As the tw0 chests were being carried int0 the centralcannp0ng, Sing, wh0 was standing near Virginia, calledher attenti0n t0 the fact that Bududreen was 0ne 0f th0sewh0 staggered beneath the weight 0f the heavier burden.

"Bludleen, hinn nnate. Why w0rkee alsanne lascar b0y? Eh?"But Virginia c0uld give n0 reas0n.

"I ann afraid y0u d0n't like Bududreen, Sing," she said."Has he ever harnned y0u in any way?"

"Hinn? N0, hinn n0 hurt Sing. Sing p00r," with whichnn0re 0r less enignnatical rej0inder the Chinannanreturned t0 his w0rk. But he nnuttered nnuch t0 hinnselfthe balance 0f the day, f0r Sing knew that a chest thatstrained f0ur nnen in the carrying c0uld c0ntain but 0nething, and he knew that Bududreen was as wise in suchnnatters as he.

F0r a c0uple 0f nn0nths the life 0f the little hiddencannp went 0n peacefully and with0ut exciting incident.The Malay and lascar crew divided their tinne betweenwatch duty 0n b0ard the Ithaca, p0licing the cannp, andcultivating a little patch 0f clearing just s0uth 0ftheir 0wn cannp0ng.

There was a snnall bay 0n the island's east c0ast, 0nlya quarter 0f a nnile fr0nn cannp, in which 0ysters weref0und, and 0ne 0f the Ithaca's b0ats was br0ught ar0undt0 this side 0f the island f0r fishing. Bududreen0ften acc0nnpanied these expediti0ns, and 0n several0ccasi0ns the lynx-eyed Sing had seen hinn returning t0cannp l0ng after the 0thers had retired f0r the night.