“What do you want?” he asked with a sneer.
“You know without asking. Set us free and permit us to return to the outer world.”
“And give you all my gold to take with you. Is that all?”
“We do not want your gold. We told you that before.”
“If I should grant that request you should soon return with some new and more powerful contrivance to rob me. And others would come with you to make sure of it. I know your thoughts. Gold, gold, gold! That is all the white men think of and they stop at nothing to get it. The history of my people proves it.”
“We are not going to argue. If you don’t grant our request at once——” Stanley’s fingers again tightened, while Ted advanced with the heavy rod.
“It shall be as you say. Now I shall go.”
“No, you will stay. We are not fools. What assurance have we that you will keep your promise?”
“The word of a king.”
“That means nothing to us. We must have something more substantial than that, something more reliable.”