ed, but the murmuring continued in the next
stateroom, and the rattle of chips could be heard occasionally.

"What are we going to do about it, Merriwell?" asked Jack, savagely.

"We can complain."

But making a complaint was repellent to a college youth, who was
inclined to regard as a cheap fellow anybody who would do such a thing,
and Diamond did not agree to that.

"Well," said Frank, "I suppose I can go in there and clean them all
out."

"How?"

"At their own game," laughed Merry, muffledly.

"If anybody in this crowd tackles them that way I'll be the one,"
asserted the Virginian.

"Then nobody here will tackle them that way," said Frank, remembering
how he had once saved Diamond from sharpers in New Haven.

Frank was a person who believed that knowledge of almost any sort was
likely to prove of value to a man at some stage of his career, and he
had made a practice of learning everything possible. He had studied up
on the tricks of gamblers, so that he knew all about their methods of
robbing their victims. Being a first-class amateur magician, his
knowledge of card tricks had become of value to him in more than one
instance. He felt that he would be able to hold his own against pretty
clever card-sharps, but he did not care or propose to have any dealings
with such men, unless forced to do so.

The boys kept still for a while. Their light was extinguished, but, up
near the ceiling, a shaft of light came through the partition from the
other room.

Diamond saw it. He jumped up and dragged a trunk into position by that
partition. Mounted on the trunk, he applied his eye to the orifice and
discovered that he could see into the Frenchman's room very nicely.

"What can you see?" grunted Browning.

"I can see everyone in there," answered Jack.

"Name them."

"The Frenchman, the Englishman, the superstitious man, and our fresh
friend, Bloodgood."

"Same old crowd," murmured Frank.

"Yes, and a hot old game!" came from the youth on the trunk. "My! my!
but they are whooping her up! They've got plenty to drink, and they are
playing for big dust."

"Tell them to saw up till to-morrow," mumbled Bruce.

Jack did not do so, however. He remained on the trunk, watching the
game, seeming greatly interested.

A big game of poker interested him any time. It was through the
influence of Frank that he had been led to renounce the game, but the
thirst for its excitements and delights remained with him, for he h