Back in the village, Jerry was the first to wonder why Corrie hadn't joined them as the natives prepared their evening meal. He saw Amat, and asked van der Bos to send him after Corrie. The native went to the house Corrie had occupied and pretended to look for her. Presently he returned to say that she was not there. 'I saw her go into the forest a little while ago,' he said. 'I supposed that she had returned, but she is not in her house.'
'Where into the forest?' asked van der Bos. Amat pointed to a different trail from that which Corrie had taken.
When van der Bos had interpreted what Amat had said, Jerry picked up his rifle and started for the forest. The others followed him.
'What in the world could have possessed her to go wandering off into the forest alone?' demanded Jerry.
'Maybe she didn't,' said Rosetti. 'Maybe dat little stinker was lyin'. I don't like dat puss o' his. He looks like a rat.'
'I don't believe the little so-and-so, either,' said Bubono-vitch. 'It just isn't like Corrie to do a thing like that.'
'I know,' said Jerry, 'but we'll have to make a search anyway. We can't pass up any chance of finding her however slim.'
'If that little yellow runt was lyin', if he knows wot become of Corrie, I'm goin' to poke a bayonet clean through his gizzard,' growled Rosetti.
They went into the forest, calling Corrie aloud by name. Presently they realized the futility of it. In the pitch darkness of the forest night they could have seen no spoor, had there been one to see.
'If only Tarzan were here,' said Jerry. 'God! but I feel helpless.'
'Somethin' dirty's been pulled,' said Rosetti. 'I t'ink we should orter go back an' give de whole village de toid degree.'
'You're right, Shrimp,' said Jerry. 'Let's go back.'
They routed the natives out and herded them into the center of the village. Then van der Bos questioned them. Those first questioned denied any knowledge even of Corrie's departure. They disclaimed having any idea of where she might be. As Lara's turn came, Amat started to sneak away. Shrimp saw him, for he had been keeping an eye on him, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, wheeled him around, and pushed him into the center of the stage, at the same time giving him a swift kick in the pants.
'This louse was tryin' to beat it,' he announced. 'I told you he was a wrong guy.' He held the business end of his bayonet in the small of Amat's back.
Van der Bos questioned Lara at length and then interpreted her replies to the others. 'This girl says that Amat came and told Corrie that a friend of her father was waiting at the edge of the forest and wanted to see her, but for her to come alone, as he didn't know whether or not the rest of us were friendly to the Dutch. She went into the forest on that trail there.' He pointed. It was not the trail which Amat said she had taken.
'I told you so!' shouted Rosetti. 'Tell this skunk to say his prayers, for I'm goin' to kill him.'
'No, Rosetti,' said Jerry. 'He's the only one who knows the truth. We can't get it out of him if he's dead.'
'I can wait,' said Rosetti.
Tak van der Bos questioned Amat at length, while Rosetti kept the point of a bayonet pressed against the frightened native's left kidney.
'According to this man's story,' said Tak, 'he went into the forest to gather durians. He was almost immediately captured by a band of white men. He says there were about twenty of them. One of them forced him to take that message to Corrie, threatening to come back and kill him if Corrie didn't come out alone. He says he was very much frightened. Also, he thought the man merely wished to talk with Corrie. Says he didn't know that they would keep her.'
'Is dat all?' demanded Shrimp.
'That's his whole story.'
'May I kill nun now, Cap?'
'No,' said Jerry.
'Aw, hell! Why not? You know de bum's Jyin'.'
'We're not Japs, Rosetti. And we've got other things to do right now.' He turned to van der Bos. 'Isn't it likely that those fellows were the same ones that you and Tarzan got away from?'
'I think there's no doubt of it.'
'Then you can lead us to their camp?'
'Yes.'
'At night?'
'We can start now,' said van der Bos.
'Good!' exclaimed Jerry. 'Let's get going.'
Rosetti gave Amat a quick poke with his bayonet that brought a frightened scream from the Sumatran. Jerry wheeled toward the sergeant.
'I didn't kill him, Cap. You didn't tell me not to jab him once for luck.'
'I'd like to kill him myself, Shrimp,' said Jerry. 'But we can't do things that way.'
'I can,' said Rosetti, 'if you'll just look de udder way a second.' But Jerry shook his head and started off toward the mouth of the trail. The others followed, Shrimp shaking his head and grumbling. 'T'ink of dat poor kid out dere wit dem bums!' he said. 'An' if dis little stinker had a-told us, we'd a-had her back before now. Just for a couple seconds I wish we was Japs.'
Bubonovitch made no wisecrack about misogynists. He was in no wisecracking mood, but he couldn't but recall how violently upset Shrimp had been when they had had to add a 'dame' to their company.
Finding that her delaying tactics won her nothing but abuse, Corrie swung along at an easy stride with her captors. Presently, she heard three sharp knocks ahead, as though some one had struck the bole of a tree three times with a heavy implement. The men halted, and Hooft struck the bole of a tree three times with the butt of his rifle—two knocks close together and then a third at a slightly longer interval.
A woman's voice demanded, 'Who is it?' and the outlaw chief replied, 'Hooft.'
'Come on in,' said the woman. 'I'd know that schnapps bass if I heard it in Hell.'
The party advanced, and presently the woman spoke again from directly above them. 'I'm coming down,' she said. 'Post one of your men up here, Hooft. This is no job for a lady.'
'What give you the idea you was a lady?' demanded Hooft, as the woman descended from the platform from which she had been guarding the trail to the camp. She was Hooft's woman, Sarina.
'Not you, sweetheart,' said the woman.
'We won't need no guard here no more,' said Hooft. 'We're pullin' out quick.'
'Why? Some cripple with a slingshot chasm' you?'
'Shut up!' snapped Hooft. 'You're goin' to shoot off your gab just once too often one of these days.'
'Don't make me laugh,' said Sarina.
'I'm gettin' damn sick of you,' said Hooft.
'I've been damn sick of you for a long while, sweetheart. I'd trade you for an orangutan any day.'
'Oh, shut up,' grumbled one of the men. 'We're all gettin' good an' goddam sick of hearin' you two bellyache.'
'Who said that?' demanded Hooft. No one replied.
Presently they entered the camp and aroused the women, whereupon considerable acrimonious haggling ensued when the women learned that they were to break camp and take the trail thus late at night.
Some torches were lighted, and in their dim and flickering illumination the band gathered up its meager belongings. The light also served to reveal Corrie to the women.
'Who's the kid?' demanded one of them. 'This ain't no place for a nice boy.'
'That ain't no boy,' said a man. 'She's a girl.'
'What you want of her?' asked a woman suspiciously.
'The Japs want her,' explained Grotius, the second in command.
'Maybe they won't get her?' said Hooft. 'Why not?' demanded Grotius.
'Because maybe I've taken a fancy to her myself. I'm goin' to give Sarina to an ape.' Everybody laughed,