This time there was no signal and no answering light, the occupants of the boat finding their way almost by instinct, but there was a hail from the junk to our left, and we could distinguish the murmuring of voices for a time, and the creaking of the boat against the side as the fresh comers climbed on board. "Ah, good information, Mr Herrick!" whispered Mr Brooke. "We have seen nothing, but we know that they have received reinforcements, and now in a very short time we shall know whether they are going to sail or wait till morning." "How?" I said. He laughed gently. "Easily enough. They will not sail without getting up their anchors, and we must hear the noise they make." "But I don't quite see what good we are doing," I whispered. "Not see? Suppose we had stopped ashore, we should not have known of these men coming to strengthen the crews, and we should not have known till daylight whether they had sailed or were still at anchor. This last we shall know very soon, and can follow them slowly. Why, if we had waited till morning and found them gone, which way should we have sailed?" "I'm very dense and stupid, sir," I said. "I had not thought of that." "Allee go to s'eep," whispered Ching; "no go 'way to-night." "What's that mean?" said Mr Brooke in a low voice; and I felt his arm across my chest as he pointed away to the left. I looked in that direction, and saw a bright gleam of light from the shore. "Our fire blazing up, sir," said Tom Jecks softly. "Yes, I suppose so," said Mr Brooke thoughtfully; and as we watched the bright light disappeared, but only to appear again, and this was repeated three times. "That can't be our fire," said Mr Brooke. "Fliends on shore tellee pilate what to do," said Ching, with his face close to us. "What do you mean?" said Mr Brooke. "Ching know. Show big lamp. Mean big junk going sail mollow morning, and pilate go long way wait for them." "Why? Couldn't they stay here and wait?" "No; silk-tea-ship see pilate junk waiting for them, and come out lit' way and go back again. 'Flaid to sail away." "Yes, that sounds reasonable," said Mr Brooke thoughtfully. Then all at once there came over the black water a peculiar squeaking, grinding sound, followed by a similar noise of a different pitch. "Pilate not going to s'eep; allee look out for light and go sail away d'leckly." "Yes, we have not wasted our time, Herrick," whispered Mr Brooke. "They're getting up their anchors." "And are we going to follow them, sir?" I said softly. "Yes, my lad; our work has only just begun." CHAPTER THIRTY NINE. TRICKED. They were singularly quiet, these people on board the junks, I suppose from old experience teaching them that noise made might mean at one time discovery and death, at another the alarming of some valuable intended prize.