"I am afraid so, Chris," Charley said, sadly. "Some of that awful poison has got into his blood. It checks the heart action. That is what I am giving the coffee for. It stimulates the heart and makes it work faster. But it is not powerful enough to overcome the deadening effect of the poison. It needs a powerful heart stimulant to do that. Whiskey would do fairly well. Oh! how I wish I had a couple of bottles of that aguardiente now!"
He lapsed into silence and sat sorrowfully watching his stricken chum, while Chris crouched at his side, deepest grief on his little ebony face.
Suddenly there came a sharp rap at the door, and Charley sprang to his feet.
"It can't be the doctor so quick," he said. "Come in," he called out.
There was no answer to his invitation and stepping to the door he flung it open.
Nothing but blank darkness greeted his searching eyes.
He stepped outside and looked around but the darkness was so dense he could not see twenty feet from the cabin.
Puzzled, he was turning back into the cabin when his foot came into contact with something on the step. He picked the object up and bore it to the light.
One glance and he gave a shout of joy. "Aguardiente, Chris," he cried. "May the Lord bless whoever put it there."
He seized a cup and pouring it half full of the fiery liquor forced it down his chum's throat.