"Yes, sir, and we have him now," smiled Tad Butler.
"You"ve got him now? Where is he?" roared the visitor springing to his feet, permitting the captured weapon to fall to the ground.
"He is over there in the bushes," said Tad. "However, I think you had better wait until I get over there before you pay him a visit.
I have a sort of proprietary interest in that fellow and I don"t propose to have any monkey business. He nearly killed Professor Zepplin, bound though he is. Wait one moment, please. Why do you wish to see the man?"
"Because I think I know him. Gentlemen, I am a Ranger. I am Lieutenant Joe Withem, and I have good reasons to believe your prisoner is a man whom I have been anxious to meet for some time. I am ready to be shown."
Tad wonderingly led the way over to their captive, the lieutenant following in quick, nervous strides, the others of the party bringing up the rear, Chunky lugging a rifle which he kept in position for instant use in case the stranger should seek to liberate their prisoner.
But there was little danger of Lieutenant Joe Withem doing anything of the sort,
CHAPTER VIII
A MUCH-WANTED DESPERADO
Tad had s.n.a.t.c.hed a burning brand from the fire, carrying it along with him so that Withem might get a good look at the prisoner. The lad considered it a fortunate coincidence that the Ranger lieutenant should have visited their camp at that particular time.
The instant Withem set eyes on the prisoner he uttered an exclamation under his breath, while the prisoner glared up at him with menacing eyes.
"Hullo, Dunk," greeted the Ranger. "You seem to be in limbo. I reckon you bit off more"n you could chew, for once in your life. Thought you were shooting up Rangers, did you? Instead you barked up against some tenderfeet who were too much for you. I guess you ain"t quite so smart as you thought you were."
"I reckon you"ve made a mistake," growled the prisoner. "I don"t know what you"re chewing about."
"That"s all right, Dunk. I don"t reckon it makes any difference what you think about it. We"ve got you hard and fast, and you"re done for.
I reckon, too, that the captain will be glad to see you. He"ll have a warm welcome for you, you bet. They certainly have you tied up for keeps," laughed the lieutenant, bending over to examine the prisoner"s bonds. "They certainly have. Come on, let"s finish that bacon," added the Ranger straightening up.
The party took its way back to the campfire, Stacy disgustedly throwing his gun on the ground at the foot of the tree where lay the prisoner"s rifle.
"Now, sir, perhaps you will explain who and what this man is? You appear to be well acquainted with him," said the professor.
"I am that. But how did you get him?"
"Master Tad there will answer that question. He and Rector made the capture."
"You two younkers caught that man?" wondered the lieutenant.
"Yes, sir," replied Tad modestly. "But I"ll admit that it was a pretty tough job. He nearly got us."
"Tell me about it."
Tad did so briefly, making as little of his own achievement as possible.
He related also, how the prisoner had gained possession of Professor Zepplin"s revolver and of the latter"s narrow escape from death.
"Boys, you"ve done a big thing. The captain will be interested in you," said Mr. Withem. "He"s been wanting this man for a long time."
"You haven"t told us who the fellow is, yet," reminded Professor Zepplin.
"He is Dunk Tucker, sir, one of the most dangerous customers infesting the border. We have been on his trail for weeks, but he"s managed to give us the slip every time. We never expected to capture him alive.
We expected to have to shoot him on sight, which we probably would have done."
"Is it possible?" murmured the professor. "I did not suppose such conditions existed on the border at this late day."
"They do not, ordinarily."
"What has the man Tucker done?"
"Done? It would be easier to tell you what he hasn"t done. He"s committed pretty nearly every crime in the calendar and some that aren"t in the almanac. He is one of a band of thieves that has been operating on the border for months. They are smugglers and thieves.
They have even gone back to the old style of stock stealing. Up to date it is estimated that they have run across the border into Mexico several hundred head of stock. The ranchers are up in arms. The Rangers have been called in to put the Border Bandits out of business.
This is the first one of the gang that we have captured. And, after all, we didn"t capture him. That was left for a bunch of plucky young tenderfeet---two of them, to be exact.
"Furthermore, it is suspected that Dunk and some of the other bad men of his crowd are in the pay of German agents in Mexico. The Germans are trying to stir up trouble on this side of the line, and these border ruffians are ready to do anything for the sake of easy money, even at the expense of being traitors to their country. It is believed that German money is finding its way into their pockets.
The hounds!" raged the Ranger.
"Surely these men have not resorted to force---committed murder or anything of that sort?" interposed the professor.
"Not that we know of, though some of them did have a pitched battle with a rancher over on the western border of the state. A few stopped bullets, but so far as we know no one was killed. I am telling you all this in confidence. There are a good many in this thing whose names we do not know."
"You can make the prisoner confess, can you not?" asked Professor Zepplin.
"Confess?" the lieutenant laughed. "You don"t know these Border Bandits. No, they never confess. There will always be more or less trouble down on the Rio Grande. It is so close to Mexico, so easy to get across the border that bad men cannot resist taking advantage of it. That is why the Rangers are still in business. If it were not for the border we all should be looking for other jobs. As it is there aren"t many of us left."
"How many?" asked the professor.
"Some thirty in the state, that is all. We are subject to the orders of the governor, though we"re left pretty much to ourselves."
"Who is your commander?"
"Captain Billy McKay."
"That"s the man Dunk named. He accused us of belonging to McKay"s band of Rangers," said Rector.
"He did, eh?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Still, he might have shot you up just the same, even if he had known you hadn"t anything to do with us."
"Where is the rest of your party, Mr. Withem?" asked Tad.
"They"re out on the trail," was the somewhat evasive answer. "I"ll get in touch with them sometime to-night or to-morrow."
"But you will take Tucker with you, will you not?" asked Ned.
"I reckon I will," laughed the Ranger.