packed into the boat, with great 
 haste, and then they got in themselves, pushed out, and 
 went floating down the Rio Salado, keeping well in mid 
 stream, for fear of the sudden death that seemed to lurk in 
 the black shadows of the night-enshrouded forest.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE GAUCHO. 
 
 Morning found them still floating down the river, but 
 the forests had grown thin, and they were now being car 
 ried out into the heart of the pampas. 
 
 Frank was still alive. In fact, his shoudder had given 
 him no trouble at all, which indicated beyond a doubt that 
 he had not been touched by the poison. 
 
 Frank was thankful, for he realized he had had a very 
 narrow escape from a most horrible death. 
 
 "I ll keep the snake knife as a relic," he said. "When 
 I settle down, I ll have a houseful of curiosities gathered 
 from every part of the world, and this will not be the least 
 among them." 
 
 The sun came up with a jump, and the night changed 
 to day in a most astonishingly brief space of time. Birds 
 sang in the groves along the river. Pepita, who had 
 slept in the bottom of the boat, watched over by Alvarez, 
 also sang. 
 
 The sunlight gave Senor Matias new life and courage. 
 He smiled, and addressed his companions as his chil 
 dren. 
 
 The forests grew thinner yet. There was foliage along 
 the river, but the open pampas lay beyond. 
 
 They were discussing the advisability of halting for 
 breakfast, when, of a sudden, Juan uttered a cry of joy. 
 
 "Look!" he exclaimed, pointing. "The hut! See it? 
 It is the home of some gaucho." 
 
 Through an opening in the foliage they could see a
 
 92 The Gaucho. 
 
 rude hut, that was thatched with long grass. From a 
 point close to the hut arose a column of blue smoke. 
 
 "The gauchos are wild and reckless men," said Frank, 
 who had read much of them. 
 
 "Wild and reckless, perhaps," confessed Juan; "but 
 they all treat you right-a if you take care not to offend. 
 Show you feel no better than they do, be polite, and they 
 use you right." 
 
 "Then, we had better stop here. Look there, beyond 
 the hut are horses feeding. This may be the best point to 
 leave the river and strike across the pampas. We may 
 be able to buy horses of the man who lives there." 
 
 So the boat was guided to the shore, and three of the 
 party Frank, Ephraim, and Senor Matias approached 
 the hut. As they came near, a man came out through the 
 low doorway, smoking a short-stemmed pipe. He stopped 
 abruptly when he saw them, staring in astonishment. 
 
 He was dressed in a singular manner. His hat was a 
 wide-brimmed affair, and his woolen shirt was open in 
 front, exposing his throat and hairy breast. Around his 
 waist was a belt that held a knife with a blood-stained 
 blade, that was at least a foot in length. The handle was 
 of gold and silver, finely chased. 
 
 At first glance, the stranger seemed to have on brown 
 zouave trousers, with white leggins at the ankles, but a 
 closer inspection showed they were rather close-fitting 
 cotton drawers, instead of trousers, and, in addition, his 
 legs were clothed from the ankles up with a length say 
 three yards of wide brown cotton goods. 
 
 This stuff bagged down between the man s legs, mak 
 ing him look very ridiculous to Frank, who repressed a 
 smile with difficulty. 
 
 On the man s feet were boots, made from the skin of 
 the legs of a colt. When he walked, he had a nautical
 
 The Gaucho. 9> 
 
 roll, like a Nantucket whaler, fresh from a three years 
 cruise in the Pacific. 
 
 After the man had stared some moments, he scratched 
 his chin through his thick beard, and exclaimed : 
 
 "Twist my buttons !" 
 
 The words gave Frank and Ephraim a shock, and the 
 latter cried : 
 
 "Gol dern my hide ! He speaks United States !" 
 
 "That s what he does !" said Frank, delightedly. "We re 
 in luck !" 
 
 The astonishment of the man seemed increased. 
 
 "Do I hear right, or do I not?" he mumbled. "Shiver 
 my timbers if I can tell ! Do you boys talk the white 
 man s language?" 
 
 "We speak English," assured Frank, advancing ; "and it 
 seems that you do the same, which gives us unbounded 
 pleasure." 
 
 "Well, dash my toplights !" shouted the stranger, rush 
 ing forward and grasping Frank s hand. "I dunno who 
 you are, but I m thundering glad to see you! I ain t 
 heard anything but Spanish and Injun talk for a year and 
 a half." 
 
 He gave Frank s hand a crushing pressure, and then 
 grasped Ephraim s hand, and worked the Yankee boy s 
 arm like a pump handle. Looking on from a distance, 
 one must have thought it a meeting of old friends. An 
 expression of satisfaction settled on the face of Senor Ma- 
 tias. 
 
 "My name s Smith," said the stranger "just plain John 
 Smith, of Salem, Massachusetts. That is, I was from 
 Salem, but now and forever after I hail from South Amer 
 ica and the pampas." 
 
 Frank introduced himself, Senor Matias, and Ephraim. 
 Smith shook hands all around once more. 
 
 "Well, it is good to turn my lamps on a couple of gen-
 
 94 The Gaucho. 
 
 uine Yankees from Yankeeland," declared Smith, heartily. 
 "Thought I didn t care about ever seeing anybody again, 
 thought I was a regular old barnacle stuck fast here on 
 the pampas ; but it makes me laugh all over from stem to 
 stern to see you youngsters." 
 
 He invited them to come around where he was cooking, 
 which proved to be just around the corner of the hut. A 
 little fire was burning in a stone fireplace, and a pot of 
 mate, the tea herb of Paraguay, was bubbling on some 
 coals. 
 
 Smith questioned them, and Frank explained, as briefly 
 as possible, how they came to be there. 
 
 Then Frank asked Smith if he had horses to sell, and 
 if he would guide them across the pampas. 
 
 "Well," said the strange man, after some hesitation, 
 "I ve got plenty of hosses, and I can act as pilot for ye ; 
 but it s against my principle to take a job of any kind 
 that s at all like work. Here in the desert no man has to 
 work, and all are free to go and come as they please. 
 The gaucho is the free lance of the pampas. He passes 
 the day in galloping easily across the desert, with occa 
 sional mad dashes here and there, as he starts up game 
 of some kind. He stops where night overtakes him, and 
 he eats such food as he may find. It is a life such as no 
 man may find elsewhere on the face of the earth. I have 
 been a sailor for twenty-three years, and a gaucho for four 
 years. Give me the life of a gaucho ; the sea no longer 
 has any attraction for this chicken. Here there is no 
 master or mate over me ; I am captain, mate, and crew, 
 and I run the ship just as I please, twist my buttons if I 
 don t !" 
 
 "How did you happen to change from sailor to 
 gaucho?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Got shipwrecked on the coast of Patagonia, and fell in 
 jvith some gauchos. That s all."
 
 The Gaucho. 95 
 
 "And you think you will never leave the life you are 
 now leading?" 
 
 "Not till I leave it for the last cruise to that port from 
 which no sailor ever comes back." 
 
 "Well, that is strange, but I suppose there must be 
 something fascinating about the life. Still, you are much 
 alone you are practically a hermit." 
 
 "Oh, no, mate, I m not alone. I have my bosses and 
 other critters. I have all the wild things of the pampas 
 for companions. Shiver my timbers, I have company 
 enough !" 
 
 Then Smith seemed to remember that they had spoken 
 of the others who were in the boat, and he said : 
 
 "Bring up the rest of the crew, my hearties. They re 
 all welcome here. Bring em up, and we ll have break 
 fast, such as it is." 
 
 So Frank hastened down to the river, and brought the 
 others up to the gaucho s hut, where Smith was introduced 
 to them all, whereupon he regarded Pepita with open ad 
 miration, exclaiming: 
 
 "Dash my toplights, if that ain t a trim-built little clip 
 per ! And she s the daughter of Senyaw Matias ? Well, 
 senyaw, you are to be congratulated. Now that I have 
 seen her, I ll stick to this crew, through fair weather and 
 foul, till we reach the port you re bound for. You may 
 lay to that, my hearties." 
 
 So it was settled, although Alvarez scowled a little on 
 hearing Smith speak so plainly in praise of Pepita s 
 charms. 
 
 A short time later all were eating breakfast together in 
 the open air, chatting socially. 
 
 The flat-bottomed boat was abandoned at that point, 
 and the fugitives took to the pampas. 
 
 They decided to rest a day at that point, all terrors 
 seeming to be left behind them in the dark forest.
 
 96 The Gaucho. 
 
 Smith himself was restless, and Frank longed to hunt 
 upon the pampas with a genuine gaucho. That after 
 noon Frank, Ephraim, and Smith started out to see what 
 they could find in the way of sport. 
 
 All were mounted on fine horses. 
 
 The two boys were armed with Winchester rifles and 
 Smith & Wesson revolvers. 
 
 Smith s consisted of a horsehair lasso, called a bolas, 
 and the long-bladed knife with the silver handle, which he 
 constantly wore in his belt. 
 
 "Where are your weapons?" asked Frank, as they 
 started out, having waved a farewell to the others, who 
 were gathered near the hut. 
 
 "Here," answered the Yankee gaucho, as he touched the 
 lasso, the bolas, and the knife. 
 
 "But do you not carry a rifle or revolver?" 
 
 "What s the use?" 
 
 "I should think you d want something to kill with." 
 
 "What s the matter with the knife or the bolas, mate?" 
 
 "I do not know much about the bolas, but I should not 
 think you d be able to get near enough to your game to 
 kill it with the knife." 
 
 "The lasso helps me get near enough. As for a rifle, 
 dash my toplights if it ain t more bother than it s worth ! 
 I can kill at sixty yards with the bolas, and that s range 
 enough." 
 
 "Sixty yards ?" cried Frank, incredulously. 
 
 "Cocksure, mate." 
 
 "Wai, I be gol derned ef I wouldn t like to see yeou 
 do it !" cried Ephraim. "I uster read abaout them bollys 
 in the jography, but I never took much stock in such 
 yarns." 
 
 Smith laughed. 
 
 "Wait till we sight something worth cruising after, and 
 then I ll show you what it is I can do with the bolas. Up
 
 The Gaucho. 97 
 
 here the ostriches are not so plenty as they are farther 
 south, but we sometimes see one of em. If we do to-day, 
 I ll break his back with the bolas." 
 
 The pampas grass was thick about the feet of their 
 horses, and the wind blew strong from the southwest. 
 The sun was shining brightly. 
 
 The boys felt a wild thrill of freedom as they galloped 
 away across the plain. They took deep breaths of the air, 
 which seemed to send the blood coursing like wine through 
 their veins. They began to understand the wild delight 
 of a free life in the desert. 
 
 Smith had eyes like a hawk. Now and then he would 
 see some small animal skulking swiftly away through the 
 grass, and he would dash after it with the bolas, much to 
 the amazement of Ephraim. 
 
 A herd of deer was started. Yelling like a maniac, 
 Smith went after them. But they were out of range so 
 far as the lasso or bolas were concerned, and they would 
 have escaped with ease but for Frank, who brought down 
 two of them while riding at top speed. 
 
 It was the gaucho s turn to be amazed. 
 
 "Look here, boy," he said, as he reined in his horse and 
 stared down at one of the deer, "you re either a howling 
 wonder with a rifle, or you re the luckiest Jack I ever saw 
 do shootin !" 
 
 Frank smiled. 
 
 "You have been showing us tricks, and it was our turn 
 to show you something. I will acknowledge they were 
 lucky shots, but hardly accidental. Now you see the use 
 of a rifle." 
 
 "It kills," confessed Smith ; "but did you feel the bullet 
 sink into the flesh ?" 
 
 "Of course not." 
 
 "Then you missed all the fun of the thing, twist my but 
 tons if you didn t! When I throw a creature with the
 
 98 The Gaucho. 
 
 lasso, I feel the strain. When I drive my knife home, I 
 feel it sink through flesh. No, no, boy ; no rifle for me." 
 
 "Every man to his taste." 
 
 "What be we goin to do with these deer ?" asked Eph- 
 raim, with anxiety. "Kin we tote em along ?" 
 
 "Tote nothing," said Smith. "We don t want to be 
 bothered with any cargo on this cruise." 
 
 "Will we find em here if we leave em ?" 
 
 "I should say not ! Look yonder, high in the air, you 
 may see a tiny speck swinging around and around. Can 
 you see it ?" 
 
 After some difficulty, the boys saw the speck indicated, 
 which seemed to be swinging in a circle high up against 
 the blue of the northeastern sky. 
 
 "That is a vulture," explained the gaucho. "Some say 
 the vulture can smell a dead creature on the desert for 
 scores of miles. It has wonderful eyes. It can see much 
 farther than it can be seen with a powerful glass. That 
 one has seen the fall of these deer." 
 
 "An it will come here?" 
 
 "Look, it is circling no longer it is coming." 
 
 "Wai, hang the critter! It can t hev them deer. I m 
 hungry fer deer meat, by gum !" 
 
 "What are you going to do?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Tote them deer back to the hut." 
 
 "You can t find the way." 
 
 "Yes, I kin." 
 
 A long discussion followed, and Ephraim insisted in 
 doing as he liked. At length, Smith said he would direct 
 Ephraim so he could not fail to find his way by the aid of 
 the sun. 
 
 The hindquarters of both deer were removed, and slung 
 on either side of the Yankee lad s horse, after which Smith 
 gave Ephraim minute directions, and the Vermonter 
 started for the river and the home of the gaucho.
 
 The Gaucho. 99 
 
 Frank saw him depart, with some misgivings, but Eph- 
 raim seemed to feel certain he could find the river, and 
 Smith said he would be able to do so without trouble. 
 
 Then Frank and the gaucho rode on. 
 
 "We will look for ostriches," he said. 
 
 At last the grass grew thinner, and finally they found 
 themselves entering a desert of gray and yellowish sand, 
 with red and brown pebbles everywhere. Knolls and 
 ridges arose before them. On every side were scattered 
 clumps of stiff, gaunt, gray bushes. 
 
 Riding onward into this desert land, and mounting to 
 the crest of a high ridge, it seemed that the same knolls 
 and ridges, and the same clumps of bushes had moved 
 onward with them. Ahead, to the right, the left, behind 
 them, everywhere, the landscape presented the same mo 
 notonous appearance. 
 
 Into this desert they rode. The wind blew strong in 
 their faces, but it did not whistle, nor did it make a rustle 
 in the bushes. The faint chirp of the desert sparrow did 
 not reach the ears of the two horsemen. A flitting desert 
 hare was not seen. All seemed silent, monotonous, life 
 less. 
 
 Frank began to feel insignificant. He seemed lost and 
 lonely there in the desert, for all of his companions. 
 
 A herd of guanacos started up, and fled away across the 
 desert. The man and boy pursued. 
 
 It was wild sport. John Smith whooped like a wild 
 creature, and he rode his horse as if a part of the animal 
 itself. Out from his shoulders flapped his quillango, a fur 
 robe, made from the skins of young guanacos. Around 
 and around his head he swung the bolas, one free while 
 swinging, while the other was held in his hand. He made 
 the throw, releasing the one in his hand. The free one 
 came down on the back of a guanaco, and the other came
 
 ioo The Gaucho. 
 
 down on that with a crack. The animal dropped, its back 
 broken. 
 
 John Smith whooped wilder than ever. 
 
 Frank felt his blood seething in his veins. Surely, this 
 was life and sport. He had never struck anything like it 
 before. He felt that he had lived a year of pleasure in 
 that one day. 
 
 Crack crack ! It took two shots to bring down one of 
 the guanacos. The creature turned over and over as it 
 fell, and stopped at the foot of a ridge. 
 
 A long, gaunt creature sprang up and parted the herd. 
 Smith went after this creature, which was a panther, and 
 Frank continued after the flying guanacos. 
 
 On and on rode the boy. Now and then he fired. 
 Sometimes he missed, and sometimes he did not. He took 
 no note of time or space. 
 
 Finally the ridges hid all the fleeing animals that had 
 not fallen, and Frank drew rein. 
 
 "Ha ! ha !" he laughed. Talk about fun ! This beats 
 everything !" 
 
 He turned back. Ridges, knolls, bushes, sand, red and 
 brown pebbles on every hand. 
 
 The sun was low in the west. Soon it would sink" 
 from view, and he would be alone in the desert. 
 
 Where was Smith ? 
 
 He rode to the crest of a high ridge and looked around. 
 All he could see were other high ridges, bushes, sand, and 
 pebbles. 
 
 Frank began to feel uneasy. He shouted, but the 
 strong wind seemed to tear the words from his lips and 
 bear them away almost soundless. 
 
 "I must find my way back." 
 
 He started to retrace the trail left by his horse. It was 
 no easy task, as he soon discovered, and he was not long
 
 The Gaucho. 101 
 
 in deciding that night would fall before he could reach 
 the spot where the herd of guanacos had been started up. 
 
 Frank became fearful, and he tried to hasten forward. 
 As a result, he soon lost the trail entirely. Then he took 
 the sun as a guide, keeping it over his left shoulder all 
 the time. 
 
 The sun sank lower and lower. 
 
 Several times Frank fired his rifle, hoping Smith would 
 hear the report. He had begun to feel very desperate. 
 
 An ostrich started up, and dashed away, but the boy 
 did not follow. 
 
 At last the sun dropped beneath the horizon, and night 
 came down swiftly on the desert. 
 
 Frank rode aimlessly onward, lost in the desert!
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LEFT TO HIS FATE. 
 
 The moon had not arisen, and night lay grim and heavy 
 on the desert. Everywhere was a great silence, a pro 
 found loneliness. 
 
 "It is useless, old horse we may as well stop here. To 
 continue to wander onward would be folly." 
 
 It was the voice of Frank Merriwell. 
 
 The horse stopped willingly, and Frank dismounted. 
 
 Any one who has not been lost on a vast plain, or in a 
 great forest, is quite unable to comprehend the terror of 
 the shock that comes to the lost one when he first realizes 
 he is completely bewildered in regard to his bearings. 
 Such a discovery benumbs one with horror at first, and 
 then makes him frantic to hurry onward somewhere, any 
 where. For the time, reason and cool judgment give way 
 to fear. 
 
 It was with the greatest difficulty that Frank repressed 
 his desire to hurry onward through the darkness. 
 
 "I might wander so far into this desert that I could 
 never find my way out," he said. 
 
 And then came the thought that the pampas lay around 
 him, stretching away hundreds of miles in some direc 
 tions. If he were not careful and cautious, he might re 
 main a wanderer on the desert till hunger and thirst ended 
 his life. 
 
 "I ll need my strength, and I will rest," he said. 
 
 So he lay down in a little hollow, where the force of 
 the cool night wind was broken by a ridge. His horse 
 was tethered from a picket-pin.
 
 Left to His Fate. 103 
 
 Strange as it may seem, Frank was able to go to sleep 
 readily, being in a healthy condition, and wearied from 
 the wild sport of the afternoon. 
 
 He must have slept some time. He was awakened by 
 a shock. Some one or something pounced upon him heav- 
 ily. 
 
 In a moment Frank was wide awake, and he struggled 
 to fling off his assailant, but he had been taken at an ad 
 vantage, and he did not readily succeed. 
 
 It did not take the boy long to discover that his assail 
 ant was a man, and not a wild animal, as he had at first 
 supposed. The unknown fastened a hand on Frank s 
 throat, and shut off the boy s wind. 
 
 Frank realized his strength would go quickly with his 
 breath, and he tried to tear that hand away. 
 
 He succeeded, and the unknown uttered an oath in 
 Spanish, making another fierce effort to close on the boy s 
 windpipe. 
 
 As our old readers know, Frank was an athlete, and, 
 feeling that he was fighting for his life, he strained every 
 nerve and muscle. 
 
 With a sudden flip, the boy turned his foe, and they 
 rolled over and over, panting, squirming, uttering ex 
 plosive grunts. 
 
 The lad was beginning to get the best of the fight. 
 
 "Caramba!" hissed the unknown, and then, of a sudden, 
 he raised some weapon, and brought it down, with a crack, 
 upon Frank s skull. 
 
 Bright lights flashed before the boy s eyes, making it 
 seem that a thousand rockets had exploded in his brain, 
 and he fell over limply, knocked out. 
 
 When Frank recovered consciousness, he found himself 
 bound hands and feet, and lying on the ground. Near 
 him a black form squatted in the darkness. It was a man, 
 sitting on his heels, and smoking.
 
 104 Left to His Fate. 
 
 Frank peered keenly at the figure, and he saw that the 
 man s head and face were muffled with some kind of a 
 cloth, which served to conceal his features. There were 
 eye-holes and a slit for his mouth. 
 
 The man seemed to realize immediately that Frank had 
 revived, for he said : 
 
 "Ha! So you have come around, eh? Well, I wait. 
 I think that I had best to plant you, but I wait." 
 
 The voice was not familiar to Frank, and he did not 
 think he had ever heard it before. That it was the voice 
 of a Spaniard, the peculiar accent and expression seemed 
 to indicate. 
 
 "Who are you ?" the boy demanded. 
 
 A low, hoarse chuckle came from beneath the muffling 
 folds of the cloth about the man s head. 
 
 "Who that I am? I will tell you. I am to you one 
 deadly enemy." 
 
 "Why should you be that? What have I ever done to 
 you?" 
 
 "What have you? Never mind. It is what I know. 
 If you have done nothing at all, you are yet my enemy." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Shall I tell ? No. Let you die and never know. That 
 will make to you the worst misery." 
 
 "Then you mean to murder me?" 
 
 "Oh, no ; I mean no more than to let you die." 
 
 Despite himself, Frank shuddered, the manner in which 
 the words were uttered turning his blood cold. 
 
 "Then you intend to leave me here as I am, bound 
 hands and feet leave me for the wild beasts of the 
 desert?" 
 
 Once more that low, hoarse chuckle came from beneath 
 the cloth. 
 
 "I shall not leave you as you are no, no." 
 
 "How, then?"
 
 Left to His Fate. 105 
 
 "To find that out you are in great haste. You will 
 know soon enough ; do not be in so fast hurry." 
 
 The fellow was tantalizing, and Frank suppressed his 
 anger with an effort. He knew the man expected an out 
 burst of rage or supplication, and would gloat over his 
 helplessness. 
 
 "I have been in scrapes that were as bad as this, and I 
 still live," thought the boy. " Never say die is a good 
 motto." 
 
 There was a little silence, and the unknown smoked on. 
 By the glow of the cigarette the helpless youth could see 
 two gleaming eyes beyond the twin slits in the cloth. 
 
 Frank resolved that he would not be the first to speak, 
 although he would have given much to know who this 
 mysterious foe was and why he concealed his identity. 
 
 All at once a thought came to Frank : 
 
 "This is not the first time he has tried to kill me!" 
 
 "Yes," said the unknown, as if he were a mind reader, 
 "it was myself who did throw the snake knife. Such for 
 tune you did have to escape being touched the poison by !" 
 
 "I knew it!" exclaimed the boy. "You are a human 
 monster! You are worse than the savages worse than 
 the brutes !" 
 
 "Ha, ha, ha ! Now it is that you get yourself excited. 
 Ha, ha, ha! Now it is you know what a deadly one 
 I am." 
 
 Frank bit his tongue, regretting that he had given the 
 man so much satisfaction. He spoke calmly. 
 
 "If you were anything but a dastardly coward, you 
 would set me free, and give me a show for my life. I will 
 fight you with any sort of weapon." 
 
 "Fight ! Ha ! A fool I would be ! I have you where 
 I can crush you with one blow by. A fool I would be !" 
 
 "Now, you are showing yourself a dog a coward !" 
 
 A snarling sound came from the unknown s lips, and
 
 106 Left to His Fate. 
 
 he suddenly launched himself upon the lad. Frank saw 
 something bright glint in the glow from the cigarette, 
 which had been dropped to the ground, and then felt that 
 something touch his throat. 
 
 "Caramba!" grated the man, crushing his knee into the 
 lad s breast. "At your throat my knife is ! With one 
 swift stroke your life I can let out !" 
 
 "Go on ; finish your vile work," said Frank, hoarsely. 
 
 "No, boy; it would be too quick. You would not be 
 so you would wonder who had killed you as you died. I 
 want you to have time to think of it to wonder." 
 
 "Then you mean to kill me slowly by inches?" 
 
 "You will take a long time to die, and you will be 
 alone." 
 
 "If you mean to leave me here to starve in the desert, 
 why don t you do so ? I shall not miss you when you are 
 gone." 
 
 "Ha! I wonder at your hurry. It is so much to the 
 strange. If the time I had I would stay with you longer ; 
 but there is a ride before me." 
 
 "Good-evening." 
 
 "Why you say that?" 
 
 "I thought you were going." 
 
 "Not so soon. Before I go I fix you so there will be no 
 chance for you to come away. My foot fall in the place ; 
 I know where it is." 
 
 Frank wondered what the fellow could mean, and he 
 was soon to find out. The unknown put up his knife, 
 grasped the boy, and dragged him along over the ground. 
 
 Frank made a desperate effort to break his bonds, but he 
 strove in vain. The cord was strong, and the knots well 
 tied. 
 
 For a distance of thirty feet the man dragged the boy, 
 and then from beneath the baffling cloth came the words : 
 
 "It is here. If it is deep enough, that is all."
 
 Left to His Fate. 107 
 
 And then, before the lad could understand what was to 
 be done, he lifted Frank, whose feet slipped into a hole 
 in the ground, the burrow of some wild creature. 
 
 When it was too late the boy made a struggle to pre 
 vent his foe from accomplishing his design. Down to his 
 shoulders to his neck he dropped, and there he stood. 
 
 Once more the unknown laughed, in a blood-chilling 
 way. 
 
 "It is the very good fit," he said. "It is as if it had 
 been made to the match." 
 
 "And you mean to leave me here ?" 
 
 "Is it not a fine place? Oh, it will be what you like 
 when you have been there a good time. I will make it 
 some better." 
 
 He took out his long knife, with which he loosened the 
 earth and thrust it in about the boy. In a few minutes 
 Frank was standing there, buried to the neck, scarcely able 
 to move a muscle. 
 
 "Is it much bad ?" asked the unknown, tauntingly. "It 
 must be so easy. If there would be some more light I 
 could look at you. Ah ! I know you must look strange. 
 You must look like some vegetable that grow from the 
 ground. To-morrow the sun will come and beat on your 
 head to-morrow you will be crazy. You will shout and 
 make the loud noise till your voice you have lost. That 
 you will do, if something does not come to eat your head 
 off before to-morrow." 
 
 Frank ground his teeth, but spoke no further words. 
 
 For some time the unknown crouched there beside his 
 victim, taunting and tantalizing him. At last, finding the 
 boy said nothing, he arose. 
 
 "The night goes on," he said. "I must ride far. Your 
 horse will be for me an easy one to ride. And it is much 
 time you may have to think who I am. Adois"
 
 /o8 Left to His Fate. 
 
 He paused to light another cigarette, said "adois" once 
 more, and turned away. 
 
 Frank listened. He heard the man mount, heard two 
 horses go galloping away, the sound of their hoof-beats 
 growing fainter and fainter, till they died out in the dis 
 tance. 
 
 The stars were out, and there was a hint of a coming 
 moon in the eastern sky. The silence of death hovered 
 on the desert. 
 
 Frank was alone and helpless, buried to the neck in the 
 ground. The dirt had begun to press upon him, and he 
 felt darting pains in every limb. 
 
 He did not cry out, did not shout for help, knowing how 
 useless such an effort would be. There was not one 
 chance in ten thousand that his cries could be heard by 
 human ears, and he might bring some wild beast down 
 into the hollow to destroy him. 
 
 Would it not be better to die from the attack of some 
 wild beast than to remain there and perish of hunger and 
 thirst, and the glare of the sun ? 
 
 A frantic longing to burst his bonds, to struggle out of 
 that hole in the ground, came over him, but when he tried 
 to move he cried out with pain. 
 
 His situation was horrible enough to appall the stoutest 
 heart to turn warm blood to ice water. 
 
 Frank s life, since leaving school, had, as we know, been 
 one of perilous adventure ; but he felt that he had rather 
 face any peril previously encountered than the one that 
 now hovered over him. 
 
 In almost every other case there had been a chance for 
 him to fight for his life, but now he could do nothing but 
 await his doom. 
 
 The minutes seemed hours. It seemed that the moon 
 should have arisen long, long ago, for surely it was near 
 morning.
 
 Left to His Fate. 109 
 
 Morning ! Would he ever see the light of another day ? 
 Would the night pass and no wild beast come to destroy 
 him? 
 
 He thought of his home, his friends far away in a 
 northern land, and he wondered if they would know what 
 fate had befallen him. It was not likely any one would 
 ever know. John Smith, Juan, Ephraim, and all the 
 others might search for him, and never find a trace. 
 
 A human head rising above the desert sand would be a 
 small thing to attract the eyes of passing travelers. And 
 by another dawn his head might not protrude from the 
 ground ; his bones, stripped of flesh, might lay bleaching 
 on the desert. 
 
 Nervy lad though he was, Frank could not repress a 
 groan. 
 
 Before his fancy the faces of his schoolmates thronged. 
 Bart Hodges, Barney Mulloy, Hans Dunnerwust, and 
 scores of others seemed crowding about him. 
 
 They would speak of him when it was known that he 
 was gone. They would speculate as to the fate that had 
 befallen him. They would say he had always been 
 "white," and some of them would drop a tear for him. 
 
 Then came other faces sweet, girlish faces. Inza Bur- 
 rage, dark-eyed, rosy-cheeked Inza, smiled upon him, and 
 then seemed to float away, casting encouraging glances 
 over her shoulder. 
 
 May Blossom followed Inza, tossing her yellow curls, 
 seeming ready to laugh or weep, and uncertain which she 
 would do. 
 
 Then Elsie Bellwood drew near, and held out her hands 
 to him, pleading in her eyes, her face sad and sweet. He 
 longed to touch those outstretched hands, to whisper some 
 thing in her ear that would bring a smile to her face. 
 
 There were others whom he had met in traveling about 
 the world Kate Kenyon, the moonshiner s daughter;
 
 1 10 Left to His Fate. 
 
 Vida Melburn, whose half-sister was "Queen of the Coun 
 terfeiters," and last came dark-eyed, little Pepita, who 
 had thanked him a hundred times for his friendship to 
 ward her brother, for what he had done for both of them. 
 She had even kissed his hand. 
 
 Never again would he see any of them ; he must die in 
 the desert, and become food for vultures or wild beasts. 
 
 The moon was thrusting its rim up between two swells ; 
 its white light would soon flood the desert. 
 
 What was that ? 
 
 A strange, wild cry rang through the night. 
 
 Frank s flesh crept upon his bones, for he knew the cry 
 came from the throat of some wild beast. 
 
 "Some creature has scented me," he thought. "My 
 time is not long! The end is very near!" 
 
 The moon pushed up swiftly. Frank could see it over 
 his shoulder. 
 
 He saw something else, for, between himself and the 
 moon, crept a long, cat-like figure of gigantic dimensions. 
 
 A panther was crouching there, and peering down into 
 the hollow ! 
 
 Frank did not stir, hoping the beast had not seen him, 
 and would go on. 
 
 Vain hope. Down into the hollow crept the great cat, 
 uttering another long, low cry. Nearer and nearer the 
 beast came, and the boy felt that his minutes were drawing 
 to a close. 
 
 "It will be over very soon !" he half whispered. 
 
 Nearer, nearer, nearer! The panther came forward, 
 slowly, very slowly, as if in doubt concerning the nature 
 of the object it had discovered protruding from the earth. 
 At times it stopped for some moments and lay close to the 
 ground, its gleaming eyes fastened on the eyes of the 
 helpless boy. 
 
 Finally the panther began to walk about the boy, snif-
 
 Left to His Fate. 1 1 1 
 
 fing at the head which protruded from the ground. Plainly 
 it was puzzled by what it saw. 
 
 Having made a complete circle, the beast paused before 
 Frank, crouched low, and seemed to be gathering itself. 
 
 Frank felt that his last minutes had come, for the crea 
 ture was preparing to leap. 
 
 Then the boy found his voice, and uttered a cry : 
 
 "Get out !" 
 
 The panther did not spring. Instead, it began to frolic 
 and gambol about the boy, purring loudly. It rolled over 
 and over, rubbed itself along the ground, rolled a small 
 stone between its paws, and acted exactly like a huge 
 kitten at play. 
 
 Great drops of cold perspiration stood on the boy s face, 
 and he scarcely dared draw a breath. He had seen a cat 
 toy with a mouse before crushing and eating it, and he felt 
 that thus the panther was toying with him. 
 
 "It will soon get tired, and then I must die !" thought 
 Frank. 
 
 But the moon rose higher, and still the panther con 
 tinued to gambol and frisk about. 
 
 Then came another sound from far across the desert 
 another cry. 
 
 "It is the panther s mate !" thought Frank. 
 
 But the great cat did not answer the cry. Instead, it 
 suddenly stopped playing, bristled up fiercely, and uttered 
 a low growl. 
 
 Then Frank thought another male panther must be ap 
 proaching, and the first one feared it would lose its prey. 
 
 "If they will meet and fight to the death!" was the 
 boy s mental exclamation. 
 
 In a short time the cry was repeated, sounding mucK 
 nearer than before. 
 
 Somehow, it did not seem like the cry of the panther
 
 112 Left to His Fate. 
 
 Which the boy had heard in the first place ; it was quite a 
 different note. 
 
 The panther was lashing the ground with its tail, seem 
 ing to grow more and more enraged with each passing 
 moment. 
 
 A third time came that cry, and it was close at hand. 
 A moment later a long, slim, supple form came into view 
 over a ridge. 
 
 It was not a panther, as Frank immediately saw, but it 
 was a jaguar. Between the panther and the jaguar there 
 exists an undying enmity. 
 
 The jaguar crouched on the ridge, peering into the hol 
 low. It saw the panther, and snarled and spit. 
 
 The panther was hugging the ground, and it growled in 
 return. 
 
 "If they will only fight!" thought the boy. "If they 
 will kill each other !" 
 
 The jaguar hesitated about entering the hollow. It 
 sniffed the air, and then, of a sudden, sprang down from 
 the ridge. 
 
 Two supple figures sprang toward each other, met, 
 grappled, tore, bit, snarled, and howled. Over and over 
 they rolled, flinging up dirt and pebbles from the ground, 
 while the helpless lad watched the battle with the greatest 
 anxiety. 
 
 The struggle was not a long one, for the panther was 
 heavier and stronger than the jaguar, which was finally 
 crushed to the earth and held there. The panther tore 
 open the jaguar s throat, fastened its lips there, and drank 
 the dying beast s blood. 
 
 "It is my turn next !" muttered Frank, hopelessly.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A FRIEND. 
 
 At length it was all over. The jaguar lay dead on th 
 ground, and the panther seemed satisfied, for it sat up like 
 a cat and licked its paws. 
 
 For some time the victorious creature sat there licking 
 itself, seeming to have forgotten the boy. 
 
 "If it would forget and go away !" thought Frank. 
 
 The helpless lad remained as quiet and motionless as a 
 stone, hoping the panther would forget him ; but such a 
 thing was not to happen. 
 
 After a time, the panther approached the boy once more, 
 walked around him, as if inspecting the thing it saw pro 
 truding from the ground. 
 
 "Get out!" shouted Frank, as the beast sniffed at his 
 face. 
 
 The panther jumped away, and then jumped back, ex 
 actly like a huge cat. It did not seem so lively as it had 
 been before drinking the blood of the jaguar. 
 
 All at once a singular thing occurred. The panther 
 crept near enough to touch Frank s face with its nose, and 
 it actually licked the boy s cheek with its great, rough 
 tongue ! 
 
 Frank was paralyzed with amazement. The great cat 
 purred loudly, and continued to lick the boy s face. 
 
 This continued for some time, and then the panther de 
 liberately curled itself on the ground near at hand, purred 
 softly some minutes, finally became silent, closed its eyes, 
 and went to sleeo !
 
 114 A Friend. 
 
 The moon climbed into the sky, and the night crept on, 
 ,with leaden feet. The sated panther slept. 
 
 "He is waiting to make a meal off me in the morning," 
 thought Frank. "This simply prolongs the agony." 
 
 It is impossible to tell what strange, wild fancies flitted 
 through the brain of the unfortunate lad during the tedi 
 ous hours while, helplessly buried to his neck, with the 
 gorged panther sleeping less than ten feet away. 
 
 Although he was one of the kind who never cease to 
 hope as long as life remains, still he knew he had not one 
 chance in ten thousand to escape death. 
 
 The stars were beginning to pale, and morning was 
 not far distant, when he fancied he heard a sound far 
 away on the desert. 
 
 The panther heard it, for he awoke, lifted his head, and 
 listened. 
 
 "Something has aroused him, and now he will finish 
 me," said the boy, mentally. 
 
 The sounds a faint, irregular thud, thud became 
 more and more distinct. The panther started up, saw the 
 bead of the helpless lad, stared at it a moment, as if sur 
 prised, and then began to purr once more. 
 
 The great cat seemed very good-natured. It advanced, 
 and sniffed at Frank, and seemed on the point of begin 
 ning to gambol again, when it paused to listen once more. 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the sounds, and a wild thrill 
 Stirred the boy s heart, and sent the sluggish blood hurry 
 ing through his veins, for he fancied he recognized the 
 sounds. 
 
 "Horses !" he panted, forgetting himself, and speaking 
 aloud. "Horses, and coming this way! Are they rid- 
 "den?" 
 
 That there was more than one he was certain. He 
 could tell that much by the beating of their hoofs.
 
 A Friend. 115 
 
 The panther was uneasy. It moved to and fro, paus 
 ing now and then to listen. It had ceased to purr. 
 
 A sudden desire to shout as loudly as possible came 
 over Frank, but he choked back the cry that arose in his 
 throat. 
 
 "If I shout it may enrage the panther, so the creature 
 yvill leap upon me," was his thought. 
 
 If he did not shout, the horsemen in case the horses 
 \vere mounted might pass without knowing any one was 
 near. 
 
 The horses were coming directly toward that spot, and 
 now came another thought that was far from pleasant. 
 
 "Perhaps it is my mysterious foe returning with com 
 panions? If not, why should they come directly toward 
 this place ?" 
 
 The panther whined uneasily, crouched close to the 
 ground for some moments, and then started up of a sud 
 den, and hurriedly skulked away. Frank watched the 
 beast till it disappeared over the crest of a ridge. 
 
 The boy could hardly realize that the fierce creature 
 had departed without doing him the least harm. 
 
 Nearer and yet nearer came the horses. They were 
 close at hand they were passing ! 
 
 "Never mind if they should prove to be enemies," 
 thought the boy. "Any death is preferable to the one to 
 which my unknown enemy has left me." 
 
 He opened his mouth to utter a shout he sought to 
 Cry for help. 
 
 To his horror, the sound that came from his lips was 
 scarcely louder than a whisper. It seemed that he had 
 suddenly lost the power to utter a loud cry. 
 
