He had
stopped here many times in his capacity of salesman, had sold the
landlord a typewriter, and was still a welcome guest in spite of it.
Ordering two tall schooners of imported beer, the only kind drinkable
even in that hotel, he took the proprietor aside and made some
inquiries. Presently he sauntered back to Barry.

"Going up town, Jack," he announced. "Too late for the bank. I'll go to
the banker's villa for our _gulden_. Unless the bottom drops out of the
_Barang_, she'll be in before morning, and we can't lose any time.

"When you've lowered that bar'l o' beer into your hold--more nautical
stuff, see?--you get busy too. Mynheer host tells me Leyden's schooner,
the _Padang_, is hauled out for caulking. The job's done. They float her
on this evening's tide. He says Leyden drops in about sundown whenever
he's in town. He'll surely be here to-night, being busy about his ship.

"Now, old salt, that schooner can sail rings around any shovel-nosed old
boat with those funny little crosspieces on her masts. Houten admitted
that. We must hinder that schooner, long enough to beat her to the
Sandang River. That's your job, sailor. But don't pull stuff raw enough
to get us clapped into the calaboose. Report back here. I'll be back
like a shot. Then we'll camp on Leyden's trail and size him up."

Barry set down his empty beer mug and stood up, glad of the chance of
action. He hesitated, though, and said doubtfully:

"If she's hauled out still, it's easy to fix her. But I'd feel easier
about it if I knew that Leyden is actually the dog you say he is. If it
turned out that he's only a keen fellow who's got to windward of Houten
by straight methods, I'd feel as if I'd knifed him in the dark by
playing tricks on his schooner to get a start of him."

"Oh, splash!" ejaculated Little. He was hot and looked it. "I thought
you were satisfied about that. Look here; go ahead, pull whatever stunt
is up your sleeve. I give you my word that if you see Leyden and feel as
you do about him then, we'll hold back our own vessel until he's under
weigh, no matter what we lose by it. Does that soothe your blessed
Quixotic scruples?"

"Good enough," agreed Barry heartily, throwing off the half-felt doubts
that had obsessed him. "I shouldn't have said anything like that at all,
after taking you up. That coolie business got me heated. I'll probably
feel better with something to do."

They parted on the hotel steps, and Barry, after inquiri