“Murder us, of course.”
“Exactly; and they’ve been trying to do that for the last hour, losing men heavily all the time. Force has done no good, and now they’re trying some artful trick to get hold of us without losing any more men.”
“Then why don’t they burn us out? That seems to be the most likely thing to do.”
“Yes; only they’d burn all the rich loot they want to take. They haven’t attacked us here for nothing. Of course, they’d go back rejoicing after hacking us to pieces, but they don’t want to sail away back with empty junks.”
“There’s something in that,” said Stan thoughtfully.
“It’s a trap, sir, and if you want any proof of their cunning, you’ve just had one over those cartridges.”
Stan frowned and looked sharply in the speaker’s eyes.
“You don’t doubt that it was Chinese work?”
“No,” whispered back Stan; “we must have a traitor among us.”
“Yes; one who felt that the enemy would get the upper hand.”