At the moment he passed the native rider cut Dick a fearful lash across the shoulders with his leather quirt, yelling loudly some vile expletive in Spanish. For the fraction of a second Dick did not comprehend what had happened. The blow across his bare back nearly brought him to his knees and, missing his footing, he fell headlong. In an instant he was up again holding a rough, jagged piece of rotten-rock in either hand and running back after the reckless horseman. Never before in his life had Dick been thoroughly angry--never before had he felt that insane rage within him that knew no other impulse than the desire to inflict bodily harm on another human being. The horseman must have disappeared behind the deserted shack, for he was nowhere in sight. By this time Henry came swinging along the trail, and he was surprised to see his chum coming towards him like a raving maniac. "Did you see him?" yelled Dick furiously. "See whom?" questioned Henry. "That black drunken scoundrel on horseback." "What are you talking about, Dick? I’ve seen no horseman." "Didn’t a native just pass you on the trail, riding a pony like mad and lashing the poor brute with a rawhide quirt?" "Nope,--I reckon you must have been seeing things, Dick," and Henry started to laugh. "’Seeing things,’ nothing! Look at that red welt across my back, if you think I’ve been ’seeing things’!" shouted Dick, and he turned while Henry examined with amazement the angry looking ridge across the broad, sun-browned shoulders. "I see it, right enough, Dick, but--you say a man on horseback did it?" "Yes, and if he didn’t pass you on the trail then he turned by this hut and went off into the bush, and I’m going to get him and thrash him before this day is over," said Dick, and having delivered his outburst he rushed off towards the clump of bushes, tall grass and cabbage palms, clustering close to the far corner of the hut. "Hold on, Dick," called Henry, "we can’t get through that jungle without our clothes. You stay here on watch while I go back and fetch them. The rest of the liberty party will be along any time now and they will lend us a hand." "I don’t need any help to thrash that cowardly Spig,"[#] muttered Dick, but seeing the wisdom of Henry’s suggestion he consented to wait. [#] "Spig" or "Spiggoty"--A generic term for all inhabitants of Latin-American countries and of the Philippines and Guam, given by sailors, soldiers and marines only since the Spanish War of 1898.