"Look over yonder!" he called. "Sumbuddy behind the rocks!" He pointed at Dave and the others, and a second later the three youths knew that they had been discovered. "Come out o' thet, whoever you are!" cried Sol Blugg. "We might as well get up," said Dave, and arose to his feet. His chums did likewise and then those on one ledge of rocks faced those on the other. CHAPTER XXVI PROWLERS IN CAMP "Huh! so it's you, is it!" cried Link Merwell, in surly tones. "So you are after my mine!" cried Roger, sharply. "Well, I'll tell you right now, if you locate it, it won't do you any good." "Bah! We know what we are doing," retorted the youth who in the past had caused Dave and his chums so much trouble. "You can't scare us." "Link, you ought to be in jail!" burst out Phil. "You'll never put me there," was the quick retort. "We have as much right to look for a mine up here as you have," put in Sol Blugg. "If you own a mine, where are your stakes or other landmarks?" "You know very well that they were carried away by that landslide," answered the senator's son. "We don't know nuthin' of the kind," came from Larry Jaley. "Your uncle claimed to have a mine up here, but I never seen no proof of it--nor did anybuddy else see any proof. Any of us kin locate a claim, an' you can't stop us." "This is free land, so far as locatin' a claim is concerned," added Sol Blugg. "Well, if you locate that mine before we do, don't you dare to remove any of my uncle's landmarks," returned Roger. [Illustration: "IF YOU LOCATE THAT MINE BEFORE WE DO, DON'T YOU DARE TO REMOVE ANY OF MY UNCLE'S LANDMARKS."] "Ha! wot kind o' talk is thet!" burst out Larry Jaley. "Oh, we know you," put in Dave. "We know just what sort of a bunch you are." "Porter, do you include me in that remark?" demanded Job Haskers, drawing himself up as had been his fashion when an instructor at Oak Hall. "I certainly do," replied Dave. "You are impertinent!" "It won't do you any good to act in that way, Job Haskers," returned our hero. "We know you for the rascal that you are. You committed a crime at Oak Hall, and you did what you could to swindle Mr. Fordham. It's useless for you to deny it. Now, let me say this: If you and those with you try to do the Morrs out of their property here, we'll do all we can to put you and Link Merwell in prison for your crimes. And more than that, we'll do what we can to have those men arrested, for that land swindle they tried to pull off when Abe Blower blocked them, and for stealing our horses." "You--you----" stammered the former teacher, and for the moment knew not what to say. "Don't you call us hoss-thieves!" burst out Sol Blugg, savagely. "I can and I will," replied Dave, firmly. "Your crowd tried to take our horses, and the fellow called Staver got shot doing it. I guess that is why he isn't with you now." "Bah! I won't talk with you," growled Sol Blugg. He knew not what else to say.