At that moment there came the sound of steps on the stairs and as the major and the old man did not turn with any degree of surprise the colonel and Don knew that enemies and not friends were approaching. This proved to be the case when two men entered the room and nodded to the major.
“Is the car here?” asked the major.
“Yes,” said one man. “It is waiting at the door. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, he is ready,” nodded the major, pointing toward Morrell. “Take him down, and if he makes any noise just put him to sleep. We can’t afford to have anything happen now.”
“What about the boy?” asked the second man.
“We’ll leave him here for the time being. I haven’t decided yet what disposition will be made of him, but I’ll figure that out later. In the meantime, take the colonel to the place I told you about, and when I give you further orders he is to be taken out of the country.”
“All right, chief,” answered the first man, and he took the colonel by the arm. His companion took the colonel’s other arm.
“Goodbye, Mercer,” said the colonel. “We’ll get the best of these scoundrels yet.”
“I’m sure of it, colonel,” returned Don. “Take good care of yourself, sir.”
“You two have become very friendly in a short time, haven’t you?” sneered the major.