“Now, my meddling boy, you may be as unpleasant as you please,” mocked Don Emilio Alvarez, bending over and smiling into Halstead’s face. “Ah, you have been troublesome to us—very. And you have inquired what I would do to you if I had you down in Honduras, where they do things differently. Ah, well! Perhaps, my meddling boy, you shall discover what I would do to you! Will you, my large friend, lift him and carry him on again? We are not far from the place where we can keep him securely enough.”
With a grunt French once more shouldered his burden, tramping on through the forest, Alvarez still bringing up the rear. Then, from the crest of a rise they pressed between a fringe of bushes and next began to descend a narrow, rocky path. They stopped in a ravine, densely grown with trees.
“Even in the daytime this place is hardly likely to be found by prying eyes,” laughed Alvarez confidently. “And now, my captain, you might rid yourself of the meddling boy.”
French dropped Tom at the base of a young spruce tree, knotting another cord to his feet and passing it around the trunk of the tree.
“He won’t get away—can’t, even though we were to leave him here through the night,” muttered French gruffly.
“And I, since my meddling boy found for me the tobacco pouch that I dropped in his path for bait, will enjoy a smoke once more,” laughed Señor Alvarez. He rolled a cigarette, which he soon was puffing. French, having filled a pipe, lighted that and stretched himself at full length. Thus several minutes went by. Tom Halstead, unable to talk, spent his energies in wondering whether Ted Dunstan was anywhere in the near neighborhood.
After many minutes had passed the deep silence of this wild spot was broken by an owl hoot. Alvarez, raising his head, answered by a similar hoot. Then from the distance came two hoots.
“Come, we will go forward to meet our friends,” proposed the swarthy little man eagerly, as he sprang to his feet. French got up more lumberingly, though almost as quickly. Together they trod up to the head of the ravine. Out of the darkness ahead came Pedro and a little brown man who looked as much like a Spaniard as Alvarez did.
“We’se done brought yo’ dis,” stated Pedro with a grin that showed his big, white teeth.