filled both pursued and pursuer with alarm. The grass and brushwood under their feet began to give way. Then of a sudden Link Merwell sank from sight, and Dave disappeared after him!
In the meanwhile Phil and the others kept on in the direction Nick Jasniff had taken. Twice they caught sight of the former bully of Oak Hall, but each time he was further away than before.
"You'll not catch me!" cried Jasniff. "You might as well give up trying." Then he dove into another section of the forest and they saw no more of him.
"What has become of Dave?" asked Phil, when he and Roger came together, a little later.
"I thought he was with you, Phil."
"And I thought he was with you."
"He went after that other chap," put in Captain Sanders. "Perhaps he caught him. They were over in that direction," and the captain pointed with his hand.
All proceeded in the direction indicated. But they did not catch sight of either Dave or Merwell.
"Well, this is strange, to say the least," remarked Phil, after they had called out several times. "What do you make of it, Roger?"
"I'm sure I don't know, Phil. They can't
