No reply. The struggle continued with unabated fury. Bart was forced to his knees, but he got upon his feet again. He wondered how Frank was making out, but could not get breath to call to his friend. Once his feet slipped and he felt that he was going over the brink into the water below, but he held fast to the man, and the unknown dragged him back. Then came a time when Bart’s assailant lifted his fist and struck the boy on the temple. Hodge was stunned. He reeled and flung up both hands. Quick as thought the man caught up the boy and flung him over the brink. Bart whirled through the air, struck the surface of the water with a great splash, and sunk. In the meantime, Frank had been fighting fiercely, although taken at a disadvantage. Once he flung the stranger fairly over his head, but the man was up instantly, and, as Frank had slipped in doing the trick, it proved a misfortune to Merry, who was caught from behind. Again Frank’s assailant uttered a sound, but this time it was a laugh of triumph. “I have you now,” grated a hoarse voice in Merriwell’s ear. “Oh, I don’t know!” returned Frank. “That’s not so sure.” He gripped his body with a quick motion, and both rolled on the ground. Over and over they went. When they rose, the unknown was still clinging to Frank, having him at a disadvantage. But Merriwell did not cease struggling for an instant. He did not seem to need to rest, for he continued to fight as fiercely as at the start, and he succeeded, at last, in breaking the hold of his enemy. Frank whirled and grappled with the unknown. “Now it is different!” he half laughed. “It’s not all going your way, my friend.” “I’m no friend of yours!” “Excuse the slip.” Frank forced the man off with his left hand, and then struck him with his right. It was too close, however, for the blow to be effective, and it simply seemed to sting the fellow to greater fury. Now the unknown began to exhaust himself with his furious efforts to beat Frank down and conquer him. He panted and snarled, but Merry was his match. Frank was waiting till the time when he could go at the man and do him up. He could see his enemy was exhausting his wind in frantic struggles to win at once. Thus the battle continued till Merry heard a great splash in the water of the cove, and, a moment later, a man came rushing to the assistance of Frank’s foe. “I’ve fixed t’other feller!” palpitated the man. “Then get in and give me a lift!” growled the one who was trying to conquer Merry. “This chap is the Old Nick!” Frank knew now that he was fighting against desperate odds. They were two against him, and they were determined to destroy him. The thought that Bart had met with his end infuriated Merriwell. He had heard the splash in the water, and his imagination pictured Hodge flung down from the rocks, stabbed through the heart. Perhaps the water was stained at that moment with the lifeblood of poor Hodge.