and thrusting it
forward, he endeavoured to peer into their faces. "Who are ye?" he
exclaimed. "Ye are not--ah! I have it. Ye are the two English
prisoners who this morning--"

Before he could get any further the pair threw themselves upon him and
bore him to the ground; and while Phil gripped the unfortunate man by
the throat to prevent him from crying out and raising an alarm, Dick
whipped out the rope which he had been carrying beneath his habit, and
trussed up the worthy senor so securely that he could move neither hand
nor foot. Then they gagged him very effectively by thrusting the hilt
of one of his own daggers between his teeth and securing it there.

"Now, hark ye, friend Cervantes," admonished Phil, "it is unfortunate
for you that you have penetrated our disguises, since it will
necessitate your remaining as you are until the morning, when no doubt
someone will arrive to release you. We need certain weapons, and we
propose to help ourselves to them; but you need not fear that you are
about to be robbed; we will pay you generously for whatever we take.
Now, Dick," he continued, turning to Chichester, "pick your weapons, and
let us begone, we have none too much time before daylight. I recommend
for your choice, a good sword, a musket, a brace of pistols, with a good
supply of ammunition for each, a stout dagger, a bow, arrows, and a good
strong machete for general purposes. That, I think, will be quite as
much as it will be advisable for us to cumber ourselves with."

"So do I," agreed Dick, dryly. "For my own part I am not at all sure
that we could not dispense with the musket, which is a heavy, cumbersome
thing to carry, and we may never need it. Still, I suppose we may as
well take one apiece; we can always throw them away if we find them too
troublesome. But how do you propose to pay the man, Phil? You know
that we have no money."

"True," assented Phil; "but we have still the two emerald eyes of the
idol which we found in that cave where we slew the monstrous beast: we
will give him one of those in payment; and handsome payment it will be,
too."

"Ay, that it will," agreed Dick. "I had entirely forgotten about those
emeralds. Give him one of them, by all means; we can then help
ourselves, with a clear conscience, to the best the shop affords."

Swiftly, yet with the greatest care, the two Englishmen selected the
weapons which they required, together with as much ammunition as they
consi