BURIED TREASURE
After the of the girl Barunda and Ninaka had out over that and the of the treasure, with the result that the had a knife the of his and the overboard.
Barunda's followers, however, had been at the act, and in the which they for of their Ninaka and his had been to take to the and in the jungle.
With they had saved the and it after them into the of the underbrush. Finally, however, they succeeded in the angry enemy, and took up their through the for the of a river which would lead them to the sea by another route, it being Ninaka's to of the of the as as possible through the of a Malay who at Gunung Tebor, where he on a with pirates.
But presently it that he had not so easily the fruits of his as he had supposed, for upon the of the day the of his little was by some of Barunda's who had ahead of their fellows, with the result that the of Ninaka's to the and of the house of the enemy.
Ninaka was panic-stricken, since he that as he was by the he neither to advantage. And so, upon a dark night near the of the river he sought, he the at the of a tree, and with his upon the he might identify the spot when it was safe to return and his booty. Then, with his men, he the until they the of where they a and on toward the sea.
When the three closed upon Bulan he no as to the outcome of the battle, for in his had he with any that his own not overcome. But as the he that there might be a limit to the number of which he withstand, since he with but two hands to the of three enemies, or off the and of six powerful hands, or the of three sets of fangs.
When the truth upon him that he was being killed the of self-preservation was in him. The with which he had into the with which he now the three terrible upon him. Shaking himself like a great lion he his arms for a moment from the of his foemen, and the of the nearest in his the around.
There was one from the brute—the with a snap, and Bulan's were to two. Lunging and the three and into the the clearing. With the man the to right and left, but they returned in to the encounter. Bulan was under the to which he had been subjected, and from of the blood which from his wounds; yet he was slowly the brutes, who themselves were and and exhausted. Weaker and the of them all, when a sent Bulan against the of a tree, where, stunned, he unconscious, at the of the bulls.
They had already upon the of their to what the accident had commenced, when the loud report of Sing's upon their ears as the Chinaman's itself in the of Number Ten. Never had the the of a firearm, and the noise, in such close proximity, them with such terror that on the they all else than this new and fear, and with away into the jungle, Bulan where he had fallen.
So it was that though Sing passed a of the man he neither saw of him or his antagonists.
When Bulan returned to the day was to a close. He was and and weak. His horribly. He that he must be dying, for how one who so revive? But at last he managed to to his feet, and to the along which he had been in the day. Here he his thirst and his wounds, and as came he to sleep upon a of grasses.
The next him and in less pain, for the powers of which to his perfect health and had already an almost in him. While he was in the for his he came upon Number Three and Number Twelve employed.
At of him the two started to away, but he called to them and they returned. On closer Bulan saw that were with terrible wounds, and after them learned that they had almost as at the hands of the as had he.
"Even the us," Number Twelve. "What are we to do?"
"Leave the alone, as I told you," Bulan.
"Human beings us also," Number Twelve.
"Then let us live by ourselves," Number Three.
"We each other," the Number Twelve. "There is no place for us in the world, and no companionship. We are but things."
"Stop!" Bulan. "I am not a thing. I am a man, and me is as and pure a as any man may own," and to his mind's came the of a by a of waving, hair; but the ones not and only their as they their and the subject.
When the three had satisfied the of their two of them were for to sleep until it should be time to again, but Bulan, once more master, would not permit it, and them to him in his search for the girl who had so after he had her from the outangs.
Both Number Twelve and Number Three had him that the had not her, for they had the entire through the after the report of the single which had so Bulan's antagonists. Bulan did not know what to make of this which he had not himself heard, the having come after he had at the of the tree; but from the of the noise him by Number Twelve he sure that it must have been the report of a gun, and that it the presence of Virginia Maxon's friends, and that she was now safe in their keeping.
Nevertheless he did not his to continue his search for her, since it was possible that the gun had been by a native, many of firearms. His was for the girl's welfare, which spoke for the of his character, and though he to see her for the that it would give him, the of her was the in his mind.
He was now that he was the direction, and with the in view of the of the party which had or Virginia after he had been to her, he set out in a totally new direction away from the river. His small and little in resulted in his confused, so that of returning to the spot where he had last the girl, as he to do, he to the of the place, and missed the path which Horn and his Dyaks had taken from the long-house into the and back.
All that day he his on through the of the until, almost exhausted, they at upon the bank of a river, where they their with draughts, and after to sleep. It was dark when Bulan was by the of something from up the river, and as he he presently the voices of men in whispers. He the language as that of the Dyaks, though he nothing which they said.
Presently he saw a dozen into a little of moonlight. They a among them which they deposited a of where Bulan lay. Then they to in the soft earth with their and until they had a pit. Into this they the chest, it over with earth and grass, and above it, that it might present to a no that the ground had been disturbed. The of the earth which would not go into the was into the river.
