When I came out on the beach it occurred to me that this was an excellent opportunity to walk up to the basin and take a look at the galleon, to see how she came on. There was nobody in sight, and I was already half-way there. I had bitter cause subsequently to regret this foolish performance, as you will presently see.
When I reached the place I climbed upon the rocks and looked down into the basin. There was the galleon peacefully resting in the clear, calm pool, visible from end to end through the transparent water. I stood thus contemplating this object, so interesting to me, for perhaps a quarter of an hour, and then came down upon the beach and started home. I walked quietly along, in no special hurry to be back, entirely without suspicion of any misfortune, and thinking of the time when our troublesome neighbors would be gone, when suddenly I saw in the damp sand tracks which I at once recognized as having been made by the feet of the Chinaman. There was no mistaking these footprints. They could only have been made by the peculiar shoe worn by that people. The prints indicated that he had come diagonally out on to the beach to the edge of the water and then run in again toward the forest.
I took this all in at a glance and read its meaning instantly. The almond-eyed spy had followed me up the beach, and here was where he had run out to get sight of me as I turned in toward the rocks. No doubt he had seen me looking into the basin. I did not pause in my walk, for he might even now be watching me; but I edged in slowly toward the jungle and got out of sight. Then I looked back up the beach, but could see nothing. Would the Chinaman go up and look into the basin, or would he content himself with simply following me to see that I did not go toward Farm Cove? I determined to find out. There was nothing in sight. I could not go through the jungle, so I came boldly out and ran up the beach close to the bushes as fast as I could until I had gone about twenty rods. By going out to the water I could now see the rocks of the basin. So I lay down flat on the sand and rolled out nearly to the water’s edge. If the Chinaman was there watching he might wonder; but no matter, I would take that chance. When far enough out I looked toward the rocks, and saw the spy there at the basin looking in just as I had done. It was enough. His back was turned. I sprang to my feet and ran back under cover. Our secret was out now with a vengeance, and all through my own stupidity. The situation was a desperate one. The treasure seemed in a fair way to be irretrievably lost. Without arms Mr. Millward and I could not cope with the pearl-fishing gang, and it was too much to expect that on this remote island, far from the power of the law, they would respect our prior right to the cargo of the old vessel which we had brought up from the deep. They would do what they pleased, and would doubtless speedily please to go diving in the basin; and we would be powerless to prevent it.