It was decided after this to wait patiently for an opportunity to
capture Rajah Gantang, or to destroy his prahus; and meanwhile life at
the residency went on very pleasantly. The men at the fort had settled
down into an easy-going existence, and under the doctor's guidance a
careful examination was made of the little island, to clear it of
everything in the shape of noxious reptile and insect, as far as was
possible.
The example of the Malays was followed by the construction of a large
bathing-place for the men, which being carefully stockaded round with
stout bamboos, allowed the free flow of the river-water, without the
addition of any four-footed creatures, in the shape of crocodiles, which
were far too common to be pleasant, especially where lower down the
river the salt water mingled with the fresh. In fact, it was dangerous
there for a hand to be dragged in the water beside a boat, the hideous
creatures being ready to make a dash at it, darting through the stream,
as they did with great velocity, by a stroke of their powerful tails.
The great desire on the part of the men was to go ashore, but, in the
majority of cases, this was sternly refused. Here and there, though, an
officer had a shooting-trip, but it was thought better to wait until the
confidence of the natives had been more thoroughly won, and the
disaffected party of Rajah Gantang dismissed.
The sultan seemed to have quite forgotten his rejection by the ladies,
and was most liberal in his presentations of fruit and fresh provisions.
Every morning a boat came off with a load, the fore part being
generally crammed with freshly-cut flowers; and later on in the day the
resident's boat would be sent ashore to return the compliment. Tom Long
generally had the honour of being the escort, and marching a fatigue
party up to the sultan's residence, with something likely to gratify his
highness.
There used to be hearty laughter amongst the officers at the quaintness
of the presents, and sometimes Tom Long would have been glad to evade
his duty had he dared; for, he confided to Bob Roberts--
"It is so confoundedly ridiculous, you know. I don't mind taking him up
a little case of a dozen champagne pints, but what do you think I had to
take yesterday?"
"I don't know," said Bob, laughing; "a pound of candles, perhaps."
"No, not yesterday," cried Tom Long; "but I did have to take him a
packet of composite candles, one day. Only fancy, you know, an officer
in Her Majesty's service marching with a fatigue party, up to a
palm-thatched barn, to take a coffee-coloured savage a packet of candles
for a present!"
"Mustn't look a gift horse in the mouth," said Bob, philosophically.
"Present's a present, whether it's a pound of candles or a gold chain."
"Bah! It's disgusting," said Tom Long. "It's enough to make a man want
to part with his commission."
"What'll you take for it, Tom Long? I think I should like a change. Or
come, I'll swap with you. I'll turn ensign, and you take a go at the
sea?"
"Don't be absurd."
"Certainly not; but come, you didn't tell me what you took up
yesterday."
"No," exclaimed Tom Long, flushing with annoyance; "but I will tell you,
for it's a scandal and a disgrace to the service, and Mr Linton ought
to be informed against. I actually, sir, had to march those men all
along through that jungle with a box."
"Box of what?" said Bob; "dominoes?"
"No, sir," cried Tom Long. "A box containing two bottles of pickles."
"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" roared Bob. "What were they? Walnuts, or onions?"
"Neither," said Tom, with great dignity; "one was piccalilli, and the
other mixed."
"Well, I dare say he was very glad of them," said Bob. "I consider a
good bottle of pickles, out in this benighted place, one of the greatest
luxuries one could have."
"Yes," said Tom Long, who had on a supercilious fit that day, "I suppose
it would satisfy you."
"All right, my noble friend," thought Bob to himself; "I'll take you
down for that some day."
They strolled out and about the fort together for a time, and then out
to the upper end of the island; for though longing to go to the lower
portion where the residency stood, both of them carefully avoided that
part. But it so happened that soon after, when they directed their
steps towards the landing-place, they found that the ladies were there,
in company with the major's wife, talking to a couple of Malays in a
sampan laden with fruit and flowers.
The ladies were making liberal purchases of the delicious fruit and
sweet-scented flowers, when, to the astonishment of Bob Roberts, he saw
that one of the Malays, was the man who had made so fierce an attack
upon Tom Long over the durian affair.
