"What are you doing to those fellows, boys?" demanded the champion of law and order; from which remark it was plain to be seen that the smoke had affected the eyes of the police officer to such an extent that he had failed to recognize the culprits, and possibly believed the boys were only carrying on high among themselves, as boys over in his town frequently did, to the unhappiness of the constables.

"We just took a notion to prevent them from escaping, sir," remarked Elmer. "And if you think you can hold them, we're willing to turn them over into your charge, in the presence of Mr. Brady here and the others."

A group began to cluster around them, most of the men rubbing their smarting eyes. Already did they realize the uselessness of trying to put up a fight against the flames that were spreading resistlessly amid the hay.

"Well, I declare if it ain't the two hands that worked for me, and then tried to rob my house, setting it on fire as they ran away!" declared Mr. Brady, as he got a good look at the prostrate men.

"Do you mean to say these are the fugitives I have been chasing, the desperate yeggmen named Shorty McCabe and Lanky Jim Smith?" cried the police head.

"That's just who they are, sir," replied Elmer.

"But where did you find them?" demanded the other, hardly willing to believe the plain evidence of his eyes and ears.

"As soon as I knew they had set fire to the hay I guessed it was only meant to draw attention to that quarter while they slipped away. I've seen that game played more than once out West, sir," Elmer remarked, modestly.

"And it was a fact, was it; they did try to steal off?" questioned the other.

"We found a place where there was a board off the barn, and Elmer, he expected that was the way they'd come out," said Ty, breaking in; for he just wanted this consequential personage to understand that he did not know so very much after all, in spite of his splendid uniform and that wonderful strut.

"Which same they did, all right," spoke up Landy, "and then, you see, we just sat on 'em. Reckon the long feller must 'a' thought a mountain had caved in when I dropped on his back."

"Will you take charge of the prisoners, Mr. Benchley?" asked Elmer.

"That's what we're here for, young fellow; though, as a rule we don't much fancy boys interfering with the pursuit of justice," answered the other, who did not look any too happy over the way things had turned out.

Elmer, on his part, was fully satisfied Mr. Brady and a number of the others had crowded around, astonished at the turn matters had taken, and staring at the two prisoners. They would be in a position to prove, should it be necessary at any time in the future, that the scouts had indeed effected the capture of the hunted train wreckers, without any assistance from the police.

And as for Shorty and Lanky Jim, it would not be polite to tell what they thought and said when they discovered that their captors were merely four half-grown boys. Perhaps on first seeing the khaki trousers and leggings of the scouts they may have labored under the impression that the militia had been called out to ran them down; and this would account for the meekness shown all along.

The barn was now in the grasp of the fire. They could see the billows of flame leaping upward; and a dense black smoke began to rise.

"This is tough luck, Mr. Brady," said Landy, after the officers had fastened some shining steel ornaments to the wrists of their prisoners, and led them over to the waiting car. "After saving your house by a close shave, it's hard to have your barn and hay go up in smoke."

But the farmer did not seem to be very deeply concerned.

"Barn's insured; and it's an old one at that," he remarked, with a half smile; "and as luck would have it, I sold all the hay in there just last week, for cash! The man who bought it took out insurance, I believe. But you boys have certainly covered yourselves with a lot of glory this morning. First, saving my house, and then capturing those tough characters. I consider that I'm getting off mighty cheap. Hope some of you fellows will take a notion to camp up this way more times than a few. It pays to have Boy Scouts around. That's been my experience, anyhow."

"Well, how about milk, Mr. Brady?" asked Elmer.

"We brought that tin bucket along, but it's mixed up with all the rest now. Suppose we could get one of your women folks to go to the milk house with all this excitement on?"

"Why, any one of 'em would be only too proud to do such a little thing for the brave boys who worked so hard to save a roof over their heads. And don't think, young fellow," the farmer added, turning on the confused Ty, suddenly, "that we don't appreciate what you did, just because it turned out to be a pup instead of a baby. That was as bold a thing as ever I saw done. If I had any boys about your age, I'd make sure that they joined the scout movement before they were a week older. Seems like it cultivates the best there is in a lad."

All of the boys glowed with pleasure at hearing these hearty words.

"Thank you, Mr. Brady," said Elmer. "It sure is a satisfaction to know that you look at things that way. And we feel repaid for all we've done, don't we, boys?"

"It's only been a pleasure to play coon for you, Mr. Brady," grinned Landy.

"And I'm glad it was only a dog instead of a real baby," declared Ty, stoutly; "'cause, you see, something might have happened to hitch my plans, and think what a terrible thing would have happened then."

