y. Bart accompanied him
to the experimenting room, and they were soon taking turns in looking
at the marked stone.

"What do you make of it, old man?" asked Bart.

"It looks like a map," said Frank.

"Right!" exclaimed the other lad. "It looks like a map, and I believe
that is what it is."

There is a river, or road, and mountains, something that looks like a
lake, and then a tiny cross. The cross must be a landmark.

"Yes; and you will note that it is at the end of what looks like a
river."

"But that must be a road."

"It is, if this is a map, for it runs over that range of hills, or
mountains."

"That is plain enough."

"And you will see there is a tiny, snake-like thread that winds away
from that spot, which looks as if it was intended for a lake."

"I see it."

"That must be a river, or stream."

The boys were now very excited. All doubts were fading from their
minds; the lines on the black stone had surely been intended to
represent a map.

But what portion of the face of the earth did it portray? That was a
question the ring did not answer.

"Supposing it is a map," said Frank, helplessly; "what good will it do
me? I do not know what it is a map of."

"But you may bet your last dollar the man in black knows."

"I don't see how that is going to do me any good.

"It will do him some good, if he gets hold of this ring."

"Well, I shall take care that he does not get hold of it."

The map--if it were a map--on the stone served to more fully arouse the
curiosity of the boys, without in any way satisfying them concerning
the mystery of the ring.

Frank became so absorbed in trying to discover the true meaning of the
map and in getting some light on the mystery that he began to neglect
his studies. This, however, was quickly noted by Hodge, who said:

"Be careful, old man; don't let that ring get into your head so that
you will lose your chance of standing well up in your class. You are
all right in drill work, and you should be appointed a corporal next
month."

"Hang the old ring!" exclaimed Frank, petulantly. "I never had
anything cause me so much bother before. Whenever I try to study I
fall to thinking of it, and I dream of it every night."

Two days passed, and nothing more was seen of the man in black during
that time, which led Bart to believe that the mysterious individual had
left the vicinity.

"He must have fancied that you would have him arrested for attacking
you