, as night came on, by
which time we were well on our way towards Pulo Sapata, running up to
the northwards fast before the land breeze that blew off shore after
sunset, there was the proa still behind us!

It was very strange, to say the least of it.

Nor was I the only one to think so; for the hands forward, and among
them Tim Rooney, the boatswain, had also observed the mysterious vessel,
as well as taken count of her apparent desire to accompany us.

"Bedad she ain't our frind, or, sure, she'd have come up an' spoke us
dacintly, loike a jintleman," I heard Tim say to the sailmaker, outside
the door of his cabin in the deck-house. "She's oop to no good anyhow,
bad cess to the ould thafe, as sure as eggs is mate; an' may I niver ate
a pratie ag'in if I'm tellin' a lie sure, for I misthrusts them Malay
raskils jist as the divil hates howly wather!"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE TAIL-END OF A TYPHOON.

"But I allers heard them Malay chaps are awful cowards," said Adams,
continuing the conversation. "You never sees 'em singly, their pirate
proas, or junks, allers a sailing with a consort. I ought ter know;
'cause, 'fore I ever jined Cap'en Gillespie, I wer in a Hongkong trader;
and many's the time we've been chased by a whole shoal of 'em when going
to Singapore or along the coast."

"The divil ye have," interposed Tim. "Ye niver tould me that afore,
Sails, how's that?"

"I didn't recomember at the time, bo; but now, as that feller is a
follering us astern, in course, I thinks on it. There're a lot of them
piratical rascals in these waters; but you should go to the back of
Hainan to see 'em in their glory, the little creeks and bays there
fairly swarms with 'em!"

"Adams!" called out Mr Mackay at this juncture; "Adams!"

"Aye, aye, sir," quickly responded the sailmaker, stopping his talk with
Tim Rooney and walking up nearer to Mr Mackay. "Here, sir."

"I want you to go in the chains with the lead," said the other, turning
round and speaking confidentially to old "Sails," as Adams was generally
termed by his intimates amongst the crew. "There's no man in the ship I
can trust to for sounding like you; and it's necessary for us to know
what sort of water we're in till we clear all these islands and get into
the open sea."

"Aye, aye, sir," answered the sailmaker, who, besides his more
distinctive calling, was an experienced seaman, proud of being selected
from the rest for such a duty, disagreeable and