"Now, Merriwell," said Paul, "if you can break their clutch on each other, we can take 'em out one at a time."
With some difficulty the grasp of the half-drowned girls was broken. Paul held fast to one, and shouted:
"Pull away!"
He was drawn backward, and the girl was dragged from the water upon the ice.
Quickly she was passed to some one who carried her away to a place of warmth and safety, while Paul Rains crept back to the opening, and the other girl was rescued in a similar manner. Then Frank, nearly exhausted, was drawn out.
With Rains on one side, and Hodge on the other, Frank skated back to the shore, where the great crowd of spectators had witnessed the gallant rescue. How the crowd cheered and flung up their hats!
"Hurrah for Frank Merriwell!" was the roar that went up. "Hurrah!"
"Hurrah for Paul Rains! Hurrah!"
The man who had offered the badge of honor grasped the two lads by the hands, crying:
"You shall both have a badge of honor! This is true heroism, and you are both heroic lads!"