When all had been to appear as it was before, one of the and upon the of a tree which above the spot where the was buried; then they on in past Bulan and the river.
As Horn by the river's bank after his with Virginia, he saw a small from up stream. In it he out two natives, and the of their approach him to into the of a large which was close to where he had been standing.
When the men had come close to the landing one of them gave a low signal, and presently a native came from the long-house.
"Who is it comes by night?" he asked. "And what want you?"
"News has just us that Muda Saffir is alive," one of the men in the boat, "and that he this night in your long-house. Is it true?"
"Yes," answered the man on shore. "What do you wish of the Rajah Muda Saffir?"
"We are men of his company and we have news for him," returned the in the sampan. "Tell him that we must speak to him at once."
The native on returned to the long-house without replying. Von Horn what the news for Muda Saffir might be, and so he as he had been, the prahu.
Presently the old Malay came to the water's edge—very though—and asked the men they might be. When they had their names he relieved.
"Ninaka," they said, "has Barunda who was taking the rajah's up to the rajah's stronghold—the which Ninaka had after trying to the and which Barunda had recaptured. Now Ninaka, after Barunda, set off through the toward the river which leads to Gunung Tebor, and Barunda's uncle him with what men he had with him; but he sent us river to try and you, master, and of you to come with many men and overtake Ninaka and him."
Muda Saffir for a moment.
"Hasten to the uncle of Barunda and tell him that as soon as I can the I shall come and Ninaka. I have another here which I must not lose, but I can that it will still be here when I return for it, and then Barunda's uncle can come with me to me if is needed. Also, be sure to tell Barunda's uncle to of the treasure," and Muda Saffir and to the long-house.
As the men in the the boat's up again, Horn ran along the the river and of the paddlers. When he that they were out of of the long-house he the two. In the men paddling.
"Who are you and what do you want?" asked one.
"I am the man to the belongs," Horn. "If you will take me to Barunda's uncle Muda Saffir him you shall each have the that the white man makes, with to last you a year. All I ask is that you me of the party that Ninaka; then you may me and tell no one what you have done, will I tell any. What say you?"
The two together in low tones. At last they nearer the shore.
"Will you give us each a of as well as the rifles?" asked the spokesman.
Von Horn hesitated. He the native nature well. To have too would have been to have still from them.
"Only the and ammunition," he said at last, "unless you succeed in the knowledge of my presence from Barunda's uncle and Muda Saffir. If you do that you shall have the also."
The of the touched the bank.
"Come!" said one of the warriors.
Von Horn aboard. He was only with a of Colts, and he was going into the of the wild country of the hunters, to his against those of the Muda Saffir. His were two of a from he to what they a rich treasure. Whatever might be to the door of the doctor, there be no question but that he was a very man!
Von Horn's had been by the that he might, by some of the with Barunda's uncle, make way with the Muda Saffir to it, or, that, learn its exact that he might return for it with an later. That he was taking his life in his hands he well knew, but so great was the man's that he no too great for the of a fortune.
The two Dyaks, in up the dark river, for nearly three hours they in to the bank and the up into the bushes. Then they set out upon a narrow into the jungle. It so that after for miles they took another path than that by the party under Barunda's uncle, so that they passed the without being aware of it, going nearly a mile to the right of where the a from the of Ninaka.
In the of night Ninaka and his party had away under the very of the avengers, taking the with them, and by Horn and the two Dyaks cut into the main along the river almost at the very point that Ninaka to the treasure.
And so it was that Bulan was not the only one who the of the chest.
When Ninaka had the river Bulan upon the he had witnessed. He why the men should a in the of the to away the box which he had so often in Professor Maxon's workshop. It to him that it might be well to just where the thing was buried, so that he lead the to it should he see the old man again. As he thus, dozing, his attention was by a in the nearby, and as he he was to see Horn out into the moonlight. A moment later the man was by two Dyaks. The three in low tones, pointing at the spot where the hidden. Bulan but little of their conversation, but it was that Horn was some to which the demurred.
Suddenly, without an instant's warning, Horn his gun, wheeled, and point-blank, at one of his companions, then at the other. Both men in their tracks, and had the odor of the Bulan's the white man had into the and disappeared.
Failing in his attempt to the of the two Dyaks Horn had the only other way to keep the knowledge of the of the from Barunda's uncle and Muda Saffir, and now his in life was to the of the and return to the long-house his should be detected.
There he a party of and set out to the after Muda Saffir and Barunda's uncle had up the quest. That should on him since the only men who that he had left the long-house that night upon the very spot where the reposed.
