The boy turned around at these words, and saw the Captain of the _Madrona_. The sight of his bluff honest face made the boy feel himself again; and reminded him, too, of his errand, which he had forgotten for the moment. "I followed the man dressed up like a woman who was with him," Tom answered, excitedly; "he's a mile back in the woods now-- I want to take a surgeon along, for I think he's killed. I caught at his hand with it in, and it went off somehow--the revolver, I mean--and I think it killed him--but I didn't mean to; I couldn't see." "I'll go back with you at once--who did you say it was?" The boy told what had happened as they hurried back through the trees. "That must be Tee Ling." "Who?" "Tee Ling; you've heard of him--the most notorious opium smuggler on the coast-- I see it's a trail." "Yes, all the way. So it's a China man, then?" "Of course. There's not a more detestable scoundrel among all the Chinese in America. He has a den some place on the British Columbia coast, and probably we'll unearth his southern headquarters within a mile or so of where we stand. He dresses as a woman simply as a disguise. He has a hundred of them. You've had a terribly narrow escape from him, my dear boy." "I saw him at the Custom-house last night, when I was reporting what I had seen." "Where--in the office?" "Yes." "Who would have thought it! We knew that the Chinese gang were working into the hands of one of our men, but we never thought it could be into his. There it is, a man's sin will always find him out in the end! What's the matter?" "I--I feel kind of sick like. I guess I'm sort of a coward, but the thought of him lying there dead that way! I suppose a man like you gets used to it, but I--it makes me--" "You needn't be ashamed to own to a feeling of humanity, my boy; no good man ever gets _used_ to death or crime, though good men sometimes have to see a deal of both." "Here is the place; but--oh!--" "Yes, Tee Ling has wisely departed, I see. I expected as much, for Tee Ling is very sagacious. It's just as well we didn't bother about the ship's surgeon. Besides, he is too good a Chinaman to take our medicine, much less the dose of medicine the United States has ready for him. He's wanted in 'Frisco, you know." "Well, I'm mighty glad he's alive, all the same," Tom remarked, in a tone of great relief. "I was dreadfully afraid he was dead, and I--I never killed anybody!" "We will be sure to catch him during the day, nevertheless, for he can't get off the island, unless he disguises himself as a brown bear, and I'll tell the boys to shoot all the brown bears." Tom laughed at this mild drollery, and they returned to the shore without seeing any trace of the Chinaman. A lieutenant was standing on the deck of the smuggler's sloop. "There's ten thousand dollars' worth of gum opium aboard of her, Captain." "Yes, and very likely double that amount more hidden some place in the island. Tom, what do you set your fortune at?"