The Pirates of Shan Part 4

CHAPTER IV

The Headman's Secret

On the following morning Major Paulo Lacson joined the Spindrifters for breakfast at the hotel. The young officer answered questions about the region for an hour, but Rick refrained from bringing up the subject of the headman until breakfast was over. But that was deferred when Scotty asked a startling question.

"Major, what ever happened to the boat our friends came in?"

Lacson's eyebrows went up. "Boat? What boat?"

"You mean you didn't know they came by boat?" Zircon bellowed incredulously.

The major shook his head. "This is the first I have heard of a boat. I a.s.sumed they came by air. The instructions I got from Manila were simply to find two missing Americans, with their names and descriptions. Since most Americans stay at this hotel I inquired and found they had checked out. That established their presence in Davao. It didn't occur to me to be interested in where they had come from, although I knew from my instructions that it was Zamboanga. Later, I checked the airline to see if they had left by air, but there was no record."

It was incredible, but there it was. Rick knew it was the kind of slip that often happens when the background given with instructions is not complete.

"I will get on this right away," Lacson said. "You have a description of the boat?"

"I'm afraid not. It was chartered in Zamboanga. Can you get a description from there?"

"Of course. It's strange the detail of the boat never came to light.

Why, I even had a full description of their Moro guide."

"Guide?" The three said it simultaneously. It was their turn to be astonished. No one had mentioned a third person in the party.

"You didn't know?" Lacson clapped a hand to his forehead in a gesture of chagrin. "The lack of communications is ridiculous! Yes, they had a guide. Apparently they picked him up in Zamboanga. A young Moro, no outstanding features, who gave his name as Azid Hajullah. We have not been able to find out any more about him."

Lacson rose, to get a message off about the boat, but Rick stopped him and quickly outlined his conclusion about the headman, and Chahda's trip to the Bagobo village.

The major scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "It is just possible you are right," he said at last. "I myself noted that the old man was not at ease, but I attributed it to the presence of strange Americans, plus my own official status. Many primitive peoples are shy in the presence of authority. However, I agree the headman may have overdone it somewhat.

We will see. I will phone you when I have news of the boat, and perhaps you will let me know when you hear from this Indian friend of yours."

The morning dragged on after Lacson's departure. The three walked the streets of Davao and found it to be quite a modern city with two newspapers, a radio station, and some good stores. Both Rick and Scotty had the feeling that they were being watched, but the most careful observation failed to uncover a tail.

Nevertheless, the boys were certain their movements were known to someone. If only they could discover the invisible watcher, Rick thought, and squeeze some information out of him....

The tropical sun grew hot as the day progressed, and the three returned to the hotel and sat in the small dining room over cold limeades and chilled mango. Rick had kept the Megabuck earphone in place all morning, and as he started to order another mango, Chahda's voice sounded in his ear. "Rick, you there?"

"Here," he replied swiftly. "Go ahead."

"Got recording. I think you plenty on ball, Rick. Headman lied like champ. Meet you hotel room right away. I just driving up. What number room?"

Rick told the Hindu boy and signed off. He turned to the others. "Let's go. Chahda's got something!"

They hurried to their room, and Zircon at once placed a call to Lacson.

The constabulary office replied that the major was en route to the hotel and should be there in a few minutes.

Chahda burst into their room. The Hindu boy was grinning from ear to ear. He took the tiny recorder from his pocket and handed it to Zircon.

"Plenty hot, you bet. Can I have drink, please?"

Scotty picked up the telephone and ordered him a double limeade with plenty of ice.

"Much thanks, Scotty. Well, this morning at dawn we merchants go to Bagobo village. Sell plenty cloths, too. You know some Bagobos speak a little English? Not much, but enough. While I sell, I start asking questions, but I get no answer. Then, boy my age starts buying cloth for new turban. We alone, so I try bribe. I say, 'Tell me about missing Americans and I give cloth for free.' And you know, he starts!"

"Go on, confound it!" Zircon bellowed. "Don't keep us in suspense like this."

"Okay, Professor. I talk fast. This boy gets no chance to say something, because headman busts in and he shoots words at boy like machine gun.

Boy no more will talk to me, but I give him cloth, anyway. Because all the time I have wire machine going!"

"Wonderful!" Rick exclaimed. "Now, if we can only get it translated!"

Scotty opened the door at a knock and admitted Major Lacson. Zircon introduced Chahda and explained quickly what had happened. He showed the officer the wire recorder.

"Good!" Lacson picked up the telephone and made a call. After a brief exchange in the local dialect he hung up. "We will take it to Davao University. Dr. Gonzalez, the professor of languages, will translate it.

He speaks Bagobo expertly. Come. My car is outside."

Chahda hung back. "You go. Better I stay under cover while longer. You call me on radio when you find something."

Rick agreed, then followed the others. They piled into Lacson's command car and headed for the university.

"I have some news myself," Lacson reported. "Your friends came in a sloop called the _Sampaguita_, which is a local flower. They tied up at a private dock on the waterfront."

"Where is the boat now?" Scotty asked.

Lacson shrugged. "Who knows? No one saw it leave, but it was there the night your friends disappeared, and gone the following morning."

Rick pondered that bit of information while Lacson and Zircon worked with Dr. Gonzalez, a short, bald Filipino, on the translation of the wire recording. Certainly Briotti and Shannon wouldn't have walked back from the Bagobo village and taken the boat themselves. And if they had walked to Calinan and obtained a car, Lacson would have found out about it. There weren't so many people in the area that the rental, or borrowing of a car, by two Americans couldn't be discovered easily. Had they hitched a ride Lacson would surely have found that out, too. Few cars traveled the road to Calinan.

Rick took Lacson aside and questioned him while Zircon played the wire over and over again for the Filipino language expert. The major confirmed that he had checked, and was satisfied that the scientists had not obtained a ride back from Calinan from any of the local people.

There were no cars to rent, either.

Rick dropped the subject abruptly as Zircon and Gonzalez finished making notes and switched off the recorder.

"Dr. Gonzalez has it," Zircon said with quiet triumph. "The language is difficult, and the headman was far from the microphone, but the sense of what is on the tape is clear."

The boys and Lacson listened closely as the language professor read.

"'Say nothing, young fool! It is forbidden to speak of the white men.

One word that they were here and the wrath of'--I don't know one word here--'will fall on the whole village. Do you want to die? Do you want us all to die? I forbid you to speak on pain of death!'"

"They _were_ there!" Scotty exclaimed. "Now maybe we can find out what happened."

"At once," Major Lacson added grimly. "Doctor, what does the missing word sound like?"

The Filipino professor shook his head. "It is a word I've never heard, Major. It doesn't sound like a Bagobo word at all. It's 'shoon' or 'shawn.' Something like that. It's not clear."