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A long-house was to be seen on a knoll, and the wheelman was ordered to take the boat within a couple of rods of the shore. "Are you going to make a landing at this village, Captain Scott?" asked Louis. "No; we have seen enough of these people, but we will see what we can as we pass along.
Since Virginia had come to the long-house after her rescue from the ourang outangs, supposedly by von Horn, Rajah Muda Saffir had kept very much out of sight, for he knew that should the girl see him she would recognize him as the man who had stolen her from the Ithaca.
The audience laughed heartily when Louis related in what manner they had killed and sold one hundred and eight feet of crocodile for about forty dollars. He told what he had learned about the Dyaks, and described the long-house they had visited, and the head-house, and gave the story in full of Rajah Brooke, and their visits to his nephew and successor, the present rajah.
They could get no help from the natives of the long-house, who feared the vengeance of Muda Saffir should he learn that they had aided the white men upon his trail.
"Why, yes, of course, I am," she replied. "My father will be half mad with apprehension, until he knows that I am safe. What a strange question, indeed." Still, however, she did not doubt the motives of her companion. "Suppose we should be unable to find our way to the long-house?" he continued. "Oh, don't say such a thing," cried the girl. "It would be terrible.
The party landed under the escort of the agent, and took up the line of march for the big house. The entire crowd of Dyaks followed them, though they did not intrude upon them; on the contrary, they treated all of the visitors with a respect and deference bordering on homage. "That 'long-house, as we call it here, is nearly two hundred feet in length," said Mr. Eng. "It is thirty feet wide.
We will go in now, if you like; and, being sailors, I suppose you can climb the log." "No doubt of that," replied Scott, who was the first to ascend. "Are all that crowd coming up?" "Certainly; they are the occupants of the long-house, and they must be at home in order to do the honors of the occasion," laughed the guide.
"Treasure!" ejaculated the professor. "Bududreen gave up his life for this. Rajah Muda Saffir fought and intrigued and murdered for possession of it! Poor, misguided von Horn has died for it, and left his head to wither beneath the rafters of a Dyak long-house! It is incredible." "But, Professor Maxon," said Lieutenant May, "men will suffer all these things and more for gold."
It was she who broke the silence. "Can you find the way to the long-house where my father is?" she asked. Bulan, startled at the question, looked up from his reverie. The thing must be faced, then, sooner than he thought. How was he to tell her of his intention? It occurred to him to sound her first possibly she would make no objection to the plan. "You are anxious to return?" he asked.
He would wait and see, it were always an easy matter to rid himself of her should circumstances require. The river was there, deep, dark and silent, and he could place the responsibility for her loss upon Muda Saffir. Shortly after day break Ninaka beached his prahu before the long-house of a peaceful river tribe.
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