"The riches of the Varonas! Christ! What a find!" Cobo's teeth
shone white in the grin of avarice. "Yes, I see now--a cavern in
the rock. Well, well! And you are the spirit of Sebastian, chained
in the bowels of La Cumbre. Ha! These are the ghosts--" He began
to chuckle, but the sound of his malevolent merriment was like the
hiccoughing of a drunken man.
"Rosa! What have you done--"
Cobo ran on unheeding: "It must be a great treasure, indeed, from
all accounts--the ransom of a dozen kings. That's what Cueto said,
'The ransom of a dozen kings!' Those were his very words."
The fellow continued to sway himself back and forth, peering as if
his eyes were about to leave his head. For a long moment or two he
utterly disregarded O'Reilly, but finally as he gained more self-
control his gaze shifted and his expression altered. He changed
his weight to his left arm and with his right hand he drew his
revolver.
"What are you doing?" O'Reilly cried, hoarsely.
The colonel seemed vaguely surprised at this question. "Fool! Do
you expect me to share it with you?" he inquired. "Wait! There's
enough--for all of us," O'Reilly feebly protested; then, as he
heard the click of the cocked weapon: "Let me out. I'll pay you
well--make you rich." In desperation he raised his shaking hand to
dash out the candle, but even as he did so the colonel spoke, at
the same time carefully lowering the revolver hammer.
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