It will be the safer way." "It does not suit me," retorted Gato, sullenly.
"But why not ?" "Am I not paying you ?" "Yes." "Then take my orders and do not ask questions." At this there were sounds of dissatisfaction from all four of these bad men.
"For one thing," Gato explained, "Don Luis would not like it.

He would accuse me of treachery--or worse.

I do not want Don Luis's ill will, you see." "But Don Luis will be angry, in any case, if you injure his engineers, won't he ?" asked one of the men.
"A little, but after a while, Don Luis will not care what I do to the Americanos," growled Pedro Gato.
"Humph! That's interesting--if true," whispered Tom Reade.
"Yet what are we doing here ?" insisted one of the men.

"Here, so close to where the troops might pick us up ?" "You are obeying orders," snarled Gato.
"But that information is not quite enough to suit us," objected one of the Mexicans.
"You might go your own way, then," sneered Gato.

"I can find other men who are not so curious.