Millions of bright stars shone serenely through the clear Arizona night, shedding their soft white light on the great arid plains and the mysterious mesas and mighty mountains. Throughout the night Frank Merriwell lay ensconced behind some sheltering rocks in a deep ravine, where he had been trapped by the ruffians in the employ of the mining trust, who were determined to wrest from him the precious papers they believed to be in his possession. Old Joe Crowfoot, the aged Indian friend of Merriwell, who had been snared with him, had, shortly after nightfall, taken the precious oilskin package,...

"Li, there Hook out " shouted Harry Rattleton. "Hi, there Look out " echoed Bart Hodge, getting the words straight which Harry had twisted. "Get out of the way, fellows " warned Jack Diamond. "The juice that it's loaded with must be bug juice " squealed Danny Griswold. "It's crazy drunk " "Tut-tut-tut-turn the cuc-crank the other way " bellowed Joe Gamp. "This crank," said Bink Stubbs, giving Gamp a twist that spun him round like a top. "I've always believed that more than half of these new-fangled inventions are devices of Satan, and now I know it " grumbled Dismal Jones.

"Say, boys, just listen to that racket " It was Jack Diamond who spoke, and he addressed Frank Merriwell and several others of his friends. "It is certainly awful," came from Harry Rattleton, one of the boys. "I can't stand much of this," put in Bruce Browning. "It is enough to drive one crazy." The boys had just entered the outer portals of a Chinese theatre, located in Chinatown, the Celestial portion of San Francisco. There was a great crowd, and it was only with difficulty that they made their way along the narrow and gloomy passages leading to the theatre proper.