What was your object in taking
two of our shotguns from the gun rack and going over to Mr. Lacy's farm
and shooting down two of his cows?"

"Wh--wh--why, wh--wh--what do you mean?" faltered Brown.

"We didn't--er--shoot--er--any cows," stammered Martell.

Both boys were thrown into utter confusion, and showed it plainly. Then
Slugger Brown suddenly turned to glare at the Rovers.

"Is this some of your work?" he demanded. "If it is, let me tell you
I'll pay you back for it!"

"Stop that talk, Brown!" commanded Colonel Colby. "I want you and
Martell to answer my question. Why did you go over there and shoot
those cows?"

"Who says we shot the cows?" questioned Nappy, faintly.

"Never mind who says so. You did it, and it is useless for you to deny
it. Here are the two guns you took from the gun rack and afterwards hid
in your beds. And here is the despicable note you, Brown, wrote and
mailed to Mr. Lacy," and the colonel held out the communication.

"Oh, Colonel Colby, I di--di--didn't do it!" faltered Slugger Brown.
His face had suddenly gone white, and he could scarcely speak.

"Do you deny that this is your handwriting?"

"I--I----Oh, is----I--I--didn't----That is----" and here Slugger Brown
broke down absolutely, not knowing what to say.

"Did you mail that letter or did Brown do it?" questioned the colonel,
quickly turning to Martell.

"He did it! I didn't have anything to do with it!" burst out Nappy,
breaking down completely.

"It ain't so!" cried Slugger. "He was with me, and he dropped the
letter in the post-office!"

"And so you killed the cows to get the Rovers into trouble?" said
Colonel Colby; and now his eyes glittered like steel. "A fine thing to
do, truly! I did not think any of our cadets would stoop to such a base
action."

"It was a--er--a joke," gasped Nappy.

"A joke! To kill two valuable cows? Martell, if you talk that way, I'll
be inclined to think you are losing your senses. But evidently there is
something radically wrong with both you and Brown," went on the master
of the Hall. "This case of the cows and the plot against the Rovers is
bad enough, but I have another matter against you which may prove even
worse."

"What is that?" questioned Slugger, very faintly.

"It is a case that Captain Larkins of the steam tug, _Mary D._, has
lodged against you. He says he has absolute proof that both of you went
out in a motor boat one day and tampered with the towing line and the
chai