The Face in the Abyss | Page 8

figured what was the best thing to do. Hold her until her folks came "along and paid
up to get her back undamaged. Or give her the third degree until she gave up where all
that gold and stuff she was carrying came from. That's what you would have done,
Graydon--if you weren't a dirty, lyin', double-crossin' hound."
Graydon's anger flared up. |
"All right, Soames," he said. "I'll tell you. What I've
said about freeing her for our own safety is true. But outside of that I would as soon have
thought of trusting a child to a bunch of hyenas as I would of trusting that girl to you
three. I let her go a damned sight more for her sake than I did for our own. Does that
satisfy you?"
"Aha!" jeered Dancret. "Now I see! Here is this strange lady of so much wealth and
beauty. She is too pure and good for us to behold. He tell her so and bid her fly. 'My
hero!' she say, 'take all I have and give up this bad company.' 'No, no,' he tell her, t'inking
all the time if he play his cards right he get much more, and us out of the way so he need
not divide, 'no, no,' he tell her. 'But long as these bad men stay here you will not be safe.'
'My hero,' she say. 'I will go and bring back my family and they shall dispose of your bad
company. But you they shall reward, my hero, oui!' Aha, so that is what it was!"
Graydon flushed; the little Frenchman's malicious travesty had shot uncomfortably close.
After all, Suarra's unasked promise to save him could be construed as Dancret had
suggested. Suppose he told them he had warned her that whatever the fate in store for
them he was determined to share it, and would stand by them to the last? They would not
believe him.
Soames had been watching him, closely.
"By God, Danc'," he said, "I guess you hit it He changed color. He's sold us out."
He .raised his automatic, held it on Graydon--then lowered it.
"No," he said, deliberately. "This is too big a thing to let slip by bein' too quick on the
trigger. If your dope is.right, Dane', and I guess it is, the lady was mighty grateful. All
right--we ain't got her, but we have got him. As I figure it, bein' grateful, she won't want
him to get killed. She'll be back. Well, we'll trade him for what they got that we want. Tie
him up."
He pointed the pistol at Graydon. Unresisting, Graydon let Starrett and Dancret bind his
wrists. They pushed him over to one of the trees and sat him on the ground with his
back against its bole. They passed a rope under his arms and hitched it securely around
the trunk; they tied his feet.
"Now," said Soames, "if her gang show up in the morning, well let 'em see you, and find
out how much you're worth. They won't rush us. There's bound to be a palaver. And if

they don't come to terms--well, Graydon, the first bullet out of this gun goes through your
guts. That'll give you time to see what we do to her before you die."
Graydon did not answer him. He knew that nothing he might say would change them
from their purpose. He made himself as comfortable as possible, and closed his eyes.
Once or twice he opened them, and looked at the others. They sat beside the fire, heads
dose together, talking in whispers, their faces tense, and eyes feverish with
the treasure lust. After a while Graydon's head dropped forward. He slept.
CHAPTER III.
The White Llama
IT WAS DAWN when Graydon awakened.
Some one had thrown a blanket over him during the night, but he was, nevertheless, cold
and stiff. He drew his legs up and down painfully, trying to start the sluggish blood. He
heard the others stirring in the tent. He wondered which of them had thought of the
blanket, and why he had been moved to that kindness.
Starrett lifted the tent flap, passed by him without a word and went on to the spring. He
returned and busied himself, furtively, about the fire. Now and then he looked at the
prisoner, but seemingly with neither anger nor resentment. He slipped at last to the tent,
listened, then trod softly over to Graydon.
"Sorry about this," he muttered. "But I can't do anything with Soames and Dancret. Had a
hard time persuading 'em even to let you have that blanket. Take a drink of this."
He pressed a flask to Graydon's lips. He took a liberal swallow; it warmed him.
"Sh-h," warned Starrett. "Don't bear