MAKING PLANS
It was pleasantly dusk and shady in Mr. Kenyon's museum, where the
party had gathered, glad enough to get away from the glare of the sun
after the exertions of the morning. For Siam is a country beautiful
enough, but one where the sun has a bad habit of making it pretty
often somewhere near ninety-nine in the shade. The natives revel in
this, and grow strong and well, though it has a tendency to make even
them a quiet, deliberate, and indolent people. What wonder, then, that
an Englishman should feel indisposed to work?
All the same, there was not much idleness in the Kenyons' bungalow,
for the merchant was an indefatigable business man, who had built up a
fine business, at the same time finding time for gratifying his
intense love for natural history, in which he had an energetic
companion in the young doctor, who had been encouraged to settle at
Dahcok by one of the kings. As for Harry, his restless nature made him
set the hottest weather at defiance unless he was checked, for, to use
his own words, "I'm not going to let Phra beat me out of doors, even
if he was born in the country."
There had been a few words in connection with his restlessness when
the lads bore in the guns and spears, all of which were handed over to
Mike to be cleaned and carefully oiled.
"You lads had better sit down now and have a good rest in here; it's
cool and shady. Your face is scarlet, Hal. Make Phra stay and have a
bit of dinner with us."
"I should like to," said the young Prince eagerly.
"Of course he will, father; but you and Doctor Cameron want to talk."
"About what will interest you as well, I dare say. What were you going
to do?"
For Harry had made a sign to Phra, and was sidling towards the door.
"Oh, I don't know, father; look about and do something along with
Phra."
"Do you hear him, Doctor? Did you ever see such a restless fellow?
He's spoiling the Prince too."
"Oh no," said Phra; "I'm just as bad as he is, sir."
"I begin to think you are," cried Mr. Kenyon. "Look here, Cameron;
they've had a fight with the boa whose skin I showed you, and another
with that crocodile. That ought to satisfy any two boys who love
adventure for quite a month."
"Well, it is a pretty good morning's work," said the doctor, laughing.
"Take my advice, lads, and have a rest till dinner-time, and another
afterwards. As it happens, Kenyon, I told the wife I shouldn't be back
to dinner."
"You wouldn't have gone back if you had not," said Mr. Kenyon
laughing. "Oh, by the way, have you completed your collection of
fireflies?"
"No; there is one which gives out quite a fiery light, very different
from the greeny gold of the others. I've seen it three times, but it
always soars away over the river or up amongst the lofty trees."
"I know that one," said Phra eagerly.
"I've seen it once," said Harry. "Old Sree would get you one."
"I've asked him, but he has not succeeded yet," said the doctor.
"We'll try, then," said Phra, springing up, an action followed by
Harry.
"But the fireflies are best caught by night," said Mr. Kenyon drily.
"Of course," cried Phra, reddening through his yellowish bronze skin,
and he dropped back in his chair, with Harry following suit.
But in spite of the heat, the boys could not sit still, and began
fidgeting about, while Mr. Kenyon and his friend chatted about the
state of the colony.
For want of something else more in accordance with their desires at
the moment, the two boys began to go over the various objects in the
large, high-ceiled room, which were the result of ten years'
collecting. There were bird-skins by the hundred--pheasants with the
wondrously-shaped eyes upon tail and wing, which had won for them the
name argus; others eye-bearing like the peacock, but on a smaller
scale; and then the great peacock itself--the Javanese kind--gorgeous
in golden green where the Indian kinds were of peacock blue.
Every here and there hung snake-skins, trophies of the jungle, while
upon the floor were no less than six magnificent tiger-pelts, each of
which had its history, and a black one too, of murder committed upon
the body of some defenceless native.
Leopard-skins, too, were well represented. Elephants' tusks of the
whitest ivory; and one strange-looking object stood on the floor,
resembling a badly rounded tub about twenty inches in diameter, and
formed out of the foot of some huge elephant.
Skulls with horns were there, and skulls without; cases and drawers of
birds' eggs, and lovely butterflies and moths, with brilliant,
metallic-looking beetles; and the boys smiled at one another as they
paused before first one thing and then another in whose capture they
had played a part.
Here, too, was another stand of weapons that would be suitable for the
attack upon some tyrant of the jungle, or for defence against any
enemy who might rise against the peace of those dwelling at the
bungalow.
The boys were interested enough in the contents of the museum they had
helped to form; but at last the weariness growing upon them became
unbearable, and they moved towards the door, expecting to hear some
remark made by either Mr. Kenyon or the doctor; but these gentlemen
were too intent upon the subject they had in hand, and about which
they were talking in a low voice.
"They didn't hear us come out, Phra," said Harry. "Here let's run and
see whether old Sree has gone yet. I hope Mike Dunning has given them
all plenty to eat."
"He was told to," said Phra quietly.
"Yes, he was told to," said Harry; "but that does not mean that he
always does as he's told."
"One of our servants dare not forget to do what he was ordered," said
Phra, frowning.
"No; but our laws don't allow masters to cut off people's heads for
forgetting things."
By this time they had passed round the house, to find right at the
back Sree and his two men busy at work cleaning and polishing the guns
and spears that had been used that morning, while Mike, whose task it
was by rights, lounged about giving orders and looking on.
