"On the contrary," cried Dick, bounding up the steps and holding out his hand, "we have to thank you for your good service just now!"
Stretching out his long arm, the little giant smiled genially, showing a row of big white teeth.
"It is nothing," said he; adding, with a twinkle in his eye: "The señores will remember that I owed to them some return for their assistance against the wolves."
"That's a fact!" cried Dick. "I'd forgotten that. So you remember us, do you? I wonder at that—you didn't stay long to look at us."
"No, señor," replied Pedro, laughing. "I was out of my own country and was distrustful of strangers."
Turning to our new friend, who was wondering what all this was about, Dick explained the circumstances of our former meeting with Pedro, adding:
"So, you see, we are old acquaintances after all. In fact, if we had not met Pedro before we should not be here now, for it was his copper-headed arrow which brought us down, oddly enough."
"That was odd, certainly. Well, Pedro, get the torch and show your old friends over the mine. We must be quick, or it will be getting dark before we can get back to our camp."
Pedro disappeared into the darkness somewhere, while we ourselves climbed up into the mouth of the tunnel. It was very wet in there: we could hear the drip, drip of water in all directions.