"Try, then; go first, Mr Grey," cried the first lieutenant; and, ordering his boat's crew to lie on their oars, he waited till we had pa.s.sed, and then followed.

"Ching going showee way," whispered the Chinaman to me.

"But how do you know there is a place up there?" I said. "Have you ever been?"

Ching shook his head till his black tail quivered, and closed his eyes in a tight smile.

"Ching interpleter," he said, with a cunning look. "Ching know evelyting 'bout Chinaman. Talkee Chinee--talkee Inglis--velly nicee."

"But talking English velly nicee doesn't make you understand about the pirates."

"Yes; know velly much allee 'bout pilate," he said. "Velly bad men-- velly stupid, allee same. Pilate get big junk, swordee, gun, plenty powder; go killee evelybody, and hide tea, silk, lice up liver. One pilate--twenty pilate--allee do same. Hide up liver."

"Perhaps he's right," said Mr Grey, who sat back with the tiller in his hand, listening. "They do imitate one another. What one gang does, another does. They're stupid enough to have no fresh plans of their own."

By this time we were in the creek, which was just wide enough for the men to dip their oars from time to time, and the tide being still running up we glided along between the muddy banks and under the overhanging trees, which were thick enough to shade as from the hot sun.

The ride was very interesting, and made me long to get ash.o.r.e and watch the birds and b.u.t.terflies, and collect the novel kinds of flowers blooming here and there in the more open parts, the lilies close in to the side being beautiful.

But we had sterner business on hand, besides having the first lieutenant in the following boat, so I contented myself with looking straight ahead as far as I could for the maze-like wanderings of the creek, and I was just thinking how easily we could run into an ambuscade, and be shot at from the dense shrubby growth on the bank, when Mr Reardon called to us from his boat.

"Let your marines be ready, Mr Grey," he said, "in case of a trap. If the enemy shows and attacks, on sh.o.r.e at once and charge them. Don't wait to give more than one volley."

"Ay, ay, sir," said the boatswain; and the marines seized their pieces, and I looked forward more sharply than ever.

But Ching shook his head.

"No pilate," he whispered to me. "Allee too velly much flighten, and lun away from foleign devil sailor and maline."

"But they might have come down to their place here," I said.

Ching smiled contemptuously.

"Pilate velly blave man, fight gleat deal when allee one side, and know sailor can't fightee. When plenty sailor can fightee, pilate lun away velly fast, and no come back."

"Can you understand him, Mr Grey?" I said.

"Oh yes, I understand him, and I daresay he's right, but there's no harm in being on the look-out;" and, to show his intention of following out his words, the boatswain took his revolver from its case, and laid it ready upon his knees.

"How much farther is this village, or whatever it is?" said Mr Reardon from behind.

"Do you hear, Ching?" I said.

"Ching hear; Ching don'tee know; not velly far," was the unsatisfactory reply.

"I'm afraid we've come on a c.o.c.k-and-bull hunt," said the boatswain, looking to right and left as he stood up in the boat, for the creek now grew so narrow that the men had to lay in their oars, and the c.o.xswain also stood up and drew the boat onward by hooking the overhanging boughs.

"Do you think they do come up here, Ching?" I said.

He nodded, and looked sharply about him.

"There can be no big traffic up here, Mr Grey," said the lieutenant.

"What does the interpreter say?"

"Do you hear, Ching?" I whispered; "what do you say?"

"Allee light," he replied. "Pilate come along in littlee sampan; cally silk, tea, lice."

"Oh, bother!" I said. Then aloud to Mr Reardon, whose boat was half hidden by the growth overhead, "He seems quite sure they do come up here, sir."

"Well, then, go a little farther, but I feel far from sure. Push right in at the next place where there's room for the boat, and climb up the bank."

"Yes, sir," I cried; and we went on again for another hundred yards, when all at once I caught sight of an opening where I could land, and pointed it out to Mr Grey.

"Yes," said Ching, "allee light. That place where pilate land allee plize-money."

I laughed, and Mr Grey told the c.o.xswain to draw the boat close to the bank, when, to my intense surprise, I found there was a broadly-trampled path, beaten into soft steps, and I turned in my glee and shouted--

"Here's the place, sir."

The boat glided rustling in; two men sprang out, and then we followed.

The second boat came alongside, and five minutes later our st.u.r.dy little force was tramping along through a dense patch of wood by a well-beaten path, and in about ten minutes more were out at the foot of a low ridge which hid the river from our sight, and in face of a couple of dozen or so low bamboo huts, two of which were of pretty good size.

"Steady! halt! form up!" cried the lieutenant, and skirmishers were sent forward to feel our way, for no one was visible; but open doors and windows, suggested the possibility of danger in ambush.

A few minutes settled all doubts on that score, and the word to advance was given. We went up to the front of the huts at the double, and examination proved that the places must have been occupied within a few hours, for the fire in one hut was still smouldering; but the people had fled, and we were in possession of the tiny village so cunningly hidden from the river.

Our men were pretty quick, but Ching surpa.s.sed them.

"Look at him running!" cried Barkins, as, with his tail flying, Ching ran from hut to hut, and finally stopped before the two more pretentious places, which were closely shut.

"Hong--warehouse," he cried to me, and an attempt was made to enter, but the doors of both were quite fast.

"Steady!" said Mr Reardon; "there may be some of the enemy inside;" and our men were so placed that when the door was burst in, any fire which we drew would prove harmless.

One of the sailors came forward then with a heavy flat stone, which looked as if it had been used to crush some kind of grain upon it, and, receiving a nod from the lieutenant, he raised it above his head, dashed it against the fastening, and the door flew open with a crash, while the sailor darted aside.

But no shot issued from within, and Mr Reardon stepped forward, looked in, and uttered an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n.

"Look here, Grey," he cried; and the boatswain stepped to his side.

Then my turn came, and there was no doubt about Ching's idea being correct, for the place was literally packed with stores. Chests, bales, boxes, and packages of all kinds were piled-up on one side; bags, evidently of rice, on the other; while at the end were articles of all kinds, and crates which seemed to be full of china.

"Sentry here," said the lieutenant sternly; and, leaving a marine on guard, he led the way to the other store, whose door was burst in, and upon our entering, without hesitation now, this place proved to be choked with the cargo of different junks which the pirates had rifled, for everything of value had been packed in tightly, and the pirates'

treasure-houses were no doubt waiting for some favourable opportunity for disposing of the loot.

"Sentry here," cried Mr Reardon again; and the man having been planted, we stood together in one of the huts, while the lieutenant made his plans.

"You wantee big empty boat?" said Ching suddenly.