 Again and again he tried, but the same husky sound 
 issued from his throat. 
 
 The horses had passed, and their hoof -beats were sound 
 ing less and less distinct. He caught a glimpse of two
 
 n6 A Friend. 
 
 fleeting forms that passed over a rise, and a groan of de 
 spair came hollowly from his dry throat : 
 
 "Lost!" 
 
 Now he felt certain the horsemen were not his enemies. 
 They had known nothing of his presence. 
 
 Fainter and fainter sounded the hoof-beats. 
 
 "Help! help! help!" 
 
 Frank had found his voice at last, but it was too late 
 to make the horsemen hear. Onward they went, through 
 the night, and the sound of their horses feet died out. 
 
 At that moment Frank came nearer giving up hope than 
 ever before in his life. It seemed that fate was against 
 him that he was doomed. He raved at himself because 
 of his inability to shout, and then he became silent and un 
 conscious, for the time, of his surroundings. 
 
 Something aroused him once more. It was like a faint 
 shout, far away. There was another sound, a faint thud, 
 thud, growing louder and louder. 
 
 The lad s heart leaped into his throat, and he gasped : 
 
 "Are they coming back? Can it be? Is it possible?" 
 
 It seemed most improbable and unlikely. Why should 
 they come back? And yet the sounds were becoming 
 more distinct with each moment. 
 
 Spang ! 
 
 It was the report of a rifle. Of that there could be no 
 doubt. And now he plainly heard shouts, which came 
 from human lips. 
 
 "They are coming !" 
 
 His voice should not fail him this time ; he would make 
 them hear. He reserved all his energy till they came yet 
 nearer. 
 
 Once more a rifle shot rang out. 
 
 "It cannot be the gauchos," decided the helpless boy, 
 "for they do not use rifles. Who is it, then ?" 
 
 This time the horsemen came straight toward the spot
 
 A Friend. 117 
 
 where t 1 raiitc was buried in the ground to his neck. They 
 were urging their horses fiercely, now and then uttering 
 shouts. 
 
 Suddenly over a ridge came a supple creature that 
 seemed to limp as if injured. 
 
 It was a panther! 
 
 The animal ran down into the hollow close to Frank, 
 and there it crouched, whining piteously and lapping at a 
 wound in its shoulder. 
 
 "Great Scott !" gasped the boy. "I believe it is the 
 same panther my panther !" 
 
 The beast whined again, and crept nearer Frank s head. 
 
 Over the ridge dashed two horsemen, with a led animal 
 in tow. They saw the crouching panther, and uttered 
 cries of satisfaction. Around the head of one of them 
 whirled the noose of a lasso. 
 
 "Stop !" shouted Frank Merriwell, with all the force he 
 could command. "You must not harm this beast ! It has 
 saved my life! Stop, I say!" 
 
 They heard him; they saw his head protruding from 
 the ground, with the moonlight falling full on his face, 
 and great was their amazement. In a moment the horses 
 were flung on their haunches, while one of them lifted a 
 rifle to his shoulder. 
 
 "Stop !" screamed Frank. "You must not shoot ! Stop, 
 I tell you !" 
 
 The rifle dropped, and a cry of joy came from the one 
 who held it. 
 
 "Gol dern my skin ef it ain t Frank !" 
 
 It was Ephraim Gallup ! 
 
 "Shiver my timbers if it ain t the boy !" roared the other, 
 who was John Smith, the gaucho. 
 
 The panther began to creep away. 
 
 "Let the creature go," commanded Frank. "It has 
 taved my life. You must not kill it."
 
 n8 A Friend. 
 
 "All right, my hearty," said Smith. "This youngster 
 here has socked a bullet into the critter ; but we ll let it go 
 if you say so." 
 
 "I do say so. Let it go, and get me out of here ai 
 quickly as you can." 
 
 Smith sprang down, drew his knife, and was soon dig 
 ging away the earth about Frank. Ephraim dismounted 
 and aided, the panther having disappeared. 
 
 In a short time the boy was dragged from the ground 
 and set at liberty, but he was so benumbed that he could 
 not stand. When he had rubbed his limbs till the blood 
 circulated freely once more, he sat up, and told them his 
 story, to which they listened in great amazement. 
 
 "Gol dern ef I ever heard uv a panther actin that way 
 before !" cried Ephraim. 
 
 "That is nothing," declared Smith. "The natives here 
 give the panther a name that means friend of man. Pan 
 thers never attack men, unless first attacked. Even then 
 they are likely to run away till cornered, when they may 
 crouch and whine and cry till killed. They have a way 
 of playing around travelers in the desert and on the pam 
 pas. Barnyard cattle have killed a sight more humans 
 than panthers ever did, twist my buttons if they ain t !"* 
 
 This seemed so improbable that the boys were inclined 
 to believe Smith was drawing the long bow, but he in 
 sisted that he spoke the simple truth. 
 
 Frank questioned the others as to how they happened to 
 be there at that time. 
 
 The gaucho explained that he had searched for Frank" 
 after they had become separated during the hunt of the 
 guanacos, but finally decided that the boy must have re- 
 
 *This is true of the South American panther. When it is in 
 a playful spirit, if a lone traveler comes along, it is as glad to see 
 him as a petted cat is to see its mistress, and just about as likely 
 to do him harm. AUTHOR.
 
 A Friend. 119 
 
 turned to the river. But when he arrived at the camp 
 Frank was not there, and his report produced great ex 
 citement. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup insisted on starting at once to search 
 for the missing lad, and, having secured a fresh horse, 
 Smith started out with the boy from Vermont. 
 
 The search had been at random, to a great extent, and 
 the gaucho had felt that it was hopeless, but Ephraim 
 would not rest. At last they had found a saddled and 
 bridled horse wandering on the desert, and the animal 
 proved to be the one Frank had ridden. 
 
 This discovery had caused them both to believe there 
 was little hope of ever seeing Frank again, but the frantic 
 Yankee boy had insisted on continuing the search, and the 
 reader knows the result.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OLD ENEMIES APPEAR. 
 
 Morning came. 
 
 The gaucho and the two boys were riding hard for the 
 Rio Salado, and the line of timber along the river was in 
 sight. 
 
 "Listen!" cried Frank. "Did you hear anything?" 
 
 "Dash my toplights if I didn t!" returned Smith, ex 
 plosively. 
 
 "What did it sound like?" 
 
 "Shooting." 
 
 "That is what I thought I heard." 
 
 "You fellers hev got the longest ears I ever saw !" ex 
 claimed Ephraim. "I didn t hear nuthin ." 
 
 The horses were urged to a still faster pace. 
 
 "There !" shouted Frank. "I heard it again !" 
 
 "So did I," nodded Smith. "Wonder what it means?" 
 
 "Something is wrong at the camp, that s what !" 
 
 "Look there! What is that black smoke that s rising 
 above the trees what does that mean ?" 
 
 Smith did not speak again, but he rode like a fiend. 
 
 All three horses were tough and hard, so the gaucho 
 did not ride away from the boys. 
 
 "Perhaps my unknown foe is behind this," thought 
 Frank. "It is possible he means to clean out the entire 
 party, and is trying to continue his work at the camp." 
 
 As they came nearer, repeated shots could be heard, and 
 it seemed a regular battle, or a skirmish, at least, was tak 
 ing place. The soft grass and earth partially muffled the
 
 Old Enemies Appear. 121 
 
 sound of the horses feet, and no sounds came from the 
 lips of the riders. 
 
 At last they came in sight of the hut, and saw that the 
 dry grass roof was all aflame. 
 
 In a little grove at a distance a number of men were 
 hugging the trunks of trees, from behind which they were 
 shooting at the door of the hut, which was closed. 
 
 As Smith and the boys stared in astonishment, a puff of 
 smoke leaped out from the side of the hut, and the report 
 of a rifle followed, showing that some one had fired a shot 
 from within. 
 
 "Our friends are penned in the hut !" palpitated Frank. 
 "The moment they appear at the door they will be shot 
 down like dogs. In some way these ruffians have fired 
 the roof, and it is but a question of time when those 
 within the hut will have to come out, or roast." 
 
 "Twist my buttons, but you re right !" nodded Smith. 
 
 "Who be them fellers behind the trees?" asked Eph- 
 raim. 
 
 "I know them!" guardedly cried the other lad. "Al 
 though I have seen his face but once, I know that big man 
 with the fierce black beard." 
 
 "Who is it?" 
 
 "Black Miguel." 
 
 "The Chilian bandit?" 
 
 "Sure." 
 
 "Wai, I declare ! Who d ever thought he d follered us 
 here !" gasped Ephraim. "It beats all natur !" 
 
 "See !" palpitated Frank. "See that other man, who is 
 keeping in the background ? Take a good look at him !" 
 
 "Wai?" 
 
 "Ten to one that is the Marques Aguila, Sefior Matias 
 deadly enemy ! If so, he is the one who has urged Black 
 Miguel to follow us he is the one to fear above all 
 others."
 
 122 Old Enemies Appear. 
 
 "Hang them all!" grated John Smith, harshly. 
 "They ve set my house afire ! I d like to get square !" 
 
 "Follow me!" directed Frank. "Get ready to shoot, 
 Ephraim, and open on them when I do. Now, Mr. Smith, 
 you will see the value of a rifle." 
 
 "Oh, well, I dunno. I may be able to create some dis 
 turbance myself. I am with you, youngsters." 
 
 Straight toward the besieging party they charged, and 
 the attention of the men was so much given to the hut and 
 its inmates that the trio were able to get close upon them 
 before being discovered. 
 
 The moment the bandits saw the three horsemen, Frank 
 gave the command to open fire. 
 
 Ephraim could not work his rifle nearly as fast as Frank 
 could, but he did well, and, between them, they sent a hail 
 storm of bullets whistling about the ears of the astonished 
 and dismayed outlaws. 
 
 One or two of the bandits were seen to fall, and the 
 others were thrown into the utmost confusion. 
 
 A short distance away, beyond some foliage, were 
 horses, and the outlaws, after firing a few scattering 
 shots, made a rush for the animals. 
 
 The door of the burning hut was flung open, and Juan 
 Matias sprang out, uttering wild cries of joy. 
 
 "Give-a dem fits, Frank!" screamed the Spanish lad. 
 "Shoot de villains shoot dem all !" 
 
 Pepita, Alvarez, and Senor Matias followed the boy 
 from the hut, all seeming overcome with joy by the oppor 
 tune appearance of Frank and his companions. 
 
 The bandits, although they outnumbered their assail 
 ants, were so overcome with astonishment and consterna 
 tion that they mounted their horses in hot haste and made 
 off. 
 
 "The blamed greasers are a brave lot !" observed John 
 Smith, sarcastically. "They sometimes do things that
 
 Old Enemies Appear. 12} 
 
 give people the impression that they are utterly reckless, 
 and don t care a hoot for their lives, but they ll run four 
 times out of five when attacked by an inferior force." 
 
 "We have no time to pursue them," said Frank. "We 
 must see if we cannot save the hut." 
 
 "Shiver my timbers if that ain t right, boy! All the 
 same, there s little show to save it, for the whole roof is 
 burning." 
 
 They wheeled and rode swiftly toward the hut, from 
 which the little party that had been imprisoned there was 
 now bringing forth whatever things of value they could 
 find. 
 
 When the hut was reached, it was seen that there was 
 no way to save it, the fire being too far advanced. 
 
 "Oh, Frank !" cried Juan. "It is glad we are to see you 
 alive ! We did think you must be dead." 
 
 Senor Matias was greatly agitated. 
 
 "You saved us when you did come as you did come," 
 he said. "My enemy have followed me to this place. 
 Aguila does not mean ever to take one rest till I am dead. 
 He is a monster !" 
 
 "Then you are sure Aguila was with that party ?" asked 
 Frank. 
 
 "I am that sure, for him I did see with my eyes. He has 
 paid Black Miguel to make the pursuit he has hired the 
 ladrones who with him were. They are not so brave as 
 Black Miguel s men he did have beyond the mountains, 
 or they would have fought, and would not have been made 
 to run away so easy." 
 
 "They are cowards and curs!" said Frank. "We 
 should not fear them." 
 
 "Ah ! but it is like the snake they can creep upon one, 
 and like the snake they can strike. That is why they 
 should be so much feared. They will follow us Aguila
 
 124 Old Enemies Appear. 
 
 .will find the time which is right to do his way, and I shall 
 die!" 
 
 Pepita flung her arms about her father, speaking 
 swiftly, passionately, in Spanish, her pretty face upturned. 
 He stooped and kissed her, trembling a little with fear 
 and excitement. 
 
 Juan turned away, murmuring to Frank : 
 
 "My poor fardare! He be not like dat before Black 
 Miguel hold-a him in de cave. He be ver brave, but dat 
 ladrone, dat wretch, he made my fardare what he is !" 
 
 "How did the ruffians happen to find you?" questioned 
 Frank. 
 
 "That I do not know," answered the boy, growing 
 calmer, and speaking more distinctly. "They must have 
 followed to this spot in some way, Frank. It was after 
 Alvarez had returned from his search for you on the pam 
 pas that they appeared, just as the morning was breaking. 
 Alvarez saw them ; they saw him. They pursued him 
 here. We got into the hut, which we did defend. With 
 them was one Indian, and a blazing arrow the Indian did 
 shoot into the dry grass on the roof. It burned. If you 
 did not come so as you did, we must have come to the 
 outside of the hut, and the ladrones would have shot 
 us all." 
 
 "Well, fortune has not gone back on us yet," laughed 
 Frank, thinking of his own marvelous escape. "Aguila 
 may think he is dealing with children, but he will discover 
 his mistake." 
 
 "Ah ! but Black Miguel !" fluttered Alvarez, who seemed 
 in great fear. "He is come to be after me ! He will not 
 rest at all till me he has killed !" 
 
 "In the meantime, you might be able to do some killing 
 yourself." 
 
 "True that is !" cried the young Chilian, savagely. "He
 
 Old Enemies Appear. 125 
 
 may want Pepita, but he will never take her again while I 
 do live ! I will fight for Pepita !" 
 
 He hissed forth the words, his hand quivering on the 
 haft of a ready knife. 
 
 "A very bad fellow to anger," thought Frank. "The 
 girl will have to marry him, however much she may dis 
 like to wed an ex-outlaw. She cannot shake him." 
 
 Pepita had succeeded in calming and reassuring her 
 father, in a measure. 
 
 The hut was now enveloped in flames, and John Smith, 
 regarding the work of destruction, was expressing his 
 feelings in very vigorous and forceful language. 
 
 Fortunately, among the things brought from the hut 
 was a quarter of deer meat and a long steel rod. 
 
 Having expressed himself to his entire satisfaction, 
 Smith thrust the rod through the deer meat, and then 
 planted one end in the ground, so the meat hung near the 
 fire, where it began to roast. 
 
 "This will save building up any other fire," said the 
 sailor-gaucho. "Just scrape together some fuel to keepj 
 her going near the meat, and we ll have breakfast ready 
 pretty soon. I m hungry as a shark, an I can t do bus 
 iness till I fill my sack."
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 PEPITA S SECRET. 
 
 "We are followed!" 
 
 Frank Merriwell uttered the exclamation, bringing his 
 horse to an abrupt stop. 
 
 The rest of the party drew up. All were mounted and 
 making their way across the pampas, guided by John 
 Smith. 
 
 Smith uttered an ejaculation of impatience. 
 
 "Have you just found that out ?" he demanded. "Why, 
 J have known the sharks were in our wake for hours." 
 
 "And you said nothing about it why not ?" 
 
 "What was the use? It would only make ye nervous, 
 and it wouldn t stop the critters back there from foller- 
 ing." 
 
 "We should have known they were there, and " 
 
 "What good would that have done ?" 
 
 "We could have been prepared for any attack." 
 
 "Triey will not attack us till they think they can take us 
 by surprise and overcome us with a rush." 
 
 Smith was cool and confident, and the agitation of the 
 |rty subsided. The gaucho continued : 
 
 "Night is the time when them sharks will come at us. 
 iWe must be on the watch for them then. They may not 
 attack us the first night, but they won t let us finish the 
 cruise across the pampas and run inter port thout tryin 
 us a crack. When they do come, we want to be ready ter 
 give it to them hot and heavy." 
 
 "Is there no way we can keep them from following us ? " 
 
 "Just you name a way."
 
 Pepita s Secret. 127 
 
 "I can t." 
 
 "There ain t none. They kin trail us, keeping away 
 back all the time. We ain t likely to see them again till 
 they attack us. You wouldn t seen them this time if you 
 hadn t looked back just as they came over that swell." 
 
 Frank acknowledged that this was right. He had dis 
 covered the pursuers by accident, and they were so far 
 away that he had not felt sure they were pursuers when he 
 first saw them. 
 
 Senor Matias was agitated with fear, seemingly having 
 lost his nerve entirely. 
 
 "My enemy! My enemy!" he groaned, in Spanish. 
 "Will he never give me peace? A thousand curses on 
 him!" 
 
 "Be calm, father," urged Pepita, pressing close to his 
 side. "Remember how easily Frank Merriwell and his 
 two American companions put your enemy to flight. They 
 are brave, and they will defend you." 
 
 "It is always the Americans !" exclaimed Alvarez, bit 
 terly. "Do you forget I am here ? I can fight, as well as 
 Frank Merriwell." 
 
 "But you, too, fear Black Miguel," said Matias. "He 
 is on your trail to kill you, and you know it." 
 
 "Which is the greater reason why I should be ready to 
 fight him. All I ask is a good opportunity to finish Black 
 Miguel. I am satisfied it is his life or mine." 
 
 "And I am satisfied," said Matias, "that I must kill 
 Aguila, or he will kill me. Still, I dread to face him. 
 Once I feared no man, but the darkness and the terrors 
 of my cavern prison made a coward of me made me an 
 old man, broken down and white haired. While confined 
 there, I swore a thousand times that, should I ever get 
 free, I would know no rest till Aguila lay dead at my feet. 
 He used to come around and laugh at me, spit on me, 
 kick me ! Then I would curse him I would try to get at
 
 128 Pepita s Secret. 
 
 his throat with my hands I would pray for life, that I 
 might have revenge. But the sunlight, the free air, my 
 children, all made me long for peace. It is plain there 
 can be no peace till one of us is dead." 
 
 Juan s hands fell on his father s arm, and he firmly said : 
 
 "Your enemy shall die I swear it! It is my duty to 
 see that the wrong to my father is avenged, and that I 
 shall do." 
 
 Matias smiled faintly on his son, clasping the hand that 
 touched his arm. 
 
 "You are brave, my boy but you are young. I fear 
 you do not know what you say. You can be no match for 
 the Marques de la Villa del Villar de la Aguila, one of 
 the craftiest and most bloodthirsty scoundrels who ever 
 lived. He has friends " 
 
 "So have I," declared Juan, proudly. "Frank Merri- 
 well and Ephraim Gallup are my friends, father. They 
 have stood by me through many dangers, and either one 
 of them is more valuable than all the friends Aguila can 
 buy with his money." 
 
 John Smith uttered an exclamation of impatience. 
 
 "We are wasting time, mates," he growled. "We must 
 hoist anchor and get under way again." 
 
 So they rode onward across the grassy plain. Wild 
 creatures started up before them and fled, the most of 
 them escaping unharmed. Enough were shot to provide 
 meat for the party. 
 
 At midday they halted and ate from the food they had 
 brought along, but hurried onward again when they had 
 finished. Toward night they halted again, and cooked 
 enough meat for supper; but they did not camp on that 
 Spot, knowing their enemies would have them located. 
 
 When darkness had settled on the great plain they gath 
 ered everything and went onward through the night, mak 
 ing as little noise as possible.
 
 Pepita s Secret. 129 
 
 Before it was time for the moon to rise they found 3 
 sheltered hollow in which they resolved to pass the re 
 mainder of the night. 
 
 Frank was chosen as guard for the first part of the 
 night, Ephraim to follow him. 
 
 The gaucho would not allow them to speak aloud, and 
 he cautioned Frank not to leave the hollow while on guard, 
 and to be constantly on the alert. 
 
 All seemed tired. Smith rolled his quillango about him, 
 and seemed to fall asleep at once. Alvarez smoked a cig 
 arette, and then wrapped himself in his blanket, soon 
 seeming to sleep. The others, with the exception of 
 Frank, lay down, and their heavy breathing soon told; 
 they were in the land of dreams. 
 
 Frank crept to the crest of a rise, where he lay on the 
 ground, his rifle at his side, listening and watching. 
 
 All was still on the vast plain. The moon would soon 
 rise, away in the east. 
 
 Frank lay there thinking of the adventures through! 
 which he had recently passed. He fell to wondering con 
 cerning the identity of his mysterious foe. 
 
 The boy had remained thus for some time, when, of a 
 sudden, he felt a touch upon his shoulder. In the twin 
 kling of an eye he had grappled with a person who was at 
 his side, easily forcing the individual back upon the 
 ground. 
 
 "Don t hurt me!" was panted in his ear. "I did not 
 come to harm you." 
 
 "Pepita!" 
 
 Frank was amazed, for it was indeed Juan s sister. 
 
 "Yes, Pepita," she whispered, falteringly. "I could not 
 sleep, and I came here." 
 
 "I was thinking of the man who has twice tried to kill 
 me," said Frank. "I grasped you, thinking you might 
 be the wretch. I beg your pardon, seiiorita."
 
 130 Pepita s Secret. 
 
 "It you do have, Senor Frank. I was thinking of tLe 
 danger to my father from his enemy. I did not know that 
 enemy come upon the camp to-night." 
 
 "But you knew I was on guard. Could you not trust 
 me?" 
 
 "I could, Frank I could trust you ! I could trust you !" 
 J She seemed strangely agitated, and Frank felt some 
 what abashed. The situation was not at all to his liking. 
 
 "Then, if you could trust me, why did you come here?" 
 
 "I wanted to speak with you." 
 
 "You should have chosen some other time. If Alvarez 
 should know " 
 
 "What do I care !" came fiercely from her lips. "What 
 is Alvarez to me ! He is not the guardian of me." 
 
 "But he is your sweetheart." 
 
 "No!" she panted. "He forced himself upon me, 
 Frank ! I do not love him. What can I do ?" 
 
 "By Jove, that s a poser ! If you do not love Alvarez, 
 you are in a bad box, for he loves you, and he will not 
 readily give you up. You owe him much 
 
 "That is the truth," she confessed, hesitatingly. "I feel 
 that I am bad when him I do not love, but I do not be able 
 to force myself to care for him. I have made the try. 
 What more can I do, Frank ?" 
 
 "Try again." 
 
 "It is not easy. I remember that he has been a ladrone. 
 As my husband, my father would look on him with shame. 
 He says not so he says nothing but I know." 
 
 "Do you remember that it is quite likely that Alvarez 
 saved your life and your father s life?" 
 
 "I remember." 
 
 "And still " 
 
 "Oh, Frank 1" she sobbed; "how is it possible that I 
 should love him when it is another that I love ?" 
 
 Frank felt more uncomfortable than before.
 
 Pepita J s Secret. 131 
 
 "Great Scott !" he mentally exclaimed, "can it be she is 
 in love with me ? Is it possible that she is going to make 
 a declaration of her love ?" 
 
 "Pepita," he whispered, "you must go back with the 
 others you must not remain here longer. Alvarez is 
 likely to be jealous, and, if he should awaken, it might 
 cause trouble." 
 
 "I can t go back till you I have told, Frank." 
 
 In vain he urged her ; she insisted that she had more to 
 say, and she must say it. She was so close that he could 
 feel her warm breath at his ear, as she panted forth the 
 words. Her eyes glowed through the darkness, and he 
 knew her red lips were quivering with the intensity of her 
 feelings. 
 
 "There is another that I love, and he does not know," 
 she went on, her hand closing on Frank s wrist. "Till 
 now I have not dared let him know. I have feared that 
 he does not care one thing for me that I do still fear." 
 
 It was with no little difficulty that Frank repressed a 
 groan of dismay. He saw that nothing could check her. 
 She was excited, her hot Spanish blood was aroused, and 
 she would speak. 
 
 "If I am the one, my only course is to tell her frankly 
 and fairly that I do not care for her," he thought. "She 
 is pretty, and I might get broken up over her if I did not 
 remember another whose face I see so often in my dreams. 
 Pepita can be nothing to me." 
 
 "Listen, Frank, I must tell some one you I must tell ! 
 The one for whom I do care does not know. He is not 
 from my own country and my own people." 
 
 "It s coming !" thought the boy. 
 
 "He did come from far to the north," the girl con 
 tinued. "He is brave very brave. And I do love him, 
 Frank 1" 
 
 "But he may not care at all for you, Pepita."
 
 132 Pepita s Secret. 
 
 "That is what I do fear." 
 
 "Then you will be true to Alvarez ?" 
 
 "How can I that when Alvarez I do not love ?" 
 
 "Your duty " 
 
 "Duty ah ! what is duty to love ? With Alvarez all my 
 Kfe may be so very miserable ! With the one I do love, all 
 my life would be so very happy !" 
 
 Again Frank tried to tell her that the one she loved 
 might not care for her, and it was folly for her to think so 
 much of him till she knew, but she seemed quite unable to 
 listen to reason. 
 
 "If I could tell him !" she whispered, passionately. "I 
 know it is not the thing that a girl should let herself do; 
 but how is it that I must keep my love a secret in my 
 heart. If he knew he might love me. He shall know! 
 I must tell you, Frank." 
 
 She leaned still closer, bringing her lips near to his ear 
 and panted : 
 
 The one I do love so much is Senor Gallup !"
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 WHEN MORNING CAME. 
 
 Frank came near uttering a cry of astonishment and re 
 lief. 
 
 "Jupiter !" he gasped. 
 
 Pepita said something in Spanish, but Frank did not 
 understand what it was. 
 
 To confess the truth, Frank was not only relieved, but 
 he was a trifle chagrined. 
 
 "I came very near making a fool of myself," he thought. 
 "I fancied the girl had fallen in love with me, and I nearly 
 betrayed it to her. I am glad I am not the one ; but I 
 wonder what Ephraim will think about it." 
 
 There were a few moments of silence, and he could hear 
 the girl breathing quickly at his side. 
 
 "You are to him a friend," Pepita finally said. "I felt 
 that I must tell you. Perhaps you know if he does care 
 for me at all." 
 
 "If so, he has kept it a secret. He has never said any 
 thing to me about it." 
 
 Pepita fell back a little, seeming disappointed. 
 
 "Perhaps he would not be so ready to speak," she mur 
 mured. "Perhaps he is what you call it? bashful." 
 
 "I should not be surprised," softly laughed Frank. "He 
 is the sort of a fellow who is rather backward." 
 
 "Then what can I to do. In Chili the young men are 
 never bashful. They are bold too much bold. If he 
 does not know that I care for him, he might never say 
 that he did for me, if it were so that he did."
 
 134 When Morning Came. 
 
 "Perhaps it is best that he should not know, for he 
 might find Alvarez after him." 
 
 "Oh, is it that Alvarez must forever to be in my way! 
 I tell you for him I do not care at all." 
 
 Frank saw that it would be useless to try to convince 
 her that it was her duty to care for Alvarez. Her warm 
 Spanish blood was aroused, and she was not prepared to 
 reason calmly. 
 
 "It is best that Ephraim does not know," he mentally 
 decided. "I must manage to keep the truth from him." 
 
 "Pepita," he said "you must keep your secret." 
 
 She sighed. 
 
 "How am I to when I see him so much? Why should 
 I?" 
 
 "I will tell you why. Alvarez has a madly jealous dis 
 position, and it might not be healthy for Ephraim Gallup 
 if the ex-outlaw dreamed you cared for my friend." 
 
 "That is true that is true !" breathed the girl. "Alvarez 
 is ver quick with the knife." 
 
 "Exactly, and he might use it on Ephraim." 
 
 "He would be so very mad that he might kill Senor 
 Gallup." 
 
 "That s what might happen." 
 
 "Santa Maria ! It must not !" 
 
 "Then you must keep your love for Ephraim to yourself 
 you must not -betray it. Not even by a word, a glance, 
 must you let Alvarez suspect. If you do, you may bring 
 about a tragedy a murder. If you love Ephraim, Pepita, 
 you will keep your secret." 
 
 "It is hard it is h^rd !" she half sobbed ; "but I will do 
 as you say that I must I will keep my secret." 
 
 "That is where you show your good sense, little one." 
 
 "But it may be that he shall never know at all." 
 
 "What is to be will be. I have come to belreve that my 
 self. Any one who has passed through such dangers as
 
 When Morning Came. 135 
 
 have befallen me must believe it. If it is destined that you 
 and Ephraim are to be anything to each other, nothing can 
 keep you apart. Believe in that, and trust to fate." 
 
 "I will I must." 
 
 "That is good ! Now you had better go back and sleep, 
 for Alvarez might become jealous of me, if he were to 
 awaken and know you were here. I do not care to have 
 him for an enemy." 
 
 "I will go; but, Frank, remember that I love Senor 
 Gallup, and and, if the time should come that you could, 
 perhaps you might let him know a little." 
 
 "Perhaps. Go, Pepita." 
 
 She slipped away to where the others were sleeping in 
 the hollow, leaving him alone with his thoughts. 
 
 Frank was somewhat dismayed when he came to think 
 it all over. He knew it was too true that Alvarez would 
 be insanely jealous if he dreamed that Pepita cared for an 
 other, and Ephraim s life would be in danger. 
 
 "It is not at all likely that Ephraim would care a snap 
 for her ; but that young fire-eater must not know she cares 
 for Ephraim. It is plain that the sooner we get away from 
 Pepita and Alvarez the better it will be." 
 
 He wondered how long they would be crossing the 
 pampas, and if the party would hang together till Buenos 
 Ayres was reached. 
 
 Then he thought of Aguila and Black Miguel, the two 
 villains who were following them across South America 
 with relentless and deadly determination. 
 
 "Each day and every night we must be on our guard," 
 he muttered. "We shall encounter them again." 
 
 The moon came up and flooded the great plain with its 
 mellow light. It was so silent on the pampas that one 
 could not fancy any living thing was astir there. 
 
 When his watch had terminated Frank aroused
 
 136 When Morning Came. 
 
 Ephraim. The Vermonter arose, yawning and rubbing 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Hang it all !" he grumbled. "I was jest snoozin at the 
 rate of forty knots a minute. It s hard to hev to git up 
 an keep awake." 
 
 "It may be difficult, but take my advice and be sure 
 that you keep awake, Ephraim," said Frank. 
 
 "Yeou ain t seen northing, hev ye?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Then what s the matter that you want me to watch out 
 so sharp ?" 
 
 "There is not a moment when we may not be in danger. 
 Aguila has shown that he is relentless, and Black Miguel 
 is with him." 
 
 "But they don t know where we be." 
 
 "Perhaps not." 
 
 " Course they don t." 
 
 "Still, they may be searching for us on the plain. It is 
 your place to make sure they do not come this way with 
 out we know it." 
 
 "All right; I ll do it." 
 
 Then Frank directed Ephraim to creep up to the top of 
 the swell, where he could lay in the grass and look out 
 on the plain, as from that position he could surely see any 
 one who approached. The Yankee boy took his rifle, and 
 went away grumbling, while Frank wrapped himself in 
 his blanket and lay down. 
 
 For some reason Frank did not fall asleep immediately, 
 although he was weary. He lay a long time, strange 
 fancies flitting through his brain. Just as he was begin- 
 inng to be drowsy a sudden feeling of danger came over 
 him, and he started up, wide awake in an instant. 
 
 All was quiet in the camp. The sleepers were breathing 
 regularly, as if all slumbered.
 
 \Vhen Morning Came. 137 
 
 "It was nothing but a foolish fancy," thought Frank, 
 as he lay down again. 
 
 But it had aroused him thoroughly, and he again found 
 it difficult to sleep, although he knew he needed rest. 
 
 "I shall feel the lack of sleep in the morning," he said. 
 
 After a time the drowsy feeling came stealing over him 
 once more. And then he fancied that his mysterious 
 enemy was creeping, creeping, creeping upon him. The 
 man s eyes shone like balls of fire, and a long knife was 
 held in his teeth. Frank struggled to start up, but seemed 
 held by a spell. 
 
 "He will kill me this time !" 
 
 That was the thought which passed through his brain. 
 
 Nearer and nearer came the man with the knife. Soon 
 he was close at hand, and the knife raised for the fatal 
 stroke. 
 
 Then Frank started up again, choking and gasping. 
 
 Not a living thing seemed to be stirring about the camp. 
 
 "What a fool I am," he grated, softly. "My nerves are 
 in bad shape. I must sleep, for I need it. Ephraim is on 
 guard, and everything it all right." 
 
 He lay down and slept. When he awoke it was morn 
 ing, and the camp was in confusion. He started up cry 
 ing: 
 
 "What is the matter?" 
 
 "Pepita !" sobbed Juan "Pepita, she have gone !" 
 
 "Gone?" 
 
 "Yes, Frank, gone." 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "That is what nobody can come to tell-a.** 
 
 "When did she go?" 
 
 "Nobody know-a." 
 
 "When was it first discovered that she was gone?" 
 
 "When the morning did come." 
 
 "But where was Erjhraim ?"
 
 138 When Morning Came. 
 
 "Ah, Frank, he was sleep fast sleep." 
 
 "What s that?" cried Frank, angrily. "Did he sleep 
 after what I said to him after my warning?" 
 
 "Soak me ef I didn t !" admitted the Yankee boy, look 
 ing penitent and ashamed. "Got up there in the grass, 
 an it was so swizzlin comfortable that I jest dropped off. 
 Never knowed a thing till it was mornin , an Juan was 
 shakin of me. Then I hopped up, an he asked where his 
 sister was. I hedn t seen her, an I didn t know northin 
 abaout her." 
 
 "Oh, Ephraim !" came reproachfully from Frank s lips ; 
 "I am sorry to hear this of you." 
 
 "An I m sorry ter have ter tell it to ye, by gum !" 
 
 "Then Pepita must have disappeared in the night ?" 
 
 Alvarez had been listening, a mad fire in his eyes, his 
 white teeth showing. From his look it seemed that he 
 suspected at first that some one in the camp knew what 
 had become of the girl ; but he saw that he was mistaken 
 in this, and he snarled : 
 
 "Fool fool to sleep and let her go ! If something hap 
 pen to her if she do not come back all right, the fool that 
 sleep when he should be awake shall feel my knife !" 
 
 "Look here !" cried Ephraim ; "ef anything happens to 
 the little gal I ll feel as bad as yeou do; but ef yeou try 
 to stick yeour knife into me, I ll be swuzled ef I don t 
 knock abaout seventeen bales uv hay aout of yeou !" 
 
 "Caramba !" 
 
 "Wai, I dunno abaout that, but yeou don t want to stick 
 no knife in me, dad him ye !" 
 
 Alvarez looked as if he longed to rush on Ephraim at 
 that moment, but did not dare to do so, which was quite 
 the case. 
 
 "Stop your growling," commanded Smith, sharply. 
 "We must find out what has become of the girl, and that 
 We cannot do by quarreling among ourselves."
 
 When Morning Came. 139 
 
 "That is right," agreed Frank. "It is not possible that 
 Pepita was abducted from our midst while we slept, and it 
 is not likely she ran away of her own accord." 
 
 As he said this, he thought of the conversation between 
 himself and the missing girl during the early part of the 
 night. She did not love Alvarez, and she feared him. 
 Was it possible she had been foolish enough to run away 
 from him while they were in the heart of the desert ? 
 
 "If so," thought Frank, "the chances are that she will 
 be killed by wild beasts, or starve in the desert. Foolish 
 girl!" 
 
 Had there been any other explanation of her mysterious 
 vanishing, Frank would not have believed such a thing 
 possible. Now it seemed to him that, thinking of her 
 situation, she might have grown desperate and done some 
 thing she would not have contemplated in quieter mo 
 ments. 
 
 The gaucho had left the party, and was slowly circling 
 around the camping place, his back bent, and his eyes 
 fastened on the ground. 
 
 "What s he doin of?" asked Ephraim. 
 
 "Looking for the trail," answered Frank. "Wait and 
 
 see what he discovers. It is possible he may find 
 
 Ha!" 
 
 Smith had stooped suddenly and was closely examining 
 the ground. It was evident that he had found something. 
 In a few moments he moved away, keeping his eyes on the 
 ground, and went to the crest of the rise where the boys 
 had remained concealed in the grass while on guard dur 
 ing the night. 
 
 Frank felt the color rushing into his face, for he realized 
 the gaucho had followed the girl s trail to that spot. 
 
 Smith remained on the crest of the rise a minute, and 
 then he came back, still keeping his eyes on the ground.
 
 140 When Morning Came. 
 
 When he reached the place where the little party had slept 
 he paused and looked at Frank and then at Ephraim. 
 
 Alvarez was watching every move with burning eyes, 
 and he snarlingly demanded : 
 
 "What you have found ?" 
 
 Smith calmly replied : 
 
 "Nothing." 
 
 Frank drew a breath of relief. Not that he was in the 
 least afraid of Alvarez, but he felt that it was best the 
 hot-blooded fellow should not know that Pepita had visited 
 one of the guards. 
 
 Once more Smith began to walk about the spot where 
 the party had camped. 
 
 Alvarez watched him, muttering softly in Spanish. 
 
 Within a few minutes the gaucho paused again, then 
 turned and hurried away, stooping and keeping his eyes 
 on the ground. He passed over the crest of a rise, and 
 disappeared from view. 
 
 Shortly after Smith came running back, crying : 
 
 "Saddle and mount! I ve found the girl s trail, and 
 we must follow it immediately." 
 
 Senor Matias tried to question the gaucho, but all Smith 
 would say was that the girl had left the camp alone. He 
 hustled to bind the packs upon the backs of the pack ani 
 mals, and the party was ready to move in a very short 
 time. No one thought of breakfast. 
 
 Soon the party was ready to move, and Smith was fol 
 lowed. Away he went on foot, bending forward, his nose 
 down, like a hound on the scent. 
 
 Alvarez was quivering with excitement. He fired a 
 score of questions at the gaucho, but Smith answered not 
 one of them, much to the fellow s disgust and anger. 
 
 For at least a mile the gaucho followed the trail of the 
 girl. Suddenly he stopped, whirling on the others, and 
 flinging up both hands.
 
 When Morning Came. 141 
 
 "Avast there !" he roared. "Heave to !" 
 
 "What is it you do find?" fluttered Juan. 
 
 "That I ll tell ye later." 
 
 He got down on his hands and knees and examined the 
 ground, creeping about in the grass. He got upon his 
 feet, and trotted off a short distance, where he stopped to 
 kneel and examine the ground again. Then he arose, 
 turned and came back. The expression on his face told 
 that he had made a most unwelcome discovery. 
 
 Without speaking, Smith looked to his horse, which one 
 of the party had been leading. He made sure the saddle 
 was secure, and everything was all right. Then, gnaw 
 ing a chew from a big twist of tobacco, he said : 
 
 "I don t know why the girl came here, but she did. 
 Here she was met by a party of seven, and they took her 
 away or she went away with them of her own free will." 
 
