ne is found to be blameless, then
you will soon be able to use your money in any way that you please.
But, first of all, the government must be satisfied."

"Have you any further questions that you wish to ask me at present?"
Montez demanded, suddenly.

Though he had kept himself rather calm up to the present, the
rascal felt that he must soon vent the spite and hate welling
up within him, or explode from the pent-up force of his own emotions.
The late mine owner, though he could not penetrate the mysteries
of the present situation, was now sure that Tom Reade and Harry
Hazelton must be in some way behind it. No matter what happened
to him afterwards, Don Luis was now furiously bent on getting
the young engineers off on the lonely mountain trail where Gato
and his comrades were lying in wait for the two young Americans.

"I shall have no more questions for you, for the present," Senor
Honda replied. "Just now I wish to have some conversation with
these Americans."

"Then come, senores," cried Don Luis, with forced gayety, as he
thrust a hand under the arms of Tom and Harry. "Come, we will
have our ride and our talk. We will be back here in half an hour
and then we shall hear this affair through. Come!"

Tom Reade threw off the fellow's arm, exclaiming, warningly:

"If you touch me again, you snake in the grass, I'll reduce you
to powder with a fist that's fairly aching to hit you!"

The vehemence of Tom's declaration made every one within hearing
gasp with astonishment.

"What does this mean, Reade?" gasped President Haynes, looking
thunderstruck.

"It means, sir," reported Tom, wheeling about, "that this fellow,
Montez, threatened us with death if we did not sign a glaringly
false report concerning _El Sombrero_ Mine. We were also to be
killed if we did not stand by our report to the fullest degree
after you and your friends arrived."

"Then _El Sombrero_ Mine is worthless?" cried Mr. Haynes, his
face turning a ghastly white.

"As far as I know, sir, or as far as Hazelton knows," Tom Reade
made prompt answer. "_El Sombrero_ isn't worth the cost even
of filling up the shaft."

"And you, Reade--and you, Hazelton--the men we trusted
implicitly--you stood by and saw us robbed!"

CHAPTER XXIV

CONCLUSION

"I don't blame you for being angry," Tom answered, quickly. "However,
you may safely go a bit slow on the idea that we stood by to see
you robbed, merely to save our lives. We had tri