"Vell, vell!" cried Carl, as Matt stopped for him to hop into the tonneau, "vot kindt oof a rite vas dot you dook mit yourseluf, Verral?"
"The kind, mate," answered Ferral, "that I hope I'll never take again."
"Yah, I bed you! Modor Matt chumped in und shtopped der car, hey? I knew dot he vould. Ven he geds dot look in his eyes, py chincher, like vat he hat, you can bed someding for nodding his madt vas oop. How did it habben, Verral?"
And while Ferral was rehearsing the whole story for Carl's benefit, the white runabout and the Red Flier came to a halt in the road in front of La Vita Place.
Tippoo jumped down and motioned for those in the rear car to follow him.
"Tippoo is the boss, Dick," said Matt; "get down and we'll trail after him. Don't let your temper get away from you when we're in the house."
"The way I feel now, matey," answered Ferral, "I'd like to sail in and lay the 'cat' on the whole bunch. A precious crew they are, and no mistake."
Tippoo led the way along the foot-path, and Ferral, Matt, and Carl followed him closely.
Voices could be heard in the house, and it was clear Sercomb and his companions had not noticed the approach of the two cars.
Standing by the door, the Hindu motioned for the boys to pass in ahead of him.
The parlor at La Vita Place, as has already been stated, covered half of the first floor of the house. The distinctive feature of the large room was an immense fireplace, which, after the Mexican fashion, was built across one corner. Above the fireplace, on the angling surface that reached from wall to wall, was a dingy, life-size painting of a saint. The painting was in a heavy frame, which was set flush with the wall.
There were a few things about the old adobe _casa_ which had been left exactly as they had come into Mr. Lawton's hands from the original Mexican owners of the place. This picture of the saint was one of them.
The parlor was finely furnished. The floors were laid with tiger and lion-skins, trophies of the chase, and on every hand were curios and ornaments dear to the eccentric old Englishman because of their associations.
In this room Sercomb and his Denver friends were gathered. They had had their breakfast--Mings and Packard had just finished theirs--and all were excitedly discussing what Mings and Packard had done, and what they had seen.