 Alvarez raved like a maniac. A dozen times his hand 
 sought the haft of his knife, a dozen times he vowed some 
 one should taste the steel. 
 
 Senor Matias seemed stunned. 
 
 "I cannot be able to believe it," he muttered. "Why 
 should she come to do such a thing ?" 
 
 "Have you no idea who composed this party of seven ?" 
 asked Frank, of John Smith. "I s pose it was Aguila, 
 Black Miguel and the rest of the gang with them." 
 
 "Gol dern me ef I kin understand why Pepita should 
 want to go back to that craowd," said Ephraim Gallup. 
 
 "Perhaps she have a lover there of which I do not 
 know," hissed Alvarez, his face black as a thundercloud. 
 "Perhaps she is tired of me, and she go back to him. Hal 
 if I meet them ha !" 
 
 But Senor Matias would not believe such a thing of his 
 child. He was sure she had been decoyed from the camp
 
 142 When Morning Came. 
 
 in some manner, and had fallen into the hands of her 
 former captors. 
 
 Frank knew not what to think. 
 
 "There is but one thing to do," said Smith, "and that s 
 to get under way and be after them. Come on."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE STRUGGLE. 
 
 Night again. 
 
 All through the long day the little party had followed 
 on the trail. Toward night John Smith had said : 
 
 "They are making for Castro s saloon." 
 
 To Frank it seemed remarkable that there should be a 
 saloon anywhere on the pampas, and he asked what the 
 gaucho-sailor meant, whereupon Smith explained that 
 saloons or taverns were to be found at convenient distances 
 across the pampas and at every railway station. Some of 
 them did a thriving business, being favorite resorts for 
 the gauchos. 
 
 When night came on they were within a few miles of 
 Castro s saloon. Smith disregarded the trail, for he felt 
 certain the party they were pursuing had made straight 
 for the saloon. 
 
 Pressing onward, a light was seen gleaming across the 
 Pampas. Toward this they made their way. 
 
 At a considerable distance they halted, and they were 
 able to hear sounds of singing and carousing. 
 
 "Gol derned ef they ain t whoopin her up!" said 
 Ephraim. 
 
 It was arranged that Smith and Frank should go for 
 ward boldly and enter the saloon. The others should get 
 as near as possible, and should be ready to rush in when 
 they heard a signal whistle or if there was any shooting. 
 
 Smith led the way, and Frank followed at his heels. 
 
 The saloon was a mud-walled hut, a story and a half in 
 height. It was surrounded by a few trees.
 
 144 The Struggle. 
 
 Smith dashed up with a shout that caused the door of 
 the saloon to be flung wide open. 
 
 "Ho, there, Johnny Castro!" roared the gaucho. "It s 
 been a long time since I struck into this port, but here I 
 am again." 
 
 A little, dark-faced man stood in the glare of light that 
 came from the doorway. There was a belt around his 
 waist, and that belt contained no less than five deadly- 
 looking knives. 
 
 "Ho, Senor Smith !" cried this man. "When you come-a 
 here, you be ver much welcome. Come in !" 
 
 The horses were quickly hitched to a tree, and Smith 
 boldly entered the saloon, Frank still following. 
 
 Inside the hut the walls were covered with various gov 
 ernment ordinances relating to affairs in the district, and 
 especially to the sale of liquors. There were also great 
 crude lithographs, representing events in the last revolu 
 tion, or some other fighting scenes. Mingled with both 
 ordinances and lithographs were the tiny pictures which 
 come from packages of cigarettes. There was a bar, some 
 chairs, and a table. At the table four men were playing 
 cards. They were savage-looking desperadoes, with black 
 beards and armed with long knives. 
 
 These fellows stopped to stare at the man and boy, 
 scowling in anything but an agreeable manner. 
 
 Another man was sitting apart, smoking a cigarette. 
 He was not so wild and savage-looking as the others, but 
 he had the face of a villain. 
 
 "Ten to one he is the Marques Aguila," thought Frank. 
 
 The hut was divided into two rooms, and the door to the 
 rear room was securely closed. 
 
 "If Pepita is here, they have her in that room," Frank 
 immediately decided. 
 
 Two of the seven men were missing. Black Miguel 
 and one other were not to be seen.
 
 The Struggle. 145 
 
 Smith made himself very much at home. He laughed 
 and talked with Castro, and for fully twenty minutes they 
 gossiped about persons they knew. 
 
 Frank was careful to place himself where no one could 
 get behind him. 
 
 It was plain that the ruffians regarded Smith and the 
 boy with suspicion, but they endeavored to keep it con 
 cealed. 
 
 Finally the sailor-gaucho invited every one present to 
 have a drink. The men left their game and ranged up at 
 the bar. Rum was ordered by every one of them. 
 
 The glasses were filled and lifted, and then an unex 
 pected thing happened. 
 
 The man nearest Smith dashed the contents of his glass 
 into the gaucho s face, crying : 
 
 "Dog! spy!" 
 
 Gasping and blinded, John Smith snatched out his 
 knife, but he must have been stabbed to the heart but for 
 Frank Merriwell s presence of mind and quick action. 
 
 The man who had flung the rum into Smith s face had 
 drawn a knife, lifted it, and struck at the gaucho s breast. 
 
 The knife did not reach Smith, for Frank had a revolver 
 in his fingers, and he fired, the bullet shattering the hand 
 that grasped the haft of the knife, causing the weapon to 
 fall to the floor. 
 
 A shriek came from the rear room the shriek of a 
 female in great terror. 
 
 This cry was followed by a crashing sound, a shot and 
 a struggle. 
 
 "Pepita is there !" shouted Frank Merriwell. 
 
 Yells of dismay broke from the ruffians. They were on 
 the point of making a rush for the back room when the 
 door was burst open with a crash, and two desperately 
 fighting men reeled into the front part of the saloon. 
 
 Those men were Black Miguel and Alvarez !
 
 146 The Struggle. 
 
 Each was armed with a long, blood-stained knife, and 
 both were bleeding. 
 
 "The girl !" cried Black Miguel, in Spanish "they are 
 getting away with the girl ! Stop them !" 
 
 Once more the ruffians started for the back room, but, 
 before they could reach the door, Ephraim Gallup ap 
 peared in the opening, a brace of revolvers in his hands. 
 
 "Git back, yeou sarnips!" he shouted. "Git back, ur 
 chaw bullets !" 
 
 At this instant Senor Matias entered the saloon by the 
 front door, exclaiming : 
 
 "My daughter I heard her call !" 
 
 "It is the last time you will hear her call !" grated 
 Aguila, leaping forward to drive a knife into the man he 
 hated. 
 
 Frank Merriwell saw the move, and, swift though it 
 was, the boy was equally quick. Dropping one of his re 
 volvers, Frank struck Aguila a smashing blow on the jaw, 
 knocking him down. 
 
 The chief villain of the lot fell on his own knife, which 
 was driven deep into his body, and, with a hollow groan, 
 he rolled over upon his back, scowling malignantly at 
 Matias and gasping for breath. He did not live three 
 minutes. 
 
 In the meantime Alvarez had cut Black Miguel down, 
 but he had paid dearly for his victory, being mortally 
 wounded himself. 
 
 When they saw their chief fall the remaining ruffians 
 were seized with the utmost consternation, and they 
 rushed, shouting and cursing, from the saloon. They lost 
 no time in mounting their horses and getting away. 
 
 The fight was over, and the ruffians had been put to 
 route ; but Alvarez, his hand pressed to his bleeding side, 
 was propped in a chair, calling faintly to Pepita. 
 
 Ephraim led the girl from the back room. She was
 
 The Struggle. 147 
 
 quite unharmed, but greatly frightened. Ephraim and 
 Alvarez had entered the back room by way of a window, 
 and the Vermonter had disposed of Black Miguel s com 
 panions, while Alvarez engaged Black Miguel himself. 
 
 "Pepita!" gasped Alvarez, in Spanish, "I am going! 
 Black Miguel has killed me! Now you will be free to 
 love the Yankee boy, Merriwell." 
 
 "Sefior Merriwell !" she cried, astonished. "Why, I 
 do not love him ! How could you think that, Alvarez ?" 
 
 "I thought I saw it in your eyes, and I hated him for 
 it. You are sure you do not love him? You will swear 
 it?" 
 
 "I will swear it, Alvarez poor, brave Alvarez !" 
 
 "Then I thank the saints I did not kill him ! Twice I 
 tried, once with the snake knife, and once when I left 
 him buried to his neck in the desert. Oh, how I hated 
 him ! But I am glad I did not kill him !" 
 
 Frank understood the fellow s words, and he was 
 amazed to learn that his mysterious foe had been Alvarez ; 
 but he saw bow the fellow could have cast his knife and 
 escaped detection, and how he had found him by accident 
 in the desert while he slept. 
 
 Alvarez had not many minutes to live. He was swiftly 
 growing weaker, and he soon breathed his last, with 
 Pepita s arms about his neck, and his head on her bosom. 
 
 Aguila and Black Miguel were dead, so Sefior Matias 
 had nothing to fear, and the entire party made for the 
 nearest railroad station, from which, with the exception of 
 John Smith, they proceeded to Buenos Ayres. Smith 
 could not be induced to abandon the wild life of the pam 
 pas. 
 
 "It s good enough for me," he declared. "I ll live and 
 die a gaucho, dash my buttons if I don t?" 
 
 So he went back to the grassy plains. 
 
 Long before Buenos Ayres was reached Ephraim and
 
 148 The Struggle. 
 
 Pepita were very friendly, and the Yankee boy found an 
 opportunity to secretly inform Frank that he thought her 
 a "slappin* pritty gal, by gum ?" 
 
 "Well, you don t want to make any rash promises to 
 her," said Frank. 
 
 He saw that his chum was much smitten and resolved 
 to continue his tour without delay. 
 
 Only a few days later he fell in with a certain Captain 
 John Scudd, master of the American schooner Sea Fox. 
 
 The Sea Fox was bound for South Africa, and the ap 
 pearance of the saucy craft pleased Frank greatly. 
 
 "I am going across the ocean on her," said Frank. "And 
 you, Ephraim, must go with me." 
 
 "By gosh, Frank, do ye mean thet?" burst out the 
 Yankee boy. 
 
 "I do. Will your brother care, do you think ?" 
 
 "Don t believe he will said in his letter thet I could do 
 as I pleased so long as my money " 
 
 "So long as I d foot the bills, eh?" 
 
 "Persackly, Frank. But I don t want you to " 
 
 "But I will. I have money and all bills come to me. 
 So it s settled that we go." 
 
 The Sea Fox sailed two days later, with Frank and the 
 Yankee lad aboard. 
 
 Pepita hated to part with Ephraim, but Frank managed 
 to separate the pair without a "scene." 
 
 Juan was almost in tears. 
 
 "I neva forget you, Frank," he said. "You de brave 
 boy, de best boy in the whol world, yet !" 
 
 "Some day perhaps we ll meet again," returned Frank. 
 
 By nightfall the Sea Fox was out of sight of land, and 
 the voyage to South Africa was begun. 
 
 Little did Frank dream of the many startling adventures 
 in store for him.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE SEA FOX. 
 
 It was night, and a frightful storm swept the South 
 Atlantic, carrying in its seething heart the disabled and 
 helpless schooner, the Sea Fox. 
 
 Just before nightfall the storm had come on with aston 
 ishing suddenness, giving the sailors but a few seconds 
 to get the vessel in readiness for the ordeal. 
 
 Sails had been ripped away, rigging tangled, the rudder 
 "jammed," and the schooner nearly wrecked in the twin 
 kling of an eye. 
 
 The sailors lost their heads and their hearts in a mo 
 ment, and men who had cursed and blasphemed a short 
 time before fell on their knees and prayed. 
 
 Captain John Scudd was filled with despair when he 
 found the rudder was useless. 
 
 "We are lost !" he groaned. "She can never ride out 
 this gale in such a condition !" 
 
 As the gale came on, Frank and Ephraim had lashed 
 themselves to one of the masts, and, for all of the roar 
 ing of the fearful tempest, they were able to talk with 
 each other by shouting their words. 
 
 "I be gol derned ef this don t beat all natur !" cried the 
 Yankee lad. "Never see northin like this daown aour 
 way. I wish ter gosh I was back hum on the farm !" 
 
 "This is life on the ocean wave, Ephraim," laughed 
 Frank. "How do you like it?" 
 
 "It s too much fun fer me, by gum ! Why didn t the 
 cap n run into that island we saw this afternoon ? Ef we 
 bed that atween us and this breeze we d be all right."
 
 150 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 
 
 "You know why the captain did not land. The island 
 disappeared in blue mist. He says it is not located on the 
 regular chart, but that he has heard of it before, and it is 
 known as Phantom Island. It is not known that any per 
 son has ever landed there, and some think it is a mirage." 
 
 "That s one uv them things that appear to be somewhere 
 when they ain t anywhere at all." 
 
 "Yes, a mirage is an hallucination, and Phantom Island 
 seems to be an hallucination." 
 
 "Then there ain t any danger uv aour runnin her 
 daown." 
 
 "Hardly. Our danger is of being swamped and going 
 to the bottom. See how the schooner rolls." 
 
 "I can t see northin except when it lightens, an then s 
 when I m lookin at the big waves. Say, Frank, I m awful 
 scat ! I never was so scat before in all my born days. I 
 wish " 
 
 He was interrupted by a blaze of white lightning that 
 seemed to sear the eyeballs and illumine the entire 
 heavens, as if they were one vast sheet of flame. The 
 roar of thunder which followed could scarcely be heard 
 above the roar of the tempest at that moment. 
 
 The wind shrieked and howled through the broken and 
 tangled rigging like ten thousand fiends. All the demons 
 of the deep seemed to have broken loose and attacked the 
 Sea Fox. 
 
 The glare of lightning showed green mountains of 
 water, capped with snow-white foam, racing past with the 
 speed of an express train. The mighty waves threatened 
 to overwhelm the schooner, which was foundering about 
 helplessly, and it was something amazing that they did 
 not succeed without delay. 
 
 Sometimes a great wave would break over the vessel, 
 and it would seem that she had been buried in an instant,
 
 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 151 
 
 JBever to rise again ; but she would struggle up to the sur 
 face and continue the battle for life. 
 
 Frank was astounded by the vitality of the schooner. 
 A hundred times he had fancied all was over, and just as 
 many times the Fox had come through the swirling waves 
 and refused to go to the bottom. 
 
 As was natural with Frank, he seemed utterly regard 
 less of the great peril, for he laughed and joked whenever 
 the tempest lulled for a moment so he could make his com 
 panion hear. 
 
 Those who are often in peril of their lives, come, after a 
 time, to regard the most deadly dangers with seeming in 
 difference. Not that they always are indifferent, but they 
 are almost certain to be fatalists, and they feel sure they 
 will not die till their time comes. In such a case, it is as 
 easy to relieve the nerves by laughing as in any other way, 
 and so they laugh. 
 
 Frank asked Ephraim if he did not fear the motion 
 would unsettle his stomach, asked him if he considered a 
 deep sea voyage beneficial to a person in robust health, 
 offered to bet even that the third wave to break over the 
 vessel would swamp her, offered to go two to one that she 
 would ride through two more heavy seas, told Ephraim 
 he was no sport, and then sang a stanza of "I Love the 
 Rolling Sea." 
 
 "Hang me ef yeou don t beat the band!" cried the 
 Yankee lad. "Yeou don t seem ter understand we ain t 
 likely ever to set foot on dry land again." 
 
 "Oh, yes, I do, and I d be willing to travel around in the 
 mud a while if I could get ashore." 
 
 "Wai, I never heard uv a feller singin just when he was 
 in danger uv goin to the bottom uv the sea." 
 
 "It s likely there are very many things you never heard 
 of, old man. Here s a song appropriate to the occasion.
 
 152 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 
 
 Then the boy sang a snatch of "My Funeral s To-mor 
 row." 
 
 "Keep still, Frank," cried Ephraim. "What be them 
 fellers doin of over there ?" 
 
 He pointed through the darkness, and, at this minute, 
 there was a glare of lightning which revealed several sail 
 ors at work near one of the boats. 
 
 "The fools are trying to launch a boat!" exclaimed 
 Frank, amazed. "A boat cannot live in this sea." 
 
 "They must be fools to leave the vessel in this storm !" 
 
 "Hark !" 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "Can you hear that roaring above the sound of the 
 storm ?" 
 
 "Seems to me that I kin hear somethin uv the kind. 
 What is it?" 
 
 "I don t know, but it sounds like Breakers ahead !" 
 
 Another glare of lightning had revealed the foaming 
 mass of breakers which were dashing over a reef, also 
 showing land beyond the reef, upon which the schooner 
 was helplessly driving. 
 
 "Wai, dern my skin !" yelled Ephraim Gallup. "I didn t 
 know we was so nigh land ! What place kin it be ?" 
 
 "It must be an island. Loose your lashings. We must 
 take to the boat. The schooner will go down quickly when 
 she strikes. Look ! those sailors are quarreling over the 
 boat! See that monster wave! We ll be swamped this 
 time sure ! Hold fast !" 
 
 As he cried "hold fast," the mountainous billow came 
 rolling across the deck, sweeping everything before it. 
 The schooner shuddered, creaking and groaning in every 
 joint and seam. She seemed beaten under, never to rise 
 again. 
 
 But the end had not come, for the mighty wave rolled
 
 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 153 
 
 on, and the vessel struggled desperately in the hollow of 
 the sea, like a wounded creature battling for life. 
 
 "Ephraim." 
 
 "Wai, Frank?" 
 
 "I never felt greedy before, but now I want the earth. 
 We re still here. But where s the boat those sailors were 
 trying to launch ?" 
 
 "She s gone !" 
 
 "Sure as fate !" 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 "Swept away by that big wave !" 
 
 "That s right, by gum !" 
 
 "Some of the sailors must have been swept away, also, 
 for I can see but four fellows left, clinging to ropes." 
 
 The glare of lightning which had revealed this much to 
 them died out and the night seemed blacker than the re 
 mote depths of a bottomless pit. The wind raged furi 
 ously, tearing great flaps of water from the crests of the 
 waves, causing the broken masts of the schooner to creak 
 and bend, and driving the schooner completely under now 
 and then. 
 
 From some point a man staggered out and caught hold 
 of Frank. 
 
 "She is lost !" said a deep, hoarse voice. "She will go 
 to pieces in a minute on the reef !" 
 
 "Captain Scudd!" shouted Merriwell. 
 
 "Ay, ay," returned the old sailor, for it was the cap 
 tain of the Sea Fox. "Who hails? Who have I made 
 fast to?" 
 
 "I am Merriwell, one of the passengers." 
 
 "Ah, yes, my lad. "And you are made fast to the mast. 
 You d better cast off before the vessel strikes, for you may 
 not have time afterward. She will go down in a hurry." 
 
 "Is there no show of escaping, captain?"
 
 154 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 
 
 "The last boat was swept away by the big sea that struck 
 us a moment ago. The men were trying to launch her." 
 
 "What land is this we are driving on ?" 
 
 "It must be the island we sighted this afternoon." 
 
 "The one you called Phantom Island ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "So I thought." 
 
 A bolt of lightning rent the sky asunder and showed 
 them the Fox was now right upon the breakers. The 
 seething water was hurling itself into the sky every time a 
 great wave struck the reef, and the roar of this tumult be 
 came so loud that no further words could be heard. 
 
 Frank saw that there was but a moment before the ves 
 sel must strike, and he quickly unloosed all the lashings 
 which held himself and Ephraim to the mast. 
 
 They had taken care to fasten life-preservers about 
 their bodies before securing themselves to the mast. 
 
 The boys clung to each other in the awful darkness, 
 deafened by the roar of the breakers, the shrieking of the 
 wind and the detonations of the thunder. They were wait 
 ing for the crash that should tell the schooner had struck. 
 
 It came ! 
 
 The shock was frightful, and a glare of lightning 
 showed they were in the very heart of the breakers, the 
 white waves surging, plunging, and leaping about them 
 like ten thousand mad ghosts in revel. 
 
 That was all they saw, for darkness came in a twinkling, 
 the sea rolled across the deck of the Fox, and both lads 
 were swept away in the grasp of the triumphant vortex. 
 
 Frank found himself utterly helpless in the grasp of the 
 sea, tossed about like a feather, flung high on the crest of 
 a billow at one moment, submerged beneath tons of water 
 as it seemed the next moment, whirled about, beaten 
 upon by giant hands, torn and hurled and swung and 
 toyed with.
 
 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 155 
 
 For a little time he floated gently on a swell, and he 
 was just beginning to believe it was all over, and was con 
 gratulating himself on his fortune in escaping from the 
 mad vortex about the reef, when it began over again, and 
 he was used worse than before, if possible. 
 
 No creature of flesh and blood could endure much of 
 that. It beat strength and hope and life out of a person 
 very swiftly. 
 
 Frank was dazed and bewildered. He had thought he 
 might be able to swim toward the island if he were for 
 tunate enough to get through the breakers; but now he 
 had not the least idea in which direction the island lay. 
 
 Strangled by the salt water, coughing and choking to 
 clear his lungs, he made no struggle, save to keep afloat, 
 letting the sea bear him as it would. 
 
 He wondered what had become of Ephraim Gallup. 
 They had been torn apart by the great wave which swept 
 him overboard. Was Ephraim battling with the waves, 
 or had he gone to the bottom, to rise no more ? 
 
 One thought troubled Frank for a moment, and that 
 was that he had lured the young Vermonter to accom 
 pany him in traveling about the world, and had thus 
 brought him into frightful peril to almost certain doom. 
 
 But this thought was banished in a moment, for he felt 
 himself caught in a whirling eddy and sent spinning 
 around and around till all creation seemed whirling, too. 
 
 Something was dragging at his feet sucking him 
 down ! 
 
 "It is death!" he thought. "If I am dragged under 
 here, I shall be flung up a corpse. The whirlpool will 
 hold me under till I am finished." 
 
 Once more he fought with all his energy, although 
 somewhat weakened by what he had passed through. 
 
 He seemed to feel a great weight upon his feet, but he 
 struggled to cast it off.
 
 156 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 
 
 Frank was a splendid swimmer, and he did not waste 
 his strength in a wild and fruitless struggle. Every stroke 
 of foot or hand was to a purpose. 
 
 Twice he went under, twice he came back to the surface 
 through his almost superhuman efforts. 
 
 Then, all at once, the whirlpool ceased to whirl, a great 
 billow rolled smoothly over the spot, and the boy was 
 gently carried away on its swelling bosom. 
 
 Once more it seemed that he had escaped the turmoil 
 about the reef, and that he would be able to keep afloat 
 with ease. There was something gentle and restful in the 
 swell of the great billow. 
 
 As he arose high on the swell, lightning again illumined 
 the sky. He looked around for the schooner, but saw 
 nothing of it. 
 
 It had been shattered on the reef, and had gone down ! 
 
 Then he looked for the island. He saw it, and he was 
 about to head toward it when he noticed, close at hand, a 
 floating spar. 
 
 Three or four strong strokes carried the boy to the 
 stick, over which he flung one arm. 
 
 "Thank Heaven !" 
 
 The words came thickly from his lips, and then he heard 
 a hoarse yell near at hand. 
 
 Another human being was there ! 
 
 "Who say dat?" demanded the same hoarse voice that 
 had uttered the cry. 
 
 Frank recognized the voice as belonging to one of the 
 sailors, a Portuguese, Vendas Sardago, by name. 
 
 Sardago was a villainous ruffian, a drunkard, and a 
 brute. But, worse than anything else, he hated Frank 
 Merriwell with the most deadly hatred. 
 
 Sardago, partly intoxicated, had insulted Frank, one 
 day, and the boy had boldly resented it. The dark-faced 
 fellow had slapped Frank with his open hand, and, to his
 
 The Wreck of the Sea Fox. 157 
 
 unutterable amazement, had been knocked down in a 
 twinkling. 
 
 .Completely losing his head, the ruffian snatched out a 
 Ijyicked-looking knife and rushed at the unarmed boy. 
 
 By a nimble duck and dodge, Frank avoided the deadly 
 stroke of the knife, although the keen point ripped open 
 the sleeve of his coat from shoulder to elbow. 
 
 Then the lad snatched up a belaying pin, met the en 
 raged brute fairly, rapped him on the wrist and benumbed 
 his hand so he dropped the knife, after which the belaying 
 pin descended on Sardago s skull and stretched the wretch 
 flat on the deck. 
 
 For this offense, the Portuguese had been placed in 
 irons and confined in the hold, to be turned over for trial 
 at the first port. 
 
 When the storm came on, knowing the schooner might 
 be wrecked, Captain Scudd ordered Sardago released 
 from irons, that the fellow might have a chance for his 
 life. 
 
 The moment Frank knew Sardago was clinging to the 
 spar he felt that he was in danger of an attack, for he was 
 certain the Portuguese was one who never forgot or for 
 gave.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SARDAGO. 
 
 Frank remained quiet, but he soon felt a hand that 
 clutched his arm, and once more the voice of the Portu 
 guese demanded: 
 
 "Who say dat? Who spik?" 
 
 Still the boy remained silent. 
 
 "Dat you, Dalfors ?" snarled Sardago. "Why do don t 
 spik to me ? You lost-a dat tongue you be so sassy wid ?" 
 
 Dalfors was a Danish sailor, a rascal, like Sardago, but 
 something of a coward when he could not be a bully. Sar 
 dago had used the Dane as a tool in many ways, and they 
 often quarreled. 
 
 In a moment Frank decided what he would do. He was 
 a capital mimic, and he could imitate the voice of any per 
 son he had heard speak a few times. He determined to 
 imitate the voice of the Dane, who spoke very good Eng 
 lish. 
 
 "Yes, it is me," he answered, thickly. "Are you Sar 
 dago?" 
 
 "I t ink you know-a my voice by dis time-a. Why you 
 no answer quick ?" 
 
 "I was afraid didn t know who was there." 
 
 "Dat it? You have-a de chicken heart, Dalfors. You 
 no-a good at all." 
 
 "This storm is enough to make anybody have a chicken 
 heart. The schooner went down in a minute." 
 
 "To blazes wid de schooner! What you care if dat 
 schooner go down, ha? You don t have-a somebody you 
 love-a on dat schooner, eh ?"
 
 Sardago. 159 
 
 "No ; I hate them all !" 
 
 "Me-a, too. Dat Merriwell boy I hate-a worst of all. 
 Next to dat boy I hate-a Cap n Scudd-a. Dey all go down 
 wid de schooner, j^ct dem go." 
 
 "Yes, let them go." 
 
 "All dat mek me feel bad-a is dat I no-a gitty chance to 
 cut de t roat of dat Merriwell boy." 
 
 This was pleasant information for Frank. If Sardago 
 escaped to the island, and Frank was fortunate enough to 
 reach the same land, it would be necessary for the boy to 
 look out for the Portuguese. 
 
 Merriwell remained silent till Sardago demanded : 
 
 "You dere, Dalfors? You no-a slippy off?" 
 
 "No ; I m here." 
 
 "T ink we gitty shore?" 
 
 "Don t know." 
 
 Sardago snarled like an angry dog. 
 
 " Course you don t know ! What you tink bout it ?" 
 
 "We may." 
 
 "If we do dat it may be we " 
 
 Sardago was interrupted by a vivid blaze of lightning 
 and a rending peal of thunder. The lightning lasted sev 
 eral seconds, and the Portuguese sailor looked across the 
 spar and saw Frank clinging there. He looked around in 
 astonishment for Dalfors, but saw nothing of the fellow 
 with whom he had fancied he was talking. 
 
 When the thunder died out Sardago screamed : 
 
 "You mek fool of me-a, ha! You mek me-a t ink you 
 be Dalfors, eh ! Ha ! ha ! ha ! Dat lightning gif you way. 
 Now I know-a who you be. You dat Merriwell boy dat 
 I hate." 
 
 "That s right, you old pirate," returned Frank. "I am 
 the very boy. I did fool you for a short time." 
 
 "You pay for dat!" 
 
 Frank shifted his position quickly, knowing the Portu-
 
 160 Sardago. 
 
 guese was trying to clutch him in the darkness. But the 
 seething sea was dragging at him, as if trying to pull him 
 from the spar and carry him to the bottom, so he dared 
 not let go his hold on the stick for a moment. 
 
 He felt that Sardago was following him up, and he re 
 treated to the very end of the timber. Just as the end was 
 reached he felt himself clutched by powerful hands, and 
 the hateful voice of the villainous sailor triumphantly 
 cried : 
 
 "Now I haf you, Merriwell boy! Now I feex you 
 sure!" 
 
 The lightning blazed again, and the thunder roared. 
 The glare of light showed Frank the distorted, ferocious 
 face of his enemy close at hand showed that Sardago 
 held a long, bright knife in his upraised hand. 
 
 "Now I feex you, Merriwell !" howled the sailor. 
 
 Then darkness fell again on the storm-tossed sea. 
 
 Frank had seen Sardago strike, and he felt himself un 
 able to break from the man s clutch. Upward he flung one 
 hand, and, by rare good fortune, he caught the wrist of 
 the Portuguese sailor. 
 
 That saved his life. 
 
 Realizing how fortunate he had been, Frank gave a 
 sudden twisting wrench, seeming to have the strength of 
 a Samson. 
 
 A cry broke from Sardago s lips, and the knife dropped 
 and sank into the sea. 
 
 For a single moment Frank seemed unable to realize 
 that he had escaped the stroke of the knife. Then he heard 
 Sardago howl : 
 
 "I killy you yet ! I choky you, Merriwell 1" 
 
 One of the fellow s pudgy hands fastened on Frank s 
 throat with a vise-like grip, seeming to crush flesh and 
 bone.
 
 Sardago. 161 
 
 In a moment the boy found himself vainly striving to 
 breathe. 
 
 Frank grasped the man s wrist with both hands, gave a 
 great surge, and tore the fingers from his throat. 
 
 Sardago snarled and raved, trying to renew the clutch. 
 
 "I killy you yet !" he kept repeating, shrilly. 
 
 "It s a battle for life !" thought Frank. 
 
 The Portuguese seemed insane with fury; his one 
 thought seemed to be to destroy the boy he hated so in 
 tensely. 
 
 Frank was waiting for another flash of lightning, hop 
 ing to strike his enemy a blow that would turn the battle. 
 
 The flash came, and the boy struck at the temple of his 
 furious foe ; but Sardago struck at the same time, his hard 
 fist landing fairly between Frank s eyes. 
 
 The boy fell back and seemed to sink beneath the waves, 
 the prolonged glare of lightning gleaming on his white 
 face as it vanished in the water. 
 
 "Ha ! ha ! ha !" screamed Sardago. "Dat feex him ! If 
 I no-a gitty ashore, I am sure dat Merriwell boy no-a gitty 
 dere. He is deat !" 
 
 But Frank was not dead. He had been slightly stunned, 
 and a sort of undertow had sucked him beneath the sur 
 face for an instant ; but he wore a life-preserver, and that 
 quickly brought him back to the air. 
 
 Darkness encompassed him, and once more he felt the 
 sea buffeting him about in a merciless manner. His sole 
 effort was to keep his head above the surface and wait for 
 another flash of lightning. 
 
 When the lightning came he looked about for Sardago 
 and the spar, but saw nothing of them. 
 
 He saw something else, however something that filled 
 him with hope and joy. 
 
 The shore of the island was near at hand.
 
 1 62 Sardago. 
 
 Heading toward the beach, upon which the surf was 
 rolling in mountainous combers, Frank swam for his life. 
 
 In a very short time he was in the surf. 
 
 But right there began the most desperate struggle of 
 all, for the undertow dragged him back whenever the great 
 rollers carried him up on the beach. 
 
 Three times he was carried far up by a great roller, and 
 three times the receding water dragged him back and tried 
 to suck him away beneath the surface of the angry sea. 
 
 His strength was almost gone. He felt that he must 
 succeed next time, for he would not have energy enough 
 to try it again. The undertow would accomplish its mur- 
 derous design if it dragged him back again. 
 
 Frank never gave up as long as life and strength re 
 mained, and his unconquerable spirit had carried him 
 through many deadly perils. Even now, although he had 
 failed three times, he felt that he must safely reach the 
 shore next time. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, while this desperate struggle 
 for life was going on, the boy s thoughts were not entirely 
 of himself. He wondered what he should find on the is 
 land, if it were inhabited, if he would be the first white 
 person to come ashore there, and many other things. At 
 last he thought of Ephraim, and reproached himself that 
 the boy from Vermont had come to his death through his 
 instrumentality. 
 
 Then the lightning came again, and Frank found him 
 self swept toward the shore by another great wave. He 
 reserved all his energies for the last fierce struggle, and, 
 as the water turned, he strove to get his feet beneath him 
 and cling to the sand. 
 
 Never in all his life did Frank Merriwell put forth 
 greater exertions, but the power of the water was too 
 much for him in his battered and breathless condition.
 
 Sardago. 163 
 
 His feet were torn from the sand, and he was dragged 
 back for the fourth time. 
 
 That seemed the fatal time, for the undertow swirled 
 about his legs and seemed to tie him in a helpless condition 
 amid a maze of shifting cords. It held him powerless for 
 all of his efforts ; it drew him under, and it held him down. 
 
 Then he fancied he saw a most amazing spectacle, for, 
 although darkness and storm were on the surface of the 
 sea, it seemed that light and calm lay down below. All 
 about him were rainbow colors, shooting stars, flowers of 
 fire, and living things of light. He heard sweet music and 
 soft bells ringing gleefully. A feeling of peace and con 
 tentment came over him, and he struggled no more. The 
 music became sadder, and the sweet bells changed to a 
 funereal tolling far, far away. 
 
 "This is a delightful death," thought Frank Merriwell. 
 
 The music died away, the bells ceased to toll, the beau 
 tiful lights faded, and darkness and oblivion came to the 
 boy who had succumbed to the exulting, triumphant sea.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 EVIL FACES. 
 
 "Frank!" 
 
 A low moan was the answer. 
 
 "Frank, wake up ! I ve rolled barrels of water out of 
 ye alreddy, an I be gol derned ef I believe I kin git any 
 more aout." 
 
 "Oh, why didn t you let me stay dead !" 
 
 "Not by a blamed sight! What do yeou take me for, 
 Frank Merriwell ! I ain t that kind uv a feller." 
 
 "But it was so easy, so beautiful and you have made 
 me suffer so much !" 
 
 "That s all right, by gum ! Yeou was deader n a door 
 nail when I pulled ye aout ; but resussytatin persons who 
 was draownded was one uv the things we learned at Far- 
 dale, an I jest went at it to see if I could make it work. I 
 done it all right, by thutter !" 
 
 The boys were beneath the shelter of a ledge far up 
 the beach, and there Ephraim had built a bright little fire, 
 which was protected from the force of the wind by a pro 
 jection of the rocky bluff. 
 
 Frank lay groaning on the sand, while the Vermonter 
 sat near him, getting as much benefit as possible from the 
 warmth of the fire. 
 
 "Oh, it was so beautiful down there under the sea!" 
 sighed Frank. 
 
 "An* yeou wanted to stay ! I be hung ef that air don t 
 beat my time !" 
 
 "How did I get out of the water, anyway, Ephraim ?" 
 
 "I pulled ye aout."
 
 Evil Faces. 165 
 
 "And you how did you reach shore ?" 
 
 "Dunno. I swum fer all I was wuth, an a blamed sight 
 more, I guess. Fust wave that flung me up on the shore 
 was a ripper, an it jest lammed me high an dry, an left 
 me there. I got aout uv the way frum the water soon s 
 I could." 
 
 "You were fortunate. I tried four times to reach the 
 shore, but was sucked back every time. The last time the 
 undertow dragged me down, and I could not reach the 
 surface. I saw beautiful sights and heard sweet music. 
 The next thing I know you were at work on me, and I was 
 suffering the most intense agony." 
 
 "An yeou kicked, cause I didn t let ye stay dead !" 
 
 "At first but I am beginning to be glad you brought 
 me around, old man. I am feeling a little better." 
 
 Frank sat up, placing his back against the ledge, and 
 stretching his feet out toward the fire. 
 
 "As I went under," he said, "I was reviling myself for 
 having brought you into such danger ; but now I am well 
 satisfied to think I did so, for I d remained drowned if it 
 hadn t been for you." 
 
 "By gum ! that s right." 
 
 "You are a great traveling companion, Ephraim, even 
 though you did get smashed on that little Chilian girl, 
 Pepita, and make it necessary for me to almost kidnap 
 you in order to get you away from her." 
 
 The boy from Vermont laughed in a bashful way. 
 
 "Why, hang it, Frank !" he said, "she was the most be- 
 witchin little black-eyed minx I ever saw. I jest couldn t 
 resist her." 
 
 "That was evident. She d had you hitched to her if it 
 hadn t been for me." 
 
 "Wai, you can t say much, fer yeou cut a purty wide 
 swath with the gals yourself. Ev rywhere yeou go you
 
 166 Evil Faces. 
 
 have gals arter ye, an ef there s any on this air island, 
 you ll have one arter ye afore ye leave here." 
 
 Frank laughed a bit. 
 
 "It s not always my fault, Ephraim," he declared. 
 
 "I know that. Hang ef it don t seem funny haow the 
 gals git smashed on ye. I can t understand it, though I 
 will admit you re a rattlin good feller an handsome. It s 
 a wonder to me that Pepita didn t take to yeou, instead uv 
 me." 
 
 "It is well she didn t, and it was well for you that I 
 dragged you away from her." 
 
 "Oh, I dunno. Pepita was a mighty fine gal." 
 
 "That may be true ; but you re altogether too young to 
 get hitched to any girl. That s what I think of myself." 
 
 "An* goodness knows yeou ve hed chances enough. 
 There was Inza Burrage, Elsie Bellwood and any amaount 
 uv other ones." 
 
 "Don t speak of them !" entreated Frank. "It makes me 
 homesick !" 
 
 The thunder and lightning had almost entirely ceased, 
 but the surf was booming on the shore with a constant 
 roar, and the wind howled across the sea. The dripping 
 lads shivered and drew still further back into the lee of the 
 projecting ledge. 
 
 They removed some of their clothing, wrung out as 
 much water as possible, and hung the garments near the 
 fire. 
 
 "How did you succeed in lighting this blaze?" asked 
 Frank. 
 
 "I alwus kerry a waterproof matchsafe, and my matches 
 warn t even damp, by ginger !" 
 
 "That was good luck, and I have some of my own. We 
 must treasure them, for they may prove far more precious 
 than gold. It is possible we are on a deserted island."
 
 Evil Faces. 167 
 
 "Ef that s so we ll take possession uv it in ther name uv 
 ther United States uv Ameriky, by gum !" 
 
 "And it may be inhabited by a tribe of savages." 
 
