jerry hopkins, lying in the haymow and looking down at the men and listening to them, could hardly believe his senses. at last it was all clear to him. before him was the crooked-nosed man who had been seen in cresville the night of the tenement house fire. and now, by his own admission, there was the man who had set the blaze so the robbery could be carried out with less fear of detection. as to the third man, jerry did not know what to think. his mention of “pug” seemed to link him with the bully, kennedy, but this yet remained to be proved.

“anyhow, i’m sure of one thing,” decided jerry, as he looked back into the dark mow, and could detect no movement that would indicate his chums were awake. “crooked nose is the man who robbed old mr. cardon, and the other chap is the one who set the fire. they’re both guilty by their own admission. but where is his other money if these fellows didn’t get it? and the brooch and the watch? i wonder if they could be in the ruins?”

[238]

jerry was thinking quickly. there was much to do if he hoped to capture the three men and fasten their crimes on them. first he must awaken some of his companions, and let them listen to the incriminating talk.

jerry crawled to where his two friends were sleeping. he first awakened ned, and clapped a hand over his mouth to silence any sudden exclamation of surprise.

“what is it?” ned demanded.

“crooked nose!” whispered jerry. “keep still! i think we have them!”

bob was harder to arouse, and inclined to make more noise, but at length the three motor boys, leaving the other soldiers sleeping in the hay, had crawled to the edge of the mow and were looking down on the three men gathered about the shaded lantern. the discussion was still going on.

“why don’t you wait?” begged the crooked-nosed man, who had given his name to mr. martin as jim waydell. “why do you want to spoil things now?” and he addressed the fellow who had displaced the coat, which had been adjusted again, however. “why don’t you wait?”

“because i’m tired of waiting,” was the growled-out answer. “i want some coin. i set the fire. you robbed the frenchman. it was fifty-fifty with the risk. now let it be the same with the coin.”

[239]

“but i tell you i haven’t got much coin left,” declared crooked nose. “we missed the biggest bunch of it, and what i got——”

“give me half of what you got then!” growled the other.

“i can’t. i had to spend some——”

“don’t talk so loud!” warned the man whose face was in the shadow. “first thing you know some one may hear us, and then——” he shrugged his shoulders, as though no words were necessary.

“great scott!” whispered ned to jerry. “is it possible we have stumbled on the very men we wanted?”

“more a case of them stumbling in on us,” jerry answered. “listen to what they are saying.”

it was the same argument over again, one man demanding money and the other trying to pacify him without giving it.

“what are we going to do?” whispered ned.

“get ’em, of course,” jerry replied in the same low voice. “do you think we three can manage them alone—each one take a man?”

“sure!” declared ned. he and his chums were in excellent physical condition, thanks to their army training.

“well, then let’s jump on ’em. take ’em by surprise,” advised the tall lad. “we can slide[240] down from the hay and grab ’em before they know what’s up. we’ve heard enough to convict them now. it was the very evidence we needed.”

“better wake up the other fellows so they can stand by us in case of trouble,” advised bob, and this was decided on. while the two men were still disputing, and their companion waited, ned, bob and jerry silently roused their sleeping comrades, briefly telling them what the situation was.

“we’ll slide down and grab ’em,” said jerry. “they don’t appear to be armed, but if they are we’ll take ’em by surprise before they can get their guns. you stand by with your rifles, fellows. i guess the sight of the guns will be all that’s needed. all ready now?” he asked ned and bob in a whisper.

“we’ll slide down and grab ’em,” said jerry.

“all ready!”

the boys had drawn back to the far end of the haymow to make their plans, so their whispers would not penetrate to the ears of the men. but there was little danger of this, as the storm outside was making too much noise.

the three chums from cresville now worked their way to the edge of the haymow. the men were still below them, crooked nose and his companion angrily arguing, while the other man had risen. for the first time jerry and his chums had a glimpse of the face.

[241]

“i’ve seen him somewhere before,” decided jerry.

but there was no time then for such speculation. the men must be caught.

poised on the very edge of the haymow, jerry and his chums waited a moment. they were going to jump down the ten feet and rush at the men. there was a litter of straw below them which would break the force of their leap.

“go!” suddenly whispered jerry.

three bodies shot over the edge of the haymow, landing with a thud on the barn floor. the men, hearing the noise and feeling the concussion, turned quickly. a sudden motion of one again displaced the coat over the lantern, so that the scene was well lighted.

“they’ve got us!” yelled crooked nose, and he made a rush, but jerry hopkins caught him in his long arms.

“get out the way!” shouted the man who had been begging for a division of the spoils, as he headed for ned like a football player trying to avoid a tackle. but ned was used to such tactics. he downed his man hard, the thud shaking the barn.

bob did not have such luck. his man crashed full into him, knocked bob to one side and then disappeared in some dark recess of the barn.[242] chunky, somewhat dazed, rose slowly and tried to follow.

meanwhile jerry and ned were struggling with the two men they had caught. the outcome was in doubt, for the prisoners were desperate. but the advent of the other soldiers sliding down from the haymow with rifles ready for use, soon settled the matter.

“surrender!” sharply ordered jerry.

“guess we’ll have to,” sullenly agreed the crooked-nosed man.

“now find the other fellow,” jerry ordered, when the men had been tied with ropes, which had been found in the barn.

but this was more easily said than done. using the lantern and their electric searchlights the boys hunted through the barn, but the third man was not to be found.

“he got away,” said bob regretfully.

“oh, don’t worry,” returned jerry consolingly. “we got the two main ones, anyhow. and maybe these fellows will have something on them to tell who the other fellow was.”

the prisoners did not answer, but they looked uncomfortable.

