given to the police.

Yet these parties so obviously aimed to hide the fact that he was known
to be Nick Carter, that Nick quickly resolved to let them have all the
rope they wanted, and to meet them with a counter-move--that of boldly
declaring his own identity, and so disarming them of any misgiving that
he had recognized Kilgore and Matthew Stall, or even had any suspicions
of Señora Cervera.

It was a very clever counter, and Nick went at it cleverly.

"Why don't you give me to the police, if you think I'm a thief?" he
repeated, when Cervera made no reply.

"The police?--bah!" she now cried, with a sneer. "For what? That you may
square yourself in some way, or make your escape, and then come back
here to attempt the job again?"

"H'm!" thought Nick. "They don't want to let me go before learning what
I suspect. I won't do a thing but fool them in that."

"Police be hanged!" Cervera quickly added. "In my country we have a
surer way of removing such villains as you."

"What way?" queried Nick, coolly.

"_Caramba!_ The garrote!"

"Choke 'em off, eh?"