"Li am velly sad man," he said. "He comee through so much, and he lookee to de time when he comee home and meet him wife and child. But dey not here, massa. Dey tink poor Li dead, he stay away so long, and dey sail back to Singapore. Li all alonee!"
"Then you will be able to listen to me, and it will do you good not to think of your trouble," said Tyler, taking him kindly by the arm. "You can help me if you will."
"Den I listen, for Li am de servant. De massa am always kind to de Chinee boy. He no kickee and hitee him, and him bringee Li through wid de Dyaks. What does de massa say?"
"That you can do something for me. Come, let us sit down and talk."
Taking their seats beside one another, Tyler began to tell Li Sung of the task before him; then for an hour or more the two chatted in low whispers, the Chinaman asking many a question, and lapsing into silence, often for the space of a minute, as he considered the matter.
"De plan do velly well," he said at length, with smiling features, which were a contrast indeed to the air of sorrow which he had worn when first his white master had accosted him. "De way to Paddi am open, and de Chinamen go dere velly easy. De massa am wise, for he tink of dis, and he say to Li: 'You comee wid me, and later on you havee money to go to Singapore.' Dat allee dat Li want, and him not afraid of de Dutchman."
"I should think not!" exclaimed Tyler, delighted at the thought that he had obtained a companion who would be so useful to him. "As you say, the plan seems a good one, and I do not see why we should not be successful. All depends on the disguise, and upon whom we meet in the river. But we have been talking for long. Let us set about the preparations without further delay."
Some two hours later, when the sun was overhead, and a hot haze hung over the water, a sampan was seen to be rowing from the creek upon the banks of which the Chinese town was situated, and was observed to direct its course towards the Dido. At first the marine who was doing sentry-go at the summit of the gangway paused listlessly in his weary tramp, glad of anything, however small, which would break the monotony of his hours of duty, and favoured the craft with a half-pitying gaze. Then he stifled a yawn, remarked upon the heat and discomfort of such latitudes when compared to Old England, and would have pursued his beat had not a second movement on the part of the sampan attracted his attention.
"Well, that does for me!" he exclaimed, bringing his musket from the shoulder to the deck with a clash which startled the mid-day silence. "Making this way against orders! All these here blacks, and the China boys too, know well that the rule is that they are not to come alongside unless a chief or big gun o' some sort is along with 'em. And here's a sampan, with a couple of cheeky chaps aboard, making direct for us! Who knows? they might have a keg of powder aboard. Hi, you two monkeys! Clear right off, or I'll—!"
He brought the butt of his musket to his shoulder and made pretence to aim. Then, as the Chinaman who occupied a seat in front of the one who was plying the oars rose to his feet and faced about, the sentry came to the rail, and leaned over it to inspect the craft and its contents more closely.