II
Hunched forward, he listened, then turned to his companion.
"The Chorillos road. Unless I am much mistaken, they are following the motor."
"Come on; we must get after them! Where can we get horses?"
"Follow me. We can do better than that. We have the telephone and the railway." And once again he took up his litany:—"The Red Ponchos! The Red Ponchos!"
"What do you mean by that?… Red or gray, it's all one.… Those men belong to Huascar's band, and helped him.… That seems pretty clear to me."
"Quite right, quite right. I agree with you now, young sir," replied Natividad, puffing by Dick's side as they hurried toward the railway station. "Yes, indeed. They are all in it.… The Red Ponchos.… The Priests of the Sun."
Dick stopped dead. Natividad's last words at last made him understand. He remembered, in a flash, all the legends told by Aunt Agnes and old Irene. And they had seen fit to laugh.
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