oy," said I, "in this darkness you couldn't see the Kohinoor
diamond if it were hanging on your nose, drawing-room travelers to the
contrary notwithstanding. We have one advantage--they can't understand
what we say, but they even up for it by not saying anything."

There was a short silence, then Harry's voice:

"Paul--"

"Well?"

"I wonder--do you think Desiree--" He hesitated, his voice faltering.

"I think the same as you do," said I.

"But I don't know--after all, there is a chance. Just a bare chance,
isn't there?"

"You know as well as I do, Harry. The chances are a million to one
that Desiree--thank Heaven--has escaped all this! And isn't that best!
Would you have her here with us?"

"No--no. Only--"

"Lying here, bound hand and foot? She would make a dainty morsel for
our friends."

"For the Lord's sake, Paul--"

"Well, let us forget her--for the present. Nor do we want to make a
dainty morsel if we can help it. Come, brace up, Hal. It's up to us
to turn a trick."

"Well?"

"I don't know why I didn't think of it before. I guess we were both
too dazed to have good sense. What have you got strapped to your belt?"

"A gun," said Harry. "Of course I thought of that. But what good is
it after that ducking? And I have only six cartridges."

"Nothing else?"

I could almost feel his silent gaze; then suddenly he cried out:

"A knife!"

"At last!" said I sarcastically. "And so have I. A six-inch,
double-edged knife, sharp as a razor and pointed like a needle. They
didn't have sense enough to search us, and we didn't have sense enough
to realize it. I can feel mine under me now against the ground."

"But they'll see us."

"Not if we use a decent amount of caution. The trouble is, I can't
reach my knife with my wrists bound. There's only one way. Lie
perfectly still; let them think we've given it up. I'm going to try
something."

I drew up my knees, twisted over on the hard rock, and lay flat on my
belly. Then I drew up my hands and let my face rest on them, like a
dog with his head on his paws. And then, keeping my body perfectly
still, and with as little movement of the jaws as possible, I sought
the tough thongs with my teeth.

That was a tedious job and a distasteful one. For many minutes I
gnawed away at those thick cords like a dog on a bone. It was
considerably later that I discovered what those cords were made of;
thank Heaven, I was ignorant of it at the tim