"What's that?"
"If you will let me call you as a witness, to prove that my uncle engaged you to kill me, I shall be sure to recover my property, and the day I come into possession I will pay you over two thousand dollars."
Hugh's eyes sparkled, but he answered cautiously:
"Won't there be no risk? Can't they shut me up?"
"No; you can say that you entered into the plan in order to entrap my uncle."
"Will you swear to do that?"
"I will."
"Then it's a bargain. Now, what shall we do first?"
"I want you to go with me to St. Louis, but my uncle must not know that I have escaped. How can we manage that?"
"We can go up north afterward and take the boat from there. When we pass this place on the river, we'll stay down below."