Seeing this they both stepped forward, when the Malay recognised him,
said a few hasty words to his companion, and they both leaped ashore,
the man of the kris salaaming profoundly, and remaining half prostrate
before the young ensign.
"Dullah asks pardon of his excellency," said the other man in good
English. "He thought him an enemy who had insulted him, and he drew his
kris. He asks now that his excellency will forgive him."
"Yes, yes," said the offending Malay, without raising his head or his
pleading hands; and then he repeated what seemed to be the whole of his
stock of English, "Yes, yes."
"Dullah asks your excellencies to forgive him, and to let him bring
fruit and flowers, and to make offerings to the English princes he has
offended."
"Oh, I say, Tom Long," said Bob; "that's a little too strong, isn't it?
English princes!"
"What are we to do about the fellow?" said Tom Long; "tell the sentry to
turn him off?"
"No; what's the good?" said Bob. "Here, leave it to me. I'll settle
him."
He glanced merrily at Rachel Linton as he spoke, seeming quite at ease
in her society now; while Tom Long appeared to be buttoned up in his
stiffest uniform, though he was in undress white.
"Go on, then," said Tom Long in a whisper, "but don't say anything
stupid; the ladies can hear every word."
"All right," said Bob. "Look here, old cockolorum," he continued to the
Malay who interpreted, "what has become of that Kling who was here
before?"
"Gone Mirzapore, most excellent prince," said the man.
"Come, that'll do," said Bob impatiently; "drop all that eastern sugar
wordings, my fine fellow, and look here!"
The Malay salaamed again.
"My friend here isn't an English prince. We are English officers. And
my friend here says you may tell Mr Abdullah there that he does not
bear any malice against him for the attack. If he asks pardon, that is
enough."
This being interpreted to Abdullah, who remained humbly bent, he started
up, and catching Tom Long's hands, kissed them both, and afterwards
Bob's, very much to that young gentleman's disgust, though Tom received
the salute with a good deal of dignity, posing himself to look to the
best advantage in the presence of the ladies.
"There, that'll do now," said Bob. "It's all right, only tell Mr
Abdullah not to be so handy with his kris again, and that I--Mr
Roberts, of Her Majesty's ship `Startler'--think he ought to present us
with some durians."
This was duly interpreted to the Malay, who drew back, gazing keenly
from the ensign to the middy, and back again, his dark eyes seeming to
flash, as he said something in his native tongue to the interpreter.
"Dullah say you throw durian again in his face, and it make him mad."
"No, no, old fellow, nothing of the kind," said Bob, laying his hand on
Abdullah's shoulder. "That's all past."
The Malay judged his meaning from his looks, and not from his words.
Then smiling, he leaped back into the boat, and returned laden with the
finest fruit he had, which he offered to the young officers with no
little grace and dignity, smiling pleasantly the while, but manifesting
nothing little or servile.
The ladies looked on so wonderingly, that Bob had to leave the durians
and explain, returning directly after, though, to the Malays, and
obtaining a splendid bunch of the sweet flowers of the waringhan tree,
which he carried back to the ladies, who smiled, thanked him, and took
their departure.
"I never saw such a fellow as you are, Roberts," said the ensign,
sulkily, as Bob returned; "you always seem to know what to say or do
when ladies are present. I don't!"
"Native modesty, ability, and natural gifts, my dear fellow," said Bob;
"and I'm precious glad they are gone, for I want to have a go at those
durians."
Abdullah had already opened one, which he presented to Bob, who took it
and made a terrible onslaught; and then, with a doubting look in his
dark eyes, the Malay opened a second durian, hesitated, and then,
evidently mastering his pride, offered it to Tom Long.
The latter drew back, shaking his head, and the Malay looked hurt and
annoyed.
"Tell him I don't like durians, Bob Roberts," said Tom, nervously, "or
we shall have another row."
