"Never mind what I did," said Jabez, remembering that Scudder had never learned the particulars of the affair in question, the truth being that Lynch had played in disguise with an opposing team against Fardale, and had, during the game, thrown red pepper into Dick Merriwell’s eyes. "Anyhow, it was that old red dog that found me out and exposed me to Merriwell. If Merriwell blowed, it cooked my goose. He said get out of Fardale, and I decided to get. Then the old redskin caught me in the woods and was going to torture me."
"Jiminy!" gasped Uric.
"Fact!" nodded Lynch. "I think perhaps he’d half-killed me if Frank Merriwell hadn’t turned up."
"And then—what?"
"Of course, Merriwell made him let me go. But you see, he knew I had Old Joe in a bad hole."
"I don’t see——"
"Why, the old dog had tied me up and started to burn my hand off in a fire he built. What if I had gone and sworn out a warrant against him?"
"You didn’t?"
"No."
"Why?"