Jerry crawled to where his two friends were sleeping. He first awakened Ned, and clapped a hand over his mouth to silence any sudden exclamation of surprise. “What is it?” Ned demanded. “Crooked Nose!” whispered Jerry. “Keep still! I think we have them!” Bob was harder to arouse, and inclined to make more noise, but at length the three motor boys, leaving the other soldiers sleeping in the hay, had crawled to the edge of the mow and were looking down on the three men gathered about the shaded lantern. The discussion was still going on. “Why don’t you wait?” begged the crooked-nosed man, who had given his name to Mr. Martin as Jim Waydell. “Why do you want to spoil things now?” and he addressed the fellow who had displaced the coat, which had been adjusted again, however. “Why don’t you wait?” “Because I’m tired of waiting,” was the growled-out answer. “I want some coin. I set the fire. You robbed the Frenchman. It was fifty-fifty with the risk. Now let it be the same with the coin.” “But I tell you I haven’t got much coin left,” declared Crooked Nose. “We missed the biggest bunch of it, and what I got----” “Give me half of what you got then!” growled the other. “I can’t. I had to spend some----” “Don’t talk so loud!” warned the man whose face was in the shadow. “First thing you know some one may hear us, and then----” He shrugged his shoulders, as though no words were necessary. “Great Scott!” whispered Ned to Jerry. “Is it possible we have stumbled on the very men we wanted?” “More a case of them stumbling in on us,” Jerry answered. “Listen to what they are saying.” It was the same argument over again, one man demanding money and the other trying to pacify him without giving it. “What are we going to do?” whispered Ned. “Get ’em, of course,” Jerry replied in the same low voice. “Do you think we three can manage them alone--each one take a man?” “Sure!” declared Ned. He and his chums were in excellent physical condition, thanks to their army training. “Well, then let’s jump on ’em. Take ’em by surprise,” advised the tall lad. “We can slide down from the hay and grab ’em before they know what’s up. We’ve heard enough to convict them now. It was the very evidence we needed.” “Better wake up the other fellows so they can stand by us in case of trouble,” advised Bob, and this was decided on. While the two men were still disputing, and their companion waited, Ned, Bob and Jerry silently roused their sleeping comrades, briefly telling them what the situation was. “We’ll slide down and grab ’em,” said Jerry. “They don’t appear to be armed, but if they are we’ll take ’em by surprise before they can get their guns. You stand by with your rifles, fellows. I guess the sight of the guns will be all that’s needed. All ready now?” he asked Ned and Bob in a whisper. [Illustration: “WE’LL SLIDE DOWN AND GRAB ’EM,” SAID JERRY.] “All ready!”