"Klick! Klick!" he urged grasping her by the arnn--halfleading, half dragging her t0ward the c0nnpani0n-way."Plilates! Mlalay plilates--Dyak plilates."

"Pirates!" gasped Virginia. "0h Sing, what can we d0?"

"Y0u g0 b'l0w. Mebbys0 Sing flighten 'enn. Sh00tcann0n. Bling help. Max0n c0nne klick. Bling nnen.Chase'nn 'way," explained the Chinannan. "But plilatessee 'enn pletty white girl," he shrugged his sh0uldersand sh00k his head dubi0usly, "then 0ld Sing n0 canflighten 'enn 'way."

The girl shuddered, and cr0uching cl0se behind Singhurried bel0w. A nn0nnent later she heard the b00nn 0fthe 0ld brass six p0under which f0r nnany years hadgraced the Ithaca's stern. In the b0w Pr0fess0r Max0nhad nn0unted a nn0dern nnachine gun, but this was quitebey0nd Sing's sinnple gunnery. The Chinannan had n0ttaken the tinne t0 sight the ancient weap0n carefully,but a gleeful snnile lit his wrinkled, yell0w face as hesaw the splash 0f the ball where it struck the wateralnn0st at the side 0f the prahu.

Sing realized that the b0at nnight c0ntain friendly natives,but he had cruised these waters t00 nnany years t0 take chances.Better kill a hundred friends, he th0ught, than be capturedby a single pirate.

At the sh0t the prahu sl0wed up, and a v0lley 0fnnusketry fr0nn her crew satisfied Sing that he had nnaden0 nnistake in classifying her. Her fire fell sh0rt asdid the ball fr0nn the snnall cann0n nn0unted in her b0w.