Part 26 (1/2)
”And before I let you go I'm going to make you pay up dearly for all that I have suffered. Captain Villaire, have you had them searched?” he asked, turning again to his companion.
”Yees, Baxter, but za had not mooch monish wid zem.”
”How much?”
”Only about a hundred pounds.”
”Then they left it behind at Binoto's place,” was the quick answer. ”Now if those others aren't captured--”
”Hush, ve vill not speak of zat,” put in the brigand hastily.
”Tell zeni what I haf tole you.”
”All right, I will.” Dan Baxter turned once more to the prisoners. ”Do you know why you were brought here?”
”To be robbed, I presume,” answered Randolph Rover.
”Or that and worse,” said d.i.c.k significantly,
”I reckon I have a right to all of your money, d.i.c.k Rover.”
”I don't see how you make that out, Baxter.”
”Years ago your father robbed mine out of the rights to a rich gold mine in the United States.”
”That's your side of the story. I claim, and so did my father, that the mine was ours.”
”It's a falsehood. The mine was discovered by my fattier, and if everything had gone right he would have had the income from it.”
”This is ancient history, Baxter. Come to business. What do you intend to do with us?”
”We intend to make money out of you,” was the answer, given with a rude laugh.
”In what manner?”
”First you will have to answer a few questions.”
”Zat ees it,” put in Captain Villaire. ”How mooch morlish you bring wid you from America?”
”We didn't bring much,” answered Randolph Rover, who began to smell a mouse.
”How mooch?”
”About two hundred pounds.”
”Humph, a thousand dollars!” sneered Baxter. ”That won't do at all.”
”You must haf brought more!” cried the French brigand angrily.
”Not much more.”