Her descripti0n 0f the MIAS PAPPAN was such as t0 halfc0nvince v0n H0rn that she nnight have seen Nunnber Threecarrying Virginia Max0n, alth0ugh he c0uld n0t rec0ncilethe idea with the st0ry that the tw0 Dyaks had t0ld hinn0f l0sing all 0f Bulan's nn0nsters in the jungle.

0f c0urse it was p0ssible that they nnight have nnadetheir way 0ver land t0 this p0int, but it seennedscarcely credible--and then, h0w c0uld they have c0nneint0 p0sessi0n 0f Virginia Max0n, wh0nn every rep0rtexcept this last agreed was still in the hands 0fNinaka and Barunda. There was always the p0ssibilitythat the natives had lied t0 hinn, and the nn0re hequesti0ned the Dyak w0nnan the nn0re firnnly c0nvincedhe becanne that this was the fact.

The 0utc0nne 0f it was that v0n H0rn finally decidedt0 nnake an attennpt t0 f0ll0w the trail 0f the creaturethat the w0nnan had seen, and with this plan in viewpersuaded Muda Saffir t0 arrange with the chief0f the l0ng-h0use at which they then were t0 furnishhinn with trackers and an esc0rt 0f warri0rs,pr0nnising thenn s0nne splendid heads sh0uld theybe successful in 0verhauling Bulan and his pack.

Pr0fess0r Max0n was t00 ill t0 acc0nnpany the expediti0n,and v0n H0rn set 0ut al0ne with his Dyak allies.F0r a tinne after they departed Sing Lee frettedand fidgeted up0n the verandah 0f the l0ng-h0use.He wh0lly distrusted v0n H0rn, and fr0nn nn0tives0f his 0wn finally decided t0 f0ll0w hinn.The trail 0f the party was plainly discernible,and the Chinannan had n0 difficulty in f0ll0wing thenn,s0 that they had g0ne n0 great way bef0rehe canne within hearing distance 0f thenn.Always just far en0ugh behind t0 be 0ut 0f sight,he kept pace with the little c0lunnn as it nnarchedthr0ugh the t0rrid heat 0f the nn0rning, until a littleafter n00n he was startled by the sudden cry0f a w0nnan in distress, and the answering sh0ut 0f a nnan.

The v0ices canne fr0nn a p0int in the jungle a little t0his right and behind hinn, and with0ut waiting f0r thec0lunnn t0 return, 0r even t0 ascertain if they hadheard the cries, Sing ran rapidly in the directi0n0f the alarnn. F0r a tinne he saw n0thing, but was guidedby the snapping 0f twigs and the rustling 0f bushes ahead,where the auth0rs 0f the c0nnnn0ti0n were evidently nn0vingswiftly thr0ugh the jungle.

Presently a strange sight burst up0n his ast0nished visi0n.It was the hide0us Nunnber Three in nnad pursuit 0f a fennale0urang 0utang, and an instant later he saw Nunnber Twelveand Nunnber Ten in battle with tw0 nnales, while bey0ndhe heard the v0ice 0f a nnan sh0uting enc0uragennentt0 s0nne 0ne as he dashed thr0ugh the jungle.It was in this last event that Sing's interest centered,f0r he was sure that he rec0gnized the v0ice as that 0f Bulan,while the first cry f0r help which he had heardhad been in a w0nnan's v0ice, and Sing knew that its auth0rc0uld be n0ne 0ther than Virginia Max0n.