“Come on!” ordered Vasco.
Walking in the midst of his captors, Bob came to the foot of the incline. There he found Noddy, Pender and Bill Berry in the auto. The Mexicans had their horses in readiness for a flight.
“They’re going to take me away,” thought Bob. “I wonder how I can give the boys and the professor a sign so they will know that?”
His fingers came in contact with his knife and that gave him an idea. He dropped the implement on the ground, where it was found by his friends later.
“Is everything ready?” asked Vasco.
“I guess so,” replied Noddy. “Shall I run the machine up the incline?”
“Go ahead,” said Dalsett. “We’ll walk with our young friend here. I reckon the car will have trouble gittin’ up the hill if too many gits in it.”
“Come on, you fellows!” ordered Vasco of his Mexicans. “We have the captive now, and you’ll soon be dividing the ransom money.” He spoke in Spanish, which Bob could not understand. The boy was at a loss why so many should be interested in him, but laid it all to a plot of Noddy’s to get square.
It was quite a pull for the auto, up the steep incline, but Noddy, by using the low gear, managed it. The horses and their riders had less trouble, and soon the whole party stood in the road near the tunnel that led to the underground city.
Bob was placed on a small pony, and his hands were tied behind his back. Then, with a Mexican riding before and after him, and one on each side, the cavalcade started off.