ed
in this affair, and will know how to punish treachery."

The gipsy made no reply, but feeling for his wallet, put his sandals and
one of the ropes into it, and fastened it on his shoulders. Paco slipped
off his shoes, twisted the other rope round his body, and opening the
door in the tiles, in an instant was on the top of the house. The
esquilador followed. Upon their hands and feet the two men ascended the
gradual slope of the roof till they reached the ridge in its centre,
upon which they got astride, and worked themselves slowly and silently
along towards that end of the building in which Herrera was confined.
Owing to the profound darkness, and to the extreme caution with which
Paco, who led the way, proceeded, their progress was very gradual, and
at last an actual stop was put to it by a small but solidly-built stone
chimney which rose out of the summit, and within a foot of the extremity
of the house. Paco untwisted the rope from round his body and handed it
to the gipsy, retaining one end in his hand. The esquilador fixed the
noose about his middle, and altering his position, passed Paco,
scrambled round the chimney, and seated himself on the verge of the
roof, his legs dangling over. Paco gave a turn of the rope round the
chimney, and then leaning forward from behind it, put his mouth to the
gipsy's ear, and spoke in one of those suppressed whispers which seem
scarcely to pass the lips of the speaker.

"Remember," said he, "ten ounces, or"----

A significant motion of his hand round his throat, completed the
sentence in a manner doubtless comprehensible enough to the esquilador.
The latter now turned himself about, and supported himself with his
breast and arms upon the roof, his legs and the lower part of his body
hanging against the side wall of the house. Paco kept his seat behind
the chimney, astride as before, and gathering up the rope, held it
firmly. Gradually the gipsy slid down; his breast was off the roof, then
his arms, and he merely hung on by his hands. His hold was then
transferred to the rope above his head, of which one end was round his
waist and the other in the hands of Paco. All this was effected with a
caution and absence of noise truly extraordinary, and proving wonderful
coolness and habit of danger on the part of the two actors in the
strange scene. As the gipsy hung suspended in the air, Paco began
gradually paying out the rope, inch by inch. This process, owing to the
light weight