him. We are four to one."

Dave and Roger pressed forward with increased speed and poor Buster
fell somewhat behind.

"I'm coming as fa--fast as I ca--can!" blurted out the fat youth. "Go
on--I'll get there sooner or later!"

"Pick up a stick, if you see one," cried Dave, to Roger and Gus. "We
may have a hot fight on our hands. That man ought to be in jail, or in
an asylum."

As they sped along, the three kept their eyes open and each presently
armed himself with a fair-sized club. The wild man was running like a
deer, pausing occasionally to turn and brandish his long arms at them
savagely. They could see that his clothing was in tatters and that his
hair and beard were long and unkempt.

"Hi! stop!" called out Dave, although he had but little hope of
causing the man to halt. "We want to talk to you."

"Go back! Beware! Go back, or it will be the worse for you!" called
the wild man. "Leave the King of Sumatra alone!"

"The King of Sumatra?" repeated Roger. "Say, he's crazy sure enough,
to imagine himself that!"

The boys continued after the wild man and urged him to stop. But
instead of heeding them, he ran on the faster.

"He's an athlete, when it comes to running," remarked Dave, as he
tried in vain to get closer to the man.

"They say crazy people are always strong," answered the senator's
son.

"I've go--got to gi--give up!" panted Gus, and came to a halt.
"Go--got a pa--pain in my side!" And he put his hand over his hip.

"All right, we'll manage alone!" cried Roger. "I don't think we can
catch that fellow anyway," he added, half under his breath.

Another turn of the woodland road brought the Leming River into plain
view, at a point where the stream was both wide and deep. The wild man
kept sprinting along and it was impossible for the boys to draw any
closer to him.

"Shall we threaten to shoot him if he won't stop?" asked Roger.
Neither of the lads carried firearms.

[Illustration: "STOP!" CRIED DAVE.--_Page 87._]

"No, he might do some shooting on his own account,--if he is armed.
Come on, he may fall, or something like that."

Inside of three minutes more the wild man gained the shore of the
river and disappeared around a point of rocks and brushwood.

"Be careful, Dave," warned Roger. "He may spring out at you with a
club."

"I've got my eyes open," was the ready reply.

Both advanced with caution, and soon came up to the nearest of the
rocks. With clubs ready for use, the two you