!"

Thus speaking, the wild man danced around before Dave and Roger,
swinging his wooden sword close to their heads. Indeed, our hero had
to dodge back, to keep from being hit.

"Hello, you here?" cried Nat, coming from the cabin. "You followed me,
did you?" He scowled deeply. "It's just like you, Dave Porter!"

"Nobody shall follow the King of Sumatra!" went on the wild man, with
a cunning look at the three students. "Away! Out of my sight!" he
yelled.

He dashed past Dave and Roger, moving towards the rustic bridge. Our
hero caught him by the arm, but received a blow in the face that
staggered him. Roger also tried to catch the man, but he was too
quick, and a second later was on the bridge.

"Come back!" bawled Nat. "Come back, Uncle Wilbur! Don't you know me?
Come back, please! We won't hurt you!" And then he set off after the
wild man, who was running along the road beyond the bridge.

"Dave, did you hear that?" gasped the senator's son. "He called the
wild man Uncle Wilbur!"

"Yes, I heard him," returned our hero. "No wonder he has been after
him, Roger. Come on, let us see if we can't catch him."

The chums started after the wild man and the money-lender's son. The
way was along the road, but presently the wild man turned into a
stretch of woods. He could run like a trained athlete, and easily
outdistanced Nat, who kept calling after him.

When Dave and Roger came up they found the money-lender's son leaning
against a tree, out of breath and much disgusted.

"Couldn't get him, eh?" queried Roger.

"No, you fellows scared him off," growled the money-lender's son.

"I am sorry if we did that," said Dave.

"You had no right to butt in," grumbled Nat. "What did you follow me
for, anyway?"

"Because we thought you were after the wild man, that's why," answered
Roger.

"Humph!"

"So he is your Uncle Wilbur," went on our hero, after a pause, and he
turned a look of sympathy at Nat as he spoke.

"Who told you that?"

"You called him Uncle Wilbur."

"I--I guess you are mistaken," stammered Nat, growing red in the
face.

"No, we heard you as plain as day," put in the senator's son.

"You haven't any right to pry into my affairs, Roger Morr! You nor
Dave Porter either!"

"Perhaps not," answered Roger.

"Look here, Nat, if we can help you we'll do it," came from Dave. "I
suppose, if that man is your uncle, you wish to get him back to
the--er--the sanitarium as quickly and as quietly as possibl