"It seems so stupid, Pete, going all this way round in the black
darkness to get at the bungalow, when ten minutes at the outside would
have taken us there."
"That's right, Mister Archie. What was it--five hundred yards?"
"Somewhere about; but if we had tried to walk there, how far should we
have got before we had spears through us?"
"About five-and-twenty, sir, or thirty; and then we shouldn't have got
the cartridges. But, I say, this is about the darkest dark night I ever
remember. Glad I ain't on sentry-go. Can you make out where we are?"
"Yes. Can't you?"
"No, sir; we come such a long way round. But as far as I can make out,
we are somewhere at the back of them big trees where they fed the
helephants on Sham-Fight Day."
"Yes, I think that's right," whispered Archie, as they knelt together
whispering. "But let's get on; we must hit the river somewhere."
"Hope so, sir. It will be softer than hitting your head against trees.
I did get a poke just now when I went down, and it has made my nose
bleed wonderful."
"How tiresome! Let's get to the river, and the cold water will soon
stop it."
"All right, sir."
They had been creeping along for the most part on all fours for the past
hour since starting, so as to avoid friends and enemies, for they had
been expecting at any moment to hear a challenge from one of their own
outposts or receive a thrust from a Malay spear. But so far success had
attended them, and Peter had just caught hold of his officer's arm to
whisper that he could smell the river, but he said instead:
"'Ware hawk, Mister Archie!"
And the next moment there was a rush of feet, a rough-and-tumble
scuffle, the sound of blows, and Archie was down on his knees, panting
and trying hard to get his breath silently so that he should not be
heard.
"It's all over," he thought, "unless I can do it myself. Poor old Pete!
I wonder where he is."
He crouched a little lower as he heard the rustling of bushes a short
distance away, and he did not stir till the sounds died out, when,
guessing more than knowing where the river was, he made a slight
movement, and felt himself seized by the throat.
"You stir, and--"
"That you, Pete?"
"Mister Archie! My! You have done me good! Let's lie down, put our
heads together, and whisper. There were three of them, I think, and one
may have stopped back."
"It was our fellows, wasn't it?"
"Yes, sir; and I know who one of them was. Didn't you get a crack on
the back?"
"Yes. Drove me forward on my face. I think it was done with a
rifle-butt."
"That was it, sir. You know who it was--Scotch Mac. He always says
`Hech' when he hits out."
"Yes, of course."
"Well, wait a bit, sir. Some day I'll pay him back. I'll make him say
`Hech' out louder. Hurt you much, sir?"
"Only made my arm feel a bit numb. Stop a minute and listen. What's
that?"
"A splash!"
"Some one rowing?"
"Croc, perhaps, sir, with his tail."
"Then we are close to the river."
"Splendid, Mister Archie! Then it's going to be easy, after all."
At the end of a few cautiously taken paces the two lads found their
progress arrested by bushes, and they stopped short, trying hard to
pierce the gloom; but it seemed darker than ever.
"Can you tell where we are, Pete?" whispered Archie, with his lips close
to his companion's ear.
"No, sir; but take care, or we shall step right off the bank into the
water somewhere. Think I might strike a match, sir, and chuck it before
us?"
"No. If you do we shall be having a spear this time instead of a
rifle-butt."
"Right, sir; but I don't see how we are going to find a boat unless we
wade in and chance it."
"Let's get on, and creep through the bushes. It may seem a little
lighter close to the water's edge."
Hand-in-hand they pressed on, the bushes brushing their faces but
yielding easily for a few minutes, and then, as if moved by one impulse,
they checked an ejaculation and stood staring straight before them, for
all at once a bush they had reached sent forth a little scintillation of
light, and as Peter struck out with one hand, he started a fresh sparkle
of tiny little lights, as a flight of fire-flies flashed out for a
moment, and left the surroundings blacker than ever.
"That's done it, sir," whispered Peter. "I saw two quite plain."
"I saw quite fifty, Pete," whispered back Archie.
"Boats, sir! Stuff--fire-flies!"
"Do you mean to say that you saw boats?"
