After the escape of the girl Barunda and Ninaka hadfallen out over that affair and the division of the treasure,with the result that the panglima had slipped a knifebetween the ribs of his companion and dropped the body overboard.

Barunda's followers, however, had been highly enragedat the act, and in the ensuing battle which they wagedfor revenge of their murdered chief Ninaka and his crewhad been forced to take to the shore and hide in the jungle.

With difficulty they had saved the chest and draggedit after them into the mazes of the underbrush. Finally,however, they succeeded in eluding the angry enemy,and took up their march through the interior for the headof a river which would lead them to the sea by anotherroute, it being Ninaka's intention to dispose of thecontents of the chest as quickly as possible throughthe assistance of a rascally Malay who dwelt at GunungTebor, where he carried on a thriving trade with pirates.

But presently it became apparent that he had not soeasily escaped the fruits of his villainy as he hadsupposed, for upon the evening of the first day therear of his little column was attacked by some ofBarunda's warriors who had forged ahead of theirfellows, with the result that the head of Ninaka'sbrother went to increase the prestige and gloryof the house of the enemy.

Ninaka was panic-stricken, since he knew that hamperedas he was by the heavy chest he could neither fightnor run to advantage. And so, upon a dark night nearthe head waters of the river he sought, he buriedthe treasure at the foot of a mighty buttress tree,and with his parang made certain cabalistic signs uponthe bole whereby he might identify the spot when it wassafe to return and disinter his booty. Then, with his men,he hastened down the stream until they reached the headof prahu navigation where they stole a craft and paddledswiftly on toward the sea.

When the three bull ourang outangs closed upon Bulan hefelt no fear as to the outcome of the battle, for neverin his experience had he coped with any muscles thathis own mighty thews could not overcome. But asthe battle continued he realized that there might bea limit to the number of antagonists which he couldsuccessfully withstand, since he could scarcely hopewith but two hands to reach the throats of three enemies,or ward off the blows and clutches of six powerful hands,or the gnashing of three sets of savage fangs.

When the truth dawned upon him that he was being killedthe instinct of self-preservation was born in him.The ferocity with which he had fought before paledinto insignificance beside the mad fury with whichhe now attacked the three terrible creatures upon him.Shaking himself like a great lion he freed his arms fora moment from the clinging embrace of his foemen,and seizing the neck of the nearest in his mighty clutchwrenched the head completely around.

There was one awful shriek from the tortured brute--the vertebrae parted with a snap, and Bulan's antagonistswere reduced to two. Lunging and struggling the threecombatants stumbled farther and farther into the junglebeyond the clearing. With mighty blows the man buffetedthe beasts to right and left, but ever they returnedin bestial rage to renew the encounter. Bulan wasweakening rapidly under the terrific strain to whichhe had been subjected, and from loss of the bloodwhich flowed from his wounds; yet he was slowlymastering the foaming brutes, who themselves were tornand bleeding and exhausted. Weaker and weaker becamethe struggles of them all, when a sudden misstep sent Bulanstumbling headforemost against the stem of a tree, where,stunned, he sank unconscious, at the mercy of the relentless bulls.

They had already sprung upon the prostrate form oftheir victim to finish what the accident had commenced,when the loud report of Sing's revolver smote upontheir startled ears as the Chinaman's bullet burieditself in the heart of Number Ten. Never had theourang outangs heard the sound of a firearm, and thenoise, seemingly in such close proximity, filled themwith such terror that on the instant they forgot allelse than this new and startling fear, and withheadlong haste leaped away into the jungle,leaving Bulan lying where he had fallen.

So it was that though Sing passed within a few pacesof the unconscious man he neither saw nor heard aughtof him or his antagonists.

When Bulan returned to consciousness the day wasdrawing to a close. He was stiff and sore and weak.His head ached horribly. He thought that he must indeedbe dying, for how could one who suffered so revive?But at last he managed to stagger to his feet,and finally to reach the stream along whichhe had been travelling earlier in the day.Here he quenched his thirst and bathed his wounds,and as darkness came he lay down to sleep upona bed of matted grasses.

The next morning found him refreshed and in considerablyless pain, for the powers of recuperation whichbelonged to his perfect health and mighty physiquehad already worked an almost miraculous transformation in him.While he was hunting in the jungle for his breakfast he camesuddenly upon Number Three and Number Twelve similarly employed.

At sight of him the two creatures started to run away,but he called to them reassuringly and they returned.On closer inspection Bulan saw that both were coveredwith terrible wounds, and after questioning themlearned that they had fared almost as badlyat the hands of the ourang outangs as had he.

"Even the beasts loathe us," exclaimed Number Twelve."What are we to do?"

"Leave the beasts alone, as I told you," replied Bulan.

