as forced to fly from the
school."

"You disgraced yourself," declared the defiant captive. "You cheated at
cards--you fleeced your schoolmates."

"And you exposed the trick! Oh, yes, I was rather flip with the papers,
and I should not have been detected but for you, Merriwell. When I was
exposed, I knew I would be shunned by all the fellows in school, and so
I ran away. But I did not forget who brought the disgrace about, and I
knew we should meet some time, Merriwell. We did meet. How you came here
I do not know, and why my bullet did not kill you is more than I can
understand."

"It would have killed me but for a locket and picture in my pocket,"
returned Frank. "It struck the locket, and that saved me; but the shock
robbed me of strength--it must have robbed me of consciousness for a
moment."

"It would have been just as well for you if the locket had not stopped
the bullet," declared Gage, fiercely.

"By that I presume you mean that you intend to murder me anyway?"

"I have sworn that one of us shall never leave this swamp alive."

"Go ahead, Gage," came coolly from the lips of the captive. "Luck seems
to have turned your way. Make the most of it while you have an
opportunity."

"We can't spend time in gabbing here," came nervously from Bowsprit.
"Let's get away immediately."

"Yes," put in Black Tom; "fo' de Lawd's sake, le's get away before dat
light shine some mo'!"

"That's right," said the old tar. "Some things happen in this swamp that
no human being can account for."

Gage was ready enough to get away, and they were soon pulling onward
again, with Frank Merriwell, bound and helpless, in the bottom of the
smaller boat.

For nearly an hour they rowed, and then they succeeded in finding some
dry, solid land where they could camp beneath the tall, black trees.

They were so overcome with alarm that they did not venture to build a
fire, for all that Gage was shivering in his wet clothes.

Leslie was still puzzling over Frank Merriwell's astonishing appearance,
and he tried to question Frank concerning it, but he could obtain but
little satisfaction from the boy he hated.

The night passed, and morning came.

Away to the west stretched the Everglades, while to the north and the
east lay the dismal cypress swamps.

The party seemed quite alone in the heart of the desolate region.

Leslie started out to explore the strip of elevated land upon which they
had passed the night, and he found it s