The soldiers laughed. That was a little too thin, they declared. Come, they must go with them. They proposed to put a stop to this horse-stealing. It had been going on long enough. A horse was stolen only last night, and the man had run over one of the pickets on the bridge, and had knocked him into the river and drowned him. They were glad to find who it was, etc. Jack felt very badly. Jake came close up to him and began to whisper. “Jack, what dey gwine do wid us?” he asked. “Hang you, you black little horse-stealing imp!” said one of the men, with a terrific force. “Cut you up into little pieces.” The others laughed. Men are often not very considerate to children. They do not realize how helpless children feel in their power. Both Jack and Jake turned pale. Jake was ashy. “Jack, I told you not to come,” he cried. Jack acknowledged the truth of this. He had it on his tongue’s end to say, “What did you lose the letter for?” but he did not. He felt that as his father’s son he must be brave. He just walked close to Jake and touched him. “Don’t be scared,” he whispered. “We will get away.” Just then one of the men caught Jake and twisted his arm a little. Jake gave a little whine of fright. In an instant Jack snatched a gun from a man near by him, and cocking it, levelled it at the soldier. “Let Jake go, or I’ll blow your brains out,” he said. A hand seized him from behind, and the gun was jerked out of his hand. It went off, but the bullet flew over their heads. There was no more twisting of Jake’s arm, however. The soldiers, after this, made them march along between them. They carried them to the clearing where the old house was, and where some of their comrades were on guard awaiting them. They marched the boys up to the fire. “We’ve got the little horse-thieves,” they declared. “They were coming over after another horse; but I guess we’ll break it up now.” “Why, they are mighty little fellows to be horse-thieves,” said one. “They are the worst kind,” declared the other. “Must be right bad, then, corporal, for you are pretty handy yourself,” declared a comrade. “We are not any horse-thieves,” asserted Jack. “We found this horse.” “Shut up!” ordered one of his captors. They began to talk about what they would do with them. Several methods of securing them were proposed, and it was finally determined to lock them up in the loft of the old cabin till morning, when they would carry them to camp, and the Colonel would make proper disposition of them. “Can’t they get away in there?” asked one man. “No; there is a bolt on the outside of the door,” said another. “Besides, we are all down here.”