Middy and Ensign Part 69

"They would all say the risk is too great. They would lose their lives if discovered."

"Then what is to be done?" cried Bob.

Ali stood thinking for a few moments in silence, and then he looked frankly from one to the other.

"I will go myself," he said.

The two young men stared at him.

"You?" they exclaimed in one breath. "Why, just now you said the risk was too great."

"That the men would lose their lives!" cried Bob Roberts.

"If they were discovered!" exclaimed Tom Long.

"Yes," said Ali, quietly, and he smiled back in their astonished faces.

"And yet you would run that risk?" said Bob Roberts.

"Yes: why not?"

"But for us?"

"Is one's life to be devoted to oneself?" said Ali calmly. "I am not as you are. You are Christians. I am a follower of the prophet. We call you dogs and giaours. You look upon us with contempt. But men are but men, the whole world over, and it seems to me that one's life cannot be better spent than in trying to do good to one's friends."

"But," said Tom Long, "you would be fighting against your friends, the Malays."

"No," said Ali, mournfully. "I should be fighting for them in doing anything that would free them from the rule of idle sensualists and pirates."

"I tell you what," cried Bob Roberts, enthusiastically, "we'll whop old Hamet and Rajah Gantang out of their skins, and you shall be sultan instead, or your father first and you afterwards."

Ali's eyes flashed as he turned them upon the speaker.

"You could be chief banjo, you know," said Bob.

"Chief--banjo?" said Ali, wonderingly.

"No, no; I mean gong--Tumongong," cried Bob.

"Oh, yes," said Ali, smiling. "But no, no: that is a dream. Let us be serious. One of your people could not go, it would be impossible; but I am a Malay, and if I dress myself as a common man--a slave--I could follow where the hunting-party went, and find out all you want to know."

"No, no," cried Bob, earnestly, "I should not like that."

"Like what, Mr Roberts?" said a voice that made them start; and turning sharply, they saw Captain Smithers standing by them, with Lieutenant Johnson.

"Mr Ali here wants to dress up as a common Malay, sir, and go as a spy to get news of the hunting-party."

"It would be excellent," cried the lieutenant. "Mr Ali, you would confer a lasting favour upon us."

"But have you thought of the risk?" said Captain Smithers.

"I have thought of everything," said the young man, quietly.

They all sat down together under the shade of the great tree where they were, and the matter was talked over, it being decided that from time to time Ali was to send messengers with news of his progress, if he could find any trustworthy enough; and all being arranged, he left them, to make preparations for his departure, shaking hands warmly with all, and then going towards the barracks, but only to return directly.

"As you may suppose," he said, "my success depends upon my not being apparently known to you; so if a strange Malay is seen leaving your lines, don't let him be fired at."

"Of course not: I see," exclaimed Captain Smithers. "But shall we see you again?"

"Not to speak to," replied Ali, smiling; and as soon as he had gone, Captain Smithers walked across the ground to give orders about a strange Malay being allowed to leave.

Lieutenant Johnson returned on board the steamer with Bob Roberts; and Tom Long, after seating himself comfortably in one chair with his legs in another, went off fast asleep.

Half an hour after, when all was very still in the burning heat of the sun, when not a breath of air rippled the river or rustled through the trees; when Englishman and Malay were resting, and the very sentries had hard work to keep from going to sleep at their posts, there was a soft rustling noise in the tree beneath which Tom Long was sleeping; and after this had been repeated several times a lithe Malay softly descended till he was within six or eight feet of the ground, when he slipped and fell, but regained his feet instantly, as Tom Long started into wakefulness and clapped his hand to his sword, upon seeing the strange Malay just before him.

The Malay, however, raised one hand deprecatingly, and smiled a very significant smile as he turned to go.

"Here, stop! surrender! Why--Oh! I say, Ali; that's capital," he said, as the Malay still smiled at him. "You quite took me in."

The Malay smiled and nodded, and walked straight off to where a sentry was watching them both; and the man, seeing the Malay come straight from his officer, made way, saluted, and the dark figure pa.s.sed from the fortified lines and walked away towards where the enemy lay amongst the trees.

"That's a brave thing to do," muttered Tom Long, and resuming his seat he took another sleep, and was awakened the next time by Captain Smithers laying his hand upon his shoulder.

"Ali has gone," he said.

"Yes, I know," said Tom Long. "He quite took me in. It was a splendid disguise."

"Capital!" said Captain Smithers. "The very sentries were puzzled."

"Yes, of course they would be," replied Tom Long; and the captain walked away.

"The sentries must have been puzzled before he came to me," said Tom Long to himself. "That man yonder, though, seemed to take it as a matter of course. I shall be very glad, though, when all this hiding and dodging is over, and the hunting-party are back, for I am not going to believe that they are in danger after all."

And yet Tom Long did believe it, and was as uneasy as the rest; but it was his way of trying to put a good face upon matters.

CHAPTER FIFTY.

HOW BOB FISHED FOR MISS LINTON.

To the surprise and gratification of the English party, the jungle-station remained unmolested for the next two days, giving them ample time to make such little additions to the defences as the officers thought needful. The coming of the steamer gave the occupants of the fort command of the water and a way of retreat in case of extremities; moreover, they had the chance of sharing the s.h.i.+p's provisions. So that with the knowledge of their power of resistance a feeling of confidence began to exist, especially as it was evident that the Malays had been taught the danger of molesting the little party.

The enemy came and went from the island in large numbers, but kept entirely aloof, making no attempt to communicate; while their strange silence excited suspicion in Captain Smithers' mind that some plot was hatching.

The lieutenant joined him in thinking that there was cause for suspicion, and more stringent watch was kept.

Old d.i.c.k regretted keenly that for reasons of economy the furnace fires could not be kept up, for he argued still that plenty of hot water was all that was needed to keep them safe. He had, however, to be content with the ordinary precautions, promising himself the extraordinary as soon as the fires were lit.