or his two negroes was found.

It nettled the detectives, and finally drove them to the conclusion
that the rascally trio had gone away.

Assured of this, the Bradys searched Swamp Angel.

No one there had seen anything of the men in question.

It therefore seemed quite evident that they cleared out of that
neighborhood entirely, and assured of this, the Bradys started for home
afoot that night.

"We shall have to leave here to-morrow," said the old sleuth, "and get
upon their track elsewhere, Harry."

"It's a question how to find their trail," the boy answered, dubiously.

"As they more than likely went by rail, we could easily make inquiries
of the passing train crews for some tidings of them."

Just then the pounding of horses' hoofs upon the road reached their
ears, and they rushed behind a heap of rocks.

Parting some bushes growing there, they peered out.

The moon was rising in the cloudy sky, lighting up the dusty road, and
the detectives caught view of two men on horseback.

They were coming from the direction of Pine Creek, the next railroad
station beyond Swamp Angel, and carried bundles of provisions.

As Harry's glance fell upon the pair, he grasped Old King Brady's arm,
and muttered in low, excited tones:

"It's Mason and Johnson, or some other negro."

"Hush! Keep quiet!" muttered Old King Brady.

Up came the horsemen, blissfully ignorant of the fact that the
detectives were watching them, and Mason was laughing and saying:

"The fools were searching the swamp for us during the past three days,
Nick, and they couldn't find a sign of us."

"Ha, ha, ha," laughed the negro. "'Specs dey am not so smart as dey
fink dey am. An' what's mo', dey nebber find us."

Just then the detectives sprang from their covert.

Landing in the road in front of the two startled men, they grasped the
horses' bridles at the bits, and the frightened beasts paused and
reared up.

"Whoa!" yelled Mason. "What's that? Whoa!"

Old King Brady aimed a pistol up in his face.

"It's me!" he cried.

"Thunder!" roared the man.

"You throw your hands up."

"What for?"

"Because we want you!"

A sneering laugh pealed from Mason's lips.

He dug spurs into his horse's flanks, and the brute sprang forward,
maddened with pain, and knocked the old detective down.

Over him bounded the horse, and the next moment it went galloping away
into the woods a few yards ahead, and vanished.

Harry had been more fortunat