les. Little by
little, silently, comprehending now what had occurred, and warned by
the sound of voices not far away, I changed posture slightly,
straightening out cramped limbs, and so turning my head as to enable me
to see along the passage where a ray of light streamed. There was a
mist before my eyes, but this lessened, and I began to view
intelligently the scene.

I lay twenty feet from the entrance to this habitation underground,
thrust into the black shadow behind the door which stood partially
ajar. My position precluded any possibility of learning what was
beyond that wooden barrier, but I could plainly view the entire north
portion of the interior, although the only light radiated from a
flickering candle. One edge of the table came within my vision, a man
sitting beside it, his back turned toward me. I made out little of
this fellow's characteristics, as I saw only a pair of broad shoulders,
encased in a rough shooting coat, and a fringe of black whiskers. He
was smoking a short-stemmed pipe, and contented himself with a
growling, indistinct utterance when addressed. Opposite, however, was
a man of a different type, slender and active, his hair very dark and
inclined to curl, a rather long face, slightly olive-hued, with a small
mustache waxed at the ends. His black, sparkling eyes attracted me
first, and then his long, shapely hands. These grasped a sheet of
paper, and I noticed others, including several unopened envelopes,
lying before him on the table. He laughed a bit unpleasantly, a row of
white teeth visible beneath the dark mustache.

"It's just as I thought, Herman," he said genially. "The fellow is a
mere adventurer. There will be no one to take his disappearance
seriously. Look at this document."

He held out a half-printed, half-written sheet which I instantly
recognized as my discharge, but the big man only nodded, his hands in
his pockets.

"I not read English--you know dot," he said placidly.

"True, I had forgotten. This is the fellow's army discharge; only
issued six or seven weeks ago at Manila. He was serving in the ranks
over there. Got back to this country broke, most likely, and fell into
the hands of those schemers up North, willing enough to do anything for
a bunch of coin. The poor devil probably has n't got a friend on
earth."

"But someone know he come here."

"Only the two who sent him, and they 'll never dare tell, and the
woman. She is safe enough. Nig