"Hah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Ned, taking a long breath; "that's better."

But the pleasurable feeling soon pa.s.sed away, for at the end of five minutes, the jungle track was entered upon again, and plash, plash, plash, plash, on they went, with the howdah creaking to the elephant's swing, and the boughs now dripping with moisture brushing against them as the elephants plunged on.

"Why, we shall be hours yet," said Ned. "Oh, I am getting so sick of this. It was bad enough this morning when it was daylight. Hark!

What's that?"

"Tiger," said Frank, in a subdued voice, "on the prowl. But I don't suppose he'll come near us."

Frank's words did not inspire confidence. On the contrary, they made Ned feel very nervous, and begin to envy Tim's ability to sleep all through the perilous jaunt. For dangerous it was, since, setting aside the risk of an attack by some hungry tiger, there was always the possibility of one of the elephants coming down when floundering through the mud.

On still, with the motion at last growing so wearisome that the dangers were forgotten, and both of the boys began to nod, but roused up again as a hail came from the foremost elephant.

"Getting tired of it?"

"Horribly!" they shouted back; "and it's a long way yet."

Then the nodding began again, their crouching att.i.tude fostering it, and the darkness was lit up by the dreams which came with their sound sleep, out of which they both started together; the change in the elephant's movement, from a rolling, plunging progress, something akin to that of a boat at sea without its smoothness, to a regular steady walk, waking the boys at once.

"Hurrah!" cried Frank. "Out of the jungle. Not far to go now."

As he spoke, they could see lights, and the elephants stepped out freely, bringing them in a very short time to the front of the rajah's grounds, where a group of men were standing, and among them Mr Braine, Mr Greig, and the Tumongong, who all advanced.

"You are late," cried the former. "Make haste and get down here; we have been waiting these two hours."

"Sorry to have kept you," cried Murray, as the elephants went down on their knees.

"Never mind, we'll talk later on. The rajah desires that you all come and have your evening meal with him, and tell him what you have done."

"Impossible to-night. We are not fit."

"Never mind that," said Mr Braine, rather hurriedly; "he expressed a wish for you to come, and come you must. He has been waiting two hours.

The ladies are all there, and the doctor too. A dinner has been prepared for us in a room to ourselves. You will have an audience with the rajah afterwards."

The mention of the ladies being there swept away all Murray's objections, and he descended, while Frank said aloud:

"Then I shall take Ned on home to have something with me."

"No, no," cried Murray, hastily; "he must see to the specimens and guns being safely housed."

"Impossible!" cried Mr Braine, "and we are wasting time. The rajah said all, and he will be impatient. Your man Hamet must see to everything. Come along."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

THE RAJAH'S RING.

Murray was anxious, unwilling, and willing altogether, as he followed the Tumongong and a guard of the rajah's men into the lantern-lit clearing before the house; and from thence they were ushered into a room hung with mats, where water was brought in bra.s.s basins for their ablutions, before they were shown into a long dimly-lit room, where a meal was spread on mats upon the floor, while upon cushions at one end the rajah himself was seated conversing with the doctor and the ladies.

He rose and received the rest of his guests with dignity, pointing out to them the places he wished them to occupy, and then, to the surprise of all, he took the head of the board himself; a compliment which the Englishmen looked upon with suspicion, as possibly meaning something, opposed as it was to his ordinary customs.

To the boys it was delightful, for everything in the dimly-lit room was attractive: the group of guards and officials who stood behind and about the rajah in their showiest silks; the chief in his native costume now, in which bright-yellow silk predominated; and as Ned gazed at him, he could not help thinking how much better he looked in a dress which became him, for he looked now like an eastern prince, and the boy whispered so to his companion.

"Yes; he don't look such an old guy now," said Frank, in the same tone.

"We English people can wear our clothes without looking foolish," he said, complacently. "They can't wear English things without being scarecrows."

"But, I say, where are his wives? There are no ladies here," whispered Ned again.

"Locked up, put away in the cupboard. Heads chopped off, perhaps,"

whispered Frank. "You didn't suppose they would be here to sit down and eat with such infidels as we are!"

"Oh, I didn't know."

"Well, I did. It's a wonder to see the old chap here. He's got some scheme in his head, or he wouldn't be so civil. I wonder what it is.

You see they're all obliged to come if he gives orders. But be quiet: don't talk and ask questions. I'm hungry, and the things he gives you to eat are precious good, though often enough you don't know what they are."

"But, I say, tell me this," whispered Ned; "and I won't ask you any more questions. There will not be anything one don't like to eat, will there? I mean anything queer."

"What, young crocodile fatted with n.i.g.g.e.rs, pickled boa constrictor, or curried baby?"

"Don't chaff. Tell me."

"Look here: do you want to know what to do?"

"Of course."

"Then you eat just the same as I do, and you can't be wrong."

Ned took the advice, and, like his companion, he was very soon enjoying himself thoroughly; too busy, in fact, to take much notice of the others, till Frank began to make remarks.

"I say, how nice Amy Barnes looks, doesn't she! Got quite a colour."

Ned glanced at her, and saw that she was flushed and looked excited, but was evidently doing her best to be at ease, talking readily enough with the Resident, and letting him translate in answer to some remark made in a grave and stately way by the rajah, who scarcely ate anything, but kept on giving instructions to his attendants to take this dish or that wine to his guests.

"What's the matter with your uncle?" said Frank, suddenly; "not poorly, is he?"

"Matter?" said Ned, looking across to where Murray was seated.

"Nothing; he only looks cross."

"But he is hardly eating anything. Overdid it to-day in our walk, or else riding the elephants has made him queer. It makes some people ill, like going to sea for the first time."

Just then the rajah spoke to one of the attendants, who directly after went and filled Murray's cup with some kind of palm wine, and then the Resident's, and the doctor's.

"The rajah will take wine with us, Murray, in the English fashion," said Mr Braine; and though Murray felt as if he would like to refuse, he told himself that so far he had no real cause, and that such an act on his part might mean peril to all present. So in a very distant quiet way he took wine, the rajah merely putting his cup to his lips, while as Murray drank he could not help thinking how easily such a man might get rid of any one he disliked, and how little likelihood there was of his being ever called to account for the murder.

These thoughts gave a bitter flavour to the by no means unpalatable draught.

He had no time to dwell further on the thoughts which had been troubling him ever since he had entered the place, for the rajah spoke to Mr Braine, who bowed and turned to the naturalist: