"It is myself. And have you seen aught of the tiger?"
By then the two men were together lying side by side behind a fragment of the ruined temple wall. They were so close to Frank that, though they spoke to one another in whispers, it was easy for him to hear every word that they said.
"I thought you were he," said the man who had answered to the name of Tong.
"And I too," said Cheong-Chau. "I was about to fire when I saw that you were too small to be Ling."
"That is fortunate," said the other, "fortunate--for me."
"And where is Chin Yen?" asked the brigand chief.
"He is close behind me," said the man. "He is here."
Indeed, at that moment they were joined by a third man, who crept forward from out of the midst of the shadows. The night was descending rapidly; it was already almost dark. Frank, however, had no doubt as to the identity of these two men. He remembered very well hearing their names when he was in the opium den of Ah Wu. Chin Yen was the man who had fallen down upon his knees beside an opium couch, holding his head between his hands. Tong was the unfortunate individual who had been struck down with the paraffin lamp. It was subsequently discovered that the third man never recovered from his injuries.
"Well, Chin Yen," said Cheong-Chau, "where is the tiger? Have you seen nothing of him?"
"Nothing at all," came the answer. "Three minutes ago I saw him standing on the edge of the glade. I was about to fire, when suddenly he disappeared. I think he fell upon his face."