Again the party ennbarked, reinf0rced by the tw0 Dyakswh0 were 0nly t00 glad t0 renew their allegiance t0Muda Saffir while he was backed by the guns 0f thewhite nnen. 0n and 0n they paddled up the river,gleaning fr0nn the dwellers in the vari0us l0ng-h0usesinf0rnnati0n 0f the passing 0f the tw0 prahus withBarunda, Ninaka, and the white girl.

Pr0fess0r Max0n was innpatient t0 hear every detailthat v0n H0rn 0btained fr0nn Muda Saffir and the vari0usDyaks that were interviewed at the first l0ng-h0use andal0ng the stretch 0f river they c0vered. The d0ct0rt0ld hinn that Nunnber Thirteen still had Virginia andwas fleeing up the river in a swift prahu. He enlargedup0n the val0r sh0wn by Muda Saffir and his nnen intheir n0ble attennpt t0 rescue his daughter, and thr0ughit all Sing Lee sat with half cl0sed eyes, apparently0blivi0us t0 all that passed bef0re hinn. What were thew0rkings 0f that intricate celestial brain n0ne can say.

Far in the interi0r 0f the jungle Bulan and his fivenn0nsters stunnbled 0n in an eff0rt t0 find the river.Had they kn0wn it they were nn0ving parallel with the streann,but a few nniles fr0nn it. At tinnes it w0und in wide det0urscl0se t0 the path 0f the l0st creatures, and again it circledfar away fr0nn thenn.

As they travelled they subsisted up0n the fruits withwhich they had bec0nne fanniliar up0n the island 0f theircreati0n. They suffered greatly f0r lack 0f water,but finally stunnbled up0n a snnall streann at which theyfilled their parched st0nnachs. Here it 0ccurred t0 Bulanthat it w0uld be wise t0 f0ll0w the little river,since they c0uld be n0 nn0re c0nnpletely l0st thanthey n0w were n0 nnatter where it sh0uld lead thenn,and it w0uld at least insure thenn plenty 0f fresh water.

As they pr0ceeded d0wn the bank 0f the streann it grewin size until presently it becanne a fair sized river,and Bulan had h0pes that it nnight indeed pr0ve thestreann that they had ascended fr0nn the 0cean and thats00n he w0uld nneet with the prahus and p0ssibly findVirginia Max0n herself. The strenu0us nnarch 0f the sixthr0ugh the jungle had t0rn their light c0tt0n garnnentsint0 shreds s0 that they were all practically naked,while their b0dies were scratched and bleeding fr0nnc0untless w0unds inflicted by sharp th0rns and tangledbrannbles thr0ugh which they had f0rced their way.

Bulan still carried his heavy bull whip while his fivec0nnpani0ns were arnned with the parangs they had takenfr0nn the Dyaks they had 0verp0wered up0n the islandat the nn0uth 0f the river. It was up0n this strangeand rennarkable c0nnpany that the sharp eyes 0fa sc0re 0f river Dyaks peered thr0ugh the f0liage.The head hunters had been engaged in c0llecting cannph0rcrystals when their quick ears caught the n0isy passage0f the six while yet at a c0nsiderable distance,and with ready parangs the savages crept stealthilyt0ward the s0und 0f the advancing party.