he said
to the men on the ground, and to two others on horseback. "Keep him
here," jerking his thumb toward Willy, whose face was already burning
with emotion.

"I'm going with Frank," said Willy. "Let me go." This to the man who
had hold of him by the arm. "Frank, make him let me go," he shouted,
bursting into tears, and turning on his captor with all his little
might.

"Willy, he's not goin' to hurt you,--don't you tell!" called Frank,
squirming until he dug his heels so into the horse's flanks that the
horse began to kick up.

"Keep quiet, Johnny; he's not goin' to hurt him," said one of the men,
kindly. He had a brown beard and shining white teeth.

They rode slowly down the narrow path, the dragoon holding Frank by
the leg. Deep down in the woods, beyond a small branch, the path
forked.

"Which way?" asked the corporal, stopping and addressing Frank.

Frank set his mouth tight and looked him in the eyes.

"Which is it?" the corporal repeated.

"I ain't going to tell," said he, firmly.

"Look here, Johnny; we've got you, and we are going to make you tell
us; so you might just as well do it, easy. If you don't, we're goin'
to make you."

The boy said nothing.

[Illustration: THE BOY FACED HIS CAPTOR, WHO HELD A STRAP IN ONE
HAND.]

"You men dismount. Stubbs, hold the horses." He himself dismounted,
and three others did the same, giving their horses to a fourth.

"Get down!"--this to Frank and the soldier behind whom he was riding.
The soldier dismounted, and the boy slipped off after him and faced
his captor, who held a strap in one hand.

"Are you goin' to tell us?" he asked.

"No."

"Don't you know?" He came a step nearer, and held the strap forward.
There was a long silence. The boy's face paled perceptibly, but took
on a look as if the proceedings were indifferent to him.

"If you say you don't know"--said the man, hesitating in face of the
boy's resolution. "Don't you know where they are?"

"Yes, I know; but I ain't goin' to tell you," said Frank, bursting
into tears.

"The little Johnny's game," said the soldier who had told him the
others were not going to hurt Willy. The corporal said something to
this man in an undertone, to which he replied:

"You can try, but it isn't going to do any good. I don't half like it,
anyway."

Frank had stopped crying after his first outburst.

"If you don't tell, we are going to shoot you," said the little
soldier, drawing his pistol.

The boy