David was rolled out of the basket, jerked to his feet, and then relieved of his bonds, while the gag was dragged from between his teeth. It was a welcome relief. He breathed easily for the first time for some minutes.
'Now,' said the same voice, but in broken English this time, 'you see me, no doubt. You are David Harbor.'
'Right,' nodded our hero.
'I am Chang; I helped to kill your father.'
'And will probably kill me,' answered David, somewhat bewildered, and inclined to look upon this fellow as a madman.
'You are right. To-morrow evening you will be beheaded. I myself shall carry out the sentence.'
'But why?' asked David, cringing slightly, for the ordeal was trying. Indeed, the man standing over him, with the lamp shining in his face, looked a most heartless villain.
'Why?' he repeated, mocking our hero. 'The answer is simple. David Harbor has become a nuisance. There is a man of the name of Ebenezer Clayhill; he does not love David Harbor.'
So there it was. Even in his lowest estimation of the man who had married his stepmother, David could not imagine such a depth of villainy. But this fellow Chang was in earnest. He was undoubtedly speaking the truth. What answer could our hero give to him? He merely bowed his head, while a shiver of apprehension passed through him. Then he pulled himself together and faced the ruffian.
'I hear you,' he said. 'What then?'