"What's that?" snapped the other. Truxton could almost feel the other's
body grow tense despite the space between them. "Are you a detective?
Are you? By God, if you are, I'll finish you up right here. You--"

"No! They're on the wrong scent. By Jove, the laugh's on old man
Spantz."

"Oho! So you _do_ know what's up, then? Spantz, eh? Well, what you've
guessed at or found out won't make much difference, my fine young
fellow. They've got you, and you'll be worse off than Danny Deever in
the mornin'! Hello! Here they come. Now we'll get out of this infernal
bake-oven. Say, do you know, you've been cuddlin' up against a j'int of
warm stove pipe for nearly an hour? Sh!"

The glimmer of a light came bobbing up from somewhere behind Truxton; he
could see the flickering shadows on the wall. Two men crept into the
room a moment later. One of them carried a lantern; the other turned
King's body over with his foot.

"You damned brute," grated the captive.

"Call him what you like, young feller," said his first acquaintance. "He
can't understand a word you say. Well, do we pull out?" This to the man
with the lantern.

The roof was so low that they were compelled to stoop in moving about.
Truxton saw that the three ruffians were great, brutal-faced fellows,
with bared arms that denoted toil as well as spoils.

"Immediate!" said the lantern bearer. "Come; we drag him to the cave."

"Drag? Nix; we c'n carry him, pard. I'm not for draggin' him down that
passage. Grab hold there,--you! Hey, get his feet, damn you!" The third
man was reluctant to understand, but at last grasped the prisoner by the
feet, swearing in a language of his own. The Yankee desperado took his
shoulders, and together, with earnest grunts, they followed the man
with the lantern, Truxton knew not whither except that it was away from
the wretched sweat-hole.

He could see that they were crowding through a low, narrow passage, the
earthen sides of which reeked with moisture. Twice they paused to rest,
resuming the journey after a season of cursing, finally depositing him
with scant courtesy upon the rocky floor of what proved to be a rather
commodious cave. The breath was almost jarred from his body. He had the
satisfaction of driving his two heels viciously against the person of
the man who had held them the last ten minutes, receiving a savage kick
in return.

Daylight streamed into this convenient "hole in the wall;" lying upon
his side, Truxton faced