"Kill him? N--a--w. Head's too thick to break if a log fell on it."
It was no easy task to get the inanimate form of the giant to the cave. At first they essayed to carry him, one at the head, the other at the feet.
"Say, Texas, come here. This is too much like work. Jest get hold of his feet with me and we'll drag him the rest of the way--"
"What, hurt a redskin? G'wan. It'll wake him up, that's all, and he'll be fit as a fiddle when we git him into the cave. Come along."
The way was rough and the sacred medicine man got the roughest voyage of his life for the next few moments. And as Tony had predicted, by the time they had reached the entrance to the cave, his eyes were open and he was glaring at his captors with malignant eyes. He could speak no word because Tony with rare forethought had twisted a gag into his mouth, fearing that should the man come to he might give the alarm and bring down some lurking savages on them.
Just before reaching the mouth of the cave Texas, at his companion's bidding, bound a handkerchief over the prisoner's eyes. Then with great caution, they hauled him into the hole in the rocks.
Being a large man the savage went through the smaller hole opening into the large chamber, with much less ease than had the bandits. In fact they had pulled him only half way through when he stuck there fast.
"Can't make it. He's too fat," decided Texas.
"Can't? Wait. I know the breed. He's making himself fat--swelling himself out. Here you savage," roared Tony, "we're going to give a good long pull and if you don't come through we'll fix you so you do."
"That's right, grunt. But you'll grunt harder when I get through with you. And understand me, and if you don't get through this time, Harry here will slice off a few slabs of flesh so you'll fit. Harry'll do a good job too, and don't you forget it, for he used to slaughter cattle on a range out in Missouri. Now draw in your belly unless you want to lose some skin. Heave away boys."
The bandits counting, "one, two, three," gave a mighty pull.
This time the medicine man came through, but little rivulets of blood trickled down his sides as they pulled him into the brilliantly lighted room. There they removed his blindfold and released his arms, after first taking possession of his knife.