"Perhaps you'd better take the whole roll," Clay said, producing a small handful of change and passing it over. "You'll get it in time, anyway."
The man took the money, counted it slowly with clumsy fingers and thrust it into a pocket.
"As long as you have money, you know," Clay said sneeringly, "you won't have to be taking pennies away from children or stealing from blind men. You're quite welcome to what I have."
"You just cut that stuff quick," snarled the man rising to his feet, his face blotching red. "Cut that quick!"
He might have struck the boy only his companion drew him away.
"Keep back, you fool," the cooler man said, "Do you want him to bring all the others here with his yelping? Why, we can't even shoot him till sundown, so we'd better gag him to keep him from squealing."
"You needn't worry about me squealing," Clay said. "I learned how to keep my mouth shut when you ruffians were serving your last sentence in the penitentiary."
One of the men drew out a knife and flashed it angrily before the boy's face.
"Keep a civil tongue in your head," he said, "and you, Ben, chase up to the north and get the kid that followed Max. We'll tie 'em up together."
Clay was now drawn to his feet and his hands tied tightly behind his back. In this condition, he was marched swiftly through the brush, vines and boughs striking his unprotected face. He paid little attention, however, to his physical discomforts. He was listening for some indication of the capture of Alex.
Much to Clay's amazement, his captor kept to the east following a ridge of rocks from which both rivers might be seen in the distance whenever the foliage did not intervene. After walking half a mile or more, the fellow turned his steps into a narrow gully and soon entered a natural cavern before which a campfire had been built.
"Now, you pretty little creature," he said, addressing Clay, "you're going to be tied up here and left until you return the map which was given to you by mistake."
"A map of this country," was the short reply.
"I'm not giving out maps at present," the boy answered.
"Perhaps you will be, after you get good and hungry," snarled the other.
"In the first place," Clay said, "I haven't got the map. I couldn't get it for you if I wanted to. The boys wouldn't give it up."