Professor Zepplin pulled up short when his glances finally came to rest on the bound form of the mountaineer; Stacy Brown’s eyes grew large and Walter Perkins gasped.

CHAPTER VI

THE CAMP IN AN UPROAR

“Tad!  Where is Tad?  What does this mean?” demanded the professor.

“Hullo, boys,” cried Butler stepping out into the light.  “Did you think that was myself tied up there?”

Chunky, in the excitement of the moment, forgot to tell Tad that he had stopped another bullet out on the plain.

“What do you think of our prisoner, Professor?”

“Tad, will you be good enough to explain what this means?”

“Yes, sir.  To be brief that’s the fellow who shot at us.  He tried to kill us both up here in the mountains.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“I guess I ought to know,” grinned Rector, “He jumped me, tied me to a tree, then was about to blow my head off when Tad appeared just in time to save my precious life.”

By this time Stacy had slipped from his saddle and striding over to the prisoner stood looking down at him.  “So, you’re the fellow who potted me twice to-day, are you?” demanded the fat boy sternly.  The prisoner made no reply, but he gazed up at his tormentor so savagely that Stacy instinctively took a step backward.

“He is the man, but we landed him,” answered Rector proudly.

“Is there any objection to my giving the ruffian a good hard kick for luck?” asked Stacy.

“There certainly is objection to your doing anything of the sort,” returned Tad sharply.  “We have not come to the point where we treat our prisoners of war the way the Germans do theirs.  You let the man alone or I’ll have something to say to you.”

“Stacy!” rebuked Professor Zepplin sternly.

“Yes, sir?”

“You will keep away from the prisoner.  Tad, I want to hear all about this.”

“There is not much to tell, except that we got him, though he nearly got us.  He caught Ned napping.  I should have fallen just the same had I been in Ned’s place, for this fellow is a bad man.  Ned has told you what happened to him, else I shouldn’t have said anything about that part of the affair.  While Ned was trying to find where the shot came from that caught Stacy last, this fellow spotted and captured him.  I was hunting for the source of the shot at the same time, but went astray.  I was finally attracted by the smell of smoke.  I arrived on the scene about the time that fellow was getting ready to take Ned’s life.  At least, that was the way it seemed to me.”

“Yes, he was,” interjected Rector.

“You were an easy mark!” jeered Stacy.

“At least I didn’t stop two bullets,” answered Ned witheringly.

“The fellow caught Ned looking at me and knowing instantly that something was wrong he whirled and shot at me.  He missed, then I shied a stone into his solar plexus,” said Tad.