Miss Castro laughed again, and Dane lay silent for a while.
"I am the more indebted to your care because every day is precious, and I must rejoin my comrade as soon as possible," he said at last.
The damask warmth deepened just a trifle in his companion's cheek.
"You two still go on into the forest—why?" she asked.
"Because I am a poor man, and, as you have guessed, my comrade believes there is treasure waiting up yonder."
Bonita Castro smiled scornfully, and answered him with the assurance of one stating a definite fact.
"The Señor Maxwell will never bring gold out of the Leopards' country. Two white men have try already and, both of them, they die. You must not go back there, Don Ilton, nor let your comrade go, though I know he is a very clever and fearless man."
"How do you know that?"
Dane found it hard to conceal his astonishment at her tranquil answer:
"I try if he is fearless on board the steamer. I can use the pistol well."