“Tie him up!” yelled Dooley. “Seize him there!”
Beere let out with two sledge hammer blows, which were like the kick of a horse. A man went crashing down with each blow.
Then he was overpowered.
He was a strong man and fought furiously. But the odds were too great. He was obliged to succumb.
Dooley was exultant.
“We have come too far, boys, to have any living man stand between us and that gold.”
The others cheered. Then the villain continued:
“Tie him up to that tree yonder. First, I want to learn whether he has any companions or not.”
Then he interrogated his prisoner.
“Tell me the truth, Beere,” he said, sternly; “how many companions have you, and where are they?”