Señor Zorro picked them up, and then whirled upon the jailer again and rushed toward him.
"Lie down!" he commanded. "On your face, scoundrel!"
Señor Zorro tore strips from a blanket, and bound the jailer's hands and feet, and made a gag which he affixed.
"To escape death," he said, then, "it is necessary for you to remain exactly as you are now, without making a sound, for some time after we have left the carcel. I shall leave it to your own judgment to decide the length of time."
Then he hurried back into the main office, beckoned the others, and led the way down the evil-smelling hall.
"Which door?" he asked of the guard.
"The second one, señor."
They hurried to it, and Señor Zorro unlocked it and threw it open. He forced the guard to hold a candle high above his head.
A gasp of pity came from beneath the highwayman's mask. He saw the aged don standing by the window, saw the two women crouched on the bench, saw the vile companions they had in this miserable place.
"Now may Heaven forgive the governor!" he cried.