CHAPTER XIV

THE GYPSY'S MOTIVE


But, despite the revelation of that letter, the gypsy himself maintained
a sullen silence when efforts were made to make him tell all he knew and
the reason for his determined effort to kidnap Dolly. He snarled at his
captors when they, asked him questions, and so enraged Andrew and the
other guides by his refusal to answer that only Eleanor's intervention
saved him from rough handling.

"No I won't let you use violence, Andrew," said Eleanor, firmly. "It
would do no good. He won't talk; that is his nature. You have him now,
and the law will take him from you. There isn't any question of his
guilt; there will be evidence enough to convict him anywhere, and he
will go to prison, as he deserves to do. All I hope is that he won't be
the only one, that we can get the man who bribed him to do this, and
see that he gets punished properly, too."

"I'm sure with you there, ma'am," said old Andrew. "He's a worthless
critter enough, I know, but he ain't as bad as the man that set him on.
If the law lets that other snake go, ma'am, jest you get him to come up
here for a little hunting, and we'll make him sorry he ever went into
such business, I'd like to get my hands on him. I'm an old man, but I
reckon I'm strong enough to thrash any imitation of a man what would
play such a cowardly trick as that. Afraid to do his own dirty work, is
he? So he hires it done. Well, much good it's done him this time."