. Above his beaked nose, his beady black eyes
glittered wickedly, and his jagged fangs protruded through his animal
lips. He wore a breechcloth of dirty white, and his chest was naked,
save for two objects--objects terrible enough to send a thrill of
horror through the beholder. Suspended on a long cord around his neck
were two shriveled human hands. Above this was a necklace made of
dried human fingers.

"Yellow Skull," said Garvey, pointing to Kid Wolf, "meet the man who
slew yore son, Bear Claw!"

The expression of the chief's face became ghastly. His eyes widened
until they showed rings of white; his nostrils expanded. With a fierce
yell, he thumped his scrawny chest until it boomed like an Indian drum.
Then he gave a series of guttural orders to his followers.

Kid Wolf, who knew the Apache tongue, listened and understood. His
sunburned face paled a bit, but his eyes remained steady. He turned
his head to look at Robbins, who was recovering consciousness.

"Keep up yo' nerve, son," he comforted. "I'm afraid this is goin' to
be pretty terrible."

The bonds of the two white men were loosened, and they were pulled to
their feet and made to walk for some distance. Garvey and Shank,
grinning evilly, accompanied them.

Kid Wolf felt the comforting weight of his hidden knife at the back of
his neck. It would do him little good, however, to draw it, for he was
hemmed in by the Apaches. He might get two or three, but in the end he
would be beaten down. He was determined, at any rate, to go out
fighting. If he could only bring justice to Garvey before he died, he
would be content. Tensely he waited for the opportune time.

One of the redskins carried a comb of honey. The Texan knew what that
meant. The most horrible torture that could have been devised by men
awaited them.

The torture party paused in a clear space in the middle of a high
thicket of mesquite. Here in the sun-baked, packed sand were two ant
hills.

Kid Wolf had heard of the method before. What Yellow Skull intended to
do was this: The two prisoners would be staked and tied so tightly
over the ant hills that neither could move a muscle. Then their mouths
would be propped open and honey smeared inside. The swarming colonies
of red ants would do the rest.

For the first time, Dave Robbins seemed to realize what was in store
for them. He turned his face to the Texan's, his eyes piteous.

"Kid!" he gasped, horrified.

"Steady