"But what sort of crookedness can it mean?" asked Frank, bewildered. "What is the game?"
"That will develop later; but there is some kind of a game on, be sure of that," asserted Jack. "If not, why should anybody come here and give a fictitious name? That gives the whole thing away. Look out, Frank, all your enemies are not sleeping!"
"Well, it is time they let up on me," said Merriwell, seriously. "They have brought nothing but disaster and disgrace on themselves thus far, and——"
"Some of them are looking for revenge, mark what I say."
"I am tired of being bothered and harassed by petty enemies!" exclaimed Frank. "I have had considerable patience with the fellows who have worked against me, but there is a limit."
"That's right, and they would have reached the limit with me long ago," declared Diamond.
"Well, it is like this, Jack," said Frank; "it is almost always true that not all of a man's enemies are bad fellows. To begin with, you remember that you were my enemy, and now we are friends, and this is not the first time such a thing has happened with me."
"Well, if a man were bucking against me, I do not think I would wait to see how he would turn out before I bucked back."
"Oh, I am not in the habit of doing that. You will remember that I bucked back pretty hard in your case."