"I can tell you—yes—certainly!" was the quick retort as another bottle of the dark liquid was produced and another dollar added to the hat band bank.
"What was it then?" asked Snake, eagerly, while Nort and Sam waited for the answer.
"The hand of fate!" was the solemn answer. "But now you are safe. You have the Elixer of Life and so death cannot harm you. I bid you good day!"
Before they could stop him, even had they been so inclined, which they were not, the old man left Nort and his chums holding their bottles of Elixer and rode away on his sorry looking nag, crooning something into his ample beard.
"Well, what do you make of that?" asked Snake when the stranger—they had not thought to ask his name—was beyond hearing.
"He's just a harmless crank," said Nort. "An old herb doctor."
"That's what I think," chimed in Sam. "Though at first I was a bit suspicious of him. But I guess he doesn't mean anything. And he don't know anything about the deaths here."
"If he does he isn't telling," decided Nort.
"Well," said Snake slowly, "I'm not superstitious, but as long as I bought this stuff I might as well sample it."
He pulled the cork from the bottle, and was about to take a drink when Nort, with a quick motion, knocked the flask down, almost sending it to the ground.