scaped from the hands of the desperado who had so evidently determined to murder him, Scout-Master Durland was anything but easy i

elf without cause, but to Dick Cra

ese villains are quite capable of making ano

He might not get off s

have a chance against him, they must strike quickly. If that scoundrel had had the slightest idea that the alarm

ight have done. That was what I was think

d time gettin

en a boat making for them, they would have known at once that they were in danger, and would have either gotten rid of Jack or made a desperate stan

take steps to see that Jack does not again expose himself to any such risk.

s upon himself. He goes ahead and trusts to luck, if he thinks that it is his duty to do anything, if there seem

ubbs are devoted to hi

would go through fire or wat

ve them keep a close watch on his movements. They can do it without arousing his suspicion, and, if he seems likely to do

ys will be trustworthy, and they've

them, though I hope, of course, that we are afraid of a sha

elighted when Dick Crawford told

makes us like a couple of sure

one, and not simply to find out how it was done afterward, and who did it

eyes open, and if we think Jack is running into any danger, we'

told me something lately about this queer business of his name. It looks mighty funny to me. There are people, he says, who kn

ick, surprised, since he ha

ad gone, and what he was doing. Jack seemed to think that this man was satisfied to have him up at

s easier to do in a little country place like that, where everyone knows the

very th

idea of what his real name is. As he gets older, naturally, it means a great deal to him that he isn't like all the rest of us, and doesn't know all about himsel

all about himself!" cried little Tom Binns, full of love an

ch good if it had to be carved on a tombstone before he's had a chance to use it at all, and if that f

't want them to go into the work of guarding Jack as if he were simply a figure in a new and fascinating game. He wanted them to take the task very seriously, and give their best effor

s worth mentioning from his rough e

escue, "one would think, just to look at you, that you liked having a chap

the day after that baseball double header than I do right now. They didn't really hurt me, you see. And that swim in the cold wate

ke a lot of exercise and look after yourself all

something this afternoon. What do you say? I think it would be fine to go down to the lake and have a great

ick Crawford was afraid of. "Say, wouldn't it be fine to live in a place where you can

in their own time. You wouldn't like never to see the snow, or to be

o off the way the rest of us do, without thinking about things. You think of all

It isn't that I'm any more likely to think of things than you, but that I've been trained that way. Whenever I said anything reckless, or quick, Old Dan used to

ike that, too, Jack. I th

inns! Want to go sw

gh? You don't want to take any chances on being sick

e all right

and there was a threat of a thunderstorm in the

l do it comfortably. We won't be any wetter for a thunde

went in from the little sandy beach there, the presence of which wa

of being in the water in such weather, since they were in a sheltered cove. Presently the wind died down and furious thunder and lightning came to take its place, but that didn't bother th

lightning must have fired their gasolene tank

ey swam to