Frank succeeded in tripping the man, but the wall kept the doctor from going down. The lodge shook and rocked beneath their fearful struggles. The fact that he could not handle Merry at once made the maniac madly furious.
“You fool!” he roared. “Do you think to pit your puny strength against mine? Why, I am the strongest man in the world, and I can crush you!”
“Strong!” retorted Frank, with an expression of contempt. “Why, you are weak as a child! You could not handle a healthy boy of ten!”
“What?” snarled the doctor, in amazement. “You know better than that!”
“I am fooling with you now to show you how weak you really are,” Frank declared. “I can handle you any time.”
“It’s a lie!” shrieked the doctor, redoubling his efforts. “I’ll break every bone in your body!”
Then he did his utmost, and a gasp of horror came from the lips of Bart, for he saw Merry gradually forced to his knees, despite his efforts to prevent.
Hodge knew Frank had sought to shake the maniac’s confidence in his own strength by his words, and now Bart broke into taunting laughter.
“That’s it, Merriwell!” he cried, as if delighted. “You can fool him with that trick! He thinks he is getting the best of you, but——”
Frank had given a sudden, great twist, and the doctor was flung heavily to the floor. Frank was on top.