d.i.c.k was not mistaken, as they found when they sprang into the boat.

Teresa lay unconscious amid the cushions.

By this time Merriwell had recovered his strength in a measure, and he started to cast off the line that held the boat beside the steps.

"The galoots are coming, pard!" hissed Brad, as he seized the oar.

The bravos were coming. Just as d.i.c.k freed the line from the iron ring, several of them hastened out onto the steps.

The Texan gave a great thrust with the oar, pushing the gondola away.

The voice of Nicola Mullura shouted to them, commanding them to stop.

"We're in a hurry," retorted d.i.c.k. "Our time is very valuable. We can't stop just now."

"Not even a little minute," said Brad, as he continued to use the oar with as much skill as he could command.

"Look out, Brad!" shouted d.i.c.k, warningly, at the same time dropping quickly.

He had seen Mullura making a sweeping movement with his right arm.

d.i.c.k dropped barely in time, for through the air whizzed a knife, cast with great precision, and with such force that it clanged against the wall of the opposite house, dropping back with a splash into the water.

"A miss is as good as a mile," said Merriwell. "But look out for yourself, Brad. Another may follow."

Another of the desperadoes did cast a knife at them, but his aim was poor, and soon the gondola shot out from the narrow pa.s.sage onto the bosom of a broader ca.n.a.l.

They came near colliding with another boat that was moving swiftly and silently along.

"Look out, there!" cried Brad. "Clear the trail for us, or you may get yourself run down a whole lot."

Behind the curtains of the other gondola there was a stir. The curtains parted and a familiar face peered forth in the moonlight.

"Hi, there-hey!" cried the excited voice of Professor Gunn. "Stop! stop!

I have found you!"

"Professor!" exclaimed d.i.c.k. "Where have you been?"

"Seeking a.s.sistance. Looking for officers. Can't find them. Had no end of trouble. Bless my stars! I was afraid I'd never see you boys alive again. Goodness knows I'm thankful to behold you!"

"But what made you leave us?"

"I don't know. I didn't intend to do it. I was excited. I confess I was excited. Who wouldn't be under such circ.u.mstances? Two men-two mad men were trying to cut each other into shreds right before my eyes. I slipped the line from the ring. Didn't know what I was doing. The tide carried the boat away. I clutched the oar and tried to row back. Made a mess of it, and lost the oar. In the midst of my excitement, after the tide had carried me out of that ca.n.a.l, a human head appeared beside the boat. Yes, sir-exactly so. A man was in the water. He was hurt, too.

Swam with one arm. Other arm didn't seem to have much strength. He appealed to me for a.s.sistance. Of course I rendered a.s.sistance."

"Which certain was the worst thing you could have done," said Brad.

"That's how Mullura escaped, d.i.c.k."

"The man must be a fine swimmer. In some manner he swam under water after falling into the ca.n.a.l until the darkness of the place hid him completely."

"It was a bad thing-a very bad thing," agreed the professor. "The man was a wretch, a scoundrel, a villain!"

"Which sure are too soft names for him," growled Buckhart.

The two gondolas were now side by side.

"Quite true, quite true," agreed the excitable old man. "I found it out.

But I couldn't refuse to help a man in distress, you know. I helped him on board. He managed to pick up the oar. Then, using his uninjured hand, he rowed. I urged him to take me back to find you. He cursed me. He told me to keep still or he would cut my heart out. My goodness! I didn't want him to do that! I kept still."

"A most natural thing to do," said d.i.c.k.

"I am glad you say so-very glad. Hum! ha! My position was unpleasant-decidedly so. But I kept still. He handled the gondola. He did it cleverly. But he lost no time in dodging into another ca.n.a.l. I remonstrated. I told him I did not like the place. It was too dark. He invited me to be quiet. I relapsed into silence. Here and there in the darkness he went. At last he stopped. He ordered me to land. I was compelled to do so. I didn't dare raise another remonstrance. He left me. I was in a sc.r.a.pe. Ha! hum! It was a very bad sc.r.a.pe."

Plainly the professor was very anxious to set himself right in the eyes of the boys.

"After that?" questioned d.i.c.k.

"When he left me he told me if I raised a rumpus he would come back and slice me. I couldn't get away, and I had no weapon to protect myself, so I was compelled to be quiet. I remained there until this gondola came past. Then I applied to the gondolier. Since that time I have been searching to find that ca.n.a.l where you were. That is all."

In some respects the professor's explanation seemed unsatisfactory, but, of course, the boys accepted it. d.i.c.k explained what had happened after the disappearance of Zenas, using as few words as possible.

"Dreadful! horrible!" cried the old man. "Can such things be in these days! But you rescued the girl?"

"She is here," said d.i.c.k.

At this point Teresa, recovering consciousness, began calling for her brother.

d.i.c.k tried to soothe her, but, overcome by the memory of what she had beheld ere dropping the candle and fainting, the girl raved incoherently.

d.i.c.k and Brad quickly decided to abandon the gondola they occupied and take to the other. Merriwell picked Teresa up and stepped with her from one boat to the other, the Texan following.

"Now to our rooms," said d.i.c.k. "That is our only course. We must take care of Teresa. We must protect her with our lives."

"And you bet we will!" put in Brad.

"But I fear it is certain to involve us still further with the a.s.sa.s.sins known as the Terrible Ten," sighed the professor. "Still, boys, you are right about Teresa. We must stand by her. We must do everything in our power for her. It is our duty as men and Americans."

The gondolier was given directions, and he sent his craft gliding away.

"What puzzles me," said Brad, "is that the rumpus made by that fight didn't seem to stir up anybody much. That plenty of people heard it I am sure, but they didn't come hiking to see what it was all about."

"Because in that particular quarter of the city it is not safe to be too curious, I fancy," said d.i.c.k. "I believe that explained why no one who heard the sounds of the encounter came to investigate. They all kept still and prayed that they would not be involved."

"I have a theory," put in Professor Gunn, "that the people of the city live in great terror of this awful Ten. They do not even dare speak of the Ten, but all the while they fear it as much as the old-time Council of Ten was feared. When they hear anything like that encounter, they proceed to crawl into their holes and barricade themselves there until the storm blows over."

"Well, it sure is high time something was done to put an end to such a reign of terror," declared the Texan. "It's up to us to expose the doings of the Ten. I don't see why somebody hasn't exposed them long before this."

"It is doubtful if any foreigners, except ourselves, ever learned much of anything about the Ten," said d.i.c.k. "That is one reason why there had been no exposure."

The gondolier did not seem to hear a word of their talk. Professor Gunn now resolved to question him. The old man proceeded to ask him several things about the Terrible Ten, but the man at the oar shook his head and answered that he knew nothing of such a body. He even became somewhat angry when Zenas persisted in his questions.