we should not have known
till daylight whether they had sailed or were still at anchor. This
last we shall know very soon, and can follow them slowly. Why, if we
had waited till morning and found them gone, which way should we have
sailed?"

"I'm very dense and stupid, sir," I said. "I had not thought of that."

"Allee go to s'eep," whispered Ching; "no go 'way to-night."

"What's that mean?" said Mr Brooke in a low voice; and I felt his arm
across my chest as he pointed away to the left.

I looked in that direction, and saw a bright gleam of light from the
shore.

"Our fire blazing up, sir," said Tom Jecks softly.

"Yes, I suppose so," said Mr Brooke thoughtfully; and as we watched the
bright light disappeared, but only to appear again, and this was
repeated three times.

"That can't be our fire," said Mr Brooke.

"Fliends on shore tellee pilate what to do," said Ching, with his face
close to us.

"What do you mean?" said Mr Brooke.

"Ching know. Show big lamp. Mean big junk going sail mollow morning,
and pilate go long way wait for them."

"Why? Couldn't they stay here and wait?"

"No; silk-tea-ship see pilate junk waiting for them, and come out lit'
way and go back again. 'Flaid to sail away."

"Yes, that sounds reasonable," said Mr Brooke thoughtfully.

Then all at once there came over the black water a peculiar squeaking,
grinding sound, followed by a similar noise of a different pitch.

"Pilate not going to s'eep; allee look out for light and go sail away
d'leckly."

"Yes, we have not wasted our time, Herrick," whispered Mr Brooke.
"They're getting up their anchors."

"And are we going to follow them, sir?" I said softly.

"Yes, my lad; our work has only just begun."

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

TRICKED.

They were singularly quiet, these people on board the junks, I suppose
from old experience teaching them that noise made might mean at one time
discovery and death, at another the alarming of some valuable intended
prize.

This quietness was remarkable, for as we listened there was the creaking
and straining of the rough capstan used, but no shouted orders, no
singing in chorus by the men tugging at the bars; all was grim silence
and darkness, while we lay-to there, waiting and listening to the
various faint sounds, till we heard the rattling of the reed-sails as
they were hauled up. Then we knew that the junks were off, for there
came to us that peculiar flapping, rattling s