to the boat. With a
shudder at the thought of the fate that awaited the luckless Spaniard,
he addressed himself to the work that lay before him.

And there was plenty of it, and lively, too, while it lasted.

The other Spaniard, who had been peering into the water ahead, turned
sharply around when he heard the noise made by the splash of his
companion, and in the act involuntarily dropped the revolver.

What must have been his feelings upon beholding the lithe and dripping
form of the plucky young American emerging from the sea, may well be
imagined.

But Clif did not pause to study the effects. He seized an oar and sprang
toward his remaining foe.

"Surrender, you villain!" he cried in Spanish as he advanced.

The Spaniard seized an oar and with an oath sprang toward the American.

And there, on the quiet bosom of the water in the dim light of night,
ensued a stubbornly contested duel, in which oars took the place of
broadsword and sabre.

Clif fought savagely and desperately. His blood was up, and he knew that
now, if ever, he was, fighting for his life.

But in the end it was fortune that favored him. A chance blow upon his
antagonist's head rendered the latter unconscious, and victory again
perched upon the young American's banner.

There was no time for exultation, even if he had felt that way. The work
had been too serious, and necessity for action was too imperative.

Satisfied that he had nothing to fear from his enemy, now lying helpless
in the bottom of the Boat, Clif seized the oars and turned the boat
toward shore.

It was trying work for one man to row that boat even the short distance
that lay between him and shore--especially after the ordeal through
which he had passed. But excitement buoyed him up and he made good
progress.

His companions in the shade of the bushes where he had left them had
witnessed his exciting duel and were wrought up to tense excitement. How
they bemoaned the fact that they were not there to help him!

It became evident that there were other spectators, too; for no sooner
had Clif seized the oars and began to row for the shore than a volley of
bullets rattled out across the water from the hill that had witnessed
such thrilling scenes earlier in the night. The Spanish soldiers had
discovered Clif!

In the face of this, Clif redoubled his efforts to reach the beach and
rescue his companions, who might any moment be attacked by the soldiers
in their rear.

But th