's so!" shrilled the old farmer. "They killed the
cows, an' I'm on my way to put 'em in the Haven Point lock-up."

"Oh, Captain Dale, don't let him have us arrested!" pleaded Fred. "We
do not know anything about his cows, and we certainly did not shoot
them."

"Tell me all about this," demanded Captain Dale. And in a highly
excited fashion, Elias Lacy told his story, which was corroborated by
his hired man.

"Now I'll hear what you have to say," said the captain, turning to Jack
and Fred.

They gave him the particulars of what had happened, just as they had
already related them to the old farmer. Then Captain Dale asked them a
number of questions. Elias Lacy interrupted continually.

"I ain't a-goin' to stand no nonsense," said the old man doggedly. "I'm
a-goin' to put 'em in the lock-up, an' do it right now!"

"Mr. Lacy, allow me to tell you something," said the military
instructor coolly. "If these boys are guilty you will be justified in
having them placed under arrest. But if they are not guilty--and they
claim they are innocent--you'll make yourself liable for a big suit for
damages."

"I don't care! I know they shot them cows!"

"No, you don't know it. You admit that the farm hand who saw the two
cadets did not recognize them. In fact, he wasn't altogether sure that
they were cadets. Now, these boys claim they were nowhere near your
pasture lot when the cows were shot. I think the best thing you can do
is to let them return to the Hall with me. Colonel Colby is away
to-day, but I will take the matter up with him just as soon as he
returns."

"Mebbe if I let 'em go to the Hall, they'll run away," answered Elias
Lacy. The mention of a possible lawsuit for damages had taken some of
the aggressiveness out of him.

"I will see to it that they do not run away," answered Captain Dale.
"We have a guardroom at the Hall--a sort of lock-up; and if it is
necessary I will have them placed there until Colonel Colby can
investigate, and until you can make up your mind what you want to do."

The old farmer argued the matter for several minutes, but in the end
agreed to let the military instructor take charge of Jack and Fred.

"But remember," he said in parting, "you've got to keep 'em under lock
an' key till I see Colonel Colby. I'm a-goin' to make an investigation,
an' I'm purty sure I'll be able to prove that they killed them cows."

CHAPTER XXVIII

IN THE GUARDROOM

"What in the world do you suppos