The U. S. Army has built a fort not far from the ranch, and troopers are coming in to man it. To provide mounts for his men, the Captain purchases a few horses from the X Bar X and the 8 X 8 ranches. In the course of delivering the horses to the fort, Roy and Teddy meet a couple of troopers who indicate that they are unhappy with army life and want to desert. Shortly thereafter, they disappear, having been helped away from the fort unwittingly by the X Bar X boys. Feeling partially responsible, Roy and Teddy dedicate themselves to finding the missing men. In a subplot, an old man who is injured in an avalanche asks the boys to find his long-lost partner and restore to him $5,000 which he had entrusted to the old man's keeping. The money is stolen, giving the boys two mysteries to solve.

Writing: 3
Characterization: 3
Plot: 4
Overall score: 3.33