"Let me alone for that," said Hartwick, significantly. "I know a way to get it, and we'll have it. I wish we might get Merriwell to stake his entire fortune on that horse. We'd end his career at Yale." Harris laughed. "I'd like to know how you are going to get so much money, Hart?" he cried. "Why, I had to lend you twenty as capital the last game of poker you entered." "Don't let anything worry you if you don't know all about it, Sport," advised Hartwick. "You've got your twenty back, haven't you?" "Yes." "Well, you can't kick." "All right; but I'm afraid your scheme won't work out very well." "It will, just as hard, if we can depend on Mike here to make sure Merriwell's horse does not win." "Watcher want me ter do?" asked Mike. "Doctor the animal at the last moment, if you can't buy off the jockey." "That's easy! But where does my share of ther profits come in?" "You shall have your share, don't you worry. We'll have that all arranged in advance." "Then that goes! I am with yer, gents." "What are the rest of us to do?" asked Harris. "There will be something for all of us to do. Ditson must continue to play the spy on Merriwell." "And that's the most dangerous job of all!" cried Roll. "You know what came near happening to me the night I found out Merriwell intended to put Nemo in the Mystic Park races. I was nearly chewed up by Diamond's dog." "But you escaped with your life," said Harris. "Because I took that cane with the loaded end. If it hadn't been for that the infernal dog would have eaten me. I hit him an awful blow. It would have killed any other dog." "Well," said Harlow, "we'll strike a different kind of a blow directly--one that will do more than lay out a dog." CHAPTER VIII. TAKING CHANCES. It was the day of the spring races at Mystic Park, and Bethany was filled with strangers. Horsemen, sporting men, sightseers, touts, race-track gamblers, women in gay attire, and all the different kinds of persons usually seen at a country horse race in the State of Connecticut were on hand. A number of Yale lads had come up to Bethany to attend the races. The most of them were friends of Frank Merriwell. Some of his enemies were there, also. Frank had brought Nemo up himself, and he scarcely slept the night before the races. He felt that there was danger in the air. Nemo had been entered in the "free for all," and his name was on the bills. Frank had been informed that he would be given odds that his horse did not take a purse. He had received an anonymous letter ridiculing him for thinking of entering such a horse. He had been taunted and told that he dared not stake money on Nemo.