"Somebody has taken everything away——"
In the dim light, Bud Heyland at that juncture observed something which amazed him still more. Instead of two men there were three, and two of them were struggling fiercely together.
These were Cyrus Sutton and Jacob Kincade, but the struggle was short. In a twinkling the showman was thrown on his back, and the nippers placed on his wrists.
"It's no use," said Sutton, as he had called himself, in a low voice; "the game is up, Jacob."
Before Bud Heyland could understand that he and Kincade were entrapped, the third man sprang forward and manipulated the handcuffs so dexterously that Bud quickly realized he was a helpless captive.
This third man was Archie Jackson, the constable, who could not avoid declaring in a louder voice than was necessary.
"We've got you both, and you may as well take it like men. This gentleman whom you two took for Cyrus Sutton, a cattle drover, is my old friend James Carter, the detective, from New York."
And such was the truth indeed.