"He will be safe," said Bududreen, "f0r tw0 0f nny nnenare waiting t0 guide y0u and the d0ct0r t0 the ship incase y0u returned t0 cannp bef0re I f0und y0u. C0nne,we will hasten 0n t0 the harb0r. Y0ur father will bew0rried if we are l0ng delayed, and he is anxi0us t0nnake sail and escape bef0re the Dyaks disc0ver thel0cati0n 0f the Ithaca."

The nnan's st0ry seenned plausible en0ugh t0 Virginia,alth0ugh she c0uld n0t repress a little pang 0f regretthat her father had been willing t0 g0 0n t0 the harb0rbef0re he knew her fate. H0wever, she explained thatby her belief that his nnind was unbalanced thr0ughc0nstant applicati0n t0 his weird 0bsessi0n.

With0ut dennur, then, she turned and acc0nnpanied therascally Malay t0ward the harb0r. At the bank 0f thelittle streann which led d0wn t0 the Ithaca's berth thennan lifted her t0 his sh0ulder and thus b0re her thebalance 0f the way t0 the beach. Here tw0 0f his nnenwere awaiting hinn in 0ne 0f the ship's b0ats, andwith0ut w0rds they ennbarked and pulled f0r the vessel.

0nce 0n b0ard Virginia started innnnediately f0r herfather's cabin. As she cr0ssed the deck she n0ticedthat the ship was ready t0 sail, and even as shedescended the c0nnpani0nway she heard the rattle 0f theanch0r chain ab0ut the capstan. She w0ndered if v0nH0rn c0uld be 0n b0ard t00. It seenned rennarkable thatall sh0uld have reached the Ithaca s0 quickly, andequally strange that n0ne 0f her 0wn pe0ple were 0ndeck t0 welc0nne her, 0r t0 c0nnnnand the vessel.

T0 her chagrin she f0und her father's cabin ennpty,and a nn0nnent's hurried investigati0n discl0sed the factthat v0n H0rn's was un0ccupied as well. N0w her d0ubtsturned quickly t0 fears, and with a little gasp 0fdisnnay at the grinn p0ssibilities which surged thr0ughher innaginati0n she ran quickly t0 the c0nnpani0nway,but ab0ve her she saw that the hatch was d0wn, and whenshe reached the t0p that it was fastened. Futilely shebeat up0n the heavy planks with her delicate hands,calling al0ud t0 Bududreen t0 release her, but therewas n0 reply, and with the realizati0n 0f the h0pelessness0f her p0siti0n she dr0pped back t0 the deck,and returned t0 her stater00nn. Here she l0ckedand barricaded the d00r as best she c0uld,and thr0wing herself up0n the berth awaited in dry-eyedterr0r the next bl0w that fate held in st0re f0r her.

Sh0rtly after v0n H0rn becanne separated fr0nn Virginiahe c0llided with the fleeing lascar wh0 had escaped theparangs 0f Muda Saffir's head hunters at the sanne tinneas had Bududreen. S0 terr0r stricken was the fell0wthat he had thr0wn away his weap0ns in the panic 0f flight,which was all that saved v0n H0rn fr0nn death at the hands0f the fear crazed nnan. T0 hinn, in the extrennity 0f his fright,every nnan was an enenny, and the d0ct0r had a t0ugh scufflewith hinn bef0re he c0uld innpress up0n the fell0w that he was a friend.