Muscles were drawn taut, nerves were tingling.
"One! two! three!"—Bang!
Away darted the skaters, and the race had begun.
A cheer went up from the spectators.
Paul Rains took the lead at the very start, for he seemed to jump away at astonishing speed, while the others were gathering headway.
"Rains has a snap this time," declared one. "Merriwell may be able to take the honors at jumping, but he won't be in this kind of a contest."
"Jist wait a whoile an' see about thot, me b'y," said Barney Mulloy, who had overheard the remark. "Frankie is as full av surproises as a horrunet's nest is full av stings."
CHAPTER XXIV.
SKATING FOR LIFE.
During the entire first half of the course there were four of the seven contestants who made a good showing. These were Rains, Merriwell, Hodge and one of the village boys.
Through it all Rains kept the lead, but the village lad was second until the turning point was nearly reached. Then Merriwell settled down to business and took second place, while Hodge pushed the village boy hard.
Rains' heart was full of triumph. Over and over he told himself:
"At last I have found something at which I can defeat Merriwell fairly!"
Rains believed he was safely in advance, and this delusion was not broken till the last half mile of the course was struck. Then he heard somebody's skates ringing close behind, and, looking over his shoulder, he saw Frank bearing down on him like the wind.
Paul's heart gave a great leap.
"By Jove!" he breathed. "That fellow means to press me! But he shall not come in first—he shall not!"
Then he strained every muscle, and, for a few seconds, the distance between them did not seem to diminish.
Frank, however, held steadily to that terrible speed, and Paul began to fear he could not stand it to the finish, for his head was beginning to grow unsteady, and there was a wild roaring in his ears. Through a bluish mist he saw the great crowd on the shore near the starting point, and he knew the eyes of hundreds were upon the contestants.
"I'll die before he shall pass me!" thought Rains.
And then, once more, he heard the skates of his rival ringing clear close at his elbow. One wild look he cast over his shoulder, and there was Merriwell, fearfully near—and gaining!
Paul's heart rose with a bursting sensation into his throat. He had seen that Merriwell's face bore a look of determination—nay, more, a look of confidence.
Oh, for the power to hold out to the end! Again he forced himself to spurt; but, as that mad burst of energy slackened, he felt, rather than saw, his rival reach his side.
Now a great cheer broke from the crowd of excited and delighted spectators, for the two boys were fairly abreast, and neither seemed able to gain another inch on the other.
Rains had shut his teeth, his nostrils were dilated, and his eyes wild in their sockets. The finish line was near, and he must cross it in advance—a yard, a foot, an inch!
But he little knew that Frank Merriwell had reserved for the last supreme moment enough strength to make a final spurt.
Now—now is the time for one or the other to forge ahead!
Another shout goes up:
"Merriwell! Merriwell! He's the winner! Hurrah!"
Frank had forged to the front; but, even as the cheer came from the crowd, he was seen to be flipped into the air, as if he had struck a spring-board, and he came down heavily on the ice. There was no time to recover.
Frank slid over the starting line, prostrate on the ice; but Paul Rains crossed it upright, and at least three yards in advance.
Rains had won!
An accident had prevented Frank from winning, for his skate had struck a flaw in the ice, and he had been thrown with stunning force.
Great was the excitement. Merriwell was picked up and carried to the shore, where a dash of cold water brought him round.
Rains was quite used up for a while, but he soon recovered. His friends crowded round him to offer congratulations.
"You beat Merriwell this time, Paul," they said.
"But he fell," said Paul, bitterly. "That makes the victory anything but satisfactory. However, I will race him again at any time and any place."
Little did he think how soon they would race again.
Within a short time after the finish of the race, a sudden cry of alarm and terror went up from the throng.
"Look—look there! Two girls have broken through the ice! They will be drowned!"
At a certain point in the pond there was a dangerous bit of ice, where some springs deep down at the bottom continually bubbled up and kept the water alive, so the ice did not form solidly. It was supposed that every one knew where this dangerous spot was, so no sign had been placed there.
Now, however, two girls had ventured upon it, and broken through.
"Who are they?"
"Inza Burrage and May Blossom!"
"Save them! save them!"
Several started toward the imperiled girls, but two forms darted out ahead of the rest, and another race between Paul Rains and Frank Merriwell had begun.
This time it was a race for life.
Shoulder to shoulder they started, and, for some seconds, they kept thus.
Then Frank began to forge ahead, for all that Paul was straining every muscle—was doing the very best that he could to save life.
The girls were seen clinging to the broken edge of the ice, which broke beneath them once or twice, but they managed to keep up in some way.
Wider and wider grew the distance between Merriwell and Rains, showing that the former was by far the faster skater in such a case as this.
As Frank drew near the girls, the ice broke again, and both went under.
He did not slacken speed, but, taking care to avoid them, skated straight into the water.
Clinging to each other, the girls came up; but they would have sunk again immediately if he had not been there to clutch them.
Treading water, he held them up, getting close to the ragged edge of the ice.
The water was fearfully cold, but he managed to keep his head out, knowing aid must come quickly.
Paul Rains slackened his speed as he came near the opening in the ice.
"Form a line—get hold of my feet!" he shouted.
Down upon his stomach he went, and he slid forward till he could reach out and grasp one of the girls.
There he lay till another lad clutched his feet, and still others grasped the feet of the one who had hold of Paul.
"Now, Merriwell," said Paul, "if you can break their clutch on each other, we can take 'em out one at a time."
With some difficulty the grasp of the half-drowned girls was broken. Paul held fast to one, and shouted:
"Pull away!"
He was drawn backward, and the girl was dragged from the water upon the ice.
Quickly she was passed to some one who carried her away to a place of warmth and safety, while Paul Rains crept back to