 "Mebbe Austin Ross lost heiress is on this island." 
 
 "I fancy his lost heiress was a myth a fancy of his 
 cracked brain, for he never seemed more than half sane, 
 poor fellow !" 
 
 "Wai, he s gone to the bottom with the rest, an he won t 
 search no more for Ethel Driscoll, the lost heiress." 
 
 The boys were speaking of a third passenger on board 
 the Sea Fox, an eccentric man of about thirty, who told a 
 strange story, which, on account of the man s peculiar 
 manner, no one fully believed. 
 
 Ross had claimed to be in search of a girl by the name 
 of Ethel Driscoll, the daughter of a sea captain. Boman 
 Driscoll had been a wanderer on the face of the deep, and 
 his daughter had accompanied him. For a number of 
 years nothing had been heard of Captain Driscoll and his 
 daughter. 
 
 At last, Jared Stone, brother to Captain Driscoll s dead 
 wife, and uncle to Ethel, had died in California, leaving a 
 great fortune to the girl if she could be found. In his 
 will he had offered a large reward to the one who should 
 find her, and prove her identity. 
 
 Austin Ross, a roving sort of fellow, had fancied he saw 
 his opportunity to make a big haul by finding the girl and 
 obtaining the reward. He had traced Captain Driscoll to 
 Buenos Ayres, according to his statement, and had found 
 the captain had sailed for China by way of South Africa. 
 
 Ross capital was limited, but his faith and determina 
 tion were great, and so he took passage with Captain 
 Scudd, resolved to keep up the search as long as there was 
 any chance of finding the lost heiress. 
 
 Thus it came about that the self-constituted detective 
 was on the Sea Fox when the schooner was wrecked.
 
 168 Evil Faces. 
 
 Frank told Ephraim of his struggle with Sardago. 
 
 "Gol ding that critter!" cried the boy from Vermont 
 "I hope to thutteration he was drowned !" 
 
 "It would be no loss," said Frank. "He and Dalfors, 
 the Dane, made a pretty pair. Sardago was the leader, 
 but Dalfors was bad enough." 
 
 Ephraim felt around in one of his pockets and brought 
 forth a revolver. 
 
 "Come nigh fergittin it," he said. "Guess I ll clean 
 her up an dry her off." 
 
 "That s right," nodded Frank, feeling in his own 
 pockets, and taking out two revolvers. "We may need 
 these weapons, and need them bad. Have you any car 
 tridges?" 
 
 "Only what s in the revolver." 
 
 "And I am in the same fix. We must treasure them 
 with the matches, for they may save our lives. We must 
 fire a shot only when driven to the most desperate strait." 
 
 At this moment there was a scraping sound on the ledge 
 above, and a loose stone came bounding downward, fall 
 ing between the two lads who leaped to their feet, weapons 
 in hand. 
 
 Looking upward, the firelight showed them two evil 
 faces peering down over the ledge the faces of Dalfors 
 and Sardago! 
 
 "Gosh !" 
 
 Ephraim flung up his hand and pointed his revolver 
 straight at the face of the Portuguese. 
 
 "Hold !" 
 
 Frank clutched the hand of his friend, preventing him 
 from firing the intended shot. 
 
 "What s the matter with ye, Frank?" demanded Eph 
 raim, excitedly. "Can t ye see what s up there ? It s them 
 two skunks !" 
 
 "I see."
 
 Evil Faces. 169 
 
 "Wai, why didn t ye let me shoot?" 
 
 "Remember what we were saying, just now, about treas 
 uring our cartridges. You might waste one of them." 
 
 "Not ef I shot one uv them snakes !" 
 
 "But you might miss at that distance, and when you 
 shoot at either one of them you want to be near enough 
 to make sure of your man." 
 
 "By gum, that s right! You re most alwus right, 
 Frank. But jest you think uv it Sardago an Dalfors 
 was both of um there." 
 
 "Dat is right-a," called a harsh, hateful voice, and the 
 face of the Portuguese appeared again over the edge of 
 the ledge. "Sardago and Dalfors bote is here, ha ! You 
 t ink Sardago drown? Not water nuff in de ocean to 
 drown Sardago." 
 
 "That s right, gol dern ye!" flung back Ephraim. 
 "You re born ter be hanged, an so ye won t be drownded." 
 
 Sardago snarled. 
 
 "If I be hanged, you never see me. Ha ! We gif you 
 hot time-a on dis island. Dat Merriwell boy de one I 
 look-a for." 
 
 "And I shall look for you," declared Frank. "You will 
 find me ready for you when we meet again." 
 
 "Dat so ? Well, Dalfors did not lost-a his knife. I let 
 him get me to take-a dat knife. Ha ! Nex time I feex 
 you!" 
 
 "You will have to do it when I am asleep." 
 
 "I do it some time, you bet !" 
 
 "That s right, Sardago," growled the voice of Dalfors. 
 "We ll need meat to eat on this island, and them boys will 
 make us good supply." 
 
 "You ll make two first-class cannibals; but, so far as 
 we are concerned, you ll have to catch your birds before 
 you cook
 
 I yo Evil Faces. 
 
 "Ah, you make-a me-a sick!" howled Sardago, rising 
 a bit. Mebby I feex you now !" 
 
 His hand swung over his head. 
 
 Whizz! 
 
 Frank dodged, and barely avoided a stone as large as 
 a man s fist, which the Portuguese had flung with great 
 force and accuracy. If the boy had not dodged, the stone 
 would have struck him on the head, and it must have 
 cracked his skull. 
 
 Dalfors rose up, and flung one at Ephraim, but his aim 
 was not as good as that of his comrade in villainy, and the 
 Yankee boy was not obliged to dodge. 
 
 Frank held his revolvers in his hands, and he imme 
 diately took aim at Sardago, who uttered a defiant cry, and 
 dropped out of sight. 
 
 "This is gittin kinder warm !" observed Ephraim. 
 
 "Come on!" cried Frank, loudly. "We ll find a way 
 up the rocks, and we ll shoot the ruffians if we come upon 
 them." 
 
 He shouted the words for the two ruffians to hear, and 
 then he led the way around the point and up over the 
 rocks. 
 
 It was a severe climb, and not a trace of the two scoun 
 drels could be found when the top was reached. They 
 had taken the alarm and fled from the spot, not caring to 
 face the boys revolvers. 
 
 "We have not seen the last of them," said Frank, re 
 gretfully. "They ll give us no end of trouble." 
 
 "They re sure to give us trouble," agreed Ephraim. 
 
 "And it is not going to be healthy to return to the fire 
 and remain there, for they know where we are." 
 
 "Naow you re talkin ." 
 
 "They might come back, creep close upon us, and make 
 a sudden attack, -with the chances much in their favor."
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 THE BLACK MEN. 
 
 It did not take the boys long to decide to move from 
 that locality. They returned to the fire, gathered up their 
 clothing, and moved without delay. 
 
 It was a long, weary search for shelter, but they finally 
 found a favorable spot, and there they remained during 
 the rest of the night, although they did not dare light a 
 fire, as the light from it would be very likely to betray 
 them to their enemies. 
 
 Frank was thoroughly disgusted, but he kept still and 
 allowed Ephraim to grumble, which the Vermont lad did, 
 to a very large extent. 
 
 Both boys were much relieved when morning came. 
 
 "Now," said Frank, "we will light a fire and keep watch 
 for those two snakes. They will see the smoke and locate 
 U9 but we ll make the fire where they ll not be able to 
 creep upon us without being seen." 
 
 "An we ve got ter have something fer breakfast," 
 groaned Ephraim. "I m as holler inside as a bass drum, 
 by gum !" 
 
 "I feel the need of sleep more than anything," said 
 Frank ; "but I will admit that I am decidedly hungry." 
 
 The sun came up and shone upon the still tossing sea, 
 which was covered with white caps, but it showed no sign 
 of the unfortunate schooner, save some tangled wreckage 
 flung high upon the sandy beach. 
 
 Back from the shore the island seemed heavily wooded, 
 and a lofty, barren mountain arose some miles inland. 
 
 "This is Phantom Island, sure enough," declared
 
 172 The Black Men. 
 
 Frank. "Don t you know how we looked at that mountain 
 through the captain s glass ?" 
 
 Ephraim nodded. 
 
 "It s the same mountain, sure shootin ," he agreed. 
 
 "Then it is quite likely we are the first white men to set 
 foot on this island, if what we hear about the place is true. 
 It seems that it has a habit of disappearing in a cloud of 
 mist whenever a vessel tries to approach it." 
 
 "We may be the only livin critters on here, except Sar- 
 dago and Dalfors." 
 
 "Oh, I am sure there are birds and beasts in those 
 forests." 
 
 "Wai, I feel as if I d like ter have a few dozen roasted 
 birds ur beasts jest abaout naow," groaned the Yankee 
 boy, with his hands pressed to his stomach. 
 
 "Let s go down and see what we can find along the 
 shore." 
 
 "We can t find northin to eat there." 
 
 "But we may be able to find something. Come on." 
 
 Along the beach they went, searching amid the wreck 
 age flung upon the sand. It was some time before they 
 found anything of value. At last, however, a shout of 
 satisfaction came from Frank, and Ephraim saw his com 
 panion bending over a barrel. 
 
 "What is it ?" eagerly cried the Vermonter, as he rushed 
 toward the spot. "What have you f aound, Frank ?" 
 
 "Something that will keep us from starving," was the 
 exultant reply. "I can t conceive how this barrel reached 
 shore without losing its entire contents, for one end is 
 out." 
 
 "What s in it?" 
 
 "Look and see." 
 
 Ephraim peered into the barrel, and then he whooped 
 with delight.
 
 The Black Men. 173 
 
 "Salt pork, by gum !" he yelled. "That settles it ! We U 
 have somethin to eat to-day, by thutteration !" 
 
 The barrel had two or three layers of pork in the bot 
 tom, and this had served as ballast, so it had ridden out 
 the storm and been flung upon the shore. 
 
 "Where ll we git our water, Frank?" asked Ephraim. 
 "We ll need some fresh water." 
 
 "Build a fire," directed the other boy. "I will agree to 
 find water. Get a move on now, for I am beginning to 
 feel a bit hungry myself." 
 
 They had rolled the barrel up on the beach, and Frank 
 selected several pieces of pork, with which he ran toward 
 the rocky ledges. Amid the ledges he found numerous 
 hollows filled with rain water, and the pork was soon 
 soaking. 
 
 Then Frank went back to help Ephraim about the fire. 
 
 In a short time the boys had a blaze going, and they 
 were discussing how they would cook the pork when, of 
 a sudden, a most startling and unexpected thing occurred. 
 
 At least two score of black men burst from the forest 
 and came rushing toward the lads, brandishing spears, 
 bows, and arrows, and other weapons, while they yelled 
 loudly. 
 
 "Great Scott !" 
 
 "Gosh all thutter!" 
 
 Frank uttered the first exclamation, and Ephraim fol 
 lowed closely with one of his characteristic ejaculations. 
 
 "We re ketched!" panted the Vermonter, utterly dis 
 mayed. 
 
 "Right," nodded Frank. 
 
 The nearly naked black men had spread out in a semi 
 circle, completely cutting off flight inland, and the trapped 
 lads could not take to the sea. 
 
 "Shall we fight?" fluttered Ephraim, fingering his re 
 volver.
 
 174 The Black Men. 
 
 "It would be useless," Frank quickly said. "There art 
 so many of them, and we have so few shots, that they 
 jvould overpower us any way. We must not anger them." 
 
 "But they ll run us through with their spears, sure as 
 shootin ." 
 
 "Up with your hands !" 
 
 So both lads flung up their hands, as a token that they 
 surrendered. 
 
 The black men were headed by a gigantic fellow who 
 seemed to be their leader, and who was a magnificently 
 built giant. At a signal from him, the spears were low 
 ered, and then the boys were most astounded to hear the 
 giant say : 
 
 "Um white boys heap good sense. White boys fight, 
 urn both be killed in no time." 
 
 "Jee-rusalem crickets!" squealed Ephraim. "He kin 
 talk United States ! Who d a thought anything like that !" 
 
 "It is rather surprising," admitted Frank, coolly. "He 
 must have learned it of the white men he has eaten." 
 
 "What s that?" squawked the Vermont boy, in terror. 
 "You don t mean that these air critters is cannibals ?" 
 
 "They may be." 
 
 "Great gosh ! Why didn t we run fast as we could !" 
 
 "We weren t given a chance to run. They had us foul." 
 
 The black men were jabbering among themselves, point 
 ing at the boys, and laughing with satisfaction. 
 
 "I should judge by appearances that they are very fond 
 of white men," said Frank, in his usual bantering man 
 ner when in peril. "They seem to admire us very much." 
 
 Ephraim groaned. 
 
 "These critters is wuss than Sardago and Dalfors," he 
 said. 
 
 All at once, at a signal from the giant leader, the lads 
 jvere seized, held helpless and searched. The revolvers
 
 The Black Men. 175 
 
 were found and taken from them, and everything that 
 could serve as a weapon was appropriated. 
 
 Ephraim made a slight show of resistance, but gave in 
 quickly, seeing that Frank submitted quietly. 
 
 "What ye goin t to do, let em butcher ye thout doin a 
 thing ?" he asked, in a shaky voice. 
 
 "What can we do ?" asked the other boy. "We are help 
 less in their hands, and it is folly to struggle." 
 
 "Um white boy got great heap sense," said the giant 
 leader, with approval. Him fight, him git killed now. 
 Him be quiet him git killed when Musweno say." 
 
 "Are you Musweno ?" 
 
 "No. " Me Bondalwe." 
 
 "Who is Musweno ?" 
 
 "King." 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 "Him at village." 
 
 "Where is the village? * 
 
 "See mountain?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Village near mountain." 
 
 "You will take us there?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "What will you do with us then?* 
 
 "Musweno say." 
 
 Frank had been studying the giant, who was rather 
 good looking, although he had fierce eyes. The boy de 
 cided that Bondalwe must be a great leader among the 
 savages, if nothing more, for he was quite intelligent, 
 had a well-shaped head, and was at least eight inches 
 taller than the tallest among the other savages. 
 
 "Are you relation to the king ?" the boy coolly asked. 
 
 "No relation." 
 
 "But you must be one of the chief men ?" 
 
 "Um big war chief," answered Bondalwe, swelling with
 
 176 The Black Men. 
 
 pride. "Um great fighter. Make many captive; get 
 much provision for my people." 
 
 "Make many captives and git much provision for his 
 people!" gasped Ephraim Gallup. "We re done for, by 
 thutter ! Them critters is cannibals an no mistake !" 
 
 Ephraim wondered that Frank had surrendered with 
 out a struggle, for such an act was quite unlike him. 
 
 The boys were not bound; but, the savages surround 
 ing them, they were marched toward the forest, Bondalwe 
 having first questioned them as to how they came on the 
 island. 
 
 Some of the black men remained behind to search amid 
 the wreckage along the shore and to look for other per 
 sons who might have escaped to the island. 
 
 Frank asked for food, and Bondalwe told him he 
 would be given enough when the village was reached. 
 
 Merriwell tried to question the giant savage about his 
 people and how it happened that he could speak English, 
 but Bondalwe suddenly seemed suspicious, and refused 
 to answer. 
 
 The forest was dense and heavy, and the party moved 
 along with difficulty, having to select their way with con 
 siderable care. 
 
 Frank was constantly on the watch for an opportunity 
 to make a break and escape into the dense woods, but he 
 found that the bkck men were watching him constantly 
 with the eyes of hawks. 
 
 "If I tried it, I d be run through by a spear before I 
 had made three leaps," was his mental conclusion. 
 
 Ephraim seemed greatly dejected, and plodded along 
 with his head bowed on his breast, whereupon Frank tried 
 to cheer him up. 
 
 "Come, come, old man!" he said, "what s the matter 
 with you ! Brace up. Some of these people talk English, 
 which shows there have been white men here before us.
 
 The Black Men. 177 
 
 There s no telling what we ll find at the village of the 
 natives." 
 
 "The chances are we ll find aourselves in the soup," 
 groaned the boy from Vermont. "I ve seen these critters 
 lookin me over ter see what condition I m in." 
 
 "Well, it s likely they ll think you re rather spare, so 
 they ll keep you a while and try to fatten you up." 
 
 "Perhaps they ain t cannibals," said Ephraim, by way 
 of trying to console himself. "We don t know abaout 
 that." 
 
 Bright plumaged birds flitted through the forests, ut 
 tering shrill cries. There were plentiful signs of ani 
 mal life on the island. 
 
 Ephraim had a ravenous appetite, and the tramp to the 
 village was a torture to him, as he had not eaten his 
 breakfast. 
 
 The woods being very dense, the progress of the party 
 was exceedingly slow, and it was near noon when the vil 
 lage was approached. 
 
 Couriers had gone ahead to tell the people of the vil 
 lage, and, as the party came nearer, the sound of drum 
 ming and shouting could be heard. 
 
 "They are making merry over our capture," said 
 Frank. "I don t know why they should feel so good 
 about it unless it is because we are to be roasted and 
 eaten." 
 
 Ephraim groaned dismally. 
 
 "This is hard luck," he said. "I wish I d bin drownded ! 
 That would have bin the easiest thing." 
 
 They entered the village amid a shouting, singing crowd 
 of nearly naked savages. The people seemed to have 
 gone wild with joy. 
 
 The village consisted of about forty small, cone-shaped 
 huts, and into one of these the captive lads were thrust, 
 the place being surrounded by armed guards.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 CAPTIVES AMONG CANNIBALS. 
 
 It was quite dark within the hut, so the boys could not 
 get a good view of their surroundings at first. 
 
 "Well, here we are, Ephraim," said Frank, cheerfully. 
 "Make yourself right at home." 
 
 "I wish I was right to hum, by gosh," exploded the 
 Vermonter. "This kind uv business is too much fer me." 
 
 "Oh, this is nothing. Wait till you see what we re 
 coming to." 
 
 "You re real consolin , Frank! You make me feel as 
 jolly as a funeral. I ain t had so much fun sence the last 
 time." 
 
 "The people here seem real pleased to see us. Hear 
 them howl." 
 
 "That s what I don t like," confessed the Vermont lad. 
 "Ef they wasn t so pleased, I should be a great deal more 
 pleased myself." 
 
 "You re fussy." 
 
 Ephraim groaned and stopped his ears with his fingers, 
 as another wild chorus of yells came from outside the hut. 
 
 Drums were beating over the village, and the black 
 people seemed to have gone crazy with joy. They were 
 dancing and capering in the most extravagant manner. 
 
 Although he kept up his outward appearance of reck 
 less indifference, Frank Merriwell was rather sick at 
 heart. From the open door of the hut he looked out and 
 saw the savages dancing and going through all sorts of 
 extravagant gestures of joy, and he felt certain they
 
 Captives Among Cannibals. 179 
 
 were thus rejoiced because of a new acquisition of food 
 in the village. 
 
 "They are cannibals," thought Frank. "I believe I 
 was foolish in submitting to capture. We should have 
 fought as long as we could. Now we are helpless in their 
 power, and must submit to be killed." 
 
 The more he thought of this the more he reproached 
 himself; but it was now too late to do anything, for the 
 armed guards about the hut were very vigilant. He 
 could see them standing with their spears pointed toward 
 the entrance, ready to run one of the captives through, 
 if one attempted to escape. 
 
 "Do you really s pose they mean to eat us, Frank?" 
 asked Ephraim, in a voice that indicated great distress. 
 
 "It is possible they do. We cannot be sure of it yet." 
 
 "Yes, you may," said a voice near at hand, causing 
 both lads to start and utter exclamations of astonish 
 ment. "I can assure you that you will be killed and 
 eaten with very little delay." 
 
 Peering toward the point from which the voice came, 
 they discerned the figure of a man seated on the ground, 
 with his back against the wall of the hut. 
 
 "Who are you?" Frank quickly demanded. 
 
 "A captive among these man-eaters, like yourselves," 
 was the answer. "I was a fellow passenger on the Sea 
 Fox. You should recognize me." 
 
 "It is dark here, but now I see Why, it s Mr. 
 
 Ross, who was searching for the lost heiress !" 
 
 "By gum ! so it is !" exclaimed Ephraim. 
 
 "We presumed you had been drowned," said Frank. 
 
 "I was not thus fortunate," said Austin Ross, with a 
 deep sigh. "And now I am to be roasted." 
 
 "How do you know?" 
 
 "I have been thus informed by one of these gentlemen, 
 who speaks rather indifferent English."
 
 i8o Captives Among Cannibals. 
 
 "How did you come here?" 
 
 "The same way you did, I fancy. I was captured and 
 brought here by these miserable niggers." 
 
 "When was that?" 
 
 "Early this morning." 
 
 "Where were you?" 
 
 "Hunting in the forest for something to shoot with 
 my revolver, as I was hungry and wished to kill some 
 thing to eat." 
 
 "How did you escape being drowned when the schooner 
 was wrecked?" 
 
 "I had on two life-preservers, and I succeeded in reach 
 ing the shore, although it was a most desperate struggle 
 for life." 
 
 "Well," said Frank, "surprises will never cease. At 
 first Ephraim and I believed we were the only ones to 
 escape ; but Sardago and Dalfors turned up, and now we 
 find you." 
 
 "Sardago and Dalfors, two of the sailors?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Where are they?" 
 
 "Somewhere on this island." 
 
 "Have the savages captured them?" 
 
 "I scarcely think so, although Bondalwe and a party 
 remained on the shore near where the wreck occurred, 
 and they were looking for any others who escaped, I 
 fancy." 
 
 "Who is Bondalwe?" 
 
 "A giant among these savages. He speaks English." 
 
 "He is not the only one. Several of them can say a 
 few words of English. I wonder how it happens ?" 
 
 "It is likely the Sea Fox was not the first vessel to be 
 wrecked on this island. Other white men have been 
 here."
 
 Captives Among Cannibals. 181 
 
 "But they ain t here now," groaned Ephraim, dis 
 mally. 
 
 "Not much !" said Ross. "And it will not be long be 
 fore we are served as they were served. As they brought 
 me into this accursed village I saw a spectacle that froze 
 the blood in my veins." 
 
 The man shivered, and his teeth chattered like rattling 
 dice. 
 
 "What did you see?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Human skulls and bones, all picked clean and piled in 
 a heap, the refuse from the horrid feasts of these can 
 nibals." 
 
 Ephraim groaned again, and fell flat on his back, where 
 he lay, still groaning. 
 
 "I wish I was to hum on the farm!" he moaned, 
 huskily. 
 
 Frank was silent for some moments, and then he struck 
 his clinched right hand into the open palm of his left. 
 
 "That settles it !" he cried. "I was a fool that I urged 
 you to submit quietly, Ephraim. We should have fought 
 to the last gasp. Now we are powerless." 
 
 "Yes, we are powerless," agreed Ross. "We can do 
 nothing to save ourselves. They can keep us like pigs in 
 a pen till they get ready to stick us." 
 
 "If I was to hum I d stay there the rest of my natteral 
 days," gurgled the boy from Vermont, in great agony. 
 
 "If I were in the United States, nothing would lure me 
 forth again in search for the lost heiress, Ethel Driscoll," 
 declared Ross. 
 
 The condition of the unfortunate trio was indeed most 
 wretched and hopeless. Frank, however, with his usual 
 persistency, refused to give up hope. He set about try 
 ing to devise some scheme for escaping from the trap. 
 
 The uproar outside continued, and the savages could be
 
 Captives Among Cannibals. 
 
 seen drinking from large wooden dishes. That they were 
 intoxicated and fast becoming more so was evident. 
 
 "I wonder where the chief is?" speculated Frank. 
 
 "I saw him when I was brought into the village," said 
 Ross. "I was taken before him. He is a hideous old 
 wretch, and he was pretty drunk when I saw him. He 
 danced, and grinned, and felt me all over, as a person 
 might examine a beef creature. Then he proceeded to 
 drink more of the stuff they are pouring down their 
 throats, and I should not wonder if he were dead drunk 
 by this time." 
 
 "If they d all get drunk we might find an opportunity 
 to escape." 
 
 "But they will not. You must notice that our guards 
 are not drinking at all. They are letting the others booze, 
 but they are keeping perfectly sober." 
 
 This was true. 
 
 After a time, two women came and brought some 
 dishes of food, which were placed within the doorway of 
 the prison hut, and the captives were invited, by gestures, 
 to partake of it. The women were very ugly much 
 more so than the men. 
 
 "Come, Ephraim," said Frank, "you are hungry, and 
 here is something to eat. Sit up and help yourself." 
 
 "I don t want it." 
 
 "Don t? Why, you were almost starved early this 
 morning." 
 
 Ephraim sat up. 
 
 "Think I d eat any uv their stuff !" he squawked. "3 
 don t know what it is. I don t want it." 
 
 "It is made of vegetables." 
 
 "I don t care ef it is! I ll bet a yaller squash it was 
 cooked in a dish that some man had been cooked in I 
 Great jumpin Jupiter! It makes me sick!"
 
 Captives Among Cannibals. 183 
 
 The thought was sickening, and Frank himself had no 
 desire to taste the stuff, hungry though he was. 
 
 "Ef they try ter keep me an fat me up, I ll starve my 
 self till I m so gol dern thin they won t hev no fun eatin 
 me," declared the boy from Vermont. 
 
 "That s a very good scheme," nodded Ross ; "but I do 
 not fancy any of us will be kept long. I am to be slaugh 
 tered to-morrow morning, and it s likely we ll all be killed 
 at the same time. The black devils will have a regular 
 barbecue." 
 
 Not one of the trio would taste the food, but their thirst 
 forced them to take a drink from a dish of water the sav 
 ages had provided. 
 
 The carousing continued among the savages through 
 out the day, and a wild orgie it was. 
 
 Frank watched like a hawk for an opportunity to es 
 cape, but found none. 
 
 Midway in the afternoon Bondalwe and his party came 
 in. 
 
 They brought no more captives. 
 
 "Sardago and Dalfors have not been captured," said 
 Frank. "It is merely a matter of time before they will be, 
 however." 
 
 Bondalwe came and peered into the hut, seeming much 
 satisfied. 
 
 "Why um white boys no eat?" he asked, seeing the 
 food remained untouched. "Um white boys mean to 
 starve ? They no got time for that. Musweno see them 
 bimeby pretty soon before night. Mebbe he have one 
 boy for his supper. Um boy better than man great 
 much more tender. Musweno like white boy pretty 
 good." 
 
 With that the giant war chief of the black men de 
 parted, leaving the captives in anything but an enviable 
 mood.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 DEATH OF THE KING. 
 
 Phantom Island seemed to lay in a region of storms, 
 for, toward night, thunder was heard muttering in the 
 distance, and the sky gradually became overcast. 
 
 About this time the king of the black men sent an 
 armed escort to bring the new captives before him. 
 
 Frank was still on the alert for any opportunity to 
 break away and make a dash for life and liberty. 
 
 "Watch me, Ephraim," he directed. "If I give the sig 
 nal you make a break at the same time. It may be our 
 last chance." 
 
 "It s no use," declared Austin Ross, dolefully. "We 
 are all doomed. Even if one or two of us escaped, we d 
 be on the island, and we d fall into their hands again 
 after a time." 
 
 "Well, you needn t think I am going to tamely submit 
 to being roasted and eaten," came rather warmly from 
 Frank. 
 
 Bondalwe was the leader of the guard, and he heard 
 the lad s words, which brought a savage smile to his face. 
 
 "Um white boy talk big," he said, scornfully. "What 
 white boy think um do ? Him no git a chance." 
 
 "Wait," came clearly from Frank s lips. "I submitted 
 quietly to capture because I knew I should not be 
 harmed." 
 
 The big war chief grinned more than before. 
 
 "White boy know heap much. How him know so 
 much?" 
 
 "Because I am protected by powers you know nothing
 
 Death of the King. 185 
 
 of. You will not be allowed to harm me. The Spirit of 
 the Air wil* prevent it." 
 
 Bondalwe pursed up his lips and then shook his head. 
 
 "No understand that," he said. "What you mean, 
 white boy?" 
 
 "You shall see. There are things you do not under 
 stand. Take us to your king. We are ready." 
 
 As the boys marched along in the midst of the guards, 
 with the spears pointed toward them, Ephraim whispered 
 to his companion : 
 
 "What in jee-thutteration did yeou mean by what you 
 said to that darn big nigger ? Was it all a big bluff ?" 
 
 "I am making a play to save us from the soup," was the 
 answer. "It is our only hope, and I ll confess it is a 
 mighty slim one." 
 
 "What do you mean to do ?" 
 
 "Wait and you shall see. Do not express surprise at 
 anything that may happen, or anything you may hear." 
 
 Ephraim was puzzled. He could not conceive how 
 Frank could do anything to save them, and still he had 
 great confidence in the ability of his friend. He had 
 seen Frank do many nervy and astonishing things, and, 
 somehow, he felt hopeful that something might happen 
 to save them from the cannibals at the last moment. 
 
 The black men and women ran along the street on 
 either side of the armed guard and the captives, wildly 
 waving their arms, shouting and screaming. They were 
 a savage-looking set, nearly all of them drunk. The 
 women seemed even fiercer than the men. 
 
 "What a mess uv old hags them shemales be!" mut 
 tered the boy from Vermont. "They act ez if they d like 
 to eat us raw." 
 
 "On this island the women cannot be called the fair 
 sex, and that is g fact- They are ugly as scarecrows."
 
 1 86 Death of the King. 
 
 "I don t b lieve there s one decent lookin one on the hull 
 island." 
 
 Bondalwe s ears were sharp, and he had heard every 
 word spoken by the boys. Now he turned about and 
 said: 
 
 "You have not seen Malwe." 
 
 "Who is she?" 
 
 "One great princess king s daughter. Heap much 
 pretty." 
 
 "I be gol derned ef it wouldn t be a relief to git a look 
 at her before we re roasted," said Ephraim. 
 
 "She not lowed to see um white boys no, no !" 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Her heart tender. She might try to keep white boys 
 from being eaten." 
 
 "What s that?" cried Frank. "Then I rather reckon 
 Malwe is the person we must desire to see about now." 
 
 "White boy not need to," said Bondalwe, sneeringly. 
 "Him Spirit of Air will take care of white boys." 
 
 "That s right," declared Frank, stoutly. "You shall 
 see." 
 
 Beyond the limits of the village they marched, and they 
 came to an open lot of ground, surrounded by lofty trees 
 with wide-spreading tops. 
 
 In this open space a number of the natives had assem 
 bled, and they shouted as the guard came up with the 
 captives. 
 
 The crowd opened, and the boys were marched into its 
 midst. 
 
 The boys found themselves before a large savage, who 
 was seated on what seemed to be a sort of raised throne. 
 This throne was decorated with human skulls, which 
 peered out from every side in all their ghastly suggestive- 
 ness. Behind the throne there was a half circle of poles,
 
 Death of the King. 187 
 
 on which were perched bare and grinning skulls of human 
 beings. 
 
 It was a ghastly and horrible spectacle, and the boys 
 shuddered as they looked. 
 
 The king was a fierce-looking old wretch, with his 
 teeth filed so they were all pointed, and his face and body 
 fantastically tattooed. He was gotten up in a manner 
 intended to strike awe to the hearts of the captives. 
 
 But Frank was not easily awed, for he leaned toward 
 Ephraim and whispered: 
 
 "Well, old Musweno is a peach, and that s straight !" 
 
 The teeth of the boy from Vermont chattered a little, 
 as he whispered back: 
 
 "I d give a pile ef I was to hum on the farm !" 
 
 The thunder was growing louder and louder, telling 
 that the storm was approaching, and flashes of lightning 
 became more frequent. 
 
 The king looked the boys over in a greedy way, as if he 
 longed to devour them immediately. 
 
 Bondalwe bowed low before the throne, saying some 
 thing in the native language, and motioning toward the 
 captives. 
 
 Musweno lifted one pudgy hand and motioned for the 
 boys to approach. 
 
 "Come on, Ephraim," whispered Frank. "Show your 
 nerve." 
 
 The boys stepped forward, and the king surveyed 
 them once more. His eyes finally rested on Frank, and 
 he said : 
 
 "Um white boy much good. Him do for supper." 
 So the king could speak English. Frank was greatly 
 satisfied when he discovered this, for it would be of 
 service to him in carrying out his scheme. He now ad- 
 dressed the monarch, speaking clearly and boldly :
 
 1 88 Death of the King. 
 
 "You may as well select another subject for supper, 
 king, as I positively decline to serve." 
 
 Musweno gave a grunt of astonishment. 
 
 "What that?" he asked. "What white boy mean by 
 that?" 
 
 "White boy say, oh great Musweno, king of the Wedol- 
 bas, that him be protected by Spirit of Air," explained 
 Bondalwe, speaking in a derisive manner. 
 
 The cannibal king grunted again. 
 
 "What that?" he demanded. "White boy think we all 
 fools?" 
 
 "I do not think you are fools," said Frank, calmly; 
 "but I am telling you the simple truth. You cannot harm 
 me, for I am protected by the Spirit of the Air. The 
 Spirit is always ready to answer my call, and is within 
 sound of my voice at this minute." 
 
 Old Musweno laughed derisively, showing his ugly, 
 pointed teeth. He held onto his abdomen as he laughed. 
 
 "Much big lie," he declared. "Let white boy prove 
 what him say, or him be killed right off now." 
 
 "Great gosh !" gasped Ephraim. "Yeou ve got yerself 
 inter an awful scrape ! This fixes us both !" 
 
 But Frank Merriwell did not seem in the least dis 
 turbed. It is possible his face was somewhat paler than 
 usual, but his voice was cool and steady. 
 
 "I will prove it, oh, king. You shall hear the voice of 
 the Spirit of the Air you shall hear him speak. He will 
 speak to you, Musweno, King of the Wedolbas." 
 
 Then Frank stretched forth one hand, pointed straight 
 at the old monarch, and uttered a long, loud cry. 
 
 As the boy uttered the cry there was a frightful shock, 
 a blinding glare, and the king fell dead, plunging head 
 long from the ghastly throne to the ground. 
 
 He had been struck by lightning ! 
 
 For some moments the savages seemed dazed with ter-
 
 Death of the King. 189 
 
 ror, staring wildly at the huddled body of the king, whicK 
 lay in a heap at the foot of the throne, the hideous face 
 distorted and turned toward the throng of natives, his 
 sightless eyes seeming to stare in terror at Frank Merri- 
 well. 
 
 Frank was no less astonished than the natives, for, of 
 course, the thunderbolt had been totally unexpected by 
 him; but, after the first start of surprise, which was not 
 seen, he stood there cool and calm, thanking fortune for 
 the seeming miracle, as he knew it must strike terror to 
 the hearts of the black men. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup nearly fell to the ground in a heap. 
 He had not known what Frank intended to do, and it al 
 most seemed that the boy at his side had summoned the 
 bolt of lightning to kill the cannibal king. 
 
 Suddenly a general cry of great fear came from the 
 savages, and they prostrated themselves upon their faces 
 on the ground. 
 
 "Gol dern my skin!" gasped the boy from Vermont. 
 "This jest natterally beats anything I ever saw." 
 
 Frank smiled grimly. 
 
 "The Spirit of the Air certainly spoke to old Musweno 
 in quite a loud tone of voice," he said, in a guarded way. 
 "The old pirate heard it, and felt it, as well." 
 
 "Yeou don t mean to say you made the lightnin strike 
 him, do ye ?" fluttered Ephraim, in a dazed way. 
 
 "Of course I did," chuckled Frank, comprehending the 
 bewilderment and surprise of his companion. "Didn t I 
 cry out to the Spirit?" 
 
 "I don t understand it," muttered the Yankee lad. "It s 
 the queerest thing I ever saw sence I was born." 
 
 The native men and women lay face downward, not 
 daring to look up at all. Even Bondalwe was overcome 
 with fear. 
 
 "Arise, Bondalwe," directed Frank, in a loud tone.
 
 190 Death of the King. 
 
 "Tell the people to get upon their feet. The Spirit has 
 spoken to the king, but they need not fear him more, 
 for he will not speak again unless I call upon him." 
 
 The giant war chief got up very slowly, his black face 
 seeming to have a sort of pallor, which may be seen in 
 the faces of negroes who are badly frightened. 
 
 "Tell the others to arise," commanded the triumphant 
 boy. 
 
 Bondalwe did so, but the people were so greatly fright 
 ened that they hesitated about obeying, some starting up, 
 but falling back on their faces when they beheld the dead 
 body of the king at the foot of the ghastly throne. 
 
 After a time they were induced to arise, but they hud- 
 dled together, like a flock of frightened sheep, staring in 
 speechless awe at Frank. 
 
 "Bondalwe," said Frank, "you doubted when I told you 
 I was protected by the Spirit of the Air you laughed at 
 me. What do you think now ?" 
 
 "White boy s tongue speak the truth. White boy one 
 great magician. Him chief of many devils." 
 
 "Bondalwe, shall I call on the Spirit, and ask him to 
 speak to you?" 
 
 The giant fell on his knees, his eyes rolling, his teeth 
 chattering, his hands outstretched to the boy in an ap 
 pealing gesture. 
 
 "No, no, no!" he almost screamed. "Urn white boy 
 spare poor Bondalwe! Bondalwe be slave to um white 
 boy." 
 
 "Very well," came quietly from the boy s lips. "Get 
 up." 
 
 The big war chief arose again, standing in a cowering 
 attitude, while the islanders looked on in wonder and 
 fear. 
 
 "The Spirit spoke to Musweno," said Frank, "and
 
 Death of the King. 191 
 
 Musweno is dead. If I should direct the Spirit to speak 
 to any one of you, you would also die." 
 
 He made a gesture with his hand as he said this, and, 
 by a fortunate coincidence, there was a sharp glare of 
 lightning and a heavy peal of thunder. 
 
 Again the natives flung themselves on their faces, and 
 it was some time before they could be induced to arise. 
 When they did so they would have run away, but Frank 
 commanded them to remain, under penalty of being 
 touched by the Spirit." 
 
 "The king is dead," said Frank. "Who next in or 
 der should become your king? Speak up and answer 
 me?" 
 
 After much faltering, Bondalwe bowed low, his eyes 
 on the ground, and said, in a low and faltering voice : 
 
 "Oh, great white boy, Bondalwe is next among the 
 men. There is but one to dispute his right to be king 
 after Musweno." 
 
 "Who is that?" 
 
 "Malwe, the princess.* 
 
 "Is she the king s daughter." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "What relation are you to the king?" 
 
 Bondalwe tried to explain, but he did not succeed in 
 making anything clear but that he was a distant relative. 
 
 It became evident to Frank that the big savage aspired 
 to the throne, knowing there was none among the natives 
 who dared oppose him. 
 
 "I scarcely think you will be allowed to become king 
 while I am on this island," thought Frank. 
 
 He then asked for Malwe, but was told the king had 
 forbidden that she should see the white captives, and that 
 she had been sent to the other village, which was situated 
 at the farther extremity of the island. The men from
 
 192 Death of the King. 
 
 his other village and nearly all the women were present 
 and had witnessed the death of their king. 
 
