“Look here, Senor Delazes,” said the young inventor.  “I had no more idea that golden image was here than you did.  I would like to buy it, in fact I offered to, but they don’t seem to want to sell it.  If you can purchase it for me I’ll pay you a good price for it.”

“And doubtless the senor would like many more,” suggested Delazes, with an open sneer.

“Doubtless the senor would!” snapped Tom.  “Look here, Delazes, I’m here on business, to get all the relics I can—­this kind or any other that I may fancy.  You can think we’re after buried treasure if you want to—­I’m not going to take the trouble to contradict you.  I hired you and your men for a certain purpose.  But if you don’t want to stay and let me and my friends run things, the sooner you tell me so the better.  But I don’t want any more of your underhand remarks.  Understand?”

For a moment Delazes stared at Tom with snapping eyes, as though he would like to have attacked him.  Then, knowing that Tom and his friends were well armed, and doubtless thinking that strategy was better than open force he bowed, smiled in what he probably meant for a friendly fashion, and said: 

“The senor is pleased to joke.  Very well, I shall believe what I like.  Meanwhile, does Senor Swift commission me to buy the image for him?”

Tom hesitated a moment.  He feared he would be no match for the shrewd Mexican, and he wondered how much Delazes already knew.  Then he decided on keeping up his end baldly, as that had seemed to have the best effect.

“You can have a try at buying the image after I have failed,” he said.  “I’ll try my hand first.”

“Very well,” assented the contractor.  The talk had been in English, and none of the Mexicans gave any signs of having understood it.  Tom realized that he was playing a dangerous game, for naturally Delazes would privately tell the Mexicans to put so high a price on the statute as to prevent Tom from getting it and then the contractor would make his own terms.

But Tom decided that this was the only course, and he followed it.

“We’ll stay here in the village for to-night,” he went on.  “Delazes, you and your men can make yourselves comfortable with any friends you may find here.  We’ll set up our tent as usual, after we get some corn meal for supper.  I’ll talk to them about the relic to-morrow.  They seem to be afraid now.”

“Very well,” assented the contractor again, and then be said something in Spanish to the aged Mexican.  What it was Tom could not catch, for Delazes spoke rapidly and seemed to use some colloquial, or slang phrases with which our hero was not familiar.  The old Mexican assented by a nod, and then he brought out some corn meal which Eradicate took.  The woman with the golden image had gone into an inner room.

“Bless my pocketbook!” exclaimed Mr. Damon, when he Tom, Ned and Eradicate were busy setting up their tent near a campfire just on the edge of the village.  “This is most unexpected.  What are you going to do, Tom?”