nd 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 ashore and watch
the birds and butterflies, 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 shore 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