Bramley was cautioned twice;
Mallison was warned three times and burned to death; Forsith had
word from us only once, and he was shot in a drunken brawl. This
man Pritchard has been warned a dozen times, he has escaped death
twice. The time has come to show him that we are in earnest.
Threats are useless; the time has come for deeds. I say that if
Pritchard refuses this trifling request of ours, let us see that
he leaves this house in such a state that he will not be able to
do us any harm for some time at least."
"But he will give his word!" the professor cried excitedly. "I
am quite sure that if you allow me to talk to him reasonably, he
will pledge his word to go back to the States and interfere no
longer with your affairs."
Pritchard turned his head slightly. He was a little pale, and
the blood was dropping slowly on to the floor from a wound in his
temple, but his tone was contemptuous.
"I will give you my word, Professor, and you, Elizabeth Gardner,
and you, Jim Post, and you, Walter Crease, that crippled, or
straight, in evil or good health, from the very jaws of death I
will hang on to life until you have paid your just debts. You
understand that, all of you? I don't know what sort of a show
this is. You may be in earnest, or you may be trying a rag. In
any case, let me assure you of this. You won't get me to beg for
mercy. If you force me to drink that stuff you are talking
about, I'll find the antidote, and as sure as there's a prison in
America, so surely I'll make you suffer for it! If you take my
advice," he went on slowly, "and I know what I'm talking about,
you'll cut these ropes and set open your front door.
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