"You answer my question by asking another. It won't help you any, Brady. Believe me, you better do what I tell you if you expect to get out of this scrap alive." "Would you kill me after what I have done for you, Joe Ding?" "I might; it is hard to say," replied the Chinaman with a grin. "However, if it is going to help matters along, I'll answer your question. Follow me." He clutched Harry's arm and led him forward a few feet. They had now come underneath an open shaft. Here there was a rope attached to a ring. Joe Ding tried to untie it, but did not seem to succeed. Losing his patience, he pulled out his knife and cut the rope in spite of the protest of one of the other Chinks. Immediately the rope ran up over a pulley above, apparently, and that with great rapidity. Evidently something heavy was attached to the other end. Needless to say it was the corpse of Fen Wix, the informer. It came down into a sort of niche and stood there leaning against the wall. Harry shuddered as he looked at it. "So you have hung the old man?" he gasped. "As you see," replied Joe Ding. "Is he the man who blabbed to Old King Brady about Pow Chow and this treasure business?" "Now that he is dead I suppose I may as well admit it. Yes, he is the man." "I thought so! Then we have made no mistake. Hold on a minute, Brady, till I tell my brothers here." It looked to Harry as if he should probably have to hold on a good many minutes before he got clear of this outfit if he ever did. He shuddered as he stood there listening to the gabble of the Chinamen, and wondering what his own fate might be. "I don't know that I have any further questions to ask you now, Brady," said the Chinaman at length. "You may have a few to ask on your own account, however. If so, now is your chance, for I am in the mood to answer any reasonable question as it happens." "Why have you captured me?" demanded Harry. "That is the main question." "And it shall be answered. I have captured you on general principles. I know what you Bradys are. Once you put your hand to a case you never let up. I want to give Old King Brady something else to think of, so as to turn his attention away from this treasure business. Naturally he will now turn his attention to finding you, but take my word for it he won't succeed." "Joe," said Harry, "you take my word for it, you will do well to let me go." "Wait, Brady, I'll tell you something you don't know by and by," whispered the Chinaman. "I'm doing you a big favor if you only knew it." He winked and looked wise. Harry stopped talking then. He came to the conclusion that one at least of the other Chinks understood English. It seemed best to fall in with the situation for the present at least. The usual programme in such cases was now carried out. Young King Brady was blindfolded and led through passages, up steps and down, in and out until he finally landed in an underground room decently furnished in Chinese style.