"Who do you think he is?" cried two or three of the men together.
"I would rather not say," replied the boy.
"Why?"
"Because I might be wronging an innocent man."
"But we want to find the thief."
"I cannot help you do that. If the man is the one I think he may be, he did not steal the horses."
"Why did he accuse you, then?" demanded one of the party.
"Merely to satisfy a private grudge."
"Then he ought to be found and punished; so why do you try to shield him?"
"Because it is my private affair," replied Al, quietly. "And because I do not like your way of administering what you call justice. See how near you came to making a mistake to-night. But how did you run across the fellow who said I was the thief?"