“pard,” said brad buckhart, edging his chair close to dick as they sat on the veranda of the hotel, “this yere business is a whole lot like a sunday-school picnic to me. i sure am getting some weary of it. i don’t want to kick any, but it seems to me you’re not having a hilarious old time yourself.”

“oh, i am enjoying it all right,” answered dick.

“still don’t you feel a heap like a misfit in this crowd? if it were our bunch it would be different. we don’t seem to pair up any. there’s rattleton, he’s satisfied to sit and look on, and browning is too lazy to be disturbed over anything, while the rest of the party kind of pair up and go it first-rate. i don’t want to make a holler, but i’d some prefer to be down on the sachem about now, and i think we can add to the bliss of the others if we vamoose.”

“well, if you’re anxious to go——” began dick.

“not exactly anxious, but i am tired of keeping still. we won’t break up the congregation any if we pull out by our own selves, partner.”

“all right,” said dick, “we will do so. i fancy we’ll have no trouble in following the wagon road down the mountain.”

young merriwell told rattleton of their decision, and asked him to inform frank when merry returned to the hotel.

a few moments later dick and brad set out, taking the wagon road. at intervals they passed through dark strips of timber, where the moonlight failed to penetrate. there were other spots where it shone through in patches upon the winding road.

“don’t suppose there are any panthers or catamounts?” said the texan.

“it’s quite improbable,” answered dick. “there are few wild creatures in this vicinity.”

“seems a whole lot strange to me. you know out in texas we kind of reckon maine as being made up of woods, and bears, and creatures of that sort. down here i find lots of folks think texas is all prairie, and cattle, and cowboys. i didn’t get back home this summer, but i’ve had a mighty fine vacation, dick. i will never forget it. pard, we certain did a big thing by landing the pennant in the trolley league. when i think it over now, i don’t wonder any at all that the people in the league laughed at us a heap and fancied we would finish at the bottom. they didn’t know us, though. we were out for scalps, and we took ’em. those last two games in fairhaven were corkers. how old hammerswell did fight to lug off one of those games! they say he went clean busted by losing them both.”

“that’s right,” said dick. “i understand he didn’t have a dollar left in the world when the season was ended.”

“money wouldn’t have been much good to him.”

“possibly you’re right, brad, for if arlington told the truth, hammerswell stood in the shadow of a murder charge. for he it was who hurled sullivan into rapid river and thus caused sullivan’s death by drowning.”

“don’t talk to me about chet arlington!” exclaimed brad growlingly. “don’t mention that coyote to me! the sound of his name makes my fur stand. pard, do you reckon he’ll have the nerve to show his nose at fardale after what he’s done this summer?”

“it wouldn’t surprise me to find him there.”

“why, dern his pesky hide! he went plum back on us the very day we landed in maplewood. he turned traitor. then he had the crust to crawl around you and try to excuse himself.”

“he has plenty of crust,” agreed dick. “it’s his cheek that keeps him up in the world.”

“when do you plan to start for fardale?” asked the texan.

“in a day or two. i wish to be with frank as long as possible. i have thought he may be ready to go on to new york by the time we have to start for school.”

“well, i don’t know, but i’ll be glad to get back to the old school,” confessed the texan. “there will be doings this fall. i suppose you will jog out the bunch and commence football practice just as soon as we strike there?”

“i will not waste time about it. the more practice we get the better it will be.”

“we ought to have a hot old team this year, partner.”

“i think we’ll have a good one. frank wants to come on to fardale for a few days, but he’s afraid he can’t do it. he’s going to have his hands full directly with that railroad business.”

“how would you like to go down there into mexico with him and see the railroad pushed through?”

“i should like it,” confessed dick; “but there’s nothing of the sort for me. it’s school for me now.”