"Here, hi! old cockolorum!" cried Bob, with his mouth full, as he turned
to the Malay, "tell Mr Abdullah there, that his durians are 'licious--
luscious--'licious, but Mr Long likes mangosteens better."
This was interpreted, and Abdullah's doubting look changed as he hurried
back to the boat, and returned with a basket full of delicious fruit,
which he offered Tom Long with a bow; and then, finding they were
accepted, he stood smiling with his head bent, while Bob went on
devouring durian at a terrible rate.
"I say, Tom Long," said Bob, making a very unpleasant noise with his
mouth.
"What is it?" said the ensign, who was deep in the mysterious flavour of
the delicious mangosteen.
"I never believed in old Darwin, and his development, and evolution, and
that sort of thing, till now."
"Why now?" said Tom Long.
"Because I feel such a pig," said Bob, attacking another durian. "Look
here, old man, if you'll put me up in a durian tree, I don't want
anything else, thankey; you may have all the honour and glory. Oh! I
say, this one's lovely! it's just like nectar made with custard, with an
old shoe put in for flavour, and all stirred up with a paint brush. How
are you getting on?"
"Bravely," said Tom Long.
The two young officers went on eating till they caught sight of the
doctor in the distance--a sight so suggestive of making themselves ill,
that they gave up with a sigh or two, and went away, Tom Long offering
to pay liberally for the fruit, notwithstanding a hint from his
companion that he should be content to accept it as a present.
Both the Malays drew back very proudly, but Bob Roberts healed the
breach in etiquette by quietly taking out his case, and offering a cigar
to each of the Malays in turn.
These were taken with a smile, and accompanied by a thoroughly friendly
look at parting.
"They're rum fellows, those Malays," said Bob, "and want a lot of
managing. They are gentlemen at heart, and savages at body. That's my
opinion of them."
"And my opinion is," said Tom Long, "that they are a precious unpleasant
treacherous set of people, that it is downright cruelty to expect a
gentleman to live amongst."
Up to this point no Malay, not even a servant, had been admitted to live
upon the island, though the want of natives for assistance and to supply
food had been keenly felt.
During the last few days, however, the resident had begun to relax this
stringent rule, and a fisherman had been permitted to set up his hut,
and keep his boats, at the upper end of the island, with the consequence
that in place of a very intermittent supply, there was plenty of fish at
the mess table.
Now as soon as the young officers had gone, Abdullah and his Malay
companion sought audience, basket in hand, of the resident, who, after
talking to them for a time, walked down to the landing-place, saw their
ample supply of fruit and flowers, and ended by granting them a site by
the water's edge, where they might set up their hut, and secure their
boat, the understanding upon which the grant was made, being that an
ample supply was to be kept up for the use of the officers and men.
"Capital fellow, Linton," said the doctor. "Nothing like fruit in
moderation to keep men in health. But isn't it risky to have these
fellows on the isle?"
"I have thought of that," said Mr Linton; "but by being too exclusive
we shall defeat our own ends. We must receive the principal part of the
Malays in a friendly way, and it is only by a more open policy that this
can be done. If we admit any wolves amongst the sheep they must meet
with the wolves' fate. So far I think I have done well."
"Well, yes, perhaps you are right," said the doctor. But both gentlemen
would have altered their opinions exceedingly if they had seen a long
low boat, painted of a dark grey, and manned by six men, float gently
down stream that night, and, unseen by the sentries, stop beside the
sampan of Abdullah and his Malay companion.
Here there was a short consultation, Abdullah crawling over the gunwale
into the long low boat, where he lay down, side by side with the man who
steered.
Their conversation was long, and the others in the boat lay down while
it was going on, so that had the boat been seen by an unusually watchful
sentry it would have appeared to be empty, and moored to a bamboo stake
thrust into the mud.
But the dark silent boat was not seen by the nearest sentry, either when
it floated down, or when it was cautiously turned and paddled up stream
once more, till, out of hearing, the oars went down with a noisy splash,
and the long narrow vessel literally dashed through the river.
The reason it was not seen was simple enough.
Private Sim was on duty that night, and he had been once more fast
asleep.