"Because I could then lead the beggars off the scent. Lo San and I can use this boat. My idea is to row out a little way and hide in the reeds until the second boat has come up and taken off the men; then to show ourselves and make them chase us into the main channel. We both know the swamp pretty well, and we could lead them such a dance that you’d have plenty of time to get things finished here. You may be sure that when they see it’s their boat they’ll be keen enough to overtake us." "But they know there are more than two of us," Burroughs objected; "and when they hear the hammering again, they will very likely drop you for the bigger game." "Don’t begin the hammering at once. Wait till you hear me coo-ee, which won’t be until I’ve drawn them pretty far away. All we want is a quarter of an hour’s grace, and it’ll be strange if I can’t play them so long." "And what about us? Are we to fly out and pick you up?" "Better wait for me. I’ll get back here. When the repairs are finished it won’t take a minute to get the boat afloat, and as you can’t possibly get up enough speed among these rushes to fly, I’d better be here: I know the place, you don’t." "All right, then. And the sooner you start the better; the second boat is coming up pretty fast, judging by the shouts." Errington got into the boat with Lo San, and pulled off quietly. He was in something of a quandary. He wished the Chinamen to see him as soon as they had taken off their stranded companions, but until then to remain undiscovered by both parties. This was difficult to manage, because the only point from which he would be visible from the shore where he had found the boat was the entrance of the narrow cross passage from the wider waterway leading to the island. If he took up his position there, he would be seen first by the crew of the second boat. To overcome the difficulty both he and Lo San had to get into the water and lug the boat through a mass of reeds, behind which they could see without being seen. They had hardly concealed themselves when the second boat came round a bend in the winding waterway, and, guided by the shouts of the marooned crew, swung round to the right. The moment they were out of sight, Errington and Lo San dragged their boat back through the reeds, and lay to, waiting until they should hear that the men had been taken off. There was a tremendous hubbub of explanations when the two parties of Chinamen met. "What are they saying?" asked Errington, as he paddled gently towards the entrance of the passage up which the boat had disappeared. "My no can tell," said Lo San. "He piecee fella makee plenty too muchee bobbely."