Espato hesitated, the scowl on his scarred forehead deepening.
“It is true that we need gold,” he said, “But to let that scoundrel go free, to fly in his accursed bird machine over the Mexican camp, dropping bombs, to laugh as the Mexicans die. No, it is too much you ask. Not even for the sake of gold—much gold—will I relinquish my vengeance.”
Then it was that Arigo leaned over to whisper slyly into the ear of his chief. Whatever his message, it had an instantaneous and most happy effect upon Espato. He smiled, he beamed, he clapped Arigo heartily upon the back.
“Aha, you are of good counsel, my frien’,” he said, beamingly. “It is queer that I did not think of the thing myself. It is so ver-ry simple. We get the money from the stupid Americano—lots money, yess—an’ we still have the young Americano in our power for which they pay this gold. We shall still have our vengeance. A joke, Arigo. How we shall laugh!”
Together they roared with laughter and then went jovially back to join their comrades about the fire.
Meanwhile, Phil, finishing the last crumb on the tray, was feeling distinctly more hopeful. In spite of the fact that there still seemed no possibility of finding a convenient radio set anywhere, he had begun to believe, against reason, perhaps, that some way or other, his chums would find out his whereabouts and come to his rescue.
The taunts of Espato and his threats of torture began to seem impossible, fantastic. In these days such things didn’t happen. And yet, despite all his hopefulness he knew beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt, that such things did happen, in Espato’s camp, at least.
When he had finished, the Mexican who, all this time, had remained at his side, grunted something and Phil glanced up at him inquiringly.
The Mexican was holding out the rope which he had removed from Phil’s wrists so that he might eat. Phil understood. The fellow was going to bind him up again.
He looked at his wrists, red and swollen from the pressure of the ropes and then glanced up at the sullen Mexican with a disarming smile.