s follows:

"The plan will work perfectly, and all we must do is to wait until
the money is at the fort. I am sure the soldiers will leave as
requested, and the defense will amount to little or nothing. Will
see to it that Colonel Fairfield is drugged, and will treat Captain
Moore and the other officers the same way, if I can get the
chance."

CHAPTER XVII.

THREE PRISONERS.

It did not take Joe and Darry long to retrace their steps at the
water-course. They continued to call to the young captain, and once Joe
shot off his rifle as a signal, but, as we know, no answer came back.

"I can't understand this at all," said Joe, when they halted near the
shelter. "I didn't hear him do any firing, did you?"

"Not a shot," answered Darry. "He must have gone away from the brook
instead of along the bank."

The two boys hung around the shelter for some time, and then decided to
follow up the trail left by the young officer.

This was easy for part of the distance, but soon the footprints became
so indistinct that they came to another halt.

"Stumped!" muttered Joe. "We might as well go back to the shelter and
wait till he returns. One thing is certain, he hasn't found any game, or
we would have heard the firing."

Tired by their long tramp the boys sat down in the shelter, thinking
that Captain Moore would return at any moment.

Thus an hour was passed. It was now noon, and Joe and Darry set to work
to prepare dinner for themselves.

The repast was just finished when Joe let out a cry of alarm.

"Matt Gilroy!"

He was right. The captain of the desperadoes had appeared, followed by
several others.

The boys were taken completely off their guard. Darry made a clutch for
his rifle, but on the instant Gilroy had him covered.

"Leave the gun alone!" cried the rascal. "Leave it alone, or it will be
the worse for you."

"What do you want?" questioned Joe.

"We want you to behave yourselves," answered Fetter, who was in the
crowd.

"You played us a nice trick that time you escaped from the cave,"
growled Gilroy, eying Joe darkly.

"Do you blame me for wanting to get away?"

"Hardly. But I'll warrant you won't get away again."

"Then you consider me your prisoner?"

"I do."

"Oh, Joe, do you think they met Will----" began Darry, and then stopped
short.

"Yes, your brother is waiting to meet you," said Fetter, addressing Joe.

"Then he is also a prisoner?"

"Yes."