"Now, by the beard of Nassau, what joke is Chanticleer playing us now?" he cried. "He must be anxious to get that Yankee out of the way."
Neither Koyala nor Muller joined in his mirth. Muller frowned thoughtfully. There was the look in his eyes of one who is striving to recollect some almost forgotten name or incident.
"Pieter Gross, Pieter Gross," he repeated thoughtfully. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Do you remember what happened to Gogolu of Lombock the time he captured Lieutenant de Koren and his commando?" Koyala asked. "How an American sailor and ten of his crew surprised Gogolu's band, killed a great many of them, and took their prisoners away from them? That was Pieter Gross."
"Donder en bliksem. I knew I had reason to remember that name," Muller cried in alarm. "We have no Mynheer de Jonge to deal with this time, kapitein. This Yankee is a fighter."
"Good!" Van Slyck exclaimed with satisfaction. "We will give him his bellyful. There will be plenty for him to do in the bush, eh, mynheer? And if he gets too troublesome there are always ways of getting rid of him." He raised his eyebrows significantly.
"This Yankee is no fool," Muller rejoined anxiously. "I heard about that Lombock affair—it was a master coup. We have a bad man to deal with, kapitein."
Van Slyck smiled cynically.
"Humph, mynheer, you make me tired. From the way you talk one would think these Yankees can fight as well as they can cheat the brown-skins. We will fill him up with Hollands, we will swell his foolish head with praise till it is ready to burst, and then we will engineer an uprising in the hill district. Koyala can manage that for us. When Mynheer, the Yankee, hears of it he will be that thirsty for glory there will be no holding him. We will start him off with our blessings, and then we will continue our business in peace. What do you think of the plan, my dear Koyala?"
"Evidently you don't know Mynheer Gross," Koyala retorted coldly.