n him, their eyes bulging with amazement.

"Shall I try to put up a bluff, or fight it out?" he asked, as he stood
up to meet them.

"You can not explain," gasped Kalora. "Run! _Run_! They know you have no
right here. This means going to prison--perhaps worse."

"Does it?" he asked, between his set teeth. "If those two brunettes get
me, they'll have to go some."

When the two pounced upon him he made no resistance and they captured
him. He stood between them, each of them clutching an arm and breathing
heavily, not only from exertion, but also out of a sense of triumph.

VI

HE DEPARTS

And now, in order to give a key to the surprising performances of
Alexander H. Pike, it will be necessary to call up certain biographical
data.

When he was in the Hill School he won the pole vault, but later, in his
real collegiate days, he never could come within two inches of 'varsity
form, and therefore failed to make the track-team.

While attending the Institute of Technology he worked one whole autumn
to perfect an offensive play which was to be used against "Buff"
Rodigan, of the semi-professional athletic-club team. This play was
known as "giving the shoulder," with the solar plexus as the point of
attack. The purpose of the play was not to kill the opposing player, but
to induce him to relinquish all interest in the contest.

Furthermore, Mr. Pike, while spending a month or more at a time in New
York City, during his post-graduate days, had worked with Mr. Mike
Donovan, in order to keep down to weight. Mr. Donovan had illustrated
many tricks to him, one of the best being a low feint with the left,
followed by a right cross to the point of the jaw.

While the two bronze-colored guards stood holding him, Mr. Pike rapidly
took stock of his accomplishments, and formulated a program. With a
sudden twist he cleared himself, sprang away from the two, and jumped
behind a tree. One soldier started to the right of the tree and the
other to the left, so as to close in upon him and retake him. This was
what he wanted, for he had them "spread," and could deal with them
singly.

He used the Donovan tactics on the first guard, and they worked out with
shameful ease. When the soldier saw the left coming for the pit of his
stomach, he crouched and hugged himself, thereby extending his jaw so
that it waited there with the sun shining on it until the young man's
right swing came across and changed the middle of the afternoo