"DON'T YOU KNOW ME?"
To the great satisfaction of both, the upper layers of the cartridges
proved to be quite dry, and, at Peter's suggestion, they made sure of
having a couple of dozen handy by bestowing them in various pockets.
"All right for present use, sir," said Peter; and placing in a few
leaves to refill the box, he lightly screwed down the lid again.
"It's a pity to do that," said Archie.
"Think so, sir? We have got to get those boxes down to the Residency,
and it might happen that we should be obliged to hide them somewhere.
Anyhow, what we've got out will be handy. Now then, I want it to get
dark. What do you say to one of us taking an hour's snooze?"
"By all means, Pete. It will help us to get through the long watching
before night. There, I could not sleep now. You lie down while I keep
watch."
"Oh no, sir; you first."
"Don't argue, Pete. I say, lie down," said Archie sternly.
"Right, sir. But you will play fair? Rouse me up in an hour, and let
me relieve guard."
"I will, Pete. We both want rest, and we shall do our work the better
afterwards."
Peter promptly prepared the only dry place he could find, which was in
the stern of the boat, by dragging down a portion of the bamboo and
palm-leaf awning and laying the pieces across so as to form a little
platform, where he stretched himself out, and before a minute had
elapsed he was breathing so heavily that his companion began to peer up
and down the river and think of the possibility of the sleeper being
heard. But nothing was in sight downward, and he now found that by
changing the position of the boat a little he could command a long reach
upward--quite a mile.
The guessed-at hour grew into what must have been two, and amidst the
annoyance of flies, and troubled by the intense heat, Archie sat
watching and thinking, and wondering whether it would be possible as
soon as it was dark to thread their way among the bushes of the opposite
shore and carry their burden to the help of their friends.
"It's all what Pete calls chancing it," he said to himself; "but we may
succeed--and we will."
At last, just as he was thinking that it might be wise to awaken Pete
for an exchange of places, he suddenly caught sight of a large boat in
the extreme distance, gliding round a slight curve, and after watching
it increase in size as it came rapidly down, he laid a hand on Peter's
arm, and the lad started up, fully awake.
"Relieve guard, sir? Right! Give us the gun," said the lad quietly;
and then, following Archie's pointing finger, he realised the new peril,
and withdrawing his hand, he drew out his bayonet and replaced it ready
for instant use.
A glance showed the pair that they could do nothing more to add to their
concealment, and with the boat rapidly nearing, they sat and watched,
Archie with the cocked piece lying across his knees ready for their
defence in case of need.
During the first part of the time their impression had been that it was
the dragon-boat they had seen going up, but as it drew nearer they made
out that it was manned by Malays, evidently of the poorer classes, but
well-armed and in all probability followers of some minor chief.
To the lads' great satisfaction, it seemed that they were hugging the
farther shore, and they passed by travelling slowly, without even
looking in their direction, and glided out of sight.
"Lucky for some of them, Mister Archie," said Peter, as he stretched out
his hand for the gun and crept forward. "There you are, sir. I feel
like a new man. Have a good sleep, sir. It helps the time along
beautifully. How did you guess an hour, sir?"
"Never mind about the time, Pete. You guess another as nearly as you
can; but wake me, of course, if there is any danger."
"You trust me, sir," was the reply; and Archie lay down, feeling that
the position would be restful, but certain that he should not be able to
sleep.
Five minutes had not elapsed, however, before he was sleeping heavily,
but ready to awaken at a touch and sit up, to stare about him wildly.
"Why, Pete," he said angrily, "I have had more than an hour."
"Well, just a little, sir. Feel all the better for it, don't you?"
"Why, you scoundrel," cried Archie as he readied for the gun, "it's
close upon evening--close upon night! How dare you disobey my orders?
Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Hadn't the heart, sir," said the lad quietly.
"But I said--"
"Yes, I know you did; and I was going to wake you up half-a-dozen times,
but I knowed how weak you were, and that you would want every bit of
strength for what we have got to do to-night; and I didn't want you to
break down."
"Am I your officer, sir, or am I not?" said Archie fiercely.
"Yes, sir, of course; and I know I ought to obey the word of command.
But you don't want me to do impossibilities, now, do you, sir?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, sir, you don't want me to carry you and the cartridge-boxes too?"
"No; I should carry my share, of course."
"Yes, sir; but I should be having Paddy's load. You would be carrying
the boxes, but I should be carrying you and the boxes too."
"Pete--" began Archie fiercely; but he was checked by the lad's action,
for with one hand he pointed up the long reach, and with the other he
placed the gun across the subaltern's knees.
"A boat!" said Archie.
"Two on 'em, sir;" and they sat gazing up through the gathering gloom of
their shelter at what the last faint rays of the setting sun showed to
be a large sampan coming down the river, urged by a couple of Malays who
were steadily using their poles, while some distance behind a boat about
double the size was following them, propelled by oars.
"It will be all right, sir," said Peter. "By the time they come by here
it will be getting dark. Look at that farther one. The attaps looked
red just now, but they are turning brown already."
