oes this mean?" he demanded sullenly after a pause.

"Can you hold him, Blowfen?" asked Paul, anxiously.

"I reckon, Paul; but maybe ye might better keep him covered with yer
gun."

"This means that we have come to take possession of our own," put in
Chet. "We told you that we would be back."

"It's ag'inst the law, and I'll have the sheriff on you!" shouted
Captain Grady wrathfully.

"We'll chance that," said Paul. "March into the house, please. We want
to question you a bit on another matter," he continued.

Captain Grady started. "What matter?" he asked in a lower tone of voice.

"About our uncle, Barnaby Winthrop."

"Don't know nothing of him," was the reply, and as he spoke Captain
Grady's hand moved up to his inside breast pocket.

Instantly Jack Blowfen leaped upon the rascal and bore him to the
earth.

CHAPTER XXIII.

News of Importance

"Don't be alarmed; he is not going to shoot," cried Paul.

"Don't ye make too shure o' thet," ejaculated the cowboy. "Wot's he
puttin' his hand into his pocket fer?"

"He has something there I fancy he wishes to conceal," went on Paul.
"Empty the pocket, please."

"Let me go! This is highway robbery!" stormed Captain Grady.

He struggled fiercely to regain his feet. But Blowfen was the stronger
of the pair and he easily held the rascal down with one hand, while with
the other he brought several letters from his inside pocket.

Paul eagerly snatched the letters, in spite of the captain's protest. He
glanced at them, with Chet looking over his shoulder.

"Well, what do you make out?" asked Caleb Dottery. He didn't quite like
the way matters were turning.

"I think we will be safe in making Captain Grady a prisoner," replied
Paul slowly.

"Yes, make him a prisoner by all means," put in Chet. "He is a villain
if ever there was one. If we can't prove it I think my Uncle Barnaby
can."

At the reference to Barnaby Winthrop Captain Grady grew pale. It was
evident that his sins were at last finding him out.

It did not take Jack Blowfen long to act upon Paul's suggestion. He
disarmed the captain and made him march into the house, where he bound
the fellow in very much the same manner as Dottery had bound Jeff Jones.

While he was doing so Paul showed the letters taken from the prisoner to
Caleb Dottery. Chet, while a second reading was going on, commenced to
ransack the house.

The captain had moved but a few things into the ranch home--a couple of