The General’s face brightened.
“Ah, that is it!”
He summoned a lieutenant and held a brief whispered conversation with him.
“Gentlemen,” he concluded, turning to Wilson, “Lieutenant Ordaz––he will give you what assistance you need.”
“An’ th’ same,” said Stubbs, in a whisper to Wilson as soon as they were upon the street again, “we’ll proceed to lose. I didn’t like th’ look in Oteerballo’s eye when he give us this ’ere travellin’ mate.”
It was an easy enough task for Stubbs. At the end of three or four blocks he instructed Wilson to detach himself and go back to the last public house they had passed and there wait for him. This Wilson did, and in less than ten minutes Stubbs appeared alone.
“Sorry ter part comp’ny with the gent, but with him we wuz more likely ter find Oteerballo than Sorez. ’Nother thing, we has gotter do some plannin’ ’fore we begins work. ’Cause if I ain’t mistaken, we has a long chase ahead. In th’ fust place, how much gold is yer carryin’?”
“Gold? Not a dollar.”
“I thought ’bout thet amount. Next place, is yer papers safe?”