Immediately the tars were told to "vamose"—"vacate"—"skip"—and the door being held open for them, they lost no time in giving the place a wide berth.
The proprietor sharply eyed those who remained.
All were friends.
Making a sign to a couple, they separated from the rest, who were then told to "skip and lay low."
Shadow made no attempt to leave with this departing crowd.
He knew that it would be useless, in addition to which it would have implied that he had heard and understood, which would not have been in keeping with his assumed character of a deaf and dumb person.
"Now, then," said the bullet-headed proprietor, when none but a trusted few were left in the place, "into that 'cubby' of ours with him!" indicating Shadow.
The latter eyed them with blank astonishment when they laid hands on him, and signed to know what it meant. And when they commenced running him across the floor, he struggled to prevent them.
But he became quiet when one of them placed the muzzle of a revolver to his temple.
He made no further resistance, but allowed them to gag him, and shove him into a little black cubby-hole or closet, whose door was a segment of the wainscoting, undiscoverable to a person unaware of its existence, save by the closest scrutiny.