"I'll condemn you to death yet--and watch you die, too!" was her retort.
Handsome had also recovered from his paroxysm of rage by this time, for he was one who had the gift of knowing when he was beaten, and the logic to accept a situation when he knew that it could not be avoided.
"I reckon you've got the drop on us, Carter," he said. "You've played the game mighty well, too. There is one thing about it that I would like to know, though, if you will tell me. Will you?"
"I want to know if you have been old Bill Turner from the beginning. I want to know if it was you whose acquaintance I made in the first place, the time I was pulled out of the hole in the rocks, or if it was old Bill himself."
"That was the old man himself," replied Nick, smiling.
"And the second time I met him; was that him--or you?"
"Well, all that I can say is that you have played the part so devilish well that I find it hard to believe even now that you are not what you appear to be."
"Oh, I admit the impeachment, Madge. There isn't any doubt of it. I'm a fool, all right."
"And you are up against it rather hard just now, Handsome; you and Madge," said Nick.
"I know that, too. I'm no fool as far as that is concerned. What are you going to do about the rest of the gang?"
"I'm going to capture the whole bunch," was Nick's rather astonishing reply.
"I don't see how you are going to do it," retorted Handsome. "There is a cold hundred of them, all told--and every entrance to the cave is guarded. You attended to that yourself."
"Certainly, I did; because I foresaw this very moment."
"Well, all that I can say is that you can see a cussed sight farther into a stone fence than I can."
"I'll show you how it is done, if you are interested," replied the detective. "But, first, I am afraid that I will have to ask you to step out here a moment, into the other part of the cave, always remembering that if you make any kind of a break, down you go with a cracked skull;" and Nick leaned forward and loosened the cords around his ankles.
"Oh, I know when my hands are in the air, Carter. If I make any breaks it will be because I think I see a chance of winning. What do you want?"
He rose stiffly to his feet as he asked the question; and Nick looked him in the eye as he replied: