The man tried to palaver, but that did not go with Frank, and he was forced to obey. He held his hands above his head, and then Merry directed Diamond to search and disarm him. This Jack did, taking a revolver and knife from the man. Following this, the painter was taken from one of the canoes, and the man’s hands were bound behind his back, despite his protestations and threats. Then he was marched to the cottage. Browning and Hodge were just coming out to see what was going on when the trio appeared with the prisoner. “He was stealing one of our canoes,” explained Frank. “Well, what are you going to do with him?” asked Bruce. “Don’t know yet. I’ll decide on that point later.” Bunker was marched into the cottage, and then Frank observed: “There is one little point I mean to settle without delay. There is a certain mystery about this gentleman. If I am not mistaken, it does not require a razor to give him a clean shave.” Then he took hold of the captive’s whiskers and gave them a sharp jerk. They came off in his hands, showing they were false. “Just what I thought!” exclaimed Merry, triumphantly. “Now, how about this long hair?” It did not take long to establish the fact that Bunker wore a wig and his face was stained with paint that made it look coarse and repulsive. “Fellows,” cried Merriwell, “see that scar under his ear! I have made a big catch this morning, for this is the gentleman Ben Bowers, the sheriff, wants to see. This is Joe Tweed, who robbed and nearly killed Peter Small!” Frank’s words gave the others a shock, but they saw that, with his disguise removed, the man answered the description Bowers had given of the robber. Of course the captive denied that he was Tweed, but that made no difference with Frank. “Mr. Bowers will decide that point,” he said. “I shall take you over to see him to-day.” The prisoner resorted to threats, pleading and attempted bribery. Everything was unavailing. Frank was determined, and that very day, before noon, the man stood before the sheriff and was identified as Joe Tweed. “Young man,” said Bowers, “you done a big job when you caught him! The reward is your’n, and I’ll see that you git it. I was afraid the blamed critter had got clean away.” “And so I would,” said Tweed, sullenly, “if I had not been a fool. I might have skipped yesterday, but I stayed to get a crack at Frank Merriwell, and he has landed me here. I made my mistake in not letting him rip, even if he was responsible for my ducking in the lake. But I never robbed old Small, and I defy you to prove that I did.” This did not prove so hard, however, for Jim Welch turned out to be Tweed’s accomplice, and he gave the whole thing away when he was accused. Almost every dollar of the stolen money was recovered, and both Welch and Tweed were indicted and held for trial. Merriwell actually received the reward that had been offered for the capture of the robber.