s he dropped to the ground. "Bink
says that I'm a small-caliber projectile, but I was quite big enough for
that cannon. Say, do you fire men every day?"

The gunner could not suppress a grin.

"Men? Well, you're likely to get fired, young feller, if you monkey
round these guns!" he declared.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE MYSTERY CLEARED AWAY.

What news was obtainable at Sea Cove about Barney Mulloy was important,
though somewhat unsatisfactory. Barney had been attacked by tramps and
badly hurt, but not killed, though at first the report of his death had
gone out. One of the tramps had been nearly killed in the fight, and
Mulloy had disappeared.

"What became of him? Where did he go?" were Merriwell's questions.

"We didn't pay much attention to it," was the answer given by
Merriwell's Sea Cove informant. "Likely he walked off, or went away on
the boat or train. Easy enough to get out of this place."

With this meager information, Frank and his friends hurried back on the
launch to Glen Springs.

"He isn't dead!" was Merry's cheerful declaration. "That must have been
Barney that Bart and I saw."

"But the walking?" Hodge dubiously questioned.

"And why should he be in hiding?" Diamond demanded.

"Some men love darkness, because their deeds are evil," Dismal droned.

"Well, you may be sure that Barney's deeds were not evil," said Frank,
"Barney is straight, and true blue."

Night was at hand when the launch cast anchor in the shallow harbor in
front of Glen Springs and sent a boat ashore with Merry and the friends
he had chosen for the vigil of the coming hours of darkness. The
landlord of the little hotel was not pleased that they had returned for
the purpose of capturing the "ghost," though he was beginning, as he
confessed, to feel "creepy" about it himself.

"I was intendin' to set up and watch for it, if you hadn't come," he
finally admitted.

No one answering to Barney's description had been seen in Glen Springs
through the day. In fact, no stranger whatever had been seen in the
place from the time the launch went away until it returned.

"It's mighty curious," Bart grimly observed.

"I have a feeling that we will learn to-night just what it is," said
Merriwell.

Frank occupied his old room, and sat at the window with Hodge, while
Diamond, Rattleton, and Bruce remained in the office. The doors leading
to the corridor were at first closed. Merry looked at his watch after
the lights were put