trating.

"Twenty of my men, all armed, hear that," she said defiantly. "They
are just below. Listen and you will hear them coming."

The sound, first of men's voices somewhere outside, then of rattling
stones under running feet, told that Zoraida spoke truly. Kendric
heard and for an instant was struck motionless with indecision. The
entrance was narrow and he could make a fight for it--there was Betty
to think of, behind him but in the path of glancing bullets--there was
Rios, wounded but treacherous--there was Zoraida--there was the
treasure below and he had no mind to see it snatched from under his
eyes--

Then the one chance presented itself to him, clear and imperative.

"Rios," he commanded, "down you go through that hole or I swear to God
I'll blow your brains out! Quick! And Zoraida, you with him." He
sprang upon her and dragged her with him, shoving her toward the
opening in the floor. He took time then to whirl and fire one shot
along the narrow way which Zoraida's men must come, confident that they
would pause, if only for an instant. "Down, Rios. Down, Zoraida!"

A sort of fury looked out of his eyes and even Betty drew back from him
fearfully. He grasped Rios by the shoulder and the Mexican seeing the
look in his eyes made no resistance. Had he fought back he would have
been killed and he knew it. He went down the steps. Zoraida would
have held back but again Kendric's hand, rough on her arm, sent her
forward and, rather than fall, she was forced to Rios's heels. Kendric
fired again along the cleft. Then he began knocking loose the stones
which held the lever-rock back. When only one stone kept the boulder
in place, he called sharply to Betty:

"Down we go with them. Then I'll knock that stone out from below and
we'll have time to breathe before they come on us."

"But," exclaimed Betty, "can we lift it again from below?"

"God knows," he returned. "I think so. But I don't know that we'll
have to; I think there's another way out. Hurry."

Voices were calling excitedly from without. Plainly the men taking
Zoraida's pay would in time steel themselves to making an entrance, but
just as plainly they saw death in store for some of them and hesitated.
It struck Kendric that their delay would give him time for one other
thing and that that other thing would mean much more time gained later
on. He scooped up handful after handful of dirt and poured it into the
lever-hole in the bou