The Rajah of Dah Part 5

"Ah, there you pose me, Ned. What is everything for? What are we for?"

"To go up the river, and make all sorts of discoveries."

"A good answer. Then let's roll ourselves in our blankets and go to sleep. Hamet says that we shall start again before it is light, and they are going to sleep now."

"All right. Shall I make the beds?"

Murray laughed, for the bed-making consisted in taking two blankets out of a box, and then they rolled themselves up, the lamp was turned down, and, save for a few moments' rustling sound caused by Ned fidgeting into a fresh place, all was silent, the faint whisper of the water gliding by the side of the boat hardly warranting the term sound.

"Asleep, Ned?" came after a pause.

"No, uncle."

"Thinking?"

"Yes, uncle."

"What about?"

"I was thinking how horrid it would be if those people came stealing on board with their krises, and killed us all."

"Then don't think any more such absurd rubbish, and go to sleep."

"Yes, uncle."

"The people out there have just as much cause to fear that we should turn pirates, and go and attack them."

There was another pause, and then a fresh repet.i.tion of the questioning, and this time Ned had been thinking how easy it would be for Hamet and his companions to stab and drop them overboard.

"Get out, you horrible young imaginer of evil. If they did that they would not be paid for their journey."

"No, uncle, but they'd get the guns and all our things."

"Ned, I'm beginning to think I ought to have left you at home," said Mr Murray quietly.

"Oh, I say uncle, I couldn't help tumbling overboard."

"No, sir, but you can help putting all kinds of bloodthirsty ideas in my head. Now go to sleep."

"Well, uncle, if you'll promise not to believe you ought to have left me at home, I will not think anything like that again."

"Very well, sir. It's a bargain."

There was a long silence, and then, _ping_--_ing_--_ing_--_ing_, came a sharp, piercing trumpeting.

"Here he is, Ned."

"Who, uncle?"

"The fellow who wants to have our blood."

"Shall I get the guns, uncle?" whispered Ned, in awe-stricken tones.

"Bah! Nonsense! Whoever shot at a mosquito?"

"Mosquito! Oh, I say, what a shame to scare me like that."

The insect came, filled himself full, and flew off replete; but somehow sleep would not come to either Ned or his uncle, and they were lying hot and weary longing for the repose, when they both started up, for from somewhere in the forest beyond the cottages came a deep-toned sound which can only be rendered by the word pow!

"What's that, uncle?"

"Hist! talk in a whisper. It may be some kind of ape on the prowl; but I'm afraid--"

"So am I, uncle, horribly."

"Be quiet, sir, and let me finish what I have to say," cried Murray angrily. "I was going to say I'm afraid it's a tiger."

"Oh, I say, do get down the guns," whispered Ned. "A tiger? And loose?"

"Loose? Why, you young donkey, do you think this is the zoological gardens, and the tiger's cage has been left open?"

"I don't know, I'm sure; only it seems very risky to be here like this, and not even able to shut the door. No--no--no--no, uncle," continued Ned hastily; "you promised you would not think that you ought to have left me at home."

At that moment the cry came again louder and nearer, but modified so that there could be no doubt about the animal that had given vent to the sound.

The knowledge that a tiger was prowling about somewhere near was enough to make Murray rise softly, and reach down one of the guns from the slings, and slip a couple of ball-cartridges into the barrels, and thus prepared he sat waiting, both having the consolation of knowing that if the animal attacked them, it could only be by taking to the water first and swimming to the boat.

The sound came again, exactly, as Ned said afterwards when he felt quite safe, like the cry of a magnified tom-cat.

But a couple of hours pa.s.sed away without further alarm, and somewhere about that time Murray gave a start, for he had been fast asleep.

"Ned," he whispered.

A heavy breathing was his answer, and the next minute he too was fast asleep only to be awakened by the warm sun at last, and to find from Hamet that the boat had been cast off, and they had been rowing steadily up the river from the earliest dawn of day.

"Ned," said Murray. "Ned."

There was no answer, and he caught hold of the boy.

"Hi, uncle! quick! the gun! It's got hold of my arm."

"What has?"

"Oh, it's you," said Ned, with a sigh of relief. "I dreamed something seized me, and I didn't know whether it was a tiger or a croc."

CHAPTER FOUR.