“’Clar’ ter goodness, dere’s de cherubims!” shouted faithful Ben, breaking away from all restraint and rushing up to the girls, whose hands he seized and kissed, while he actually wept with joy to see them alive. “Oh, Missie May an’ Missie Gertrude! Jest to think I’m with you once more! Ben’s ready to go now when Gabriel blows his horn--he is dat! Oh, honeys, is it you--all sure alive?” “The darky knows you?” asked the leader of the band. “Yes,” said May. “He is my father’s servant.” “Yes--I is his serbant, an’ yours, too, Missie May. Your old fadder is alive, an’ he jest would give a hunderd t’ousand dollars--an’ he’s got it, too--to see you an’ Missie Gertrude alive!” “A hundred thousand dollars! Do you know what you are saying, darky?” cried the leader of the bandits, while the rest of the gang talked eagerly among themselves. “Yes, Marse White Man, I jest do know what I’m sayin’! And de old boss has done got it, all in hard coin.” “Where is he now?” “Away back at de fort. He’s dere sure, an’ so is de money. I know he’d give it all to see dese young ladies back with him.” “Does this man speak the truth?” asked the bandit leader sternly of Mainwaring. “I believe he does,” said the latter, who had hardly let his eyes move from the face of May all this time. “If there is any doubt of the father of these ladies having the money, I know who has it, and who will give up even that large sum to see them restored, safe and unharmed, to their father.” “You mean yourself, I suppose?” “For such a purpose I can command that sum. I happen to be a fairly rich man.” “That’s as it may be. Why don’t you bargain for your own life?” “Because I would rather buy their safety than my own. I am young and single--and not afraid of death.” “Well, you certainly take things pretty coolly! The things you wear show you are rich. What do you say, boys? Shall we take them all on to the cave and hold them to ransom? I guess we can make more by that than by our regular business.” “Yes; take them to the cave!” cried one of the men, and all the rest shouted their approval of the proposition. “We must hurry up. There’s a lot of men down below the cliff, and they aren’t in that Indian fight,” said one of the outlaws, who came up at this moment. “Mount at once! We are lucky to have fresh horses!” shouted the leader of the band. “Mount and away!” Then turning to Mainwaring he said: “Stranger, I’ll treat you well if you’ll act square. If you don’t, you’ll die without having time to pray!” “Treat those girls well, and you shall have every dollar I have in the world, if necessary,” replied Mainwaring. A grateful look from both girls, but especially from May, made him feel that his fortune could not possibly be better expended. “They shall be well treated--if we are well paid,” said the bandit. Now they were all mounted and were moving off up among the rugged hills at a sweeping trot, which was increased to a gallop when the road got better.