"Not before you have thrown your knife away, scoundrel!"
Kidd opened his hand, the knife fell on the ground, and Don Rufino put his foot upon it.
"You are not half clever enough," he said, sarcastically; "you deserve to have your brains blown out, in order to teach you to take your measures better another time."
"I do not always miss my mark," he replied, with a menacing accent.
There was a moment of silence between the two men. Stronghand still watched them, not losing one of their words or gestures, which interested him to the highest degree. At length Don Rufino spoke.
"Have you reflected?" he asked the bandit.
"Of what?" the latter remarked, roughly; "Of this proposal?"
"But you understand," the senator continued, laying a stress upon every word, "you must deal frankly this time. No trickery, eh?"
"No, no," Kidd answered, with a shake of the head; "you may be sure of that."
"I reckon on your honesty. Moreover, profit by what has occurred today. I am not always so good tempered; and if a misunderstanding, like that just now, again arose between us, the consequences might be very serious to you."
These few words were uttered with an intonation of voice, and accompanied by a look, that produced a profound impression on the bandit.
"All right," he said, shrugging his shoulders savagely; "there is no need to threaten, as all is settled."
"Where shall I come to you after the business?"
"Do not trouble yourself about that. I shall manage to find you."
"Ah!" he said, with a side-glance; "then that is your affair?"
"Here it is. But remember, if you deceive me--"
"Nonsense," the bandit interrupted him. "Did I not tell you that it was all settled?"
The senator drew from his pocket a long purse, through whose meshes gold coins could be seen. He weighed it for an instant in his hand, and then threw it twenty paces from him.
The bandit dashed at the gold, which as it fell produced a ringing sound. Don Rufino took advantage of this movement to get into his saddle.
"Good-bye," he said to the bandit. "Remember!" and he started at a gallop. Kidd made no reply, for he was too busy counting the ounces contained in the purse.
"All right," he at last said, with a smile upon his features, as he hid the purse in his bosom. "No matter," he added, as he looked savagely after the senator, "I allow that I am in your power, demon; but if I ever had you in my hands as you had me today, and I manage to discover one of your secrets, I should not be so mad as to show you any mercy."