e has a grudge against
this friend of mine! Ah, I see it all now, Milikoff--how he escaped! He
went into the water--you are right! But tell me, now--was it near the
boathouse?"

"Yes, now that I remember, it was."

"Then can't you see what happened? He dived and swam under the door. It
would be easy enough for anyone who could swim at all well and knew the
ground. Heavens, he must have been in there when we first came in with
the boat!"

And now their dismay knew no bounds. Milikoff saw that Stepan was right;
it was exactly what must have happened.

"I'm a dolt--a fool!" he cried, bitterly. "That I never thought to
search the boathouse!"

"Who would have thought?" said Stepan. "But it is no time to think of
what is done and can't be undone. Now, more than ever, I must go after
him. I have to try to save my friend, and it is doubly imperative now
that we should catch Hallo."

"Let me come with you!"

"No. Your work is too important for you to take risks. I will go
alone."

CHAPTER XI

CRAFT AGAINST CRAFT

In the boathouse where Stepan had left him, Dick knew almost as soon as
he saw Mike Hallo's narrow eyes appear around the closet door, that Mike
had not seen him as yet. But he was too frightened to take any advantage
of that consciously. Dick had proved that he was not a coward, and yet
he was afraid of Hallo. He knew that the man hated him, and, for some
reason, feared him. And here, where he would be so completely in his
power, there would be nothing to restrain Hallo. He would not even have
to call in the police to help him; he could get rid of a boy who
threatened him without a witness. And Dick knew enough of Mike Hallo to
feel that he would not be deterred by any scruples.

In another moment Mike's little eyes, peering around the dimly lighted
room, but not yet well enough accustomed to even that much light after
the utter darkness of the closet, would have fallen on Dick. But fear
loosened Dick's hold on the electric flashlight that, by pure chance,
happened to be in his hand. He started with dismay and tried to catch
it, succeeding partly, so that it made only the faintest of noises as it
struck a button of his coat. But that was enough. Hallo heard it, and
started.

Yet it was that trifling accident that saved Dick. For Hallo, startled,
and nervous himself, as of course he had good cause to be, better cause
than Dick could guess, darted back into his closet at once. For a moment
as Di