y
talking was to be done--at once replied:

"Impossible or not, senor, we are Englishmen; but, beyond that bare
statement of fact, you must pardon us if we decline to say anything."

"Oh!" retorted the Spaniard. "You decline to say anything, do you?
Very good. I am not at all curious to learn the history of such
vagabonds as you appear to be. The fact that you are--by your own
confession--English, is enough for me. But there are others who may be
more interested than I; and, if so, you may rest assured that they will
find a way to make you speak. Take them away and secure them, Jorge,"
he continued, addressing his subordinate; "and take care that they do
not give you the slip. I shall hold you responsible for their
safekeeping. And as soon as you have secured your prisoners to your
satisfaction, let the men fall in, and we will resume our march."

The man to whose charge our friends had been committed saluted, and then
gave the signal for the prisoners to be led away, adding to his signal
the significant order "Shoot the rascals at once upon the slightest sign
of an attempt to escape."

At a spot among the trees, situated about a hundred yards from where the
captain had been standing, the little party came to the place where a
dozen pack mules had been tethered; and a brief search among the
heterogeneous articles which comprised the packs furnished the sergeant
with a raw-hide rope, from which he cut off a couple of lengths
sufficient to securely bind the hands of Phil and Dick firmly behind
their backs, and this operation was at once so effectually performed
that anything in the nature of escape by simply breaking away and
running for one's life was rendered impossible, quite apart from the
sinister and significant order to shoot which had been given to the
soldiers. A quarter of an hour later the entire party were on the move,
and the two Englishmen had the mortification of finding themselves
marched back along the road by which they had come.

Shortly after passing the spot where our friends had struck the road,
the path--for it was little more--curved away toward the left, and led
along the top of an extensive plateau of rich pasture land, upon which,
about midday, they sighted the first herd of cattle that the Englishmen
had seen since their escape from the Mayubuna; and during the afternoon
they saw other herds in the charge of peons, showing that the party were
gradually approaching civilised territo