ting to the Lorimer Spell claim."

"Then tell your father that Corporal John Dunning, who is stopping at
O'Brian's Hotel, has them and will give them up to him just as soon as
he can prove his property," said the ex-soldier, as he placed the
documents in an inside pocket.

By this time two under-sheriffs had arrived on the scene, and they were
wanting to know if their services were required. Tate, Jackson, and one
or two others, for purely personal reasons, were in favor of hushing the
matter up, but not so Corporal Dunning or the Rover boys.

"If he is the man who knocked my father down and robbed him, I want him
arrested," declared Jack.

"He ought to be arrested if he did anything like that," acquiesced
Dunning. "I'm through with him! No more work for me at his place!"

"If you want another job I guess my father's foreman, Nick Ogilvie, will
be glad to take you on," answered Jack quickly. "You know, my dad is an
ex-service man, too. And so are my cousins' fathers," he added,
motioning to the other boys.

Carson Davenport blustered and tried to protest, and so did Tate and
Jackson. But it was all of no avail, and in the end the oil well
promoter was marched off by the under-sheriffs to the local lockup. Then
Tate and Jackson hurried away, looking anything but pleased.

"If he's exposed, he'll expose us too," said Tate sourly.

"Right you are, Jake," answered Jackson. "Maybe we'd better clear out."

And they did, the next day. They tried to get hold of some of the funds
of the oil company, but Dunning and others were on guard, so this little
plan was frustrated.

Of course Dick Rover was astonished when the boys burst in on him with
their story. He quickly sought out Dunning and proved to the
satisfaction of that individual that the documents taken from Davenport
were his property. Then Davenport was put through the "third degree," as
it is called by the authorities, and finally broke down and admitted
that he, Tate, and Jackson had committed the assault and theft, and that
he had likewise tried to abscond with the remaining funds of his new oil
company. As a result of all this he was later sentenced to a term of
years in prison. About three months later still Tate and Jackson were
caught, and also made to do time at hard labor.

With Davenport, Tate and Jackson out of it, the management of the new
oil company fell upon Gabe Werner's father. Mr. Werner went ahead with
the two wells as planned by the others,