y that Fred started back
involuntarily. Then, angry with himself at the recoil, his lips curled
scornfully, and he surveyed the other lad in the most haughty and
insolent manner.

"Get out of my way!" he cried, harshly. "I will not be bothered by you!"

The same old smile--the smile that was so dangerous--crept over
Merriwell's face.

"You think you will not be bothered by me," he said, his voice smooth
and soft, "but you deceive yourself. You have taken a fancy to bother
me, to revile me behind my back, even to make false statements
concerning me, for you have said that I sought your position on the crew
and obtained it by underhand means. In the presence of these witnesses
you have stated that I am a most bungling wrestler. That is something
you cannot deny."

"I do not wish to deny it. You are not a wrestler--you know nothing of
the art."

"And you claim to be a wrestler?"

"Yes, I can wrestle."

"Then, here and now, I challenge you to wrestle me at side-holds,
catch-as-you-can and arm's end, the winner of two out of three falls to
be acknowledged the best man, and Hugh Heffiner to be the judge. If you
refuse to wrestle, I will brand you as a blower and a braggart--a fellow
not fit to be accepted in the society of gentlemen. Your answer,
Flemming--your answer!"

CHAPTER XIII.

THE WRESTLING MATCH.

Flemming turned pale and trembled with suppressed passion, while his
hands were clinched, and he glared at Merriwell as if he longed to
strike the lad who had dared face him and fling such an insulting
challenge in his teeth.

He tried to speak, but the words were choked back in his throat. He felt
that Merriwell was seeking retaliation, and, for that reason, had
purposely worded his challenge in a manner calculated to cut him deeply.

"Shame!" came from the lips of Tom Thornton.

Still the lad who had given the challenge smiled.

"I am meeting Mr. Flemming as he would meet me," said Frank, calmly. "I
am using the sort of language he would not hesitate to apply to me. Of
course I feel that I am lowering myself in doing so, but it is
absolutely necessary in some cases to place one's self on the level of
an unscrupulous enemy in order to meet and defeat him."

All this was said with coolness and distinctness, and it was as if Frank
were deliberately sinking the knife deeper in Flemming's writhing body.

It seemed to be more than Flemming could endure, for he lost control of
himself, and would ha