“Si, senor,” he replied. “You would have stolen it. It is the property of myself.”
“Liar!” cried Harding, furiously. “It was my property, and you have taken it away unlawfully!”
The brigand chief laughed in a scornful way.
“Words will avail you nothing, senor,” he declared. “Prepare for death.”
Both Harding and Frank saw that it was of no avail to bandy words with the brigand chief.
The latter turned and gave a gruff order to his men.
They advanced, and seizing the two prisoners by the arms, led them away.
Through the outer cavern passage they were led. Soon they were in daylight once more.
But this time they were in far different spirits than when they had entered the cave.
Despair most profound was upon Harding. But Frank Reade, Jr., was never the one to give way to such emotion.