"Yes; and look there. Why, Pete--am I right? It seemed as if one of
the Malays in the front of the far boat stood up and threw a spear."
"Right you are, sir, and no mistake. There goes another. Can you see
how many there are in the first boat?"
"Three, I think; and one's a woman."
"I thought two of them," said Peter; "and there's eight or ten or a
dozen in the other. Well, sir, the far-off one must be enemies, and the
little boat must be friends. I know which side we ought to take, and we
can now."
"What do you mean? Fire?"
"That's right, sir."
"But we shall show where we are."
"Of course; but we can't help that, sir," cried Peter excitedly. "Here
they come. They'll overtake the little 'un directly. You've got bullet
cartridges, sir, for I tried one. But I don't know whether this double
gun will carry so far; so you had better wait."
"One barrel's rifled, Pete, and it will," said Archie, drawing himself
into a kneeling position and resting the barrels upon a horizontal
bough.
"Look sharp, sir! Oh, murder--there goes another spear! I couldn't
hardly see, but it must have gone close to that woman who is handling
the bamboo. Oh, do fire, sir!"
There was the sharp report of one barrel, and then, as the smoke rose,
Archie fired again, and opened the breech and rapidly inserted the
cartridges that Peter handed to him; while, as if startled by the
reports, the rowers in the far boat laid on their oars, and those astern
started up, and the lads could dimly see their spears bristling in the
gathering gloom.
"Give them another, sir--only one--and reload. You missed first time.
You must bring down a couple now."
Archie fired again, and this time one of the Malays seemed to spring out
of the boat and drift behind.
"That's good, sir. Here's your cartridge. Now then! Give them two
now. They are coming straight for us where the smoke shows. Quick,
sir!"
_Bang, bang_ went the double gun, the reports almost simultaneous, for
in his excitement Archie had no thought of reserving one shot; and as he
hastily reloaded he could see in the rapidly dimming light that the
rowers were changing the course of their naga, as if to get out of the
line of fire, and were beginning to make for the opposite shore; while
the big Malay in the small sampan had ceased his efforts to pole his
boat more swiftly along, and was using the bamboo to steer the little
vessel, which, gathering force from the man's efforts combined with the
swift stream, plunged right in through the hanging boughs behind which
the two lads crouched. There was a heavy crash, mingled with the
breaking of twigs, and the two lads were driven headlong into the bottom
of their boat.
Archie struggled up at once, holding his double gun on high to keep it
out of the water, with which he was drenched; and the first thing he
could make out through the wide opening torn in their shelter was the
naga and its occupants gliding rapidly by, the rowers pulling as if for
dear life, and the spearmen crouching down in the bottom, half-hidden by
the awning. Then they were gone.
Meanwhile Peter was struggling to free himself from the encumbrance of
the big Malay, who had been shot from his own vessel right upon him; and
the next thing that met Archie's eyes, as he gazed through the
crushed-down leafage driven before the lesser boat, was Peter's
bayonet-armed hand with the weapon raised dagger-wise, and beyond the
Malay, who was holding out his hands, the native boat with the Malay
woman, pole in hand, panting hard as if from exertion. Then his eye
caught the figure of the other woman, kneeling in the stern.
"Pete, look out! Quick! We must climb into this boat. She's cut us
down. Quick--before it's too dark to see!"
"Here, I don't understand, sir. This fellow knocked me down, and--"
"Understand! Can't you see we are sinking? It's deep water here."
Before he could finish he dimly made out that the big Malay had
struggled clear and seemed to be much higher as he dragged at Peter,
hoisted him right up, and jerked him behind; while at the same time the
panting woman was holding out the pole she used, at which Archie
grasped, just in time, as he felt the water was gradually bearing him
away.
The next minute he was being dragged over the side of the sampan by the
two Malays, and as they lowered him so that he lay upon his back,
Peter's head suddenly appeared between the two strangers, with the eager
question:
"Have you stuck to your gun, sir?"
"Yes; all right, Pete. What a horrible accident! Where's our boat?"
"Rotten old cocoa-nut shell," cried Peter savagely. "There's the last
on her just going down;" and he pointed to a spot a few yards away,
where, dividing the pendent branches of their shelter, was the attap
roof of their sampan. "And do you know what that means, sir?"
"Utter wreck, Pete," said Archie, breathing hard from excitement.
"Yes, sir; and my four boxes of cartridges with all them blue pills gone
to the bottom to feed the crocs."
"But what about the other boat?"
"Why, we are in it, sir. Can't you see?" said Peter sourly.
"No, no--I mean the enemy's."
"Oh! Out of sight, sir. Gone down the river just as if you were
peppering them still."
"Eh? What?" cried Archie, as he became aware of the fact that some one
else had spoken, and that a bough of one of the trees that overshadowed
them was being pressed aside; and, half-stunned in his astonishment, the
young officer grasped the words that seemed to be coming in the
confusion of some strange dream:
"Archie! Don't you know me? I'm Minnie Heath."