“How can you know this?” she asked.

“I have many ways of learning what I wish to know,” El Diablo replied. “So you were curious about me, señorita! Now you are here, why not ask me personally for information?”

Skye was speechless and she felt as if he had taken the power of thought from her so that for the moment she could only stare at him.

It was now growing dark, the night had come with its usual swift transformation when, as the sun sets, the stars come out.

El Diablo clapped his hands together and the two Indians came back, each carrying a lighted taper which they applied to huge white candles, such as one sees in Churches, set in heavy wrought-iron candelabra.

The great cave flared into a new beauty, as a curtain was drawn over the window to shut out the many insects that would have come fluttering in towards the light.

For the first time Skye saw that the roof was arched and carved with strange devices.

El Diablo saw her glance up and said,

“No one knows when it was done, five hundred, perhaps a thousand years ago when the Indians started mining here and made these caves, every one of which has been hewn out by hand by a tribe, I suspect, from Peru, taught by the Incas. Perhaps this was the Council Chamber, perhaps the Chieftain’s private apartments. Tomorrow you will see how cleverly this cave and the next one are constructed on the curve of a rock so that they can have windows.”

Skye had thrown back her head to inspect the ceiling. Now she was conscious that, as he spoke, El Diablo’s eyes were on the taut line of her white throat and that her small breasts, thrown forward, showed clearly against the thin silk of her shirt.

Hastily she sat up. The Indians had left the room and they were alone in the candlelight.

“Is it surprising that I should have been curious about you?” Skye asked, feeling that she must justify herself, rather like a child who has been caught out in some misdemeanour.

“I am flattered,” El Diablo said.

“I expected to find many strange things in Mariposa, but nothing like this,” Skye said. “When I saw you, I knew – ”

She stopped suddenly.

“Yes? What did you know?” he enquired.

“Why did you kill that man?” she asked impulsively.

As soon as she had said the words, she remembered that Jimmy had cautioned her to ask no questions.

Opposite her she saw El Diablo’s lips tighten and his eyes narrow.

“He was a spy,” he said briefly.

“A spy? Spying on you?” Skye enquired. “For any particular reason or just because he was curious?”

“If you are worried that I shall treat you in the same manner,” El Diablo said evasively, “you need not be afraid. Your neck is too pretty for me to wish to put a rope around it.”