“Who will reward me?”
“The king. Be patient. You shall see in a few days.”
“My head is dizzy. I cannot think clearly. But no matter what happens I can be no worse off than I am. I curse the day that Villac Umu obtained his evil power over Quizquiz,” Soncco murmured.
“Come back at nightfall, then,” Stanley continued. “We want you to take these boxes away again. Bring only one man with you this time—some one you can trust absolutely. If he is deaf, dumb, and blind, it will be all the better.”
“Yes, yes; I will be here. You have me completely in your power. And may all the devils of Uti torture you if you betray me.”
“Do not worry. You will soon find out that we have told you nothing but the truth. Then you will be thankful to us.”
“I will keep my word,” Soncco said, “and at the same time I will make provisions against trickery. Do not forget that.”
When the old amauta had gone the two opened the boxes and took out the fuse and primers; then they began to prepare the charge. They fastened one of the long, copper caps to one end of the fuse and then inserted it in a stick of dynamite, carefully folding back the paper wrapper over the end and tying it in place with a strip of cloth torn from their clothing. As they worked Stanley explained his scheme to Ted. The latter fell in with it immediately, and to all outward appearances both were cheerful and entirely confident over the outcome of the plan.
“I am going to ask you just one more time,” Ted said suddenly after a short pause, and with a trace of anxiety in his voice. “Are you sure about the date of the eclipse? And are you certain you made no mistake in keeping track of the time—the knots in the string, I mean?”
“Wait and you shall see,” was all Stanley could say. Of course he knew that everything depended on these two things, and several times he was on the verge of confessing to Ted his uncertainty as to both the date and the number of knots. But why should he add to the burden of worry of his companion? If he were mistaken, they would meet the end like men, fighting to the last gasp. If he were right, they would be freed, no doubt. Better look at the bright side, anyway, and make their last days as cheerful as possible. They could do no more than had been done, and in the meantime they were constantly on the alert for any eventuality that might present itself.