“You were concerned in the murder of Hafsa Pasha.”
“We were not!”
“You were present when he was killed, and that is enough. Oh, I knew it before I stood outside this door and listened to your talk just now.”
“Eavesdropper!” snarled Buckhart.
“Rage and growl!” laughed the Spaniard. “Little good it will do you! You are like the wolf that snaps with its teeth at the steel trap into which it has stepped. I heard you talking, but it told me nothing new. I will tell you something. You have made the right guess about the soldiers. They are guarding this house in order that you may not escape until the Pasha causes your arrest. That will not be long. The proper officers will come very soon. Then I shall point you out to them. Once you have been arrested for that crime no power on earth can save you from being beheaded. How like you the prospect, my insolent American friends?”
“So you propose to help the Turks in taking us?” questioned Dick.
“I shall help them by pointing you out. In return, I hope I may secure the privilege of being present when you are beheaded. It will give me great joy to stand near and watch the executioner shave off your heads. Ha, ha, ha!”
Buckhart’s strong fingers closed in an intense grip that made his fists like two knobby iron balls.
“Mebbe you won’t be in condition to do any talking when the officers come,” muttered the Texan.
“Oh, I am watching you,” declared Bunol. “I have a pistol ready for use. If you force me, no hesitation will I have in using it.”