"Human beings hate us also," persisted Number Twelve.

"Then let us live by ourselves," suggested Number Three.

"We hate each other," retorted the pessimistic Number Twelve."There is no place for us in the world, and no companionship.We are but soulless things."

"Stop!" cried Bulan. "I am not a soulless thing.I am a man, and within me is as fine and pure a soulas any man may own," and to his mind's eye came the visionof a fair face surmounted by a mass of loosely waving,golden hair; but the brainless ones could not understandand only shook their heads as they resumed their feedingand forgot the subject.

When the three had satisfied the cravings of theirappetites two of them were for lying down to sleepuntil it should be time to feed again, but Bulan,once more master, would not permit it, and forced themto accompany him in his seemingly futile search for thegirl who had disappeared so mysteriously after he hadrescued her from the ourang outangs.

Both Number Twelve and Number Three had assured himthat the beasts had not recaptured her, for they hadseen the entire band flee madly through the jungleafter hearing the report of the single shot which hadso terrorized Bulan's antagonists. Bulan did not knowwhat to make of this occurrence which he had nothimself heard, the shot having come after he had lostconsciousness at the foot of the tree; but from thedescription of the noise given him by Number Twelvehe felt sure that it must have been the report of a gun,and hoped that it betokened the presence of Virginia Maxon'sfriends, and that she was now safe in their keeping.

Nevertheless he did not relinquish his determinationto continue his search for her, since it was quitepossible that the gun had been fired by a native,many of whom possessed firearms. His first concernwas for the girl's welfare, which spoke eloquentlyfor the chivalry of his character, and though he wishedto see her for the pleasure that it would give him,the hope of serving her was ever the first considerationin his mind.

He was now confident that he was following the wrong direction,and with the intention in view of discovering the tracksof the party which had rescued or captured Virginiaafter he had been forced to relinquish her,he set out in a totally new direction away from the river.His small woodcraft and little experience in travellingresulted in his becoming completely confused,so that instead of returning to the spotwhere he had last seen the girl, as he wished todo, he bore far to the northeast of the place,and missed entirely the path which von Hornand his Dyaks had taken from the long-houseinto the jungle and back.

All that day he urged his reluctant companions on throughthe fearful heat of the tropics until, almost exhausted,they halted at dusk upon the bank of a river,where they filled their stomachs with cooling draughts,and after eating lay down to sleep. It was quite darkwhen Bulan was aroused by the sound of something approachingfrom up the river, and as he lay listening he presently heardthe subdued voices of men conversing in whispers.He recognized the language as that of the Dyaks,though he could interpret nothing which they said.

Presently he saw a dozen warriors emerge into a littlepatch of moonlight. They bore a huge chest among themwhich they deposited within a few paces of where Bulan lay.Then they commenced to dig in the soft earth withtheir spears and parangs until they had excavated ashallow pit. Into this they lowered the chest,covering it over with earth and sprinkling dead grass,twigs and leaves above it, that it might present to asearcher no sign that the ground had recently beendisturbed. The balance of the loose earth which wouldnot go back into the pit was thrown into the river.

When all had been made to appear as it was before,one of the warriors made several cuts and scratchesupon the stem of a tree which grew above the spot wherethe chest was buried; then they hastened on in silencepast Bulan and down the river.

As von Horn stood by the river's bank after hisconversation with Virginia, he saw a small sampanapproaching from up stream. In it he made out twonatives, and the stealthiness of their approach causedhim to withdraw into the shadow of a large prahu whichwas beached close to where he had been standing.

When the men had come close to the landing one of themgave a low signal, and presently a native came downfrom the long-house.

"Who is it comes by night?" he asked. "And what want you?"

"News has just reached us that Muda Saffir is alive,"replied one of the men in the boat, "and that he sleepsthis night in your long-house. Is it true?"

"Yes," answered the man on shore. "What do you wish ofthe Rajah Muda Saffir?"

"We are men of his company and we have news for him,"returned the speaker in the sampan. "Tell him that wemust speak to him at once."

The native on shore returned to the long-house withoutreplying. Von Horn wondered what the important newsfor Muda Saffir might be, and so he remained as he had been,concealed behind the prahu.

Presently the old Malay came down to the water's edge--very warily though--and asked the men whom they might be.When they had given their names he seemed relieved.

"Ninaka," they said, "has murdered Barundawho was taking the rajah's treasure up tothe rajah's stronghold--the treasure which Ninakahad stolen after trying to murder the rajah and which Barundahad recaptured. Now Ninaka, after murdering Barunda,set off through the jungle toward the river which leadsto Gunung Tebor, and Barunda's uncle followed him withwhat few men he had with him; but he sent us down riverto try and find you, master, and beg of you to comewith many men and overtake Ninaka and punish him."

