"Excuse me," he said. "You speak like one of us--like an Englishman,
but my good sir, this is not England, and we are beyond the range of the
law courts and the police. I say this is not England, nor is it
Singapore. We are not many hundred miles from where the English rule is
well in force, but here, to all intents and purposes, we are completely
in the power of a barbarous chief."
"But this is absurd!" cried Murray; "surely the Governor of the Straits
Settlements would crush out any piece of oppression directly, or any
outrage on a British subject."
Mr Braine smiled.
"The British lion is very strong, sir," he said; "but he is well fed and
drowsy. He knows that he has only to lift his paw, or perhaps only to
lash his tail, to get rid of troublesome animals or stinging insects,
but it is very hard to get him to do this. No doubt if Rajah Sadi were
to behave very badly, the war-steamer on the station here would come up
the river as far as she could, and then send an expedition in boats with
plenty of jacks and marines, and perhaps a few soldiers, but not until
there had been a great deal of red-tape unwound, declarations sent to
and from London, and perhaps a year would have passed before the help
came. Then the rajah would be punished, if they could catch him, and
his stockade and village be burned. But most probably he would know
from his people when the expedition was coming, and mount his elephants
with his court, and go right away into the jungle, after sending his
prahus and other boats up one of the side-streams where they could hide.
Then the expedition would return and so would the rajah; the bamboo
houses would be rebuilt, and matters go on just as before."
"You are making out a very bad case, sir," said Murray, biting his lip
to keep down his annoyance, "but I shall not hesitate as to my plans."
"You mean that you will go on at once?"
"Certainly," said Murray; "and let them try to stop us if they dare."
"Humph!" said Mr Braine, raising his brows a little. "You doubt then
the likelihood of the rajah's people interfering with you?"
"Excuse me for seeming rude to you in my incredulity, but I do doubt
this."
Mr Braine smiled again.
"I presume," he said, "that when your boat came up you were boarded by
the rajah's naga."
"Yes."
"And you saw that she had a well-armed crew?"
"I noticed that the men all wore their krises, and that spears were
hanging in slings from the covered-in part."
"Exactly. That boat boards every vessel that goes up or down the river,
and all pay tax or toll to the lord of this district, and have to await
his permission before they can stir."
"Then," said Murray, sharply, "you consider that we are prisoners?"
"No; I do not go so far as that, but you are in the realm of a petty
independent prince, who is something of a despot, and for your own sake
you must submit to the customs of the country."
"But this is ridiculous!" cried Murray, angrily. "Ladies, forgive me
for being so abrupt, but people from the old country resent coercion in
every form. I'll be as polite to your rajah as a gentleman should be,
but I am not going to have my plans upset by a savage. Ned, my lad,
we'll see if they dare interfere with us."
"I beg you will do nothing rashly," said Mr Braine, for Murray took a
step toward the ladies, and held out his hand smilingly.
"Good-bye," he said frankly. "I am going some distance up the river,
but I hope you will let me make your acquaintance again on our return."
"You are not gone yet, Mr Murray," said the doctor, shortly; "and I
advise you, sir, to practise prudence for both your sakes. As I
expected, here are the rajah's people; I thought that they would not be
long."