 A sudden thought struck Frank, and he said, in a loud 
 voice : 
 
 "Oh, people of the Wedolbas, the Spirit has seen fit 
 to take your king from you, but Musweno shall speak and 
 say who shall become your king in his place." 
 
 At this much surprise was shown, and Bondalwe fal- 
 teringly asked : 
 
 "How is it, white boy, that Musweno can speak when 
 him be much dead ? Dead one no speak at all any more." 
 
 "The Spirit can give him power to speak, even though 
 he is dead," asserted the resourceful lad, with confidence. 
 "You shall hear him speak." 
 
 "Gosh-all-hemlock !" gurgled Ephraim, in consterna 
 tion. "You re crazyer n a coot, Frank! You re goin 
 ter spoil ther hull blamed mess ef yeou keep on this air 
 way." 
 
 "Don t get excited, Ephraim," cautioned Frank, se 
 renely. "I know what I am about, so keep your mouth 
 buttoned up a while and see what you will see." 
 
 Bondalwe seemed more incredulous than ever. He 
 repeated the lad s words to the natives, and they stared 
 at Frank in mingled fear and doubt. 
 
 Making sure that all understood that he had asserted 
 the dead monarch should speak and declare who should 
 become king, Frank began approaching the huddled, tat 
 tooed body at the foot of the throne. As he advanced he 
 muttered some gibberish, and made strange movements 
 in the air with his hands. 
 
 The savages stared with increasing awe and fear, some 
 seeming ready to fall on the ground once more. 
 
 Reaching the body, the boy bent over it, making some 
 mystic passes, and then, crying, in a loud voice, so all 
 must hear him :
 
 Death of the King. 193 
 
 "Oh, Great Spirit, give to Musweno power that he 
 may speak and proclaim the name of his successor. Oh, 
 Musweno, dead though you are from the touch of the 
 Spirit, speak and let your wishes be known speak, I 
 command you. 
 
 Dead silence, with every savage staring and listening. 
 
 The king s lips were drawn back from his filed teeth, 
 and from his throat seemed to issue these words : 
 
 "The white boy, whose servant is the Spirit of the Air, 
 shall become king of the Wedalbos in place of Musweno. 
 This is the wish and command of Musweno, who is dead."
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE NEW KING. 
 
 It seemed that the dead had spoken. 
 
 There were a few among the savages who understood 
 English, and they translated the words which seemed to 
 come from the lips of their dead monarch. In a moment 
 every native present understood what the corpse had 
 seemed to say. 
 
 Once more the islanders prostrated themselves on the 
 ground, but this time they cried: 
 
 "The white boy is our king ! He is great and mighty, 
 and he shall be our king to the end." 
 
 Bondalwe alone did not cry out, as Frank observed, 
 but he bowed with the rest, although it was evident that 
 he was much disappointed. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup could not restrain his unutterable 
 amazement. 
 
 "Gol dern my skin!" he exclaimed. "This beats any 
 thing I ever saw in my natteral born days !" 
 
 Frank made a motion to him, saying, sternly : 
 
 "Bow, boy ! Down upon your face, or you will incur the 
 wrath of the Spirit and the new king of the Wedolbas." 
 
 "Yeou want me to git daown on my face ?" asked Eph 
 raim, astonished. 
 
 "I do," said Frank, appearing very stern. "I command 
 it." 
 
 "Wai, I be kicked ef I do enny such " 
 
 "Then your fate be upon your own head. I have 
 worked to save you, but you may destroy yourself by your 
 own folly."
 
 The New King. 195 
 
 "Then I guess I ll git daown, though it does seem 
 thunderin foolish. Do yeou want me to rub my nose in 
 the dirt?" 
 
 Ephraim bowed rather reluctantly, getting down 
 slowly. 
 
 Then Frank mounted to the throne, upon which he 
 seated himself, very well satisfied with the turn affairs 
 had taken. 
 
 "Arise, my people," he commanded "arise and greet 
 your king." 
 
 The natives got upon their feet. Bondalwe shook his 
 spear in the air and uttered a wild shout, which was 
 echoed by all the savages, who also shook their weapons 
 or their empty hands in the air. 
 
 Down across the sky at the rear of the throne zigzagged 
 the lurid lightning, and the thunder roared like ten thou 
 sand cannon. 
 
 "It is the Spirit of the Air !" the natives told each other. 
 "He greets our new king ! The king is a great king !" 
 
 Bondalwe slowly advanced, got upon his knees be 
 fore the throne, placed his forehead on the ground, and 
 remained thus till Frank told him to get upon his feet. 
 
 Having arisen, the war chief asked: 
 
 "What is the king s name, that I may tell it to his 
 people ?" 
 
 "Tell them that his name is Merriwell." 
 
 Bondalwe did so, and the natives shouted the name 
 over and over. 
 
 "Merriwell is our king! He is a great and mighty 
 king !" 
 
 Bondalwe then explained that whenever a new king 
 ascended the throne there were certain ceremonies to be 
 observed, such as the drinking of human blood and the 
 eating of the brains of a human being.
 
 196 The New King. 
 
 Ephraim, who had begun to feel better, grinned and 
 winked at his comrade, slyly observing : 
 
 "You ll have a regular high old feast, Frank !" 
 
 Immediately Frank looked sterner than ever, asking 
 of Bondalwe : 
 
 "Where is the victim?" 
 
 "Um one be in hut," said the war chief, "or um one 
 be here." 
 
 He indicated Ephraim. 
 
 "I do not like the one in the hut," declared Frank, "so 
 I think I ll have to take um one here." 
 
 "What s that ?" shouted the boy from Vermont. "Great 
 smoke ! Yeou don t mean to say you re goin to make a 
 meal off me ?" 
 
 "Well, I am pretty hungry," said the new monarch. 
 "I feel as if I might eat almost anything, and . I doubt 
 if I ll find anything better on this island than you are, 
 Ephraim." 
 
 "He shall be killed at once right away soon," said 
 Bondalwe. "First him throat be cut to let out blood." 
 
 He made a motion with his hand, and Ephraim was 
 seized by several savages, who were ready to execute 
 orders. One of them produced a long, wicked-looking 
 knife. 
 
 Instantly the boy from Vermont fell on his knees, his 
 face turning very pale, and his teeth chattering with 
 terror. 
 
 "Oh, sus-sus-say, Fuf-fuf-frank !" he stammered, "just 
 tut-tut-tell them to sus-sus-stop it! Gol dud-dud-dern it 
 all! yeou can t mum-mum-mean to have mum-mum-me 
 kuk-kuk-killed like this! Oh, what d I gug-gug-gug- 
 give ef I was to hum on the fuf-fuf-fuf-farm !" 
 
 Seeing how he had terrified his companion by his lit 
 tle joke, Frank s heart smote him, and he quickly said: 
 
 "As the Spirit of the Air has been instrumental in male-
 
 The New King. 197 
 
 ing me king of the Wedolbas, we will omit all ceremony. 
 I am your king. That is all that is necessary." 
 
 Bondalwe and the savages seemed much disappointed, 
 while Ephraim was relieved beyond measure, although, 
 seeing Frank had played a ghastly joke on him, he was 
 rather angry. However, he fancied it was best to re 
 press his anger and keep quiet. 
 
 Frank now directed that the other white captive be 
 brought before him, and a party of natives rushed away 
 to obey the command. 
 
 In the meantime Frank addressed Bondalwe, saying: 
 
 "Bondalwe, you are strong and handsome, and you 
 shall still be the war chief of the Wedolbas. You shall 
 be my head chief, and, next to me, you shall have the 
 greatest power over the people. How does that satisfy 
 you?" 
 
 "It is much good," answered the giant, bowing low 
 and seeming pleased. "You shall not have some reason 
 to be shamed of Bondalwe." 
 
 "Stand on my right," directed Frank, and the giant 
 did so. 
 
 "Now," said the boy monarch, "my chief companion 
 and counselor shall be this other white boy, who is wise 
 beyond his years, and who knows much that is hidden 
 from the learned and aged. Ephraim, stand on my left." 
 
 Ephraim did so. 
 
 "Bondalwe," said Frank, "I shall depend on you to 
 select ten men as my body guard. They must be ten of 
 the bravest and most trustworthy." 
 
 The war chief agreed to do so, and he quickly chose 
 the number required, selecting the tallest and most intel 
 ligent-looking savages. 
 
 Frank then directed that these men, all of whom were 
 armed with spears, should form two lines, five in each
 
 198 The New King. 
 
 line, standing three feet apart, on either side and to the 
 front of the throne. 
 
 By the time this was arranged the natives with Austin 
 Ross came hurrying up. Ross was overcome with terror, 
 and scarcely able to keep on his feet, fully expecting he 
 was being rushed to slaughter. He stared in bewildered 
 surprise when brought before Frank, who was seated on 
 the ghastly throne. He saw the king lying dead on the 
 ground, and his wonder increased. 
 
 "Mr. Ross," said Frank, with dignity, "I am now king 
 of this people, in place of the late king, whom you see 
 down there. I am absolute monarch of this island, and 
 what I say goes." 
 
 Ross nearly fainted. 
 
 "How in the world did you ever do it?" he finally 
 gasped. 
 
 "Oh, it s a way I have of doing things. I seldom get 
 left, although I sometimes seem to be badly in the soup." 
 
 "That s right, by thutter!" squealed Ephraim Gallup, 
 who was feeling so good that he could not contain him 
 self longer. You re a reg lar peach, by gum !" 
 
 "Be careful," warned Frank. "The chief counselor 
 of King Merriwell the First of Phantom Island should 
 not forget to be dignified on all state occasions, such as 
 the present, as he is beneath the watchful eyes of the 
 populace." 
 
 Ephraim stiffened up, becoming grave as a judge in a 
 moment. 
 
 "Yeou ll have to excuse me this time," he said. "I ll 
 kainder watch aout an not make another break, your 
 royal highness." 
 
 Bondalwe now approached, and, after certain salutes, 
 he asked : 
 
 "When, oh, king, do we eat him ?" 
 
 He indicated Ross.
 
 The New King. 199 
 
 "You will not eat him at all," said Frank, sternly. 
 "He is a countryman of mine, and he must not be harmed. 
 He must have his liberty, and I give warning that the 
 Spirit of the Air will visit with the death touch the one 
 who injures him. Release him." 
 
 He waved his hand, and Austin Ross was set at lib 
 erty. The man nearly fainted with joy. 
 
 It now began to rain large drops, and, seeing the 
 shower was right upon the island, Frank directed that 
 the dead king should be lifted and carried to his home. 
 This being done, the assemblage was dismissed. In the 
 native language they shouted: 
 
 "Great is our king! Great is Merriwell, king of the 
 Wedolbas !" 
 
 Frank marched toward the village, accompanied by 
 Ephraim, Bondalwe, and the body guard of ten, with the 
 awed natives following at a little distance, speaking one 
 to another of the astounding and miraculous things they 
 had witnessed. 
 
 Frank was escorted to the king s house, which was 
 larger and better than the others, and he entered to escape 
 the rain, which was beginning to come down freely. 
 
 The cannibals had been greatly frightened by the sud 
 den and unexpected death of their king from a thunder 
 bolt, which it seemed the strange white boy had called 
 from the sky. 
 
 They placed the dead king in one of the huts, leaving 
 him with two of his widows to watch over the body. 
 Then they gathered to talk over the marvelous things 
 which had happened. 
 
 While they were fully convinced of the power of the 
 white boy to work his will by calling to his aid the 
 Spirit of the Air, they were also much disappointed be 
 cause the new king had seen fit to release both the white 
 captives.
 
 2oo The New King. 
 
 All cannibals are gluttons, and thus it was with the 
 Wedolbas. They thought a great deal about what they 
 would eat, and it seemed that, some time in the past, 
 they had discovered that white men made very good eat 
 ing. Therefore it was a great disappointment to them i 
 when they failed to get so much as a taste of one of 
 their three captives. They had expected a great feast. 
 
 Notwithstanding nearly all of the black men and 
 women had been intoxicated when the youthful captives 
 were brought before King Musweno, they were decidedly 
 sober directly they witnessed the death of the old mon 
 arch. 
 
 But some of them were sullen, feeling that the new king 
 had not used them quite right by taking both the re 
 maining captives from them, and they covertly whispered 
 their dissatisfaction one to another, holding their hands 
 over their empty stomachs as they did so. 
 
 Still, they had no thought of questioning the authority 
 of King Merriwell, for all were convinced that he had 
 the power to strike any one dead by a look, and they 
 held him in the greatest fear. 
 
 While the rainstorm lasted the natives were huddled 
 in the little huts, whispering, whispering, whispering. 
 They shuddered with terror when they heard the heavy 
 peals of thunder, which had suddenly assumed a new 
 significance for them. It was the voice of the Spirit of 
 the Air, whose touch meant instant death. 
 
 In the meantime, once inside the dead king s house, 
 Ephraim Gallup executed a wild can-can of a dance, 
 threw his arms about Frank s neck, and gave him a 
 bear-like hug. 
 
 Immediately Frank cast the Vermonter off, saying, re 
 provingly :
 
 The New King. aen 
 
 "Be careful how you monkey with his royal higLneis, 
 King Merriwell the First. You must approach me with 
 awe and deference that is, if it doesn t make any defer 
 ence to you." 
 
 Ephraim gave a deep groan and staggered, catching at 
 his heart. 
 
 "Gol denied ef that ain t the wust pun I ever heard !" 
 he gasped. "It was awful simply awful ! What you 
 think, Mr. Ross?" 
 
 "I think I am so well satisfied to escape being eaten 
 by these savages that I can stand almost anything. Go 
 ahead with your puns, King Merriwell." 
 
 "Hereafter, while I remain monarch of this island," 
 said Frank, "you must show me the regard my position 
 demands. If I make a bad pun, you must laugh heartily, 
 even though it may give you an attack of heart failure. 
 Do you catch on ?" 
 
 "Oh, we catch on fast enough," nodded Ross ; "but 
 what puzzles me is how you got to be king. Will you ex 
 plain that?" 
 
 "With pleasure." 
 
 Then Frank told what had happened when he was 
 brought before King Musweno, and Ross listened in 
 astonishment. 
 
 "What did you mean to do if the lightning had not 
 struck the old cannibal?" asked the astonished man. 
 "You must have had some scheme you were trying to 
 work." 
 
 "I did. I told them they should hear the voice of the 
 Spirit of the Air. After that, the dead king seemed to 
 speak, aided by the same spirit." 
 
 v By gum! I have it!" cried Ephraim, slapping his 
 knee.
 
 2O2 The New King. 
 
 "Well, if you have it, don t yell so loud the whole 
 village will get it," advised Frank. "What is it you 
 have?" 
 
 "I d plum fergot one trick yeou uster do at skule. 
 Yeou was a slappin good ventriloquist, and yeou was 
 alwus playin jokes by throwin your voice around. Yeou 
 made the dead king seem to speak." 
 
 "Exactly so, my astute chief adviser, but it was some 
 time before you seemed to get that through your head. 
 When I called on the mythical Spirit of the Air, I in 
 tended to make a voice seem to come from the air, com 
 manding the king not to harm one of the captive white 
 men. I was on the point of trying to work the trick 
 when the thunderbolt knocked old Musweno off his 
 perch." 
 
 "Well, you are a wonderful boy," declared Austin 
 Ross, admiringly. "Aided by the thunderbolt, you have 
 saved us all for the time; but I shall feel uneasy among 
 these cannibals till we escape. I shall be watching out 
 all the time, so they will not catch me and eat me when 
 I am not looking." 
 
 "Yeou ve got to be king, Frank," said Ephraim ; "but 
 yeou may not be able to hold yeour job. When the thun 
 derstorm is over, the niggers may decide that they want 
 one uv their own people to rule em." 
 
 "If they do, I shall have to try a few tricks of leger 
 demain I know. I am no Herman or Keller, but I fancy 
 I can do some things to surprise these people." 
 
 "You are such a lucky fellow that I d not be at all 
 surprised if you could aid me in finding Ethel Driscoll, 
 the lost heiress," said Ross. 
 
 "Well, I don t know about that," smiled Frank. "I 
 scarcely think there is any chance of finding her among 
 these tanned maidens of the Wedolbas, but I ll look
 
 The New King. 203 
 
 around. If I should happen to come across her, I will 
 hand her over to you, and all I ask is one-half the reward 
 offered for her discovery." 
 
 "You shall have it," came seriously from Ross. "I 
 will pay it willingly, in case we ever get away from this 
 island."
 
 CHAPTER XXVI, 
 THE KING S WIVES. 
 
 Frank proceeded to make himself quite at home in the 
 king s house, which was far more comfortable than any 
 other house in the village. He informed Ephraim that 
 he must turn cook and fix up something to eat as soon as 
 the storm had passed. 
 
 "I ll do it ef I kin find anything to cook," said the lad 
 from Vermont. "I m sure I don t want to eat anything 
 that the niggers in the village cook." 
 
 So, when it had ceased to rain, Ephraim began to over 
 haul the dishes in the king s "kitchen," while Frank called 
 in some attendants, and asked for something to cook in 
 the way of vegetables or wild animals. 
 
 The attendants hastened from the hut, uttering loud 
 cries. In a few moments they returned, escorting nine 
 women of various ages, from sixteen to sixty. 
 
 One of the attendants, whose name was Howena, bowed 
 to the ground before Frank, saying: 
 
 "All um these belong to King Musweno. Now Mus- 
 weno him be dead, all um belong to new king. They use 
 um new king much good." 
 
 "I presume these are my cooks," said Frank, dubi 
 ously. 
 
 "No," said Howena, shaking his head vigorously "no 
 cook ; all um be wives." 
 
 "Wives!" shouted Frank, in horror, starting back. 
 "Why, Musweno must have belonged to the Mormons! 
 What do I want of his wives?" 
 
 "When um king die mong Wedolbas, um next king
 
 The King s Wives. 205 
 
 have to take all um wives. Must take um, King Merri- 
 well. They be much good to you." 
 
 Howena waved his hand and the women crowded 
 around Frank, grinning and holding their arms. The 
 oldest and ugliest of the lot said : 
 
 "Me berry good wife. Me cook, me do lot of thing. 
 Me love new king. Him be very handsome." 
 
 She acted as if she wanted to clasp Frank in her arms, 
 and he uttered a yell of fear. For once in his life Frank 
 Merriwell was frightened, and he showed it. 
 
 Ephraim had come from the back room, and he saw 
 and heard all that passed. He was convulsed with laugh 
 ter, which he tried to suppress, but it now burst out, and 
 he roared: 
 
 "Haw ! haw ! haw ! By gum ! this is better than a hull 
 bar l uv monkeys. Kiss your wives all around, Frank. 
 They re a regular crate uv peaches! Whoop! Haw! 
 haw ! haw !" 
 
 "Be still !" shouted Frank, fiercely. "If you don t shut 
 up, I ll do something you won t like." 
 
 "What ll yeou do?" 
 
 "I ll turn every one of these creatures over to you, 
 and make you take them for your wives." 
 
 The Vermonter gave a howl of terror and vanished 
 into the back room with precipitate haste, utterly routed. 
 
 Frank was in a quandary. He did not wish to offend 
 the women, and he was not inclined to accept the nine 
 coal-black wenches as wives. He commanded them to 
 keep off when they crowded too closely about him, and 
 then he explained that, in the country from which he 
 came, men were not allowed to have more than one wife, 
 and so he could not take them. 
 
 Immediately Howena said : 
 
 "Um king take one wife, all odders be killed right away 
 when um say so. He have um to eat."
 
 206 The King s Wives. 
 
 "Great Scott!" gurgled Frank, while Austin Ross 
 gasped for breath, "is this the custom of these heathenish 
 creatures ?" 
 
 "That way all um kings do," explained Howena. 
 "When um git tired of wife, kill um and eat um. New 
 king alwus kill all um wives he no want to keep." 
 
 The women now received the impression that but one 
 of their number was to become the wife of the white 
 king, and all the others were to be killed and eaten. This 
 filled them with the utmost terror, but all were hopeful 
 that they would be the one selected for a wife. They 
 crowded about Frank, jabbering wildly, each one evi 
 dently trying to convince him that she should be the one 
 selected. 
 
 "Jupiter and Mars !" cried the young monarch, despair 
 ingly. "This is more than I can stand ! It is altogether 
 too much!" 
 
 Then he yelled at Howena: 
 
 "Take them all away! If you don t take them away 
 I ll be tempted to kill every one of them! Be lively 
 about it!" 
 
 Howena jumped into the midst of the jabbering women, 
 grasping them, shaking them, and shouting at them. He 
 made them understand, and they hastened from the hut, 
 still in great fear of the white king. 
 
 When they were gone, Frank collapsed in a heap on the 
 ground. 
 
 "Merciful goodness !" he gasped. "Is there no way to 
 escape from this island at once?" 
 
 Frank succeeded in getting out of the predicament for 
 the time by giving notice that he would require con 
 siderable time to make the selection of the wives he de 
 sired among the late king s widows, although this did not 
 seem to satisfy the natives very well, for they thought
 
 The King s Wives. 207 
 
 he should choose his wives without delay, so he might 
 begin feasting on the ones he did not desire. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup chuckled with satisfaction, and asked 
 Frank how he liked the "king business." 
 
 Frank, being full of fun himself, could appreciate a 
 joke, and he laughed over the affair, although he was 
 troubled to know how he was going to get out of the 
 scrape. 
 
 The trio, Frank, Ephraim and Ross, succeeded in ob 
 taining food to satisfy their hunger, and they felt much 
 better. 
 
 That night they kept together in the king s house, 
 taking turns at standing guard, as they did not fully trust 
 the savages. 
 
 With the coming of another day Frank went forth 
 through the village, accompanied by Bondalwe and his 
 body guard. 
 
 Wherever the new king went the people prostrated 
 themselves before him, rising and shouting when he had 
 passed : 
 
 "Great is the king of the Wedolbas ! Long live King 
 Merriwell !" 
 
 When he had inspected the village Frank called the 
 people around him, and made a speech. He told them he 
 f ad become their king through the will of the Spirit of 
 -he Air, and that the Spirit watched over him constantly, 
 so no harm could come to him. He assured them that he 
 would be a good and just king, that he would look out 
 for their welfare, and that he would bring good fortune 
 to them. But he warned them that they must not try to 
 deceive him, that they must be just and open in their deal 
 ings with him, and that they must obey him in every 
 thing. 
 
 Bondalwe translated Frank s words, and the people 
 shouted :
 
 208 The King s Wives. 
 
 "It is good ! We love our white boy king ! We will be 
 just and fair with King Merriwell. We will obey him 
 in everything." 
 
 Frank then informed them that he was somewhat 
 prejudiced against eating human beings, and that he 
 could not eat any of the former king s widows. Neither 
 did he want them for wives. The Spirit of the Air had 
 forbidden him to marry. 
 
 Then a number of the natives cried out, and Bondalwe 
 explained to Frank that the women must all be killed if 
 he did not take them as his wives. Some of the savages 
 volunteered to eat them. 
 
 However, Frank sternly forbade any sacrifice of the 
 sort. He then demanded the weapons which had been 
 taken from himself and Ephraim when they were cap 
 tured. 
 
 The revolvers were brought, and the boys felt much 
 better when they had regained possession of them. 
 
 In conclusion, Frank succeeded in getting the throng 
 into a pleasant mood by several deftly worded phrases, 
 and, as he finished, they again shouted : 
 
 "Long live King Merriwell !" 
 
 When Frank retired to the "royal palace" he felt well 
 satisfied with the way matters stood. 
 
 "There, Ephraim," he said, "I rather think we are all 
 right. Those savages will not dare harm us now, and 
 I have fixed it so the late king s widows will not bother 
 me and will not be killed." 
 
 "Oh, yes, we re all right!" came sarcastically from 
 Ephraim s lips. "Here we be thousan s uv miles from 
 hum, wrecked on an island inhabited by cannibuls, and 
 not likely to ever git off. Uv course we re all right !" 
 
 "You should feel well satisfied to think we escaped 
 being eaten by the cannibals, and let it go at that." 
 
 "What yeou want to do ? Do yeou want to live here the
 
 The King s Wives. 209 
 
 rest uv your natteral life? Do yeou intend to marry a 
 dozen ur so uv these nigger gals, an settle daown here? 
 Be yeou stuck on the place because the niggers have made 
 you king?" 
 
 "Be careful," warned Frank. "Remember you are ad 
 dressing the absolute monarch of Phantom Island, and I 
 may take a fancy to be offended by what you say. Of 
 course I do not want to stay here if I can help it, but it 
 does not look as if we can help it now. We will do what 
 we can." 
 
 "Wai, what can we do?" 
 
 "We will plan that out later. It will not be difficult 
 to make arrangements to burn signal fires on various 
 parts of the island, and keep flags of distress flying, so 
 any vessel which sights the island will run in here." 
 
 "Wai, why don t ye see that it s done right away? 
 Gol derned ef I want to stay here long, an some ship 
 might be passin the island this very day." 
 
 "Don t be in such a rush, Ephraim. The natives might 
 grow suspicious if we were in too great a hurry. I will 
 make them believe it is a way I have of worshiping the 
 Spirit of the Air, and they will let me erect as many 
 signal flags as I wish." 
 
 Ephraim growled and grumbled, being very anxious 
 to get off the island without delay. Over and over he 
 said he d "stay to hum on the farm," if he ever got back 
 there again. 
 
 During the da} Frank heard considerable concerning 
 Malwe, the princess, and he wondered why she did not 
 come from the other village. Toward night he missed 
 Bondalwe, and, on making inquiries, was informed that 
 the giant war chief had gone to the other village. 
 
 Then, for the first time, Frank learned that Bondalwe 
 was in love with Malwe, but she had refused to become
 
 2io The King s Wives. 
 
 his wife. The giant, however, was determined to have 
 the princess. 
 
 This interested Frank at once. Here was something 
 romantic on this lonely cannibal island. 
 
 "I must see Malwe," decided the boy king. "I must 
 see what she looks like. The savages say she is very 
 beautiful ; but I do not bank much on their taste in such 
 matters. 
 
 With the coming of another morning Frank learned 
 that Bondalwe had not returned from the other village, 
 and so he set out for that village immediately after break 
 fast, accompanied by Ephraim, Ross, and the native body 
 guard. 
 
 The route led through a dense forest, and the road was 
 very narrow. It took nearly three hours of marching to 
 reach the village, which was smaller and less pretentious 
 than the one at the foot of the mountain. 
 
 The people of the second village seemed to stand in 
 great awe of the white boy king. They fell on their faces 
 before Frank. 
 
 Frank made them a short speech, and then he asked 
 for Malwe. He was informed that she had left early 
 that morning in company with Bondalwe and five pro 
 tectors for the other village. 
 
 This seemed rather strange, as the party had not been 
 met with on the road, and the natives said there was but 
 one main road between the two places. 
 
 Frank puzzled over the matter a while, and then he said 
 to Ephraim : 
 
 "I don t like it. I know Bondalwe aspired to become 
 king in place of old Musweno, and he was much disap 
 pointed when he failed to ascend the throne. I believe 
 he is up to some trickery, but what it is I cannot under 
 stand." 
 
 When the party had rested a while, and the boys and
 
 The King s Wives. 211 
 
 Ross had eaten some food which they brought, and which 
 had been cooked by Ephraim, preparations were made 
 for starting back. 
 
 During the journey through the forest a sharp watcb 
 was kept for Bondalwe and his companions, but nothing 
 was seen of the giant native. 
 
 When the other village was reached, Bondalwe was 
 found there. 
 
 But Mai we was not in the village. 
 
 When questioned, Bondalwe told a rather mixed story 
 about Malwe going to some place in the forest v/here she 
 lived alone a place known to no one but hersdf. 
 
 Frank saw in an instant that the fellow was lying. 
 
 "Bondalwe," he said, sternly, "you must find Malwe 
 and bring her here to this village without delay." 
 
 "Can t do it," declared the war chief, shaking his 
 head. "I have hunt for um place where she be, but no 
 find it. Don t know where um be." 
 
 "Well, you will find it now, and you will find it right 
 away," came grimly from Frank s lips. "If you do not 
 find it, and if you do not bring the princess before me, 
 I shall have to look around for a new war chief. You will 
 lose your head." 
 
 The giant understood what Frank meant. His face 
 worked with mingled rage and fear, but fear was the 
 victor, and he finally said : 
 
 "Um will do my best to find her. All right if I can." 
 
 "All right if you do, but all wrong if you do not," said 
 Frank.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 MALWE. . 
 
 That very night a party of natives brought in Sardago 
 and Dalfors as captives. 
 
 The Portuguese and the Dane were haggard, wild-eyed 
 and nearly starved. The fierce spirit seemed gone out of 
 them for the time. They begged for something to eat. 
 
 The natives were hilarious. Some were for making a 
 feast off the two sailors without delay. Others cautioned 
 them to bring the men before the new king. 
 
 Frank heard that the fellows had been captured, and 
 he directed that they be brought before him. He received 
 them upon the ghastly throne of King Musweno. 
 
 Sardago and Dalfors were told they were being taken 
 before the king, but when they saw Frank Merriwell 
 seated on the throne and surrounded by his attendants and 
 body guard, they were completely overcome with amaze 
 ment. 
 
 "Dat boy Merriwell !" gasped Sardago, his eyes pop 
 ping from his head, and his dark face working. "What 
 dat boy do here-a ?" 
 
 Frank made a commanding gesture, and the rascally 
 sailors were brought close before him. Looking Sardago 
 straight in the eyes, he said: 
 
 "You tried to kill me when we were both clinging to 
 a floating spar of the Sea Fox. Now the tables are turned 
 completely. Since that time I have become king of this 
 island. I am absolute monarch here, and what I say goes. 
 The people here are cannibals they delight to feast on 
 human flesh. All I have to do is to make a sign, and
 
 Malwe. 213 
 
 you and Dalfors will be immediately killed, cut up, cooked 
 and eaten." 
 
 The Dane uttered a cry of fear and horror, falling on 
 his knees, and holding his hands out to Frank. 
 
 "Don t kill me, Merriwell!" he entreated. "I didn t 
 try to hurt you ! If I ever done anything to you, it was 
 because Sardago paid me to do so. Don t let them eat 
 me!" 
 
 With a fierce curse, the Portuguese kicked the cowardly 
 fellow over on his face. Sardago then folded his arms, 
 stood up very straight, and glared at Frank, snarling : 
 
 "Go head, Merriwell ! Killy me-a right off. You don t 
 killy me-a, some time I killy you! You find-a Vendas 
 Sardago no fraid of anything. He die thout one 
 squeal-a." 
 
 Despite the character of the ruffian, Frank could not 
 help admiring his nerve, for surely Sardago displayed 
 nerve., 
 
 All efforts to frighten the Portuguese were vain; but 
 the Dane showed himself a very pitiable coward. 
 
 At length Frank directed that the rascals be taken to 
 the hut where captives were confined. When the fellows 
 had been removed, the boy king made a speech to his 
 subjects. He told them that Sardago and Dalfors had 
 been passengers on the same ship that brought him to 
 the island, and that they must not be killed. At this 
 there was some murmuring and a small show of dissatis 
 faction. Frank pretended to be very angry, and soon 
 silenced the murmuring. He then went on to tell the 
 natives that the two sailors were dangerous, and must be 
 kept closely guarded. It was plain that the islanders had 
 a fancy that the fellows would be given to them to eat 
 in the course of time, and the meeting broke up with 
 the black men and women partly satisfied.
 
 214 Mai we. 
 
 Frank, however, saw there was trouble coming-, and, 
 when he obtained a good opportunity, he said to Ephraim : 
 
 "You want to keep your eyes open for snags, old man. 
 There s going to be a hot old time on this island before 
 long, and we ll be right in it." 
 
 "What do yeou mean?" 
 
 "I mean that these fellows, being cannibals, cannot 
 give up their desire to eat white man in sight. They will 
 get drunk on their palm wine, or whatever it is, and then 
 they ll proceed to made a meal off Sardago and Dalfors, 
 for all of anything I may say or do. That is, they are 
 likely to. If that does not happen, Bondalwe will bring 
 a revolution, and an attempt will be made to depose 
 King Merriwell the First. Anyway, there ll be warm 
 times. Watch out." 
 
 The next morning Bondalwe brought the Princess 
 Malwe into the village, The princess was escorted by a 
 dozen natives, and she at once hurried to a house that 
 belonged to her alone, where she lived with several native 
 attendants. 
 
 Frank Merriwell caught but a glimpse of the princess, 
 but that was enough to fill him with unutterable surprise. 
 He saw the princess was fully and tastily dressed in 
 grass-cloth garments, not even her arms being bare. Her 
 face and hands were dark, like the other savages, but her 
 features seemed to be regular, and her hair was straight. 
 At a distance she seemed really comely despite her color. 
 
 Frank went into the king s house and aroused Ephraim, 
 who was sleeping. 
 
 "I have seen the Princess Malwe," said the boy king. 
 
 "Wai, I be gol derned ef yeou ain t all flustered up 
 yeou seem excited over it! Was she homblier than you 
 expected ?" 
 
 "She is really pretty." 
 
 "Hey?" squawked Ephraim. "Yeou don t mean to
 
 Mai we. 215 
 
 say yeou kin see anything pretty abaout a nigger gal 
 on this dinged old island ? Git out, Frank ! Be yeou goin 
 foolish !" 
 
 "I actually mean to say that she is well formed and 
 pretty if you do not take her color into consideration." 
 
 "That settles it!" groaned Ephraim. "Yeou won t 
 burn no fires ur put up signals to attract passing ves 
 sels." 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 "Yeou ll take the Princess Mai we fer a wife, an settle 
 right daown here on this island for the rest uv your 
 natteral days. Yeou ll fergit Inza Burrage and Elsie 
 Bellwood, an yeou ll cotton to this coal-black princess, an 
 let it go at that ! I wish I was to hum on the farm !" 
 
 Frank laughed. 
 
 "Don t feel so bad, Ephraim," he chuckled ; "I ll let you 
 have all of King Musweno s widows, so you ll not be 
 left." 
 
 Bondalwe hung about the house of the princess, seem 
 ing to watch over her in a jealous manner. 
 
 Frank sat in front of the king s house, watching to 
 obtain another glimpse of the princess. The more he 
 thought about her, the greater became his wonder. It 
 did not seem possible that this girl, who was so unlike 
 the other females of the Wedolbas, could be the daughter 
 of the dead king, who was a horrible-looking old rascal. 
 
 Musweno had been buried in the night, according to the 
 custom of the natives in disposing of their kings, his 
 burial spot being a secret from all but those who buried 
 him. Frank could not but wonder if this custom was 
 caused by a fear of the natives that the king s body 
 might be exhumed and eaten. 
 
 That afternoon, Bondalwe having disappeared for the 
 time, Frank saw the princess peering out cautiously, ia-
 
 216 Mai we. 
 
 specting him with curious eyes. Immediately he called, 
 in a guarded tone: 
 
 "Malwe, Malwe, come out. I will not harm you, do 
 not be afraid. I wish to speak with you. Come out." 
 
 To his unutterable surprise the princess uttered a cry 
 of joy, rushed out and fell fainting at his feet. 
 
 Frank looked down at her in amazement. She was 
 indeed pretty, and he felt his heart give a leap. He 
 stooped and lifted her in his arms. 
 
 As Frank did this, there was a roar of rage, and Bon- 
 dalwe came dashing up, tore the princess from Frank, and 
 gave the boy a heavy blow that sent him reeling. 
 
 The young monarch was dazed for a moment by the 
 shock of the blow and the suddenness of the assault. He 
 saw the giant fling the princess into the arms of another 
 savage, and then Bondalwe caught a spear and dashed at 
 Frank Merriwell. 
 
 It was plainly the intention of the war chief to run 
 Frank through the body. His face was working with 
 passion, showing his fiendish, pointed teeth, and cries of 
 fury escaped his lips. 
 
 The savages came running from all directions, and 
 they stood staring wide-eyed at the spectacle of the war 
 chief and the white boy king engaged in deadly conflict. 
 
 Frank knew he was in great peril, and he succeeded 
 in squirming aside in time to avoid the thrust of the 
 spear. 
 
 This brought the giant black man and the boy close 
 together. 
 
 Crack ! Frank s hard fist landed on Bondalwe s jaw. 
 
 The war chief knew nothing about the science of fight 
 ing with fists. That blow was a stunner, and it nearly 
 knocked the big fellow over. It made him see more than 
 a thousand stars and bright lights, and, by the time he 
 steadied himself on his feet, the boy was at him again.
 
 Malwe. 217 
 
 This time Frank uppercut, taking Bondalwe under the 
 chin, and driving the fellow s pointed teeth together. 
 Then the boy gave the giant one in the pit of the stomach, 
 and Bondalwe was rounded up in a moment. 
 
 That gave Frank the very opportunity he was looking 
 for. He struck a swinging blow that caught the giant 
 on the jaw below the ear, and the great war chief 
 dropped like a log, fairly knocked out ! 
 
 Cries of wonder came from the savages who had seen 
 this brief battle. They could not believe it possible the 
 boy had conquered Bondalwe, the mighty, with his bare 
 hands. 
 
 Frank bent over the fallen native to see if the job were 
 finished. As he did so a savage-faced islander aimed a 
 spear at his back and tried to run him through. 
 
 Bang! 
 
 Ephraim Gallup fired from the doorway of the king s 
 house, and the native with the spear dropped dead. 
 
 Tom ! torn ! torn ! 
 
 The war drums were beating ! The natives were run 
 ning to and fro, spears and weapons in hand. 
 
 "By gum, Frank!" cried the boy from Vermont. "I 
 guess there s a big raow on." 
 
 "That s right," returned Frank. "Bondalwe has 
 planned this, and the natives are aroused against us. 
 We ll have to run for our lives. Where s Ross ?" 
 
 "I m here," cried the man, as he came running from 
 the house. "What can we do?" 
 
 "Follow me!" 
 
 Frank rushed into the midst of a knot of savages. 
 They parted and scattered like sheep before him, one of 
 them dropping the unconscious Princess Malwe to the 
 ground. 
 
 Frank caught up the girl, flung her over his shoulder,
 
 218 Mai we. 
 
 shouted again for his companions to follow him, and 
 rushed for the road that led through the forest to the sea 
 shore. 
 
 Ephraim and Austin Ross kept close at Frank s heels. 
 
 The natives would have shot arrows and cast spears 
 after them, but they feared to wound the princess, so they 
 pursued, making the forest resound with their fierce 
 shouts. 
 
 The fugitives quickly disappeared into the forest. 
 
 "What do you mean to do?" asked Ross, calling to 
 Frank, who was in advance. "Every savage on this is 
 land will be aroused against us. We are in a bad scrape." 
 
