Frank Merriwell's Alarm Part 16

By this time the boys were fully aroused. An investigation showed that Merriwell's wheel was gone.

"Didn't I tole yeh old debbil skillerton would done cotch some ob us!"

cried Toots, in great distress.

"I hardly understand what the skeleton could have wanted with Merry's wheel," observed Browning.

"G'way dar, boy! Didn' de skillerton ride a hawse!"

"And you think it is an up-to-date skeleton that has decided to ride a bicycle hereafter. In that case, I congratulate Mr. Skeleton on his good sense."

"It must be that Frank has gone on a ride without saying anything to us," said Jack. "I do not see any other way of explaining it."

"But why should he do such a thing?" asked Rattleton.

"That is where you stick me."

Browning slowly shook his head.

"It is remarkable that he should do such a thing without saying anything to us," declared the big fellow.

"And he must have taken that ride in the night," said Jack.

"While he should have been on guard," added Harry.

The boys stood looking at each other in sober dismay.

"It isn't possible that Merry could have gone daffy," muttered Rattleton. "He is too well balanced for that."

"I don't know," came gloomily from Diamond. "This dismal, burning desert is enough to turn the brain of any fellow."

"Yah!" cried Toots. "Don' yeh git no noshun dat boy ebber had his brain turned! It am de weak brains dat git turned dat way. His brain was all right, but I jes' know fo' suah dat he hab been cotched."

"And I suppose you want to run away as soon as possible before you are 'cotched?'"

Then the colored boy surprised them all by saying:

"No, sar, I don' want teh go 'way till we knows what hab become ob Ma.r.s.er Frank. Dat boy alwus stick by his frien's, an' dis c.o.o.n am reddy teh stick by him, even if he do git cotched."

"Good stuff, Toots!" cried Rattleton, approvingly. "You are all right!

If anything has happened to Frank we'll know what it is or leave our bones here."

The boys were worried. They hurriedly talked over the remarkable disappearance, trying to arrive at an understanding of its meaning.

At length it was agreed that Frank might have gone back to try to solve the mystery of the skeleton, and then they decided that two of the party should remain where they had made their night bivouac, while the other two proceeded to search for Merriwell.

Diamond insisted on being one of the searchers, and Rattleton was determined to be the other, so Browning and Toots were left behind.

The boys mounted their wheels and rode back toward the pa.s.s through the bluffs.

Diamond was downcast again.

"Everything is going against us," he declared. "There is fate in it. I am afraid we'll not get out of this wretched desert."

"Oh, you're unwell, that's what's the matter with you!" declared Harry, scornfully. "I'll be glad when you are yourself again."

"That's all right," muttered Diamond. "You are too thoughtless, that's what's the matter with you."

They approached the spot where the mysterious skeleton had been seen, and both were watching for the niche in the rocks.

Suddenly they were startled by hearing a wild cry from far above their heads, and looking upward they saw Frank Merriwell running along the very brink of the cliff, but limping badly, as if he were lame.

But what astonished and startled them the most was to see a strange-looking, bare-headed man, who was in close pursuit of Frank.

Above his head the man wildly flourished a gleaming, long-bladed knife, while he uttered loud cries of rage.

"Smoly hoke!" cried Harry. "Will you look at that!"

Diamond suddenly grew intensely excited.

"What can we do?--what can we do?" he exclaimed. "Frank is hurt! That creature is running him down! He will murder him!"

"If Merry had a pistol he would be all right."

"But he hasn't! We must do something, Harry--we must!"

"Neither of us has a gun."

"No, but----"

"We can't get up there."

"But we must do something!"

"We can't!"

Jack grew more and more frantic. He leaped from his wheel and seemed to be looking for some place to try to scale the face of the bluff.

"Oh, if I could get up there!" he groaned. "I'd show Frank that I was ready to stand by him! I'd fight that man barehanded!"

And Rattleton did not doubt it, for he well knew how hot-blooded Diamond was, and the young Virginian had never failed to fight when the occasion arose. He would not shirk any kind of an encounter.

Merriwell saw them and shouted something to them, but they could not understand what he said.

"Turn! turn!" screamed Jack. "You must fight that man, or he will stab you in the back! He is going to strike you!"

Frank seemed to hear and comprehend, for he suddenly wheeled about and made a stand. In a moment the man with the knife had rushed upon him and struck with that gleaming blade.

A groan escaped Jack's lips as he saw that blow, but it turned to a gasp of relief when Frank stopped it by catching the man's wrist.

"Give it to him! Give it to him!" shrieked Diamond, dancing around in a wild frenzy of anxiety and fear.