ad Sobber, who had had small part
in the operations, but who was ready to do all the "crowing" possible.

"Prisoners!" gasped Sam. "Where is Dick?" he added.

"Also a prisoner," said Tad, with a chuckle. "You thought you had
fooled us nicely, but I guess we have turned the tables on you."

"I suspected you Rovers," said Sid Merrick.

"Really!" answered Tom, sarcastically. "You acted it!"

"See here, don't you get funny, young man. Please remember you are in
our power."

"And we'll do some shooting, if we have to," added Tad, bombastically.

"Tad, I guess I can do the talking for this crowd," said his uncle.

"You were afraid of the ghosts, Tad," said Sam. "You must have run
about a mile!" And the youngest Rover grinned in spite of the
predicament he was in.

"You shut up I." roared Tad Sobber, and exhibited some of the
brutality that had made him so hated at Putnam Hall by raising his
foot and kicking Sam in the side.

"Stop!" cried the youngest Rover, in pain. "What a brute you are!"

"Leave my brother alone!" came from Tom.

"A fine coward you are, to kick him when he is a prisoner! You
wouldn't dare to try it if he was free."

"I wouldn't, eh? I want you to understand I'm not afraid of anybody,"
blustered Tad. "I am--"

"Tad, be quiet," cried his uncle. "I am fully capable of managing this
affair. Don't kick him again."

"Yes, but look here, Uncle Sid, they--"

"I will take care of things," cried Sid Merrick, and so sharply that
his nephew at once subsided. But on the sly he shook his fist at both
Tom and Sam.

"Maybe we had better make sure that nobody else is around," suggested
Shelley, who had been Merrick's best aide in the capture.

"All right, look around if you want to," was Merrick's reply. "I am
pretty certain these boys are alone here--although more persons from
the steam yacht may be ashore."

They looked around, but, of course, found nobody else. Then Dick, Tom
and Sam were tied in a row to three trees which were handy. Merrick
took possession of their single weapon.

"I don't want you to hurt yourselves with it," he said, grimly.

"Merrick, this is a high handed proceeding," said Dick, when the gag
was removed from his mouth.

"No more so than was your statement of owning the isle," was the
answer.

"What are you going to do with us?"

"Nothing."

"I must say I don't understand you."

"What should I do with you? I don't enjoy your company. I am here
solely to get that t