At once the prisoner became voluble.
“Come with me one mile, Señor,” he said, “and by the soul of my mother, the blessed Maria Saltaja, we weel put a knife into hees back.”
“One mile, eh?” repeated Rance, coolly.
The miners looked incredulous.
“If I tho’t—” began Sonora, but Rance rudely cut in with:
“Where is this trail?”
“Up the Madrona Canyada,” was the greaser’s instant reply.
At this juncture a Ridge boy, who had pushed aside the bear-skin curtain and was gazing with mouth wide open at the proceedings, suddenly cried out:
“Why, hello, boys! What’s the—” He got no further. In a twinkling and with cries of “Shut up! Git!” the men made for the intruder and bodily threw him out of the room. When quiet was restored Rance motioned to the prisoner to proceed.
“Ramerrez can be taken—too well taken,” declared the Mexican, gaining confidence as he went on, “if many men come with me—in forty minutes there—back.”