It took iron nerves to repress a shudder as they passed along the lake and thought of the fate that had been fixed for them by Itzlan and the priests of the Toltec temple.
A half hour or more was consumed in getting out of the town, for a long flight of stone steps had to be ascended, but they reached the upland finally, with Conover still leading the way.
There he stopped.
“Good-by!” he said.
The moon had not yet risen—it rose late, toward morning; but in the starlight they could see him, and could discern that he held out his hand.
“I feel that I can shake hands with you now,” he said. “I think that you will get away.”
“Come with us!” Buffalo Bill urged, as he shook heartily the hand given him by Conover.
“No!” said Conover, with a positive click of his teeth.
Gravely he shook hands with all of them.
“No,” he repeated. “I’ve got to stay here! In the first place, since Itzlan is still alive, I don’t want to go. In the second place, if she gets into trouble I want to be here to help her. But I think there will be no trouble for either of us. She has a lot of influence, and many friends. It would mean war if any of the priests or chiefs turned against her. So there will be no trouble. I’m even hoping that neither of us will even be suspected of this thing.”