“i don’t take much to greasers. they are a-plenty treacherous. now there’s that smooth, smiling chap, del norte—he don’t hit me at all fine. he’s too slick and oily for my fancy. oh, we see lots of them down on the rio pecos. you know we’re some near the mexican border. i have had dealings with the varmints, and you can never depend on them to any great extent. they are not all bad, but a texan never takes stock in any of them. he can’t afford to. where you find one that’s white all the way through, you find a hundred who will eat your bread and stick you between the shoulder blades. i reckon old del norte is one of those.”

“i myself don’t like del norte,” confessed dick. “i have seen him watching inza in a way i didn’t fancy. he had better be careful or frank will teach him a lesson if he gets too forward in that direction.”

“what is he doing on the sachem, anyhow? i heard him talking yesterday with mr. crossgrove about mines and a railroad and one thing and another. i believe he’s a promoter.”

“i think he’s a schemer of some sort. there’s not much doubt about that.”

having reached the foot of the mountain and the main road, the boys turned toward town and dick began singing “fair fardale.” brad joined in, and the rocks and cliffs of the mountainside reverberated with the melody of the beautiful song.

at length they passed the cemetery at the foot of the mountain and came into the village.

“how will we get off to the yacht, partner?” asked the texan.

“oh, we can find some one to set us off, i think,” said dick. “if not we will signal, and one of the sailors will row ashore for us.”

arriving at fishmarket wharf, they were just in time to see a boy row in with a small boat.

“hello!” said dick. “do you want to make fifty cents?”

“sure thing,” was the reply. “just made a dollar, and fifty more will keep it from being lonesome. what can i do?”

“set us off to the yacht sachem.”

“hey?” exclaimed the boy, with a slight show of surprise. “are you in a great hurry?”

“no.”

“don’t want me to rip things in getting you on board, i suppose?”

“no; you may take your time. we have the whole night before us.”

“well, i didn’t know,” muttered the boy, a touch of disappointment in his voice. “i thought mebbe you was in the same hurry t’other chap was. he gave me a dollar to hump myself and put him off to the sachem.”

“to the sachem?” questioned dick.

“sure thing.”

“i wonder who it was.”

“didn’t ask his name,” said the boy; “but i guess he just got through some sort of an accident. his hat was gone and his clothes were all torn, and his cheek was scratched and cut. is there a doctor on the sachem? mebbe he wanted the doctor to patch him up.”

“this is some interesting, pard,” said buckhart, as they settled in the boat and the boy pushed off. “i wonder who the chap was.”

“what did he look like?” asked dick, directing his question toward the rower.

“well, from what i saw he was kind of slim and had dark eyes and hair, and a little pointed mustache.”

“that description fits porfias del norte right well,” said buckhart; “but it can’t be the greaser, for he’s up yonder on the mountain.”

“no, it can’t be del norte,” agreed dick. “we will find out very soon who it was, for yonder lies the sachem.”

as they swung in at the side of the yacht a sailor appeared and watched them come aboard.

dick questioned the sailor, and both boys were greatly astonished when they were told that the man who had just preceded them was none other than porfias del norte.

“he had a bad fall on the mountain, sir,” said the sailor. “his clothes were torn, and he was cut and bruised. said he slipped and fell over a steep ledge.”

“hey there!” called the boy from the boat. “when do i get that fifty cents? you fellers clean forgot me.”

“i will pay him, dick,” said buckhart.

brad paused to pay the boy, but dick turned at once toward the main saloon of the magnificent yacht.

the singular and unexpected return of del norte had filled the boy with wonderment and speculation.

the sachem was large enough to have a number of staterooms, and dick turned at once toward the one occupied by frank and himself.

to his surprise through the keyhole of the door to this room he saw a gleam of light.

