at my clues are old
stuff and a little bow-legged skeezics with a face like a cancelled
Chinese stamp has already eaten up most of my plan o' campaign! Ain't it
a shame?"

"Shocking!"

"You said it! But allee samee, it's good to be moving again, ain't it?
There's ginger in the air, Barry. Smells like something going to happen,
to me. Good. Let 'er come! I'm tired of being fed with a medicine spoon,
and only let me get a sight o' Leyden at the end of my six-gun, and
blooey! Hey?"

"I wish it could be, Little, but I'm afraid it won't!"

Barry and Little halted sharply and swung to one side at the sound of a
soft voice that came out of the cane thicket. The canes parted, and
Vandersee emerged, followed like a small shadow by the deformed
gatekeeper.

"Oh, good, Vandersee!" Barry exclaimed, preparing to overwhelm the big
Hollander with a rush of questions long sizzling in his brain. "You can
tell me a lot of things now. But what's the gateman doing? I thought he
was shadowing Leyden; and hoped to find him to get some dope on Miss
Sheldon's whereabouts." Barry had passed beyond the stage where
Vandersee's sudden appearance might have startled him. He had come to
expect such things lately. But the big man's placid face clouded at the
skipper's words, and obviously he was startled out of his calm.

"Miss Sheldon's whereabouts?" he echoed. "Since when?"

"She disappeared this morning," cried Barry angrily. "Do you mean to say
that's news to you? Ask the dwarf there. He's been close to Leyden,
hasn't he?"

Vandersee spoke swiftly to the dwarf in his native dialect, and the
little man nodded his head vehemently.

"This is bad news, Captain," said the Hollander seriously. "This man has
followed Leyden all night until relieved by his mate; but Miss Natalie
has not been seen." Thinking silently for a moment, the great human
enigma suggested with his old suave smile: "This is a matter better left
to the natives, Captain, unless it should be found that Miss Sheldon is
still nearby about her own affairs. I can assure you that no harm shall
befall her--"

"Oh, confound you!" burst out Barry furiously, "all the time it's
assurances, assurances! Mrs. Goring had me almost crazy with that word;
now you pile on the agony, and I'm damned if I make another move at your
suggestion. I'm more interested in the safety of that girl than in
whatever schemes you have in hand. My business here is--"

"Pardon me, Captain Barry," interrup