Archie Maine and Minnie Heath sat in the darkness, hand clasped in hand,
the poor girl sobbing bitterly, nearly overcome with emotion, after, in
a low, excited voice, asking questions about her aunt and uncle and Sir
Charles. After learning that all were alive and safe, she burst out in
so wildly hysterical a fit that there was a low, deep growl from the
darkness at the far end of the boat.
"Silence, Pete!" whispered Archie sternly.
"'Twarn't me, sir. It's this 'ere Malay chap. I think he means that
you oughtn't to make so much noise at that end. I wanted to say
something of the kind, but I didn't want to be rude to the young lady."
Minnie was silent directly; and close to the spot where Peter had been
speaking a curious rustling noise arose, which Archie could not
understand, till almost at once the edge of the moon appeared above the
night mist and lit up the interior of the shelter, and then it was plain
that the big Malay fisherman was busy at work cutting down branches and
laying them across the boat, in which a pile of leafage was beginning to
appear.
"What does he mean by this?" whispered Archie. "I suppose he means the
branches to disguise the boat."
"I don't know," said Minnie. "I suppose so. I don't think we need ask.
He and Dula have saved me, and have been most kind."
"But can you talk now?"
"Yes, yes; I will not break down again if I can help it."
"I'll wait," said Archie.
"No, no; go on talking, pray," half-sobbed the girl. "It keeps me from
thinking. What were you going to say?"
"I was going to ask you how you knew that we were in hiding here."
"Knew! Oh no! It was like this. Dula and Pahan were bringing me down
in their boat, believing that they could reach the bungalow in the
darkness and hide me there. Of course you did not see in the dusk that
I am wearing Dula's baju and sarong."
"No; it was all too dark and confused. But I did think you were a
native woman."
"That is good," said Minnie. "Dula brought me down to the creek where
the boat was lying, and Pahan meant to pretend after dark, if we met any
of the Malays, that he was taking in fruit for the Rajah's men. But we
were seen too soon. One of the Rajah's boats came in sight, and the
chief with it called to us to stop. Then Dula said I must lie under the
attap mats, as they were going to pretend that they did not hear the
call. They began poling the boat along as hard as ever they could,
hoping, as the stream was with us, that we could escape; but--" The poor
girl broke down with a sob.
"Don't talk about it, Minnie--dear sister," said Archie quickly. "Sit
quiet and try to believe that you are safe. Pete and I will die sooner
than harm shall befall you now."
"Yes, yes, I know," said the poor girl, stifling her rising sobs; "but I
must talk. Don't stop me. It helps me to grow calm again after the
horrible excitement of that race for life. Oh," she shuddered, "it was
terrible! For they kept gaining upon us, till they got near enough to
begin throwing spears, two of which passed through the attaps; and I
crouched down, praying that the darkness that was so near would come
down and hide me so that Pahan could run the boat in somewhere amongst
the bushes. At last, when it seemed all over, and I was feeling that I
must bid good-bye to life and jump into the river before I saw these
dear people speared to death, my poor heart gave one great throb in
answer to the sound of your rifle, while Dula uttered a cry of joy,
knowing the shots at the Malays could only come from friends, and helped
her husband to force the sampan right in amongst the trees where we saw
the smoke rising; and then--Oh Archie! oh Archie!" She broke down, and
as she clung to her old companion, the lad made what sounded like a
dreary attempt at a mocking laugh, as he exclaimed:
"Upon my word, Minnie, it was too bad! Here were we trying to save you,
and you dashed in, sank our boat, sent all my cartridges to the bottom,
and nearly drowned us into the bargain."
"Don't--don't try to make a laughing matter of it, Archie! I can't bear
it now."
"Of course you can't. Forgive me for being such a fool. I say, your
what's his name--Pahan--he's getting quite a stack of green stuff
aboard, and--Hang it all! Look at the moon!"
"Yes; I am looking," sighed Minnie. "I've watched it many a time since
I have been in hiding, and I never thought to look upon it peacefully
again. Oh Archie! go on talking to me. Tell me more about Sir Charles,
and what you have all been going through at the station."
"Can't. It would take a month."
"Oh! do tell me something."
"Breaking our hearts about you, then--everybody in the place. Even poor
old Mother Smithers sat down and cried like a child; didn't she, Pete?"
"Gugg!" said the lad, out of the darkness. "Can you get at your knife,
Mr Archie? Mine's turned into a screw-driver, and I want to help this
nig--Malay gentleman to cut sticks."
"Here you are, Pete," said Archie, after a hard struggle to get his hand
into the pocket of his overall, and a harder struggle still to get it
back with the knife.
"Thankye--gugg--sir! Blest if I don't believe I'm going to have a
cold!" And the cutting and rustling of thick, leafy branches went on.
"Now, Minnie, tell me, what do they mean to do?"
"Yes," said the girl quickly. "Dula told me--she can say a few words in
English, and I know a few Malay sentences as well, so that we managed to
understand one another--she said her husband thought he could get the
boat down to the foot of our garden in the darkness, and then we could
all carry baskets of fruit, and so pass through the Malays to a spot
where we could make a dash for the Residency, where we should be safe,
if some of the soldiers didn't shoot us down."
"Ah," said Archie slowly, "you needn't be afraid of that, Minnie."
"What's the matter?" cried the girl sharply.
"Oh, nothing. I am only very wet."
"You are trying to hide something, Archie," said Minnie earnestly. "You
called me sister a few minutes ago."
"Well," he said sharply, "that's what you are to me."
"Then is it brotherly to keep something back?"
"Oh, all right, then," said the lad. "It was only because I didn't want
to give you more troubles to think about."
"What is it, then? I know: Sir Charles is wounded, or perhaps--"
"No, no. He's been knocked about, like the rest of us. I was keeping
it back that our men haven't got a cartridge among them left to fire.
Pegg and I were at the bungalow last night to smuggle out your uncle's
double gun and the cartridges, and we had got in here to wait till night
came again before we landed and tried to make our way back to the
Residency."
"Say, Mister Archie, sir," grumbled Peter, as Minnie sat pressing her
old companion's hand in token of her gratitude for what he had said.
"What is it, Pete?"
"I can't understand what this chap says, but he made me shut up your
knife, and has put away his own, so I think he means we have got as much
green stuff as we can carry."
"Yes, that's it, Pete. Well, what?"
"Only this, sir. You see the moon there?"
"Of course I do."
"Well, is it a heclipse or an echo, or anything of that kind, over
yonder?"
"Where? What do you mean?"
"This 'ere way, sir. You are looking t'other."
"Nonsense!"
"You are looking the wrong way, sir. Hold them branches back. Yes;
it's getting wuss, sir. Blest if they ain't burning the Residency
down!"