"The captain says we are to give up all our arms," he said; and the
professor handed his gun and sword without a word, the appearance of the
weapons apparently giving great satisfaction to the chief.

"Here, take 'em," growled Mr Burne; "you ugly-looking unwashed animal.
I hope the gun will go off of itself, and shoot you. I say, Preston,
you haven't given them your revolver."

"Hush! neither am I going to without they ask for it. Yussuf is keeping
his."

"Oh, I see," said the old lawyer brightening.

Lawrence had to resign his handsome gun and sword next, the beauty of
their workmanship causing quite a buzz of excitement.

After this, as Lawrence sat suffering a bitter pang at losing his
treasured weapons, the chief said a few words to Yussuf.

"The captain says, excellencies, that if you will ride quietly to their
place, he will not have you bound. I have said that you will go."

"Yes," said the professor, "we will go quietly."

The chief seemed satisfied, and the prisoners being placed in the
middle, the whole band went off along the mountain path, higher and
higher hour after hour.

There was no attempt made to separate them, nor yet to hinder their
conversation; and the brigands seemed less ferocious now that the
business of the day had had so satisfactory a finish, for they were
congratulating themselves upon having made a very valuable haul, and the
captives, after a time, began to look upon their seizure as more
interesting and novel than troublesome. That is to say, all but the
professor, who bemoaned bitterly the fact that he should miss seeing the
old ruined, stronghold in the mountains, which was said to be the
highest ruin in the land.

"It seems so vexatious, Yussuf," he said towards evening, after a very
long and tedious ride through scenery that was wild and grand in the
extreme; "just, too, as we were so near the aim of all my desire."

"Bother!" said Mr Burne, "I wish they would stop and cook some dinner.
Are they going to starve us?"

"No, excellency; and before an hour has passed, if I think rightly, we
shall have reached the brigands' stronghold. They will not starve you,
but you will have to pay dearly for all you have."

"I don't care," said Mr Burne recklessly. "I'd give a five-pound note
now for a chop, and a sovereign a-piece for mealy potatoes. This
mountain air makes me ravenous, and ugh! how cold it is."

"We are so high up, excellency," said Yussuf; and then smili