n he
laughed harshly.

"It's the boodle, all right, Brad. He found the bag, sure as thunder! And
now he's _got_ to tell, or it's all up with him!"

Both men turned furiously on the bound boy. Ted had held out against all
odds up to this critical point; but of course he must admit himself
beaten, now that they had found the evidence in his pocket.

Nearer crept Paul, with his chums tagging close at his heels. And nobody
thought to look beyond the line of brilliant light cast by the lamp which
rested on the ground at the foot of the tree. Fortunately its powerful
rays were directed away from the quarter occupied by the creeping Boy
Scouts.

"Now, I reckon you're agoin' to tell all you know about that ere bag,
son?" said Brad, in a terrible voice.

"I guess I'll have to, mister. I was just holdin' out to see if so be you
was what you says. Now I know you be, and I'm ready to tell the hull
thing if you'll only let me go free. I don't want to be smoked, just yet
anyway," Ted whined.

"You did find the bag, then?" demanded the other.

"Yep, that's what I did."

"And took this wad of dough out of it?" pursued the other, savagely.

"It looked too nice to throw away, so I cabbaged it, mister. Wisht I
hadn't now."

"What became of the bag after you took this out--go on, now, and tell,
or--"

"Oh! I throwed that away, mister, right over here in the woods somewhere.
If you look around you'll find her close by. Please let me go when you
dig her out!" said Ted, really alarmed now for his safety.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE CAPTURE

Paul knew where that bag was.

By the strangest chance in the world he was kneeling alongside it just
then. In creeping forward so as to draw closer to the scene of action,
and avoid the rays of light cast by the car lamp, he had happened to put
his hand on some object that felt soft to the touch; and he guessed what
it must be.

What if the tall man came straight toward that spot, looking for the
missing object? Dared they rise up and defy these two scoundrels? If some
one cast Ted loose would he join forces with them, and make common cause
against the ruffians?

Judging from what he knew about the fellow, from past experiences, Paul
thought no dependence could be placed on Ted. As likely as not if his
hands were free, he would seize the very first chance to snatch up the
bag and scamper off, leaving the others to bear the brunt of the men's
anger.

But perhaps they would not have