"Stand thus," said Frank, "and don't move for your very life."
One glance around showed him a blanket upon a couch. Behind Joaquin's back he quickly took out and opened a knife.
"Here, Felicia, take this and cut that blanket into narrow strips. Hasten as much as possible."
She was, however, too trembling and excited to make the needed haste. Seeing this, Frank lost no time in searching Joaquin's person and disarming him, removing every dangerous weapon he found upon the man.
When this was done, he directed Felicia to bring the blanket, and, holding his pistol ready in his left hand, he gave her directions and assistance in cutting and tearing it into strips. As soon as one good, strong strip had been removed from the blanket Frank took it, seized Joaquin's hands, twisting them downward and backward behind his back, and tied them thus. After this he was able to remove from the blanket further strips he needed, although as he worked his pistol was ready for instant use. All the while he kept Joaquin with his face toward the wall, three times cautioning the man against turning his head in the slightest.
With the strips removed from the blanket Joaquin's ankles were securely tied. Then Frank unceremoniously kicked the fellow's feet from beneath him and lowered him to the floor upon his back. The rage, fury, and hatred in the conquered fellow's eyes was terrible to behold, but Merriwell heeded it not in the least. Deftly he rolled a wad of the blanket and forced it between Joaquin's teeth. With another piece of the torn blanket he fastened it there, knotting a strip behind the man's head. He took pains to make this as secure as possible, so that it would require no simple effort to remove it.
"Now, Black Joaquin, otherwise known as Felipe Dulzura," said Frank, standing over the man and looking down on him, "we will bid you good-night. You can rest easy here until your comrades recover on the morrow and release you. Perhaps they will find you. I hope, for your sake, that you do not smother before they awaken and come here. You have my best wishes for a short life and a speedy hanging."
With Felicia he left the chamber, closing and barring the door behind them.
Thus far Frank's success had been enough to astonish himself, but now he thought with dismay of Dick and Brad still confined in the chamber from which he had escaped. As with Felicia he descended the stairs he paused, hearing in some distant portion of the ruins the sound of singing.