“well, this is a good night’s work,” declared jerry, when he and his chums had a chance to talk matters over. “we’ve got the robber and the firebug, and i guess we can help get back most[243] of the frenchman’s money and maybe the gold watch and the diamond brooch. they are back in the fire ruins, i imagine.”

by turns ned, bob and jerry explained to their companions the reason for capturing crooked nose and the other man, relating the story of the fire in cresville some months back.

there was little sleep for any one the rest of that night. a guard was posted over the two prisoners, when a search had failed to reveal the missing third man, and in the morning, after a hasty breakfast in the old barn, the march back to camp was made. the storm was over.

there was some surprise when jerry and his chums returned with their prisoners. captain trainer, when he heard the story, had the men locked up in the guardhouse until the civil authorities could be communicated with, as the crime was not a military one.

and, a little later, hans freitlach, alias jim waydell, the crooked-nosed man, and fritz lebhach, his companion, were safely in jail, and some papers found on them disclosed their real identity.

they were german spies, being members of a band that had for its object the destruction of munition plants and warehouses and factories, where war goods for our government and the allies were being stored and made. they had set a number[244] of fires, it was learned afterward, though the one in cresville had been a personal matter, designed to get hold of the old frenchman’s money. after that crime freitlach and lebhach had fled, agreeing to meet later in the south, as they did, much to their own discomfort.

“and who do you think that other man was—the one that bowled bob over?” asked jerry, rushing excitedly up to his chums a few days after the men had been sent to cresville to await trial.

“haven’t an idea, unless he was some football star,” chunky ruefully answered, remembering his failure to tackle.

“he was pug kennedy’s step-father!” was the unexpected information jerry gave.

“pug kennedy’s step-father!” exclaimed ned and bob.

“yes. his name is meyer, and he’s another german spy, and so is pug. meyer masqueraded as an irishman, for he had been pals with an irish prize-fighter for some years.”

“and was it his father pug sneaked out to meet at night?” asked ned.

“yes,” answered jerry. “since pug has deserted the whole story has come out. his father was another spy, and his particular work was to make trouble in camps—set fire to storehouses, quartermasters’ depots and the like. pug was going to help him, and that’s why he enlisted—the[245] rotten traitor! but he’s gone, and the secret service men hope to catch them both.”

a week later came back word from cresville that filled the young soldiers with keen satisfaction. the ashes of the tenement house fire had been thoroughly searched and an iron box belonging to the french engraver had been recovered. it contained a large part of the old man’s money and also mr. baker’s gold watch.

“i’m glad dad has his watch back,” said bob. “but what about the diamond brooch belonging to jerry’s mother?”

“maybe they’ll get that later,” said jerry hopefully.

and they did, although not in the manner expected. the doings of the crooked-nosed man were minutely investigated, and it was finally learned where he had left the brooch with a pawn-broker for a small amount—thinking to get it out of pawn later on and sell it, when it might be safe to do so. the authorities took charge of the valuable piece of jewelry, and it was finally turned over to mrs. hopkins, much to her delight.

the thief and the firebug received long terms in state’s prison—terms which were richly deserved.

as for pug, the military authorities made a search for him after his desertion, which followed[246] the capture of the two men, but he was not found. it was surmised that his step-father got word to him, somehow, after the former’s escape from the barn, that the game was up, and that pug had better flee. so he did.

the crooked-nosed man and his companion both declared that pug and his father helped plot the cresville fire, and wanted to have a share in the proceeds of the robbery. whether this was true or not could not be learned.

it was learned that mr. cardon had, at one time, done some business with crooked nose, as it is easier to call him than using one of his many false names. but the unscrupulous one had cheated the frenchman, and then, later, using the knowledge he had of his wealth and habits, had tried to rob him, getting a confederate to set the fire. the men had gone south after the cresville crimes because pug was sent there, and they wanted to keep in touch with him. but, thanks to the activities of ned, bob and jerry, the gang’s operations were successfully broken up.

to the barracks, where ned, bob and jerry were sitting and talking, there penetrated the clear notes of a bugle.

“what’s that—another drill?” asked ned, starting up.

“the mail has come,” interpreted jerry.

[247]

“oh, boy!” yelled bob, making a rush for the door.

a little later all three were reading letters and looking over papers from home.

“good news, chunky?” asked ned, as he saw a smile light up his stout chum’s face.

“surest thing you know!” was the answer. “helena writes to say that her father has changed his views, and that they’re both real americans now. she says she likes me better than ever for being in the army and—— oh, i didn’t mean to read that!” and bob blushed. “it was something about the red cross i was going to tell you.”

“go to it, bob!” laughed jerry. “helena’s all right!”

it was that evening, in the free period between the last mess and taps, that a cheering was heard in a distant part of the camp.

“what’s that?” asked jerry of his two friends.

“maybe they’ve caught pug kennedy,” suggested ned.

“i hope it’s better news than that,” jerry remarked.

“it is,” bob informed them, when he came back from a hasty trip of inquiry. “we’ve received orders to move.”

“move? move where?”

“over there!”

a cheer from his chums interrupted bob’s[248] words, and for some time there was such confusion that any connected story of it was out of the question.

but those of you who wish to follow the further fortunes of ned, bob and jerry may read of other adventures that befell them in the next volume of this series entitled, “the motor boys on the firing line, or, ned, bob and jerry fighting for uncle sam.”

“well, we put in quite a summer, didn’t we?” observed jerry to his chums one day, as they came back from a practice hike. “we had some lively times.”

“and we may have more,” added ned. “i just had a letter from professor snodgrass. he says he’s coming on another bug-hunting trip. i’m going to tell the captain to warn the sentries not to shoot when they see a bald head.”

“that’s the idea!” laughed jerry. and while the motor boys are talking over their various adventures we will take leave of them.