"That's right, sir. Just a glimpse--tied up, not half-a-dozen yards out
in the river. Come on, sir; I'll lead; only keep hold of hands and be
ready to step down into the water. These bushes hang quite over, you
know how. Ready, sir?"
"Yes."
"Then come on."
Two or three cautious steps were taken, which disturbed the occupants of
one of the clumps of low growth, which sparkled vividly as the nocturnal
insects were disturbed, and then the two adventurers were standing
breathing hard, hip-deep in the cool water which was flowing by them.
"Hear anything, Pete?"
"Only the ripple-pipple of the water, sir. You see the boats this
time?"
"Yes, for a moment, quite plainly, away to your left."
"We can reach them easy, sir; but it will get deeper. You must be ready
to swim. Say the word, sir, and I will lead."
"No, no; I'll go first."
"That's wasting time, sir."
"Right. Go on."
The words had hardly passed the subaltern's lips when he felt a sudden
snatch and a wallow in the water as if Peter had stepped out of his
depth; but the lad recovered himself directly and stood firm, panting.
"All right, sir," he whispered. "Bay'nets!"
In his excitement Archie had forgotten the crocodiles, and he now tore
the sharp, triangular blade from his belt, his imagination turning the
ripple and plap of water against the nearest boat into the movement of
an advancing reptile.
But all the time, short as it was, Peter, with extended arm, was moving
sideways in the direction where the boats had been seen, with the
bayonet-holding hand stretched out in the direction of his goal, the
other clutching Archie's left with a force that seemed crushing to the
owner's fingers.
Step after step was taken sideways, with the water each minute growing
deeper, and as they passed quite clear of the bushes they had left, the
water pressed more and more strongly against their breasts, so that they
could hardly keep their feet; while as the darkness above the flowing
stream seemed to be growing more transparent, Archie turned his head to
gaze back in the direction of the overhanging bushes, in the full
expectation of feeling a thrust from a spear, when he felt another
sudden snatch and tightened his grasp of his comrade's hand, for Peter
had reached deeper water and was borne off his feet, dragging Archie
sideways.
Then there came a sharp sound as of metal against wood, a splashing or
wallowing that suggested the rush of one of the loathsome reptiles, and
Peter gasped out in a gurgling way, as if he had been under water:
"All right, sir. I've got hold. Let yourself float down, and make a
snatch at the side."
How it was done Peter did not know, and did not want to. It was enough
for him in the darkness that he could feel that his companion had hold
of the side of the boat, which had careened over so that the surface of
the rippling river was within a few inches of the edge; and there they
clung, listening with straining ears, trying to make out whether they
had been heard.
"It's all right, sir," said Peter softly, as they now rested with their
arms over touching the bottom of the boat.
"I don't know," said Archie. "I think the stern's covered in. Is
anybody on board?"
"Like enough, sir; but chance it;" and raising himself with a sudden
movement which made a loud wallowing and sent a shudder of horror
through his companion, Peter drew himself over the rough gunwale, rolled
into the bottom of the boat, in company with a gush of water, and then,
bayonet in hand, crept over the thwarts and under the attap-covered
stern.
"All right, sir," whispered the lad; and he crept to the far side of the
boat, trimming it so that it made Archie's task of joining him easier to
achieve. "Ready, sir?"
"Yes. What about the moorings?"
"I was going to cut the rope, sir," whispered Peter, "but I won't.
Perhaps it's a grapnel, and we shall want it again."
Creeping right to the bows, he began to haul on a roughly made fibre
line, which came in readily as the water rippled more loudly against the
stem, and the line became more and more perpendicular, till something
struck against the frail woodwork of the bows, and, panting with his
exertion, Peter drew a little, clumsily made anchor into the big sampan.
"That's done it," he whispered. "Hear anything, sir?"
"No; but we are floating down."
"Lovely, sir. Now then, we shall have to look out, for we mustn't pass
the Doctor's garden."
_Crack_--_creak_--_scrape_!
The two lads dropped at full length into the water that was washing
about the bottom of the boat, and lay motionless till they had scraped
past a boat that seemed similar to the one they had boarded. But it was
evidently unoccupied, and they raised themselves up into a sitting
position again, and strained their eyes to gaze in the direction of the
shore they had left, where all was perfectly still. Then Archie felt
his companion's hand touch his arm.
