“You’d better go slow with that talk, Gato,” Tom warned him.  “If you don’t we’ll turn you over to Nicolas to do with as he pleases.”

“All right,” sneered Gato, not a whit dismayed.  “He would dare to do nothing to me.  He would be too afraid of the vengeance that he well knows stalks in these hills.”

“It is all too true,” shuddered Nicolas.

“Come, brace up, Nicolas, and be a man,” Tom urged, slapping the servant cordially on the shoulder.  “Don’t be afraid of any man.  Let Gato threaten you if he wants to.  Nothing has happened to you yet, and he who is afraid is the only man that suffers.  Come, Gato, you will have to get up on your feet.  We can’t let you delay us.”

“I shall not stir a step,” declared the fellow, grimly.

“Oh, yes, you will.”

“Not if you kill me for refusing.  If you wish to take me anywhere, Gringos, you will have to carry me every step of the way.”

“We won’t carry you, either,” Tom continued, coolly.  “Gato, a few moments ago, you had the whip-hand.  Now, we’re carrying the whip.  We don’t want any nonsense.  If you carry matters too far you’ll discover that Hazelton and I have had more or less experience as wild animal trainers.  But, first of all, your head.  It must be attended to.”

Tom wiped away the blood, which was now clotting, with his own handkerchief.

“Help me to stand him on his feet, Harry,” Reade then commanded.

Between them they dragged the heavy fellow to his feet, but Gato promptly cast himself down again.

“We’ll haul you up again,” Tom went on, patiently.  “Don’t try that mulish trick any more, Gato, or I promise you that you’ll regret it.”

No sooner had he been placed on his feet than.  Gato once more threw himself down.  As soon as he went down, however, Tom jerked him to his feet.

A roar like that of an angry bull escaped the lips of the suffering Mexican.

“He is trying to summon his men!” cried Nicolas, snatching up the rifle.

No sooner was Gato upright than he threw himself down once more.

Again he was roughly jerked to a standing position.

The fourth time that Gato was placed on his feet he stood, though he was shaking with fury.

“That’s a little better,” Tom nodded.  “Now, Nicolas, I imagine 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?”