 "Not so bad as we were when we first met," was the 
 answer. "The black fellows are somewhat afraid of me, 
 for all of anything Bondalwe may have told them. We 
 will try to reach a place of shelter on the coast, where we 
 can hold them off for a time. It is possible we may be 
 able to attract some passing ship. If not, we ll try to 
 make peace with the savages." 
 
 Frank was fleet of foot, and he ran swiftly for some 
 time, for all of the burden he bore. Then he passed the 
 girl to Ephraim, and fell to the rear, examining his re 
 volvers. 
 
 The savages were coming, as their shouts plainly told. 
 Amid the other cries, Frank could hear shouts which did 
 not seem like those that came from the lips of the sav 
 ages. He stopped short in the narrow road, listening and 
 waiting. 
 
 In a moment the foremost of the pursuers came up 
 with a rush, and, as they burst suddenly into view, Frank 
 beheld the two persons who had uttered the strange cries. 
 
 They were Sardago and Dalfors ! 
 
 The natives had released the two sailors, believing they 
 would know best how to attack and overcome Merriwell,
 
 Mai we. 219 
 
 whom they feared, and the ruffians joined heartily in the 
 pursuit. 
 
 When he saw Frank, Sardago gave a shout of triumph. 
 
 "Now you be no king!" he yelled, fiercely. "Pretty 
 soon we cutty your t roat. Niggers eaty you uppa!" 
 
 He brandished a knife as he leaped toward Frank. 
 
 The boy calmly lifted one of his revolvers, which he 
 had held concealed, and shot the Portuguese through the 
 right leg. 
 
 Screaming and yelling bitterly, Sardago fell to the 
 ground. 
 
 Dalfors uttered a cry of fear, and leaped out of sight 
 into the thick brush beside the road. 
 
 The natives stopped abruptly, showing how much they 
 held Frank Merriwell in awe, many of them getting out 
 of sight. 
 
 Frank did not feel like wasting a single shot, so he 
 turned and hurried after his companions, whom he soon 
 overtook. 
 
 During the remainder of the retreat to the shore the 
 pursuers did not press the fugitives very closely. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim took turns in carrying Malwe, al 
 though the boy from Vermont was for leaving the girl. 
 
 "What s the good of botherin with her?" he grumbled. 
 "She s in the way." 
 
 "We ll cling to her," said Frank. "It may be necessary 
 to make a treaty with these savages, and we can do so 
 much better if we hold her in our power. We may be 
 able to bring them to terms in that way." 
 
 "By gum ! that s so ! Yeou ve got a long head, Frank." 
 
 But it was not necessary to make a treaty with the sav 
 ages, for, when they burst out of the forest and came upon 
 the beach, to their infinite amazement and joy, a vessel lay 
 at anchor beyond the reef, and a boatload of sailors were 
 , just landing on the island.
 
 22O Malwe. 
 
 The three fugitives hastened toward the sailors, utter 
 ing cries of joy. 
 
 To the surprise of all three, the sailors did not seem at 
 all surprised to find them there. 
 
 But Frank Merri well s amazement and delight may 
 be imagined when he saw with the sailors Captain Justin 
 Bellwood, whom he knew very well indeed. 
 
 The captain greeted Frank, whom he was astonished to 
 see, saying: 
 
 "Where shall we meet next? Last time it was in the 
 heart of the Florida Everglades." 
 
 "How did you happen here?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Picked up a bottle at sea. Paper in bottle, and a few 
 words scrawled on paper, plainly written with great haste. 
 Said it was expected the schooner Sea Fox, John Scudd, 
 master, would be driven upon the shore of an island here 
 abouts. This brief message was written by Cap n Scudd, 
 at the last moment before the Sea Fox struck, sealed and 
 corked up in the bottle, and tossed into the sea. By a rare 
 chance, I picked it up, and I set about finding this island. 
 I found it without trouble, but nearly lost it again in a 
 cloud of mist. However, the mist lifted after a time, and 
 here we are. How many escaped from the Fox?" 
 
 "Five, two of whom are pursuing us with the canni 
 bals, who live on this island. Take us off immediately, 
 before they come up. We will explain everything later." 
 
 So they entered the boat, which was manned and shoved 
 off by the sailors. Frank insisted on taking Malwe along, 
 to the wonder and dismay of all; but they did not oppose 
 him. 
 
 When they were nearly out to the reef the natives, with 
 Dalfors among them, came out of the woods, ran down to 
 the shore, and yelled at them. Dalfors begged them to 
 come back and take him off, but they paid no attention to 
 his entreaties.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 ELSIE BELLWOOD. 
 
 Elsie Bell-wood, the captain s daughter, was aboard the 
 Saucy Susan, as the captain s new vessel was called, and 
 she greeted Frank warmly. Indeed, in her impulsive 
 way, she actually flung her arms about his neck, and gave 
 him a kiss, much to the amusement of Ephraim Gallup, 
 who slyly whispered to his friend : 
 
 "What be yeou goin to do with the Princess Mai we 
 naow? Yeou will have to give up the black gal, ur the 
 white one will be jellus." 
 
 Elsie looked at Malwe, who had regained conscious 
 ness, in some amazement, but Frank said a few low words 
 that caused the captain s daughter to take the princess 
 into her cabin without delay. 
 
 From various points where they had been hidden along 
 the shore, the natives brought out canoes, and they were 
 soon paddling off toward the Saucy Susan, as if they 
 actually meditated attacking her. 
 
 Seeing this, Captain Bellwood gave orders to get up the 
 anchor and get under way. 
 
 "We ll have to come back here and leave the black girl 
 later on," said the captain. 
 
 Frank smiled. 
 
 It was not found necessary to return to Phantom 
 Island. 
 
 When Elsie Bellwood came from the cabin, she was 
 accompanied by a pretty, dark-eyed white girl, who wore 
 one of Elsie s dresses. 
 
 Every one of the men, with the exception of Frank,
 
 222 Elsie Bellwood. 
 
 stared at the strange giri in blank astonishment. Frank 
 advanced quickly to her side, took her hands, said a few 
 low words, and then turned to Captain Bellwood. 
 
 "Captain," smiled the boy, "permit me to present to 
 you Princess Malwe, of Phantom Island." 
 
 "But but she is no black girll" stammered the old 
 master. 
 
 "Not now," said Frank. "She was black a short time 
 ago, so far as her face and hands were concerned, for they 
 were stained that color. Bondalwe, a great chief among 
 the natives, wished to make her his wife ; but she did not 
 desire Bondalwe for a husband. She was the adopted 
 daughter of old Musweno, lately king of the island. The 
 old fellow, though a cannibal, seems to have had some re 
 deeming qualities, for he protected her from Bondalwe. 
 I am inclined to fancy that old Musweno contemplated 
 taking Malwe for his own wife as soon as he could find 
 time or an excuse to kill and eat one or two of the wives 
 he had. Be that as it may, he enabled her to escape 
 Bondalwe as long as he lived." 
 
 "But how did she come on the island?" asked Captain 
 Bellwood. 
 
 "She was cast on the island through a shipwreck, and, 
 of seven who reached that cannibal island, she was the 
 only one spared. The others were killed and eaten by the 
 natives. Old Musweno saved this girl." 
 
 "But why was her face black a little while ago?" 
 
 "That was some of Bondalwe s work. When we were 
 captured, he had her removed to another village than the 
 one to which we were taken, told her I was a most blood 
 thirsty cannibal, and caused her to hide in the forest. 
 Then I made him bring her in, and he had her blacken 
 her face and hands, so I would think her one of the 
 natives. He must have ordered all the natives to keep 
 still about Malwe being white, for not one of them men-
 
 Elsie Bellwood. 223 
 
 tioned it. When she saw me and became aware that I 
 was not such a terrible being as Bondalwe declared, she 
 rushed out and fainted at my feet. As she fell, her 
 sleeve was thrust up, and I saw that her flesh was 
 white." 
 
 "Wai, gol dern my skin!" gurgled Ephraim. "Then 
 yeou ve known all ther time that she wasn t a black gal ?" 
 
 "All the time since that." 
 
 Then Frank turned to Austin Ross, saying : 
 
 "Mr. Ross, permit me to introduce to you Miss Ethel 
 Driscoll, the lost heiress for whom you are searching." 
 
 It was true that "Princess Malwe" was the lost heiress. 
 She owed her rescue from the cannibal island to the nerve 
 and bravery of Frank, and she expressed her gratitude as 
 far as possible in words. 
 
 She and Elsie Bellwood became fast friends. 
 
 Captain Bellwood was bound on a trading expedition to 
 the west coast of Africa, so it was necessary for Ross and 
 Miss Driscoll to go along till a vessel bound for America 
 should be seen. 
 
 Sardago and Dalfors were left to their fate on Phan 
 tom Island, and Frank wondered if they became powerful 
 chiefs among the cannibals or were slain and eaten. 
 
 "I hope they was eaten,* ; said Ephraim, as they sailed 
 away. 
 
 A week later found the Saucy Susan lying at anchor 
 in the Fernand Vas River, on the west coast of Africa. 
 
 The Saucy Susan was a trader, loaded with cloth, 
 beads, powder, bullets, old muskets, brass and iron ket 
 tles, and such other articles as the natives of the country 
 were most likely to prize. 
 
 In exchange, Captain Bellwood hoped to secure a cargo 
 of ivory, mahogany and a few skins of wild beasts. 
 
 Ross and Miss Driscoll had been placed on board a 
 vessel bound for New York. Ethel Driscoll had admired
 
 224 E^sie Bellwood. 
 
 Frank Merriwell greatly, and she had told him over and 
 over that, if it were true that she had been left a for 
 tune by her uncle, she should give him some token of re 
 membrance in reward for his bravery in saving her from 
 Bondalwe. 
 
 Frank, with his usual gallantry, had assured Ethel that 
 he had been a thousand times rewarded by his satisfac 
 tion in being of service to her. 
 
 But that did not satisfy the girl, who was pretty and re 
 fined, for all that she had been some time among the 
 natives of the island, the old king having adopted her as 
 his daughter. 
 
 She was greatly fascinated by Frank, and she was 
 plainly determined to see him again when he should return 
 to the United States. That was why she insisted on giv 
 ing him something as a remembrance token. 
 
 Elsie Bellwood was relieved when Ethel was placed on 
 board the vessel bound for New York. 
 
 Although the two girls had become warm friends in a 
 very short time, as girls usually do, Elsie had secretly 
 been very jealous of Ethel. 
 
 In the past, as my old readers know, Elsie had been in 
 love with Frank, but had tried to forget him, knowing 
 he was loved by another girl, Inza Burrage, who 
 had befriended Elsie when Captain Bellwood lost a ves 
 sel on Tiger Tooth Ledge, off Fardale village. 
 
 Feeling that it would be a mean thing to attempt to 
 "cut out" Inza, Elsie had struggled to tear Frank Merri- 
 well s image from her heart had even repulsed him when 
 he betrayed more than friendly interest in her. 
 
 But now Elsie began to believe it was useless for her 
 to fight against her own heart. She had said, over and 
 over, that she hoped she might never again meet Frank, 
 but fate flung them together in the most remarkable
 
 Elsie Bellwood. 225 
 
 manner, so that the girl began to feel that it was use 
 less to struggle against destiny. 
 
 It was with her lips alone that she had said she hoped 
 she might never again meet Frank. All the while, in her 
 heart, she was longing to meet him. 
 
 As for Frank, he was not certain of himself no further 
 than that, in a certain way, he felt bound to Inza, hav 
 ing known her first. It was true that it had been a case of 
 boy and girl love between them, and they had not spoken 
 seriously of their affection, but there had seemed to be a 
 tacit understanding that made them more than lovers for 
 the moment. 
 
 In his dreams Frank sometimes saw dark-eyed Inza 
 hovering near him, and sometimes it was Elsie, with her 
 golden hair and "eyes of tender blue." 
 
 Inza seemed to wield a strange and potent power over 
 him when she was near, while Elsie appealed to the ten 
 derer side of his nature. Inza he admired for her 
 beauty, her ready wit, and her self-reliance ; but Elsie was 
 a girl to shield and protect, to shelter from every ill wind 
 and harm. 
 
 Frank saw there was something the matter with Elsie, 
 even after Ethel Driscoll had left the schooner. She 
 seemed to avoid him, and he fancied there was a shadow 
 on her pretty face. 
 
 He was determined to know what this meant, and he 
 watched till he found a good opportunity to corner her 
 so she could not escape. Then he questioned her. 
 
 At first Elsie declared there was nothing the matter; 
 but, by skillful questioning, Frank finally obtained an 
 inkling of the truth. He laughed at her. 
 
 "Surely you are not jealous of Miss Driscoll!" he ex 
 claimed, reproachfully. 
 
 Elsie hung her head, her cheeks crimson. 
 
 "Foolish girl !" cried Frank. "Why, Ethel Driscoll is
 
 226 Elsie Bellwood. 
 
 nothing to me. She was very unfortunate, and it was 
 out of politeness that I treated her with the greatest con 
 sideration." 
 
 "She is an heiress," said Elsie. 
 
 "What of that ? I have a few dollars of my own." 
 
 "And she is very pretty." 
 
 "There are others." 
 
 "She is in love with you." 
 
 "How do you know ?" 
 
 "She told me so." 
 
 Frank whistled. 
 
 "This is interesting." 
 
 "You act as if you did not suspect it before." 
 
 "Well, I did not. She seemed very grateful to me for 
 saving her from the cannibals; but I did not fancy she 
 had fallen in love with me. Are you sure, Elsie?" 
 
 "Of course I am." 
 
 "Well, don t let it worry you." 
 
 "You do not care for her ?" 
 
 "I think she is a charming girl, but I am not in love 
 with her, Elsie. How could I be with you near?" 
 
 He had secured her hand. She tried to draw it away, 
 but he held it fast and captured the other one. He bent 
 nearer and nearer, his eyes on her face. 
 
 "Elsie," he half whispered, "the last time we met was 
 in the Great Dismal Swamp of Florida. Then I told you 
 how often I had thought of you how often I had 
 dreamed of you." 
 
 "Have you forgotten " 
 
 She checked herself, unable to utter Inza s name. She 
 was trembling a little, and the warm color was coming 
 and going in her cheeks. Never had she looked prettier 
 than at that moment. 
 
 Frank felt his heart fluttering in his bosom, and one
 
 Elsie Bellwood. 227 
 
 arm slipped about her waist. He drew her close to him, 
 and held her there, as he hastily went on. 
 
 "I have forgotten nothing, Elsie. Fate has not been 
 kind to us in everything, but has persisted in flinging us 
 together. It has convinced me that there is something 
 that draws us one to the other. Fate was not kind to us 
 when it brought us together so late the first time. And 
 still we were but boy and girl we are still. Perhaps we 
 regard these matters too seriously " 
 
 "No, no, Frank I am sure not." 
 
 "Elsie, little sweetheart!" 
 
 Her head was bowed still lower, and her breath caused 
 her lips to flutter. She did not speak. 
 
 "Elsie, I tell you the truth when I say that I think of 
 you oftener than of any other. You come to me oftener 
 in my dreams. I see you near me, with your sky-blue 
 eyes, your sunshiny hair, your lips like cupid s bow, and 
 your smile like a summer s morning. I have dreamed 
 that you came to me and whispered over and over, I love 
 you, Frank; I shall always love you, and I shall love no 
 other. " 
 
 She was silent, enchanted ; but her heart was throbbing 
 wild with pleasure that was painful. She had pictured 
 this moment to herself, and now it had come. 
 
 Frank, quite unconsciously, was becoming poetical. He 
 did not pause to form his phrases, but they came from his 
 lips despite himself. Had he thought what he was say 
 ing, he would have hesitated and regarded the language 
 as stilted and unnatural ; but, as he did not pause to con 
 sider, his words were the natural expression of the feel 
 ings within his heart. 
 
 "Sweetheart," he continued, "we are together now, so 
 let s forget the past let s be happy for the present. The 
 future will give us what is our due." 
 
 "Oh, Frank ! how can I be quite happy when I think of
 
 228 Elsie Bellwood. 
 
 her when I think that I may be doing such a mean 
 thing?" 
 
 "Elsie, we will write to her we will tell her everything. 
 We are still very young. We may think now that we 
 shall never, never care for anybody else ; but I have read 
 a hundred times that youth is changeable." 
 
 "I care not what you have read, Frank; I know my 
 heart will never change." 
 
 He drew her still closer and kissed her, murmuring : 
 
 "Dear little Elsie!" 
 
 A gruff cough sounded behind them, causing them to 
 part and turn in no little consternation. 
 
 Captain Bellwood was standing near at hand, with his 
 back toward them, surveying the cloudless sky in a nauti 
 cal fashion. 
 
 "For all that it s so calm now, there may be a storm 
 kicking up," he said. "The air seems very close around 
 here." 

 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE MISSING LINK. 
 
 The second day after the Saucy Susan dropped anchor 
 in the Fernand Vas, a white man came on board, brought 
 off in one of the native boats. 
 
 He was a thin, long-necked, red-nosed man, wearing 
 spectacles, and having an unmistakably scholarly air, de 
 spite the fact that he was dressed in coarse, stout clothing 
 and heavy boots. 
 
 He introduced himself as Professor Johnson Bonner, a 
 famous naturalist. Frank had heard of Professor Bon 
 ner, and so was interested in the man at once. 
 
 The prtffessor explained that he had been left there 
 eight days before by an English vessel, and had just com 
 pleted preparations for an extensive trip into the interior. 
 
 "To confess the truth," smiled the lanky professor, 
 "my mission is a most remarkable one." 
 
 "Then you are not going inland to trade ?" asked Cap 
 tain Bellwood. 
 
 "No, sir. I have quite a different object in view." 
 
 "If you were going to trade, the natives here might 
 cause you trouble and delay." 
 
 "I have found that out. They are very jealous of 
 their privilege to trade with the white men who come to 
 the coast, and they do not wish the white men to reach the 
 interior tribes, from whom the finest ivory, and, in fact, 
 nearly all things of value to the trader, come." 
 
 Captain Bellwood knew this well enough, having made 
 several trading voyages along the African coast. 
 
 "Their jealousy made it quite difficult for me to get
 
 230 The Missing Link. 
 
 away with my loads of goods," Professor Bonner went 
 on. "Now I have it all arranged. They understand why 
 I am carrying so many bundles." 
 
 "And why are you, if you are not going to the interior 
 to trade?" 
 
 "My dear captain, I shall be forced to purchase my pas 
 sage inland, and so I must have a plentiful supply of 
 goods or presents." 
 
 The old salt nodded. 
 
 "Very good, professor," he said. "I asked the ques 
 tion to see if you knew what you were doing. It is evi 
 dent you do." 
 
 The tall man drew himself up stiffly. 
 
 "You are not the first person to hint that I am on a 
 crazy search," he said; "but I will show them I will 
 show the world a wonder that shall make me famous for 
 all time." 
 
 Frank was listening attentively, and he was curious to 
 know why Professor Bonner contemplated visiting the 
 interior. It was evident the man was not going on an 
 exploring expedition, and he had stated that he was not 
 going for the purpose of trading. He did not appear like 
 a hunter who was about to make the dangerous venture 
 in search of big game, and his language had revealed 
 that he was going in search of something. 
 
 Captain Bellwood was not a little curious himself. 
 
 "Professor," he said, "you make me inquisitive I trust 
 not impertinent. Would you mind telling us why you 
 are going inland amid savage tribes of black men and ten 
 thousand dangers of which you know nothing at all?" 
 
 "Ah ahem !" coughed the professor. "Of course I do 
 not mind. In fact, I came here to tell you, to see if you 
 have not a brave man a faithful and brave fellow you 
 can spare me as a companion. I need such a companion." 
 
 The captain shook his head.
 
 The Missing Link. 231 
 
 "I fear I cannot spare a man of my crew," he said. 
 
 "Wait," urged Bonner. "I may be able to make such a 
 man famous. His name may be printed in newspapers all 
 over the world as the companion of Professor Bonner, 
 who made the most wonderful discovery ever known." 
 
 "My curiosity increases," admitted the captain. "Go 
 on. What is the object of your expedition?" 
 
 The professor took a roll of parchment from a little 
 case, and spread it out before the captain. 
 
 "See this," he directed. "This is a chart of the course 
 I mean to follow, and the unknown land I hope to reach. 
 See this dotted line. It runs up the Rembo, crosses the 
 Oviguli, Louvendji, Agouyai, and other rivers; it passes 
 through the land of the Commi, Bakalai, Apono, Ashango 
 and other tribes; it continues through the lands of the 
 Dwarfs ; and here it comes to a region that has never been 
 explored by white men." 
 
 "All that is interesting; but why should you desire to 
 make such a journey, if not for exploration? Only a fool 
 .would think of going so far inland to trade, and I do not 
 take you for a fool, professor." 
 
 "Some do," said the tall man, dryly. "As I have said, 
 that region right there" indicating a point on his chart 
 with his finger "has never been explored by white men. 
 A white man once reached its border, and that not so very 
 long ago. He had a photographic outfit with him, and 
 he brought back some remarkable pictures. I have one 
 here. Look at it, captain." 
 
 He removed the photograph from a leather pocket, and 
 placed it on the chart before Captain Bellwood. 
 
 "Why, it s a gorilla!" exclaimed the master of the 
 Saucy Susan. "And yet and yet -" 
 
 "And yet it is not a gorilla exactly so. You see, it 
 much more resembles a hairy man, with a very short 
 stump of a tail. Its arms are not so long as those of a
 
 232 The Missing Link. 
 
 gorilla, who walks on all fours, standing in a half upright 
 position. Its head is far better formed than that of a 
 gorilla. The nose is not so flat, the teeth less prominent, 
 the ear better formed, and the forehead higher. It is a 
 creature of much greater intelligence than the gorilla, and 
 still it is not a man, as the stump of a tail indicates." 
 
 "Well, well!" exclaimed Captain Bellwood. "I am 
 growing strangely interested. If this creature is not a 
 gorilla and is not a man, what is it ?" 
 
 "Tfie Missing Link!" 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "This is the missing bond that unites man with the 
 beasts!" cried Professor Bonner, excitedly and confi 
 dently. "There is no doubt of it, sir." 
 
 "Oh, say! I can t take stock in that theory, for I do 
 not believe in evolution." 
 
 "You may not believe in evolution now, but you will 
 in a very few years, if you live so long. My dear cap 
 tain, I am on one of the most momentous expeditions ever 
 attempted by a human being." 
 
 "You are going to penetrate this unknown land in 
 search of this creature, which you call the Missing Link ?" 
 
 "Exactly. And I shall not return till I have captured 
 or killed one of these creatures. I do not wish to kill 
 one, as it would seem like murder; but, if I cannot cap 
 ture one, the advancement of scientific discovery and the 
 broadening of human knowledge will nerve my hand to 
 slay one. Even though I felt myself a murderer, even 
 though I might be regarded as a murderer, I should con 
 sider it my duty to mankind to establish, beyond the 
 shadow of doubt, that there is such a creature as the 
 Missing Link." 
 
 Frank was feverishly interested. He longed to ask 
 some questions, but held himself silent in the presence of 
 the captain and the professor.
 
 The Missing Link. 233 
 
 Captain Bellwood was incredulous, as was plainly evi 
 dent. 
 
 "How long ago was this picture taken, professor?" he 
 asked. 
 
 "Not more than two years ago. I do not know the 
 exact date when it was taken, but it was about two years 
 ago." 
 
 "By whom was it taken ?" 
 
 "By Professor William Riding, of the University of 
 Healdsburgh, a gentleman, a scholar, a man of honor, 
 and a man of veracity." 
 
 "How did he happen to be where he could obtain such 
 a picture?" 
 
 "He heard stories of this being sailors stories. He 
 even found a sailor who professed to have penetrated to 
 the country where the creatures are, and to have seen one 
 of them. That aroused his curiosity. He found a wealthy 
 man who was willing to back him, and he organized an 
 expedition to penetrate to this land and bring back abso 
 lute proof of the existence of the Missing Link. He 
 carried out his project to a certain extent, for he reached 
 the country where the man monkeys are, and obtained 
 this photograph. Then a terrible misfortune befell him. 
 He was wounded by a poisoned arrow, and he never re 
 covered, although he lived many months thereafter. His 
 health failing, he was forced to give over his project and 
 return to his home. From his own lips I learned enough 
 to satisfy me that the Missing Link is no myth. When 
 he died, I promised to complete the work he left unfir 
 ished, and here I am. That is a full and complete ex 
 planation of how I happened to start out on this expedi 
 tion." 
 
 Frank saw the man was sincere and in earnest. Pro 
 fessor Bonner had not a single doubt concerning the ex 
 istence of the Missing Link.
 
 234 The Missing Link. 
 
 "But this creature of which you have a picture may be 
 no more than a wild man an outcast from the natives 
 near where he was discovered," said Captain Bellwood. 
 
 "Look at that !" 
 
 "Bonner pointed triumphantly to the stubby tail ex 
 hibited in the photograph. 
 
 "That proves the creature is not an ordinary wild man 
 who has been cast out from some of the savage tribes," 
 declared the professor. "Now, Captain Bellwood, I have 
 made every arrangement for this expedition ; but desire 
 companionship and aid of at least one white man, and I 
 have come to see if you haven t a sailor who will accom 
 pany me a man you can spare." 
 
 "I am sorry," said the master of the Saucy Susan; "but 
 I do not feel that I can spare a single man, professor. 
 The crew " 
 
 "If there is none of the crew who can go, there is a 
 passenger who will accompany you, Professor Bonner, * 
 said Frank Merriwell, quietly. 
 
 The professor looked sharply at the boy, peering over 
 his spectacles. 
 
 "Eh ?" he grunted. "A passenger, did you say ?" 
 
 "I did, sir." 
 
 "What passenger ?" 
 
 "I will go myself, if you will take me."
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 PREPARING FOR THE START. 
 
 Professor Bonner pursed up his lips, looked very much 
 surprised, and shook his head in a decidedly decisive man 
 ner. 
 
 "You?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Why, you are a mere stripling." 
 
 Frank flushed a bit, but remained cool. 
 , "I know I am young in years, but I have traveled some, 
 and I have had many experiences, passing through not a 
 few dangers. I do not wish to boast, but I will say that 
 you might take many men who would not prove as val 
 uable as myself." 
 
 "Besides that," smiled Captain Bellwood, "if you take 
 Mr. Merriwell, you will be constantly in royal society. 
 Mr. Merriwell was lately the king of the Wedolbas." 
 
 "The Wedolbas ?" repeated Professor Bonner, question- 
 ingly. "Who are the Wedolbas ?" 
 
 The master of the Saucy Susan explained how the boy 
 had been wrecked on an island inhabited by cannibals 
 and had saved himself and his companions from being 
 slain and devoured, making the cannibals believe he had 
 supernatural power, and thus becoming king in place of 
 the former monarch, who was killed by a stroke of light 
 ning. 
 
 Professor Bonner gazed at the boy with increasing in 
 terest, which led him to ask still further questions. In a 
 short time he had learned enough about Frank to con 
 vince him that the youth was no ordinary "stripling."
 
 236 Preparing for the Start. 
 
 "But how is it you are traveling around the world in 
 such a manner?" questioned the professor. "I should not 
 think your parents wtmld permit it." 
 
 "My mother is dead," explained Frank, "and my father 
 has not bothered himself about me for a number of years. 
 My uncle, who was very eccentric, left me his fortune, 
 and provided, in his will, that I should travel in company 
 with my guardian, in order to obtain a wider knowledge 
 of the world." 
 
 "Hum!" grunted the professor. "But where is your 
 guardian ?" 
 
 "On his way to Europe by this time, I expect, if my 
 last letter, which was mailed at Buenos Ayres, reached 
 him." 
 
 "And here you are in Africa. When and where do 
 you expect to meet him ?" 
 
 "I do not know. I shall write him, at the first oppor 
 tunity, and the letter will be forwarded by my London 
 bankers." 
 
 Bonner pursed up his lips and whistled, canting his 
 head to one side, and regarding the boy in a manner that 
 made Frank think of the herons he had seen in Florida 
 when they were watching something in the water near 
 their feet. 
 
 "A remarkable boy !" mumbled the professor "a most 
 remarkable boy! He has the air and bearing of a man 
 of the world. I should much enjoy having him for a 
 companion." 
 
 Frank s heart gave a thump of satisfaction. 
 
 "Then take me along with you," he urged. "I ll guar 
 antee that I will not prove an incumbrance." 
 
 "My dear boy, you know nothing of the dangers we 
 must encounter, the perils of the forest and jungle, the 
 wild beasts, the savage men, the venomous reptiles, the
 
 Preparing for the Start. 237 
 
 danger of fevers and strange diseases. No, my boy, I 
 do not think I dare take you. 
 
 Frank s heart sank in his bosom. 
 
 "I think you are making a mistake, professor," he said, 
 with an air of disappointment. "I know my age counts 
 against me in your eyes ; but still I think you would take 
 me along if you knew my guardian would not make 
 trouble about it." 
 
 "I might," was the confession. 
 
 "Well, I can assure you that Professor Scotch " 
 
 "Professor who?" cried Bonner. "Not Horace Scotch, 
 of Fardale?" 
 . "Exactly. Professor Horace Scotch is my guardian." 
 
 "Why, we were boys together schoolmates !" cried the 
 scientist. "I have not seen Hoddy for years; but I have 
 not forgotten him. And he is your guardian. Well, 
 well, well!" 
 
 Frank fancied he saw an opportunity to gain the object 
 he so much desired, and he worked for it with a will. He 
 explained that Professor Scotch was more of a companion 
 than a guardian, that the professor seldom or never 
 objected to anything Frank wished to do; that he had 
 been traveling alone since his sudden expedition into 
 South America, and that Scotch would be delighted to 
 know that his protege was in such excellent company as 
 his old comrade and schoolmate, Johnson Bonner. 
 
 The boy played his part skillfully, and Professor Bon 
 ner finally succumbed, after appealing to Captain Bell- 
 wood, who was forced to acknowledge that he believed the 
 lad would be a most valuable and trustworthy companion. 
 
 "All right," said the scientist, "I start to-morrow morn 
 ing as early as possible, and you must be on hand. I am 
 stopping at the upper village, which you have not yet 
 visited, and it would be well for you to come up this
 
 Preparing for the Start. 
 
 afternoon and talk matters over with me. Will you 
 come ?" 
 
 Frank agreed to come, and the professor finally took 
 his leave, his last words being an expression of doubt 
 as to the wisdom of taking a boy along. 
 
 When Frank told Ephraim Gallup that he was going 
 with Professor Bonner, the boy from Vermont quietly 
 observed : 
 
 "Gol derned ef I ain t goin , too. Yeou can t lose me, 
 Frank." 
 
 Frank spoke of the dangers and hardships; but Eph 
 raim was not disturbed in the least. 
 
 "What yeou s pose I keer fer them things! he cried. 
 "I may kick up some, an say I wish I was to hum; but 
 yeou d oughter know I kin fight when I hev to, an I 
 kin stand some knockin araound. I tell yeou I am goin 
 along." 
 
 "Perhaps Professor Bonner will not have you." 
 
 "He ll have to have me, by gum! I ll jest go along, 
 anyway." 
 
 So Ephraim accompanied Frank when the latter vis 
 ited the professor at the upper village that afternoon. 
 
 Professor Bonner objected vigorously to taking two 
 boys ; but Frank told some "large yarns" about Ephraim s 
 ability and bravery, and the man finally gave in. 
 
 The professor had a large stock of goods, all of which 
 were made into bundles for carrying, but were to be trans 
 ported in boats as far as possible. 
 
 He explained that he should take twenty boatmen and 
 porters from the Commi people, among whom he was 
 stopping. The Commi could be depended upon, being 
 brave and hardy, and comparatively honest. Some of the 
 tribes inland were noted for their treachery and dis 
 honesty. 
 
 The professor had taken care to provide himself with
 
 Preparing for the Start. 239 
 
 the most modern weapons, revolvers and magazine rifles. 
 He was also able to supply Frank and Ephraim with such 
 weapons. 
 
 "It is very likely we may have to do some fighting," 
 he said. "Some of the inland tribes will not let us pass 
 without trouble, that is pretty sure." 
 
 "Can you shoot, professor?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Well, I know how to fire a rifle, but I am no great 
 marksman. How about yourself?" 
 
 Frank picked up one of the handsome Winchester 
 rifles. 
 
 "See the bright-colored bird on the very tip of yonder 
 tree?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes, I see the bird. It is scarcely possible you fancy 
 you can touch it at such a distance." 
 
 Frank made no . reply, but brought the rifle to his 
 shoulder, took swift but accurate aim, and fired. 
 
 There was an exploding puff of bright-colored feathers, 
 and the bird, shattered by the bullet, fell from the tree. 
 
 "Good gracious !" gasped Professor Bonner, in a dazed 
 way. "It is really marvelous if it was not an accident." 
 
 "Wai, it wa n t no accident," said Ephraim Gallup. 
 "An that ain t northin side of the shootin I ve seen 
 him do." 
 
 Some of the natives had seen the shot, and they uttered 
 loud cries of astonishment and admiration. Frank was 
 regarded as a great wizard, and the chief of the village 
 immediately sent to him to see his "fetich," or charm. 
 
 In Africa every native has a fetich. Some are to pre 
 vent sickness, some to protect from wizards, some to 
 make the owners great hunters, or for hundreds of other 
 things. 
 
 The fetiches are made from all sorts of things, such 
 as birds claws, monkeys teeth, hair, snake skins, human 
 bones, and so forth.
 
 240 Preparing for the Start. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim finally returned to the Saucy 
 Susan and made ready for the expedition. 
 
 When Frank next met Elsie he found the girl very 
 sad and dejected. 
 
 "Cheer up, little sweetheart," smiled the light-hearted 
 lad. "You are looking as if you did not expect ever to see 
 me again." 
 
 "I fear I never shall," she said, gloomily. "You are 
 going into a land of fevers and unknown diseases, to say 
 nothing of other perils. Oh! Frank, why do you go? 
 I was so happy, thinking you would remain with us for 
 some time!" 
 
 "You know I am determined to see all the world I 
 can, Elsie; and I shall not find another opportunity like 
 this. Besides that, just think what it means if it should 
 be true that the Missing Link has been discovered in the 
 wilds of Africa if we should capture one of the creatures 
 and bring it out alive. It would make us all famous the 
 world over." 
 
 "What is fame, Frank! Life, health, and happiness 
 are far preferable. For my sake, won t you give up this 
 foolish expedition, Frank?" 
 
 Frank was placed in an unpleasant and embarrassing 
 position. It took him some time to convince Elsie that 
 she was asking too much of him, but he finally succeeded, 
 and she gave up. 
 
 But they were together a long time, and Captain Bell- 
 wood did not interrupt their love-making.
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 A CRY IN THE NIGHT. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim were on hand early in the morning 
 for the start, which Professor Bonner had anticipated 
 would be made at sunrise. 
 
 But the professor was not yet familiar with the ways 
 of the black people. Before the start could be made 
 there were speechmaking, farewells, and strange cere 
 monies. And when these things had been gone through 
 and everything seemed ready for the start, the twenty 
 natives who were to accompany the professor had to rush 
 back and go all through it again. 
 
 All this took much time, and the sun was well up 
 before the start was made. At last the boats were off. 
 The throng of blacks on the shore fired a salute from their 
 guns and yelled like maniacs; the blacks in the boats 
 fired a salute in response and yelled like fiends. 
 
 "Gol dern my skin ef I ever saw such a passel of 
 yee-haw critters !" exclaimed Ephraim. "They kin make 
 more noise than a menagerie uv wildcats." 
 
 "They certainly seem to have good lungs," laughed 
 Frank. 
 
 Up the Fernand Vas they paddled, and, at nightfall, 
 they camped near where the Rembo emptied into the 
 larger river. 
 
 Frank never forgot that first night camp. Several fires 
 were built, and brush houses were hastily constructed. 
 After supper the Commi men sat about the fires and 
 smoked and jabbered, the firelight flaring on their black 
 skins, their eyes rolling, their white teeth showing, and
 
 242 A Cry in the Night. 
 
 their arms being flung about in strange gestures. They 
 [were telling hunting yarns, and it seemed that each one 
 ;was striving to tell a more improbable lie than any of 
 the others. 
 
 Frank and Ephraim lay on some blankets and watched 
 the singular scene, while Professor Bonner sat near one 
 of the fires, writing in his journal, making a record of 
 the first day s journey. 
 
 "Well, Ephraim," said Frank, "here we are well started 
 on the most remarkable search ever undertaken by human 
 beings." 
 
 "That s so, Frank," nodded the Vermonter. "I be gol 
 derned ef it don t seem like I was dreamin all this." 
 
 "It is no dream ; but it is a strange reality." 
 
 "Nobody d ever thought that I d be here. Folks up 
 in aour taown never suspected me nor Hiram, my 
 brother, d mount to much; but Hi, he went to Chilly, 
 where he s making money hand over fist, an I m travelin 
 araound the world." 
 
 "You are traveling around the world, even though 
 you sometimes wish you were back home on the farm." 
 
 "Wai," said Ephraim, a bit sheepishly, "anybody d 
 kainder wish they was to hum ef they was captured by 
 cannibuls as was jest goin to eat em up. Ef it hedn t 
 bin for yeou, Frank, the cannibuls d made a meal off me 
 sure as hens lay aigs." 
 
 "There are cannibals in Africa." 
 
 "Git aout." 
 
 "Lots of them. The Fans are said to eat people who 
 die of natural causes." 
 
 "Oh, the gol dern critters! It can t be they know 
 anything at all." 
 
 "On the contrary, they are said to be one of the finest 
 and most intelligent-appearing races in Africa. They are 
 splendidly built, both men and women, are skilled workers
 
 A Cry in the Night. 243 
 
 in iron, make the finest spears, knives, axes and other 
 implements, and are brave and warlike." 
 
 "Gosh, ef that don t beat me! Anybody d think that 
 critters what eat dead folks would be sickly an scrawny 
 an good for northin ." 
 
 "It is probable that the Fans were not cannibals orig 
 inally, but were driven to eat human flesh from necessity 
 during some time of famine. In that way the habit 
 came upon them. They do not eat their own people who 
 die of diseases, but exchange them for others." 
 
 "Haow is it that yeou alwus know so much abaout 
 every place where yeou go?" asked the boy from Ver 
 mont, wonderingly. 
 
 Frank smiled. 
 
 "That is easy. I make it a practice to obtain all the 
 information possible about the countries I mean to visit, 
 so that when I get back home I shall really know some 
 thing of the world." 
 
 "That s a great idee." 
 
 "In this way, I feel that I am carrying out the design 
 of my Uncle Asher, who provided by his will that I 
 should travel in order to broaden my knowledge of the 
 world and humanity." 
 
 "Haow d yeou find aout so much about this part of 
 Afriky? Yeou didn t know for sure that yeou was goin 
 to visit this coast till we was taken off Phantom Island 
 by Cap n Bellwood." 
 
