see the sufferers on the raft.

"I don't believe there is a soul on the sloop!" Bart declared, in a
despairing way.

"Well, if she keeps on her course, we'll get so near that perhaps we can
swim to her and climb on board."

But Bart was wrong. Hardly had he made the declaration, when a man
appeared on deck, accompanied by a shaggy dog.

Merriwell and Hodge renewed their cries to attract his attention. But
the man gave them absolutely no heed. Once they fancied that the dog
turned his nose in their direction.

"He don't want to see us," Bart growled. "We are near enough for him to
hear! I----"

His sentence was interrupted by a young lady who rushed suddenly on deck
from the "cuddy" or cabin. A scream issued from her lips as she
appeared, and immediately a second man came into view, from whom she
seemed to be fleeing.

"My God! Inza Burrage!"

Merriwell fairly shouted the words.

Inza did not see the raft and her friends. She appeared to see only the
shaggy-bearded fellow, who now stood grimly looking at her.

"She's going to jump overboard!" cried Hodge, so excited that he almost
fell off the raft.

Merriwell shouted with all his might. Inza turned and saw the raft. She
uttered another piercing cry, stretched out her hands, and seemed again
about to leap into the sea.

Instead of heeding the cry sent up by Merriwell, Inza's pursuer leaped
at her to prevent her from jumping over the rail; and, then, bearing her
in his strong arms, deliberately carried her back into the cuddy.

Merriwell and Hodge shouted, yelled, screamed. The one man on the deck
paid not the slightest attention to their cries.

"He refuses to hear us!" said Hodge.

The other man appeared, and they called again. One of the men went to
the tiller, and the course of the sloop was changed.

"They are going to pretend that they did not see us," Frank exclaimed.

"Hold to the raft, Hodge! Stay by it!"

"What are you going to do?" Hodge demanded.

"I'm going to swim to that sloop!"

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE MYSTERY OF THE FISHING-SLOOP.

"Stay with the raft," Merriwell again commanded.

"But I want to go with you! You will need help!"

"Perhaps I may have to return to the raft. I can't find it if you leave
it."

"We can get on that vessel. And perhaps, if you go alone, you will be
killed."

Merriwell was as anxious and almost as much excited, but he kept his
head.

"Don't you see that the sloop is moving on the new tack