“That was not a square deal.  Let’s have it over.”

But the breath had been knocked out of Frank with the force of the fall, and he fell back twice as he struggled to arise.

“Are you hurt?” asked Browning.

“No,” panted Frank, who could dimly see his opponent through a thick haze which seemed to hang before his eyes.

“Then why don’t you get up?”

“I—­I’m going to.”

Setting his teeth, he did so, but Rattleton caught Browning by the collar and flung him aside as the big soph sprang at Frank.

“You are hurt, old man!” insisted Harry.  “I saw the fellow when he tripped you.  It wasn’t a fair thing.  You are in no condition to meet Browning now.  Wait till you get your wind.”

“I must meet him!” cried Frank.  “He’ll say he did me up if I do not.”

“Then he’ll lie.  It’s all right.  You do as I say.”

Frank tried to resist, but Rattleton dragged him aside, being able to do so because Browning found himself occupied by a little freshman who stuffily blocked his way, declaring that Merriwell should have a show.

Frank was more than disgusted by the result of the affair.  He felt that he must have it out with Browning then and there, and he made desperate attempts to break from Harry.  Ordinarily he would have succeeded with the greatest ease, but the fall had robbed him of his strength.

Then came the knowledge that the freshmen had been repulsed.  The sophomores were cheering wildly, and the unfortunate freshmen were downcast.

“They’ve held us out,” muttered Harry, bitterly.  “It begins to look as if we’ll have to climb over the fence if we get inside.”

“What’s that?” cried Frank, bracing up a little.  “Climb the fence?  Not much!”

“Then how’ll we get in?  Will you tell me that?”

“We’ll find a way.”

“Wind a fay!” spluttered Harry excitedly.  “It’s easy enough to say that, but I don’t believe we can do it.”

“Oh, freshies! oh, you poor freshies!” tauntingly cried the victors.  “Don’t you wish you could?  But you can’t do it, you know!”

“That remains to be seen,” muttered Merriwell, brushing the hair back from his eyes.  “I didn’t think we could do it in this way.  But there are others.”

“You’ll be a dandy if you devise a way,” declared Little.

Diamond, with his coat off, his vest ripped up the back and his shirt torn open at the throat, was regarding the jeering sophomores with a fierce, sullen look.  Evidently he was ready for anything.  He glanced at Merriwell, but said nothing.

Frank called the freshmen around him.

“Look here, fellows,” he said, “we are bound to go into that park, and we’re going through that gate.”

“That sounds well,” said Dismal Jones, who wore an unusually long face, “but I’m inclined to believe we’re not in it with that crowd.”

“Guess again!” exclaimed Frank.  “Now listen to me, and I don’t want one of you to look around.  You might arouse suspicion if you did.  Close to the wall there lies a long stick of timber.”