“I don’t doubt he’s safe enough to do that,” grumbled Bruce, who had come down to the boathouse in spite of his aching head and generally used-up condition. “But as for me! Ugh! I wouldn’t leap into that water for wages. It makes me shiver to look at it!” Rattleton gave a wink and thrust his hands into his pockets. Gallup and Mulloy imitated his example, and when their hands came out, they were seen to contain each a number of white capsules. “Take another dose of quineen, and keep off that chill,” said Rattleton, extending the capsules toward Bruce. “Gullup daown another dost of quinine an’ keep off that gol darn chill!” cried Ephraim, pushing the capsules into Browning’s face. “Swally anither dose av quoinin an’ kape aff thot ager,” advised Barney, doing the same. Browning arose to his feet and shook his fist at them in mock rage, whereupon they dodged backward and made a feint of swallowing the capsules themselves. “Mistah Browning’ll make you have wuss dan de fevah an’ chilluns,” warned Toots. “I’s su’mised dat Mistah Browning ain’t feelin’ berry good dis mawnin—no, sar!” Suddenly Browning was seen to straighten up and stare toward the slope where the benches had been placed. “There she is,” he whispered, nodding his head in that direction. “She! Who? What are you talking about?” demanded Jack Diamond. “Nell Thornton! Don’t look at her right now, and all at once. But you can see her on the end of that farthest bench. The slim girl, with the cotton dress and calico sunbonnet. Heavens! I’m glad to see her, for I know now that she succeeded in pulling the wool over the eyes of that villain, Sam Turner!” “And she has come here for no other purpose than to let you see her, so that you may know that she is safe,” observed Diamond. “I believe you are right,” assented Browning. Then the entire party went out to the edge of the boat landing, from which point the swimmers were to dive and begin the race. “Are you all ready?” asked the starter, as Merriwell and Colson, Hammond and Matlock stood up side by side, and faced the deep-blue water in which they were to contest for the supremacy. “Ready!” ran along the line. “One, two, three—go!” At the word, four trim, muscular forms flashed in the air, shot downward, and slipped into the depths with scarcely a splash. “They’re off!” some one yelled. With a waving of handkerchiefs and a fluttering of fans and umbrellas, the spectators began to cheer. Ward Hammond and Frank Merriwell came to the surface first, with Colson and Matlock close after them. Hammond was a full yard ahead of Frank, and the latter’s friends saw that Merriwell would not have an easy task if he defeated the Glendale youth, who seemed to be able to dive and swim like a fish.