“Hush!”
Nick scratched again three times, and now there came a result of his signaling which was even better than he had anticipated.
There were three quick scratches outside, and then the sound of a key grating in the lock.
Nick Carter rolled himself away from the door, to see what was going to happen.
“Look out for treachery, boys!” he whispered.
But there was nothing of that kind this time. In another moment the door swung gently open, and there appeared a small red spot of light in the blackness.
As the red spot moved about, a low voice came to them, the tone of which was unmistakably friendly.
“Do not fear, strangers! Above all, don’t make any noise. It is I, Lord Slava, come to help you. I talked to one of you to-day, the man who first showed what could be done with the death stick, when he put pieces of lead into the head swinging to the cord.”
“That’s you, chief,” whispered Chick.
“I am the person you spoke to, Lord Slava,” said Nick Carter to their unseen visitor. “You were friendly.”