"Caught you good and proper, didn"t we?" came in the voice of Sack Todd.
"Let me go!" cried d.i.c.k.
"Not much, young man. Have you got the other one, Jimson?"
"I have," answered the second man, a fellow with a long nose. "And he won"t get away in a hurry. I"m thinking."
"We had better take "em inside," went on Sack Todd.
"Just as you say," answered Andy Jimson. "I reckon you boys remember me," he went on with a grin.
"You are the man who was on that lumber raft that came near running down our houseboat," said d.i.c.k.
"Struck it, fust clip. Didn"t expect to meet me ag"in, did ye?"
"I did not."
"Wanted to shoot me, didn"t ye?"
"Didn"t you deserve it?" asked Sam boldly. "You came mighty close to sinking us."
"Oh, that was only a bit of fun on the part o" the feller who owned the raft. He knew what he was doin". But I reckon you didn"t know what you were doin" when you spied on Sack and his outfit," continued the long-nosed man sarcastically.
"They"ll know what they were doing before I am through with "em,"
said the owner of Red Rock ranch.
"What are you going to do with us?" demanded d.i.c.k.
"That remains to be seen."
"You had better let us go."
At this, Sack Todd set up a laugh of derision.
"You"ll not leave here yet awhile, young man I heard what you and your friend said just before we closed in on you. Do you suppose I am going to let you get out and blab about what you have discovered?"
His harsh tone made both d.i.c.k and Sam shiver. They felt that they were dealing with a hardened criminal and, most likely, one who would stop at nothing in order to attain his object.
"I must say it was a fool move to let that money lay around loose,"
was Andy Jimson"s comment, and he nodded toward the piles of bank bills.
"One of the men just brought them up, and I hadn"t time to put them away," explained the owner of the ranch. "Besides, I didn"t think there were spies around."
"Maybe there are more of them, Sack."
"That"s so!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Sack Todd. He turned to the boys: "Have you any friends near?"
"That is for you to find out," answered d.i.c.k. "You can be sure of one thing, though," he added. "If you don"t let us go, you will get into serious trouble."
"There was a big crowd of "em on that houseboat," put in Jimson.
"I know there was a crowd--I met "em some days ago. We"ll march these off and then look around and see if there are others," continued the owner of Red Rock ranch.
As it would have been useless to struggle, the boys did not attempt to get away. Both Sack Todd and Jimson were heavily armed, and d.i.c.k and Sam felt that they would shoot upon the slightest provocation.
The owner of the ranch uttered a shrill whistle, and in a moment two men came running out of the dining-room of the ranch. Each carried a gun.
"What"s wanted, boss?" they asked.
"We have captured two spies," answered Sack Todd.
"Spies!"
"Yes. We want you to place them down below and then come and follow us. We are going to see if there are any more of them around."
The two men placed their guns over their backs and took hold of Sam and d.i.c.k.
"Don"t let them slip you," added the owner of the ranch. "I reckon they"re a pretty slick pair."
"They shan"t slip us; eh, Spud?"
"Nary a slip, Scutty," returned the second new-comer.
"Then you don"t intend to let us go?" asked d.i.c.k.
"No."
"This is a high-handed proceeding."
"Is it? Well, down here, we sometimes take the law into our own hands," chuckled the owner of Red Rock ranch.
"Then, if the law ever gets hold of you, it will go so much harder with you," said Sam.
"Bah! Do you suppose I am going to argue with a kid like you?" growled Sack Todd. "Take "em below," he said, turning to his men.
There was no help for it, as others were coming to the scene. As the boys marched into the ranch, they came face to face with Dan Baxter.
"d.i.c.k Rover!" gasped the bully. "And Sam! What does this mean?"
"So you know these fellows?" said one of the men.
"Of course I do. I was telling Sack Todd about them. I used to go to school with them. What are they doing here?"
"The boss and Jimson found them spying around the place."
"Oh, I see." Dan Baxter grinned. "So you"ve got yourselves in a nice pickle, eh?"
"Baxter, have you joined this crowd?" asked d.i.c.k.