ne
you know more than I do about where your countrymen carry their
extra arms. Search this fellow for weapons, and don't overlook
anything."

No pistol was revealed by the search, but a long, keen-edged knife
was brought to light.

"No gentleman has any occasion to carry a thing like that," mocked
Reade. Thrusting the blade into a cleft of rock close by, Tom
snapped the blade, rendering the weapon useless.

"Now, we're ready to go on," announced Tom. "Harry, will you
keep behind our guest of the evening and spur him on if he shows
signs of lagging?"

"Take this gun, Senor Reade," Nicolas hinted, trying to pass the
weapon to the young chief engineer.

"I don't want it," returned Tom, shaking his head and making a
gesture of repulsion. "I don't like guns. They always make me
nervous. I'm afraid of accidents, you see."

"You take the gun, then, Senor Hazelton," begged Nicolas, turning
to the other engineer.

"Don't you believe it," retorted Harry, gruffly. "I'd lose caste
forever with Tom if I carried firearms. Tom says that nobody
but a coward will carry firearms. You keep the gun yourself."

"_Muy bien, senor_," (very good, sir) agreed Nicolas, meekly.
"It is better that I should carry the weapon then, for I am truly
worthless. I am but a _peon_."

"Oh, confound you!" choked Harry. "I didn't mean that. You're
one of the best fellows on earth, Nicolas, for you're a man that
can be trusted. Better unstrap that belt of cartridges from Gato,
too."

The big Mexican ground his teeth and cursed in helpless rage while
the little servant stripped him of the belt and adjusted it about
his own waist.

"Now, let's get along," Reade urged. "We've been losing a lot
of valuable time. Besides, we don't know when we'll run into
some of this mountain pirate's choice friends."

Tom strode on ahead. Nicolas ran to his side, walking with him.
Then came Gato, urged on by Harry Hazelton.

"See here, you Nicolas," remarked Tom, protestingly, "why on earth
didn't you stay put? We left you behind to-night so that you
wouldn't run into trouble with Don Luis."

"Don Luis himself told me to wait on your excellencies night and
day, as long as you remained in Bonista," Nicolas affirmed, solemnly.
"Don Luis hasn't yet changed those orders, and so I must remain
with you. But I had flattered myself that just now I was of enough
service to you so that you wouldn't be displeased."

"Displeased? Not a bit of it," mu