“Fling him on the floor,” ordered Captain Lawless brutally, and poor Nat was chucked into a corner with as scant ceremony as if he had been a sack of potatoes.
The appearance of both Lawless and his rascally mate was materially changed since we last saw them leaving their crew marooned on the tropic island. Both had shaved off their beards, and wore the South American style of dress, so that it would not have been an easy matter to recognize them.
The two rascals had arrived in Callao a week before, and at Lima had exchanged their pearls for substantial sums, so that they were well provided with money. They made no long stay at Lima, but hastened to Santa Rosa, where Durkee fell in with two old acquaintances, to wit, the two South Americans who were now leagued with them.
As soon as the news of the approach of the Motor Rangers’ craft spread along the water front, Lawless and Durkee engaged a sailboat. They wanted to look the craft over, and ascertain the lay of the land, as it were. But, as we know, darkness fell before the Nomad was anchored, and they were chagrined to find no easy way of getting close to the vessel. But they saw the professor and Nat leave her for the shore, and made the cowardly attempt to run them down that we have related.
When this scheme failed, they hastened back to the port, landing at a wharf not far distant from the one at which Nat and his companion had disembarked. Having found their satellites, they deputed one of them to track Nat and lure him into the alley where they lay in wait for him. How easily and unsuspectingly the lad had walked into the trap, we know.
“What are we going to do with this cub, now that we have him?” asked Lawless, as Nat was thrown into the corner.
“Better put him in Manuello’s pit downstairs,” said Durkee. “He’ll come to in a minute or so and may make us a lot of trouble.”
Lawless bent over Nat and examined him carefully.
“You must have hit him a terrible crack, Manuello,” he said to one of the South Americans, who stood by, impassive and indifferent, while this dialogue was carried on.
The man shrugged his shoulders.