"They shan't slip us; eh, Spud?"
"Nary a slip, Scutty," returned the second new-comer.
"Then you don't intend to let us go?" asked Dick.
"No."
"This is a high-handed proceeding."
"Is it? Well, down here, we sometimes take the law into our own hands," chuckled the owner of Red Rock ranch.
"Then, if the law ever gets hold of you, it will go so much harder with you," said Sam.
"Bah! Do you suppose I am going to argue with a kid like you?" growled
Sack Todd. "Take 'em below," he said, turning to his men.
There was no help for it, as others were coming to the scene. As the boys marched into the ranch, they came face to face with Dan Baxter.
"Dick Rover!" gasped the bully. "And Sam! What does this mean?"