Middy and Ensign Part 40

"As you will, gentlemen," said the resident firmly, and he then placed his elbows on the table and joined his fingers, while the light from the lamp shone full upon his forehead.

"Mr Ensign Long--Mr Mids.h.i.+pman Roberts," he began. "He might have placed me first," thought Bob. "I wish someone would catch those wretched moths."

"You have been out on an expedition to-day?"

He waited for an answer, and as Tom Long had been placed first, Bob waited, too; but as his companion did not speak, Bob exclaimed quickly--

"Yes, sir, snipe shooting;" and as the resident bowed his head, Bob added, "two brace."

"Confound you--you young dogs!" cried Captain Horton, "and you brought a brace of something else. I beg your pardon, Mr Linton; go on."

Mr Linton bowed, while Bob uttered a barely audible whistle, and glanced at his companion.

"Then it's about those two girls," he thought.

"It seems, young gentlemen," continued the resident, "that while you were out, you met two young Malay girls?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who had run away from their master?"

"From their owner, as he seemed to consider himself, sir," said Bob, who, to use his own words, felt as if all the fat was in the fire now, and blazed up accordingly. "You see, sir," he said quickly, "we were watching for something that we saw in the reeds, close to the boggy ground, you know, and Tom here thought it was pig, but I thought it might be a deer. So we stood quite still till we heard sounds in the distance, when out jumped two dark creatures, and I was going to fire, when we saw that they were girls."

"And they ran up to us," said Tom Long.

"Like winking," said Bob, "and threw themselves on their knees, and clung to our legs, and wouldn't let go. Then up came half-a-dozen of the n.i.g.g.e.rs--"

"I think, Mr Roberts, we will call people by their right names," said the resident, quietly; "suppose we say Malays."

"Yes, sir, Malays; and laid hold of the girls to drag them away. They screamed out, and that roused us, and we sent the nig--Malays staggering back. For you see, sir, as Englishmen--"

"English what--Mr Roberts?" said Captain Horton.

"Men, sir. I'm a mids.h.i.+pman, sir," said Bob, sharply; and the captain grunted out something that sounded like "impudent young puppy!" but he did not look angry.

"Go on, Mr Roberts," said the resident.

"Well, sir, being English--boys--big boys, who felt like men just then--" said Bob, rather sarcastically.

"That's not bad, Mr Roberts," said Major Sandars, with a glance at the naval captain.

"Well, sir, as the poor girls had regularly appealed to us to protect them, and the nig--Malays, sir, whipped out their krises, we presented arms, and would have given them a peppering of snipe shot, if they hadn't sheered off when we brought the two poor weeping slave girls under the protection of the British flag, and set them free. Didn't we, Tom?"

"Yes," said Tom Long, looking nervously at the resident, and wondering what Rachel Linton thought about their feat.

There was a dead silence for a few moments, during which Bob Roberts wiped his streaming forehead, for he felt uncomfortably hot. Then the resident began--

"I think I am speaking the sentiments of my friends here, young gentlemen, when I say that you both behaved just as two brave British lads would be expected to behave under the circ.u.mstances."

"Yes," said Major Sandars, "Ensign Long, I felt sure, would not be wanting, if called upon."

Tom Long's face grew the colour of his best uniform.

"Very plucky act," said Captain Horton; and he nodded in so friendly a way at the middy, that Bob felt quite beaming.

"But," continued the resident, speaking very slowly, and as if weighing every word he said, "what is very beautiful in sentiment, and very brave and manly if judged according to our own best feelings, young gentlemen, becomes very awkward sometimes if viewed through the spectacles of diplomacy."

"I--I don't understand you, sir," faltered Bob.

"Let me be explicit then, young gentlemen. You both were, it seems, granted leave of absence to-day, for indulging in a little innocent sport, but by your brave, though very indiscreet conduct, you have, I fear, completely overset the friendly relations that we have been trying so hard to establish with these extremely sensitive people."

"But, sir," began Bob, "the poor girls--"

"Yes, I know all that," said the resident quietly; "but slavery is a domestic inst.i.tution among these people, and to-morrow I feel sure that I shall have a visit from some of the sultan's chief men, demanding that these poor girls be given up."

"But they can't be now, sir," said Tom Long.

"No, Mr Long, we cannot return the poor girls to a state of slavery; but do you not see into what an awkward position your act has brought us?"

"I'm very sorry, sir."

"Yes, but sorrow will not mend it. We have been, and are, living on the edge of a volcano here, young gentlemen, and the slightest thing may cause an eruption. This act of yours, I greatly fear, will bring the flames about our heads."

Bob Roberts turned pale, as he thought of the ladies.

"But they'd never dare, sir," he began.

"Dare? I believe the Malays are quite daring enough to attack us, should they feel disposed. But there, we need not discuss that matter.

You young gentlemen have, however, been very jubilant over your rescue of these poor girls, and you have been summoned here to warn you, while your respective officers take into consideration what punishment is awarded to you, that your noisy demonstrations are very much out of place."

"Punishment, sir!" said Bob, who looked aghast.

"Yes," said the resident sharply, "punishment. You do not seem to realise, young gentleman, that your act to-day has fired a train.

Besides which, it is a question of such import that I must make it the basis of a special despatch to the colonial secretary at Whitehall."

Bob Roberts turned round and stared at Tom Long, but the latter was staring at Major Sandars.

"I don't think I need say any more, young gentlemen," said the resident quietly, "and I fervently hope that I may be able to peaceably settle this matter; but it is quite on the cards that it may be the cause of a deadly strife. And I sincerely trust that whatever may be the upshot of this affair, it may be a warning to you, as young English officers, to think a little more, and consider, before you take any serious step in your careers; for sometimes a very slight error may result in the loss of life. In this case, yours has not been a slight error, but a grave one."

"Though we all own as quite true," said Captain Horton, "that we don't see how you could have acted differently; eh, Sandars?"

"Yes, yes, of course. But, hang it all, Long, how could you go and get into such a confounded pickle? It's too bad, sir, 'pon my soul, sir; it is too bad--much too bad."

"Are we to be under arrest, sir?" said Bob Roberts, rather blankly.

"Not if you'll both promise to keep within bounds," said Captain Horton.

"No nonsense."