ANAGER.--_Somewhere where there are sharks._]

--the Indian Ocean. Mr. Bellingham was bathing his forehead with cooling
drinks.

"Forgive me, my boy," said Mr. Bellingham, "for the wrong I did you. It
was Jasper who stole the compromising documents. He refuses to give them
back unless I let him marry Hyacinth. What can I do?"

"Where is she?" asked Richard.

"Hidden away no one knows where. Find her, get back the documents for
me, and she is yours."

Illustration: The Rescue. [_Inset--the Cinema Shark, 3s. 6d._]

At that moment a terrible cry rang through the ship; "Man overboard!"
Pushing over Mr. Bellingham and running on deck, Richard saw that a
woman and her baby were battling for life in the shark-infested waters.
In an instant he had plunged in and rescued them. As they were dragged
together up the ship's side he heard her murmur, "Is little Jasper
safe?"

"Jasper?" cried Richard.

"Yes, called after his daddy."

"Where is daddy now?" asked Richard hoarsely.

"In America."

"Can't you see the likeness?" whispered Richard to Mr. Bellingham. "It
must be. The villain is married to another. But now I will pursue him
and get back the papers." And he left the boat at the next port and
boarded one for America.

VI.

The search through North and South America for Jasper was protracted.
Accompanied sometimes by a band of cowboys, sometimes by a tribe of
Indians, Richard scoured the continent for his enemy. There were hours
when he would rest awhile and amuse himself by watching the antics of
the common mosquito. [MANAGER. _Good!_] or he would lie at full length
and gaze at a bud bursting into flower [MANAGER. _Excellent!_]. Then he
would leap on to his steed and pursue the trail relentlessly once more.

One night he was dozing by his camp-fire, when he was awakened roughly
by strong arms around his neck and Jasper's hot breath in his ear.

Illustration: Another Awkward Moment.

"At last!" cried Jasper, and, knocking Richard heavily on the head with
a boot, he picked up his unconscious enemy and carried him to a
tributary of the Amazon noted for its alligators. Once there he tied him
to a post in mid-stream and rode hastily off to the nearest town, where
he spent the evening witnessing the first half of _The Merchant of
Venice_. [MANAGER. _Splendid!_] But in the morning a surprise awaited
him. As he was proceeding along the top of a lonely cliff he was
confronted suddenly by the enemy whom he had though