at
hand dyed red. Beside him, where it had fallen, was his revolver.

"I--I shot him!" Betty gasped.

"And serves him right," cried Kendric heartily. He took the gun from
her hands and strode over to Rios while, at last, Betty's face was
hidden by her shaking hands. "So you're on the job, are you?"

Rios looked sick and miserable. But slowly, as he lifted his black
eyes to the man standing over him the old evil fires played in them.
He stirred a little and lay back.

"My shoulder is broken," he groaned.

"You're in luck to be alive," Kendric told him sternly. "What do you
want here?"

"I'll bleed to death!" Quick fright sent a shiver through him. "For
the love of God stop the blood for me."

Kendric could scarcely do less than look at the wound. Presently he
straightened up with a grunt of disgust.

"It's only a flesh wound," he said coolly. "The bone isn't even
touched and it's a clean hole. You'll last for a lot of devilment yet."

Rios sat up. He felt of his hurt with tender fingers and slowly the
fear went out of his look and his old craft and hate came back.

"You've found the treasure--here," he said. "You will have to talk
with me before you touch it, senor."

"You talk big, Rios," snapped Kendric angrily. "It strikes me that you
are just now in no position to dictate. You should thank your stars
if, presently, we let you go about your business. Whether or not we
have found treasure does not concern you."

So intent was he upon Rios, so occupied with considering what was to be
done with him, that he did not note who it was who had come to stand in
the narrow cleft between them and the entrance from the canon side.
But Betty, her hands dropping from her horrified face saw.

"Oh," cried Betty. "We are lost!"

Then he saw that following Rios had come Zoraida and that she stood and
looked at them, her eyes filled with mockery and triumph.

"Who is it that speaks of what shall be done with that which rightfully
is Zoraida's?" she demanded, her voice ringing out boldly. "And you
two, who thought to escape me, I have you in a trap!"

Kendric swung his rifle about so that the muzzle was towards her. His
eyes hardened.

"If we have to shoot our way out of this, we're going free," he told
her shortly.

Zoraida's only answer came quickly, unexpectedly, before he could step
forward. Her hand went to her bosom; out came her silver whistle; a
blast shrilled forth from it, loud and pene