"Are you the Hardy boys?" he asked. "Sons of that detective?"
"Try and find out."
"We'll find out, all right," declared the man in the fur coat threateningly. "We'll take you to somebody that'll make you talk."
"You'd better let us go or the whole three of you will find yourselves in jail," said Frank.
The man laughed shortly.
"No fear," he said. "Not in Lucky Bottom, at any rate." He turned to the other two men. "Keep these boys here," he ordered. "I'll be back in a while. Don't let them get away!"
"Where are you going, Jack?" asked the thin-faced man.
"I'm going to get Black Pepper. He'll make these birds talk."
With that the fellow stalked away through the snow. Frank and Joe glanced quickly at one another. They knew now the explanation of their capture. They were in the hands of three members of the gang of the notorious Black Pepper, the outlaw.