Harlow, expelled from Harvard for gambling and cheating at cards, had come to New Haven in search of “suckers” among the Yale students. He had been introduced by a student by the name of Harris, and Frank, whose one great failing was his strong inclination to play cards for a stake, had been drawn into the game in his endeavor to pull Rattleton out of it. In the end it had proved fortunate that Frank was led into the game, for he had detected Harlow in his crooked dealing and exposed him, compelling him to give up certain of Diamond’s promises to pay, and thus saving Jack from disgrace. Harlow was revengeful, and he had tried to “get square” with Frank, but each attempt had rebounded disastrously upon him. When last seen, Rolf was following a circus through the State of Missouri, and working a shell game on the country people. Now he was in Virginia, coaching a crew of oarsmen who were practicing for a race! And, as usual, he was playing a crooked game. The crew in the boat saw the struggle on the shore, and wondered what it meant. There was a landing near, and toward it the coxswain directed the boat, saying: “Pull, fellows! We must go up there and investigate this affair. We have been watched.” Harlow turned very pale when he recognized Frank, for he had learned to fear our hero. He had not dreamed they would meet in Virginia. As soon as Diamond could recover from the astonishment of the discovery, he scornfully cried: “Harlow it is, and he is up to his old tricks!” The spy, whom Frank had captured, made a savage attempt to thrust Merriwell from the edge of the bluff into the river, seeing the crew was coming, and he soon would be face to face with a lot of angry lads who might not have any mercy on him. “Easy, my fine chap!” laughed the Yale athlete. “What’s the use! You can’t do it, you know!” “Help, Harlow!” appealed the spy. “The Blue Cove fellows are coming, and they’ll be awfully mad!” Harlow hesitated, and then a desperate light came into his eyes. Young ruffian that he was, he always went armed, and now he decided to make an attempt to bluff Frank. With a quick movement, Rolf produced a revolver, which he pointed straight at Merriwell, crying: “Let him go—let him go, or I’ll shoot!” The expression on his face seemed to indicate that he really meant it, and Diamond shivered a bit, knowing Harlow as he did, and thinking him desperate and reckless enough to do almost anything in a burst of passion. Jack crouched to move aside, so he could spring at Rolf, but Harlow saw the movement, and hissed: “Stand still there, or I’ll shoot you first!” “You don’t dare——” began Jack. “Don’t I?” interrupted the desperate lad with the revolver. “You’ll find I do! I’ve been jumped on by you fellows till I can’t stand any more of it! This is a case of self-defense, and I can prove it so. You attacked us! I have a right to defend my life!”