e neck, I'll paound the stuffin' aout of him, by gum!"

"Vot vos dot?" roared Hans, also sitting up, and glaring at the
Vermonter. "You don'd peen pig enough to bound der sduffin oudt uf
nottings!"

"Wal, dern my skin ef I don't show you! Ef I'm mortally shot, it'll be
some satisfaction to die thumpin' you, by gum!"

"Keeb avay off!" squawked Hans, as Ephraim began to crawl toward him.
"Keeb avay off, ur I vos goin' to bulverize you britty queek right avay
soon!"

"You pulverize, an' be hanged! All I want is to git holt of ye."

Hans began to scramble out of the way.

"Holt on! holt on!" he cried. "Dot don'd peen no fair to sdrike a man
mit haluf uf his heat plown off!"

"Your head's all right, only one side of it is plastered over with some
yaller stuff. You shot me in the neck, and I'm all kivered with blood,
but I kin do ye, jest ther same!"

"Dot vos der gweerest colored plood vot I nefer saw! You don'd peen
shot ad all."

"Then, by gum! I'm goin' ter lick ye anyhaow!" and Ephraim scrambled
to his feet.

"Vell, you don'd done dot till you catch me, py Shimminy!"

Hans also scrambled up, and immediately took to his heels, with the
tall Yankee in hot pursuit, leaving the spectators of this ridiculous
duel to exhaust themselves with merriment.

CHAPTER XLV.

ANOTHER KIND OF A FIGHT.

It had already grown quite dark.

The fun for the time being was over, but there was an engagement of
quite a different nature to take place.

Barely had the Dutch boy disappeared, with the Vermonter at his heels,
when Frank and several others of the party slipped away into the
shadows and made for Black Bluff.

Bascomb and a large number of his friends were waiting when Frank
arrived, and Merriwell heard the big fellow sneeringly observe:

"He has really come at last! I didn't know but he was going to take
water. I was afraid I'd lose the satisfaction of giving him the
licking he needs."

Frank bit his lip, and remained silent.

Bart Hodge was on hand, and he was quickly at Frank's side.

"Where have you been?" he asked. "I was beginning to fear Bascomb had
put up some kind of a job to keep you away, so he could claim you were
afraid to meet him."

"I have been acting as second in another affair," said Frank. "I want
you to represent me in this. Will you?"

"You have no need to ask that, for you must know that it will give me
pleasure. I want to see you give that big brute the drubbing he