"Talk about a lark, Mister Archie!" whispered Peter.
"A lark?"
"Yes, sir. I forgot all about the crocs. They must have been asleep."
_Plash_--_wallow_! came from just ahead, as there was a slight jar as if
something had been encountered, and a tiny shower of water flew over
them.
"Doesn't seem like it, Pete," said Archie softly.
"No, sir; and the brute needn't have done that. I was quite wet enough
before. I suppose you are a bit damp?"
"Don't, Pete--don't!" whispered Archie. "This is no time for trying to
be funny."
"All right, sir. I thought it was, for I'm in precious low spirits.
Think we can manage to stop opposite the Doctor's garden?"
"We must, Pete; but I can make out nothing. I suppose we are a long way
above the landing-place."
"Oh yes, sir; and perhaps it's all for the best as we can't see, for if
we could, whoever's ashore would see us; and that would mean spears, for
none of our chaps would be about here."
"Look here, Pete, we must both watch; but you get right in the bows with
the grapnel in your hand, ready to drop it over silently when I say
_Now_!"
"Right, sir; but we must have ever so far to go yet, eh?"
"I am not sure, Pete."
"No, sir; but you will have to chance it."
Archie uttered an angry ejaculation, and then clutched sharply at the
side of the boat, which shivered from end to end and nearly capsized as
it glided up the slanting rope of a larger vessel with which it had come
violently in contact. But it righted itself quickly, and scraped along
the side, with the lads crouching lower as they listened to the angry,
muttering of voices and the scuffling of people moving. But the next
minute the river had borne them clear, and the muttering died away.
"That must have been a naga, Pete, from the size of it, and having men
on board."
"Suppose so, sir. I thought it meant a swim for us. But, I say, it
must have spoilt somebody's beauty snooze. But look there, sir! That
must mean gardens."
"What, Pete?"
"Can't you see them glow-worm things sparkling?"
"Yes."
"Well, sir, ain't you going to say _Now_?"
"No, Pete. We cannot have passed the big landing-place yet. If we
have, only just. Yes, that must be it, and this must be the spot. Oh!
if we could only see a spark of light from the Residency we should know
where we are."
"Yes, sir; but it's no use to look out for lights. Still, we must be
getting somewhere near, sir, and I'm ready when you are. I must leave
it to you, for you know more about boating on the river than I do. It
only seems to me that it can't be long before we shall be opposite the
Doctor's beautiful garden and the little steps at the bottom, where you
used to land."
"Yes, Pete, I must guess, for I can see nothing."
"Nor me neither, sir; but don't be huffy because I say what I am going
to say."
"No. Speak out."
"Then just wait, sir, till you think we are as near as we shall get, and
then chance it."
Archie made no reply as he reached over the side, and, unconscious of
the fact that the stream had turned the boat completely round so that
she was dropping down now bow foremost instead of stern, he suddenly
uttered the word "Now!" and his command was followed by a faint splash
and the rattle of the rope passing over the bows, till there was a
check, and then they were conscious that the sampan was swinging round
again, and Archie uttered a low, groan-like sigh.
"What's the matter, sir? Didn't I do it right?"
"Right, my lad? Yes, you were right enough, but I was all wrong. The
boat has been gliding along stem first, and I have been confused and
looking at the farther shore, seeing nothing but the faint twinkle of
the fire-flies."
"Yes, sir; that's right enough."
"No, no; it's wrong enough, my lad. I'm quite lost. I don't know where
we are. You will have to haul up the grapnel again."
"But what for, sir? She's swung round now right enough, head to
stream--and look--look!" he whispered. "I can see trees quite plain.
We must be close inshore."
"Close inshore; Pete!"
"Yes, sir. Can't that be the Doctor's garden?"
"Hist!" whispered Archie; and there was a sound as if his companion had
given his mouth a pat, for from pretty close at hand there was the low
babble of voices.
"Hear that, sir?" whispered Peter again. "Our chaps?"
"No--Malays."