"That man was not an octopus worshiper. He will admit that later. At this moment we must get the other two."
"Want to split up?"
"No. Stay with me." And Chiun flashed through the foliage. People were stirring at the sight of them; faces retreated into doorways.
"Reminds me of when I was a cop," Remo said unhappily.
"Their fear will vanish once we have eliminated the plotters. "
"At the rate we're going, we're on our way to depopulating all of Moo."
Chiun was following tracks in the dirt. The tracks veered off into the jungle, and from there the trail was one of broken stems and crushed grass that slowly straightened.
The trail led down to the south beach and into the water.
The Pacific sparkled. No shadows dotted its surface. "Looks like we lost them. Octopus worshipers or not." Chiun watched the water. When he was certain no swimmer would surface, he spoke.
"I do not think they were octopus worshipers, although they fled into the ocean. Come, we must inform the High Moo."
As they walked back, Chiun spoke up. "That girl. What was she to you?"
"I don't know. I'd only known her ten minutes when the trouble started."
"Ten?"
"She came in through the window."
"Obviously a tramp," sniffed Chiun.
"If she was, that's how they grow them on Moo." Chiun stopped.
"There were others?"
"Yeah," Remo admitted.
"A few." Chiun's eyes became slits.
"How many?"
"Oh, five or sex-I mean six."
"So many!" Chiun demanded hotly. "You have lain with five or six maidens in three nights?"
"Actually, I'm just counting tonight. I don't know how many there were on the other nights."
"Aiieee!" Chiun screeched. "Are you mad? Have you given no thought to the diseases these girls may carry?"
"Little Father," Remo said gently, "we're on an island with maybe two hundred inhabitants, tops. And with the way these girls behave, one sexually transmitted disease would have wiped everyone out long before we got here."
"I cannot believe you."
"Hey, this is an island. No radio. No TV. No place to go that doesn't look like every other place here. I'm bored. Besides, it was their idea. They keep sneaking in through my window."
"You could have turned them away," Chiun huffed.
"I'm entitled to a little fun."
"And did you have it? This fun?"
"Well, I'm not sure. It's interesting, but you know how it is with sex when you're a Master of Sinanju."
"Yes, you do it properly and get it out of the way so that you can go on to important things."
"That's been my problem with it, all right. I get up to step two in the thirty-seven steps to sexual fulfillment and the party of the second part has been to cloud nine and back twice while I'm left waiting for the fireworks that never come. So to speak."
"Sex is a drug. It is better to be the supplier than the imbiber. "
"I used to like imbibing. But you know what's strange, Little Father?" Remo's voice sank into a hushed tone, no longer testy.
"Many things are strange, you most of all."
"These island girls are just like I always imagined they would be. Except for one thing. Sex is like chewing bubble gum to them. Once it's over, zoom, they're out the window. Wham, bang, thank you, Remo. I don't even get to ask if it was good for them too."
"I told you American women would be more to your taste. Unlike Moo girls, they are raised to think of sex as a forbidden riddle. They spin webs of magic and mystery around the simple act itself. No wonder they spend more of their time talking about it than doing it. No wonder all your Western songs are dirty."
"That's a gross generalization. Which songs are dirty?"
"'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' is a prime specimen."
"That's not dirty."
"It always starts with hand-holding," Chiun snapped. "Come, the High Moo awaits. Say nothing of your night escapades to him."
"I was hoping I could ask him a few questions about Moovian courtship practices."
"Such as?"
"Why the marks on my arm, for one thing."
Chiun skidded to a stop. He examined Remo's extended arms.
"These marks are redder than before," he murmured. "They should be fading."
"The octopus-sucker marks are fading," Remo pointed out. "These are fresh marks."
"I do not understand."