 "Captain Bellwood is a man who believes in knowing 
 something of the people with whom he intends to do 
 business, and he has a number of authentic books on 
 Africa and its inhabitants." 
 
 "An yeou was readin uv em ev ry day, I remember 
 that. Wai, Frank, you re baound to be a great man 
 some time. Yeou ll know a heap." 
 
 "It is not absolutely necessary to travel in order to
 
 244 A Cry in the Night. 
 
 become well informed concerning the world and its in 
 habitants. Any boy who has the ambition may acquire * 
 vast store of knowledge by reading books of travel, and 
 well-written books of travel are as fascinating as novels." 
 "By gum ! I m goin to read more uv that kind uv stuff 
 arter this. I don t expect to travel all over the world, 
 same as yeou will; but what I have traveled makes me 
 want to know moare abaout the world than I do. At the 
 same time, I don t care much abaout havin anything to 
 do with no more cannibuls." 
 
 "Well, you are not likely to, for we pass to the south 
 of the Fan country, so we shall not see the cannibals. But 
 we are going through a country inhabited by people far 
 more dangerous than cannibals." 
 
 "Git aout!" 
 
 "That is right." 
 
 "Who be they?" 
 
 "The Bakalai." 
 
 "What s the matter with them?" 
 
 "They are very treacherous and untrustworthy." 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 "No. At the very moment when they appear the most 
 friendly they may be plotting to murder one. And they 
 use poisoned arrows." 
 
 "Wai, dern their skins!" 
 
 "The heads of their arrows are so attached to the shaft 
 that, if the arrow penetrates beyond the barber head, an 
 attempt to pull it out will leave the poisoned head in the 
 wound." 
 
 "By what yeou say abaout them, I should judge the 
 Bakalai are real nice people ! They d oughter go to war 
 with the cannibuls, an both sides fight till everybody 
 was killed dead." 
 
 The boys lay and talked till they became drowsy, and
 
 A Cry in the Night. 245 
 
 they finally wrapped themselves in their blankets and 
 slept. 
 
 Some time in the night they were aroused by the fright 
 ful screech of a leopard; but the natives hastily stirred 
 up the fires and the creature did not approach the camp. 
 
 The next morning they pushed on up the Rembo, which 
 was rather narrow and swift where it emptied into the 
 Fernand Vas, but became broader and easier to navigate 
 as they progressed. 
 
 On both sides of the river the foliage was like a dense 
 green wall, dotted here and there with bright flowers. 
 Bright-plumed birds cut the air overhead, monkeys chat 
 tered in the trees, crocodiles slipped into the water from 
 muddy banks on which they had been sunning themselves, 
 and once more elephants that had been near the river took 
 to their heels and disappeared amid the trees, which 
 crashed and swayed as they went. 
 
 Frank caught up his rifle and fired after the elephants, 
 but the creatures were out of sight before he could get 
 a shot, so he had to fire by chance, and it seemed that 
 he did not wound one of the creatures. 
 
 Both boys were kept constantly interested and on the 
 alert by what they saw about them. Everything seemed 
 novel and strange, and the day passed swiftly. 
 
 Near night the boats approached Goumbi, a large vil 
 lage. One of the smaller boats was sent forward, so the 
 inhabitants of the town might be notified that three men 
 were coming to visit them. 
 
 When Goumbi was approached all the inhabitants of 
 the village were on the shore to welcome the white men. 
 They danced, shouted, sang and fired guns. 
 
 "Gol dern the critters!" muttered Ephraim, clutching 
 his rifle. "They act like they was itchin to chaw us up." 
 
 "That is their way of greeting us," explained Professor 
 Bonner. "They expect me to stay with them some time
 
 246 A Cry in the Night. 
 
 and trade, and they will be greatly disappointed when 
 they learn that I mean to go on in the morning." 
 
 As the boats approached the shore, Frank stood up, 
 pointed his Winchester into the air, and fired six shots in 
 bewilderingly rapid succession. 
 
 The natives were astounded and frightened. All their 
 guns were old-fashioned muzzle loaders, and they had 
 never seen a repeating rifle. It seemed marvelous to them 
 that a gun could shoot so many times without reloading, 
 and some of them ran away and concealed themselves, 
 fearing the "white wizards" too much to face them. 
 
 The king, although greatly agitated, greeted the profes 
 sor and the boys, saying he was glad they had come, and 
 making them presents of goats and plantains. 
 
 Professor Bonner made a brief speech, in which he 
 assured the king that he had come to do him good, and 
 ended by making the old fellow a present of a bright-red 
 jacket, which the king immediately donned, grinning with 
 delight and dancing about like a jubilant schoolboy. 
 
 A house was given the professor and the boys for their 
 occupancy while they remained in the village. The pro 
 fessor took care that his goods were stowed away for 
 the night and carefully guarded. 
 
 Later on there was a great powwow, in which the vil 
 lagers and the three white visitors took part. 
 
 The professor presented each of the king s ten wives 
 with a string of bright-colored beads, and explained that 
 he had not come to trade, but was going inland to hunt. 
 
 This was something the natives could not understand, 
 and they appeared to doubt the white man s word. 
 
 At last the professor was forced to show his photo 
 graph of the "Missing Link" to the chief, and explain 
 that he was going in search of that creature, hoping to 
 capture one alive, and take it to the white man s country, 
 where he could make much money by exhibiting it.
 
 A Cry in the Night. 247 
 
 The king was finally forced to be satisfied with Bon- 
 ner s statements, but he professed great grief over the 
 short stay the whites were to make with him. 
 
 The inhabitants of Goumbi told frightful tales of the 
 great perils to be encountered farther on, plainly striving 
 to frighten the party from proceeding, but Bonner laughed 
 at all these yarns, and insisted that he should go forward 
 in the morning. 
 
 That night Frank slept soundly, but, despite the heavi 
 ness of his slumber, he was aroused by a cry that seemed 
 to come from the river. He started up and listened. 
 
 All seemed silent, save for the snoring of Ephraim and 
 the professor, who slept on without a break. 
 
 Somehow that cry had stirred the blood in Frank s 
 body. He arose and went out where he could listen with 
 out hearing the snoring so plainly. 
 
 As he reached the open air, another cry, broken and 
 smothered, coming from a far distance, was indistinctly 
 heard. 
 
 It seemed like the call of a woman in distress, and it 
 affected the boy strangely, even though he had heard 
 of wild beasts that uttered such weird sounds. 
 
 He crept back into the hut, a heavy chill upon him. 
 Although he lay down and closed his eyes, his sleep was 
 no longer peaceful and refreshing. All through the rest 
 of the night he dreamed of Elsie dreamed she was in 
 some frightful peril.
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 RESULT OF THE HUNT. 
 
 When morning came the king still objected to the de 
 parture of the expedition, but finally agreed to let the 
 party go on if Professor Bonner would pay a certain 
 price in cloth and beads. 
 
 The professor was angry. He ordered his men to make 
 ready to start without delay, and, when the king ordered 
 out his fighting men and attempted to prevent this, the 
 professor threatened him with disaster and ruin. 
 
 But Frank Merriwell took a far more effective way 
 to induce the old monarch to let them depart. He 
 promptly leveled his rifle at the king s head, threatening 
 to shoot if the warriors were not ordered off at once. 
 
 Trie king had seen Frank fire six shots from the rifle 
 without pausing to reload, and he stood in great awe of 
 the weapon. He showed fear immediately, and did as 
 the boy directed. 
 
 "You are wise," said the cool lad. "If I should start 
 this gun to shooting it might not stop till yourself and all 
 your people were dead." 
 
 Frank kept the king under surveillance till the expedi 
 tion was ready to move. As the boats were paddled up 
 the river, the king cried out to the Commi men of the 
 professor s party that the white boy s gun held a bad 
 spirit that would kill them all. 
 
 But the coast savages had seen a repeating rifle be 
 fore, and they simply laughed. 
 
 This day was much like the previous day, except that
 
 Result of the Hunt. 249 
 
 the party halted by mid-afternoon and prepared an en 
 campment for the night. 
 
 By this time the natives declared they were in a region 
 where the gorilla might be found, and Frank was very 
 anxious to kill one of the creatures. 
 
 Ever full of restless energy, Frank proposed a hunt, 
 and Ephraim seconded the proposal. 
 
 The professor tried to dissuade them ; but he had come 
 to regard Frank with respect, and he did not say much. 
 
 Frank s coolness and prompt action in dealing with 
 the old king who had tried to make them pay heavy 
 tribute for the privilege of going onward from his vil 
 lage had convinced Bonner that the boy knew his business 
 and could be relied upon. 
 
 The professor had praised Frank for this act, and 
 had been not a little surprised when he found the lad 
 regarded it as of small consequence. 
 
 M porno, a Commi hunter, agreed to accompany the 
 boys, and they selected two other natives. 
 
 The forest back from the river was thick and dark, 
 with very large trees, the branches of which were inter 
 twined. 
 
 Mpomo declared it was a fine place for gorillas, who 
 shun light, open places at day, and hover in dark, se 
 cluded nooks. 
 
 The boys had heard many stories of the gorilla s 
 strength and ferocity since leaving the Saucy Susan. 
 With the exception of the hunters, the natives stood 
 greatly in awe of the beast. 
 
 It was plain, also, that some of the hunters were not 
 nearly so eager to face a gorilla as they professed to be. 
 
 Mpomo, however, seemed a rather brave and nervy 
 fellow, and Frank was favorably impressed by his ap 
 pearance. 
 
 The young Commi hunter led the way, Frank and Eph-
 
 250 Result of the Hunt. 
 
 raim following, with the other Cotnmi men bringing up 
 the rear. 
 
 In this manner they pushed forward for at least a mile 
 without seeing anything worth shooting. 
 
 Frank was surprised and disappointed, for he had ex 
 pected to find the forest abounding with game, there 
 being so much life along the river. 
 
 At length they came to a little strip of prairie right in 
 the heart of the great forest. The grass was green and 
 the natural clearing looked very pretty in the midst of the 
 dark woods. 
 
 They were crossing this open space when all were 
 startled by a blood-curdling scream and a bellowing roar. 
 
 A moment later a wild bull, with a leopard clinging to 
 it, came tearing across the clearing. 
 
 The leopard had fastened its teeth in the bull s neck, 
 and was clinging with its cruel claws to the back of the 
 agonized animal. 
 
 The bull bounded and reared, tossed and plunged, but 
 all in vain, for the leopard clung with the tenacity of 
 death itself. 
 
 The bull would dart forward a short distance, stop 
 abruptly, wheel and whirl, but all to no avail. 
 
 There was a wild light of despair in the buffalo s eyes 
 and a wild light of savage triumph in the eyes of the 
 leopard. 
 
 It was a thrilling spectacle, and the boys watched it 
 with breathless interest, forgetting their rifles were in 
 their hands. 
 
 The bull was so blinded by pain and terror that it saw 
 nothing of the hunters. 
 
 Of a sudden it dashed straight at Ephraim, and the 
 leopard seemed to become aware that human beings were 
 present. 
 
 In wild excitement, Ephraim flung up his rifle and fired.
 
 Result of the Hunt. 251 
 
 It was a chance shot, but a deadly one, for the bull 
 dropped in a second, the bullet having reached its brauu 
 
 At the very moment that the bull fell, the leopard 
 seemed to launch itself into the air, leaping straight at 
 the boy from Vermont. 
 
 Ephraim could not have escaped by any effort of his; 
 own. He stood with his smoking rifle half lowered, 
 utterly incapable of making a move to defend himself. 
 
 In watching the struggle between the bull and the 
 leopard, Frank had stepped several feet to one side. 
 His rifle was at his shoulder when Ephraim fired. 
 
 Frank saw the buffalo fall, saw the leopard spring, and 
 comprehended the deadly danger of his friend. 
 
 Never was Frank Merriwell s hand steadier than at that 
 moment, never was his aim truer and more deadly. 
 
 Spang ! the rifle spat forth its deadly pellet. 
 
 The leaping leopard seemed to double into a ball in 
 the air, and it dropped in a heap at Ephraim s feet, feebly 
 clawing at the ground, a bullet through its body. 
 
 Ephraim jumped back, gasping: 
 
 "Wai, by gum !" 
 
 A great shout went up from the throats of the natives. 
 They were filled with astonishment and admiration. 
 Mpomo screamed : 
 
 "White boy big quick kill ! Sure he have wizard spirit 
 in him gun ! Him very big hunter ! Hoolray ! hoolray !" 
 
 Both lads were regarded with unutterable admiration 
 by the amazed savages, who danced with glee about the 
 slain animals. 
 
 "Gosh !" gurgled Ephraim. "But that was a thunderin* 
 close call! My gun kainder went off by accident, but 
 it killed the kaow. I don t reckon yeour gun went ofl 
 by accident, Frank. That was great shootin ." 
 
 "Well, I didn t have any time to spare," laughed Frank. 
 
 "Not a jiffy. Ef yeou d stopped to think it over, that
 
 252 Result of the Hunt. 
 
 air leopard would hev bed a square meal off me, sure s 
 shootin ." 
 
 The natives fell to skinning the leopard. 
 
 "I shall keep this skin among my trophies," smiled 
 Frank. "Whenever I see it I shall think of you, Eph- 
 raim." 
 
 The black fellows were very skillful in their work, and 
 it took them but a few minutes to strip the hide from the 
 leopard. Then they set about skinning and cutting up 
 the buffalo. 
 
 One of them started out at a run to the camp to notify 
 the Commi men to come and bring in the meat. 
 
 "I rather fancy this ends our hunting for this after 
 noon," said Frank. "We did not find a gorilla, but we 
 found some game." 
 
 "That s right, an it s purty big game, too." 
 
 "I am satisfied with the result of the hunt." 
 
 "An* I m satisfied so long s I escaped from bein 
 chawed up. I don t keer ef we don t see no gorilla, 
 fer " 
 
 Ephraim was interrupted by a sound like distant thun- 
 der. It rumbled and rolled through the forest, almost 
 seeming to make the ground quiver. 
 
 Then followed the distant report of a gun.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 FOOTPRINTS IN THE FOREST. 
 
 The boys looked at each other in astonishment and 
 alarm. 
 
 "Great goshfry!" gurgled Ephraim Gallup, his hair 
 seeming to lift his hat, "what in thutteration was that?" 
 
 "It sounded like thunder," said Frank; "but I do not 
 think it was." 
 
 "No t under !" cried Mpomo, excitedly. 
 
 "Dat gorilla!" 
 
 "What ? That a gorilla ? Is it possible they can make 
 such terrible sounds." 
 
 "Poggerble?" said the Commi hunter, in a puzzled way, 
 "Dey make um. Dunno what poggerble mean." 
 
 Mpomo sometimes mixed his English in a ludicrous 
 manner, and he was much inclined to catch at every 
 long word he heard the white men use. 
 
 "Ef that was a gorilla, it must be the old king pin uv 
 all gorillas," declared the boy from Vermont. i 
 
 "Him big man gorilla," explained Mpomo. "Him 
 berry much mad when him make dat poggerble sound.** 
 
 "Mad?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "How do you know ?" 
 
 "By de sound him make." 
 
 "Somebody fired a gun," fluttered the Yankee lad. 
 "I kinder guess some feller took a shot at him." 
 
 "Perhaps the shot killed him, for he has not roared 
 since that "
 
 254 Footprints in the Forest. 
 
 Once more the terrible booming roar sounded through 
 the gloomy forest. 
 
 "Gun no kill dat gorilla," cried Mpomo, with still 
 greater excitement. "Gorilla bad man to fool wid. Feller 
 wid gun him in scrape." 
 
 "Then it is time we took a hand!" exclaimed Frank. 
 "Lead the way, Mpomo. We ll look after Mr. Gorilla." 
 
 "Be yeou goin there?" gasped Ephraim, in agitation. 
 "I don t seem to care so much fer gorillas as I did a 
 while ago." 
 
 "Come on, Ephraim, "came sternly from Merriwell. 
 "If you have any nerve, now is the time to show it. A 
 human being may be in deadly peril." 
 
 "All right," groaned the boy from Vermont. "Go 
 ahead an I ll f oiler. I d kainder like to be hoein taturs 
 naow on the old farm !" 
 
 "Mos be much claucious," warned Mpomo. "Gorilla 
 mad, him berry bad. We find him mebby; mebby he be 
 two hundred mile away when we git dere." 
 
 "By gum !" cried Ephraim. "I hope he has felt like 
 walkin a few hundred miles fer exercise." 
 
 Mpomo took the lead, quickly plunging into the forest 
 which surrounded the glade. Frank and Ephraim fol 
 lowed him closely, leaving the other hunter to look after 
 the buffalo and leopard until they returned or the people 
 from the camp came. 
 
 Mpomo moved forward with great swiftness and si 
 lence, taxing the energies of the boys to follow him. It 
 was not long before Ephraim began to breathe heavily; 
 but Frank, being a perfect athlete, kept his "wind" 
 splendidly. 
 
 For at least a mile the black guide led them forward 
 through the dismal forest, and the boys were beginning 
 to feel certain he had come too far when he suddenly 
 halted, whispering:
 
 Footprints in the Forest. 255 
 
 "Now go claucious. Him berry near here when him 
 holler." 
 
 "How do you know?" asked Frank. 
 
 "Know by sound." 
 
 "It does not seem possible he could have been so fas 
 away and we could hear his roar so plainly." 
 
 "By gosh!" gasped Ephraim. "I d hate to have him 
 holler in my ear! It d bu st a feller s head wide open." 
 
 "Must be still," warned the native hunter. "Him may 
 be near. Mebbe him run away if him hear little stick 
 break. Look out berry close where feet step." 
 
 Then they crept onward through the woods. 
 
 All at once, with a low, clucking noise, Mpomo stopped. 
 
 The boys half lifted their rifles, ready for action; but 
 the hunter bent over the ground, a murmur of satisfaction 
 coming from his lips. 
 
 "Look dat," he said, triumphantly. "What white boys 
 t ink bout Mpomo know how fur off dat gorilla be ?" 
 
 They stepped forward and looked at the soft, moist 
 ground where he was pointing, and there they saw a huge 
 footprint that sec the blood to leaping in their veins, for 
 it was the track of a gorilla beyond a doubt. 
 
 There was the broad foot plainly impressed, with the 
 thumb-like big toes standing out from the others. It 
 was an imprint to fill the beholder with awe, for it 
 showed that the beast must be a monster of his kind. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup s teeth chattered. 
 
 "Gug-gug-gug-great gosh !" he stammered. "He must 
 be the old he-daddy uv all gug-gug-gug-gorillas !" 
 
 "Him pretty big," nodded Mpomo. "Bad feller to 
 fool with." 
 
 "I ain t feelin very well," declared the lad from Ver 
 mont. "I guess we d better go right back to the river." 
 
 Frank paid no attention to this, but said to Mpomo : 
 
 "Follow the trail; we will follow you."
 
 256 Footprints in the Forest. 
 
 "Be still," warned the hunter. "Reddy to fire. Come." 
 
 Crouching, his eyes rolling, his figure reminding Frank 
 of a creeping panther, the black hunter moved onward. 
 
 The white boys followed, although Ephraim s teeth 
 still chattered. 
 
 They had not proceeded far before they came to a 
 place where the underbrush was thick, and where, in 
 order to clear a road for his progress, the gorilla had torn 
 up the bushes, snapped great limbs as thick as a man s 
 arm, and even pulled up young trees by the roots. 
 
 "Gosh! but he must have some muscle!" whispered 
 Ephraim, admiration mingling with his fear. "He d be a 
 holy terror to rassle with." 
 
 They followed the gorilla s trail through the under 
 brush, and then, in a little clearing, they suddenly came 
 upon a startling and horrible spectacle. 
 
 A dead man lay on the ground, his body ripped open 
 from his breastbone downward. Beside him was a gun, 
 the barrel of which was bent and twisted, showing what 
 enormous strength the enraged gorilla possessed. 
 
 It was plain that the man had come suddenly and un 
 expectedly upon the gorilla, had fired hastily, had failed 
 to mortally wound the beast, and the creature had closed 
 in instantly, killing the man with one blow, after which 
 he seized and twisted the gun. 
 
 A shout of the utmost wonder and dismay escaped 
 Frank Merriwell s lips as he saw the dead man on the 
 ground. 
 
 "Look!" he cried, pointing a shaking finger at the 
 body. "It is a white man!" 
 
 "Great gosh !" fluttered Ephraim, his eyes popping from 
 his head. "It is a white man, sure as punkins make 
 good pies!" 
 
 "Him got kickcited," said Mpomo. "Nebber touch 
 gorilla when him shoot. Got to kill gorilla first pop."
 
 Footprints in the Forest. 257 
 
 "But a white man here alone!" came from Frank. 
 "I can t understand that. There s something strange 
 about it." 
 
 "Yeou bet!" nodded the other boy. "He must have 
 bin lost." 
 
 Frank advanced a few steps, scanning the face of the 
 dead man, which was convulsed with agony and terror. 
 
 "A sailor, I should say," muttered Frank. "And there 
 seems something familiar about him, as if I had seen him 
 before." 
 
 The next moment he fell back, hoarsely crying : 
 
 "Merciful goodness! I have seen bim before! I 
 know the man!" 
 
 "What s that? what s that?" spluttered Ephraim. 
 "Know him !" 
 
 "Yes! Look look at that face! You have seen him 
 before you know him. There can be no mistake." 
 
 "By gum! I believe I do!" 
 
 "Of course you do. The man s name is Ostergoth, and 
 he is a Swede. He was a sailor on the " 
 
 "On the Saucy Susan!" 
 
 "Sure as fate!" 
 
 The boys looked into each other s eyes in growing 
 amazement, utterly unable to understand this wonder. 
 
 "Haow in thunder kin that be?" asked Ephraim. "We 
 left Ostergoth on the Saucy Susan when we came away 
 frum her." 
 
 "That s what we did," nodded Frank; "but the man 
 is here at our feet, dead as a door nail." 
 
 "There must be some kind uv a mistake. This feller 
 must look like the Swede, but it can t be him." 
 
 "There is no mistake," declared Frank, bending over 
 the man and lifting his arm, from which he thrust the 
 sleeve back. "Ostergoth had a vessel tattooed on his left 
 arm right here, and here it is ! This is the man !"
 
 258 Footprints in the Forest. 
 
 "But haow did he come here, when we left him on the 
 schooner ?" 
 
 "Ask me something easy." 
 
 "He must have deserted." 
 
 "That s plain; but I do not understand how he got 
 so far inland in such a short time. It is a marvel." 
 
 The wonder of the boys increased as they thought the 
 matter over. The Swede had been left behind them on 
 the schooner, and now here he was, far from the coast, 
 dead in the gloomy wilds of the African forest. 
 
 "If he deserted the vessel, he did not desert alone," 
 declared Frank. "No man would leave a vessel on this 
 coast and hurry inland amid the savages." 
 
 "Perhaps he was snt arter us," suggested Ephraim. 
 
 Frank shook his head. 
 
 "That is not at all likely. If he had been sent after 
 us, he would have found us. Instead of that, he must 
 have made special effort to avoid us and get ahead of 
 us." 
 
 "Mebbe he was makin a rush to find the Missin Link 
 afore we did." 
 
 Frank thought of the strange cry he had heard in the 
 night the cry that had brought him from the hut in 
 the village of Goumbi to listen in the street. 
 
 Of a sudden, Mpomo gave a cry, pointing excitedly to 
 the ground. 
 
 "Look dat!" he exclaimed. 
 
 They looked, and what they beheld was more aston 
 ishing than anything they had yet seen. 
 
 It was another footprint. It was small and shapely, 
 being the footprint of a female. 
 
 And that female wore a shoe!
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 ELSIE BELLWOOD S PERIL. 
 
 "Gosh all thutteration !" 
 
 Ephraim could not express his amazement. His eyes 
 bulged, and his jaw dropped, while he actually staggered. 
 
 Frank was no less astonished. At first he refused to 
 believe the evidence of his eyes ; but he looked again and 
 he saw yet another footprint in the soft ground. 
 
 Mpomo was on his knees eagerly searching the ground. 
 Those footprints were like print to him; he read them 
 as his companions would have read an open book. 
 
 "A female!" cried Frank Merriwell. "And it was 
 not one of the native women ! They do not wear shoes." 
 
 "Not by a gol dern sight!" spluttered the boy from 
 Vermont. 
 
 "White gal make tracks," declared Mpomo, excitedly. 
 "White gal be here with white man. She run away fast." 
 
 "Ran away?" 
 
 "When white man shoot at gorilla. Den she run." 
 
 "How can you tell?" 
 
 "Look at wide step look at where toes stick in deep. 
 No heel mark at all. Dat show gal be scat an run 
 away." 
 
 "That s right," came hoarsely from Frank s lips. "She 
 ran deeper into the forest when the man shot at the 
 gorilla." 
 
 "But who kin she be?" 
 
 Frank looked at Ephraim, but made no immediate 
 reply. His eyes, however, told a great dread an appall 
 ing fear that was filling his heart.
 
 260 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 
 
 "Look!" cried Mpomo, still pointing to the ground. 
 "Gal run away, but gorilla him foller, after him kill white 
 mans. See him track go off dat way." 
 
 Frank saw the tracks plainly enough, and the fear in 
 his heart deepened to horror. It was plain that the 
 monster of the forest had pursued the fleeing female. 
 
 "But what d he foller her for?" asked Ephraim, in a 
 dazed way. 
 
 "Gorilla sometime carry off womens," declared Mpomo. 
 "They steal black womans. White womans mebby car 
 ried Off." 
 
 "Come on!" cried Frank, hoarsely; "we must follow 
 these tracks! Lead the way, Mpomo! We must know 
 what fate befell her." 
 
 Mpomo hesitated, and then said: 
 
 "Boys be reddy all time to shoot. No tell when gorilla 
 come at us. White boys great to shoot. Make sure to 
 kill gorilla quick." 
 
 "We ll kill him quick enough, if we see him," assured 
 Frank. "Lead on, Mpomo, and do not waste time in 
 useless talk." 
 
 They started. Ephraim slipped to Frank s side, whis 
 pering the question : 
 
 "Do yeou think it kin be her?" 
 
 "Who else?" Frank flung over his shoulder. "Oster- 
 goth was a sailor on the Saucy Susan, and she " 
 
 "By gum, it must be !" grated Ephraim. "We ll never 
 stop till we find her, Frank! We ll kill that gorilla 
 deader n hay!" 
 
 Frank Merriwell s lips were moving ; he was muttering 
 a prayer for the safety of the girl he had last seen far 
 away on the Saucy Susan. 
 
 Mpomo was fleet of foot, and his eyes were keen. Still 
 he seemed to dread coming suddenly on the gorilla, for
 
 Elsie Bell wood s Peril. 261 
 
 he would pause at times and listen, his whole aspect be 
 tokening fear. 
 
 Frank was impatient at every delay; he was burning 
 with a desire to overtake the monster of the forest. He 
 saw that Mpomo had been affected by the sight of the 
 dead man had lost his nerve. 
 
 Frank ground his strong white teeth together, and 
 now and then urged the hunter to hurry along. He 
 could barely keep his hands off the fellow when Mpomo 
 halted for the twentieth time. 
 
 "Why do you stop again ?" he grated, hotly. "Keep on 
 keep on !" 
 
 "Gorilla him be near," declared the hunter, his eyes 
 rolling with fear. "Mpomo know something bout dat 
 gorilla." 
 
 "Well, what do you know?" 
 
 "Him berry bad spirit." 
 
 "What s that? What do you mean?" 
 
 "Him no like odder gorilla. Can t kill him. White 
 man nebber touch him wid bullet, and gorilla be close to 
 white man. Dat gorilla berry bad spirit. Can t kill 
 him." 
 
 "That is nonsense. Don t be foolish, Mpomo. We 
 must find that gorilla, and save the white woman who is 
 in peril. Lead on." 
 
 Mpomo protested, growing still more frightened. 
 Frank became angry after a time, and he suddenly drew 
 a revolver and thrust it against the hunter s head, sternly 
 saying : 
 
 "You must follow that gorilla, or we ll leave you here 
 on the ground, a dead Commi man. Start !" 
 
 "An be lively abaout startin ," growled Ephraim. 
 
 Through fear of the revolver Mpomo went forward, 
 but it was plain that he could not be depended on in 
 case they came suddenly upon the gorilla.
 
 262 Elsie Bell wood s Peril. 
 
 They had not proceeded far before a moaning cry of 
 fear sounded through the forest the cry of a girl in dire 
 distress. 
 
 That sent the blood like molten lava through Franlc 
 Merriwell s veins. 
 
 Following the moaning cry came shriek after shriek, 
 terrible, intense, despairing. 
 
 And then sounded that rumbling roar, a sound that 
 was horrible beyond description. It was like rolling 
 thunder, and yet it had the mingled note of a human being 
 and a beast in fury. It seemed to fill all the forest and 
 to make the leaves on the trees quiver. 
 
 Mpomo fell flat on his face, utterly overcome with ter 
 ror. Frank and Ephraim were rooted to the ground for 
 a moment, but, as soon as the sounds ceased, Frank 
 whirled and clutched his companion, giving the boy from 
 Vermont a savage shake. 
 
 "It s the gorilla!" he panted. "He has pursued her 
 he has found her ! We must save her or die !" 
 
 Ephraim s teeth had been rattling together, but he 
 braced up wonderfully, returning: 
 
 "Go ahead, Frank, I ll foller ye, ef it s a hundred 
 roarin devils we re goin to meet! I m purty scart, but 
 I ain t even goin ter think abaout bein at hum on the 
 farm. Go ahead!" 
 
 Forward they went at a run, paying no heed to Mpomo, 
 who still lay face downward on the ground, as if he had 
 been death stricken. 
 
 In a few minutes they broke through into an open 
 space amid the trees, and were just in time to see a huge, 
 hairy creature disappear into the shadows at the farther 
 side. 
 
 "Did you see him?" panted Frank. 
 
 "Yep," answered Ephraim, staring about. "But 
 where s the gal?"
 
 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 263 
 
 "He had her had her in his arms! Come on! Be 
 ready to shoot, but take care not to shoot her." 
 
 After the gorilla they rushed, heedless, reckless, des 
 perate. The shadows were deep beneath the trees, but 
 they did not mind. The chivalry of their natures was 
 aroused, and they would have dared anything just then. 
 
 They looked around, expecting to see the monster near 
 at hand; but the brute had vanished in a most singular 
 manner. They were about to push onward when they 
 were startled by a cry : 
 
 "Frank save me!" 
 
 It came from above. Looking upward, Frank beheld a 
 spectacle that seemed to turn his seething blood to ice- 
 water. 
 
 A monster gorilla, nearly six feet in height, with im 
 mense body, huge chest, long, muscular arms, fiercely 
 glaring large deep-gray eyes, and a fiendish expression 
 of face, like some frightful nightmare vision, was clinging 
 amid the stout branches of a large tree. With one arm 
 this monster of the African forest held to its hairy 
 breast a girl a white girl Elsie Bellwood ! 
 
 Frank s worst fears were confirmed. He had hoped 
 and prayed that it might not be Elsie; but now he knew 
 the girl who was so dear to him was in this frightful 
 peril. How she came there, so far from her father s 
 vessel, he could not conceive, and there was no time for 
 speculation on that point. She must be rescued with 
 out delay. 
 
 The crest of short hair which stood on the gorilla s 
 forehead began to twitch up and down, while the monster 
 showed his powerful fangs, making Frank think of the 
 dreadful creatures, half human and half beast, which he 
 had seen in pictures of the infernal region. 
 
 Although the gorilla did not seem to fear the boys, he 
 held the girl between himself and them, glaring over her
 
 264 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 
 
 shoulder, thus seeming to protect himself from their 
 bullets. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup had been chattering with terror, but 
 now, of a sudden, he found himself wonderfully cool and 
 deliberate. His hand fell on Frank s arm, and he asked : 
 
 "Haow be we goin to save her?" 
 
 "If we could shoot the beast if we could kill it 
 
 "That gol denied if is a nasty word. Ef we shoot, 
 we may hit her. Ef we don t hit her, we may not kill the 
 gorilla, an he may take a noshun ter serve her ther way 
 he did Ostergoth." 
 
 Frank knew this was true. The first bullet must be 
 deadly, or the imperiled girl might be rent limb from 
 limb by the wounded monster. 
 
 The situation was one to rob the strongest man of his 
 nerve, but Frank Merriwell did not lose his head. 
 
 "Get under the tree, Ephraim," he directed. "Prepare 
 to catch her when I fire. Move lively now !" 
 
 "But you re not goin to shoot ? Yeou ll hit her !" 
 
 "Do as I tell you," came sternly from Frank. "It is 
 the only way to save her. Get under that limb." 
 
 Ephraim lost no more time in putting down his rifle 
 and doing as he was directed. He placed himself di 
 rectly beneath the huge limb on which the gorilla was 
 standing, bracing himself to catch the girl if she dropped. 
 
 Then the other lad lifted his rifle and took careful aim 
 at the right eye of the gorilla, which was seen over the 
 girl s shoulder. 
 
 Never was Frank s hand steadier than at that mo 
 ment. The rifle seemed held in a vise. 
 
 The gorilla seemed to wonder what was about to take 
 place. 
 
 "Be still, Elsie," warned Frank, in a calm voice. "I 
 will shoot the brute through the head."
 
 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 265 
 
 Then he fired. 
 
 A scream broke from the lips of the unfortunate girl, 
 and the rifle fell from Frank s hands, while he groaned: 
 
 "Merciful heaven ! I have hit her !" 
 
 But even as his lips uttered the words two forms 
 came tumbling from the tree, one of them with a flut 
 ter of garments, the other, hairy and horrible, turning 
 over and over in the air. 
 
 Ephraim Gallup, true to his trust, caught the girl. 
 Then he leaped aside to avoid the gorilla, who had struck 
 close to him upon the ground, and was tearing up the 
 earth in his frightful death struggles. 
 
 Frank sprang forward and literally tore the girl from 
 the arms of his friend. He gazed wildly into her face, 
 palpitating : 
 
 "Elsie, little sweetheart, have I harmed you! If I 
 have, I ll never forgive myself! Speak to me, Elsie!" 
 
 Her eyes were closed and her face was deathly white. 
 A chill struck through Frank s heart like the keen blade 
 of a knife. 
 
 "Speak, Elsie," he hoarsely whispered. "Open your 
 eyes ! 
 
 Then he lowered her gently to the ground, an expres 
 sion of unutterable anguish on his handsome face. 
 
 "I have killed her !" he groaned. 
 
 "Git aout !" snorted Ephraim Gallup. "Hev yeou gone 
 crazy, Frank ! Never saw yeou make a fool uv yourself 
 before." 
 
 "But look, Ephraim see how ghastly she is !" 
 
 "Wai, I don t see no blood on her. Yeou never touched 
 her at all. But yeou did shute the gorilla clean through 
 ther coco. Thar gal s fainted." 
 
 "Fainted?" 
 
 "That s all." 
 
 Frank was on his knees at her side, chafing her hands
 
 266 Elsie BellwoocTs Peril. 
 
 and gazing earnestly into her face. For all that she was 
 so pale, for all that her clothes were torn and her hair 
 tangled, she had never looked prettier than at that mo 
 ment. She was like a rumpled doll. 
 
 The gorilla lay quite still where he had fallen, his 
 struggles having ceased. Ephraim went over and gave 
 the creature a savage kick, crying : 
 
 "There, gol dern ye ! try to kerry off another gal, will 
 ye ! I ll bet a good Durham kaow yeou don t !" 
 
 Having relieved his feelings in this manner, he again 
 turned his attention to Frank and Elsie. 
 
 "She ll come raound all right bum-by, Frank," he said. 
 "Don t yeou worry abaout that. Ef we hed some water, 
 ur a little uv the professor s whiskey, we could bring 
 her raound right off; but I kinder guess it ll be all right 
 cf she takes her time." 
 
 Frank had satisfied himself that Elsie was not injured 
 at all by the bullet, but still he was filled with unutterable 
 anxiety. He hovered over her, rubbing her hands and 
 calling her name, till her eyelids began to flutter, a deep 
 sigh passed her lips, and she finally murmured: 
 
 "Frank !" 
 
 "Elsie!" 
 
 Once more he had her in his arms, looking wildly into 
 her face. She opened her eyes, saw his face so near, and 
 smiled faintly. 
 
 "Frank, you saved me!" 
 
 "Yes, thank Heaven! I was able to save you, little 
 sweetheart! I feared I had killed you when you cried 
 out; but my bullet went true, and the gorilla is dead. * 
 
 She shuddered. 
 
 "Oh, the dreadful beast!" she half sobbed. "I ran as 
 long as I had strength, and then I hid; but the great, 
 hairy creature found me. Oh, it was horrible, horrible!" 
 
 She seemed overcome by the remembrance, shuddering
 
 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 267 
 
 and sobbing. Frank held her close to his heart, trying 
 to calm her. 
 
 "Guess hell git along all right ef I don t help him," 
 said the boy from Vermont, turning away and winking at 
 nothing in particular. 
 
 Ephraim pretended to be very busy in examining the 
 dead gorilla during the next ten minutes, and he would 
 have spent a longer time in this manner if Frank had not 
 spoken to him. 
 
 "Wai, I guess she s all right now," said the Yankee 
 boy, as he sauntered over to the young couple. 
 
 "I am, thanks to you both," said Elsie, holding out her 
 hand to him. "I owe you a thousand thanks." 
 
 "One s enough fer me," said Ephraim. "Give t other 
 nine hundred an ninety-nine to Frank. He s the feller 
 what done the shutin , an he ker-plunked that gol dern 
 ole gorilla right plumb in the eye." 
 
 "I aimed at his eye," said Frank. "I could see it 
 blazing over Elsie s shoulder. Somehow, I felt that I 
 could not miss it. It seemed like a magnet that would 
 draw the bullet." 
 
 "It was a desperit chance," Ephraim observed. "Ef 
 yeou d only wounded the critter, it d bin a bad thing 
 fer Miss Bellwood." 
 
 "I knew I must not fail to kill it with the first shot." 
 
 "Wai, by gosh! there ain t many boys uv yeour age 
 that kin say they have shot a real live gorilla." 
 
 "There s not another boy in the whole world like 
 Frank Merriwell !" declared Elsie, proudly. "He is the 
 most wonderful boy who ever lived the bravest and 
 the noblest !" 
 
 Frank blushed. 
 
 "Oh, come, Elsie!" he protested; "don t lay it on so 
 thick ! I can t stand it really I can t. You don t know
 
 268 Elsie Bellwood s Peril. 
 
 all the boys in the world, and so you are not competent to 
 judge." 
 
 Although Frank possessed a certain amount of self- 
 esteem, he was not conceited; he did not think himself 
 the smartest fellow in the world, which is rather remark 
 able considering the fortune that had befallen him and 
 the adventures through which he had passed. Most lads 
 in Frank s shoes would have been spoiled j but, instead of 
 getting the "big head," Frank was learning each day how 
 insignificant one human being really is, and he knew 
 the world would jog along very well if he were to sud 
 denly drop out of existence. 
 