"Come with me, boys, and I'll see that you get milk; yes, cream if you'd prefer it. It's lucky that those haystacks happen to be as far off as they are, and the wind is blowing away from them; because, you see, I kept that part of the crop. Intended making a lot of repairs to the barn after it was empty. Now I'll take the insurance money, add some more to it, and build me a better place three times over."

"There go Shorty and Jim," announced Landy, as the car started off for the near-by public road.

"And they look at us as if they could eat us alive," commented Ty.

"I gueth thome of uth would rather thtick in their throath," remarked Ted, gloomily.

"What ails you, Ted?" asked Elmer, as they trailed along after Mr. Brady. "You don't look like you were altogether happy."

"I know," announced Landy, a little maliciously. "He just wanted to get a chance to cut off a few arms and legs, and such things as go with a battle. I could see it in his eyes when it looked like we were going to have a real rumpus with them train wreckers. And it all turned out so easy, Ted is disgusted. Ain't it so, Ted?"

The budding surgeon of the troop shrugged his shoulders and grunted the one word: "Rotten!"

And those boys, who knew Ted so well, could understand something of the wild ambition that must have fired his soul when he figured that one or more persons must surely be seriously hurt, when the police came in contact with the two house burners. But it had passed off, and now the car containing prisoners and captors had gone, without even one little blow having been struck on either side.

"What's the sense of knowing how to bind up wounds, and do all that sort of stunts, when nothing ever happens; that's what Ted is saying to himself," Landy remarked, chuckling as he spoke, for he did dearly love to poke fun at others.

"If you keep on," said Ted, with a dark look, "there'll be a subject forthcoming in double-quick order. But somebody'll have to sweep you up with a broom first before I can do anything with you."

So Landy subsided, even though of course he knew that Ted was only "talking through his hat," as he expressed it, and for effect.

Having procured the needed milk, the four boys returned to camp. Loud were the lamentations of George and Adam when they learned what a great event they had missed by not accompanying the others to the Brady home. At first George, true to his nature, declined to believe a word of it; but when he and Adam, urged on by curiosity to forget whatever cause they had had for remaining in camp, hurried over to the scene of excitement, they heard the story from numerous lips; so that the last doubt was laid.

The balance of the day was spent in resting up, for all of them were sore from their unusual exertions, however much they might try to hide the fact. Of course a plunge in the river had soon removed all the smoke stains, and refreshed them at the same time.

"It's lucky we had on our oldest trousers and leggings," remarked Elmer, when they came to examine into the condition of things. "What with water slopping over the pails, and the smoke and cinders, these are a sight right now. But it'll wash out, fellows, and that's something our record made this day will never do."

"Only one thing I'm sorry about," remarked Landy.

"What'th that! Anything to do with the way Ty here thailed into that burning crib, and thnatched out the poor little innothent lamb, Bennie?" asked Ted.

"No. What I meant was that I forgot to take Lil Artha's camera along when we started for the farmhouse, because I never thought we'd have anything happen to us worth remembering. Just think, boys, if I had snapped off half a dozen views of that business, wouldn't they deserve a frame in our meeting room?"

"Just what they would," affirmed Landy. "I'd give anything if I had one to show my folks what a hero their son and heir had grown to be. But then," he added, sighing, "they wouldn't have known me with all that black on my face."

"Come off!" cried George. "Anybody'd know you by your elegant figure; I could tell you a mile away, with one eye shut."

"Oh, thank you, George!" said Landy effusively, just as though he really believed his cousin meant it. "I always knew you were a good chap, and could appreciate true merit, no matter where found. It's worth something to hear such splendid words of praise from one of your own family. I'll treasure them for a long while, sure."

"Don't believe a word of it," remarked George, true to his colors, and a doubter from the word "go."

Nothing more out of the way happened to the scouts while they were in that snug camp on the Sweetwater. We saw them first on that same stream, and it seems only right that we should take our last glimpse of some of our friends while they are still in camp.

When on the morrow they would start to wend their way homeward, it would doubtless be with many regrets, for they had certainly had a great time of it, all told. As school duties began, the Hickory Ridge Troop of Boy Scouts would not find so many opportunities for outings; but the ties that had bound them together all summer still held good; and no matter what the sport that engaged their attention, these lads who had signed the roster under Roderic Garrabrant's guidance were bound to be drawn together with the strong affection of those who have the same goal in sight, and look upon one another as "comrades tried and true."

We shall hope to again meet with Elmer and his chums ere long, and in new fields follow the fortunes of those good fellows who formed the several patrols of the Hickory Ridge troop.