"Have you given those men their dinner, Mike?" asked Harry.
"Oh yes, sir, such a dinner as they don't get every day," replied the
man.
"That's more than you know, Mike," said Harry. "Hunters know how to
live well out in the jungle; don't they, Sree?"
"We always manage to get enough, Master Harry," said the man, smiling;
"for there is plenty for those who know how to find it in the jungle,
out on the river's edge, or in the water."
"And you know how to look for provisions if any man does. But here,
you, Mike, they've no business cleaning these things. You finish them;
I want to talk to Sree."
Mike took the gun Sree was polishing without a word, and went on with
the task, while the hunter rose respectfully and stood waiting to hear
what the boys had to say.
"We want to have a day in the jungle," said Harry. "What is there to
shoot?"
"A deer, Sahib."
"No," said Phra, frowning; "they are so hard to get near. They go off
at the slightest noise."
"The young Sahibs might wait and watch by a water-hole," said the
hunter. "It is easier to catch the deer when they come to drink."
"But that means staying out in the jungle all night."
"Yes, Sahib, it is the best way."
"No," said Phra.
"What else, Sree?" asked Harry.
"The Sahib said he would like two more coo-ahs; would the Sahibs like
to lie in wait for them? I could make them come near enough by calling
as they do--_Coo--ah! coo--ah!_"
The man put his hands before his mouth and softly imitated the harsh
cry of the great argus pheasant so accurately that Phra nodded his
head and smiled.
"Yes, that's like it," cried Harry. "_Coo--ah! coo--ah!_"
"And that isn't a bit like it," said Phra laughingly. "You would not
have many come to a cry like that; would he, Sree?"
"No, my Prince," replied the man, shaking his head; "the great birds
would not come for that."
"Very rude of them," cried Harry merrily; "for it's the best I can do.
Well, shall we try for the _coo--ahs?_"
"What else do you know of, Sree?" asked Phra.
"There was a leopard in the woods across the river yesterday, my
Prince; but they are strange beasts, and he may be far away to-day."
"Oh yes, I don't think that's any good," said Harry. "I should like to
try for an elephant."
"There are very few near, just now, Sahib," replied the man. "It is
only a month since there was the great drive into the kraal, and those
that were let go are wild and have gone far away."
"Oh, I say, Phra, and we call this a wild country! Why, we shall have
to go beetle-catching or hunting frogs."
Sree smiled, and Harry saw it.
"Well, propose something better," he cried.
"The men were at work in the new sugar plantation," said the man
quietly.
"Well, we don't want to go hunting men," cried Harry impatiently.
"And the tiger leaped out of the edge of the jungle, caught the man by
the shoulder, and carried him away."
"Ah!" cried Phra excitedly; "why didn't you tell us that at first?"
"Because he kept it back for the last," said Harry. "That's just his
way."
"Would the Sahib and my Prince like to try and shoot the tiger?" asked
Sree.
"Would we? Why, of course we would," cried Harry excitedly. "What
shall we do? Have a place made in a tree?"
"No, Sahib," replied the man, shaking his head. "If it were a cow or
one of the oxen, I would make a place in a tree near the spot where he
had dragged the beast, for he would come back to feed upon it as soon
as it grew dark; but it was not an ox nor a cow. The poor man has been
taken away to the wat, and his wife and friends have paid all they
could for him to be burned."
"What shall we do, then?"
"It is of no use to go without a couple of elephants and beaters to
drive the tiger out."
Harry looked round at Phra, who nodded his head quietly.
"Very well," he said; "we'll have the elephants out, and men to beat.
When shall we go? To-morrow?"
"Yes, my Prince; to-morrow when the tiger will be lying asleep."
"I'll go and speak to my father," said Phra. "He will not care to come
himself, but your father and Doctor Cameron will be sure to say that
they will come."
"Yes, of course," said Harry. "But I say, only to think of old Sree
here knowing of this tiger, and not saying a word!"
"I was going to tell you, Sahib, before I went away."
"But why didn't you tell us before?"
"Because I did not know, Sahib, till a little while ago, when he came
to find me and bring me the news."
He pointed as he spoke to an ordinary-looking peasant who was squatted
a little way off beneath the trees, chewing his betel.
The lads had not noticed the man before, as he had shrunk away more
into the shade on seeing them come out.
"He brought you the bad news?" said Phra.
"Yes, my Prince. He went to find me yonder after coming across from
his village, and no one could tell him where I had gone, till at last
he saw the Sahib doctor's boatmen, and they told him that I was here."
"Then I will go and tell my father we want the elephant," said Phra.
"You go and speak to them indoors, for we must kill that wretch."
"If we can," said Harry, smiling; "but Mr. Stripes is sometimes rather
hard to find."
Phra nodded, and went across the garden on his way to the palace,
while Harry went back into the house, Mike waiting till his young
master's back was turned and then handing the gun he was finishing to
the old hunter.
"You may as well do this, Sree," he said; "you clean guns so much
better than I can."
The old hunter smiled, as he waited to examine the points of the
spears his men had been polishing, and then good-humouredly took the
gun to finish after his own fashion, for there was a good deal of
truth in what Mike Dunning had said.