"Well, we meet again," he said, with an attempt at cheerfulness. "How do you all do?"
"I don't know that we're any the better for seeing you," remarked Professor Snodgrass, who was plain-spoken at times.
"Oh, but I assure you it's a sight for sore eyes to get a glimpse of you once more," went on Tom. "Besides, this is a free city, you know, even if it is an old, underground one; and we have as much right here as you have."
"True enough," broke in Jerry. "But you may as well know, first as last, that we're done fooling with you and your gang, Noddy Nixon. If you annoy us again there's going to be trouble!"
Noddy did not reply. He seemed anxious to get away, but Dalsett and Vasco urged him to stay, and they had secured quite an influence over the youth.
"We must have come in by the same passage you did," went on Dalsett. "You left it open behind you. We were wandering around in the dark tunnel until we discovered this door a little while ago. Lucky, wasn't it?"
"Some of us were nearly killed in the tumble," went on Dalsett. "We got out of it rather well, on the whole."
"You'd better come inside and have nothing more to say to him," said the professor to his friends. "This spoils all our plans."
"Never mind; perhaps we can give them the slip among the ruins," said Jerry.
He went back into the ancient temple, and the others followed him. Noddy continued to stare as if he thought the whole thing was a dream. As for Vasco and Dalsett, they were much pleased with the turn affairs had taken.
But the Mexicans were excited. Several of them had been bruised by the fall into the tunnel, and they wanted to proceed at once and kidnap Bob, so they could get the ransom money. But Vasco would not permit this. He did not believe in using force when he could use stealth. Besides, he was a coward, and afraid of getting hurt, if it came to a fight.
"Let them go," he said to his men, who murmured as they saw their prospective captive and his friends retreat into the temple. "Let them go. They can't get away from here without letting us know. We are better off than before. We can capture the fat boy whenever we want to now."
With that, Vasco's followers had to be content. As Dalsett had said, Noddy and his cronies, after groping about in the dark tunnel for some time, had finally discovered the door by which the boys and the professor had entered the ancient city. They had pushed it open and come face to face with our friends.