Muda Saffir thought for a moment.

"Hasten back to the uncle of Barunda and tell him thatas soon as I can gather the warriors I shall come andpunish Ninaka. I have another treasure here which Imust not lose, but I can arrange that it will stillbe here when I return for it, and then Barunda's unclecan come back with me to assist me if assistance is needed.Also, be sure to tell Barunda's uncle never to losesight of the treasure," and Muda Saffir turned andhastened back to the long-house.

As the men in the sampan headed the boat's bow upstream again, von Horn ran along the jungle trailbeside the river and abreast of the paddlers. When hethought that they were out of hearing of the long-househe hailed the two. In startled surprise the men ceased paddling.

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked one.

"I am the man to whom the chest belongs," replied von Horn."If you will take me to Barunda's uncle before Muda Saffirreaches him you shall each have the finest rifles thatthe white man makes, with ammunition enough to last you a year.All I ask is that you guide me within sight of the partythat pursues Ninaka; then you may leave me and tellno one what you have done, nor will I tell any. What say you?"

The two natives consulted together in low tones.At last they drew nearer the shore.

"Will you give us each a bracelet of brass as well asthe rifles?" asked the spokesman.

Von Horn hesitated. He knew the native nature well.To have acquiesced too readily would have been to haveinvited still further demands from them.

"Only the rifles and ammunition," he said at last,"unless you succeed in keeping the knowledge of mypresence from both Barunda's uncle and Muda Saffir.If you do that you shall have the bracelets also."

The prow of the sampan touched the bank.

"Come!" said one of the warriors.

Von Horn stepped aboard. He was armed only with abrace of Colts, and he was going into the heartof the wild country of the head hunters, to pit his witsagainst those of the wily Muda Saffir. His guides weretwo savage head hunting warriors of a pirate crew fromwhom he hoped to steal what they considered a fabulouslyrich treasure. Whatever sins might be laid to the doorof the doctor, there could be no question but thathe was a very brave man!

Von Horn's rash adventure had been suggested by the hopethat he might, by bribing some of the natives with Barunda's uncle,make way with the treasure before Muda Saffir arrived to claim it,or, failing that, learn its exact whereabouts that he mightreturn for it with an adequate force later. That he was takinghis life in his hands he well knew, but so great was the man'scupidity that he reckoned no risk too great for the acquirementof a fortune.

The two Dyaks, paddling in silence up the dark river,proceeded for nearly three hours before they drew in tothe bank and dragged the sampan up into the bushes.Then they set out upon a narrow trail into the jungle.It so happened that after travelling for several milesthey inadvertently took another path than that followedby the party under Barunda's uncle, so that they passedthe latter without being aware of it, going nearly halfa mile to the right of where the trailers camped a shortdistance from the bivouac of Ninaka.

In the dead of night Ninaka and his party had crawledaway under the very noses of the avengers, taking thechest with them, and by chance von Horn and the twoDyaks cut back into the main trail along the river almostat the very point that Ninaka halted to bury the treasure.

And so it was that Bulan was not the only one who watchedthe hiding of the chest.

When Ninaka had disappeared down the river trail Bulanlay speculating upon the strange actions he had witnessed.He wondered why the men should dig a hole in the midstof the jungle to hide away the box which he had so oftenseen in Professor Maxon's workshop. It occurred to him thatit might be well to remember just where the thing was buried,so that he could lead the professor to it should he ever seethe old man again. As he lay thus, half dozing, his attentionwas attracted by a stealthy rustling in the bushes nearby,and as he watched he was dumbfounded to see von Horncreep out into the moonlight. A moment later the manwas followed by two Dyaks. The three stood conversingin low tones, pointing repeatedly at the spot where thechest lay hidden. Bulan could understand but little oftheir conversation, but it was evident that von Hornwas urging some proposition to which the warriors demurred.

Suddenly, without an instant's warning, von Horn drewhis gun, wheeled, and fired point-blank, first at oneof his companions, then at the other. Both men fellin their tracks, and scarcely had the pungent odorof the powder smoke reached Bulan's nostrils erethe white man had plunged into the jungle and disappeared.

Failing in his attempt to undermine the loyalty of thetwo Dyaks von Horn had chosen the only other way to keepthe knowledge of the whereabouts of the chest from Barunda'suncle and Muda Saffir, and now his principal interestin life was to escape the vengeance of the head huntersand return to the long-house before his absence should be detected.

There he could form a party of natives and set outto regain the chest after Muda Saffir and Barunda's unclehad given up the quest. That suspicion should fallon him seemed scarcely credible since the only menwho knew that he had left the long-house that nightlay dead upon the very spot where the treasure reposed.