ed to escape
from here. We even sent out two letters by secret messengers,
these letters to be mailed at points distant from here. The letters
would have told our friends in the United States what was up.
But, in some way of his own, Don Luis managed to catch the messengers
and get hold of the letters."

"Then," added Harry Hazelton, "we thought we were doomed if we
didn't yield to Don Luis's commands. Even at that, we were prepared
to accept death sooner than sell ourselves out. Death would have
been the cheapest way out of the scrape. But at last we found
a way of helping Don Luis in the way he wanted, and of getting
square with the rascal at the same time. Tell them what I mean,
Tom."

"Why, it was like this," said Tom, seating himself on the railing
of the porch, and facing the assemblage. "Harry and I began to
roam all over this property, as though to kill time. Out in Nevada,
as it happens, we two and a friend of ours own a mine that seemed
almost worthless. Almost by accident we discovered that we were
working the mine just a little off from the real vein. Now, we
didn't find that _El Sombrero_ was being worked off the vein.
What we did find was in that big strip of forest over to the
east of _El Sombrero_--"

Tom turned, for an instant, to point to the forest that he meant.

"You will remember, Mr. Haynes, that we had Don Luis include that
forest tract in the title of the _El Sombrero_ purchase. That
forest is really a jungle. One has the greatest time forcing
his way through it. When you open it up on a big scale you'll
have to send hundreds of men in there with machetes to chop paths
through and clear off the tangled brush. We spent days in that
jungle, at first because we had nothing better to do. Mr. Haynes,
and gentlemen, if we know anything about mining, then that forest
land is worth an immense fortune in the minerals it will yield.
You paid two and a half millions of dollars for the entire property.
That great forest stretch, in our opinion as engineers, is worth
as much and perhaps more than that."

"That's right!" leered Don Luis. "Jest with them, Senor Reade,
to your heart's content."

"I'm telling these countrymen of mine the truth, fellow," retorted
Tom Reade, casting a look of withering scorn at Don Luis Montez.
"Had you been square and decent with us, we would have told you
of the mineral wealth in yonder forest. As it is, we've punished
your conduct by beating you at yo