hen he gave Thornton a terrible
thump between the eyes.

In another moment they were at it fiercely.

Although Flemming was a big fellow with a reputation as a bully, Harry
Rattleton had not hesitated to lay hands on him.

"You're a chine fap--I mean a fine chap!" shouted Harry. "So you are
concerned in this attempted bribery!"

"Get out!" snarled Flemming. "I'll break your nose!"

"Break it!" invited Rattleton. "I'll try to do a little something while
you are about it!"

Flemming waited to say not another word, but, quick as a flash, he did
strike Harry a heavy blow on the jaw. Rattleton was staggered, but he
held on to Flemming. A moment later both were swept down by the rush of
the crowd.

It was something of a blind fight, and it waged with great fierceness,
although in an aimless manner, for some moments. Several of the windows
in the car were broken.

Bob Collingwood waded into the midst of the struggling mass of human
beings, scattering them with his powerful arms, and crying:

"Here, stop this senseless scrapping! Where is the fellow who tried to
bribe Merriwell?"

Where, indeed? All looked around for him, but he was gone. In some
manner he had made his escape in the midst of the tumult.

"He must be on the train!" cried Frank. "He can't escape from the train
till it stops! Here--I have his coat! He left it in my hands when the
crowd tore us apart."

Merriwell held up the garment.

"He must be in the car back of this!" declared Collingwood. "I want to
see him--I want to get a fair look at his face."

"I'd like to do something else to his face!" shouted another student.
"Think of any one offering a Yale pitcher money to throw a game to
Harvard!"

This brought a mad howl from the angry students.

Rattleton and Flemming had been torn apart during the struggle, and
Thornton and Diamond were separated, but not until Jack had thumped the
fellow he disliked, and done it several times.

Both Flemming and Thornton were forgotten. The excited students rushed
out by the open door, and crowded into the rear car, which was the only
one on the train to which the unknown man could have escaped.

"Where is he?" was the hoarse shout that went up, as the angry boys
packed into the car.

They looked desperate and dangerous, as if they were thirsting for human
blood.

At the farther end of the car a man in his shirt-sleeves crouched and
muttered:

"Well, derned if I expected to kick up this sort of a ru