Through the interpreter Nick quickly explained his business, and saw a look of surprise appear on the face of Pandu Singe when inquiries were made about the loss of a snake. It took Nick but a short time to learn what he desired. Precisely as he expected, the Hindoo had missed one of his snakes about ten days before, one of the most venomous and dangerous of the lot. Hearing no reports or complaints about the missing reptile, however, Pandu Singe had come to the conclusion that the snake had died in the den and then been devoured by one of his companions in captivity. So the Hindoo had let the matter drop, and had said nothing about it. Nick did not disclose the true occasion for his inquiries, but invented a satisfactory explanation, and at the end of a quarter of an hour the two detectives departed and entered their waiting carriage. "Rather a dignified chap, after all, that Pandu Singe," laughed Chick, as they settled themselves on the cushions. "True," admitted Nick, thoughtfully. "Do you think, Chick, that we could make up to pass for those two swarthy Orientals?" "Could we!" exclaimed Chick, promptly. "Well, Nick, I should say that we could." "I think so, too." "You could do the snake charmer, all right, and easily gabble a lingo that would pass for his." "Well, rather," laughed Nick. "And if I was wise to the game you wished to play I easily could act as the interpreter, and run the conversation correctly on my own hook." "No doubt of it." "Do it? Why, surely we could," repeated Chick "Why did you ask?" "I think it may yet become necessary or desirable to make a move of that kind," replied Nick. "Why so?" "Because, as I have suspected all along, I still think there is some big game in the wind, with the Kilgore gang back of it, and that the murder of this Barton girl may have some connection with it, or at least give us a clew to it." "Egad! I hope so, Nick." "We soon shall see." "Going after Cervera now?" "Yes; at once," said Nick, with grim austerity. "We shall find her at home, as usual. She'll not imagine that I can have got on her track as quickly as this, so no doubt I can easily land her. Before midnight I want bracelets on the white wrists of that Spanish dare-devil." CHAPTER XII. CLOSING IN. There was, indeed, as Nick Carter shrewdly suspected, a mysterious bond between the several crimes thus far engaging his attention, and the secret operations for which David Kilgore and his gang had ventured into the city of New York. Nick had remarked, however, that the game would become as hazardous and stirring as one could desire, as soon as it was fairly driven from cover. And Nick began to drive it from cover that very night. Shortly before nine o'clock, and just as the two detectives were parting from the Hindoo snake charmer, Mr. Rufus Venner rang the bell at the door of Cervera's uptown residence. It was answered by Cervera herself, much to Venner's surprise.