aid, "and so does Scotty. Now, we will do a little
sight-seeing. I haven't been in downtown Manila for twenty years. We'll
only worry and fret if we stay in this hotel room, so let's go."

The three taxied through the old walled city, then across the Pasig
River and into Manila proper. They inspected the Escolta, principal
street in the shopping area, then headed for Quiapo Square to see the
great cathedral and the shops. Traffic was heavy, so they paid the taxi
driver and got out and walked.

As they crossed a pedestrian overpass by the cathedral, Scotty said
quietly, "In case you were feeling neglected, you can stop. We're being
tailed." Rick and Zircon were too experienced to pause or show interest.
Scotty added, "There's quite a mob on the sidewalk once we get down from
this bridge. Push right into it. I'll drop out and intercept him. If
we're being tailed, we want to know why."

The plan was executed smoothly. Rick was never sure when Scotty melted
into a convenient doorway. After a moment he stopped and looked around.
He was in time to see Scotty step from the doorway and confront a small,
poorly dressed man who wore a red fez.

Rick and Zircon were at Scotty's side in an instant.

The man in the red fez reached for a pocket, and Rick tensed to swing if
necessary. But the man only drew out a cardboard pillbox. "Plenty
bargain for Americans," he announced. "Me Moro from Sulu. My cousin best
pearl diver in Jolo. He get real pearl, I sell. You look."

He opened the pillbox. Rick saw a half dozen pearls of assorted sizes.

"We're not interested," Zircon said flatly. "Sorry. Come on, boys."

They walked away, leaving the Moro staring after them.

Zircon chuckled. "A common thing, as I recall it. I also seem to
remember that most of the pearl-selling Moros in Manila are not genuine.
They're Visayans from Cebu trying to sell phony pearls to tourists."

"But he was trailing us," Scotty insisted.

"I don't doubt it in the least," Zircon replied. "He was probably sizing
us up to see if we're tourists or local Americans. Is he trailing us
now?"

Scotty took advantage of a plate-glass window to survey the street
behind them. "Not that I can see," he admitted.

"All right. Let's not be jumpy, boys. Of course we want to know if, or
why, anyone is shadowing us, but I think we have the answer in this
case. Let's let it go at that."

CHAPTER III

Bagobo Country

By ten o'clock on the following morning Ri