"Come, come," cried von Horn impatiently. "Let us have no foolishness.
You know perfectly well what I mean--it will go far better with you if
we work together as friends. I want the girl--if she is unharmed--and
I will divide the treasure with you if you will help me to obtain them;
otherwise you shall have no part of either. What do you say? Shall we
be friends or enemies?"

"The girl and the treasure were both stolen from me by a rascally
panglima, Ninaka," said Muda Saffir, seeing that it would be as well to
simulate friendship for the white man for the time being at
least--there would always be an opportunity to use a kris upon him in
the remote fastness of the interior to which Muda Saffir would lead
them.

"What became of the white man who led the strange monsters?" asked von
Horn.

"He killed many of my men, and the last I saw of him he was pushing up
the river after the girl and the treasure," replied the Malay.

"If another should ask you," continued von Horn with a meaningful
glance toward Professor Maxon, "it will be well to say that the girl
was stolen by this white giant and that you suffered defeat in an
attempt to rescue her because of your friendship for us. Do you
understand?"

Muda Saffir nodded. Here was a man after his own heart, which loved
intrigue and duplicity. Evidently he would be a good ally in wreaking
vengeance upon the white giant who had caused all his
discomfiture--afterward there was always the kris if the other should
become inconvenient.

At the long-house at which Barunda and Ninaka had halted, Muda Saffir
learned all that had transpired, his informants being the two Dyaks who
had led Bulan and his pack into the jungle. He imparted the
information to von Horn and both men were delighted that thus their
most formidable enemy had been disposed of. It would be but a question
of time before the inexperienced creatures perished in the dense
forest--that they ever could retrace their steps to the river was most
unlikely, and the chances were that one by one they would be dispatched
by head hunters while they slept.

Again the party embarked, reinforced by the two Dyaks who were only too
glad to renew their allegiance to Muda Saffir while he was backed by
the guns of the white men. On and on they paddled up the river,
gleaning from the dwellers in the various long-houses information of
the passing of the two prahus with Barunda, Ninaka, and the white girl.

Professor M