“what’s this?” he exclaimed, in a low tone. “there’s a light in that room!”

softly stepping to the door, he stooped and peered through the keyhole.

some one was in the room, for he saw the person moving, but the room was very small, and the person was so near the door that dick could not tell who it was.

immediately the boy seized the knob of the door and flung it open.

porfias del norte himself, still wearing his torn clothing, was standing beside the berths, on the upper one of which sat a small iron box. this box had been opened, and in the hands of del norte was an outspread paper that looked like a map.

instantly dick realized that the mexican was rifling frank’s private papers. in some manner del norte had opened the iron box, and now he was going through the papers to find the valuable ones he desired.

the opening of the door caused the rascal to wheel instantly, uttering a suppressed exclamation.

“what are you doing?” cried dick, lifting a hand and pointing an accusing finger at the mexican.

for a moment the rascal was taken aback. then he swiftly folded the paper and thrust it into his trousers pocket.

“i beg your pardon, young se?or,” smiled del norte, seemingly to recover his ease. “you startled me a trifle when you opened the door so suddenly.”

“what are you doing, you scoundrel?” cried the boy. “give up that paper!”

“what paper?” asked the man, with pretended innocence.

“the one you thrust into your pocket.”

“oh, it belongs to me. why, what’s the matter with you? you seem greatly agitated. has anything happened to excite you?”

“i should say something had!” said dick. “how dared you enter this room?”

“this room? why, i have a right in my own room, have i not?”

“but this is not your room.”

“not my room?”

“you know it’s not. this room is the one occupied by my brother and myself. how dared you enter it?”

“is it possible i have made a mistake?” exclaimed del norte, lifting his eyebrows and looking very much surprised. “why, i really believe i have! i trust you will pardon me.”

he made a move as if to leave the room.

“stop!” cried dick, planting himself squarely in the doorway. “you have made a serious mistake, porfias del norte. now i know why you were in such great haste to reach the sachem. you had a key by which you entered this room. you had another key by which you opened my brother’s strong box. you have stolen a paper from that box, but you must put it back. if you refuse——”

del norte exposed his beautiful teeth as he laughed in the boy’s face.

“if i do not,” he purred, “if i do not put it back, what will you do, se?or?”

“i will make you!” cried dick.

the mexican laughed.

“why, you child! you can’t make any one do anything! get out of my way!”

with a stride he attempted to pass dick. a moment later the boy grappled with him, and a struggle began in the saloon of the sachem.

“poor fool!” snarled del norte, “what do you think? do you fancy you can interfere with me? why, i will crush you!”

“i hardly think you will!” grated dick, as he back-locked the man and hurled him to the floor.

although dick had thrown del norte with comparative ease, the mexican was like an eel in the grasp of the boy. as dick attempted to pin the fellow down, he realized that he had failed and that the mexican had squirmed from beneath him.

together they arose. dick hastened, in order that the man might not get the advantage.

by this time the look on the face of del norte, as revealed by the lamplight shining from the open door of the stateroom, was one of savage ferocity. all his smiling and sweetness had vanished, and his eyes glared with a deadly light. his small white teeth were keen and pantherish beyond his curling lips, which were stretched tightly over them.

“poor fool!” he once more snarled. “it’s your brother who nearly destroyed me to-night! we fought up there on the mountain, and he pushed me over the precipice! i fell through the air, feeling that my hour had come! the horror of it is something that never touched me before. i believed i would be killed when i struck, but i landed in the treetops, and i was saved! though my clothes were torn and i was bruised and battered, not even one bone was broken!”

he panted forth these words as they were again struggling for the mastery.

“i hate your brother!” he grated. “it will give me pleasure can i kill you here and now! that much revenge on him will i have!”

“but you can’t do it,” said dick, as he again wound his leg round those of the man and started to hurl him to the floor.

as he was falling, del norte caught at the edge of the table, which enabled him to turn while coming down. he had clung to dick, and this turn had flung the boy sidewise, dick’s head striking a chair with great violence.

a moment later porfias del norte was kneeling astride dick merriwell, with his hands on the boy’s throat. as if from a great distance, the boy heard the scoundrel saying:

“it’s my time, and this is my revenge on your brother! now you die!”