ed with news of what he and
Pedro had seen at the corner of the barred house.

"I almost jumped after him, Rod," he admitted. "Had all I could do to
hold myself. But I knew anything sudden like that might start war right
there, and we wouldn't have a Chinaman's chance of getting away with
him, so I stood fast. But he's here, and old Umanuh's a liar by the
clock if he says otherwise."

"He is the same man we saw in the forest, Lourenco, or my eyes are
twisted," added Pedro.

"Hm! Something very fishy here," commented McKay.

"Very fishy indeed, Capitao," Lourenco echoed. "The man is within call,
yet Umanuh says he is not here. And Umanuh wants us to buy the man. What
is more, he asks if we will pay more than the other Blackbeard. What
other Blackbeard? The man himself has a dark beard, and since we left
headquarters Pedro and I have grown black whiskers, too. Yet Umanuh
cannot mean the crazy man would pay him to stay here, or that either of
us Brazilians would try to buy him. There are no other men with black
beards--except the German woman-stealer; and of course he cannot be the
one."

"No?" Pedro asked, softly.

"No, certainly. Why? Of what were you thinking?"

Pedro's brown eyes twinkled, but he made no answer. He only inhaled a
long puff from his cigarette and looked across the water at the
hairpin-shaped town.

"What about that visiting trip of yours to-night?" McKay asked.

"I wish to see what is in that house with the barred door, Capitao. When
I am curious about such a matter Lourenco always becomes curious, too,
so I shall have to take him with me. If I did not he would say I was
making love to the chief's wives."

"_Por Deus!_ That may be all the barred house holds--the wives of the
chief," guessed Lourenco. "Why waste time and risk death to look into
that place?"

"_Quem nao arrisca nao ganha_, as the coronel would say--he who risks
nothing gains nothing. I feel that we should visit that house. Something
calls me back to it."

Lourenco studied his partner a moment, then nodded slowly. But McKay
interposed decided objection.

"Too dangerous. Also unnecessary. We'll get Rand--if the man is
Rand--through the chief. Your night spying might ruin everything and get
you killed into the bargain. Nothing to gain and all to lose. Stay
here."

Pedro's eyes hardened. But it was Lourenco who answered.

"Capitao, I think we had best do as Pedro says. It is a queer thing and
I cannot explain it, but I ha