"What do you mean by stealing our outfit in this fashion?" demanded Mark, after an awkward pause.
"Who said we were stealing it?" asked Sag Ruff in return.
"We have eyes."
"We found this outfit on the trail and didn't know who it belonged to."
"That's it," added Soapy Gannon, quickly. "Not a soul was in sight around it."
"Do you expect us to believe that story?" burst out Bob, sarcastically. "If you do, you are mistaken."
"I might believe it from an honest man, but not such a rascal as you," added Mark. "Sag Ruff, you are a scoundrel of the first water!"
"What have you done to Si Williams and Maybe Dixon?" asked the former sailor lad.
"Don't know anything about them," growled Sag Ruff. His eyes shifted uneasily from one boy to the other. "See here, how long do you want us to keep our hands raised?" he went on.
"You'll keep them up for the present," answered Mark.