rticularly when, as in the present case, I am well paid
for it. Now, if I were to act as you suggest, I should be thwarting,
instead of obliging him; I should convert him from a friend into an
enemy; and I think that you are now in a position to understand what
that means. It means that I should be compelled to _disappear_ as
completely as though the ground had opened and swallowed me; because it
is one of Morillo's characteristics that, while he is a staunch and
generous friend, he is also a bitter and relentless enemy. He _never_
forgives; so long as his enemy lives, he will never rest until he has
been revenged upon him. And this reminds me that if you and I should
succeed in coming to an arrangement, you must not regard the matter
between yourself and Morillo as settled; I warn you that you will have
to maintain a ceaseless watch, for so long as you and he live he will
never relax his efforts to get you into his power. Afloat, and with a
greatly superior force, you _may_ reckon yourself to be reasonably safe;
but _ashore_--no! Very well. Now, what I have told you will enable you
to understand my position in relation to this matter: at present I am
his friend, but I have his enemy in my power; and if I aid and abet that
enemy to escape I become his enemy, which will necessitate my prompt
retreat to the other side of the world, to begin life afresh, with the
haunting feeling that, go where I will and do what I may, I am _never
safe_! That alone points to a necessary demand on my part of a
considerable sum--a _very_ considerable sum--from you as compensation
for the many serious inconveniences and dangers that must inevitably
follow upon my falling in with your proposal. But that is not all.
There is my mate, Miguel, and the lad Luis, for'ard; both of them would
require some very substantial inducement to lead them to fall in with
our views. Altogether, I should say that what you propose would
probably cost you--well, at least, ten thousand pounds."

"Ten thousand pounds?" I ejaculated. "Nonsense, man; you must be
dreaming. Why, I could no more raise ten thousand pounds than I could
fly."

"No?" he queried coolly; "not even to save yourself from--"

"Not even to save myself from the utmost refinement of cruelty that your
friend Morillo is capable of devising," I answered decisively.

"Pardon me, senor, but I can scarcely believe you," retorted Dominguez,
with that hateful, sneering smile of his. "You h