“Look here, Cole,” said Dick earnestly, “are you ready to swear to this in court?” The Maplewood boy betrayed evident alarm. “No, no!” he exclaimed. “I won’t do that! Why, Fernald would lay it up agin’ me, and I’d git soaked for it sometime.” “But if you were compelled to tell the story in court you wouldn’t perjure yourself?” “I don’t know for sure that he really tried to shoot at either one of you,” said Cole, a crafty look coming into his eyes. “If I had to tell anything in court I’d say I didn’t know jest what he was tryin’ to shoot at; but I saw you out there and knew the bullet was going to come pretty near you, and so I poked his arm. If he said he was firing at a mark or a bird I couldn’t deny it.” Dick saw at once that any attempt to use Cole as a witness against Fernald would fail. “I ain’t going to be your enemy no more,” declared Jack. “I decided on that while I was walking round the shore. If I can help you somehow I’ll do it, too; but I won’t go into court and git into no trouble that way.” “I suppose you know that the trolley car that was bringing us to Maplewood this afternoon jumped the track, and that the rails had been loosened and spread by some one?” questioned Dick. “I heerd about it,” nodded Cole. “When did you hear—in advance, or after it occurred?” “I ain’t going to say nothing about that, either,” declared the Maplewood lad, with a show of uneasiness. “I know lots of things I won’t say nothing about.” Although Dick questioned him in the cleverest manner, Cole persisted in his determination to remain silent on the subject of the trolley-car affair. “But I want to tell you something that may help you some,” said Jack. “I want you to know it so you’ll be prepared for what you’re goin’ against this afternoon. Hammerswell means to beat you somehow, and he’s made plans to do it. He’ll have a tough crowd on hand to rattle you and bulldoze you. He’s got all the fellers around him to come to help him, and paid ’em, too. Then he sent for Fernald, and Fernald picked up a still tougher gang in Rockford. They’ll all be here in a bunch, and you want to look out for a lot of trouble. I promised to help them, but I won’t do it now. No, sir! Instead of helping them, I’m goin’ to holler for you. If I can do anything more than holler I’ll do it, you bet! But I’m afraid you’re goin’ ter lose the game. I’d like to see you win it now, but I don’t believe you can.” “Well,” said Dick, “I’m obliged for this warning, at least. If we get a fair deal on the field, the crowd may hoot and yell as much as it likes. I don’t believe it can rattle the boys very much. We’ll be ready for hoodlumism, and the chances are that sort of business will simply serve to make the boys play harder.” “I hope so, blamed if I don’t!” nodded Cole. “Now I guess I’ll go home and change my clothes. I wish I was goin’ ter play this afternoon, but I’m glad I ain’t going ter play agin’ you.” A sudden idea came to Dick.