ywhere. Ah! that is what I will do! I
will frighten him until he is glad to pay to escape the death that may
strike him any time. I have friends who will stand by me. They are here
in this city, and soon I can find them. They will help me to frighten
the bold American. We will find a way."

"Perhaps you may, but I have me doubts. Here is the car."

The car stopped, the sliding door rattled, and they stepped in, being
swiftly carried to the ground floor, from which they emerged upon lower
Broadway.

"A little while ago," said Hagan, "I was in a scheme with Porfias del
Norte to bring this Merriwell to his knees and denude him of his Mexican
property. He defied us all, but I believe we might have succeeded had
Del Norte lived. It was his game to frighten or destroy Merriwell. We
followed the fellow up into the Adirondacks, but when I found that Del
Norte actually meant to murder Merriwell I declined to remain and be
concerned. It was carrying the thing too far for Bantry Hagan. I left
and returned to New York. Well for me that I did. As near as I can get
at it, Del Norte did capture Merriwell, aided by two other men, and got
him into a mountain cave. But just as Del Norte was on the point of
putting an end to Merriwell his Indian guide turned on him and helped
the prisoner to escape from the cave. Then came a landslide that
covered the mouth of that cave with tons of earth and bowlders and
buried Del Norte and his comrades in a living tomb. The death they
experienced there must have been a horrible one."

He shrugged his thick shoulders at the thought of it.

"Evidently," he went on, "Merriwell congratulated himself on the death
of Del Norte, for he fancied that would put an end to all his troubles
and he would be able to carry through his great schemes without
opposition. He must be a bit disgusted now. He'll find Hagan a stayer.
But he has strong backers behind him, and we need some men equally good,
Felipe. There's Jerome--Basil Jerome! Just the man! He'll go into
anything that promises big, and he knows how to carry any scheme
through. He can make dollars grow on elder bushes, that man! His office
is round here on Nassau Street. Come along, Felipe, and we'll see if we
can find him."

They walked through Wall Street to Nassau, passing the Stock Exchange on
their way. Turning up Nassau, they soon came to the building in which
Basil Jerome had his office.

Jerome was in, and, on receiving Hagan's name, he agreed t