 The adventure through which Elsie had passed had 
 severely shaken her nerves, and had robbed her of 
 strength. Both lads were eager to know how she came 
 there in the forest, far from the Saucy Susan, but, under 
 standing the state of mind she was in, they refrained from 
 questioning her then. 
 
 Supporting her between them, and leaving the dead 
 gorilla to be found and brought in by some of the natives, 
 they started for the camp.
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 A NIGHT ATTACK. 
 
 When the camp was reached Captain Bellwood and 
 several sailors were found there. The captain was nearly 
 distracted, and the sight of his child, alive and prac 
 tically uninjured, filled him with unutterable joy. He 
 clasped her in his arms, and actually shed tears of hap 
 piness. 
 
 When the old salt learned that Elsie had been rescued 
 by Frank and Ephraim, who had saved her from the 
 clutches of a gorilla, when he heard how Frank had shot 
 the monarch of the African forest through the head, al 
 though forced to take chances of hitting the girl with 
 the bullet, Justin Bellwood regarded both lads with 
 unspeakable admiration. 
 
 The master of the Saucy Susan wrung Ephraim s 
 hand warmly, but he deliberately embraced Frank, his 
 voice far from steady, as he said: 
 
 "My little girl has said you are the most wonderful 
 boy in the whole world, and I am beginning to believe 
 she is right. Frank Merriwell, I owe you a mighty debt 
 a debt I can never pay. Anything and everything I 
 may ever possess is yours. All you have to do is to ask. * 
 
 The eyes of Frank and Elsie met for a single ins .ant, 
 and the girl s lashes drooped, while a warm flood of color 
 rushed to the cheeks that had been so pale a wJ ile be 
 fore. 
 
 "Thank you, Captain Bellwood," said Frank, quietly, 
 gravely. "It makes me happy to know you feel thus 
 toward me. Still, I do not want too much credit. Eph-
 
 270 A Night Attack. 
 
 raim stood by me through it all, and he caught Elsie when 
 she fell, after I shot the gorilla." 
 
 "Oh, that wan t northin at all," spluttered the Ver- 
 monter, awkwardly. "Anybody could have done that. 
 But it did take a feller with haydoogins uv nerve ter 
 shute ther gorilla an not hit the little gal." 
 
 "Well, well, well!" cried Professor Bonner, who had 
 heard all that passed. "And to think I hesitated about 
 taking such boys as companions! Remarkable lads. 
 [Wonderful youths! I am proud proud, sir! to have 
 them with me." 
 
 Frank was restless and longed to get away, as all this 
 praise and admiration were far from agreeable to him. 
 However, he had not heard how it happened that Elsie 
 was there, and, by way of turning the tide of conversa 
 tion, he asked that the matter be explained. 
 
 Then Captain Bellwood told how there had been trou 
 ble brewing among the sailors for some time, and how it 
 had been necessary to put the irons on Ostergoth and 
 confine him in the hold. The Swede had sworn to have 
 revenge, and had awaited his time. 
 
 Another sailor, Bob Buntline, a restless and quarrel 
 some fellow, had expressed his hatred for Captain Bell- 
 wood, and the two had plotted to strike -a blow at the 
 master of the Saucy Susan. 
 
 The very day that Frank and Ephraim started up the 
 river with Professor Bonner the captain had gone ashore, 
 permitting Elsie to accompany him for the first time. 
 
 While the captain was trading in the village, the girl 
 had left him for a few moments. When he came to look 
 for her she could not be found. 
 
 Of course an alarm was raised immediately. Elsie had 
 disappeared most mysteriously, and it was some time be 
 fore the captain could learn anything of her.
 
 A Night Attack. 271 
 
 At last he found that Ostergoth, Buntline, and another 
 fellow by the name of Bill Jones were missing. 
 
 A little later it was discovered that certain natives had 
 disappeared from the village. 
 
 Then Captain Bellwood became convinced of treach 
 ery; but it was not easy to track the kidnapers and their 
 native allies. After a time he found they had proceeded 
 up the river, and he organized an expedition to follow. 
 
 Elsie had been lured from her father s side by Bill 
 Jones, whom she did not suspect of treachery. Pro 
 fessing to have something very wonderful to show her, 
 Jones had enticed her away, a blanket had been cast 
 over her head, and she had been dragged into the forest 
 by Jones, Buntline and Ostergoth. 
 
 The three ruffians had lost no time in getting away. 
 They had hired some natives to furnish a boat and accom 
 pany them, after which they had blackened their faces 
 and bodies, had dressed like natives as far as possible, 
 had placed the bound and gagged girl in the bottom of 
 the boat, and had escaped up the river without attract 
 ing much of any attention. 
 
 Ostergoth, who was the real leader of the party, had a 
 wild scheme to hurry up the river, pass the professor and 
 the boys, arouse the natives, attack the professor s party, 
 plunder it of the goods, and then go still farther inland 
 with the girl. 
 
 The Swede did not believe they could be followed very 
 far inland, and it was his conviction that the interior of 
 Africa was a second Eden, where any one could lay 
 around without work and live on wild fruits and game, 
 He painted a very alluring picture for his comrades in 
 crime. 
 
 Ostergoth had a scheme to become king of some in 
 land tribe, and to hold Elsie Bellwood as his wife. 
 
 But Buntline and Jones were smitten by the girl s
 
 272 A Night Attack. 
 
 charms, and a quarrel arose among the villainous trio as 
 to which one should have the unfortunate captive. 
 
 Elsie s sufferings were intense. Much of the trip 
 seemed like a moving nightmare. After the gag was 
 removed from her aching jaws, she was kept silent much 
 of the time under threats of death, but sometimes she did 
 break forth and express her agony in cries of distress. 
 
 Frank Merriwell had heard her cry out as she was 
 being carried past the village of Goumbi in the night. 
 That cry had aroused him from deep slumber, and had 
 haunted him afterward. 
 
 As the party proceeded, the quarrel over the girl be 
 came more violent. At last it was decided that they 
 should draw lots to see who should have her. 
 
 Jones was the one who drew her, much to the girl s 
 relief, for, although he was a rascal, she did not fear 
 him so much as the others. 
 
 But Ostergoth was not satisfied. He sulked, and was 
 sullen; he declared he had been robbed. 
 
 And then, when the opportunity came, the Swede kid 
 naped her and fled into the forest with her. 
 
 The man must have been deranged, else he would not 
 have attempted such a wild project. His companions 
 followed him, swearing they would kill him on sight, and 
 he hid in the jungle, again forcing Elsie to be silent 
 under threat of death. 
 
 But Ostergoth simply rushed to his doom. Elsie told 
 how they came suddenly upon the gorilla, how the sailor 
 had fired hastily at the beast, missing in his excitement, 
 how she had broken away and fled as the monster charged 
 upon the Swede. 
 
 The girl had fled till exhausted, but, with the seem 
 ing intelligence of a human being, the gorilla had fol 
 lowed her. The brute had made her a captive, but had 
 not offered her any harm, for the boys came upon him
 
 A Night Attack. 273 
 
 almost immediately, and he had fled, swinging into a tree 
 with ease, for all of his living burden. 
 
 Then Frank Merriwell had shot the monster, and 
 Elsie was saved. 
 
 Frank was greatly aroused when he heard the girl s 
 story. He felt like organizing a hunting party and track 
 ing Buntline and Jones down, and he urged such a 
 course. 
 
 Elsie, however, rejoiced at her final safe escape from 
 the ruffians, objected to this. 
 
 "Let them go," she pleaded. "They will not dare 
 return to the coast, and they are liable to perish in the 
 wilds of the forest." 
 
 Captain Bellwood had been greatly aroused against 
 the kidnapers, but he listened to Elsie s words, feeling 
 that he must not long leave the Saucy Susan without a 
 master. 
 
 It was decided that the captain s party should return 
 to the schooner in the morning. 
 
 By this time night had fallen, and the hunters had 
 not yet returned with the dead gorilla, although they 
 had been sent out for the beast immediately upon the 
 return of Frank and Ephraim to the camp. 
 
 Professor Bonner had been much exhausted by the 
 day s journey, and he sought sleep at an early hour. 
 
 The black men who had paddled the boats were like 
 wise tired, and they soon slept. 
 
 A few of the Commi men sat about the fires and told 
 stories of gorilla hunts. They regarded Frank with the 
 greatest admiration. 
 
 Captain Bellwood and the first mate of the Saucy 
 Susan smoked and talked, while Ephraim listened, re 
 clining on his elbow. 
 
 Where the firelight and shadows mingled, beneath the 
 wide-spreading branches of a great tree, Frank and Elsie
 
 274 A Night Attack. 
 
 were sitting. In a great measure the girl had recovered 
 from the frightful adventures through which she had 
 passed, and, although she was tired, knowing she must 
 part from Frank in the morning, she remained awake, 
 chatting with him. 
 
 "You had better go back with me, Frank," urged the 
 girl. 
 
 "Oh, no, Elsie. I have started with Professor Bon- 
 ner on this search for the Missing Link, and I cannot 
 turn back at the outset." 
 
 "But think of the perils you will encounter." 
 
 "Some way perils add a fascination to this sort of 
 venture." 
 
 "But think of Professor Scotch, your guardian. The 
 poor man will go crazy when he learns of this last ven 
 ture of yours." 
 
 "Not when he knows I am with Johnson Bonner, his 
 former schoolmate and friend." 
 
 "But I am afraid to return alone to the vessel." 
 
 "Afraid?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "Why, see what befell me as soon as you left. If you 
 had been there I do not fancy those wretches would have 
 succeeded in carrying me off." 
 
 "Thank you, Elsie. You say that very prettily, and 
 I appreciate it, but it is useless to urge me to return now. 
 I am not in the habit of giving up so easily when I have 
 set out on an undertaking." 
 
 She gave a deep sigh. 
 
 "Well, I see it is useless to talk to you; you re set as 
 the hills, and I think you are just perfectly mean." 
 
 Then both laughed softly. 
 
 One by one, the black men were falling asleep; the 
 fires were dying down, and the talk between Captain
 
 A Night Attack. 275 
 
 Bellwood and the mate had ceased. Frank Merriwell 
 listened, a strange feeling of dread seizing upon his heart 
 of a sudden. 
 
 It seemed that the mighty forest was holding its breath, 
 feven the droning of nocturnal insects being hushed. 
 
 The fire flared from no apparent cause, and flung fan 
 tastic shadows amid the underbrush. 
 
 What were those moving forms? Had the hunters 
 returned with the dead gorilla ? Were they silently bring 
 ing the king of beasts into the camp? 
 
 Frank leaned forward, peering sharply at the shadows. 
 His hand sought the butt of a revolver. 
 
 "What is it ?" panted Elsie in his ear, frightened by his 
 manner. 
 
 He did not answer, but he snatched out his revolver. 
 
 "Halt, there !" he cried. 
 
 A fierce yell rang through the forest, a yell that seemed 
 answered by a hundred echoes. Like panthers, the black 
 shadows shot forward into the firelight. They were hu 
 man beings, armed with old muskets, spears, war axes 
 and other implements. Their faces and their bodies were 
 painted in many colors, and they were frightful to be 
 hold. 
 
 Some of these frightful beings who had guns began 
 firing at the recumbent figures of the Commi men. Some 
 of them pinned the Commi men to the ground with their 
 long spears. Some of them brained the unresisting 
 Commi men with war axes. 
 
 In a moment frightful slaughter had begun. 
 
 "The Bakalai! the Bakalai!" shrieked the frightened 
 black men from the coast. 
 
 Hearing this, Frank knew the fiercest warriors of 
 Equatorial Africa had made this night attack.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 UNFORTUNATE ELSIE. 
 
 "Up, Ephraim! up, everybody!" shouted Frank. 
 "Fight fight for your lives !" 
 
 He began firing into the ranks of the assailants, taking 
 care to make every bullet count if possible. 
 
 As Ephraim Gallup scrambled blindly to his feet a hid 
 eously painted warrior attempted to run him through 
 with a spear. 
 
 Frank shot the warrior dead in his tracks. 
 
 Ephraim rose with his rifle in his grasp. 
 
 "Gol dern my punkins!" he shouted. "I jest wish I 
 hed a Maxim gun ! Git aout, you painted niggers !" 
 
 Then he began firing. He closed both eyes and blazed 
 away into the thick of the attacking warriors. 
 
 Captain Bellwood and the mate got upon their feet 
 and joined in the battle. 
 
 The Commi men seemed demoralized and unable to 
 offer any resistance, but this was not true of the white 
 men of the party. The sailors were slightly bewildered 
 at first, but they realized that they must fight for their 
 lives, and they lost little time in getting about it. 
 
 Captain Bellwood had thoroughly armed his party be 
 fore venturing into the wilderness, which was very for 
 tunate. 
 
 The Bakalai warriors continued to howl like a hundred 
 fiends from the infernal region, and their shrieks were 
 sufficient to unnerve an ordinary man. 
 
 But the black warriors knew little of magazine rifles 
 and revolvers, and they were astonished beyond measure
 
 Unfortunate Elsie. 277 
 
 when the white men continued to shoot without stopping 
 to reload. That was a marvel they could not understand. 
 
 "They are wizards ! they are wizards !" shouted the 
 Bakalai in their own language. 
 
 As they saw their warriors dropping before the con 
 tinued firing of the white men, consternation seized upon 
 them. The chief sounded the retreat, and they disap 
 peared into the darkness of the forest, vanishing like 
 shadows, as they had come like shadows. 
 
 There were many dead and wounded on the ground, 
 but, for all of the unexpected assault of the Bakalai, it 
 was seen that they had suffered most. The work of 
 the repeating rifles and revolvers had been deadly, and 
 many of the painted blacks lay dead upon the ground. 
 
 The whites had not entirely escaped. One poor fellow 
 had been run through with a spear, and had died quickly. 
 Two others were wounded, and they feared the weapons 
 which had inflicted the wounds were poisoned. 
 
 Frank Merriwell, Ephraim Gallup, Captain Bellwood, 
 and Professor Bonner had escaped without a scratch. 
 
 As soon as it was certain the Bakalai had given over 
 the assault and retreated, Frank turned to look fp.r Elsie. 
 
 She was gone ! 
 
 He had believed she was close behind him, and he had 
 fought like a Trojan to defend her, now he was startled 
 and astonished to find she was not beneath the tree. 
 
 There was great confusion in the camp. The Commi 
 men were dispatching the Bakalai warriors who had been 
 too severely wounded to get away, and shrieks and cries 
 of rage mingled. Black forms rushed hither and thither. 
 In the midst of this Frank looked for Elsie. 
 
 "Where is she?" he asked himself. "Where has she 
 fled?" 
 
 He felt that she must be near at hand, and yet his heart
 
 278 Unfortunate Elsie. 
 
 was filled with alarm. He searched hastily through the 
 camp, but found nothing of her. 
 
 The thought that she had been carried away by the 
 Bakalai warriors was too horrible to entertain for a 
 moment, but still it kept forcing itself upon him. 
 
 Beneath the overspreading trees he called to her, peer 
 ing into the shadows : 
 
 "Elsie! Elsie! Elsie!" 
 
 No answer. 
 
 Strong hands clutched Frank, a hoarse voice cried in 
 his ear: 
 
 "Where is she where is my child ?" 
 
 The firelight showed the smoke-grimed, anxious face 
 of Captain Bellwood. His fingers seemed to sink into the 
 boy s arm. 
 
 Frank lifted one hand, partially averting his head. 
 The gesture spoke plainer than words, and a groan es 
 caped the captain. 
 
 "My Heaven! what has happened to her? Have they 
 killed her?" 
 
 "She is gone." 
 
 "Gone?" 
 
 "Yes. I have searched through the camp I have 
 called her. I cannot find her, and she does not answer." 
 
 "But she must be near she must be near. She is hid 
 ing somewhere ! She fled to some place of hiding when 
 the attack began." 
 
 "We will hope so." 
 
 The entire camp was soon searching for the missing 
 girl ; but they found no trace of her. She had vanished, 
 and the conviction that she had been carried away by 
 the Bakalai warriors forced itself upon them. 
 
 Captain Bellwood s anguish was terrible. He was like 
 a man bereft of reason. 
 
 Frank did not say much, but his face was hard and
 
 Unfortunate Elsie. 279 
 
 cold, and there was a terrible glitter in his eyes. He 
 drew Ephraim aside. 
 
 "It is my fault," he said. "I should have watched her 
 closer." 
 
 "It ain t yeour fault," declared the boy from Vermont. 
 "Yeou s posed she was clost behind ye all ther time." 
 
 "But I should have made sure of it." 
 
 "Haow could ye?" 
 
 "I should have warned her not to leave me I should 
 have told her to remain close behind me." 
 
 "I don t knaow haow a feller could think uv everything 
 in such a case as that. By gum ! ther way them painted 
 skunks jumped aout uv the dark an began ter spear us 
 like we was suckers was enough ter rattle anybody. 
 IWe re dern lucky ter be alive." 
 
 Frank s head was bowed; his eyes were upon the 
 ground. For some moments he was silent, hearing Cap 
 tain Bellwood raving like a maniac. Then he shook 
 himself as if awakening from a trance. 
 
 "It cannot be that she remained close behind me," he 
 said. "If she had I should have heard her scream when 
 she was clutched by those black fiends." 
 
 "That s so," nodded Ephraim. 
 
 "If I had heard her- well, they would not have dragged 
 her away while I breathed !" 
 
 "I know it, Frank. Yeou d a fit, fought an died fer 
 her." 
 
 "And still I feel that I am to blame I should have pro 
 tected her. I cannot help feeling that way." 
 
 "Yeou ain t to blame." 
 
 "But I shall ever feel that I am. I cannot look Cap 
 tain Bellwood in the face. His eyes accuse me. I turn 
 from them. For the first time in my life I feel like a 
 guilty thing." 
 
 "Wai. what be yeou goin ter do?"
 
 280 Unfortunate Elsie. 
 
 "Do!" cried Frank, fiercely. "I ll not rest till I have 
 found and rescued Elsie or avenger her ! ; 
 
 "By gosh ! that s ther talk ! I m with ye, too 1" 
 
 Captain Bellwood was no less determined to save his 
 child if possible, but he was too distracted to listen to 
 reason. He believed it possible to follow the Bakalai at 
 once, and it was with no little difficulty that he was re 
 strained from rushing away into the forest in wild pur 
 suit of them. 
 
 The Commi men, being peaceable and unwarlike, had 
 been overcome with terror and consternation by the at 
 tack of the Bakalai, whom they feared. Several of the 
 Commi had been killed, and their friends were wailing 
 with grief over the corpses, beating their breasts, and 
 going through fantastic ceremonies. 
 
 Professor Bonner was greatly disturbed by what had 
 taken place. 
 
 "It is most unfortunate most unfortunate," he de 
 clared to Frank, when he found an opportunity to speak 
 to the youth. "I fear it will ruin our expedition in search 
 of the Missing Link." 
 
 "Hang the Missing Link!" exclaimed Ephraim, who 
 was standing near. "It s the pore little gal we re thinkin 
 of naow." 
 
 "That s right, professor," nodded Frank. "It is Elsie 
 Bellwood that we must think of now. We must rescue 
 her, or avenge her. My blood freezes when I think of 
 the fate that may befall her amid those black devils." 
 
 "We ll do our best to find her," said the professor; "but 
 I fear it will be a fruitless search." 
 
 "Not for me," came hoarsely from Frank s lips. "If 
 necessary, I will devote the rest of my life to the task 
 of tracing her and learning her fate." 
 
 "I believe you, and I hope you may succeed; but it is 
 a terrible task you have before you. However, for the
 
 Unfortunate Elsie. 28 1 
 
 time being, I shall forget my mission in Africa, and ren 
 der you such assistance as possible." 
 
 It was found that the Commi men were so badly fright 
 ened that they felt like turning back and hastening to 
 their homes. 
 
 Frank, who had read much about the Bakalai, argued 
 against this, telling them that this was a band of raiders 
 who had attacked them, and that the band was far from its 
 own people, being in a land of strangers and enemies. 
 
 The Bakalai, when on their raids, move swiftly and 
 make short halts. The party that had attacked the camp 
 would hasten from that vicinity, fearing that tribes of that 
 section would be aroused against them. 
 
 The black fellows listened attentively to Frank, boy 
 though he was. They had seen him do wonderful shoot 
 ing with his guns which he did not seem to reload, and 
 they considered him a wizard. It was not strange then 
 that, being a magician, he should know so much of the 
 habits of the Bakalai, even though his skin was white. 
 
 After much "palaver," it was finally decided that the 
 relatives of ths dead and wounded Commi men should 
 take them back down the river in a boat, while the others 
 should stand by the expedition and go forward. 
 
 Having carried that point, Frank planned to induce 
 them to pursue the Bakalai raiders, and he was finally 
 successful in his efforts. 
 
 The pursuit continued a full week, and then it was said 
 that they were on the very border of the Bakalai coun 
 try, and there the Commi men revolted and refused to go 
 farther.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE DEADLY MBOUNDOU. 
 
 The tom-toms of Ouanga were beating, and the whole 
 village was in an uproar. Men and women were scream 
 ing and rushing about like frantic creatures. All were 
 armed, their eyes were blazing, and they seemed to thirst 
 for human blood. 
 
 Ouanga was a large village in the heart of the Bakalai 
 country, and to that place captive Elsie had been taken. 
 
 On the journey the two sailors, Buntline and Jones, 
 had been seen and captured. The poor wretches were 
 nearly starved, and they offered but a feeble resistance. 
 
 The sailors were treated as slaves, but they dared not 
 rebel against the black men, for they had been disarmed, 
 and were wholly in the power of their captives. 
 
 Several days had been occupied in the journey to 
 Ouanga, and poor Elsie was nearly crazed with despair 
 when the place was finally reached. It did not seem pos 
 sible that her friends could follow her there and save her 
 from her black captors. 
 
 And what filled her with the greatest horror was the 
 knowledge that she was being taken to the king of the 
 Bakalai, who had long desired a white wife, having seen 
 a white woman once upon a time. 
 
 She was treated with the utmost consideration by the 
 fierce, warlike black men, who, believing she would some 
 day have influence with Adouma, their king, did not 
 wish her to enter complaint against them. 
 
 Buntline and Jones were forced to do a great deal of 
 heavy work and bear large burdens during the marches.
 
 The Deadly Mboundou. 283 
 
 At first Elsie had pitied them, but when they looked at 
 her there was something in their eyes that made her 
 shrink from them, and, after a little, she began to trust 
 more to the black men. 
 
 But it was not destined that Adouma should possess 
 a white wife, for, within an hour after Elsie had been 
 brought into the village, he fell ill, and his illness grew 
 swiftly, so that he was completely prostrated in a short 
 time. 
 
 Several doctors attended the king. They beat on 
 drums and kettles about the bed on which he lay, trying 
 to drive out the "evil spirits" which had taken possession 
 of him. They made racket enough to kill a man who was 
 moderately ill. 
 
 Adouma did not get better, despite the efforts of the 
 doctors. On the fourth day after being taken ill he died. 
 
 Then a sad wailing filled the village and chilled the 
 blood of poor Elsie. It was the saddest sound she had 
 ever heard. 
 
 In the king s last moments his wives had come to him, 
 and, one by one, had flung themselves upon him, encir 
 cling his form with their arms, pouring out torrents of 
 endearing phrases, singing songs of love, and entreating 
 him not to leave them, while the whole village stood 
 around wailing with sorrow. 
 
 It was a touching spectacle. Elsie had witnessed it 
 from a distance, and her heart had been filled with pity 
 for the poor unenlightened black people. 
 
 The African negro has very vague ideas of the here 
 after, and when a friend or relatives dies he says : "He is 
 gone, he is dead, he is no more; we shall never see him 
 again." 
 
 And yet they believe in witchcraft, sorcery and spirits, 
 and they fear their dead, as a rule. The Fans, alone, 
 who are cannibals, seem devoid of this fear. v
 
 284 The Deadly Mboundou. 
 
 On the day after the death of Adouma proceedings 
 were begun to discover the person or persons who had 
 bewitched him. It was not thought possible that he had 
 died of natural causes. 
 
 From far up the river a woman witch doctor was 
 brought. When she came into Ouanga no one seemed to 
 know. She suddenly appeared in the village. 
 
 In front of the house of the dead king this witch doctor 
 squatted, violently jangling a harsh bell. Two attend 
 ants stood near, one of them beating a board with two 
 sticks, the other making strange and mysterious passes 
 with his hands. 
 
 The people of the village came together on a run. The 
 attendants motioned them back, and they stood at a re 
 spectful distance. All were armed, and the tom-toms 
 beat. For a time great confusion existed, and then a 
 strange and awful silence fell on the black throng. 
 
 Elsie looked out from the door of the hut in which she 
 was confined, and she beheld a most horrible spectacle. 
 
 The sun was sinking, and the afternoon was drawing 
 toward its close. 
 
 The witch doctor had on a high headdress of black 
 feathers. Her eyelids were painted red, and a red stripe 
 from the nose upward divided the forehead into two 
 parts. Another red stripe passed around her head. The 
 face was painted white, and on either side of her mouth 
 were two round red spots. Around her neck was hung a 
 necklace of glass, and a little cord which held a box 
 against her breast. This little box was supposed to be 
 sacred and contain spirits. 
 
 About the breast of the witch doctor, and exposed 
 about her person, were several strips of leopard skins, all 
 of which were supposed to be charmed. From each 
 shoulder down to the hands were white stripes. One
 
 The Deadly Mboundou. 285 
 
 hand was painted white ; the other was blood red. There 
 was a string of small bells around her body. 
 
 This horrible-looking object squatted before a box that 
 contained charms. On this box stood a looking-glass, 
 beside which lay a buffalo horn, containing some black 
 powder. This horn was said to be the refuge of many 
 spirits. 
 
 The witch doctor had a little basket of snake bones, 
 which she shook at intervals. She also shook some skins, 
 to which small bells were attached. 
 
 Over and over she kept repeating a strange gibberish, 
 while the attendant on her right beat on the board, and 
 the one on her left made the mystic passes. 
 
 After a time the witch doctor seemed to fall into a 
 trance. 
 
 Then a most horrible hubbub followed, gradually set 
 tled into a wild, weird chant to the spirit of the moon, 
 which was now seen pale and wan in the sky, the sun hav 
 ing set. 
 
 The song was as follows : 
 
 "Ilogo, we ask thee ! 
 Tell who hath bewitched the king ! 
 
 "Ilogo, we ask thee, 
 Tell who hath destroyed the king! 
 
 "The forests are thine, Ilogo ! 
 The rivers are thine, Ilogo ! 
 The moon is thine ! 
 O moon ! O moon ! O moon ! 
 Thou art the house of Ilogo! 
 Why did the king die? 
 Who slew the king? 
 
 "Ilogo, we ask thee ! 
 For the king is dead ; 
 We would know who hath destroyed him.*
 
 286 The Deadly Mboundou. 
 
 Fascinated and filled with fear, Elsie Bellwood watched 
 this ceremony from the door of the house where she was 
 confined. 
 
 Fires were kindled, throwing flaring lights on the town 
 and the river, which seemed to lie, without current, like a 
 sluggish pool. 
 
 At last the witch doctor stirred and sat up. Instantly 
 an expectant silence fell on the assembled throng. 
 
 "I have seen Ilogo," declared the fakir. "Ilogo spoke 
 to me. He told me there were three strangers in your 
 town three strangers whose faces are white as the face 
 of the moon. 
 
 "It is true," muttered many voices. 
 
 "One of them is a woman," said the witch doctor. "She 
 it was who bewitched the king." 
 
 A mad howl of fury went up from the mob. 
 
 "She shall drink the mboundou !" cried the witch doc 
 tor. 
 
 "She shall drink the mboundou !" howled the crowd. 
 
 "But there are others," cried the witch doctor. 
 
 "There are others!" shrieked the throng. "Let us 
 know them ! They shall drink the mboundou !" 
 
 The "mboundou" is a poison decoction which the witch 
 doctors seem able to drink in large quanities, but which 
 invariably kills all others. By the witch doctors it is said 
 to be a test of innocence. If the one charged with the 
 crime drinks it and lives, it proves him innocent. 
 
 "The tall white man aided in bewitching the king," de 
 clared the witch doctor. "He hoped to become king in 
 ^.douma s stead." 
 
 "He shall drink the mboundou !" shouted the mob, wav 
 ing their weapons in the air. 
 
 "The short white man aided in bewitching the king," 
 asserted the witch doctor. "He was tired of being a 
 slave."
 
 The Deadly Mboundou. 287 
 
 "He shall drink the mboundou !" 
 
 "These are the three who destroyed the king. Bring 
 them quickly. The mboundou shall be prepared. Bring 
 them to me." 
 
 Away rushed the wild mob. Elsie had retreated, hor 
 rified and cowering with terror, into the house. They did 
 not wait to enter; they tore down the house about her, 
 and dragged her away to the witch doctor. 
 
 A great calm came to the unfortunate girl. She did 
 not weep, and she did not show despair. 
 
 "It is better so," she said, in a whisper. "This fate is 
 preferable to becoming the wife and slave of one of these 
 black wretches." 
 
 She saw Buntline and Jones dragged to the place of 
 execution. They were nearly naked, and their eyes were 
 filled with unspeakable fear. 
 
 The poison draught was prepared, and the executioner 
 appeared. He was a giant, fierce of lace, with teeth filed 
 to points, and stained black. He carried a short, heavy 
 sword. 
 
 Once more a hush had fallen on the mad throng. They 
 stood staring and waiting, quivering in every limb, their 
 nostrils dilated. The witch doctor chanted fiercely, seem 
 ing to rejoice in her bloody work. More than ever did 
 she look like some Satanic thing. 
 
 The "mboundou" was passed to Buntline. He shrank 
 back. Then he was ordered to drink it, or die at once, 
 and the executioner raised his weapon. 
 
 With a curse, the sailor took the bowl and drank. For 
 some moments it did not affect him visibly, and some 
 thing like a feeling of disappointment was coming to the 
 spectators when he was seen to stagger. 
 
 Instantly a mad howl went up. Buntline was caught 
 and held, and, a second later, his head fell to the ground, 
 severed from his body by the sword of the executioner.
 
 288 The Deadly Mboundou. 
 
 The bloody work was repeated with Jones. The man 
 struggled with all his strength to resist the poison 
 draught, but his efforts were of no avail. At last he 
 swayed, and then that fierce howl went up again. A 
 second later his head dropped. 
 
 Then the bowl of poison was offered to Elsie !
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 THE FIRE WIZARD. 
 
 Elsie lifted her eyes, and her lips moved in prayer. The 
 ghostly moonlight rested on her pale, sweet face. Her 
 golden hair, tangled and twisted, fell about her shoulders, 
 
 "Drink !" harshly cried the witch doctor. 
 
 "Drink!" roared the multitude of black men and 
 women. 
 
 She reached out her hands to take the fatal bowl. 
 
 At that moment there was a report like the roar of 
 many cannon, causing the ground to reel beneath her 
 feet. On the four sides of the town clouds of fire leaped 
 toward the sky, making the night bright as day for one 
 fearful moment, and then dying out, to leave the darkness 
 dense and terrible, for a pall of smoke arose and ob 
 scured the thin white moon. 
 
 The fires within the town flared and sank, the roof of 
 a hut fell in with a crash, and the natives were paralyzed 
 with fear. 
 
 Then a most frightful creature advanced toward the 
 spot where the executions were taking place. It was 
 like a man, but every part of its body seemed glowing 
 with fire, red flames leaped from the top of its head, in its 
 right hand it held a whirling wheel of colored fire, while 
 in its left hand was a squirming serpent of green and 
 blue. It opened its mouth and poured forth a stream of 
 fire and smoke. 
 
 "Ilogo it is Ilogo !" shrieked the appalled natives, and 
 they fell prostrate on their faces, covering their eyes from 
 the frightful spectacle.
 
 290 The Fire Wizard. 
 
 For a long time they remained thus. When they looked 
 lip, the terrible vision of fire had vanished, and the white 
 maiden was not to be seen. 
 
 The natives looked at each other, wonder and fear 
 written on their faces. 
 
 "Ilogo has taken her away," they said. "He has car 
 ried her to the moon ! Great is Ilogo !" 
 
 Elsie had been scarcely less startled than the natives 
 when the explosion took place and the fiery vision ap 
 peared. She stood with the fatal cup still clutched in hef 
 hands, seeming turned to stone. 
 
 The creature of fire advanced straight toward her. 
 iWhen the natives fell on their faces, the flaming being 
 flung aside the whirling wheel of flame and the squirming 
 serpent, dashed the blazing thing from its head, with its 
 hands beat out some burning spots about its person, and 
 then clutched Elsie. 
 
 The girl did not cry out ; fear froze her tongue. She 
 felt herself lifted with wonderful strength, flung over a 
 strong shoulder, carried away as if she were a sack of 
 grain. 
 
 The girl felt that nothing more appalling could happen 
 than had already taken place, and she resigned herself to 
 fate. 
 
 After a little she heard the one who was carrying her 
 begin to breathe heavily. They were beyond the limits 
 of the town, and darkness had closed around them, pierced 
 dimly by the misty moonlight. 
 
 "I have saved you, little sweetheart I have saved you ! 
 [We arrived in time, thank Heaven !" 
 
 She was lowered to the ground, strong arms were about 
 her, and a familiar voice sounded in her ears. 
 
 "Frank!" 
 
 She nearly swooned from joy as the word came from
 
 The Fire Wizard. 291 
 
 her lips. She clutched him with all her strength, and she 
 clung to him, panting: 
 
 "Don t let them take me away from you again ! Don t 
 let them kill me, as they killed Buntline and Jones ! Oh, 
 it was terrible terrible!" 
 
 "Never fear, dearest! They shall not take you from 
 me again. They may kill us both, but they shall not take 
 you from me while I live!" 
 
 She feared it was all a dream feared she would 
 awaken to find herself still a captive among the terrible 
 savages. 
 
 "If it is a dream, I hope I may never awaken!" she 
 murmured. 
 
 "It is no dream, Elsie," he assured her; "I am here, 
 and you are saved." 
 
 "But how can it be true ? They carried me miles upon 
 miles into this wild land. How could you find me?" 
 
 "We followed your father, Professor Bonner, Eph- 
 raim and myself. The Commi men came to the very bor 
 ders of Bakalai land and then their hearts failed them. 
 Mpomo and Okandaga we induced to stand by us and 
 follow the trail. They led us here. By our united ef 
 forts we have rescued you, although we came near being 
 too late." 
 
 He kissed her again and again, and the joy of that 
 moment seemed to smother her so it was with great diffi 
 culty that she could breathe. 
 
 After a time she asked : 
 
 "Father where is he?" 
 
 "We shall find him soon. He aided in exploding the 
 bombs which so frightened the natives. Professor Bon 
 ner is a very shrewd man, and he knew fireworks would 
 terrify the natives, so he brought along a supply for that 
 very purpose, in case it was necessary to give them a 
 fright. All this afternoon, since finding where they had
 
 292 The Fire Wizard. 
 
 taken you, we have been at work manufacturing bombs, 
 every one of which was exploded on opposite sides of the 
 town at a given signal. Then I appeared with a fire foun 
 tain on my head, a pinwheel in one hand, and a fire-ser 
 pent in the other, while some powders burned on various 
 parts of my person. Years ago I learned the magician s 
 trick of blowing fire and smoke from my mouth. I had 
 prepared for that, and it helped to paralyze the natives. 
 The only damage I sustained came from a few burns 
 given me by the blazing powders; but I had to beat out 
 the flames in a hurry when I saw the trick had worked 
 all right, and the black rascals were nearly scared out 
 of their senses." 
 
 "It is wonderful wonderful !" declared Elsie. "I had 
 given up to die I was ready to drink the poison." 
 
 When she had gained her strength somewhat, they 
 moved toward the place of meeting agreed upon by the 
 rescuers. When they arrived there, Captain Bellwood 
 was waiting. He clasped Elsie in his arms, uttering a 
 prayer of thankfulness. 
 
 The others came up shortly, and then there was a gen 
 eral handshaking. Mpomo and Okandaga, the two black 
 men who had stood by them and guided them to the vil 
 lage where the captive maiden had been taken, \\nere 
 praised and promised rewards. They were very proud of 
 what they had done. 
 
 Elsie told how she had fled in terror when the Bakalai 
 warriors had attacked the camp, and had run straight 
 into the clutches of the savages. One of them had at 
 tempted to slay her, but he had been checked by others, 
 and they had carried her away to become the wife of their 
 king. 
 
 Although Elsie had been rescued, the little party was 
 far from the coast in a land where perils abounded. They 
 knew the Bakalai might recover and pursue them, and
 
 The Fire Wizard. 293 
 
 they knew they might encounter hundreds of dangers; 
 but their hearts were strong when they turned their faces 
 toward the Fernand Vas and the Saucy Susan. 
 
 They passed through many dangers during their retreat 
 to the coast, but Commi land was reached at last, and the 
 band was unbroken. 
 
 Mpomo and Okandaga were given many presents, so 
 that they became two of the "richest" men of their tribe, 
 and were much envied by the others. 
 
 Captain Bellwood gave thanks when he stood upon the 
 deck of his vessel, with Elsie by his side. He declared 
 it was the happiest moment of his life. 
 
 "What do I not owe to you, Frank Merriwell !" he said, 
 regarding the boy affectionately. "Twice you have saved 
 my child from certain death. It is not in my power to 
 sufficiently reward you." 
 
 "It may be some time," smiled Frank, with a significant 
 look at Elsie a look that brought the color to her face. 
 
 Professor Bonner had not given up the project of find 
 ing the "Missing Link." 
 
 "I will penetrate to the land where those creatures are 
 said to be, or I will leave my bones in Africa," he de 
 clared. 
 
 "Wai," drawled Ephraim Gallup, "I ve had abaout all 
 I want uv this country, by gum! an I m reddy to git 
 aout. Frank Merriwell may be a fool an try it aga n, 
 but I don t believe he will." 
 
 "No," smiled Frank, "I hardly think I will. I have 
 been prevailed upon to sail north with Captain Bellwood. 
 There are other countries I want to see now." 
 
 Professor Bonner went back to resume his remarkable 
 search. He disappeared into the great forests of Equa 
 torial Africa, from which he has never come forth. It
 
 294 The Fire Wizard. 
 
 may be that he has perished in that dark land, and it may 
 be that he will some day come forth to astound the world 
 with proof of the existence of the "Missing Link." 
 
 THE END.
 
 "BEST OF ALL BOYS BOOKS;; 
 THE FAMOUS 
 
 Frank Merriwell Stories 
 
 By BURT L. STANDISH 
 
 No modern series of tales for boys and youths has 
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 Illustrated, cloth binding, 5O cents per volume 
 
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 (i)
 
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