Fortunato stepped slowly forward. I stayed right behind him. Then he reached the back wall of rock. He did not know what was happening.
There were metal rings in the rock, and I tied him to them in a second.
“My poor man,” I said, “it is very wet and cold here. I will ask you again. Do you want to return with me, no? You cannot? Then I must leave you. But first, I will try to make you comfortable.”
“The Amontillado!” he said. He was still unsure about what was happening to him.
“True,” I answered, “the Amontillado.”
From the larger cave I brought some tools and building stones, hidden earlier. I quickly began to build a wall in front of the smaller cave.
When I finished the first part of the wall, I heard a low cry. I stopped and listened. It was not the cry of a man who has drunk too much. Then Fortunato was silent for a long time. He was trying not to show his fear.
