rock, covering his face with his hands.

"Come on," said Jack, and without more ado he scrambled down from the
rocks and came around to where Brassy was sitting, and the others did the
same.

Brassy's misery was so great that for several seconds he did not notice
their approach. Then, he looked up startled and leaped to his feet.

"Where did you come from?" he demanded, as soon as he could speak.

"We came from the other end of the cave, Brassy," answered Jack.

"How long have you been here?"

"We've been here long enough to hear the talk you had with that fellow
named Haddon," answered Fred.

"You did!" Brassy turned pale. "It wasn't very nice to listen when you
had no business to!"

"Never mind about that now, Brassy. What we want to know is, did you or
that fellow rob Colby Hall?"

"He did it! I didn't have a thing to do with it--at least, willingly!"
cried Brassy Bangs. "He forced me to do everything I did. He threatened
me in all sorts of ways--said he would put me in prison and all that if I
didn't help him. Oh, he's the worst man there ever was!" groaned the
overwrought boy. And now the others could see that he was on the verge of
collapse.

"See here, Brassy, why don't you tell us the whole story?" put in Gif
kindly.

"Why should I tell my story to you? All you fellows are against me--you
always were!"

"We're not against you, Brassy," answered Jack. "If you can prove to us
that you're really being hounded by that man, we'll do what we can to
help you. Isn't that so, fellows?" And at this question the others
nodded.

"Hounded is right! He's done nothing but hound me ever since he knew me,"
whined the accused one.

"You tell me one thing!" demanded Spouter, striding up and catching
Brassy by the shoulder. "Did that rascal steal the horses from our
ranch?"

"I think he did--in fact, I'm about certain he did. That is, either he or
the fellows he's in league with."

"Who are those other fellows?"

"Two fellows who just came out here from Chicago named Jillson and
Dusenbury and two others from Bimbel's ranch named Noxley and Jenks. The
whole bunch were mixed up with Bimbel some years ago in a shady
transaction, and they lit out for quite a while. But now they're back
again."

"I don't see why you want to get mixed up with a crowd like that," was
Andy's comment.

"I didn't want to get mixed up with 'em," declared Brassy. "I haven't had
a thing to do with any of 'em except Bud Haddon. Oh, I w